June 10, 2009
(Richard Prince/GM Racing)
Family portrait: Corvette Racing team members pose with No. 63 Corvette C6.R drivers Johnny O'Connell, Antonio Garcia, and Jan Magnussen, and No. 64 C6.R drivers Marcel Fassler, Olivier Beretta, and Oliver Gavin. Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan is at left, with the No. 63 Corvette, and Corvette Racing team manager Gary Pratt, from Pratt&Miller Engineering, is at the right with the No. 64 Corvette. The picture was taken at Le Mans, France, where Corvette Racing is preparing to run the 24 Hours of Le Mans this weekend, June 13-14, 2009.
Corvette Racing is the most successful team in American Le Mans Series history and has won its class five times in the French endurance classic (2001-02, 2004-06), establishing Corvette as a global performance icon. Now, after runner-up finishes in Le Mans in 2007 and 2008, Corvette Racing is focused on winning its sixth Le Mans title at the spectacular Circuit de la Sarthe.
This year's edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans holds special significance for Corvette Racing as the team's Corvette C6.Rs will be making their final run in the GT1 category in the world's most prestigious sports car race. When the team returns to the U.S. Corvette Racing begins its transition to a global GT class in 2010 that is primarily based on current GT2 regulations.
"From Corvette Racing's inception, the 24 Hours of Le Mans has always been our objective," said program manager Doug Fehan. "GM leadership shared that vision, and Le Mans became the cornerstone of our program for two important reasons. First, Corvette is the tip of GM's technological spear, so racing production-based Corvettes was the most expedient way to accelerate the transfer of technology from racing to production," Fehan said. "Second, we knew that Corvette was going to become a global brand. If Corvette was going to compete successfully in the marketplace with Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin, and other prestigious marques, then we had to transform the image of Corvette in the eyes of the world. Corvette's performance credentials were already well established in North America, but we had to nurture a new respect for Corvette in the rest of the world. Le Mans provided the arena to accomplish that, and the results have far exceeded our expectations."
(ALMS)
Publisher's Note: The 77th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is scheduled for 3 p.m. CET (9 a.m. EDT) on Saturday, June 13 to 3 p.m. CET (9 a.m. EDT) on Sunday, June 14. SPEED will provide live television coverage. Flag-to-flag coverage of the race, qualifying and practice will be available at radiolemans.com. Thanks to the American Le Mans Series media folk for the following Le Mans interviews. - PMD
Jörg Bergmeister and Seth Neiman are together again at Le Mans this weekend in Flying Lizard Motorsports’ Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. They are teaming with Darren Law in one of the deepest GT2 fields seen at Le Mans, nothing new for a team that won the American Le Mans Series GT2 title last year. Flying Lizard debuted at the 24 Hours in 2005 with a GT2 podium finish. Bergmeister and Neiman would like to get back there this year, preferably on the top step. Jörg Bergmeister
“It’s definitely the highlight of the season to race at Le Mans. It’s such a great track, definitely one of my favorites - so much history and just an awesome track to drive on. It’s the highlight of the season for me and I think for everyone to go over there and hopefully win the race again. We had a really fast car the last two years but unfortunately had some bad luck that hopefully will turn around. The cars are obviously the same (the team’s two Porsches from the American Le Mans Series); we are going to run the No. 44 car in Le Mans. The setup is definitely quite unique; it is very low downforce that we are running so therefore the car handles differently.”
Seth Neiman
“Of course when we compare the American Le Mans Series and Le Mans, the rules are very, very similar. One difference at Le Mans is the top speeds are much higher and the lap is very long - over four minutes. There are always a lot more prototypes at Le Mans. A lot of European teams dust off their prototypes and come to visit us at Le Mans but in general traffic is not the same kind of issue we have in the American Le Mans Series because the track is so large. It’s a very long race and the quicker classes have a tendency to be a bit more patient. Weather is always an issue at Le Mans. There may be two to three hours of 24 where it’s ideal conditions or is extremely hot. It has been more than 100 degrees there or either it’s pouring down rain. When we founded the team we felt like if we could ever get to Le Mans that it would be a mark of achieving something that not many racing teams have. And now that we go back and back, we have the same feeling every time.”
David Brabham will be driving a factory Peugeot 908 HDi, and Marino Franchitti will be in Drayson Racing’s Aston Martin Vantage GT2. Both are well aware and appreciative of the significance and meaning of Le Mans in racing.
David Brabham
“It’s a race I’ve done 15 times. It’s the highlight of my year, and it’s such a historic event. When you think of the drivers, the cars, the history of the place, it’s truly amazing. It is one of the biggest races in the world so it’s a great privilege for me to be competing and I’m going there this year with a great chance of actually winning the race, driving for Peugeot. Acura, Duncan Dayton and Patrón Highcroft Racing allowed me to go and do the race. I’m really looking forward to it because to win there overall is something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve won the last two years with Aston Martin in the GT1 class, and to go there and win this time would really top that off nicely. When you compare the Le Mans 24 Hours to American Le Mans Series racing, I don’t know what it is, but there is a difference. There’s a different feel and a completely different crowd; you’ve got to feel it. You go to Le Mans and there is a completely different feel.”
