American Le Mans Series Headlines

ANOTHER TURN: HATE IS GOOD

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:16:44 GMT

"Hate is good." At least that's what my friend and colleague Robin Miller likes to say whenever two race drivers dispense with the political correctness of racing, 21st century style, and take things, er, personally. After all, there's nothing like a heated rivalry to spice up the action, engage the fans and generate lots of ink, video and YouTube hits.

MEDICAL UPDATE ON de FERRAN CREW MEMBER KEITH JONES

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 23:46:51 GMT

De Ferran Motorsports crew member Keith Jones, injured in Saturday's American Le Mans Series race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, was transferred Tuesday from the Ohio State University Medical Center to the Richard M. Fairbanks Burn Center at Wishard in the Wishard Health Services in Indianapolis.

Jones' condition has been updated from critical to serious today.

IT'S GAVIN VS. FEHAN AT ROAD AMERICA!

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:37:23 GMT

It will be the USA vs. England, experience and treachery vs. youth and enthusiasm, and management vs. labor when Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan takes on Corvette Racing driver Oliver Gavin in a winner-take-all bicycle race at the Tour de Road America on Friday, August 8.

INTERSPORT'S NEW TWO-CAR EFFORT SECURES 3RD AND 5TH PLACE RESULTS AT MID-OHIO

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:05:29 GMT

Local favorites Intersport Racing scored another LMP1 podium finish in Saturday's Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio, the sixth round of the American Le Mans Series season. The Dublin, Ohio-based team's No. 30 Lola B06/10 AER of Ryan Lewis and John Faulkner finished third in class in their Series debut while the sister No. 37 Very Berry Exotics machine of Jon and Clint Field and Richard Berry encountered electrical and engine gremlins, knocking them out of the race early on.

Lewis stared in his American Le Mans Series debut, setting quick lap times and running comfortably inside the top-10 overall during his opening two stints. The former Atlantic driver qualified the E10-fueled prototype in 12th on Friday, and quickly moved into the ninth in the opening laps of the race. However, the Englishman suffered one slight run in with a GT2 car in the second hour, causing a slow puncture and a subsequent spin. The team elected to pit the car a few laps later, with Faulkner getting behind the wheel for the first time.

SAME BROKEN PARTS, SAME OLD SONG FOR PRIMETIME

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:17:55 GMT

After a successful weekend in Lime Rock Park where the Primetime Viper finished 10th in class, the Bad News Bears took their game to Lexington Ohio for the Acura Sports Car Challenge with high expectations. Unfortunately, with no previous set up data, the team would have to spend each practice tuning the car to an unfamiliar track.

At the start of the weekend the lap times were well off the pace of the front runners, but after several adjustments to the dampeners, sway bars, and Hankook tires, the Viper became more compliant to the off camber turns and the time gap started to narrow. When it was time for qualifying, the Primetime duo of Feinberg and Hall had managed to see some competitive lap times against a strong GT2 field. Their final qualifying time of 1:24.9 would find the Viper only seconds off the pace, but at the back of a long line of fast cars.

On race day it was team owner and driver Joel Feinberg who would take the green flag. After a great start and keeping intact with the field ahead for the first 5 laps, the team began to see signs of hope for its privateer effort. Unfortunately once the anticipated LMP field came around, the GT pack would get separated corner by corner giving way to the faster and more nimble prototypes.

DRAYSON-BARWELL MAKES A POINT AT MID-OHIO

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:02:14 GMT

After a week of turmoil and a drama-filled race, the Drayson-Barwell ALMS team came through to finish 10th in GT2 and score their first championship point at Mid-Ohio on Saturday. This was an incredible triumph over adversity for the hard working British team, and was just rewards for some gritty performances from drivers Paul Drayson and Jonny Cocker, and a great all-round team effort.

After an engine failure on their Aston Martin Vantage GT2 curtailed the proceedings at the last round at Lime Rock just one week ago, the Drayson-Barwell crew were burning the midnight oil during the Mid-Ohio race week as they had to swap the engine out of the spare car into the race car.

PODIUM SPOT FOR LEWIS IN SERIES DEBUT AT MID-OHIO

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:58:31 GMT

Ryan Lewis' sports car career got off to a fantastic start on Saturday when he finished third in class in the American Le Mans Series race at Mid-Ohio. The British driver had qualified his Intersport Lola-AER in fourth place but moved up a spot prior to the start when the team's sister car developed a problem and had to start from the pit lane.

Ryan got a clean start and did a truly professional job, lapping consistently in the top ten and staying out of trouble, before coming in for fresh tyres and fuel after 40 minutes. He had a spin just over an hour into the race but he gathered it up and continued on his way before pitting after one hour and 20 minutes to hand over in third place to his team-mate, John Faulkner. The spin was caused by a slow puncture that Ryan had picked up after touching the back of a GT2 car.

B-K MOTORSPORTS UNLOCKS POTENTIAL OF BP LOLA MAZDA AT MID-OHIO

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:54:08 GMT

While the final results may not show it, B-K Motorsports had one of its most encouraging races of the season Saturday in the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio. The No. 8 BP Lola B07/46-Mazda of Ben Devlin and Gerardo Bonilla was fast throughout the day but ran into a fuel vent issue with an hour remaining in the race. The team rebounded and got the Mazda MZR-R-powered prototype back on track to finish eighth in the LMP2 category.

The weekend didn't get off to a good start for the Wisconsin-based crew as the BP Lola suffered two engine failures, forcing the team to skip qualifying on Friday and start from the rear of the field. With only a handful of laps in practice and warm-up under his belt, Devlin started the car and quickly got into a rhythm. The Englishman moved up to 11th overall in the first 30 minutes before pitting under yellow on lap 42 for fuel and tires.

DYSON RACING: NO WARRANTY WORK REQUIRED

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:51:35 GMT

It was a comparatively quiet race for Dyson Racing at today's American Le Mans Race at Mid-Ohio. After leaving Lime Rock a week ago with two cars needing major surgery, that was a good thing. The team had their second tandem finish of the year with the #16 Thetford/Norcold entry of Chris Dyson and Guy Smith finishing fifth in class, followed by the #20 Porsche RS Spyder of Marino Franchitti and Butch Leitzinger.

"We came here and ran this weekend without missing a beat," said Dyson. "That is the main story. No loss of momentum, no slowing of advancement. Butch and I pushed as hard as we could, and then both Guy and Marino drove strong stints to close things up. We were hounding the sharp end of the field the last half of the race."

BREAKS GO AGAINST FARNBACHER LOLES AT MID-OHIO

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:36:01 GMT

Farnbacher Loles Racing led the GT2 class during the American Le Mans Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Saturday, but had to settle for a fourth-place finish. The team was fastest in class in the first test and practice sessions, qualified second and led the first part of the race, but a strategy error foiled the team's victory charge.

Richard Westbrook of London, England, drove the first race stint, starting second on the 14-car GT2 grid. He took the class lead after 21 minutes of the two-hour 45-minute race and held it until a miscue sent him to pit lane for a driver change just before the one-hour mark. The stop was one lap too early, costing the team a lap to the class leader. Dirk Werner of Kissenbrück, Germany, took the wheel, but was slowed leaving pit lane by a malfunctioning car airjack.

VICI RACING – MID OHIO RACE REPORT

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:33:27 GMT

VICI Racing turned in a faultless performance at a very hot and dry Mid-Ohio this afternoon during the Acura Sports Car Challenge with the team satisfied have made another all-round step forward in the season-long tire development program. The #18 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR was driven today by Nicky and Francesco Pastorelli, the two young Dutch brother turning in a very consistent race pace on their way to recording a second consecutive top-ten finish for the Hughes Telematics and Hughes Network Systems-supported car in a race that was dominated by three lengthy full course caution periods. The team's Technical Director Roland Wall was pleased with the improvement in lap times recorded here over the last few days as the ambitious tire program being run with Kumho Tires edges its way steadily closer to the front running pace in GT2.

BRABHAM CONSOLIDATES CHAMPIONSHIP POSITION WITH SENSATIONAL SECOND AT MID-OHIO

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 01:51:04 GMT

Australian David Brabham underlined his American Le Mans Series LMP2 title-winning potential with another class podium in the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio on Saturday 19 July. The Henley-on-Thames (UK) resident finished just a few tenths shy of class winner Romain Dumas after a sensational surge through from sixth overall and fourth in class to fourth overall and second in class in the thrilling final stages.

Mid-Ohio seals Brabham and team mate Scott Sharp's double second-place class finish after their first outright win of the season from pole at Lime Rock last weekend. The Patron Highcroft Racing duo's efforts secure second place in the LMP2 championship standings as the series moves into the second half of the season.

NO. 71 TAFEL/BELL MICRO WINS MID-OHIO GT2; NO. 73 BRINGS HOME 8TH

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 01:28:07 GMT

Tafel Racing collected its third American Le Mans Series GT2 class victory today in the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge. The No. 71 Tafel/Bell Micro Racing Ferrari F430 GTC of Dirk Müller (a native of Germany living in Monaco) and Dominik Farnbacher (Ansbach, Germany) were rewarded with their third victory of the season - joining wins at St. Petersburg, Fla. and Long Beach, Calif. - after a brilliant pit strategy call jumped the car from fourth into a one lap lead with the team's first of two pit stops. The No. 73 Tafel Racing Ferrari F430 GTC co-driven by Alex Figge (Denver, Col.) and Jim Tafel (Alpharetta, Ga.) made a sizeable leap through the field gaining four positions from their starting spot to finish eighth on the 2.25-mile, 13-turn Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

No. 71 Tafel/Bell Micro Racing Ferrari F430 GTC

Drivers: Dominik Farnbacher (Ansbach, Germany), Dirk Müller (a native of Germany now living in Monaco)

AUDI AND PORSCHE SPOIL ACURA PARTY

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 01:24:09 GMT

"Hot, hot, hot" was the theme of the day at the Acura Sports Car Challenge, as Michelin technical partner teams swept all four classes and the first 14 places overall in an exciting race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The Audi R10 TDI diesel claimed its first victory at Mid-Ohio and a 1-2 finish as Lucas Luhr and Marco Werner claimed their third overall race victory of the season and fifth consecutive win in the LMP1 class, finishing 7.717 seconds up on their teammates Dindo Capello and Emanuele Pirro.

