Bumpy Baltimore Gets A Rubbing In With IndyCar & ALMS

September 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Conquest Racing’s Sebastian Saavedra occupied his time [during the initial event delay] with engineering and drivers meetings, tweeting, checking email and even working in a brief nap before being jostled by the bumps of the Pratt Street frontstretch in the No. 34 Bogota Es Mundial entry in front of tens of thousands of enthusiastic spectators. Caption & Image Credit: Chris Jones via IZOD IndyCar Series

Bumpy Baltimore Gets A Rubbing In With IndyCar & ALMS

A group of downtown streets converted into a shiny new racing circuit will always have its start up problems. The first day warm-ups (as well as qualifying for the American Le Mans Series) with the two racing series competing in the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix were no different. First off, the beginning to the schedule was moved off for about four hours due to last minute safety improvements to the fencing that defined the 2-mile, 12-turn track.

The reaction of many of the drivers overall, was quite positive … for example, Will Power after posting the fastest time in Baltimore with a best lap time of 1 minute, 22.1739 seconds which translates to 89.411 mph, had a good time learning the course with a couple of non-damaging “offs”.

Penske Racing’s Will Power, needing to make up 26 points, sets fast lap during the first practice period at the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix. Image Credit: Chris Jones via IZOD IndyCar Series

“You are working the entire time and it is a pretty cool track,” said Power, who won the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma five days earlier to tighten the championship points duel with front-runner Dario Franchitti to 26 behind. “They did a really good job creating the circuit. It takes a lot of commitment and there are several technical bits. It’s bumpy and I think it will be a great race.”

After a 75 minute warm-up and about a 90 minute break, the ALMS went out to set their positions for the start of their race on Saturday. The fastest qualifier overall was the Dyson Racing LMP1 Lola B09 86/Mazda shared by Guy Smith and Chris Dyson where Brit Guy Smith set his fourth class pole with a fast pace of 1 minute, 27.750 seconds (83.692 mph).


Guy Smith takes his Mazda LMP1 to the streets of Baltimore. Image Credit: ALMS

“I think the people of Baltimore have done a great job with the circuit and gave us as much track time as they could,” said Smith, who will drive with Chris Dyson. “With a new circuit, there are always teething problems. But they gave us a great track. It’s bumpy and it’s demanding, but that’s what street courses are all about.”

In the GT Class, BMW Team RLL was once again at the top of the charts with the #55 BMW M3 GT of Bill Auberlin and Dirk Werner with Werner posting a fast lap of 1 minute 31.362 seconds (80.834 mph) … the team car to the season points leading #56 BMW M3 GT of Joey Hand and Dirk Muller.


Dirk Werner gets his wheels to bounce over the temporary curbing that defines the track on the streets of Baltimore. Image Credit: ALMS

“It’s amazing to have a pole this year,” said Werner. “The car is really fantastic; it has been this whole season – especially our car. We have had a lot of close calls this year [in qualifying] but we never got that pole. The team is very competitive with drivers who can be quick. So to be here at the new track, is really great.

“After free practice going into qualifying we looked at the data from the sessions and looked who had the best turns and speeds so we could learn a lot in a few short minutes,” Werner continued. “You could see how from the short time we’ve been on track we keep getting faster. We could actually be going faster at the end of the race than we are right now. It shows how great our team is and finding the settings for the street circuit. (The tires) are really holding up over the long drives.”


Top shot of the Dyson Racing #16-LMP1 Lola B09 86/Mazda. Image Credit: ALMS

Based on comments made by many of the drivers of both series, this Baltimore street venue drives like St. Pete with a crowd more like the festival atmosphere imparted by the grand-daddy of all American street races at Long Beach. Not a bad review for a near Washington D.C. venue.

The American Le Mans Series Baltimore Grand Prix is set for 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 3. The race will air on ABC, Sunday, Sept. 4 at 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT) and be shown live in the U.S. on ESPN3 or americanlemans.com outside the U.S. Live coverage also will be available on Rogers Sportsnet One in Canada and MotorsTV in Europe.

The IZOD IndyCar Series Baltimore Grand Prix – Baltimore, MD Streets of Baltimore – Qualifications, 6:00 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT) Saturday, Sept. 3 on Versus / Race, 2:00 (11 a.m. PT) p.m. ET Sunday, Sept 4 on Versus with both broadcast on www.indycar.com – multimedia timing & scoring with concurrent radio broadcast.

… notes from The EDJE

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MAZDASPEED Motorsports Starts To Crown 2011 Supported Series Season Champions

September 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Driving the Juncos Racing TrueCar sponsored Star Mazda, the Californian rookie, 16-year-old Gustavo Menezes participated in what was probably the best on-track battle of the day at the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear race during the recently held Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma (more). Image Credit: juncosracing.com/MAZDASPEED Motorsports

 

MAZDASPEED Motorsports Starts To Crown 2011 Supported Series Season Champions

The inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix kicks off six straight weeks of season finales for over 200 Mazda racers ranging from SCCA and NASA club racers to professional teams in Grand-Am and ALMS. There will be over 50 individual races at nine different tracks at ten different events.

As the seasons conclude, Mazda is leading the manufacturers’ points championships in ALMS LMP1, Grand-Am GT, and Continental Tire ST. Mazda racers are leading the ALMS drivers championship, and within reach of the Grand-Am GT drivers championship.

As a part of the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Ladder and the Mazda Road to Indy, Mazda will be crowning champions in the Star Mazda Championship, USF2000 Championship, Skip Barber Nationals, and Playboy MX-5 Cup. These drivers will be promoted to the next level in 2012 with Mazda support.

Club racing is the heart and soul of Mazda, and the two biggest annual events for club racers takes place at two of the classic tracks – The NASA Championship at Mid-Ohio and the SCCA Runoffs at Road America.

John Doonan, Motorsports Director, Mazda North American Operations, noted that “The 2011 season has been non-stop since January with the Rolex 24 at Daytona, but September will bring out the best in our racers as they aim to finish on a high note. The fact that we have the potential to score three manufacturers championships is a testament to the amazing teamwork and dedication of all of our teams, drivers, and partners. Going head-to-head with some of the top brands in the world shows that Mazda can produce world class cars for both the racetrack and the street.”

