It's no secret that the GT2 class has been downright thrilling this season, but consider what it could have been this year. Before the 2006 season began, the buzz was all about Lexus and their 2 car GT2 effort. The IS350 models sat race-ready in their garages, but never so much as reached the track. Unfortunately, it seems that differences between Toyota Racing Development and Team Lexus led to the project being scrapped. Extremely unfortunate, considering that this team could have done great things in the series.
This season, LG Motorsports had disappeared from the series ever since Utah. They've missed the last 2 races and don't appear on the Road America entry list. I couldn't find any explanation, so perhaps they will return for bigger events like the Petit Le Mans in the fall.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Recap: Acura Sports Car Challenge
Of course, as I mention the rising parody in the series, Audi goes and wins. A hard fought effort for the team though, and all the credit in the world must go to Lucas Luhr and Marco Werner for earning their 3rd victory of the season, their first since Long Beach. The team had such a sizable lead by the end of the race that the television coverage was focused mainly on David Brabham battling a Penske Porsche yet again for the P2 victory. This time, however, Brabham came up short, pressing the issue with a few laps to go and nearly spinning out while trying to lap the Panoz. A great save kept him in it, but he could never quite get by Romain Dumas and the No. 7 Porsche. By the way, Brabham is the only driver in American Le Mans Series history to win a race in all 4 classes over the span of his career.
Johnny O'Connell and Jan Magnussen have really been returning the favor this year by beating their sister car in all but one race this season. Both Corvettes finished well back in the field due to penalties, but it was the No. 3 that took the GT1 victory.
The excitement that is the GT2 class did not disappoint. After flying below the radar for literally the entire race, the No. 71 Tafel Racing Ferrari of Dominik Farnbacher and Dirk Muller took the victory, edging out the No. 46 and No. 45 Flying Lizard Motorsport entries that had been battling for the lead all day with Risi Competizione. It's a tight battle between Flying Lizard and Tafel at the top of the GT2 standings, and Road America's 4 hour event should help sort it all out.
Reports are that the de Ferran crewmember Keith Jones remains in the hospital in critical condition after the burns he suffered from the loose fuel hose in the pits. It was easy to see that Gil de Ferran was quite shaken from the event while being interviewed later, and understandably so.
On a far less severe note, a few GT2 teams had a rough go at Mid-Ohio. Joel Feinberg went too deep in a turn and ended up in the gravel, meaning that their day was done early. The Robertson Racing Ford GT lost a tire near the end of the race and had to limp to the pits. And the other Ford GT entered by Black Swan Racing had a disappointing day after a somewhat promising first race at Lime Rock. P1 team Intersport Racing made it about 23 laps before they had to retire; their 2nd car, the No. 30 car, managed a 15th place overall finished, but still finished behind the GT2 winner.
The series next turns to Road America, a favorite among many drivers. It's the first 4 hour race of the season, and should prove to be a great one, providing high speed straights and just about every variant of turns imaginable. Hopefully, the lack of patience displayed by many prototype drivers at Mid-Ohio and Lime Rock will not carry over to the early August event. Traffic will not be as much of an issue on the 4 mile circuit, so tempers should be kept in check.
Johnny O'Connell and Jan Magnussen have really been returning the favor this year by beating their sister car in all but one race this season. Both Corvettes finished well back in the field due to penalties, but it was the No. 3 that took the GT1 victory.
The excitement that is the GT2 class did not disappoint. After flying below the radar for literally the entire race, the No. 71 Tafel Racing Ferrari of Dominik Farnbacher and Dirk Muller took the victory, edging out the No. 46 and No. 45 Flying Lizard Motorsport entries that had been battling for the lead all day with Risi Competizione. It's a tight battle between Flying Lizard and Tafel at the top of the GT2 standings, and Road America's 4 hour event should help sort it all out.
Reports are that the de Ferran crewmember Keith Jones remains in the hospital in critical condition after the burns he suffered from the loose fuel hose in the pits. It was easy to see that Gil de Ferran was quite shaken from the event while being interviewed later, and understandably so.
On a far less severe note, a few GT2 teams had a rough go at Mid-Ohio. Joel Feinberg went too deep in a turn and ended up in the gravel, meaning that their day was done early. The Robertson Racing Ford GT lost a tire near the end of the race and had to limp to the pits. And the other Ford GT entered by Black Swan Racing had a disappointing day after a somewhat promising first race at Lime Rock. P1 team Intersport Racing made it about 23 laps before they had to retire; their 2nd car, the No. 30 car, managed a 15th place overall finished, but still finished behind the GT2 winner.