Finishing first in the P2 class and third overall was the #7 Penske Porsche RS Spyder driven by Romain Dumas and Timo Bernhard. Dumas withstood a furious closing charge by Lime Rock Park winner David Brabham, who teamed with Scott Sharp aboard the #9 Patrón Highcroft Acura to finish second in P2 and fourth overall.

Adrian Fernandez in the #15 Lowe's Fernandez Acura gave race sponsor Acura, which hosted thousands of employees from its nearby Ohio facilities, some solace, as they claimed the final P2 class podium spot ahead of a trio of Porsche RS Spyders. The Penske Porsche RS Spyder of Patrick Long and Sascha Maassen was followed by the twin Dyson Porsches of Guy Smith/Chris Dyson and Marino Franchitti/Butch Leitzinger.

The top eight cars finished on the lead lap of the two hour forty-five minute race on the classic 2.258 mile circuit, the sixth stop on the 2008 American Le Mans Series season.

The hot and humid 95 degree day made for a hot, slick race track (125 degrees). Hot competition and a refueling fire that injured a crewmember and eliminated the pole winning #66 de Ferran Acura added to the drama.

Despite the heat, both the winning Audi and the GT2 class winning Tafel Racing Ferrari F430 GT of Dominik Farnbacher and Dirk Mueller double-stinted their MICHELIN® tires. Each ran virtually the final two hours of the race on a single set of MICHEIN tires. The win, their third of the season for the Tafel Ferrari, gave them ninth place overall and moved them to closer in the season championship to the Flying Lizard Porsches whose Johannes van Overbeek/Patrick Pilet and Jörg Bergmeister/Wolf Henzler completed the GT2 podium.

BRABHAM'S COME-FROM-BEHIND CHARGE FALLS JUST SHORT IN EXCITING AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES FINISH AT MID-OHIO

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 01:21:14 GMT

Saturday's Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course was setting up to be another David Brabham highlight reel, just like last week's wild Lime Rock Park overall victory, when he grabbed the lead with 90 seconds left in the race.

The popular Aussie racer diced his way through heavy late-race traffic with his bright green, blue and black No. 9 Patrón Highcroft Acura ARX-01b prototype sports car and pressured Romain Dumas for the last 15 minutes of the two-hour, 45-minute feature event at the picturesque 2.25-mile road course near Mansfield, Ohio.

COMMANDING 1-2 VICTORY FOR AUDI AT MID-OHIO

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 01:15:55 GMT

Audi Sport North America's two Audi R10 TDI prototypes were in a class of their own in round six of the American Le Mans Series at Mid-Ohio (U.S. state of Ohio). Lucas Luhr/Marco Werner and Dindo Capello/Emanuele Pirro achieved a comanding 1-2 victory for Audi – on a track which in the past favoured the lighter LM P2 cars and on which Audi last scored an overall victory in 2004.

Particularly impressive was the victory of the two Germans Lucas Luhr and Marco Werner. They led 107 of the 111 laps. After the start, Werner needed just five laps to pass the four Acura/Honda and Porsche cars which had started in front of him. The German set a new race lap record on lap seven and handed over the R10 TDI to team-mate Lucas Luhr in first position after 50 laps. Luhr defended the lead until the finish.

O'CONNELL AND MAGNUSSEN CONTINUE HOT STREAK IN SULTRY MID-OHIO

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 01:09:53 GMT

Johnny O'Connell and Jan Magnussen extended their streak in the American Le Man Series, winning the GT1 class in today's Acura Sports Car Challenge at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. It was the fourth win in a row and the fifth win of the season for the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R. O'Connell and Magnussen completed 98 laps and finished 18.487 seconds ahead of the No. 4 Corvette C6.R driven by Olivier Beretta and Oliver Gavin.

With temperatures in the mid-90s and high humidity, the weather was as hot as the racing. The sibling rivalry between the sister Corvettes produced a shoving match as the cars emerged from the pits after their final stops. The Corvettes had entered their respective pit stalls nose-to-tail just before the two-hour mark, and left simultaneously with O'Connell in the No. 3 and Beretta in the No. 4. As the drivers jockeyed for position, they failed to heed a red flag at the pit exit and both were subsequently summoned to the penalty box.

DUMAS/BERNHARD RETURN FAVOR AS PORSCHE EDGES ACURA FOR FOURTH ALMS LMP2 VICTORY; PACE CAR POSITION SINKS PORSCHE GT2 TEAMS AS THEY LOSE LAP TO THE WINNING FERRARI

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 01:06:39 GMT

Last week, it was the Brabham/Sharp Acura that ran down the #7 Penske Porsche RS Spyder with 90 seconds left to score a victory at Lime Rock Park, but the roles were reversed today in the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course as Romain Dumas (France) held off Brabham to score the Porsche tandem.s fourth win in six American Le Mans Series races and extend their LMP2 driver points lead to 28.

Dumas, who felt constant pressure from Brabham for the last 30 minutes of the race, could pull away from the Acura when he had an open track, but was slowed traffic around the course, cutting his lead to less than a second several times before the end. The final margin of the LMP2 victory for the Porsche was six-tenths of a second. The two Audi R10 TDI diesels finished first and second overall and won the LMP1 class.

THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT: PATRÓN HIGHCROFT RACING'S HOT PURSUIT IN MID-OHIO ENDS IN SECOND-PLACE FINISH

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 01:01:14 GMT

Riding high on last week's history-making first-place win at Lime Rock Park, Patrón Highcroft Racing again went to battle against the Penske Porsches, providing high-wire tension and excitement in the last several minutes of the Acura Sports Car Challenge. Scott Sharp, who started the race from the second place on the grid, drove a brilliant stint, maintaining his position and handing off a strong car to his co-driver, David Brabham, about an hour into the race. Brabham, who finished the race, engaged in a fierce on-track contest for LMP2 class leadership, and made a clean pass of Patrick Long in the #6 Penske Porsche with just 14 minutes remaining . He then fought until the last second to overtake the #7 Penske Porsche, but the class victory was ultimately not meant to be for this young team from Connecticut.

PODIUM FINISH FOR LOWE'S FERNANDEZ RACING AT MID-OHIO

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:57:39 GMT

Adrian Fernandez and Luis Diaz brought the #15 Lowe's Acura ARX home to a third-place class and fifth-place overall result in the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this afternoon. This is the first podium finish of the season for the Lowe's Fernandez team and their fourth career ALMS podium. Fernandez has finished on the podium the past three years at Mid-Ohio with a Grand-Am win in 2006 and a third-place result with Diaz last year.

Diaz started the race but battled understeer throughout his stint, a problem that hindered the team throughout the weekend. He turned the car over to Fernandez fifth in class and seventh overall on Lap 40 – 50 minutes into the 2 hour 45 minute race.

RISI SECURES MORE POINTS AT MID OHIO

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:53:12 GMT

Both Risi Competizione Ferrari 430 GT cars came home in point-scoring positions in today's sixth round of the American Le Mans Series, with the #62 in 5th and the #61 in 6th. The Houston-based team was, however, left disappointed by the result after a penalty for a pit infringement dropped the #62 Ferrari from what would surely have been a strong podium finishing position.

Team Principal, Giuseppe Risi, commented after the end of the 2 hour 45 minute race: "We entered the race at the head of the field and in the right frame of mind to challenge for a win. Unfortunately, the results did not fulfill the promise of the pole position. We still have lots of work ahead of us. On the positive side, the car ran beautifully, there were no mechanical issues; the new suspension was excellent, the Michelin tires superb and it was quite rewarding to see Patrick Friesacher turn some very competitive laps. As he becomes more comfortable with the car and the series, I am confident he will become more of a force with each race."

ACURA SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE PIT NOTES - PAGES 19-22

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 01:05:54 GMT

American Le Mans Series Pit Notes presented by Sparco
Acura Sports Car Challenge
Pages 19-22

At 4:22 pm (2h 12m running), Olivier Beretta (#4-GT1 Corvette C6.R) continues to lead teammate Johnny O`Connell (#3-GT1 Corvette C6.R) in GT1, but have dropped behind the leading GT2 cars to 16th and 17th overall.

At 4:28 pm (2h 18m running), Olivier Beretta (#4-GT1 Corvette C6.R), 17th overall and first in class, and teammate Johnny O`Connell (#3-GT1 Corvette C6.R), 18th overall and second in class, will both receive a 5-minute stop and hold for unnecessary risk while leaving the pits.

LUHR, WERNER LEAD AUDI'S RETURN TO OVERALL VICTORY

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 22:20:55 GMT

Audi returned to its dominating style at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with a 1-2 finish in the Acura Sports Car Challenge on Saturday with Lucas Luhr and Marco Werner taking the first overall victory for the R10 TDI since April. Luhr crossed the finish line 7.717 seconds ahead of teammates Emanuele Pirro and Dindo Capello.

ACURA SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE PIT NOTES - PAGE 18

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 20:36:16 GMT

American Le Mans Series Pit Notes presented by Sparco
Acura Sports Car Challenge
Page 18

Both Johnny O`Connell (#3-GT1 Corvette C6.R) and Olivier Beretta (#4-GT1 Corvette C6.R) will be given a stop-and-go plus 2:40 penalty for passing the red flag at the end of the pits while exiting.

At 4:10 pm (2h 0m running), Gerardo Bonilla (#8-P2 Lola B07 46 Mazda) into the pits. No fuel, no driver change. still in. rear bonnet off.

ACURA SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE PIT NOTES - PAGE 17

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 20:26:24 GMT

American Le Mans Series Pit Notes presented by Sparco
Acura Sports Car Challenge
Page 17

ACURA SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE PIT NOTES - PAGE 16

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 20:09:15 GMT

American Le Mans Series Pit Notes presented by Sparco
Acura Sports Car Challenge
Page 16

At 3:26 pm (1h 16m running), Chris Hall (#11-GT2 Dodge Viper Comp Coupe), 26th overall, off and stopped at turn 9, the driver reports a broken axle and will not be able to move. The car is in an unsafe position.

At 3:26 pm (1h 16m running), Yellow Flag: pits are closed.

At 3:28 pm (1h 18m running), Yellow flag: pits are open.

