2005 ALM

2005 AMERICAN LE MANS (ALM)

• 8TH PETIT LE MANS
• 1000 mile or 10 hour endurance race

CIRCUIT:

• ROAD ATLANTA
• Road Atlanta road course, Braselton, Georgia
• 2.54 mile circuit
• 12 turns
• Qualifying record: Allan McNish, Audi R8 1m 10.379, 2000

RACE RESULT:

• OVERALL STANDING
• P1 1 F.Biela, E.Pirro - Audi R8
• P1 2 C.Dyson, G.Smith - Lola EX257 AER
• GT1 3 O.Gavin, O.Beretta, J.Magnussen - Corvette C6-R
• GT1 4 D.Brabham, D.Turner, J.Kane - Aston Martin DB9
• P2 5 C.Field, L.Halliday, J.Field - Lola B05/40 AER
• GT1 6 T.Borcheller, J.Mowlem, R.Kelleners - Saleen S7R
• P1 7 JJ Lehto, M.Werner - Audi R8
• GT1 8 F.Babini, F.De Simone, A.Bertolini - Maserati MC12

GT1 STANDING:

• 1. Gavin/Beretta/Magnussen Corvette
• 2. Brabham/Kane/Turner Aston Martin
• 3. Borcheller/Mowlem/Kelleners ACEMCO Saleen
• 4. de Simone/Bertolini/Babini Maserati
• 5. Fellows/O’Connell/Papis Corvette
• 6. Enge/Lamy/Kox Aston Martin
• 7. Weickardt/Rugolo/Belloc Viper
• ACEMCO Motorsports Report:
  ACEMCO Motorsports drivers Terry Borcheller, Ralf Kelleners and Johnny Mowlem persevered through a tough day to finish on the podium at the American Le Mans Series 10-hour Petit Le Mans race this evening.
• The team persevered through 18 pit stops to finish in third place. The first stop proved to be the toughest. On lap eight Terry Borcheller had to pit to have the crew put the power steering belt back on. When the Gainesville resident returned to the track he was the fastest GT1 car on the circuit. Soon after contact with a Porsche at the top of hill before 12 was just one of many events the team endured.
• The plethora of pit stops ranged from punctured tires, to body repair and included a couple of team penalties. On lap 240 some six hours into the race, Kelleners reported that the transmission was getting difficult to shift. Regardless of the many pit stops, Borcheller and Mowlem highlighted the day by battling with the factory Maserati for position on several occasions.
• “The power steering belt killed us early,” said Borcheller. “The contact at the top of the hill was a pretty big hit, but it really did not affect the car. The handling held up well throughout the day, I had the confidence to really push. We definitely had a better car than we placed.”
• Kelleners mirrors Borcheller’s thoughts on the car,” I thought that the car handled and drove better today than it has all week since we have been here last Friday. I had a puncture that was a little scary, but the team was able to hold the car together and put a pretty good finish together. We just spent way too much time in the pits to be a threat to the front runners.”
• “We had a ridiculous number of pit stops,” said Mowlem. “Still the third place was a nice reward for the entire team after a long day. I was able to push and run laps in the 19s. Toward the end fourth gear started to be really noisy and by this time the Corvette had expired and we were able to back off and come home in third – not bad for making 18 pit stops.”
• “The race started off terrible with the power steering belt,” said team owner Jeff Giangrande. “Then it seemed like one thing after another started to happen, punctures, body work and everything else. We just kept the wheels turning and were anble to make something out of a tough day with the podium finish. The competition was fast this weekend; Laguna will be another very competitive race.”
• The final round of the American Le Mans Series will be run on Saturday, October 15th at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

GT2 STANDING

• 1. Long/Bergmeister/Stanton Porsche
  2. Baas/Collard/Tiemann AJR Porsche
  3. van Overbeek/Fogarty/Law Porsche
  4. Bernhard/Dumas AJR Porsche
  5. Henzler/Rockenfeller Porsche
  6. Jackson/Sugden/Jonsson Porsche
• Alex Job Racing Report:
  Alex Job Racing drivers Ian Baas, Emmanuel Collard, Marcel Tiemann driving the number 24/Alex Job Racing/Bell Microproducts/Pro Vest/Porsche 911 RSR finished second this evening in GT2 at the American Le Mans Series 10-hour Petit Le Mans race. Teammates Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas persevered to finish in fourth.
• The day started with the number 23 car of Bernhard and Dumas leading the race from their pole position. An early yellow flag had the team pitting which took them out of the lead. Two incidents of contact, the first on lap 29 with a P2 car and the second on lap 150 would prove devastating for the duos championship hopes. On lap 179, Dumas pitted from the lead with right front vibration, which turned out to be a broken lower control arm. The repair took some 17 laps, relegating the pair down the GT2 order. They were eventually able to come back and finish fourth – which may prove pivotal in the run for the championship.
• The number 24 car started by Emmanuel Collard had a trouble free day. First time series participant Marcel Tiemann and AJR regular Ian Baas ran trouble free to finish in second, matching the team’s best season finish. The team was shuffled back early by being caught at the wrong time by a caution flag. After going down a lap the drivers were able to match the pace of the winning 31 car, but they were not able to get on the same lap to pursue the top spot.