 

September 2-4 Baltimore Grand Prix

American Le Mans Series Presented by Patron

Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear

Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda – FINALE

Also:

BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda @ Autobahn Country Club

 

September 16-18 ModSpace American Le Mans Monterey @ Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

American Le Mans Series Presented by Patron

Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear – FINALE

 

September 16-17 Grand-Am & Continental Tire FINALES @ Mid-Ohio

 

September 23-25 48th Annual SCCA Runoffs @ Road America

600+ club racers in over two dozen classes

 

Sept 28 – Oct 1 Petit Le Mans @ Road Atlanta

American Le Mans Series Presented by Patron – FINALE

SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup – FINALE

Pirelli World Challenge – FINALE

 

October 6-8 BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda FINALE @ Lime Rock

 

October 7-8 Formula D – FINALE @ Toyota Speedway

 

… notes from The EDJE

 

 

[Article first published as MAZDASPEED Motorsports Starts to Crown 2011 Supported Series Season Champions on Technorati]

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Toyota Motorsport GmbH Successful At Electric Vehicle Timed Speed Record

August 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment


The TMG EV P001 electric vehicle next to its new electric lap record time at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Image Credit: Toyota Motorsport GmbH

Toyota Motorsport GmbH Successful At Electric Vehicle Timed Speed Record


Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) has set a new lap record for an electric vehicle (EV) at the legendary 20.8km Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit in Germany.

The TMG EV P001, with 100% electric powertrain and Jochen Krumbach at the wheel, set a new lap record of 7mins 47.794secs to beat the previous lap record, which stood at 9mins 1.338secs, by a very substantial margin.

The TMG EV P001 electric vehicle on its way to setting a new lap record for electric vehicles at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Image Credit: Toyota Motorsport GmbH

Using two electric motors, the TMG electric powertrain has a top speed of 260km/h (161.556509981707 miles per hour) which combined with 800Nm of torque to achieve impressive speeds on the extremely challenging Nordschleife track, which includes significant elevation changes and lengthy flat-out sections.

TMG’s target, prior to the 29 August record run, was to become the first electric vehicle break the eight-minute barrier and this was achieved comfortably on a day when the notoriously changeable Nürburgring weather stayed fine, although track temperatures were relatively low.

The TMG EV P001 electric vehicle photo shot before its lap record attempt at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Image Credit: Toyota Motorsport GmbH

 

Such performance shows TMG’s electric powertrain is ideal to power any future single-make electric motorsport series and TMG will begin commercial sales of this technology in 2012. TMG continues to advance its electric vehicle capability for motorsport applications with in-house development of the electric powertrain and ongoing investigations into alternative chassis solutions.

The future of alternative powertrain racing (non-petro/non-liquid fuel) is at hand … but, to what end?

… notes from The EDJE

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Will Power’s Rally In The Valley – IZOD IndyCar Series Race 14 of 18

August 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Penske Racing teammates (Power, Castroneves, and Briscoe) hold the line against the rest of the field during the double-file start of the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma. Image Credit: Richard Dowdy via IZOD IndyCar Series

 

Will Power’s Rally In The Valley – IZOD IndyCar Series Race 14 of 18

From the command of “Drivers, start your engines” and the audio of “Row 1, Hot” – “Row 2, Hot” – “Row 3, Hot” – and etc. one felt that this was the race that would keep the 2011 points race alive as the sound of the Honda engines echoed throughout the Sonoma valley. Power, at 46 points down to Dario Franchitti, had to win and keep the Target Chip Ganassi drivers (Franchitti and Dixon) as far down in the order that was legally possible. Qualifications gave a blessing to Will and the rest of the Penske Racing team with a 1-2-3 starting position with Helio Castroneves, and Ryan Briscoe acting as protection to any erosion to the running order from the starting grid of the race.

From the very drop of the Green Flag starting the race, Ryan Briscoe kept the Red Target team cars behind both Will Power and Helio Castroneves which allowed Power to pull comfortably away.

All went smoothly through to the first round of pitstops by the leaders with eight cars opting to come in earlier for a change of sequence. On lap 5 of 75, Tony Kanaan running back at P25, was the first to opt for a change to Red tires and a change in pit sequence followed by Takuma Sato, JR Hildebrand, Simon Pagenaud, Charlie Kimball Danica Patrick, and Vitor Meira.

First, Mike Conway from P7 on Lap 22 of 75 began the process with Tagliani, who had just been passed by Graham Rahal due to poor handling in on Lap 23. Hinchcliff, Ryan Hunter-Raey, Helio Castroneves on LAP 25.

Lap 26 has Dixon taking on primary Black tires. Next on Lap 26 Power comes into the pits, leaving Briscoe leading until Lap 28.

Briscoe comes out in sequence with all three Penske Racing cars holding station at 1-2-3 keeping Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon behind. This may seem boreing to some, but clean and precise racing to a strategy toward a championship is just that … predictable and boreing. Gotta’ love it if ya’ like a tight season points race.

Top 10 after 32 laps of 75 sees Power, Castroneves, Briscoe, Franchitti, Dixon, Pantano, Hinchcliffe, Viso, Bourdais, and Rahal.

On TV, Robin Miller reports that there are about 130,000 people in attendance as opposed to about 30,000 sitting in the stands at the last race (oval) in Loudon, New Hampshire.

Fan stands are full of people who traveled to the middle of nowhere to see a premiere open-wheel race for season championship points. Image Credit: Shawn Gritzmacher via IZOD IndyCar Series

Robin asked Randy Bernard, CEO of IZOD IndyCar Series, if Sonoma was on the schedule for next year and Randy reported that the schedule has not been finalized and that the people who run Infineon Raceway have not committed to the race fee as yet.

Lap 39, Tony Kanaan stalls out on pit lane and appears to have an engine stuck at full throttle. KV Racing Technology’s Kanaan retires from the race.

TWEET - Fieldof33 Paul Dalbey
Thank God for side-by-side. If hate to miss watching the sand grow.

TWEET - pressdog Bill Zahren
Nailed it. “@spikerogan: @99forever You could make nachos from scratch and not miss a thing. By scratch I mean from growing the corn. lol”

Lap 45 of 75 has Will Power on the radio complaining about lapped traffic not clearing out of the way. It has him braking at odd times and kicking up some blue tire smoke.

All of the drivers are looking to get back on REDS again on the next pit sequence. Oriol Servia takes on a set and fuel on lap 47 – good to go all the way to the end.

Before this next round of stops, P1 Power leads P4 Franchitti by about 32 seconds. Castroneves pits on Lap 49 … Dixon in for REDS … 25 laps to go and more stops with side-by-side passing in the pits.

Lap 50 Will Power comes in with little traffic to contend with … comes out ahead of Castroneves and all is right in the Penske world with Briscoe leading.

All top 10 drivers complete pit stops and are good to the end – Lap 53 P1 to P10 are Power, Castroneves, Briscoe, Franchitti, Dixon, Pantano, Hinchcliffe, Bourdais, Viso and Rahal.

TWEET - SBPopOffValve Mr. Pop Off Valve
Wally Dallenbach says (correctly) that Sonoma is a blast to drive. Doesn’t make it any easier on the spectators.

TWEET - Fieldof33 Paul Dalbey
@SBPopOffValve I believe the Sr Official has discretion to mandate Power pull over, let Castroneves by, and drive rest of race 1 handed.