ACURA SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE PIT NOTES - PAGE 15

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:56:08 GMT

American Le Mans Series Pit Notes presented by Sparco
Acura Sports Car Challenge
Page 15

Correction on Ben Devlin (#8-P2 Lola B07 46 Mazda) pit stop, no driver change.

At 3:07 pm (0h 57m running), Jim Tafel (#73-GT2 Ferrari F430 GT) into the pits. 4 tires, fuel, driver change: Alex Figge.
At 3:07 pm (0h 57m running), Harrison Brix (#61-GT2 Ferrari F430 GT) into the pits. 4 tires, fuel, driver change: Patrick Friesacher.
At 3:07 pm (0h 57m running), Seth Neiman (#44-GT2 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR) into the pits. 4 tires, fuel, driver change: Lonnie Pechnik. Stalled on pit lane.
At 3:07 pm (0h 57m running), Wolf Henzler (#45-GT2 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR) into the pits. 4 tires, fuel, driver change: Joerg Bergmeister.
At 3:07 pm (0h 57m running), Dominik Farnbacher (#71-GT2 Ferrari F430 GT) into the pits. 4 tires, fuel, driver change: Dirk Mueller.

ACURA SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE PIT NOTES - PAGES 13-14

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:22:26 GMT

American Le Mans Series Pit Notes presented by Sparco
Acura Sports Car Challenge
Page 13-14

At 2:27 pm (0h 17m running), Raphael Matos (#26-P2 Acura ARX-01B) into the pits serving 1 minute penalty.

At 2:30 pm (0h 20m running), Richard Westbrook (#87-GT2 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR) passes Jaime Melo (#62-GT2 Ferrari F430 GT) for the lead in class at turn 1.

At 2:31 pm (0h 21m running), Gil de Ferran (#66-P2 Acura ARX-01B), third overall and first in class, off course after the esses, loses 3.8 seconds on that lap.
At 2:31 pm (0h 21m running), Chris McMurry (#12-P1 Creation CA07-002 Judd) off and stopped at turn 11, continues.

ACURA SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE PIT NOTES - PAGE 12

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:42:42 GMT

American Le Mans Series Pit Notes presented by Sparco
Acura Sports Car Challenge
Page 12

Acura Sports Car Challenge - Race Notes:

At 1:54 pm, all cars have lined up on the grid except Clint Field (#37-P1 Lola B06/10 AER). The car stalled on the recon lap, finally restarted and made it back to the pits, but the bodywork is off and the team is working on the engine. The team reports they are swapping the ECU (engine control unit).

At 1:56 pm, the weather forecast calls for a 30 percent of rain after 4:00 pm.

At 2:05 pm, the air temperature is 91 with a track temperature of 116 degrees, according to Michelin.
At 2:05 pm, the cars have begun to move, all cars are away except Clint Field (#37-P1 Lola B06/10 AER), which has started, but must wait in pit lane for the start.

MID-OHIO GREEN FLAG

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:01:54 GMT

It's Acura vs. Porsche vs. Audi at the start of the Acura Sports Car Challenge from Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Pole-winner Gil de Ferran held the point in his return to the classic road course alongside Patrón Highcroft Racing's Scott Sharp at the green flag with an all-Acura front row.

DYSON RACING: NO REST FOR THE QUICK

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 17:04:34 GMT

On a track that rewards a smooth rhythm, Dyson Racing has done well at Mid-Ohio. The team has finished off the class podium only twice since 2000, including finishing first and second in 2005. In this afternoon's qualifying for Saturday's American Le Mans race at Mid-Ohio, the two Dyson Racing Porsche RS Spyders qualified seventh and eighth in class, with Chris Dyson qualifying his #16 Thetford/Norcold entry ahead of Butch Leitzinger in the #20 car.

INTERSPORT ADJUSTING TO TWO-CAR EFFORT

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:55:11 GMT

This week has been quite a challenging one for Intersport Racing. For the first time since the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2005, the Dublin, Ohio-based team is fielding two cars in the American Le Mans Series. Team owner Clint Field, Jon Field and Richard Berry are in the No. 37 Lola B06/10-AER with newcomers Ryan Lewis and John Faulkner in the No. 30 entry.

ANOTHER TURN: DYSON RACING'S ROAD WARRIORS

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:52:51 GMT

Question: Take one race at the American Le Mans Series' idea of a bull ring (aka Lime Rock Park), add another a week later at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and what do you have?

Answer: A lot of teams scrambling to repair bent, spindled, folded and mutilated race cars in a very short work week.

Take Tafel Racing, which had to replace a damaged driver side door on the No.71 Bell Micro Systems GT2 Ferrari 430GT…this after repairing the sister No.73 Ferrari after a heavy crash in practice last Friday.

Or Robertson Racing's Ford GT-R which suffered heavy front end damage on Friday morning and never turned a wheel again at Lime Rock as the team used the weekend to effect repairs that - by Saturday afternoon - were largely complete.

MID-OHIO QUALIFYING HIGHLIGHTS PORSCHE/ACURA AND PORSCHE FERRARI RIVALRIES; RS SPYDER TO START ON LMP2 SECOND ROW AND 911 GT3 RSR ON GT2 FRONT ROW FOR SATURDAY'S RACE

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:00:47 GMT

With the top seven qualifying positions overall separated by less than one second, the Penske Porsche RS Spyder of Timo Bernhard (Germany) and Romain Dumas (France) qualified third overall and third in the LMP2 class for tomorrow.s American Le Mans Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, the Acura Sports Car Challenge.

The race, which will last two hours and 45 minutes, will take the green flag on Saturday, July 19, at 3:30 PM EDT, will be broadcast live on American Le Mans Radio, available at www.americanlemans.com, which also has live timing and scoring. The event will be telecast on a delayed basis on NBC-TV at noon EDT on Sunday, July 20. This is a recent change announced earlier in the week by NBC, which will also extend its usual two-hour broadcast to two hours, 30 minutes.

ACURA SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE PIT NOTES - PAGES 10-11

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 14:36:40 GMT

American Le Mans Series Pit Notes presented by Sparco
Acura Sports Car Challenge
Pages 10-11

ALMS Combined Morning Warm-Up (30-minute session):

At 08:00 am, green flag.

At 08:00 am, the air temperature is 71 degrees with a track temperature of 80 degrees, courtesy of Michelin.

At 08:03 am, Scott Sharp (#9-P2 Acura ARX-01B) sets the fastest lap overall with a 1:21.516

At 08:03 am, Jaime Melo (#62-GT2 Ferrari F430 GT) sets the fastest lap in class with a 1:27.022

At 08:03 am, Emanuelle Pirro (#1-P1 Audi AG R10/TDI) sets the fastest lap in class with a 1:24.289

NO. 71 TAFEL/BELL MICRO TO START 4TH, NO. 73 12TH IN TIGHT, HOT MID-OHIO GT2 RACE

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 12:20:16 GMT

With less than three-tenths of a second separating the No. 71 Tafel/Bell Micro Racing Ferrari F430 GTC in fourth-place from the pole-winning Ferrari, qualifying for tomorrow's Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge showed just how intense the two hour and 45-minute event will be. Dominik Farnbacher (Ansbach, Germany) driving the Bell Micro Ferrari turned a lap of one minute, 20.324 seconds to earn the outside of the second row of the GT2 grid. Jim Tafel (Alpharetta, Ga.), making his first qualifying attempt of the season, lapped the 2.25-mile long, 13-turn Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course at 1:24.047 to place the No. 73 Tafel Racing Ferrari F430 GTC 12th in the GT2 class.

2000 American Le Mans Series champion Dirk Müller (a native of Germany living in Monaco) will join Farnbacher in Saturday's race as the two Germans fight for their third class victory of the season. The two victories - St. Petersburg (Fla.) and Long Beach (Calif.) - came from the fourth starting position. Open- wheel standout Alex Figge (Denver), making his return to the American Le Mans Series with Tafel Racing, will share the No. 73 Tafel Ferrari with Jim Tafel. Figge and Tafel will be sharing the car for the third time this season tomorrow.

De FERRAN TAKES AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES POLE FRIDAY IN PANASONIC ELS SURROUND ACURA ARX-01b AT MID-OHIO

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 12:08:06 GMT

Second Straight Overall Pole For Acura And Brabham Makes It An Acura Front RowGil de Ferran continued Acura's hot streak Friday at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course by setting an overall track record in qualifying for Saturday's Acura Sports Car Challenge.

The former Indy 500 winner and two-time CART champion drove his new No. 66 de Ferran Motorsports Panasonic ELS Surround Acura ARX-01b to a sizzling lap of one minute, 7.969 seconds (119.60 miles per hour ), besting Timo Bernhard's overall mark of 1:08.510 (118.651 m.p.h.) from last year. De Ferran, who retired as a driver in 2003, returned to the cockpit in May at Salt Lake City, Utah with an all-new crew and operation. He teamed with Frenchman Simon Pagenaud to place third overall in the team's initial contest.

VICI RACING – MID OHIO QUALIFYING REPORT

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 12:01:44 GMT

Lexington, Ohio - VICI Racing and development partner Kumho Tire are looking forward to tomorrow's Acura Sports Car Challenge of Mid Ohio after a very solid qualifying performance this afternoon which focused on tactical preparations for the 2 hour 45 minute race, the sixth round of the 2008 American Le Mans Series. With preserving tires on the #18 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR for the opening stint of the race the key consideration for the team, Nicky Pastorelli turned in three laps early in the 20 minute qualifying session; however his laps were compromised after encountering traffic. With the #18 car safely onto the fifth row of the grid the team is satisfied with the progress that has been made over the last two days and prepare to start the race in excellent shape.

TRACK RECORD FOR THE AUDI R10 TDI AT MID-OHIO

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 11:59:03 GMT

Marco Werner has set a new track record for LM P1 sports cars in an exciting qualifying for the sixth round of the American Le Mans Series at Mid-Ohio (US state of Ohio). On Friday, the German beat the previous record by over a second.

On a track that traditionally favours the lighter LM P2 sports cars, Werner showed a strong performance. Several times, the German set the best time, before he dropped to fifth position in the final stages of the 20-minute qualifying session. Werner missed pole position by only 0.388 seconds and the front row by just 164 thousandths of a second.