Marino Franchitti
“The good thing about (the American Le Mans Series) running under ACO rules means that everything is very similar when you’re racing at Le Mans. I think that if you’re driving in the Le Mans Series in Europe or you’re driving in the American Le Mans Series, you have an advantage over people that may be driving different championships. For me there are very small differences. Obviously it’s over a week that you’re there so it’s quite easy to get tired out. I feel very lucky to drive in the American Le Mans Series because it prepares you well for Le Mans. As a sports car driver, it’s the biggest sports car race in the world; it’s what made me want to be a sports car driver. It means everything to me. I think the closest thing to it is the Indy 500 for atmosphere. It’s the only other place in the world where it makes all the hairs on your arms and neck stand on end. There have been so many great battles there, and I think we’ll see more this year especially in LMP1 and in GT2. I think they’re going to be unbelievable battles and competition between the cars. I think they’re going to be making history this year, so it’s going to be interesting to be there.”
Helio Castroneves, Team Penske. Helio Castroneves (No. 3 Team Penske Dallara/Honda/Firestone) took the lead off a Lap 175 pit stop and went on to a 0.3904 sec. victory over Team Penske teammate Ryan Briscoe (No. 6 D/H/F) in the Bombardier Learjet 550k at Texas Motor Speedway last Saturday night. It was his third win at Texas. "It was an incredible day for Team Penske," the 2009 Indianapolis 500 winner said. "All the credit also goes to Ryan Briscoe and his team. They push us, and we push them, and together, we're pushing towards the top. Having first and second at Texas is not easy, so that's a compliment for everyone." It was Castroneves' second win of the season and the16th of his IndyCar Series career. Scott Dixon (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing D/H/F), the 2008 race winner, was third, and Marco Andretti (No. 26 Team Venom Energy D/H/F) finished a season-high fourth. "We did the best we could, I just didn't have enough for Helio in the final stages," said Briscoe, who led a field-high 160 laps and took over the IndyCar Series championship race with 199 points (three ahead of Dixon). "The last 20 laps were some of the most frustrating I've ever driven. To lead the whole race and have the quickest car out there, I just couldn't pass Helio. The high line was slower. Next up for the IRL is the Iowa Corn Indy 250 at Iowa Speedway, June 21. The race will be telecast live at 1 p.m. (EDT) by ABC in HD.
(Shawn Payne/IRL)
Helio Castroneves takes the checkered flag - and the win - in the Bombardier Learjet 550k at Texas Motor Speedway last Saturday night.
Dodge exiting NASCAR. Publisher's Note: The implosion has begun in earnest, folks, and you'll see the Dodge brand disappear from NASCAR by the end of this season, if not sooner, in some cases. As a matter of fact, don't be surprised if you see "SATURN AURA" plastered on the front of Roger Penske's Sprint Cup cars by Labor Day. - PMD
(Grand-Am)
Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas (No. 01 TELMEX Lexus Riley fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates) won last Saturday's Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen. Max Angelelli and Brian Frisselle finished second in the No. 10 SunTrust Ford Dallara, and Timo Bernard and Romain Dumas finished third in the No. 12 Verizon Wireless Porsche Riley. The race was slowed by seven cautions for 28 laps. Pruett and Rojas averaged 105.201 mph. Dirk Werner and Leh Keen led 103 of 178 laps in winning the Acxiom GT class in the No. 87 Farnbacher Loles Porsche GT3. Next up is the June 20 EMCO Gears Classic at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
(Waterford Hills Road Racing Photo)
Publisher's Note: Tim Gaffney at speed in his '88 Reynard SF88 Formula Continental last weekend at Waterford Hills here in Michigan. Tim is an executive with AMCI, quite an accomplished racer and a good friend of The Autoextremist. Tim has extensive racing experience including a stint in Japan in Formula Nissan and F3000 ('93 - '94), SCCA SPEED World Challenge ('01), as a Team Lexus factory driver in the Grand-Am Cup ('01 - '03), a Porsche GT3R in Grand Am ('05), a Banner Racing Corvette in Grand Am Rolex ('06), and in various SCCA and vintage racing events. Our aim is to have Tim qualify for the SCCA Runoffs, which this year will be held for the first time at "America's National Park of Speed" - Road America, in Elkhart Lake, WI, in September. We'll keep everyone posted on Tim's progress over the summer. It should be fun! - PMD
(Photo by C. Thomas, longtime Autoextremist reader)
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