Audi took another tight ALMS race win
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Audi
Ingolstadt/St Petersburg -- Audi scored the first victory of the Audi R10 TDI in the 2008 American Le Mans Series in a thrilling battle in the second round at St Petersburg (US state of Florida). Lucas Luhr who is partnered with Marco Werner finished with a victory margin of just 0.818s, having re-captured the lead of the race just three laps before the end. It was the 14th outright victory of the diesel-powered sportscar and the first overall win of Lucas Luhr in the series.
Having controlled the race from the beginning, pole-sitter Marco Werner built up a margin on soft tyres over Porsche driver Timo Bernhard in the first part of the race. A full-course yellow caution prompted the team to call in Werner in lap 36 for a full service. Lucas Luhr took over and followed Romain Dumas in the leading Porsche. After a second safety car intervention, Lucas Luhr took the lead in lap 63 with a breathtaking manoeuvre after the straight. When the leading cars lapped several backmarkers, Luhr lost the lead to Dumas again. After a final yellow phase, Luhr used the TDI power of his car to pass the leader under acceleration on the straight with just three laps to go and eventually celebrated his first overall victory.
Emanuele Pirro/Frank Biela in the Audi R10 TDI #1 sister car were forced to retire after a set of problems dropped them back. An indication of what might have been possible became evident by the sheer speed of the car which set the fastest lap of the race in 1m 04.942s, one hundredth quicker than the sister car.
Having improved from ninth position on the grid to fifth place, Frank Biela handed over the car to his Italian team-mate in lap 36. Only after Pirro had departed again, it was clear that a tossle after a restart in the early phase of the race had caused damage to a stressed part of the rear wing. For safety reasons, the team changed the rear end which dropped the car back by one lap. The decision to go for soft tyres and a splash-and-dash refuelling to make up for the lost time seemed to be perfect. But in lap 63 Pirro had to retire in the pits after the body of his car had suffered too severe damage in a contact with another car. As the Audi R10 TDI #1 has achieved a sufficient number of laps to be classified, it finished 24th overall and 2nd in the LM P1 class.
Dr Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): "I feel very pleased, particularly after the disappointing result in the first round at Sebring. It is all the more surprising that we managed to clinch the victory on a street course which is normally not so well-suited to the strengths of the Audi R10 TDI. This is a great motivation for the next races as well as for the whole 2008 season."
Lucas Luhr (Audi R10 TDI #2): "It was a tough race for us. We struggled a bit in the heat. But at the end, we got it and that is what counts. Thank you to the whole team and Audi Sport North America for the support as well as the guys back home. This victory really means a lot to me because it is my first overall victory in the American Le Mans Series and it is my first victory for Audi. I'm really happy. I want to thank everybody for their help."
Marco Werner (Audi R10 TDI #2): "A great day for Audi so I'm very happy for the make and for Champion Racing. Everything worked well. At the end it was a thriller. I'm proud of Lucas as he did an excellent job, especially after the restart. That's why we drive TDI!"
Frank Biela (Audi R10 TDI #1): "I think the performance of our car was quite good. After having chosen the harder tyre compound for qualifying, it looked like a disadvantage. But the pace in the race was okay. Unfortunately, I got involved in a tangle at the beginning of the race. When we came in for full service, I was quite optimistic. But then we had to change the rear wing which has been damaged in the collision. This was the beginning of the end. But the most important thing is the other car scored a win."
Emanuele Pirro (Audi R10 TDI #1): "The positive thing is the win which is really good. For Frank and myself, however, it was a debut which was half good and half bad. We had a lot of bad luck. But when you read between the lines, we were really fast in the race. We had a very good car which was proven by the fastest overall race lap we've achieved. But every time we had a problem, we were trapped in it. Unfortunately, everything which could go wrong did go wrong. But our speed was good so we look forward to the next race."
Dave Maraj (Director Audi Sport Team North America): "This was a very exciting race. Lucas did a great job, as did everybody in the team from tyre people right to the engineers. I am happy to bring home another win for Audi."