FLYING LIZARD QUALIFIES 3RD, 5TH AND 7TH AT MID-OHIO

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 11:58:58 GMT

July 18, 2008--Lexington, OH-- The Flying Lizard No. 45, 46 and 44 Porsches qualified third, fifth and seventh, respectively, in GT2 for tomorrow's Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio, the sixth of eleven races in the 2008 ALMS season.

BRABHAM BOOKS FRONT ROW START FOR MID-OHIO

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 11:53:52 GMT

Sportscar ace David Brabham will line up on the front row of the grid for round six of the American Le Mans Series, the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio, on Saturday 19 July. The Australian, who lives in Henley-on-Thames, led the 20-minute qualifying session before finishing second just two tenths adrift of Gil de Ferran.

Fresh from his pole position and second win of the season last weekend in the Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock, the team's home track, the 42 year-old topped the Mid-Ohio leader board with a time of 1:08.193 for several laps. In a thrilling three-way battle for pole, with Timo Bernhard in the Penske Racing Porsche lurking in third, de Ferran posted a time of 1:07.969 towards the end of the session that could not be challenged.

FARNBACHER LOLES QUALLFIES SECOND IN GT2

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 11:51:46 GMT

Farnbacher Loles Racing will start the American Le Mans Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course from second on the GT2 grid, after a strong qualifying run on Friday.

Dirk Werner of Kissenbrück, Germany, set the provisional class pole position time in the first four minutes of the 20-minute qualifying session and held the top spot until the final minute. His fast lap of one minute 20.199 seconds represented an average speed of 101.36 mph on the 2.258-mile road course, just 0.174 seconds and 0.22 mph behind the class pole-winning Ferrari. The front-row start follows Werner's GT2 class pole at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut last week.

PATRÓN HIGHCROFT RACING SECOND ON GRID AT MID-OHIO

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 11:49:38 GMT

Fresh off the spectacular triumph of the team's (and Acura's) first overall win at the Northeast Grand Prix last weekend, David Brabham put the #9 Acura ARX-01b of Patrón Highcroft Racing on the front row of tomorrow's race grid, clocking a best lap time of 1:08.193 in Friday evening's qualifying session.. "I am really happy" said Brabham as he cooled down after the 20-minute session. "Of course, after sitting on the pole at the Northeast Grand Prix last weekend, it would have been nice to have been on top again, but seeing how we were struggling throughout practice, running in sixth and seventh position, we feel really good about tonight's result. It was a great climb to come up from where we were. The Acura was very good and we have no major issues. The Michelin tires have really performed consistently throughout the week. We'll probably have a few small changes to the set-up for the race, but it was a great effort by the team to get us to where we landed and deliver a great car for qualifying. As far as traffic at the Mid-Ohio track, there are a couple of areas where it's easy for someone to drop a wheel off the track and drag dirt onto the track, but it will definitely be easier than Lime Rock last week, so we should be in good shape for tomorrow's challenge."

LOWE'S FERNANDEZ QUALIFIES SIXTH AT MID-OHIO

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 11:17:38 GMT

Lowe's Fernandez Racing will make its second ALMS start at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course from the sixth position on the grid (fifth in the LMP2 class) following qualifying this afternoon for the Acura Sports Car Challenge. Despite a second and fourth overall ranking on the timesheets after two one-hour practice sessions, Adrian Fernandez and Luis Diaz endured a difficult day around the 2.258-mile permanent road course.

A persistent understeer problem plagued the #15 Lowe's Acura ARX. Diaz handled qualifying duties and managed a best lap of 68.507 (118.656 mph), just over a half-second off the pole time set by fellow Acura driver Gil de Ferran. David Brabham of Patron Highcroft Racing claimed the second spot on the grid to capture an all-Acura front row.

Fernandez and Diaz will be looking to better their 2007 third-place result in tomorrow's 2 hour 45 minute race. Fernandez is a two-time winner at Mid-Ohio claiming his most recent win in 2006 Grand-Am competition. Diaz holds three podium results and will be chasing his first win in seven career starts. The pair are currently seventh in the championship standings, 10 points shy of the top five.

ACURA SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE PIT NOTES - PAGES 7-9

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 01:06:59 GMT

American Le Mans Series Pit Notes presented by Sparco
Acura Sports Car Challenge
Pages 7-9

Car #7-P2 Porsche RS Spyder will be in the penalty box for the first three minutes of qualifying due to avoidable contact with No. 4 car in the last practice session.

At 06:05 pm, Michelin tire engineers in the Farnbacher/Loles pit reports the air temperature is 86 degrees with a track temperature of 124 degrees.

At 06:06 pm, Car #8-P2 Lola B07 46 Mazda will not qualify – they are changing the engine.

At 06:10 pm, green flag.

RETURNING IN STYLE: DE FERRAN ON MID-OHIO POLE

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:31:52 GMT

Gil de Ferran won his third straight pole position at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Friday...seven years since his last. The storybook debut season for De Ferran Motorsports continued with de Ferran's first pole in the American Le Mans Series, a record-breaking 1:07.969 (119.596 mph) for the Acura Sports Car Challenge.

O'CONNELL QUICK IN GT1 QUALIFYING AT MID-OHIO

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:27:09 GMT

LEXINGTON, Ohio, July 18, 2008 – Johnny O'Connell notched his third career pole in qualifying for Saturday's American Le Mans Series Acura Sports Car Challenge at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The racer from Flowery Branch, Ga., set the pace in the GT1 class with a lap time of 1:17.900 (104.349 mph) in the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R. Olivier Beretta was .429 seconds back in the No. 4 Compuware Corvette with a 1:18.329 (103.778 mph) qualifying time.

MELO TAKE GT2 POLE AT MID-OHIO

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:23:13 GMT

Risi Competizione's Brazilian driver, Jaime Melo, was at his brilliant best in a thrilling GT qualifying for tomorrow's Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid Ohio, claiming GT2 pole position on the last lap of the 20-minute session. His best time of 1:20.025 edged out the competition in what turned out to be an extremely close-fought session.

ACURA SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE PIT NOTES - PAGE 6

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:12:40 GMT

American Le Mans Series Pit Notes presented by Sparco
Acura Sports Car Challenge
Page 6

Michael Andretti, owner (#26-P2 Acura ARX-01B) "Franck is really a talent and I think he will be good for us. I think Franck is pretty happy. We made some progress and getting in good shape for the pole. I don't think it (Montagny and Raphael Matos driving for the first time together) will be a problem. They have been doing a lot of practice with their pit stops and changes."

ACURA SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE PIT NOTES - PAGE 5

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:39:38 GMT

American Le Mans Series Pit Notes presented by Sparco
Acura Sports Car Challenge
Page 5

Marco Werner (#2-P1 Audi AG R10/TDI) (what to look for) "A low 1:08 would be good. Some of the P2 cars were in the 1:07s and I don't think we can get there. But we are looking forward to the race."

At 04:48 pm, only the #007-GT2 Aston Martin Vantage has not made an appearance this session. The team reports the oiling system in the engine needs to be replaced, so they will not be out again until tomorrow.

At 04:49 pm, Gil de Ferran (#66-P2 Acura ARX-01B) sets the fastest lap in class with a 1:09.372

ACURA SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE PIT NOTES - PAGE 4

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:11:36 GMT

American Le Mans Series Pit Notes presented by Sparco
Acura Sports Car Challenge
Page 4

Note: Due to incidents during the race at Lime Rock, the #1-P1 Audi AG R10/TDI will miss the first 10 minutes of qualifying and is also docked 3 championship points; #16-P2 Porsche RS Spyder will miss the first five minutes of qualifying.

ALMS Combined Practice (1-hour session):

ACURA SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE PIT NOTES - PAGES 2-3

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:27:09 GMT

American Le Mans Series Pit Notes presented by Sparco
Acura Sports Car Challenge
Pages 2-3

At 12:35 pm, Marco Werner (#2-P1 Audi AG R10/TDI) sets the fastest lap in class with a 1:10.335
At 12:35 pm, Wolf Henzler (#45-GT2 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR) sets the fastest lap in class with a 1:20.956
At 12:35 pm, Johnny O'Connell (#3-GT1 Corvette C6.R) sets the fastest lap in class with a 1:17.704
At 12:35 pm, Simon Pagenaud (#66-P2 Acura ARX-01B) sets the fastest lap overall with a 1:08.823

QUICK MORNING FOR PAGENAUD AT MID-OHIO

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:20:36 GMT

Simon Pagenaud kept the good vibes going for Acura on Friday morning with the fastest lap at Mid-Ohio Sports Course and the first official practice session for the Acura Sports Car Challenge. The De Ferran Motorsports pilot posted a time of 1:08.823 (118.112 mph) in the Acura ARX-01b that he will share with team boss Gil de Ferran.

ACURA SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE PIT NOTES - PAGE 1

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:58:04 GMT

American Le Mans Series Pit Notes presented by Sparco
Acura Sports Car Challenge
Page 1

We haven't been away too long and are back at the Acura Sports Car Challenge from Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. This is the American Le Mans Series' seventh visit to one of America's premier tracks and second straight year that the Series has been partnered with the Indy Racing League. The crowds already are swelling this morning with a huge expected contingent from Honda and Acura, which won overall for the first time last week at Lime Rock Park. Having said that, Porsche has dominated in multiple facets the previous two years with overall victories for Penske Racing's Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas plus GT2 wins for Flying Lizard Motorsports. The weather is hot, the track is fast and the competition in the Series has never been more intense.

VICI BACK ON TRACK AT MID-OHIO

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:48:58 GMT

The next step in the development program for VICI Racing starts this weekend with the team's return to the American Le Mans Series at Mid-Ohio. The Acura Sports Car Challenge marks VICI's first race since the Utah Grand Prix in May with brothers Nicky and Francesco Pastorelli behind the wheel of the Kumho-shod Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.

VICI RACING MID-OHIO THURSDAY REPORT

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:00:05 GMT

Proceedings at Mid Ohio, the sixth round of the 2008 American Le Mans Series, started very early this morning for VICI Racing with a 6:00AM departure from the team's hotel and a 45 minute drive to the circuit which nestles in rural Ohio, 60 miles north of Columbus and 70 miles south of Cleveland, and where American traditions runs at their deepest. The Mid Ohio Sports Car Course is always a demanding test of driver and machine, and on the occasion of its 10th anniversary, the ALMS series is visiting for its seventh time.