QUALIFYING:

GRID:

• 1 H.Shimoda, T.Chilton - Zytek 04S, 1m 10.781
• 2 JJ Lehto, M.Werner - Audi R8 +0.98
• 3 F.Biela, E.Pirro - Audi R8 +0.99
• 4 J.Weaver, B.Leitzinger, A.Wallace - Lola EX257 AER
• 5 C.Dyson, G.Smith - Lola EX257 AER
• 6 C.Field, L.Halliday, J.Field - Lola EX257 AER
• 7 B.Binnie, S.Hancock, A.Timpany - Lola B05/40
• 8 P.Bennett, J.Barazi, E.Julian - Courage C-65
• 9 J.Bucknum, C.McMurry, J.Gue - Courage C-65
• 10 M.Lewis, B.Willman - Riley & Scott

GRID, GT1 CLASS

• 1 Gavin/Beretta/Magnussen Corvette 1:16.627
• 2. Fellows/O’Connell/Papis Corvette 1:16.778
• 3. Brabham/Kane/Turner Aston Martin 1:17.020
• 4. Enge/Lamy/Kox Aston Martin 1:17.144
• 5. Borcheller/Mowlem/Kelleners ACEMCO Saleen 1:17.234
• 6. de Simone/Bertolini/Babini Maserati 1:17.501
• 7. Weickardt/Rugolo/Belloc Viper 1:19.636

GRID, GT2 CLASS

• 1. Bernhard/Dumas AJR Porsche 1:21.932
  “I did a near perfect lap. The tires came in at just the right time, no traffic; I hit my braking points and ran a fast time. I really did not expect to go that fast, but the car was good and the track conditions were perfect. We made some changes before qualifying and they were right-on. We have focused on doing some long runs and getting a good handling car on tires with 30-laps on them. We will have a good car for the race and Romain and I are motivated to win.”
• 2. Henzler/Rockenfeller Porsche 1:22.212
• 3. Long/Bergmeister/Stanton Porsche 1:22.515
• 4. Baas/Collard/Tiemann AJR Porsche 1:22.739
• 5. van Overbeek/Fogarty/Law Porsche 1:22.829
• 6. Auberlen/Liddell/Maxwell Panoz 1:22.876
• 7. Pechnik/Neiman/Murry Porsche 1:23.046
• 8. Jackson/Sugden/Jonsson Porsche 1:23.382
• 9. Franchitti/Sellers/Jeanette Panoz 1:23.484
• 10. Keen/Cawley/Burgess Porsche 1:26.251

RACE PREVIEW:

AUDI PREVIEW: Audi goes hunting records in the USA

• Audi R8 unbeaten at "Petit Le Mans" till now Lehto/Werner want third victory in succession Biela/Pirro can become ALMS champions early Audi does not only have its first "match ball" on the opening weekend of October in the DTM: At the "Petit Le Mans" race in Road Atlanta (US state of Georgia) the Audi works drivers Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro could clinch the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) title early. Biela/Pirro lead Lola driver Andy Wallace by 18 points with just two ALMS races to go, they can not be ousted from the head of the drivers championship if they arrive at the finale in Laguna Seca (15 October) with a lead of more than 20 points.
• For Audi it is not only a matter of winning the title with a race to spare. Petit Le Mans is the last important endurance race of the year and, alongside the 12 Hours of of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, one of the three sportscar highlights. The Audi R8 has never been beaten at Petit Le Mans -- and, if possible, this successful run should continue at its sixth appearance.
• The American Audi importer team ADT Champion Racing competes with two Audi R8 prototypes, which are driven by JJ Lehto/Marco Werner and Frank Biela/Emanuele Pirro. Dave Maraj's team has won the US endurance classic twice in succession and could, as a result, score a second hat-trick: Champion Racing has already won at Sebring and Le Mans this year. In 2002, the Audi factory team Joest Racing was the last team to win all three long distance classics in the same year. Furthermore, JJ Lehto and Marco Werner have the chance to become the first drivers in the history of Petit Le Mans to win the race three times in succession.
• The race starts on Saturday 1 October at 11.20 a.m. local time (5.20 p.m. in Germany) and runs for 1000 miles or a maximum of ten hours. SPEED Channel broadcasts live in the USA, Motors TV in Europe.
• Quotes before Petit Le Mans
• JJ Lehto (Team ADT Champion Racing Audi R8 #1): "I've driven four times with the Audi R8 in Road Atlanta already, and have won Petit Le Mans twice, so I certainly want to win for a third consecutive time particularly as no other driver has managed this before. It would also be a great feeling to have won the three most important sportscar races of the year: The 12-hours of Sebring, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Petit Le Mans."
• Marco Werner (Team ADT Champion Racing Audi R8 #1): "JJ and I have no real chance of winning the championship -- so it's now only a question of winning individual races. A Petit Le Mans victory would be some consolation for all the bad luck that we've had recently. However, what's more important is that we make sure that the Audi R8 remains unbeaten in what will probably be its last Petit Le Mans race."
• Frank Biela (Team ADT Champion Racing Audi R8 #2): "Road Atlanta is a fantastic track for the Audi R8, even if we had a few problems with the set-up during the race in April. However, after some good races we are now leading the championship which makes us optimistic. Petit Le Mans is a very long race at which the last two hours are of particular importance."
• Emanuele Pirro (Team ADT Champion Racing Audi R8 #2): "Our main target is to get to the finish. Petit Le Mans is a very tricky and demanding race. The two of us drive for ten hours. There are usually lots of incidents because overtaking is difficult. I have fond memories of Petit Le Mans, because I clinched the Drivers' Championship here with a win in 2001."
• Dave Maraj (Team owner Team ADT Champion Racing): "It's clear that we want to win Petit Le Mans. I think that we'll be better than our rivals over the distance, which doesn't mean however that we've already won the race. If we win, it would be a hat-trick for Champion Racing, which would be fantastic."
• Dr Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): "The championship could be decided already at Road Atlanta. As at Sebring, additional points are awarded. Petit Le Mans holds a very special place in the American Le Mans Series calendar because of its long distance. It would be fantastic if we could also win the last endurance classic of the season with the R8."