Acura
RABHAM, SHARP COMBINE TO SCORE LMP2 SECOND PLACE WITH PATRON HIGHCROFT ACURA ARX-01b AT ST. PETERSBURG
Herta Brings AGR Acura Back to Fourth, Lowe's Acura Has Incident with Audi
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The new driver duo of David Brabham and Scott Sharp combined strong efforts Saturday to drive the No. 9 Patron Highcroft Acura ARX-01b to the team's best American Le Mans Series career finish with a second place in the LMP2 class in the Acura Sports Car Challenge.
The first-year tandem placed third overall in the one hour, 55-minute race contested on the tight 1.8-mile, 14-turn street course near the picturesque St. Petersburg harbor. Last year, the Connecticut-based contingent recorded four third-place finishes in its first year with Acura on the ALMS tour.
Sharp started the event and drove a spirited race with a group of Porsches and Audis to stay in the top four in the first 36 laps. The Patron Highcroft team made quick pit work under a caution period with Brabham, last year's 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, jumping in the car for the final 45 laps. The Aussie driver maneuvered around lapped traffic and a variety of on-track crashes to bring the car second.
With a fourth at Sebring and a second at St. Petersburg, the Patron Highcroft Acura team has moved to second in the LMP2 point standings, with the next ALMS race set for April 19 at Long Beach.
Bryan Herta, the first IndyCar Series pole winner at St. Petersburg, drove a hard-charging race in the No. 26 XM Satellite Radio AGR Acura ARX-01b to take fourth in the LMP2 division Saturday. Herta's teammate, Christian Fittipaldi, made a tremendous start and ran third early before a Turn 5 spin cost the Brazilian a lap. Herta jumped in the Acura on Lap 42 and fought his way through the field for the fourth position at the checkered flag.
The Penske Porsche of Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas won its second straight LMP2 race after a Sebring victory. The Penske duo lead the current LMP2 points.
The tough luck award for the event went to the Lowe's Fernandez team with Adrian Fernandez and Luis Diaz driving. The No. 15 Lowe's car ran in the top five late in the 81-lap race before Fernandez' mount was hit by one of the LMP1 Audi cars. Adrian was forced to pit for repairs, but returned for seventh.
ACURA QUOTES:
DAVID BRABHAM (#9 Highcroft Racing Acura ARX-01b): "The track is slippery with the heat and humidity. So, a lot of the time I was just trying to keep the Patron Acura from hitting the wall. Actually, we raced hard with the Porsches and the Audis and I am pleased with our finish today. The starts were tough for us with the grip level, but once we got going we could run with the leaders regularly. This finish is big for the Patron Highcroft crew. We were fourth at Sebring and second here and it is a good start to the season. We are still developing the new Acura chassis, so there is more to do as we move on to Long Beach. Today, Scott did a good job at the start as he raced with the leaders and kept the car in good shape for me. He has driven here before but in the Indy cars. It is different with the bigger sports car. So we are excited about this finish and the start of the season."
SCOTT SHARP (#9 Highcroft Racing Acura ARX-01b): "This is a great finish for the Patron Highcroft Acura team. I was trying to run with the leaders but not make any mistakes on this kind of track. This place is hard with the slippery surface and the tight walls. I wanted to give a good car to David so he could make a run for the lead. He tried hard, too. We are still learning each other as this is only our second race together. Overall, we are looking to make a run at the Penske and Dyson Porsches. They are tough to beat. But the way this team is coming together. I think we have a good shot at it in the near future."
BRYAN HERTA (#26 XM Satellite Radio AGR Acura ARX-01b): ""This is a disappointing finish for us, but I really have to give it to the guys on the XM Satellite Radio Acura crew. They did a great job hanging in there with us. The car was good today and that gives us a lot to look forward to at Long Beach."
CHRISTIAN FITTIPALDI (#26 XM Satellite Radio AGR Acura ARX-01b): "I didn't do anything special at the start. I had a good start and a good run, that's all. I had practiced the start this morning so I knew where I could brake on cold tires in the XM Acura. There was a gap there and I just went for it and it worked out well for us. Then, on the second lap, I just made a mistake. When I went to brake, it was two inches too deep, then the rears unloaded, locked and I half-spun and barely touched the barrier."