Lap 56 Marco Andretti brushes JR Hildebrand’s rear tire causing a rear flat for the driver from the Sonoma area.

TWEET - AllenWedge Allen Wedge
Can’t wait for the eventual Panther Racing press release saying JR got Marco’d

TWEET - PantherRacing Panther Racing
Marco & Hildebrand make contact for the second consecutive year @InfineonRaceway …. looked like that was on Marco to me. But I’m biased.

TWEET - toomuchracing Pat W
They want to bring Belle Isle back… that’s even worse for IndyCar. I liked the ALMS there though

TWEET - 99forever Steph@MoreFrontWing
Interesting. TK refutes Cavin’s story and says he’s not signed at KV. #indycar

Ten laps remain and it is still Power, Castroneves, Briscoe, Franchitti, Dixon, Pantano, Hinchcliffe, Bourdais, Rahal, and Viso.

YELLOW Flag – Ho-Pin Tung slides out of control and into a tire wall – look out for a crazy restart as the cars get bunched up. Power looses about a 20 second cushion to the YELLOW Flag full course caution.

TWEET - IndyCar IZOD IndyCar Series
Full course Yellow for incident in Turn 9 involving #88 Ho-Pin Tung cot.ag/d3QLxP

Restart cones are clearly defined and Power looses an advantage as to surprising the rest of the drivers as to when he will apply the fuel peddle to take off on the GREEN Flag.

Penske is sitting at 1-2-3 so, to be frank, who knows what Will Power is talking about.

TWEET - shagers Shane Rogers
Double file restarts are the best thing for these mickey mouse road courses. Drivers hate them, but they are awesome.

TWEET - SBPopOffValve Mr. Pop Off Valve
SATO DOES NOT RESPECT HIS BRAKES.

Saavedra and Conway get together and up the dirt bank on the last lap pushing hard for position.

Top 10 with four laps to go – Power, Castroneves, Briscoe, Franchitti, Dixon, Pantano, Bourdais, Hinchcliffe, Rahal, and Viso.

Verizon Penske Racing’s Will Power takes the Checkered Flag at Infineon Raceway, Sears Point, in the Sonoma Valley. Image Credit: Chris Jones via IZOD IndyCar Series

Will Power gets maximum points and wins the race. This will be his 5th win of the season and the most by any driver this season. Gains 20 points on the event and moves from being 46 points to 26 points down with only four races to go in the season.

TWEET - toomuchracing Pat W
Chequered. Snoozefest. Power and his teammates held station for the duration, followed by Dario and Dixon.

TWEET - racintoday Jim Pedley
Power Cruises At Infineon bit.ly/rhPlBs #indycar

TWEET - toomuchracing Pat W
Great drive by Pantano to take 6th in Wilson’s car after not racing these cars for 6 years (and only then he did two starts).

TWEET - FollowAndretti Andretti Autosport
Checkered flag at @InfineonRaceway. Ryan 11, Mike 17, Danica 21, Marco 24.

TWEET -in dy44 Matt Archuleta
Ckrd Power Helio Briscoe Dario Dixon Pantano Bourdais Hinch Rahal Viso RHR Servia Plowman Ana Saavedra Pagenaud Conway Sato Jakes Tagliani

Will Power jumps once again into the wall of confetti at the winner’s podium. Image Credit: Chris Jones via IZOD IndyCar Series

TWEET - JamieLittleESPN Jamie Little
Penske sweeps the podium at Sonoma and Sweeps the @NASCAR and @IndyCar this weekend!

Post race interview has Power saying, “It was just a perfect race. This one is pretty important. I have been unbelievably motivated after a few bad races this season. I knew that Verizon Team Penske was better than this as a team and we came here with a good set-up, finished strong and we are on the right track now … Verizon baby, we are back on top now!”

Fingers Up – Will Power was fined $30,000 for a gesture not too dis-similar to this gesture. That’s right, Will was fined about $15,000 a finger when he showed his initial displeasure toward Brian Barnhart and the folks at Race Control at the decision to restart the race at Loudon, New Hampshire. At least Power has the sense of humor to mimic his fine-able action of a couple of weeks ago. Image Credit: Chris Jones via IZOD IndyCar Series

Next up, a shiny, brand new temporary street course in Baltimore will have all teams searching for what will work. Penske had the “special sauce” here at Infineon Raceway but will they be able to maintain the edge and keep Dario and the Target Chip Ganassi racing team at bay. Thank God that hurricane Irene decided to show up on the East coast this week so everything remains on track for the season.

… notes from The EDJE


[Article first published as Will Power's Rally In The Valley - IZOD IndyCar Series Race 14 of 18 on Technorati]

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No Magic For Power In Round 11 Of 17 At Mid-Ohio

August 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Scott Dixon preparing for warm-up session on race day. Dixon went on to win the Honda 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Image Credit: Dan Helrigel via IZOD IndyCar Series

No Magic For Power In Round 11 Of 17 At Mid-Ohio

The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, Round 11 of 17 delivered a fatal blow to Will Power’s chances at getting his first IndyCar Series (ICS) season championship. The Verizon Penske Racing Dallara driver, who was on track to get the ICS championship last year up until the final race of the season when Dario Franchitti was able to eclipse Power’s season points total, was looking to climb back into the challenge at 38 points behind and a perfect track for his talents, was caught out twice in pit stop strategy by full course cautions.

“We were making great fuel mileage and we were going to go a lap or two longer than the leaders on the second stop, which would have put us in great position to challenge for the race lead in the last stint,” said Power of the Lap 58 incident involving contact between the cars of Graham Rahal and Danica Patrick. “Basically, today we suffered for doing a great job of driving a smart race. We just got caught out by that last yellow flag.” 

Will Power as he is being followed by Ryan Hunter-Reay at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Image Credit: Chris Jones via IZOD IndyCar Series

This dropped Power to P16 and allowed Target Chip Ganassi team-mates to duke it out for the win with Scott Dixon passing Dario Franchitti on a restart to eventually take the win. It may have been doubtful if Will Power had anything for the Scott Dixon Dallara because of how well the driver and car had been hooked up all weekend long (fastest Lap – 1:09.1271 / 76), but to finish so far down in the order with a competitive car (set 2nd fastest lap late in the race – 1:09.2376 / 85), placed a stake through the heart (a loss of 24 points against Franchitti – at 62 points behind) of Will Power’s chances for a ICS season championship. In fact, with the points Scott Dixon gained with his win (he is now just 29 points behind Power with six races left), Will Power may not even become a repeat “bridesmaid” (runner-up) at season’s end in 2011.

The Penske Racing fleet of Dallara cars had a terrible outing at Mid-Ohio. After qualifying Ryan Briscoe at P2, Will Power at P4, and Helio Castroneves at P15, the three drivers end up with Power at P14, Briscoe at P16 and Castroneves at P19.

