July, 2006› Page 3
Aston Martin Racing Dominates GT1 Qualifying at Salt Lake
Aston Martin Racing will start Saturday’s American Le Mans Series race at Miller Motorsports Park from first and second positions in the GT1 class after an excellent performance during today’s qualifying session.
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Corvettes Qualify Thrid and Fourth for Utah Grand Prix
Scorching heat, high altitude and performance handicaps took their toll on Corvette Racing in qualifying for Saturday’s inaugural American Le Mans Series Utah Grand Prix at Miller Motorsports Park. Johnny O’Connell qualified the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R third in the GT1 class at 2:37.414 (102.593 mph) and Oliver Gavin was fourth in the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R at 2:37.626 (102.455 mph). The quickest qualifier was Tomas Enge in the No. 007 Aston Martin DBR9 at 2:34.953 (104.223 mph).
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Audi Diesel Power on Pole in North America Return
Frank Biela certainly knows how to make a dramatic return. In his first American Le Mans Series race since Sebring, Biela put this Audi R10 TDI on the pole for the Utah Grand Prix, knocking teammate Allan McNish from the top spot on his final lap.
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Penske Porsches Stay on Top at Utah Grand Prix
For the second straight session, Penske Racing’s two Porsche RS Spyders set the pace in a one-hour practice for the Utah Grand Prix on Friday morning. There is one more practice session this afternoon before qualifying at the new Miller Motorsports Park.
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Miller Motorsports Park Preview
The American Le Mans Series crosses the country to make their first visit to the new Miller Motorsports Park in Salt Lake City Utah. Teams will be faced from going from the shortest circuit on the schedule to the longest. This new 4.5 mile 22 turn natural terrain road course will have plenty of room for all four classes to spread out around the track.
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Lime Rock Park or Street Circuit?
Last Saturday, July 1st, I had the privilege of being at round 4 of the American Le Mans Series at Lime Rock Park. Lime Rock is a 2-hour drive from my home in Northern New Jersey and is an old friend of mine. In 1969 at the age of 14 my big brother Joe Martin took me to my first racing event, an SCCA regional. He had been going to races at The Glen, Bridgehampton, and Lime Rock among others for a few years and I guess he thought I was old enough to appreciate seeing the action live. I certainly did!
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Thoughts on the Utah Grand Prix
The Utah Grand Prix marks the American Le Mans Series’ first visit to the spectacular new Miller Motorsports Park, already being hailed as one of the finest road courses in North America. At 4.5-miles and with 24 turns, the track will present a new challenge to the world-class field of sports car racing’s best. How do drivers and their teams prepare for such a challenge? Here’s what they had to say:
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Audi R8 Not Rolling Over to Penske Porsche
The fourth round of the American Le Mans Series was contested on the 1.5-mile course at Lime Park in Lakeville, Ct today. Lime Rock can be compared to the 1-mile ovals known as “Bull Rings” contested by CART during the Eighties & Nineties. These venues were known for their furious action & heavy traffic situations. Being caught up in traffic or a single mistake could lead to a loss of positions or victory. Today marks the final race of the Audi R8, one of the sports most dominant cars, compiling 49 wins in American Lemans Series.LMP 1 was not captured by the Audi R8, but by the Dyson Lola number 16, piloted by James Weaver, pushing the Audi to Fourth on the grid. In GT 1 Corvette carries a 12-race win streak into today’s race, can the Aston Martin break Corvette’s hold on this class? In LMP2 the Penske RS Spyders not only led their class on the grid, but also have clinched the Pole Position of the race. GT 2 long the playground of the Porsche GT3RSR has been challenged by Ferrari, Panoz, & BMW.
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Corvette Racing Takes Second in Lime Rock Photo Finish
Holiday traffic was heavy today at Lime Rock Park in the fourth round of the American Le Mans Series, with hard contact and close calls the order of the day in the New England Grand Prix. Corvette Racing’s bid for a record 13th consecutive victory in the GT1 class came up just short in a photo finish between the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R and the No. 009 Aston Martin DBR9. Aston Martin driver Pedro Lamy edged Corvette star Johnny O’Connell by .033-second at the stripe. It was the first race since March 2005 that Corvette Racing had to settle for the second spot on the podium.
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Audi R8 Claims Victory in Farewell Race
The final chapter held a fairytale ending for the “old girl’s” last ever race: Dindo Capello (Italy) and Allan McNish (Scotland) steered their Audi R8 home to an amazing and emotional victory at Lime Rock Park (US state of Connecticut) – the final race for the most successful Le Mans Prototype of all time.
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