American Le Mans Series - Top News Feed http://www.americanlemans.com/feeds/topnews.php American Le Mans Series - Top News Feed http://www.americanlemans.com/feeds/topnews.php http://www.rightbrainsolution.com/images/logo.gif HEAVY SERIES FLAVOR IN FIRST LIST OF LE MANS INVITES http://www.americanlemans.com/index_news.php?n=14143 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:03:37 -0500
Risi Competizione and Flying Lizard Motorsports are each on the list of the first 27 invites to the 2010 Le  Mans 24 Hours.
Five teams and six entries from the American Le Mans Series are among the first 29 teams offered official invitations to next year’s running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. As has been the case for the last 11 seasons, all championship-winning entrants in each American Le Mans Series class receive invites to compete the following year in the world’s greatest auto race along with class winners at the annual Petit Le Mans.

Risi Competizione’s two entries and the first invite for reigning LMP1 champion Patrón Highcroft Racing lead the Series’ contingent. Not only did the trio of Jaime Melo, Pierre Kaffer and Mika Salo give Risi its second straight GT2 crown at Le Mans this year, but the trio also drove the Risi Ferrari F430 GT to a second consecutive class win at Petit Le Mans in September.

Flying Lizard Motorsports appears on its way to a sixth straight appearance at Le Mans with its Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. The team won its second consecutive Series GT2 championship this year with six victories for Porsche works drivers Patrick Long and Jörg Bergmeister.

Will Duncan Dayton take his Patrón Highcroft squad to Le Mans in 2010? The team has its official invite.
Both Patrón Highcroft and Lowe’s Fernandez Racing – LMP2 – also received entries for their championship performances. Patrón Highcroft owner Duncan Dayton has made no secret of his ambitions to take his team to Le Mans in the past.

Corvette Racing also received an invite for winning the GT1 class in 2009. With the team’s move to GT2, however, it is likely that it will decline the automatic entry.

Since 1999, American Le Mans Series teams have been driving forces at Le Mans with eight overall championship and 25 class championships.

]]> JOHNNY O: SAFETY FIRST AT PRATT & MILLER http://www.americanlemans.com/index_news.php?n=14140 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:44:26 -0500
Johnny O'Connell: "Many aspects of the crash have been analyzed and changes made to the car to better protect us in the future."
Corvette Racing’s Johnny O’Connell says the crew at Pratt & Miller have been hard at work restoring and rebuilding the Corvette C6.R that was heavily damaged in the epic last-lap duel between teammate Jan Magnussen and Flying Lizard Motorsports’ Jörg Bergmeister in the Monterey Sports Car Championships presented by Patrón.

The Corvette and Porsche banged side-to-side coming out of the final turn in a frantic GT2 battle. As they beat on each other toward the finish, Magnussen went around hard into the outside wall just before the start-finish line.

“Perhaps one the greatest strengths of Corvette Racing is the close association we have with the production side, and the relationship between the two,” O’Connell wrote on his personal blog. “Included in that is the importance both place on safety. Jan’s wreck was huge. He’s still not back to 100 percent but is getting close. That said, many aspects of the crash have been analyzed and changes made to the car to better protect us in the future. Just like was done when Dale Jr. had his crash and fire (at Infineon in 2004), things have been changed and improved. So as we move to the future all of us drivers will be confident in the safety or our car and know that everything has been looked at many times by the best in the industry.”

]]> INTERSPORT: BUILDING A TEAM FOR SUCCESS http://www.americanlemans.com/index_news.php?n=14138 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:15:54 -0500
Intersport's Brian Alder (right): "We are excited about the tiers of the ladder system within our team."
The addition of an Le Mans Prototype Challenge entry for the 2010 American Le Mans Series season has kept things busy at Intersport  Racing. Mitch Pagerey will drive the team’s ORECA FLM09 prototype next season alongside the team’s Lola B06/10-AER for LMP1, driven by the father-son duo of Clint Field.