The series next turns to Road America, a favorite among many drivers. It's the first 4 hour race of the season, and should prove to be a great one, providing high speed straights and just about every variant of turns imaginable. Hopefully, the lack of patience displayed by many prototype drivers at Mid-Ohio and Lime Rock will not carry over to the early August event. Traffic will not be as much of an issue on the 4 mile circuit, so tempers should be kept in check.
Friday, July 18, 2008
News & Notes: Front Row at Mid-Ohio
Gil de Ferran and the de Ferran Motorsports No. 66 Acura continue to impress. In only their third race ever, the team has managed to secure pole position for the race this weekend after setting the fastest pace in practice and now qualifying. The Patron Highcroft Acura will sit opposite the No. 66 on the front row, which means an all Acura front row at Mid-Ohio. Certainly will be interesting to watch de Ferran Motorsports over the coming weeks and months to see if (or when) they can earn their first overall victory.
It's a good time to look back to only two years ago, when Audi was dominating every single event on the schedule. How times have changed; each race now sees numerous Acuras and Porsches competing for the top podium spot with Audi. The parody certainly helps increase an already-exciting series, luring in more casual fans with the promise of exciting finishes and a variety of overall winners.
It's a good time to look back to only two years ago, when Audi was dominating every single event on the schedule. How times have changed; each race now sees numerous Acuras and Porsches competing for the top podium spot with Audi. The parody certainly helps increase an already-exciting series, luring in more casual fans with the promise of exciting finishes and a variety of overall winners.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Preview: Acura Sports Car Challenge
We head to Mid-Ohio for round six of the American Le Man Series this coming weekend. Nothing new, consider that the track has held an American Le Mans Series event every year since 2001. What is new are the storylines heading into the event; Acura's first ever outright win last week, the incredibly competitive GT2 class and the rise of the P2 class. For years, Audi had dominated the American Le Mans Series, but with the rise of Porsche and Acura, those seasons are likely behind them.
Penske Porsche No. 6 co-driver Sascha Maassen is still searching for his first win of the season, having been overshadowed by his teammates Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas in the No. 7 car all season. With a win, Maassen would record at least one victory in each year of the American Le Mans Series, something only Jan Magnussen has done to this point. Unfortunately for him, the No. 6 has finished behind its sister car in every race this season, albeit generally only by a position or two.
Last year, this race was run at the end of March, with the Audi R10 taking the victory, one year after Porsche recorded its first ever overall win in the series at that very track. To no one's surprise, Jaime Melo and Mika Salo teamed up to win the GT2 category, one of their 8 wins that season (a GT2 record).
A few additional challengers will return to the American Le Mans Series this weekend, including the No. 12 Autocon Motorsports, which is arguably the only team in P1 that can consistently challenge the Audi team. Speaking of challenging Audi, Intersport Racing recorded a 2nd place finish in P1 at Lime Rock Park, and will be adding a second car this weekend, to be driven by Ryan Lewis and John Faulkner. In the GT2 category, VICI Racing will return with two cars. Corsa Motorsports will also be joining the action with their Ferrari F430.
Speed is crucial at this track, as the backstretch allows speeds of over 170 mph, so qualifying well will certainly be important. That being said, there are several good places to pass on this track (unlike at the street circuits on the schedule), so a bad qualifying session can be made up with a good run during the race.
A note about last year's race, you may remember that Thomas Enge was actually fired during the race by Peterson/White Lightning after a second altercation on the track with GT2 opponent Mika Salo. Hopefully, fireworks such as that can be avoided this time around between any competitors.
Also on the slate for this weekend at Mid-Ohio will be the IndyCar series, so certainly a huge weekend for Mid-Ohio considering that NASCAR is off until next weekend when the series heads to the Brickyard.
Penske Porsche No. 6 co-driver Sascha Maassen is still searching for his first win of the season, having been overshadowed by his teammates Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas in the No. 7 car all season. With a win, Maassen would record at least one victory in each year of the American Le Mans Series, something only Jan Magnussen has done to this point. Unfortunately for him, the No. 6 has finished behind its sister car in every race this season, albeit generally only by a position or two.
Last year, this race was run at the end of March, with the Audi R10 taking the victory, one year after Porsche recorded its first ever overall win in the series at that very track. To no one's surprise, Jaime Melo and Mika Salo teamed up to win the GT2 category, one of their 8 wins that season (a GT2 record).