ALM PREVIEW: PETIT LE MANS COULD BRING END TO ALMS CHAMPIONSHIP CHASES

• Braselton, Ga. - This weekend's Petit Le Mans, Round 9 of the American Le Mans Series, finds a whopping 21 drivers still in the hunt for their respective class drivers championship. As far as team titles go, seven squads are holding on to their championship dreams. Any team or driver that leaves Road Atlanta with a lead of 24 points or more can call themselves champions.
• The most wide-open race for the drivers title is in LMP1, with eight drivers still mathematically alive. Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro, in the No. 2 Champion Racing Audi R8, lead Dyson Racing's Andy Wallace by 18 points (with 49 points remaining in the last two rounds of the season).
• Biela and Pirro have been stellar in their first season together in the ALMS since 2002, posting three victories and eight podiums in eight events. As the championship frontrunners, their result will play a large role in the championship outcome. A victory wouldn't necessarily clinch the championship, but it'd be close. Wallace would have to finish one position behind Pirro and Biela to stay alive, regardless of the positions.
• "We struggled in April but now we have three very good races behind us," Biela said. "We have the lead in the championship so we are optimistic. Since Petit Le Mans is such a long race, the last two hours will be the most important and therefore finding a good set-up is of utmost importance. A win would be very welcome."
• Behind Wallace is a three-way tie for fourth between Chris Dyson and Champion's JJ Lehto and Marco Werner, the defending class champions. All of those drivers need either a win or finish ahead of Biela/Pirro to stay in the race.
• Dyson Racing probably needs to win at both Road Atlanta and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (and have the Audis falter along the way) to win its first overall ALMS title. Champion leads the Dyson crew by 19 points.
• "We needed to do at least a 1-2 (at Mosport)," team owner Rob Dyson said. "We needed it for a whole lot of reasons. (Champion Racing) did a great job. We try to win championships, and I thought we would have had a shot. The season is not over yet. The lightning may strike and we'll fight as hard as we can to win the championship."
• THREE-WAY BATTLE IN P2:
• This is another barnburner. Class-leading Miracle Motorsports and its No. 10 Courage C65 has three wins this year: Sebring, Lime Rock and Road America.
• Teammates Jeff Bucknum and Chris McMurry hold a slim 2-point lead over Clint Field of Intersport Racing. The gap is the same in the team standings. It has been a back-and-forth battle most of the season and likely will be one to go down to the wire in California. Miracle and its drivers can win their championships with a win or runner-up finish and a DNF from Intersport. Intersport and Field would clinch if the car wins and Miracle doesn't finish.
• "This is like starting at the beginning of the year," Bucknum said. "Two points may as well be nothing. The key isn't necessarily to win this race. You don't want to give away the championship."
• Intersport Racing's No. 37 Lola B05/40 is the fastest car of the group and has a season-best four class wins. Field and Liz Halliday won comfortably at Infineon and Mosport, and they're joined by Jon Field this week.
• Jamie Bach and Guy Cosmo will be joined by veteran Elliott Forbes- Robinson in B-K Motorsports' Mazda-powered Courage C65. Even 20 points down, Bach and Cosmo aren't dead yet. They are banking on the reliability of the three-rotor Mazda engine and the experience of Forbes-Robinson to gain ground in the championship.
• CORVETTE VS. CORVETTE IN GT1:
• The team championship here is the only one in the ALMS that has been decided. Corvette Racing sewed that up at Road America two rounds ago. There's more to be said, however, about the closest drivers championship race in the series.
• Oliver Gavin and Olivier Beretta, in the No. 4 Corvette C6-R, lead defending champions Johnny O'Connell and Ron Fellows, from the No. 3 sister entry, by a single point. After finishing behind O'Connell and Fellows in the first three rounds, Gavin and Beretta have reeled off wins in four of the last five races.five of the last six counting the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in which they teamed with Jan Magnussen. With their wins at Mosport, the two "Ollies" took over the points lead for the first time in their ALMS careers.
• "It's certainly a healthy rivalry. There's no hiding that," Fellows said. "There's always been sharing of information, so there's still a team approaching in terms of engineering. Once we've gone through the first session, everyone sits down and sees which direction the way to go. You still have to maximize the two-car effort."
• The presence of Aston Martin Racing here and at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca likely will play a role in the championship outcome. A DBR9 is the only car to beat the Corvettes this season.
• "Aston Martin has had a couple of disappointing races, but it is a very resilient team," Gavin noted. "At Sebring, we pretty much had the measure of them. We had the speed to beat them, but it was only a severe case of bad luck that took the race win away from us. Then at Le Mans, Corvette Racing did a fantastic job and we came away with an amazing result. Aston Martin, Saleen and Maserati will all be there on race day giving it their best shot, but I have every confidence that we'll be able to beat them."
• WILL PETERSEN/WHITE LIGHTNING CLOSE THE DEAL?: If they had finished at Sebring, Alex Job Racing teammates Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas would be on the verge of locking up the drivers championship. Instead, a DNF there plus three victories for Petersen Motorsports/White Lightning Racing has put the Las Vegas-based team of Patrick Long and Jorg Bergmeister in the drivers' seat (pardon the pun).
• Long and Bergmeister (winners at Sebring, Road America and Mosport) lead Bernhard and Dumas by 12 points heading into the weekend.
• "For sure we need to push. We can't just go and drive," Bergmeister said. "If the No. 23 car is winning we need to finish at least second, so we need to push for it. So far we have not had any problems in the longer races. Sebring and Le Mans the car was really durable. I think the team is doing a really great job prepping the car and I don't see any reason that will change during the last two races. We need to go out and do the same thing we did all year long. I think if you change the strategy the last two races it will bite you."
• Ian Baas and Darren Law helped keep the team standings close when they finished second in AJR's No. 24 Porsche at Mosport. Their result offset a sixth-place finish by Bernhard and Dumas and kept Alex Job Racing two points adrift of Petersen/White Lightning.
• "We are already faster than we were in the spring," Baas said. "The car is a lot better since then and I have more confidence in the car than I did then. With the long race, our chances will be the best they have been all year."
• Petit Le Mans is the ninth round of the American Le Mans Series. The annual 1,000-mile/10-hour race is scheduled for 11:20 a.m. EDT Saturday at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga. SPEED Channel will provide live television coverage. Qualifying is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. EDT Friday. American Le Mans Series Radio, and IMSA Living and Timing Scoring will be available at www.americanlemans.com.

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