Rounding out the 2009 season with a third-place championship finish in LMP1 and celebrating its 100th Series start in the season finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca seemed to not only be an accomplishment but also an inspiration for the offseason to make the future of the team bigger and brighter.

“We were pretty surprised when we found out we were entering our 100th race in Monterey,” said Intersport’s Team Manager Brian Alder. “It was exciting to talk about it throughout the week since it was definitely a nice way to end the season.”

Read more on Mitch Pagerey's move to Intersport's LMPC program.
Intersport is charging full speed into 2010. Along with its LMP1 and LMPC efforts, the team will continue in the Cooper Tires Prototype Lights Championship with an Elan DP02 as part of IMSA’s prototype development series. Intersport, the 2005 LMP2 champion, will become the first team to field entries in all three rungs of the prototype development ladder within IMSA.

“We are excited about the tiers of the ladder system within our team,” Alder said.

]]> PAGEREY MAKES MOVE FROM GT3 TO INTERSPORT LMPC ENTRY FOR 2010 http://www.americanlemans.com/index_news.php?n=14136 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:38:15 -0500 Up-and-coming sports car talent Mitch Pagerey will move from GT racing to prototypes in 2010 as part of Intersport Racing's newly created prototype ladder system in the American Le Mans Series and sanctioning body IMSA.

Intersport announced the signing three weeks after purchasing an ORECA-Courage FLM09 race car for the 2010 Le Mans Prototype Challenge class. It will go alongside Intersport’s IMSA Lites program with the Elan DP02 and the AER-powered Lola B06/10 that competes in the American Le Mans Series’ LMP1 class.

Pagerey, 39 and from Deerfield Beach, Fla., placed third in the 2009 Patrón GT3 Challenge by Yokohama Platinum Cup championship with five podium finishes in his final six starts. He captured his first victory at Mosport in August.

"I'm really looking forward to running the new prototype," said Pagerey. "In a GT car your limits are typically dictated by the car whereas in a prototype the car requires the driver to seek out the limit. I feel ready for that challenge.

"My focus for 2010 is solely on the LMPC season," Pagerey continued. "Joining Intersport is a fantastic opportunity for me. When I first met Jon and Clint [Field] I immediately felt at ease. Their level of commitment to the American Le Mans Series is remarkable. Certainly, starting in 100 races proves that. For me it is a pattern of success that I want to be a part of. Watching Jon and Clint all these years and now having the opportunity to run with them is truly an honor. I'm going to do everything I can to show I am up to the task."

Clint Field, who will drove Intersport's AER-powered Lola B06/10 with father Jon in 2009, is impressed with Pagerey's growing skill level. "Mitch shows great poise and appears to be a pretty quick study," he said. "We were very impressed with his run at Laguna Seca. He was extremely quick and posted some impressive lap times. I think Mitch is the perfect fit to head up our new LMP Challenge program."

Intersport continues to build during the off-season and expects more announcements in the near future. The team also plans to continue its development program in IMSA Lites for 2010, as well.

"As I said when we announced our purchase of the Challenge car," noted Clint, "our commitment to IMSA and the American Le Mans Series is not only unwavering, it is stronger than ever. We are working hard in the offseason to expand our effort and grow the team. IMSA and the American Le Mans Series continue to offer the right platform that will grow sports car racing in North America. That gives us the confidence to continue to invest our racing dollars with the Series."

"For me, the Patrón GT3 Challenge by Yokohama was a great experience and the  perfect place to start," Pagerey added. "Ultimately I like the endurance format of the American Le Mans Series. It was always my intention to move up to this Series, though I thought it would take another year. The addition of the prototype Challenge class bridged the gap and… well… here we are. It all made sense."

]]> IN THEIR OWN WORDS: TEAM FALKEN TIRE http://www.americanlemans.com/index_news.php?n=14132 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:08:06 -0500


Tires are a pivotal component for any successful auto racing team - just ask Team Falken Tire motorsport supervisor Kevin Jones, tire engineer Yoshi Yasuda, team manager Rod Everett and driver Bryan Sellers. Each played a critical role in the team’s debut this year of its Porsche 911 GT3 RSR in the American Le Mans Series’ GT2 class, where Sellers and Dominic Cicero posted a best result of eighth at the season-ending Monterey Sports Car Championships presented by Patrón.