Tomorrow will see qualifying ahead of Saturday's 2 hour 45 minute race, so today is all about preparation and 90 minutes of testing. The action of the track kicks off at 3:35PM with a 30 minute test session open to the GT1 and GT2 classes, which will lead straight into a 60 minute session open to all classes, ie – including the LMP1 and LMP2 prototypes.

DYSON RACING: FORTITUDE, RESOLVE AND DETERMINATION

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:45:53 GMT

Five days ago, Dyson Racing left Lime Rock with two severely damaged race cars, one mortally wounded. Both cars ran today in the first test session for Sunday's American Le Mans race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. By any standard, it was a Herculean task.

The team's transporters left the Lime Rock, CT track five hours after the race last Saturday and drove to the shop in Poughkeepsie, NY. The team arrived at the shop at one o'clock Sunday afternoon, giving everyone some family and church time. The cars were unloaded and the #16 car was stripped by 6:00 PM that evening, and the #20 car was gone over and its damage assessed. The team came back on Monday morning and all the salvageable parts on the #16 car were tagged, bagged and loaded into flight cases while the damaged body work was being replaced on the second car.

ACURA SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE THURSDAY NOTEBOOK

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:51:21 GMT

Dyson Racing was out for the beginning of Thursday's test session for the Acura Sports Car Challenge, only a day after receiving a brand new tub for its No. 16 Porsche RS Spyder. The car of Guy Smith and Chris Dyson was a write-off following a crash at last weekend's American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park with one of Flying Lizard Motorsports' Porsches.

With only four days to get to Mid-Ohio, the Dyson crew had to do the usual pre-race setup work in the paddock and make repairs to the other Porsche of Butch Leitzinger and Marino Franchitti which had suspension damage after a late-race incident with a Penske Racing Porsche.

MONTAGNY PACES THE FIELD IN MID-OHIO TESTING

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:40:31 GMT

The idea that Andretti Green Racing's Franck Montagny is growing more and more comfortable behind the wheel of a sports car should be a bit frightening to the rest of the American Le Mans Series paddock. He was the fastest driver in Thursday's test session for the Acura Sports Car Challenge with a lap of 1:08.827 (118.105 mph) at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

LIME ROCK IN-CAR THEATER: ANDRETTI GREEN AND DYSON RACING

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:08:08 GMT

Before we get into full Mid-Ohio mode, SPEEDtv.com takes us back a few days to Lime Rock Park for a couple of In-Car Theater videos. One comes courtesy of Andretti Green Racing, which chronicles Marco Andretti and Franck Montagny's run from the rear of the starting grid to sixth place overall and fourth in LMP2.

PATRÓN HIGHCROFT PRINCIPAL DAYTON A GUEST ON MONDAY'S FOX BUSINESS NEWS

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:22:18 GMT

Duncan Dayton, founder and president of Patrón Highcroft Racing, will appear with host Brian Sullivan on Fox Business News at 10 a.m. ET on Monday, July 21. Dayton will discuss how he built the team, campaigned the Acura in its inaugural foray in motorsports and brought the business to where it is today. He'll also talk about last weekend's historic race in Lime Rock Park, a race that brought Patrón Highcroft Racing and Acura its first overall American Le Mans Series victory with drivers David Brabham and Scott Sharp.

VOICES OF MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:59:00 GMT

A week after kicking off the second half of the American Le Mans Series season at Lime Rock Park, teams and drivers get right back to work at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend for the Acura Sports Car Challenge presented by XM Satellite Radio. It's the Series' seventh visit to Mid-Ohio and second of three races this season where the American Le Mans Series will race alongside the Indy Racing League. The contrasts, some say, will be obvious.

B-K MOTORSPORTS: NEW TIRES AT MID-OHIO, MATOS CONFIRMED FOR PETIT

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:24:26 GMT

It is the mark of honesty when racing partners decide that while they plan to continue, some of the work needs to be done away from the race weekend. Earlier this week B-K Motorsports, Mazda North American Operations and Yokohama Tire Corporation made a collective decision to regroup in their ALMS effort. From the Mid-Ohio weekend through the end of the season, the B-K Motorsports Lola B07/46 Mazda MZR-R will race on Dunlop Tires.

Robert Davis, Senior Vice President, Product Development and Quality, Mazda North American Operations, remarked "The ALMS is one of the most challenging series in the world, and the only top-tier series that has open competition between engine manufactures, chassis builders, and tire companies. Mazda values our long-term relationship with Yokohama Tire Corporation. While we made a collective decision to alter our near-term strategy, it by no means alters our valued partnership with Yokohama Tire which extends to OE fitment tires on many Mazda vehicles. We hope that the use of the Dunlop tires will allow the team to better assess the other key components of our program as we seek to challenge Porsche and Acura."

YOKOHAMA OPTS FOR MORE TESTING AND DEVELOPMENT BEFORE RETURNING TO AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:22:19 GMT

For the remainder of the 2008 American LeMans Series season, Yokohama Tire Corporation (YTC) will reduce its presence at races to concentrate on tire development and testing for the future. During this time the Mazda LMP2 team will be using other tires.

"Our short-term ALMS results with the Mazda LMP2 team have been a little disappointing, but we're confident our long-term goals will be fulfilled, including helping a team consistently reach the podium in the near future," says Mark Chung, YTC director, strategic marketing. "We're working diligently on tire development and will examine all ALMS options for 2009.

LOWE'S FERNANDEZ RACING AIM FOR RETURN TO MID-OHIO PODIUM

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:18:13 GMT

Adrian Fernandez and Luis Diaz return to one of their favorite circuits on the 2008 ALMS schedule this weekend as the series prepares for the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Fernandez and Diaz bring a wealth of experience to the permanent road course located within the rolling hills of Lexington, Ohio, combining for a total of 18 career starts.

Lowe's Fernandez Racing will be chasing its third consecutive podium at Mid-Ohio. The team captured its first sports car victory at the circuit in 2006 in Grand-Am competition, and claimed the second of three 2007 podium visits at Mid-Ohio.

Following a fourth-place finish last weekend at Lime Rock Park, Fernandez and Diaz have moved to seventh in the championship standings, 10 points outside the top five.

THE TIDE HAS TURNED FOR RISI COMPETIZIONE

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:14:07 GMT

Boosted by a hard-fought and well-deserved podium finish at Lime Rock Park last weekend, its first of 2008 in the American Le Mans Series, the Risi Competizione team has had little opportunity to savor the moment.

The Le Mans winning GT2 team left Connecticut on Sunday morning to head for the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, which is set in scenic hills near Lexington some 60 miles north of Columbus, Ohio. Also hosting the Indycar Series next weekend, the 2.25 mile/13-turn permanent road course has been venue to many classic sports car races in the past and, in the eyes of many, is a driver's track.

BACK-TO-BACK AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES RACES LEAVE NO TIME FOR REFLECTION; PORSCHES ENTER ACURA-SPONSORED EVENT IN OHIO AS FAVORITES, CLASS LEADERS

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:08:39 GMT

Only days after fierce competition at Lime Rock Park, where the Porsche and Acuras did LMP2 battle and the Porsche and Ferraris tangled in GT2, the American Le Mans Series moves to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, for the Acura Sports Car Challenge.

The race, which will last two hours and 45 minutes, will take the green flag on Saturday, July 19, at 3:30 PM EDT, will be broadcast live on American Le Mans Radio, available at www.americanlemans.com, which also has live timing and scoring. The event will be telecast on a delayed basis on NBC-TV at noon EDT on Sunday, July 20. This is a recent change announced earlier in the week by NBC, which will also extend its usual two hour broadcast to two hours, 30 minutes.

MID-OHIO THE NEXT STOP FOR B-K MOTORSPORTS

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:59:16 GMT

Following a disappointing run in last weekend's American Le Mans Series race at Lime Rock Park, B-K Motorsports is hoping to turn their luck around this Saturday in the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio. Drivers Ben Devlin and Gerardo Bonilla come charged up to the Buckeye State, ready to steer the team's No. 8 BP Lola B07/46 Mazda around one of North America's classic sports car racing venues.

The 13-turn, 2.25-mile Mid Ohio Sports Car Course has been a driver and fan favorite for many years. The team also has fond memories of the track as it was the site of their first Series win in 2005. But a lot has changed since then, and both Devlin and Bonilla are confident that their solid runs earlier this season can be repeated here this weekend.

MIDTERM REPORT: MID-OHIO MARKS SECOND HALF OF SEASON FOR CORVETTE RACING

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:54:55 GMT

Chevy's Factory Team Looks Back on Six Races and Looks Ahead to Six MoreWith six races in the rearview mirror and six races on the road ahead, Saturday's Acura Sports Car Challenge at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course marks the start of the second half of the season for Chevrolet's factory road racing team. Johnny O'Connell and Jan Magnussen have won four of the five American Le Mans Series contested to date, driving the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R to victories in Sebring (with third driver Ron Fellows), Long Beach, Salt Lake City, and Lime Rock. On June 15, they finished second in the GT1 class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, again joined by Fellows. Defending GT1 champions Olivier Beretta and Oliver Gavin scored a win in St. Petersburg in the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R, and they finished third in the GT1 division in Le Mans with Max Papis as third driver.

TAFEL RACING LOOKING FORWARD TO WIDE-OPEN MID-OHIO WEEKEND

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:50:41 GMT

Competition in the American Le Mans Series is always wide-open. Now, even at the season midpoint, everything in the GT2 class is still wide-open. Who can win on any given track? Which will be most dominant, Ferrari or Porsche? Who will prevail at the end of the season? None of these things has a forgone conclusion. While Saturday's Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge officially marks the second-half of the season, Tafel Racing attacks each weekend with the same intense focus on victory that it opened the year with in March. With two victories already this season, the No. 71 Tafel/Bell Micro Racing Ferrari F430 GTC driven by Dominik Farnbacher (Ansbach, Germany) and Dirk Müller (a native of Germany living in Monaco) is looking to add to its podium string in the two hour and 45-minute feature on July 19. With two races now under their belts as teammate, Jim Tafel (Alpharetta, Ga.) and Alex Figge (Denver) are looking to the familiar confines of the Ohio track to take the No. 73 Tafel Racing Ferrari F430 GTC onto its first podium of the season. Lexington's Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course provides an ideal setting for a wide-open assault for both cars.