Newman-Haas’s Oriol Servia runs nearly side-by-side with replacement driver for Dreyer & Reinbold’s Simon Pagenaud. at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Image Credit: Chris Jones via IZOD IndyCar Series

KV Racing Technology ended up having a fair showing with two of their three cars placing in the top five. Takuma Sato missed the podium for the second time this year, repeating his finishing position at the street course in St. Petersburg at P4 (qualified P9) followed by Tony Kanaan at P5 (qualified P16) … a good outing for E.J. Viso who finished the race running, and came in just behind Will Power at P15 after qualifying in P12.

Last note: Justin Wilson had an off in turn one and compressed his back but at this point, it does not look like he will need surgery as Vitor Meira required when he suffered a similar injury. He was replaced by former ChampCar World Series driver and ALMS Champion, Simon Pagenaud, in the Dreyer & Reinbold #22 Roll Coater Dallara and delivered a steady performance coming in ahead of Power at P13 after taking the Green Flag at P18.

Said Pagenaud after the race, “Considering that I was thrown into the car yesterday morning, I think that it was a good weekend. Obviously qualifying was a bit of a roller coaster for me with getting in the car quickly and trying to do my best. We started at the back in 18th position. It’s difficult to pass here, so we finished 13th. We had a really good racecar, but it’s just frustrating because I didn’t have the chance to run by myself and show the pace of the car. I think that the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing / Roll Coater car was one of the fastest out there today. We just needed to qualify up front and we would have been okay. All in all, considering the bad luck that the team had all weekend, the team should be glad about that. Bia did a great job and we should all be proud. We will see what happens next.”

Round 12 of 17 sends the teams off to the oval at New Hampshire Motor Speedway where the race is set to be run August 14, broadcast at 3:30pm ET on Versus.

… notes from The EDJE

[Article first published as No Magic for Power in Round 11 of 17 at Mid-Ohio on Technorati]

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Eight Questions With ALMS GT JaguarRSR’s Bruno Junqueira

August 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The #99 Jaguar XKR driven by Bruno Junqueira and Ken Wilden leads a group of GTC and GT Class cars just past pitout at Mosport International Raceway. Image Credit: JaguarRSR

Eight Questions With ALMS GT JaguarRSR’s Bruno Junqueira

Weekend before last, The IndyCar Series was in Edmonton and the ALMS was near Toronto at Mosport International Raceway. Two standout performances were registered by drivers from the former ChampCar World Series and both performances were to set the fastest competitive lap in the their respective races. The two drivers, Sebastien Bourdais and Bruno Junqueira, it could be argued, were the most competitive drivers of the CCWS era. Sebastien, the perennial champion for four years straight from 2003 – 2006, and Bruno with near consecutive runner-up season performances from 2002, 2004, and 2005 (the last two as a team-mate to Sebastien).

While the Frenchman (Bourdais) posted the fastest IndyCar race lap on lap 80 of an eighty lap race, the Brazilian recorded the fastest GT race lap posting a 1:18.102. Almost two hours into the race, Junqueira came into the pits to pass on the “fast cat” to Toronto area native and team-mate Ken Wilden, who drove the remainder of the two hour and forty-five minute race to take the checkered flag and salvage a 15th place GT finish.

JaguarRSR race control keeping tabs on the progress of the #99 Jaguar XKR of Bruno Junqueira as he sets fastest race lap in the ALMS GT Calss at Mosport International Raceway. Image Credit: JaguarRSR


This excerpted and edited from IndyCar.com Bio - 

Bruno Junqueira entered the IZOD IndyCar Series full time in 2008 with a wealth of experience in open-wheel racing, including four starts in the Indianapolis 500. He earned the pole position at Indianapolis in 2002, driving for Target Chip Ganassi Racing [Further, he was able to qualify a car into the 33 car field of the INDY 500, only to be replaced by a primary or more strongly sponsored driver who did not qualify their car into the field (Alex Tagliani - 2009 and Ryan Hunter-Reay - 2011)].

Junqueira enjoyed success competing in Champ Car for seven seasons. With his 2005 win at Monterrey, Junqueira became the first driver in 19 years to win races in each of his first five years in Champ Car. He also finished runner-up in the series standings three times. Junqueira is part of a proud tradition of Brazilian open-wheel drivers, coming up through the Brazilian karting ranks and competing in South American Formula 3 and FIA International Formula 3000 before landing a ride in Champ Car.
[Reference Here]

Bruno Junqueira (left) and Ken Wilden (middle) prepare to take the #99 Jaguar XKR out for qualifications at Mosport International Raceway near Toronto, Canada. Image Credit: JaguarRSR

We last saw Bruno Junqueira on Pine Avenue during a fan appreciation activity the day before the cars took to the track at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach catching the sights and sounds as just a fan in the crowd. We catch up with Bruno, now, just before Round 5 in the ALMS GT season of 9 races to be held at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge.

(1) Many teams call on your skills when they have a problem with their “regular” drivers, crashes, etc. But you haven’t been able to secure a ride in IndyCar. It’s almost a rhetorical question, but is it funding?

A – There are many reason because I didn’t find a full time ride for the last 3 years in IRL. At Champ car, I was one of the winningest drivers and finished the championship 3 times 2nd. I was able to always find rides and win races and get paid.

With the unification of IRL and Champ Car, it changed for me. I still did well, but I never got a good ride for the year. Probably, because in Indycar, more then half of the drivers have to bring money, or sponsors for the teams. Many good Champ Car driver struggle to find rides as well and the Champ Car team to find sponsors.

(2) Just how difficult is it to secure funding in the present IndyCar series?

A – In the last 12 years, I have been a professional driver. The correct is that the teams find the sponsor and hire the best drivers. It has changed, and I tried to find sponsor for 2010 season, but the TV rating in USA and Brazil made it hard to find money.

(3) Do you think that the new IndyCar will make a difference in the competition tightening up?

A – I think the new car will make the best teams have a bigger advantage. They will be able to develop the new car faster.

(4) Does the ALMS GT series seem to have a chance at becoming a viable series?

A – It already is viable. There are many manufacturers involved and a very good competition.

(5) Do you enjoy this series as a continuation and evolution of your career?

A – When I was 25, I thought that when I about 35 I would be going into sportscar racing. I will be 35 in November. I am enjoying it lot driving for Jaguar at ALMS.

(6) How competitive is the GT series in ALMS?

A – Very competitive. Good drivers and teams and a big support from the car and tires manufacturers.

(7) Do you still want to compete in the IndyCar series?

A – If I have a good opportunity, it will be nice.

(8) How did it feel to set the fastest race lap in GT at Mosport, and did you know that fellow ChampCar ex-pat Sebastien Bourdais also set the fastest race lap at the Edmonton Indy on the same weekend?