How does racing in the American Le Man Series advance Falken’s tire development?

Racing in this series not only allows Falken to develop a competitive tire for the American Le Mans Series but we can apply the knowledge learned here to our motorsports programs worldwide.  Not only does the American Le Mans Series allow us to see how our tires perform in extreme conditions but we can compare our performance against the other top tire manufacturers in the world.  Being that the Series is both an endurance and sprint race series at the same time, it not only makes the tire faster but forces tire development to become faster. - Yoshi Yasuda

Team Falken raced at three races all with very different characteristics this past season. What was it like for your team and your tires? 

The American Le Mans Series has such a wide variety of track surfaces, some of which Falken has never raced on in our worldwide motorsports experience.  Each venue we raced at this year had different pieces of information to offer.

Long Beach is a street course so it was necessary to race there in order to find out how Falken’s tire worked on the bumpy, varying surfaces.  Unlike many of the other venues in the American Le Mans Series, you cannot rent out the Long Beach course and test there.  Falken found some strong performing areas at this circuit but there is definitely always room for improvement.

Road Atlanta’s track surface is similar to many tracks but the high loads put on the tires and car because of the elevation changes at this track create an all-new situation to prepare for.  Combine that with the very long, high-speed back straight and it makes an interesting track to develop a tire for.  This year’s Petit Le Mans also provided heavy rain which was a good experience for Team Falken who had the fastest time in the wet during most of the downpour.

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is a very smooth, low-grip circuit which allowed us to evaluate how our tires operate on one of the premier race tracks in the world.  This event was also important to us because of it being the season finale.  We knew all of the other teams and manufacturers would be going for the best possible result, more so than usual, and we wanted to see how we compared. - Bryan Sellers

After each race, do you conduct a post-race inspection of the tires?

Each tire is carefully inspected by Falken’s tire engineer from Japan after every session, whether we are at a test or a race.  He carefully inspects the wear characteristics of the tire to check for inconsistency.  Select tires are dissected to further inspect the condition of the tire and to help gain knowledge of exactly how the tire is performing in order to apply this knowledge to future tire development. - Kevin Jones

Can you explain the “sweet spot” that you have discovered via open communication between drivers, team and car?

The “sweet spot” refers to a specific range in the car setup where the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR performs best with our tires.  In this area, our drivers developed an ultra-sensitive feel to how different tire constructions and compounds performed under various conditions.  This “sweet spot” allows for driver feedback to both the chassis and tire engineer to be quick and precise.

During the off-season, Team Falken is hard at work preparing to campaign a full American Le Mans Series season in 2010.  Improvements to the tires are being made and every aspect of the program will be analyzed, criticized and evaluated in order to gain maximum performance for 2010. - Rod Everett

]]> GENTILOZZI: DEVELOP... TEST... RACE http://www.americanlemans.com/index_news.php?n=14130 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:22:02 -0500 “Everyday we are motivated to make a better race car,” proclaims Paul Gentilozzi, owner and driver for RSR.

Gentilozzi: "We understand how difficult the race is and how preparation plays a vital and fundamental part of success at Sebring."
After receiving feedback following the solo run of the team’s Jaguar XKR during the 2009 season finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, RSR has an aggressive program in place to test its car, drivers and team during the offseason. The ultimate goal is preparation for the 58th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida on March 20. The team will test on the 12-hour circuit at Sebring later this month.
 
“We are making many changes to our original designs now that we have been on track” Gentilozzi continued.

“I won at Sebring as a driver in ’92 (Oldsmobile Cutlass/GTS) and had a great pole there in ’94 (with a Nissan 300ZX). Without looking back, I think we have raced there more than 12 times. We understand how difficult the race is and how preparation plays a vital and fundamental part of success at Sebring.”