DE FERRAN ON FAMILIAR TURF AT MID OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:45:33 GMT

Former Indy 500 winner and two-time CART champion Gil de Ferran heads to familiar territory for the first time in his brief American Le Mans Series career this weekend when the series visits the Mid Ohio Sports Car Course.

de Ferran and team-mate Simon Pagenaud have completed their first two American Le Mans Series events aboard the Acura ARX-01b at Miller Motorsports Park and Lime Rock Park - two circuits that neither racer had competed at previously.

MICHELIN EXPECTS "AGGRESSIVE" APPROACH AT ACURA SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE AT MID-OHIO

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:42:57 GMT

Michelin heads to the Acura Sports Car Challenge at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for its first back-to-back weekend of racing on the 2008 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) schedule following a perfect weekend at the Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park.

Having captured all four class poles and wins at Lime Rock, Michelin technical partner teams and drivers enter Mid-Ohio leading every championship and having scored a perfect 20 of 20 possible class wins in 2008 ALMS competition. They expect to continue to be aggressive at Mid-Ohio.

NO JOY FOR DRAYSON-BARWELL AT LIME ROCK

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:40:03 GMT

The Drayson-Barwell American Le Mans Series team re-commenced its season last weekend, after the June ‘Le Mans' break. Round 5 of the ALMS championship was held at the beautiful Lime Rock track in the Connecticut countryside, where the fast and narrow 1.5 mile circuit presents the drivers and teams with some unique challenges.

The biggest challenge that drivers Paul Drayson and Jonny Cocker faced was dealing with the LMP prototype cars trying to squeeze past them at regular intervals. Even on this small track there was nearly 10 seconds a lap difference between the fastest LMP cars and the GT2s, and on the Friday practice day there were numerous clashes between the two classes, one of which sadly put the Robertson Ford GT out of action for the weekend. Our Aston Martin Vantage GT2 survived a couple of skirmishes, but this was a big problem for everyone at Lime Rock.

ENCOURAGED BLACK SWAN HEADING TO MID-OHIO

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:19:58 GMT

Friday at Lime Rock Park, Tim Pappas said all he wanted to see was his Black Swan Racing finish the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix. That may not sound like much but consider that the team didn't receive its Falken-shod Ford GT-R until earlier that morning. So Saturday's eighth-place finish for Pappas and co-driver Anthony Lazzaro was more than gratifying.

THE BAD NEWS BEARS ARE BACK IN THE GAME

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:20:54 GMT

After nearly two months off the race track the Primetime Race Group was back for an action packed weekend at the recently renovated Lime Rock Park. The team would be facing a nonstop schedule of racing between their three IMSA Lites cars, as well as its ALMS GT2 Viper.

The weekend started out with shaking down a new dry sump motor and Motec engine management system in the Viper as well as dialing in a new tunnel floor system for the support series IMSA Lites cars. The new track surface and configuration would bring more red flags than green ones for the first two ALMS practices not allowing much time to get acclimated.

Once things settled down, drivers Joel Feinberg and Chris Hall began to get comfortable with the track and the lap times started to come down. When it came time to qualify the two drivers split the session bringing back a qualifying time of 58:05 placing the Viper in 13th place. On the other side of the track was the IMSA Lites qualifying where Feinberg would settle for P2 for the start of the Saturday tripleheader.

DYSON RACING: STARTING THE NEXT QUARTER CENTURY

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:51:38 GMT

Golf, baseball, football, basketball – you can name almost any sport and few compare with racing's ability to so quickly and dramatically change fortunes. At the halfway point of the two hour forty-five minute American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix, Butch Leitzinger was second in the #20 Thetford/Norcold Porsche RS Spyder, followed closely in third by Guy Smith in the sister #16 car. Smith's race ended ten minutes past the halfway point after contact while passing sent him into the Armco barrier.

The nature of the Lime Rock track has faster cars behind slower cars for longer periods of time and puts more of a premium on getting ahead of them. That left Butch Leitzinger to carry the Dyson Racing flag to the end. Marino Franchitti handed Leitzinger a well-fought third place car during the first pit stop an hour into the race. Franchitti had moved from sixth to third at the start. "It was an aggressive, crazy start, but a hole opened up in front of me and I took advantage of it," recounted Franchitti.

INTERSPORT RACING FINISHES SECOND IN NORTHEAST GRAND PRIX

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:46:19 GMT

Following its fine performance in the last round at Miller Motorsports Park, Intersport Racing recorded its second consecutive runner-up finish in class Saturday in the Northeast Grand Prix. The small Dublin, Ohio-based team of father and son duo Jon and Clint Field and Richard Berry took the No. 37 Very Berry Exotics Lola B06/10-AER to a 10th place finish overall, maintaining its second place position in the LMP1 drivers' and teams' championship standings.

Once again, the team benefited from a wrecked Audi, this time the No. 1 car of Dindo Capello, who collided with a GT1 Aston Martin one hour into the two-hour and 45-minute race. While the factory German diesel was repaired, it rejoined over 15 laps down from Intersport's Lola. This left the team's Dunlop-shod entry an easy ride to the checkered flag, completing 154 laps.

HIGH HOPES AT LIME ROCK DASHED FOR B-K MOTORSPORTS

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:40:14 GMT

After steady runs in the past three American Le Mans Series races, B-K Motorsports had hoped to continue its progression during the Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park. However, gearbox problems robbed the team of a finish Saturday, as the No. 8 BP Lola B07/46-Mazda of Gerardo Bonilla and Ben Devlin retired midway through the two-hour and 45-minute race.

Bonilla qualified the Mazda MZR-R-powered LMP2 car in 11th overall on Friday and ran a solid opening two stints in the race. The Star Mazda and IMSA Lites graduate looked to be in good shape after the first round of pit stops, but then the team discovered a problem with the gearbox during two subsequent stops. Thus, the Yokohama-shod car was wheeled behind the wall for repairs in the second hour. A valiant effort to repair the car was made, but the team elected to play it on the safe side and end the day early.

ACURA TEAMS WITH MICHELIN FOR FIRST WIN

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:34:26 GMT

Pole sitter David Brabham and Patrón Highcroft Acura ARX-01b teammate Scott Sharp did not lead many laps, just the ones that counted to capture the first ever American Le Mans Series overall race victory for Acura and their Connecticut based team here at the Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park.

The victory was the 40th consecutive ALMS win for Michelin and the first overall win for Acura in just 17 ALMS starts. Acura had previously claimed LMP2 class wins at the 2007 Sebring and 2008 Long Beach events.

GEARBOX ISSUES DELAY DE FERRAN ASSAULT AT LIME ROCK PARK

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:27:59 GMT

de Ferran Motorsports' assault on the Lime Rock round of the American Le Mans Series today was delayed by gearbox issues which pushed the Acura ARX-01b of Gil de Ferran and Simon Pagenaud back to 14th place overall.

After starting on the front row of the grid, Simon Pagenaud challenged the pole car of Scott Sharp at the green flag but got caught wide in turn two and lost a number of spots after running off the circuit. The young Frenchman began a great fightback, only to make contact with Sharp after 11 minutes and subsequently having to complete a stop-go penalty for the incident.

SMALL MISTAKES PREVENT AUDI TRIUMPH

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:23:32 GMT

Small errors, big impact. That is the bottom line for Audi after the fifth round of the American Le Mans Series at Lime Rock (U.S. state of Connecticut). In front of an impressive crowd, Audi's diesel sports car was the fastest car of the field. However, Team Audi Sport North America had to settle for fourth place overall and a victory in the LM P1 class after a thrilling race.

On the shortest track of the American Le Mans Series' schedule, the two Audi R10 TDI prototypes started from the fourth row of the grid. It took Emanuele Pirro and Lucas Luhr just ten minutes to overtake the Acura/Hondas and Porsches in front of them and take a 1-2 lead for Audi. Particularly impressive was the performance of Emanuele Pirro, who opened a commanding 20-second lead before he handed the R10 TDI over to Dindo Capello just before the end of the first hour.

ANOTHER SPECTACULAR DAVID BRABHAM PASS GIVES ACURA ITS FIRST OVERALL AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES WIN

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:17:26 GMT

David Brabham's last-lap pole run on Friday at Lime Rock Park was trumped by his performance Saturday in the Northeast Grand Prix.

The No. 9 Patrón Highcroft Acura ARX-01b driver put in one of the best maneuvers in American Le Mans Series history with a first-turn outside pass of Timo Bernhard to score Acura's first overall victory in two seasons of ALMS competition in front of massive crowd encircling the 1.53-mile road course.

2003 INFINEON WIN VOTED DYSON'S BEST SERIES MOMENT

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:00:03 GMT

Dyson Racing's historic triumph at Infineon Raceway in 2003 is the team's greatest moment in the American Le Mans Series, according to fans. Last week's poll saw the first overall victory by an LMP675 entry out-tally the team's 1-2 finish at Mid-Ohio and an overall victory at Mosport - both in 2005 - in voting at americanlemans.com.

MID-OHIO MOMENTUM FOR ACURA, PATRÓN HIGHCROFT

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:42:34 GMT

There is little time for celebrating at Acura. Saturday's overall victory for Patrón Highcroft Racing in the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix was the culmination of countless hours of work, development and testing the Acura ARX-01b. It scored its maiden overall victory in the American Le Mans Series (and second LMP2 class win) when David Brabham passed Timo Bernhard in the waning moments at Lime Rock Park.

AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES ANNOUNCES AUSTIN HATCHER FOUNDATION: FOR A CAREFREE CHILDHOOD AS OFFICIAL CHARITY

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:41:34 GMT

Columbus, OH - The American Le Mans Series officially kicks off its affiliation with the Austin Hatcher Foundation on Tuesday as four of the world's top sports car drivers visit pediatric wards at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus. Clint and Jon Field of Intersport Racing in Dublin, Ohio along with Patrón Highcroft Racing's David Brabham and Drayson-Barwell's Paul Drayson will visit with young people and their families from 1 to 2 p.m. to kick off the Series' partnership with the foundation as its official charity.

