THE LINE #463

September 17, 2008

Ryan Briscoe, Helio Castroneves, Team Penske.  A third Penske Porsche RS Spyder will be entered in this year’s Petit Le Mans powered by the Totally New Mazda6, the endurance classic that has become one of the cornerstones of the American Le Mans Series season. Ryan Briscoe and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves will pilot the No. 5 Penske Motorsports entry in the race. Patrick Long and Sascha Maassen will drive Penske Racing’s No. 6 Porsche with championship leaders Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas in the No. 7 car. Emmanuel Collard, winner of this year's Sebring 12 Hours with Bernhard and Dumas, will qualify in all three Penske cars in order to be able to support the team as a third driver, should it be necessary. Penske Racing enters Petit Le Mans with an 11-point lead for the P2 team title, while Porsche trails Acura by 4 points in the manufacturer standings. The Petit Le Mans will be Castroneves’ second start in the American Le Mans Series. He drove to a third-place LMP2 finish at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in 2007 with Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas, who then went on to claim the Series’ P2 championship. Petit Le Mans powered by the Totally New Mazda6 is the 10th round of the 2008 American Le Mans Series. The 1,000-mile/10-hour race is scheduled for 11:15 a.m. Saturday, October 4 from Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga. SPEED will televise the race live with XM Satellite Radio airing live race coverage throughout the day on Channel 166. Live coverage from American Le Mans Radio will be available at americanlemans.com, which also will feature IMSA’s Live Timing & Scoring.

(ALMS)
Helio Castroneves will join two other Indy 500 winners in the Petit Le Mans field - de Ferran Motorsports’ pair of team owner Gil de Ferran (2003) and Scott Dixon (2008).

Dario Franchitti, Patrón Highcroft Racing. Dario Franchitti will join the Patrón Highcroft Racing duo of Scott Sharp and David Brabham for the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, on Saturday, October 4. The Scot will drive the No. 9 Patrón Highcroft Acura ARX-01b prototype sports car for the first time in the prestigious 1,000-mile event and penultimate 2008 ALMS round. Sharp and Brabham lie second in the 2008 LMP2 title chase, just four points behind the leaders, Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas, and Patrón Highcroft sits second in the Team championship to Penske Racing. Franchitti, 35, the 2007 IndyCar champion, has over 180 CART and IndyCar race starts, 18 wins (Including the 2007 Indianapolis 500) and 17 pole positions in the last decade to his credit. "We're really excited about the opportunity to have Dario in the Patrón Highcroft Racing Acura for Petit Le Mans," said Patrón Highcroft team principal Duncan Dayton. "Clearly he's quick and to have last year's IRL Champion and Indy 500 winner on our team to partner with Scott and David is fantastic. It's a true testament to how far we've come as a team to be able to attract the kind of world-class drivers that we have. I want to thank Chip [Ganassi] and his Target team for allowing their driver to join us for Petit.  We are looking forward to continuing our battle with the No. 7 Penske Porsche for the LMP2 Championship at Road Atlanta.  Dario further strengthens our line-up and will help us to achieve our goals." "I'm really excited to be joining Patrón Highcroft Racing for Petit Le Mans," said Franchitti. "I've been very impressed with David, Scott and the whole team this year so when Duncan approached me it was easy to say yes. To be back in the Acura and to race in such a competitive field, which includes my brother Marino and my new [Target Chip Ganassi] teammate Scott Dixon [who is racing at Petit Le Mans with de Ferran Motorsports] will be great!"

(ALMS)

Sebastien Vettel, Scuderia Toro Rosso. Great drive by the young charger in difficult conditions at Monza, in the Italian GP, as Vittel won his (and the team's) first-ever F1 race. Not only did he out-pace Team McLaren and Ferrari, he did it from the pole position. The rumors are already starting to fly as to what teams are "after" the young emerging star.

(Jim Haines/IMS)
Five-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi (No. 46 Fiat Yamaha) speeds through the rain around the IMS road course on his way to victory in the Inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last Sunday. Rossi's 69th win brings him closer to his sixth MotoGP championship and moves him ahead of the great Giacomo Agostini for the most wins in the premier class. 91,000 fans attended the race.

(Wally Parks Museum)
Classic American motorcycles - from Indians to 100-year-old Harley-Davidsons ­ will be displayed at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum presented by Automobile Club of Southern California on Oct. 25 for its 2nd annual Indian Motorcycle Day. The event, held in conjunction with California Bike Week, runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is sponsored by Coker Tire and Duke Video USA. Admission is free to all who bring a pre-1968 motorcycle (includes entry to the Museum and California Bike Weekend - Saturday only) and Flat Track Racing at the Pomona Fairplex on Saturday night. More than 25,000 bikers will ride into Pomona Fairplex for the final days of California Bike Week. For more on California Bike Week, visit www.calweek.com.