The American Le Mans Series will open its 12th season with America’s greatest sports car race, the 58th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida from March 17-20. The green flag will fall at 10:35 a.m. on Saturday, March 20 with live coverage on SPEED.

The annual American Le Mans Series Winter Test is scheduled for February 22-23, also at Sebring International Raceway.

]]> JONNY ON THE SPOT: Looking back at Okayama http://www.americanlemans.com/index_news.php?n=14126 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:58:47 -0500 Drayson Racing's Jonny Cocker wraps up his trip to the Far East with a recap of the action in the two Asian Le Mans Series races at Okayama...

Hey! So I’m now home back in the UK, and what a trip!

Saturday of race week was going to be an exciting day; we had the car on pole position and the feeling of driving to the grid was pretty cool. Lining up in front of everyone else is a great feeling! The plan was to try and pull a good gap at the start of the race and hand the car over to Paul with a nice, little lead over the other cars. We knew that our car had fantastic fuel efficiency so we would be able to do the race on only two stops - something that some of the cars would not be able to do! Paul would be driving the middle stint and I would be finishing the race!

The race start went pretty much to plan. I pulled around a five second lead on the second-place Pescarolo over the first 20 minutes of the race and it was all looking good. The car was fantastic, the Michelin tires were holding-up well, and I felt like I could deal with the traffic OK. I also took the fastest race lap on the first flying lap of the race which was great! It certainly showed that the car was right on the pace from the start!

Jonny's off to the races - literally - at the drop of the green flag. Photo: Regis Lefebure
All was going great until I heard a radio call from Dale [White, team manager] around 25 minutes into the race calling me in for an early stop. The problem was the headlights. It’s a regulation in all sports car racing that the lights must be on at all times and, for whatever reason, our lights had failed and therefore we had been instructed by the officials to pit and sort out the problem. In the end that meant changing the nose of the car which lost us three laps, a real shame considering that we were looking so good at the start!

I then ran another one hour stint and the car was again perfect; running consistently at the leaders’ pace but obviously 3 laps down. I handed the car over to Paul an hour and 40 minutes into the race and Paul had a good stint to bring the car back in sixth place; certainly a good result considering the circumstances. Sunday we would have it all to do again. Starting from Pole with the same plan… this time hopefully with no electrical issues!!

Check out Jonny's first and second blogs from Japan on americanlemans.com
Sunday was an early one! The race was scheduled to start at 9 am so the weather was going to be a little cooler than Saturday which we felt would play into our hands. As far as we knew we were one of the only teams that were able to use the soft option tire from Michelin and the cooler conditions should again help us with our car being so light on the tires! The plan was again the same: try and make an early break and lead from pole!

The start was great! Again I managed to pull a little lead out from the other cars, again taking fastest race lap early on but the AMR Lola Aston Martin was very quick! Twenty minutes into the race [Stefan] Mucke was able to fly past me on the main straight like I was standing still. They had made some changes overnight and whatever they had done worked. We had been struggling for straight line pace in our car all weekend but we did have very good corner speeds so I was driving the car to its strengths. I was able to hold P2 until the first scheduled stop for fuel and driver change to Paul.

Paul had a fantastic middle stint keeping great pace to the cars around us! I think the whole team, including the drivers, has made a good step forward. Obviously, we are learning all the time which is a really good feeling going into next year! Paul brought the car into the pits in great shape; we would change drivers, fuel the car to the end of the race and fit another new set of tires!

I was back in the car with around an hour to go. At that point we were P5 and around 26 seconds down on the next car which was the Kolles Audi R10 driven by Oliver Jarvis. That was the target car. I would need to pull around a second a lap to have a good chance of being able to take fourth before the end of the race! I was pushing 100% and with five minutes to go I was on the Audi! Our cars were strong in different areas which made for an interesting fight. I had great corner speeds and what seemed like a more nimble car at that time and the Audi was very quick on the straights so a pass into the hairpin at the end of the main straight would be very tricky.