A few additional challengers will return to the American Le Mans Series this weekend, including the No. 12 Autocon Motorsports, which is arguably the only team in P1 that can consistently challenge the Audi team. Speaking of challenging Audi, Intersport Racing recorded a 2nd place finish in P1 at Lime Rock Park, and will be adding a second car this weekend, to be driven by Ryan Lewis and John Faulkner. In the GT2 category, VICI Racing will return with two cars. Corsa Motorsports will also be joining the action with their Ferrari F430.
Speed is crucial at this track, as the backstretch allows speeds of over 170 mph, so qualifying well will certainly be important. That being said, there are several good places to pass on this track (unlike at the street circuits on the schedule), so a bad qualifying session can be made up with a good run during the race.
A note about last year's race, you may remember that Thomas Enge was actually fired during the race by Peterson/White Lightning after a second altercation on the track with GT2 opponent Mika Salo. Hopefully, fireworks such as that can be avoided this time around between any competitors.
Also on the slate for this weekend at Mid-Ohio will be the IndyCar series, so certainly a huge weekend for Mid-Ohio considering that NASCAR is off until next weekend when the series heads to the Brickyard.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Recap: American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix
Of the five races at Lime Rock Park, I would have to say that this was the best one, and that is saying quite a lot, considering some of the races that have taken place there. I have been fortunate enough to attend all five, and the action this year was intense. It turns out that the American Le Mans Series cars did in fact make use of the two new optional chicanes constructed. However, that did not stop some of the faster prototypes such as the Acuras and Porsches to record sub-50 second laps. Although the Audi R10s started well back in the field, they quickly moved up, taking advantage of de Ferran getting forced off the track in the first turn and several other hangups for some prototypes.
The Farnbacher Loles Racing Porsche led for much of the early stages in GT2, but after suffering a flat tire and a stop/go penalty, fell back in the field, letting the Lizards battle for 1st. Much credit must go to that team though, as they fought back and earned a 2nd place finish on the last lap of the race.
The late-race heroics though came at the hands of David Brabham, who in the Patron Highcroft Racing Acura managed to pass Timo Bernhard in the Porsche RS Spyder in the first turn with 90 seconds to go after battling lap traffic and continuously trying to reel in the then 1st place car. Bernhard spun in turn one despite no contact between the No. 9 and No. 7 cars. To add to the drama, Brabham ran out of fuel halfway through the last lap, but was able to coast to the finish. It was Acura's 1st ever overall victory, and a hard earned one at that. Also good to see Scott Sharp earn a victory in his backyard.
Johnny O'Connell and Jan Magnussen battled back from a lap down to beat their sister car, driven by Oliver Gavin and Olivier Beretta. You may remember last year that O'Connell and Magnussen struggled; they already have more wins this year (4) in five races than they did all of last season (3). Wolf Henzler and Jorg Bergmeister brought home the win in GT2 for Flying Lizard Motorsports, adding to their GT2 season points lead.
Overall, a very memorable race, and we will see if next weekend's race at Mid-Ohio will be able to match the intensity that was seen at Lime Rock. All signs point to yes, as Mid-Ohio is comparable to that of Lime Rock (numerous right and left-handers, fast laps, etc.) although it is a longer track overall.
The Farnbacher Loles Racing Porsche led for much of the early stages in GT2, but after suffering a flat tire and a stop/go penalty, fell back in the field, letting the Lizards battle for 1st. Much credit must go to that team though, as they fought back and earned a 2nd place finish on the last lap of the race.
The late-race heroics though came at the hands of David Brabham, who in the Patron Highcroft Racing Acura managed to pass Timo Bernhard in the Porsche RS Spyder in the first turn with 90 seconds to go after battling lap traffic and continuously trying to reel in the then 1st place car. Bernhard spun in turn one despite no contact between the No. 9 and No. 7 cars. To add to the drama, Brabham ran out of fuel halfway through the last lap, but was able to coast to the finish. It was Acura's 1st ever overall victory, and a hard earned one at that. Also good to see Scott Sharp earn a victory in his backyard.
Johnny O'Connell and Jan Magnussen battled back from a lap down to beat their sister car, driven by Oliver Gavin and Olivier Beretta. You may remember last year that O'Connell and Magnussen struggled; they already have more wins this year (4) in five races than they did all of last season (3). Wolf Henzler and Jorg Bergmeister brought home the win in GT2 for Flying Lizard Motorsports, adding to their GT2 season points lead.
Overall, a very memorable race, and we will see if next weekend's race at Mid-Ohio will be able to match the intensity that was seen at Lime Rock. All signs point to yes, as Mid-Ohio is comparable to that of Lime Rock (numerous right and left-handers, fast laps, etc.) although it is a longer track overall.
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