PORSCHE RS SPYDER EDGED BY ACURA IN LAST 90 SECONDS IN A BATTLE OF FUEL AND TRAFFIC; BERGMEISTER/HENZLER SCORE THIRD GT VICTORY FOR LIZARD PORSCHE 911 GT3 RSR

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 00:41:04 GMT

Patrick Long, Sascha Maassen, Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas, Butch Leitzinger, Marino Franchitti, Chris Dyson and Guy Smith all had something in common as the checkered flag dropped at the finish of the Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park on Saturday afternoon. All are Porsche RS Spyder drivers; all drove cars that either led or ran in the top three; and all had a day that ended in various degrees of disappointment. But, for the Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 RSR drivers Wolf Henzler and Joerg Bergmeister, it was all good for round five of the American Le Mans Series in northwest Connecticut.

The #7 Penske Porsche RS Spyder of Timo Bernhard/Romain Dumas, who now lead the LMP2 drivers championship by 24 points, took the lead at the one-hour mark just before a 25-minute yellow flag, and led for an hour and 43 minutes before being overhauled by the Brabham/Sharp Acura and settling for second place.

AMERICAN LE MANS NORTHEAST GRAND PRIX PIT NOTES - PAGES 19-22

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 00:16:41 GMT

American Le Mans Series Pit Notes presented by Sparco
American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix
Pages 19-22

At 4:16 pm (2h 11m running), Guy Smith (#16-P2 Porsche RS Spyder) officially retired: accident.

At 4:19 pm (2h 14m running), David Brabham (#9-P2 Acura ARX-01B) off at the exit of the essess, loses 3 seconds but stays in 2nd overall, 2nd in class.

Scott Sharp (#9-P2 Acura ARX-01B) "On the first lap, one of the Penske Porsches tried to slide under me in the first turn. I didn't want to get into the marbles but the car shot up the track. Then I was wide and the Penskes and the Audis got by me. That got me mad, so I kept my head down and drove as hard as possible. We knew we would be loose (oversteer) with the car early on. I don't know what happened with [Simon] Pagenaud. I was going into the chicane and he hit me and I spun. I got back going and just try to stay out of trouble. I wanted to give David [Brabham] a good car for the end. I think the Patrón Highcroft Acura is pretty strong. So we have a shot at winning this race."

Marco Andretti (#26-P2 Acura ARX-01B) : "It was a little disappointing on my run. My radio wasn't connected right and I couldn't hear the team for awhile. Then I was able to run pretty well through the traffic after fixing the radio. It's very tough to come from behind here. I had to drive through all of the GT cars. The P1 cars are very hard to pass too, because of their straightaway speed. The leaders got a huge gap early at the start and we were running through traffic. So that was difficult. I know Franck has a very good pace so I can see us getting back in the hunt here. It was fun to drive the XM Acura again." Marco drove for 73 laps before handing the No. 26 XM Acura ARX-01b to Franck Montagny under a full course yellow condition. Marco was one lap down and running in 8th place. He got out of the car at 3:10 p.m. EDT.

PATRON HIGHCROFT RACING BRINGS HOME FIRST OVERALL WIN AT NORTHEAST GRAND PRIX

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 23:49:13 GMT

Patrón Highcroft Racing's wild chase through Lime Rock's winding road course ended in the sweetest victory the team has ever tasted. David Brabham, who has fast become the American Le Mans Series' leading expert in late-race heroics, made a spectacular pass of Timo Bernhard in the #7 Penske Porsche in the last two minutes of the Northeast Grand Prix, bringing the team, and Acura, their first overall ALMS win. The team, which started this afternoon's race on pole, took its first American Le Mans Series LMP2 class victory at the Tequila Patron Long Beach Grand Prix this past April.

TAFEL/BELL MICRO RACING 4TH AFTER LATE RACE FUELING: NO. 73 TAKES 9TH AFTER EARLY RACE REPAIRS

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 23:46:02 GMT

LAKEVILLE Conn., July 12, 2008 - It was billed as a road racer's bullring and today's American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix lived up to the billing. The newly reconfigured and repaved Lime Rock (Conn.) Park resembled a cage-match as the GT2 class competitors fought tooth and nail for a victory in the fifth round of the 11-race championship. At the checkered flag the No. 71 Tafel/Bell Micro Racing Ferrari F430 GTC was fourth after nearly taking a second-place until a late-race fuel stop dropped the car of Dirk Müller (a native of Germany living in Monaco) and Dominik Farnbacher (Ansbach, Germany) from the podium. The No. 73 Tafel Racing Ferrari F430 GTC co-driven by Alex Figge (Denver, Col.) and Jim Tafel (Alpharetta, Ga.) suffered early race run-ins that put them deep in the pack ultimately crossing the finish line ninth in class.

LIME ROCK PODIUM FINISH FOR FARNBACHER LOLES

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 23:42:14 GMT

Farnbacher Loles Racing earned its second American Le Mans Series podium on Saturday, despite two major setbacks during the annual series race at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn. Dirk Werner of Kissenbrück, Germany, and Richard Westbrook of London, England, combined for a second-place GT2 class finish, taking the position in the last minute of the two-hour 45-minute race.

MAGNUSSEN AND O'CONNELL WIN GT1 BATTLE IN LIME ROCK

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 23:38:45 GMT

LAKEVILLE, Conn., July 12, 2008 – Jan Magnussen and Johnny O'Connell didn't give up when they were a lap behind the GT1 leader in today's American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park. That perseverance was rewarded when they scored a come-from-behind victory after a sudden reversal of fortune put their No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R in front with 25 minutes remaining in the race. The pair's fourth victory of the season was highlighted by a wheel-to-wheel battle between O'Connell and Olivier Beretta as they jockeyed for position as the No. 3 emerged from the pits after its final splash-and-go fuel stop.

PODIUM FINISH FOR #62 RISI FERRARI IN LIME ROCK THRILLER

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 23:35:04 GMT

Today's Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut was a valuable lesson in never giving up, no matter what obstacles are thrown in your path along the way.

LOWE'S FERNANDEZ RACING FINISHES FOURTH AT LIME ROCK

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 23:31:29 GMT

While Adrian Fernandez and Luis Diaz claimed their best result of the season to date with a fourth-place class and fifth-place overall result in the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix this afternoon, they also saw a potential podium finish slip from their grasp.

Diaz started the race in fifth position and, while encountering understeer in the opening stages, was turning laps quicker than the leaders toward the end of his one-hour stint. He turned the #15 Lowe's Acura ARX over to Fernandez on Lap 69 in fourth place overall and third in class.

Following several lengthy caution periods and a pit stop for fuel and tires, Fernandez was the fifth of only five cars on the lead lap. He managed to work through the traffic separating him from the fourth-place LMP2 of Sascha Maassen to mount a charge on the #6 Porsche with just over 30 minutes remaining.

That was when misfortune struck and Fernandez encountered an electrical problem which caused the engine to lose power. Able to finish but unable to challenge, the team ended the day fourth in class.

Lowe's Fernandez Racing will return to racing action next weekend in the Acura Sports Car Challenge of Mid-Ohio on July 19.

VICTORY FOR BRABHAM, SHARP AT LIME ROCK

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 21:26:31 GMT

David Brabham did it again. Another late-race pass meant victory in the American Le Mans Series, this time a historic first overall victory for Acura and Patrón Highcroft Racing. Brabham passed Penske Racing's Timo Bernhard with 90 seconds left Saturday to win the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix with Scott Sharp at Lime Rock Park.

AMERICAN LE MANS NORTHEAST GRAND PRIX PIT NOTES - PAGE 18

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:28:24 GMT

American Le Mans Series Pit Notes presented by Sparco
American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix
Pages 18

At 3:53 pm (1h 48m running), Olivier Beretta (#4-GT1 Corvette C6.R), leader in class, into the pits. 4 tires, fuel, no driver change, retains the lead in class.
At 3:53 pm (1h 48m running), Green Flag.

At 3:57 pm (1h 52m running), Gil de Ferran (#66-P2 Acura ARX-01B) spins at Optional West Bend, drives counter racetrack to the run-off, waits for an opening and then rejoins the race 19th overall, 8th in class.

At 3:57 pm (1h 52m running), Gil de Ferran (#66-P2 Acura ARX-01B) into the pits. 4 tires, no fuel, no driver change.

AMERICAN LE MANS NORTHEAST GRAND PRIX PIT NOTES - PAGE 17

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:09:36 GMT

American Le Mans Series Pit Notes presented by Sparco
American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix
Pages 17

At 3:28 pm (1h 23m running), Dominik Farnbacher (#71-GT2 Ferrari F430 GT) into the pits. 4 tires, fuel, driver change: Dirk Mueller. Had to change through passenger side door.

At 3:29 pm (1h 24m running), Gil de Ferran (#66-P2 Acura ARX-01B) into the pits. Fuel only, no driver change.
At 3:29 pm (1h 24m running), Alex Figge (#73-GT2 Ferrari F430 GT) into the pits. Fuel only, no driver change.

AMERICAN LE MANS NORTHEAST GRAND PRIX PIT NOTES - PAGES 14-16

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:48:42 GMT

American Le Mans Series Pit Notes presented by Sparco
American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix
Pages 14-16

At 2:40 pm (0h 35m running), Tim Pappas (#54-GT2 Doran Ford GT-R) into the pits. 4 tires, fuel, driver change: Anthony Lazzaro. Rejoins the race 10th in class, 25th overall.

At 2:44 pm (0h 39m running), Patrick Friesacher (#61-GT2 Ferrari F430 GT) off at turn 3, stops in the mud momentarily but gets the car going, rejoining the race in 19th place overall, 5th in class.

AMERICAN LE MANS NORTHEAST GRAND PRIX PIT NOTES - PAGE 13

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:12:44 GMT

American Le Mans Series Pit Notes presented by Sparco
American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix
Page 13

At 2:19 pm (0h 14m running), Lucas Luhr (#2-P1 Audi AG R10/TDI) spun and continued at turn 2, loses several positions (was running 2nd overall). The car simply ran too wide in the corner. Drops to 5th overall.

At 2:21 pm (0h 16m running), Joerg Bergmeister (#45-GT2 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR) shortcut Option Uphill, but did not gain an advantage, continues in second place in class (16th overall).

At 2:23 pm (0h 18m running), Richard Westbrook (#87-GT2 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR) is being shown the "unsportsmanlike flag" for blocking. This is not a penalty, but a warning. The car is running first in class, 15th overall.

