The new Corvette Racing GT2 cars produced their first victory as the #3 Corvette of Le Mans winners Johnny O’Connell and Jan Magnussen parlayed a second place in the GT2 race into their second victory in the MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge. Corvette Racing had earlier claimed GT honors at the season opening event at Sebring with their previous GT1 class entry.

“I think all fans of sports car racing now know there is going to be some spectacular GT racing in the American Le Mans Series. Not only did we see a tremendous display of great planning and execution today, but also we saw Corvette win the MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge yet again. That is emblematic of the new General Motors – fast, mean, lean, and green,” said Doug Fehan, Corvette Racing program manager.

Overall race winners Gil de Ferran and Simon Pagenaud in the de Ferran Motorsports Acura led an  Acura sweep of the top three positions in both the race and in the Prototype category of the MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge.

Fuel mileage played a key role in the LMP2 class victory for the Lowe’s Fernandez Acura team, which finished third overall, and second in the Prototype category of the MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge

“Hats off to Acura for not only creating a fantastic sports car but a car that can both win races and the MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge,” said de Ferran. “This win at Mid-Ohio is like a home race for us. There are four Honda plants within a 50-mile radius of the track and we had a lot of fans and they are proud of winning the race and winning the MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge.”

“Once again, we saw the direct linkage between performance and efficiency,” said Silvia Mammone, Michelin Motorsports manager.

Presenting the awards was Tom Ball of the United State Environmental Protection Agency.

ABOUT THE MICHELIN® GREEN X® CHALLENGE
The MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge, developed in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and SAE International is a race within the race at all 2009 American Le Mans Series events. Teams win by delivering the best overall performance, fuel efficiency, and smallest environmental impact throughout the race.  Using a formula developed by the Argonne National Labs that includes over 30 different factors, real time standings are posted on timing and scoring screens throughout the race.  The American Le Mans Series is the only series currently recognized as “Green Racing” by the U. S. Department of Energy; Environmental Protection Agency and SAE International.

The MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge trophies are presented to the respective Prototype and GT winners. The bases for the unique MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge trophies are made of rubber recycled from MICHELIN® GREEN X® labeled consumer tires.