On the last lap I was able to capitalize on a small mistake from the Audi and passed on the exit of turn 1 and was then able to pull a few seconds lead to the flag! It was a fantastic feeling being in the thick of the action; something that we have really struggled with for the last couple of years. The Lola Coupe with the Judd V10 is an amazing package and I can’t wait for the next time I get to jump in and drive it!

Dale White, Lord Drayson and Jonny on the podium with the Michelin Green X Challenge trophy. Photo: Regis Lefebure
A huge bonus was the news shortly after the race had finished that we had also taken the win for the Michelin Green X Challenge: the prize awarded to the fastest and most fuel efficient car over the course of the weekend. This was yet another great bit of news for everyone in the team and really topped off a fantastic weekend! Getting to stand up on the podium was great!!

So all-in-all it was a brilliant result for the whole team. It’s been fantastic to show what we’re all really capable of this weekend and everyone at Drayson Racing did an amazing job!! I have to say that I’m still buzzing from the feeling of taking pole position. That’s something that I will never forget; hopefully with lots more to come next year!

To sum it all up: two poles, two fastest race laps and the winners of the Michelin Green X Challenge!!! A really fantastic result for everyone involved and certainly a good sign of things to come! Something tells me next year is going to be pretty exciting!!

I hope you have enjoyed following my progress over the last week and thanks for reading!

- Jonny

For more on Jonny, visit jonathancocker.com or draysonracing.com.

]]> AUTOCON’S 2010 PROTOTYPE PROGRAM STILL IN FLUX http://www.americanlemans.com/index_news.php?n=14123 Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:07:49 -0500
Autocon's Mike Lewis (left) says the team will be back in 2010 with its Lola prototype. What engine will power it remains up in the air.
Autocon Motorsports’ 2010 American Le Mans Series season already was going to have a different look with longtime competitor Chris McMurry stepping out of the cockpit. Team owner Michael Lewis said Monday that there may be more changes afoot.

This much is certain: Autocon will be back in the Series for 2010 with its Lola B06/10 prototype. Aside from that, Lewis is exploring a potential engine change – going to a Judd normally aspirated powerplant versus the current AER twin-turbo – a driver to replace McMurry and a potential return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“We haven’t made a call on the engine package yet,” Lewis confirmed. “We certainly like what we have with the Lola. We certainly know more about what we prefer and learned more about developing mechanical and aero grip throughout this year, our first full season with it. The car was pretty well sorted when we got it, and we actually made some great strides going into next year. So we’re looking forward to some continuity there.”

Part of Autocon's 2010 program could include a return trip to Le Mans, Lewis added.
The team’s exact program for 2010 is still under discussion as well; Lewis says he has a plan with Le Mans on the schedule and one without the 24 Hours. He also hinted that the annual Winter Test being February 22-23 rather than late January is a huge plus as far as participation goes.

“Being a team from the west coast, it definitely helps our chances with the new date,” he said.

The American Le Mans Series will open its 12th season with America’s greatest sports car race, the 58th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida from March 17-20. The green flag will fall at 10:35 a.m. on Saturday, March 20 with live coverage on SPEED.

The annual American Le Mans Series Winter Test is scheduled for February 22-23, also at Sebring International Raceway.

]]> RSR PREPARATIONS WELL UNDER WAY FOR 2010 http://www.americanlemans.com/index_news.php?n=14120 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:41:55 -0500
RSR's Yokohama-shod Jaguar XKR has been in the wind tunnel and will test at Sebring later this month to prep for a 2010 GT2 championship run.
With its debut, test and first race in the books, RSR is in full prep mode for the 2010 American Le Mans Series. After the team’s Jaguar XKR GT first event last month at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, the team returned to its East Lansing, Mich., race shop ready to measure up the results and begin the development process.

“Now we can focus on making it faster and even more reliable,” said Paul Gentilozzi, RSR team owner and driver. “We have the time to improve the performance of the car as we prepare for the grueling 12 Hours of Sebring in March to kick off our 2010 assault.”