A – It was good to run fast at Mosport. The Jaguar RSR team did a good job. It was my first time there and loved the track. I always like to race in Canada . I didn’t know that Seb set the fastest lap, but I wish that the races were in a different weekend, and I could race both.

END

It’s August and this weekend it is all about the dedicated road track outside of Cleveland known as Mid-Ohio. The two top technology major automobile racing series converge, showcasing the best drivers American auto racing has to offer driving everything from open wheel, prototype closed body, and modified sports cars. IndyCar Series and the American Le Mans Series repeat in a double header event as thay did earlier in the year at Long Beach California.

The JaguarRSR team looks to carry the momentum of posting the fastest GT race lap in the last event at Mosport to Mid-Ohio this weekend. With track veterans behind the wheel of the pair of JaguarRSR XKR GTs, the team will be looking to make additional strides to move up the 16-car GT field set to take the green flag in the fifth round of the 2011 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron.

The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 6 with ESPN2 airing the race starting at 10 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 7. Live video coverage on race day will be available at 3:15 p.m. ET on ESPN3.com in the US, and americanlemans.com for international viewers. Canadian fans may also watch live coverage on Rogers Sportsnet. Worldwide radio coverage will be available on American Le Mans Radio at americanlemans.com. or more information on the broadcasts, go to americanlemans.com/tv.

… notes from The EDJE

 

[Article first published as Eight Questions With ALMS GT JaguarRSR's Bruno Junqueira on Technorati]

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Five Questions With ALMS GT JaguarRSR Team’s Rocky Moran Jr.

August 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

All eyes are on Rocky Moran Jr. as he tracks around Mosport International Raceway, outside Toronto, in the #98 Jaguar XKR during round 4 of 9 in the ALMS GT season. Image Credit: JaguarRSR

 

Five Questions With ALMS GT JaguarRSR Team’s Rocky Moran Jr.

It’s August and this weekend it is all about the dedicated road track outside of Cleveland known as Mid-Ohio. The two top technology major automobile racing series converge, showcasing the best drivers American auto racing has to offer driving everything from open wheel, prototype closed body, and modified sports cars. IndyCar Series and the American Le Mans Series repeat in a double header event as thay did earlier in the year at Long Beach California.

At Long Beach, during the pre-race media day activities, we first met Rocky Moran Jr. behind the wheel of a Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Camary pace car providing laps around the famed 11 turn temporary street course that features the long straightaway of Shoreline Drive. Rocky cuts the figure of an American football linebacker at well over six feet tall which is a little disarming when he might be standing in a field of car jocky’s like Cristian de Matta (around 5’5″), Oriol Servia (about 5’8″), Bruno Junqueira (around 5’9″)and Patrick Long (also around 5’8″).

Rocky is the son and business partner of famed All American Racers’ Grand Touring Prototypes Toyota Eagle MKIII driver Rocky Moran (as team driver, helped cement the IMSA Manufacturing Championships in ’92/’93 for Dan Gurney’s AAR team) who himself is a long, tall glass of water, standing at 6’3″ and over 200 lbs. during his racing career.

Rocky Moran Jr. at 32, married with two kids, hailing from Southern California, is coming into his own as a regular on Paul Gentilozzi’s JaguarRSR ALMS GT effort. This weekend at JaguarRSR he teams with PJ Jones driving the #98 Jaguar XKR GT in the fifth round of nine in the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón held at Mid-Ohio. We catch up with Rocky the week after Mosport where his #98 just missed making the top 10 in Class when a tire puncture and change dropped Moran Jr. and Jones back to P11.

Driver’s Roundtable - The JaguarRSR team drivers take a moment to review the track at Mosport. From right to left are pictured #98 Jaguar XKR drivers PJ Jones & Rocky Moran Jr., #99 Jaguar XKR drivers Ken Wilden & Bruno Junqueira. Here, Rocky engages Ken in a discussion with an intent PJ looking on. Image Credit: JaguarRSR

 

(1) Your Father enjoyed success in the GTP category in IMSA back in the day. How do you see the LMP1 cars fitting in with such low car counts?

A – The GTP era was very unique and quite a bit different than the current ALMS era. Obviously, the biggest difference is the car count, for most years the GTP field was quite full and they enjoyed large factory involvement and support. You had Jaguar, Toyota , Nissan, etc. Today the LMP field is smaller and most of the factory support seems to be in GT classes where we are currently competing. The LMP cars are really cool, I wish there were more of them on the track with us, I’m sure they will figure out a way to attract more cars in the future.

(2) Have you ever considered the Grand Am series as an alternative in the Prototypes or are you satisfied with the GT series in ALMS?

A - I have raced the Grand-Am Daytona Prototypes with Gainsco Racing and Segal Motorsports in the past so I now have experience in both series. The Prototypes are faster but not necessarily any more difficult to drive, any car becomes challenging when you put it on the limit.

I am more than satisfied to be racing in the GT class in ALMS, I truly love this division. It is competitive, the series is very well run, and it is interesting to be in the class where you are passing cars but also still getting passed by LMP cars.

(3) How many drivers in GT switch back and forth between Grand Am GT and ALMS?

A - I don’t think too many drivers do the switch back and forth. I know many of them do for the 24 hours of Daytona and certain select events but I think it helps to stay focused in one area.

(4) Coming from a racing family, do you ever think about running LMP1 in Europe ?

A - I have not given much thought to racing LMP1 in Europe , but I’m sure it would be a blast. I would love to race the 24 hours of Le Mans , as this is such a huge event.

(5) How do you like piloting a car with the #98 in the ALMS?

A – I race the #98 car in GT and I love it. The #99 car is driven by Bruno and Kenny and they make for great teammates. We are only getting faster and more complete as a team so I am really looking forward to Mid-Ohio.

END 

The JaguarRSR team looks to carry the momentum of posting the fastest GT race lap in the last event at Mosport to Mid-Ohio this weekend. With track veterans behind the wheel of the pair of JaguarRSR XKR GTs, the team will be looking to make additional strides to move up the 16-car GT field set to take the green flag in the fifth round of the 2011 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrόn.

The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 6 with ESPN2 airing the race starting at 10 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 7. Live video coverage on race day will be available at 3:15 p.m. ET on ESPN3.com in the US, and americanlemans.com for international viewers. Canadian fans may also watch live coverage on Rogers Sportsnet. Worldwide radio coverage will be available on American Le Mans Radio at americanlemans.com. or more information on the broadcasts, go to americanlemans.com/tv.

