September 29, 2010
(Image © 2010 - John Thawley)
The 13th Petit Le Mans powered by MAZDA 2 this weekend is shaping up to be another Titanic battle between BMW, Corvette, Ferrari and Porsche for the GT win. Some of the key players in the class spoke to the ALMS PR folk about what’s at stake – race victory, class championship, invitation to the Le Mans 24 Hours next year, among others – in the annual 1,000-mile/10-hour classic at Road Atlanta. Here's what a few of them had to say. “With one race to go, we’re only one point out of the manufacturer’s championship, and Petit Le Mans is where it will all be decided," said Tommy Milner, BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team M3 GT. "Anything can happen in an endurance race but with our combination of cars, team, drivers, and tires we have to be one of the favorites. It’s going to be at least nine hours of flat-out racing and the ones who make the least mistakes will be out front. I’m up for the challenge as I’m sure the rest of the BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team is. Road Atlanta is one of those tracks where every lap is exciting whether you are by yourself or racing on the last lap and I hope to see the No. 92 M3 GT out front at the checkers.”
(Image © 2010 - John Thawley)
Johnny O’Connell, Corvette Racing Compuware Corvette C6.R, had this to say: “It’s certainly big for us because we haven’t gotten a win. We want to finish up with one so we can move forward to next year. There are championships on the line, there is such a huge field … the excitement of the season coming to the end. It’s appropriate that the last race is Petit Le Mans. I think it should be every year. After all Road Atlanta is the birthplace of ALMS.”
(Image © 2010 - John Thawley)
“Petit Le Mans is always really difficult because it’s a very fast track and very busy," said Jamie Melo, driver of the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari F430 GT. "It’s narrow, especially the first part of the track, and there’s not much room for overtaking. There are a lot of cars and we need to be patient with the traffic and during the first part of the race. We have used a spotter in the past which helps some of the drivers. Our approach will be to try to score maximum points we can for the Team and Manufacturers’ championships and for sure to try and protect the car to reach the end of the race without any trouble. We had a good car last year, although the weather was a bit strange. But thinking back to the year before we did well here, so I am confident for 2010. Hopefully we can end the Ferrari 430’s life in the ALMS in the best way possible.”
(Image © 2010 - John Thawley)
Jörg Bergmeister, Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, had this to say: “The title is virtually within our grasp, although with 30 points for the winner, anything could happen. Still, we’ll be doing everything to bring home as many points as possible and to also secure the manufacturer title for Porsche and team title for Flying Lizard Motorsports. The track is very picturesque, but very challenging. It puts a lot of demands on a driver. With the many pit stops, strategy and teamwork play a major role. And our Flying Lizard Motorsports boys have proven often enough that they are the best at this.”
Saturday’s race is set for 11:15 a.m. ET on Saturday, October 2. SPEED will air the race starting at 11 a.m., with live radio coverage available on American Le Mans Radio presented by Porsche – a production of Radio Show Limited – as well as Sirius Channel 127 and XM Channel 242. Americanlemans.com will stream qualifying live starting at 3:15 p.m. ET on Friday, October 1. Visit the Series’ schedule page for ticket and accommodation information. Live Timing and Scoring, track schedule, entry list and much, much more will be available on Racehub at americanlemans.com.
(ALMS)
Oak Racing - the French team using the new Intercontinental Le Mans Cup to expand its boundaries - is entered in LMP2 with its Pescarolo-Judd in this weekend's Petit Le Mans powered by MAZDA 2 for the first time. The new global championship from the Automobile Club de l’Ouest – governing body of the Le Mans 24 Hours – proved to be just what Oak management needed to cement its Petit Le Mans entry. And the team has said it plans on contesting the full 2011 ILMC – including Petit Le Mans and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in North America, part of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón. “There will be a lot to learn at Road Atlanta, despite our experience at the Le Mans 24 Hours and in the Le Mans Series,” said Francois Sicard, Managing Director of OAK Racing. “We are not targeting a display of raw pace from the car just yet, as we’re up against experienced ALMS teams, competing against a field of cars designed and prepared for the series.” The team's drivers are Jacques Nicolet, Frederic Da Rocha and Patrice Lafargue, plus lead pilot and driver coach Matthieu Lahaye.
Editor-in-Chief's Note: If you really must keep up on all of the latest F1 developments and the potential U.S. GP in Austin, Texas, go here. - PMD
Editor-in-Chief's Note: Check out Michelin's racing website - "Michelin Alley" - and get in on all of the behind-the-scenes buzz. Go here. - PMD
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