A test later this month at Sebring will allow RSR to validate recent wind tunnel data in which RSR’s engineering staff got a look at the aerodynamic performance predicted by Jaguar Engineers in their CFD planning of the car. With a good estimate of drag and downforce the XKR generates, RSR can feed those results back to the aero dynamists at Jaguar, where they can interpret that information versus the CFD simulation.

Paul Gentilozzi: "We have the time to improve the performance of the car as we prepare for the grueling 12 Hours of Sebring in March to kick off our 2010 assault."
On the engine side, the AJ-133 has had ample time for additional dynamometer development. The ongoing process is important in competition and leads to improving the engine's on-track integration. In an on-track environment, judgments can be made about the tuning and drivability of the engine that can't be observed in the race shop.

Tire partner Yokohama also will play a key role in the Sebring test as RSR will transfer information about the requirements of Yokohama’s tires in both sprint and endurance configurations. Each day of testing yields not only information about the current status in the development of the tire performance, but it also gives engineers from both RSR and Yokohama new data for the best utilization of Yokohama's current compounds and constructions.

In the midst of all the preparation and testing behind the scenes, the No. 33 RSR Jaguar XKR GT will have some face time while on display at the LA Auto Show on December 4-12 at the Yokohama display.

“When you are in the race season, it is more about what is going to improve the performance at the next race,” Gentilozzi commented. “The offseason is about what is going to improve everything about our operation. It is not just about the car; now is the time that you work on the pit equipment and all those other tasks that you wouldn’t normally work on during the race season. The offseason is just as busy as the regular season, however the intensity changes. It requires a different kind of focus and a little more patience. There is no immediate reward for your work in the offseason; you are not going to go to a race and win. You are going to go to a test and improve drivability or take a couple tenths of a second off your average lap time. The work that gets done now pays dividends throughout the entire season.”

All of these RSR activities will ultimately lead up to the start of the 2010 American Le Mans Series season with the annual Winter Test scheduled for February 22-23 at Sebring. The season officially begins a month later with the 58th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida. No race in the world punishes man and machine more than the annual 12-hour classic which attracts thousands and thousands of spectators each year.

]]> ZYTEK HYBRID SYSTEM WINS GLOBAL INNOVATION HONOR http://www.americanlemans.com/index_news.php?n=14114 Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:02:12 -0500

The KERS-Zytek Automotive powertrain used in both the American Le Mans Series and Formula One was named the Powertrain Innovation of the Year at the Professional Motorsport World Expo in Cologne, Germany. Corsa Motorsports - based in Sandy, Utah - developed and deployed the powertrain system for the first time in the 2009 American Le Mans Series in conjunction with the Ginetta-Zytek group. The LMP1 prototype race car finished third overall in only its second race at Lime Rock Park in July and fourth in the season finale in Monterey, Calif., at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Stefan Johansson (left) and teammate Johnny Mowlem (right) drove the Corsa GZ 09HS in 2009 with an overall podium finish at Lime Rock

The motor and power electronics were cited for addressing substantial challenges that included designing subsystems that are exceptionally light and can be integrated into a system that does not affect the aerodynamics or handling of the car while withstanding the harsh thermal and mechanical environment of two of the world's most demanding race series.

Turning the concept of kinetic energy recovery into a race-winning reality was a major breakthrough and Zytek made a vital contribution to this achievement, observed Awards judge and freelance motorsport technology writer Charles Armstrong-Wilson.

Johnny Mowlem and Stefan Johansson piloted the Ginetta-Zytek 09HS in 2009.

John Manchester, Zytek Operations director commented, “It is a great honour for Zytek to receive this award. Motorsport is one of the best environments in the world to showcase and develop technology and this type of focus can help to educate people about Hybrid systems and ultimately lead to the transfer of technology onto to our ever day road vehicles.”

Zytek is a world leader in hybrid, chassis and engine development, and is responsible for the three most successful and recognizable hybrids in the history of motorsport, the Panoz Q9 GT1, the McLaren MP4-24 KERS and the GZ09HS LMP1.

Zytek will be making a presentation on its unique hybrid technology at the World Motorsport Symposium on the 19th OF November.

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