… notes from The EDJE

 

[Article first published as Five Questions With ALMS GT JaguarRSR Team's Rocky Moran Jr. on Technorati]

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Mosport Breaks Streaks And Dims Season’s Chances In ALMS GT

July 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

GT Class race leaders at Mosport before the final change when a penalty is assessed on the #55 BMW of Auberlen/Werner (pictured leading eventual winner Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen’s Corvette, and P2′s Jaime Melo/Toni Vilander’s Ferrari F458 Italia). Image Credit: ALMS/Ryan Smith

 

Mosport Breaks Streaks And Dims Season’s Chances In ALMS GT

The weather was perfect for a summer’s race of exotic, and expertly prepared sports cars at Mosport International Raceway just outside Toronto.

The Abruzzi “Spirit of the Le Mans” racer. The Abruzzi “Spirit of Le Mans” is set to carry on a successful history of Panoz in motorsport. With 10 class victories – including eight overall – in the American Le Mans Series and the 2002 Trans-Am championship, the manufacturer is one of the most renowned in the world. In addition to winning at Sebring and Le Mans, Panoz has won at such venues as Road Atlanta, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Sears Point, Portland, the Nürburgring and Washington DC. Image Credit: ALMS/Ryan Smith

Joining the GT Class (but running as Unclassified) for the first time in 2011, Team Panoz returned with the radical Panoz Abruzzi ‘Spirit of Le Mans’ with drivers Ian James and Edward Sandström. The Panoz, however, was not a factor in the race and it’s outing showed that getting to learn a new car is never easy. In the morning warm-up before the race, the #50 UNC Panoz Abruzzi driven by Edward Sandstrom stopped at turn 2 with damage to the left front of the car after hitting the tire walls. On a positive note, the Unclassified run of the Panoz had it come in at P9 (if judged as GT) ahead of such notable entrants as the #01 Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferrari 458 Italia driven by Scott Sharp/Johans van Overbeek, the #98 RSR Jaguar XKR driven by P.J. Jones and Rocky Moran Jr., and the #45 Flying Lizard Porsche 911 RSR driven Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long.

The last notable mentioned is where the hopes for a repeat in the GT Class dimmed. The Flying Lizard Porsche of Bergmeister and Long showed great promise at climbing back into the championship points frey after qualifying well in P3 just behind the two Team RLL BMWs and just .231 seconds behind the season points leading team of the #56 of Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller in P1.

Joerg Bergmeister driving the Flying Lizard factory Porsche chases down the #56 Team RLL BMW before its driver, Joey Hand is issued a penalty, giving the Porsche a temporary lead at Mosport. Image Credit: ALMS/Ryan Smith

The Green Flag drops At 3:03 pm and race was beginning to come the Flying Lizards way when they were able to run at P2 just behind the #56 BMW. The GT madness began after nearly an hour of tight racing when Joey Hand made contact in his #56 BMW M3 GT with Risi Competizione`s #62 Ferrari F458 Italia of Toni Vilander. A penalty for Hand promoted Jeorg Bergmeister and the #45 Flying Lizard Porsche 911 GT3 RSR into the lead. Things were looking great until Bergmeister got his Porsche sideways in Turn 10, handing the lead to Bill Auberlen in the #55 BMW Team RLL entry.

Normally, a racer can recover from a spin but the Porsche was not behaving well.

This excerpted and edited from ALMS Race Notes -

At 4:25 pm (1h 22m running), Joerg Bergmeister (#45-GT Porsche 911 GT3 RSR) has radioed that he has lost power steering and will pit for the crew to evaluate.

At 4:26 pm (1h 23m running), Joerg Bergmeister (#45-GT Porsche 911 GT3 RSR) into the pits. 4 tires, fuel, driver change: Patrick Long . working on the power steering.

At 4:36 pm (1h 33m running), Patrick Long (#45-GT Porsche 911 GT3 RSR) into the pits. No fuel, no driver change. Finished repairs on pit lane. Rejoining the race.

END

This eleven minute repair delay placed the team well down in the field finishing the race at Mosport P12 in GT Class. The #45 Flying Lizard effort entered the race at a real chance of climbing back into the season points race from P3 but leaves dropping to P6.

GT championship leader BMW Team RLL`s three-race win streak came to a close at Mosport as a combo of contact, mechanical woes and penalties jumbled the order throughout the two-hour, 45 minute race. After the final round of pit stops and with Dirk Werner in the driver`s seat, it appeared BMW`s biggest concern would be holding off Magnussen`s #4 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C6.R. But with less than 20 minutes remaining, another penalty cost BMW the lead once again. Officials ruled Werner’s contact with GTC leader Pumpelly at Turn 10 as avoidable and called the #55 BMW into the penalty box. It promoted Magnussen and his Corvette to the GT lead.

Winning Driver’s Quotes:

Jan Magnussen (#4-GT Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1) – about the battle with Ferrari - “We were just ahead in the pits stops, and after that we had to hold him off. We were side by side through three, it was really exciting. We were pushing as hard as we could the whole race, same as the Ferrari. It’s a really fast car, I had to wait for him to make a mistake for a while. He finally made one in traffic and I was able to take advantage. I knew I couldn’t pull away from him on speed, so I knew I had to take some chances in traffic to keep ahead of him. This race had a bunch of different potential winners at different stages, I think BMW looked like they had the most advantage, but we were able to push at the right moments and pull a win out. If you asked us this morning, we’d say, there will only be one winner. It just unfolded that way today. I’m glad we were the ones that got to break the win barrier.”

Oliver Gavin (#4-GT Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1) “It was one of those moments where you see the incident, and you think, in the past the person gets a penalty. It was called that way, and it was something that aided us to get the win. Jan still had to do a lot of hard work out there and navigate the traffic. Traffic does seem to be a really big issue here. Any time you slip and go off the track, you can end up in the wall. That could be a race ending moment. There is no chance to rest here. Hats off to Jan and the team, just a stellar job today. I knew from my stint that if Jan was on the Ferrari gearbox coming out of turn 5, you could probably get a toe coming out and use the momentum to get by. He executed brilliantly and then sliced through traffic to get a 4 or 5 second lead. The rain that came through last night showed a bit today. We were chasing the car all weekend, we weren’t the fastest car. What we showed today was winning by team, pit stop strategies, coming in at the right time, having the least amount of mistakes. It comes down to the entire team operating at 100% every second of the race.”