AMERICAN LE MANS NORTHEAST GRAND PRIX PIT NOTES - PAGE 12

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 18:34:19 GMT

American Le Mans Series Pit Notes presented by Sparco
American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix
Page 12

American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix: Race Notes

At 1:36 pm, Tim Pappas (#54-GT2 Doran Ford GT-R) will not be starting on the required qualifying tires, and will therefore be moving to the back of the grid.

At 2:02 pm, all cars have rolled off the line.

At 2:04 pm, the lights are out on the pace car.

At 2:05 pm, Race Start/Green Flag.
At 2:05 pm, Simon Pagenaud (#66-P2 Acura ARX-01B) off at turn 2, back on in front of the two Corvettes.

GREEN FLAG AT LIME ROCK

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 18:11:25 GMT

The second half of the American Le Mans Series is under way with the green flag for the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park. Scott Sharp and Simon Pagenaud led an all-Acura front row.

AMERICAN LE MANS NORTHEAST GRAND PRIX PIT NOTES - PAGES 10-11

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 17:02:38 GMT

American Le Mans Series Pit Notes presented by Sparco
American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix
Pages 10-11

ALMS Combined Morning Warm-up (25-minute session):

At 10:05 am, green flag.

Making his first appearance in the car this weekend: Marco Andretti (#26-P2 Acura ARX-01B).

IN HIS OWN WORDS: MARCO ANDRETTI

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 15:31:08 GMT

Marco Andretti arrived at Lime Rock Park and back in the American Le Mans Series on Saturday morning, just hours after arriving Friday night from Nashville and qualifying for the IndyCar Series. Andretti will drive Andretti Green Racing's Acura ARX-01b with Franck Montagny and was third-fastest overall (second in LMP2) in Saturday morning's 25-minute warmup. After starting from the rear of the field this afternoon and following his first stint, Andretti will fly back to Nashville for tonight's IndyCar race. He spoke on the experience Saturday morning.

CAPELLO'S SWEETEST LE MANS

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 13:58:43 GMT

In hindsight, Audi's dismal showing at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring wasn't so bad after all. After all, Dindo Capello says the third-place overall finish that made Audi a believer in Murphy's Law set the table for an incredible performance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans that saw Audi take its eighth victory there since 2000.

TAFEL/BELL MICRO RACING TO START THIRD IN LIME ROCK GT2 BATTLE; NO 73 DAMAGED IN PRACTICE

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 01:01:45 GMT

LAKEVILLE Conn., July 11, 2008 - Today's first appearance of Tafel Racing and the American Le Mans Series at the newly configured Lime Rock (Conn.) Park was as brutal as advertised. Following the two, one hour-long practice sessions and the 20-minute time trial, the No. 71 Tafel/Bell Micro Racing Ferrari F430 GTC sat third in the GT2 field while the No. 73 Tafel Racing Ferrari F430 GTC sat in the paddock being repaired. Dirk Müller (a native of Germany living in Monaco) turned a lap of 54.824 seconds in qualifying around the 1.51-mile, ten-turn facility to place himself and partner Dominik Farnbacher (Ansbach, Germany) on the inside of the GT2 grid's second row. The No. 73 did not make a qualifying attempt after being damaged just prior to qualifying in the second practice session. Driver Alex Figge (Denver, Col.) and a Le Mans Prototype (LMP1) made contact entering the front straightaway and was forced into the tire barrier. Figge was taken to a local hospital for x-rays on his left foot. The x-rays returned negative and he is expected to compete in the event. The No. 73 Figge shares with Jim Tafel (Alpharetta, Ga.) is expected to have repairs complete in time for tomorrow's 2:05 PM (ET) start.

BRABHAM SCORES THIRD OVERALL POLE FOR ACURA; PATRON HIGHCROFT, De FERRAN ACURAS TAKE FRONT-ROW SPOTS

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:57:15 GMT

Brabham, who won a class championship in the 24 Hours of Le Mans last month, drove the No. 9 Patrón Highcroft Racing Acura ARX-01b prototype sports car to a time of 46.696 seconds (115.642 m.p.h.) on his final circuit of 1.53-mile, eight-turn road course. The 42-year-old sports car veteran, who'll co-drive with Danbury, Conn., native Scott Sharp, posted Acura's third overall pole in the manufacturer's two-year stint on the American Le Mans Series. Dario Franchitti and Brabham won Acura's poles last year, at Long Beach and Houston, respectively.

Brabham's impressive run knocked another Acura driver, Simon Pagenaud, to second in the 27-car field after the young Frenchman had driven the No. 66 Panasonic ELS Surround Acura ARX-01b machine to a time of 47.082 seconds (114.694 m.p.h.) for de Ferran Motorsports. Pagenaud, teaming with former Indy 500 champion Gil de Ferran in Saturday's two-hour, 45-minute feature, will make his second ALMS start Saturday.

Friday's qualifying will mark the first time that two Acura prototypes will comprise the front row for the Northeast Grand Prix, set for 2:05 p.m. EDT Saturday.

HOME SWEET HOME: PATRON HIGHCROFT RACING CAPTURES POLE AT LIME ROCK

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:51:08 GMT

With a blistering final lap of 46.696 seconds in this afternoon's qualifying session at Lime Rock Park, David Brabham brought home Patrón Highcroft Racing's first pole of the 2008 American Le Mans Series season. He passed Simon Pagenaud in the #66 Acura on the penultimate lap, with a time of 47.062 seconds, -- securing the grid's top spot for tomorrow's race -- then incredibly, followed that by pulling out the best lap of the day, three-tenths of second faster than the lap that had taken the pole.

GAVIN PIPS MAGNUSSEN FOR GT1 POLE AT LIME ROCK

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:49:28 GMT

LAKEVILLE, Conn., July 11, 2008 – Oliver Gavin won the GT1 pole for Saturday's American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix in the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R, edging his Corvette Racing teammate Jan Magnussen by .247 seconds on the reconfigured and repaved Lime Rock Park circuit. Magnussen had the quicker qualifying time in the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R after the first five timed laps, but a tire pressure adjustment gave Gavin the edge he needed to capture the pole.

RISI COMPETIZIONE CLINCHES GT2 FRONT ROW SPOT

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:45:56 GMT

The Houston, Texas-based team clinched a front row spot in the GT2 class for tomorrow's Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park, Mika Salo leaving it late in the 20-minute qualifying session before setting his fastest time of 54.720 seconds in his Le Mans-winning Ferrari 430 GT.

LOWE'S FERNANDEZ RACING QUALIFIES FIFITH AT LIME ROCK

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:40:14 GMT

Adrian Fernandez made a strong run for the front of the field in qualifying for tomorrow's American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix but a lack of grip in the critical closing minutes dropped the #15 Lowe's Acura ARX to fifth overall on the grid. The newly paved 1.51-mile Lime Rock Park circuit provided both a much improved racing surface and a rash of red flags in the two one-hour practice sessions leading up to this afternoon's qualifying.

FLYING LIZARD QUALIFIES 4TH, 5TH AND 8TH IN GT2 AT LIME ROCK

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:36:20 GMT

July 11, 2008--Lakeville, CT-- In this afternoon's qualifying session, Joerg Bergmeister qualified the No. 45 fourth in GT2, Patrick Pilet in the No. 46 was fifth and Darren Law in the No. 44 was eighth.

AMERICAN LE MANS NORTHEAST GRAND PRIX PIT NOTES - PAGES 7-9

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:07:12 GMT

American Le Mans Series Pit Notes presented by Sparco
American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix
Pages 7-9

ALMS GT1/GT2 Qualifying (20-minute session):

Note: because of the new track configuration, all times set today will be class track records.

At 04:00 pm, green flag. Just prior to the session there were some sprinkles, but the track is dry, with cloudy skies.

At 04:02 pm, Jonny Cocker (#007-GT2 Aston Martin Vantage) off at turn 3, reports no power steering.

At 04:03 pm, Oliver Gavin (#4-GT1 Corvette C6.R) sets the fastest lap in class with a 53.827

At 04:03 pm, Oliver Gavin (#4-GT1 Corvette C6.R) sets the fastest lap in class with a 53.238

At 04:03 pm, Wolf Henzler (#45-GT2 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR) sets the fastest lap in class with a 55.689

SCORE TWO FOR THE HOME TEAMS AT LIME ROCK

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 23:50:48 GMT

Racing at home never felt so good for David Brabham and Dirk Werner. Brabham scored his fifth overall pole position and Werner his first class pole in qualifying Friday for the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park. Brabham's Patrón Highcroft Racing and Werner's Farnbacher Loles Racing both are based in nearby Danbury, Conn., about 50 miles from the freshly repaved circuit.

AMERICAN LE MANS NORTHEAST GRAND PRIX-PAGES 4-6

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:03:16 GMT

American Le Mans Series Pit Notes presented by Sparco
American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix
Page 4-6

ALMS Combined practice (1-hour session):

At 02:45 pm, green flag.

AMERICAN LE MANS NORTHEAST GRAND PRIX PIT NOTES-PAGES 2-3

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:18:09 GMT

American Le Mans Series Pit Notes presented by Sparco
American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix
Pages 2-3

At 11:13 am, car #44-GT2 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR spun and continued at Optional West Bend (another of the new corners, this one at the top of the hill heading down toward the drive-over bridge).
At 11:13 am, Chris Dyson (#16-P2 Porsche RS Spyder) sets the fastest lap in class with a 51.029

At 11:14 am, Chris Dyson (#16-P2 Porsche RS Spyder) sets the fastest lap in class with a 50.467

MONTAGNY QUICKEST EARLY AT FRESH LIME ROCK

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:08:59 GMT

Franck Montagny made quite a splash in his first session of American Le Mans Series competition by turning in the best time of Friday morning's hour-long practice at Lime Rock Park for the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix. The Frenchman turned in a lap of 48.504 (111.331 mph) in Andretti Green Racing's Acura ARX-01b.

AMERICAN LE MANS NORTHEAST GRAND PRIX PIT NOTES-PAGE 1

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:30:45 GMT

American Le Mans Series Pit Notes presented by Sparco
American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix
Page 1

Welcome back to the American Le Mans Series. We've been away awhile, two months to be exact but are back at beautiful Lime Rock Park. The circuit has been repaved and configured to a new 10-turn, 1.51-mile layout that will see cars for the first time this weekend.