The #01 and #02 Ferrari 458 Italia race cars of Extreme Speed Motorsports. Image Credit: ALMS/Ryan Smith

Going into the next race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge (Race 5 of 9), the season points breakout for the top 5 is as follows:

Position – Drivers – Car – Points

1 – Dirk Mueller/Joey Hand (#56-GT BMW M3 GT) – 80
2 – Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen (#4-GT Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1) – 57
3 – Bill Auberlen/Dirk Werner (#55-GT BMW M3 GT) – 46
4 – Jaime Melo/Toni Vilander (#62-Ferrari F458 Italia) – 41
5 – Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner (#3-GT Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1) – 39

… notes from The EDJE

 

[Article first published as Mosport Breaks Streaks And Dims Season's Chances In ALMS GT on Technorati]

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Will Power Gets Back In The Saddle, KVRT-Lotus Stumbles At The Honda Edmonton Indy

July 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Will Power jumps from his Verizon Penske Racing Dallara while in the winner’s circle. Image Credit: IZOD IndyCar Series/Shawn Gritzmacher

Will Power Gets Back In The Saddle, KVRT-Lotus Stumbles At The Honda Edmonton Indy

The Honda Edmonton Indy, the 11th race in a 18 race season of the 2011 IndyCar Series Championship, with its new track layout, proved to be a little less of a bump and run affair than predicted but was not without its contentions. In the end, at 55 points down to series points leader and last year’s Championship winner, Dario Franchitti, Will Power came away from Edmonton with a commanding performance for the win.

Great hope bubbled over and finally fizzed out for two of the three team-mates of KV Racing Technology-Lotus. Takuma Sato qualified in the Peak Pole position and E.J. Viso in position 5 on the grid and as predicted, turns #1, #5, and #13 were pivotal to the fortunes (or lack thereof) of these KVRT-Lotus drivers.

KVRT-Lotus’ Takuma Sato leads the field through turn one with Will Power, Dario Franchitti, and E.J. Viso in tow. Image Credit: IZOD IndyCar Series/Shawn Gritzmacher

At the drop of the checkered flag, Takuma Sato led the field in strong fashion until he locked-up his brakes before turn #13 on Lap 19 which allowed eventual winner Will Power to steal the lead. After the first pit stop, the Japanese driver had fallen back to P5 but surged to the front again following a spectacular re-start through turns #1, #2, and #3. He sliced back into second behind Power under braking for the Turn #5 hairpin, while just behind in P4, his team-mate Viso slid into Scott Dixon, spun and stalled.

E.J. Viso said: “I started up at the front and on one of the restarts I made contact with Dixon, which I feel bad about as he finished the race some laps behind. It was a pretty messy corner and I got too close and braked on the inside and we hit. I then lost a lap waiting to be restarted and from then on there was not much else we could do. We had a pretty fast car during the race. I think I got the second fastest time and we showed we were strong as a team all weekend. I want to thank everyone who is part of KVRT–Lotus who has helped make us stronger and also my sponsors PDVSA. I really feel bad. I thought we had a chance for a podium.” E.J. finished the race in P20.

As for Sato, he was able to soldier on until he had a problem with another driver, Ryan Hunter-Reay with Andretti Autosports, battling for space in turn #13.

Takuma Sato said: “It is disappointing finishing in the back like this. The start was very exciting. I had a good feeling leading the race. Then I had a little problem with the balance and lost some positions. After that there was a caution and we changed tires. On the restart I regained most of the positions and was running in second. Everything was looking good and I was comfortable with the pace, but unfortunately Hunter–Reay hit me and damaged my car and put me a lap down. It was a long race after that and very difficult to stay motivated. I feel very bad for all the crew. They worked so hard all weekend. It was a positive weekend for us until the middle of the race. I am just so disappointed.” Takuma Sato finished the race just behind Viso in P21.

Tony Kanaan shows his experience by quietly driving his Geico sponsored KVRT-Lotus Dallara from a starting position of 11th place to finishing in position 4 and staying out of trouble. Image Credit: IZOD IndyCar Series/Daniel Incandela

On the brighter side, KV Racing Technology-Lotus driver Tony Kanaan finished fourth on the re-configured airport tarmac asphalt in Edmonton on Sunday.

“It was a good result, it was a good race and it’s great for the Geico – KV Racing – Lotus crew,” Kanaan said. “If felt good being out there with those guys, you know, all guys that know what they are doing like Justin, Ryan and Dario. We had some great battles and finishing fourth after starting eleventh, and on top of that having a bad pit stop, is pretty rewarding, especially considering that I got back to fourth in the championship. I feel bad for my teammates because I know that all the three KV cars were supposed to be in the top-five.”

As for Will Power, last years points leader at this stage of the season and eventual runner-up to Dario Franchitti was able to claw his way back into the championship fight. Starting the day 55 points down, Will was able to pass and hold off the challenges of Takuma Sato, team-mate Helio Castroneves and Dario Franchitti to gain 17 points (15 points for position and 2 points for most laps led) in the season points championship.

Will Power will enter the next race at another road course only 38 points down, at a race track where he has had some success at but has never won. Last year, for example, he qualified for the pole, but the driver who qualified in P2 ended up winning while Power finished in P2. Yes, that driver was the Target Chip Ganassi Racing #10 Dallara, Dario Franchitti.

Former ChampCar World Series team and driver begin a consistent run. Dale Coyne Racing and Sebastien Bourdais respectively register two top 10 finishes in a row, and post a race fastest lap in Edmonton through the Canadian swing in the season schedule. Image Credit: IZOD IndyCar Series

FYI – It took only 78.9590 seconds for Dale Coyne Racing’s Sebastien Bourdais to record the fastest lap of the race on Lap 80 of the 80-lap event. “SeaBass” … the former annual ChampCar World Series champion (he won four consecutive driver championships with Newman/Haas Racing) finished in P6 over the two Canadian events (Toronto and Edmonton) which represent the season’s best finishes for him and Dale Coyne Racing.

The attrition in a race that was expected to be high, due to tempers that may have flared at the end of the full course Yellow Flag plagued Honda Indy Toronto and the track re-configuration with the tight turns of #1, #5, and #13 at the end of long straightaways, was very low. Eighteen (18) cars finished on the lead lap – the highest total of the season.

… notes from The EDJE

[Article first published as Will Power Gets Back In The Saddle, KVRT-Lotus Stumbles At The Honda Edmonton Indy on Technorati]

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MOBIL 1 Presents THE ALMS GRAND PRIX OF MOSPORT – Round 4 Of 9 Set-Up

July 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Mosport International Raceway – 2.459-mile, 10-turn road course – Fastest circuit in the American Le Mans Series. Audi’s Dindo Capello posted the fastest Class qualifying lap (138.116 mph) in 2008. … Three different cars and six different drivers have won overall at Mosport since 2008. … Johnny O’Connell has started every Mosport race. He and Jan Magnussen gave Corvette its first GT2 victory in 2009. … Mosport, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2010, is one of four tracks to play host to a Series event in each of its 12 seasons. … Track was Canada’s first purpose-built road course and has held Formula 1, Can-Am, Indy Car and the World Sports Car Championship races in its history. Image Credit: ALMS presented by Tequila Patrón

 

MOBIL 1 Presents THE ALMS GRAND PRIX OF MOSPORT – Round 4 Of 9 Set-Up

One may really like the fact that the American Le Mans Series style of closed body, street/road track, timed distance format (sometimes straddling day-part), and multiple performance/body style classes running at different speeds, makes for interesting viewing and tracking, but let’s be honest … the only real competition on the track that exists for the duration of most any season, and certainly this one in 2011, is the class of the Classes, the GT Class.

 

2010 season marked Jaguar’s first full year of competition in American Le Mans Series with Paul Gentilozzi’s RSR entering a Jaguar XKR in GT. ChampCar open wheel driving refugees Bruno Junqueira and Cristiano Da Matta (past CCWS champion) team up to drive the RSR #99 XKR while motorsport name standouts PJ Jones and Rocky Moran Jr. share piloting duties on the RSR #98 XKR Jaguar in its second season. Image Credit: ALMS presented by Tequila Patrón

 

The exotics in the LMP1, LMP2 (not at Lime Rock) and LMPC Classes are very interesting but there are not enough players to make this portion of what is going on down on the track, except for style and speed, interesting. The GTC Class has multiple entrants, but do not have the wide representation of manufacturers that the GT ClaSS puts up. So we choose to follow, with interest and some intensity, the GT Class in this round #4, American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón – Mosport International Raceway / Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada – July 22 – 24, 2011, contest.

The set up at Mosport is simple, BMW Team Rahal Letterman Lanigan (RLL) has been running a hot Hand (driver Joey Hand, that is) and former Ferrari stand out, Dirk Muller (Mosport fastest lap holder at 1:18.012 – 113.475 mph, August 2008 – Ferrari F430 GT), with three wins in three races. All other teams need to beat the #56 BMW in order to eat into a possible walk into the championship by season’s end by both Hand and Muller.

Those who hold the remote possibility of a chance to even think of a championship is held by the two classic annual rivals, last year’s champions, Joerg Bergmeister / Patrick Long of the factory Porsche Flying Lizard team and Oliver Gavin / Jan Magnussen of Corvette Racing. The driver pairings and teams are almost tied at 37 points for Corvette, 34 points for Porsche, against the 70 points held by the #56 of Hand and Muller. The biggest and most glaring difference between these two challenging teams is that the 34 points held by Flying Lizard Porsche team was achieved in only two races with one DNF whereas the Corvette Racing challenge of 37 points was achieved in all three races.

 

Patrick Long stalks Joey Hand as they turn laps at Lime Rock. Patrick Long and teammate, Joerg Bergmeister end up 20 seconds down in P2 and register their first podium of the year. Image Credit: ALMS presented by Tequila Patrón

 

Porsche Flying Lizard Team Quotes before the race:

Hartmut Kristen, Porsche Head of motorsport: “Mosport is a track where engine performance is more important than on any other circuit. For this reason we were thrilled to hear that the rule-makers in the USA want to revise the imbalance that disadvantaged our cars. I hope that Flying Lizard and the Falken and Miller teams can continue their upward trend that they showed in Lime Rock.”

Joerg Bergmeister, #45 co-driver: “Last year we travelled to Mosport without high expectations and we won. It’s not normally a circuit that particularly suits us and it features too many straights. But if we can manage to make everything come together like in Lime Rock recently then we might bring home a podium result. I’d be very happy with this.”

Patrick Long, #45 co-driver: “It’s not easy making a reliable prediction for Mosport. The track is very fast, and very demanding for the driver. It’s unforgiving with mistakes. That should work in our favour. I hope we can use this to our advantage.”
(ht: Porsche AG Media Database via Dede Seward)

 

“Never give up!” was Chevrolet’s motto, and the team was true to that credo after a chain reaction accident damaged both Compuware Corvette C6.Rs at just 20 minutes into the two-hour, 45-minute race. After the Corvette crew repaired their battered race cars, Olivier Beretta and Tommy Milner battled back to bring the No. 3 Corvette C6.R home in ninth place while Jan Magnussen and Oliver Gavin finished 10th in the No. 4 Corvette C6.R. Image Credit: ALMS presented by Tequila Patrón

 

This excerpted and edited from Corvette Racing website:

Mosport has been the stage for many of Corvette Racing’s winning performances. The team has tallied eight victories there, including its first win in the GT2 category (since renamed GT) in 2009. That race featured a spectacular wheel-to-wheel duel between Jan Magnussen and Ferrari rival Pierre Kaffer in the final 30 minutes. Magnussen prevailed by .331 seconds at the finish.

“The whole circuit is a huge challenge, one that I relish,” said Magnussen’s teammate, Oliver Gavin. “We always go into that race with a strong car and the track seems to suit the Corvette’s strengths.

“Our car’s balance and braking is very good, and we seem to be quick in the tight Turn 5 area and coming into Turn 8 at the end of the back straight,” Gavin explained. “One of the most daunting parts is Turn 2, and it’s also the most fun when you get it right. The corner entry is blind, you turn in and the track starts to fall away almost immediately. You need absolute trust in the marshals to tell you if there’s a problem ahead.”

Corvette Racing has unfinished business at Mosport. Last year’s event was red-flagged with 30 minutes remaining when the guardrail lining the high-speed Andretti Straightaway was severely damaged in an accident. The twin Corvettes had completed their final pit stops and were in position to race for the win when officials cancelled the remainder of the race.

“If the race had restarted we would have been in a good position,” said Magnussen. “We had a strong car, things were shaping up, and we would have had a shot at it. I’m looking forward to going back there and setting the record straight.”
[Reference Here]

There are many more cars on the track, starting with one more BMW (#55 driven by Bill Auberlen / Dirk Werner) from the Team RLL stable which sits fourth in the points overall tied with one more Corvette (#3 driven by Olivier Beretta / Tommy Milner) at 33 points in GT Class, but none have more at stake against another winning performance from the #56 BMW of Hand and Muller than the #45 Porsche and the #4 Corvette.

… notes from The EDJE

 

Event Broadcast Notes:

EVENT: Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport – Round Four of 2011 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón

LOCATION: Mosport International Raceway – Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada – 2.459-mile, 10-turn road course

WHEN: 3:05 p.m. (ET) Sunday, July 24, 2011

LENGTH: 2 hours, 45 minutes (time certain)

TELEVISION: ESPN3.com / americanlemans.com (LIVE coverage)

Qualifying: Saturday, July 23, 3:30 – 4:45 p.m. (ET)

Race: Sunday, July 24, 2:50 – 6:05 p.m. (ET)

ESPN2 – Sunday, July 24 – 10:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. (ET)
ESPN Player available throughout Europe
ESPN360 available to more than 12 million households in Brazil, Australia and New Zealand
ESPN Player available to 3.5 million households in 12 countries across Latin America. Mexico added in March (additional 8 million households)
ESPN Star Sports available in Asia
Rogers Sportsnet in Canada (LIVE coverage)

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