ADRIAN FERNANDEZ (No. 15 Lowe's Fernandez Racing Acura ARX-01b): "We had a problem with the car in the first practice on Friday and we never really had a grip level that Luis and I liked. We could never catch up this weekend. The Lowe's Acura seemed to slide more that we wanted. I don't know what happened with the Audi out there. It was difficult with the Audi hitting me from behind. I had to pit for a new rear wheel and that put us a couple of laps behind. At least we finished. Now we are anxious to have a good finish at Long Beach."
LUIS DIAZ (No. 15 Lowe's Fernandez Racing Acura ARX-01b): "The Lowe's Acura wasn't as good as we would have liked today. But we were in the top five late in the race with Adrian. It is unfortunate that he had that contact with the Audi. Overall, we need to improve the handling of the Lowe's Acura for the Long Beach. We are still new to the Acura chassis after running the Lola last year. So we need to work on some additional settings with the chassis. But I know we are really looking forward to the Long Beach race."
Porsche and Acura battle into turn 1
Porsche
DEFENDING CHAMPIONS DUMAS AND BERNHARD GUIDE PENSKE PORSCHE RS SPYDER TO SECOND STRAIGHT LMP WIN; LIZARD AND FARNBACHER LOLES PORSCHES SECOND AND THIRD IN GT2
ST. PETERSBURG, Florida -- April 5 -- 2007 American Le Mans Series LMP2 champions Romain Dumas (France) and Timo Bernhard (Germany) led the LMP2 class in their #7 Penske Porsche RS Spyder virtually from start to finish to win their second straight contest, and flirted with the overall win at the end of Saturday's Acura Sports Car Challenge through the streets of downtown St. Petersburg.
Dumas, who drove the last hour and 15 minutes of the hour and 55-minute event (distance dictated by the ABC-TV live coverage), gained the overall lead several times by either passing the LMP1 Audi or having his Penske crew give him the lead with a superior pit stop. But what spoiled his chance for a double victory was the last yellow flag -- with only four laps to go.
"We could gain enough time on the Audi in the corners to stay ahead on the straight-away, but the late yellow closed up the field. With 200 less horsepower than the Audi, our Porsche could not hold off the more powerful LMP1 car," said Dumas.
"With the extra points we scored at Sebring, and the Acura disqualification there, this LMP2 was very important for both driver and manufacturer points, and gives us good momentum going into Long Beach in two weeks," said Dumas.
Co-driver Bernhard, who started the car, said the heat and the yellow flags made the race difficult as the tires were getting lots of pickup and the slow pace of the yellow laps made the car run hot.
"Even with all of that, the most important result is our class win. Yes, we enjoy the overall wins, but there are no championships for overall wins in this series -- we earn our points in class," said Bernhard.
His boss at Penske Racing -- President Tim Cindric -- agreed, and could not emphasize the importance of the Penske Porsches getting off to a fast start this season with two victories.
"People were congratulating us for the team effort to prepare the car for qualifying yesterday after a practice crash, but yesterday seem years away with the difficult event. The drivers and crew had to start the event with new energy, and concentrate on the race. This was our 13th class win in a row for Porsche and Penske dating back to last year, and the 298th professional win for Penske Racing," said Cindric.
The team #6 Penske Porsche driven by Sascha Maassen (Germany) and Patrick Long (USA), finished third in LMP2 and fourth overall (right behind one of the Acura's LMP2 cars), but their journey was much more adventuresome.
At the start, Maassen and Acura driver Scott Sharp touched, sending Sascha back six places on the first lap. Then, on lap #35, the Jon Field LMP1 Lola crashed, and Sascha was forced off the track to avoid hitting that car, losing places again. Then, after the one-hour mark, when Patrick Long took over, the #6 car was hit by the GT2 Viper, causing no damage again, but bringing out another yellow flag. Finally, with only ten minutes left in the race, Long and Dyson Porsche RS Spyder driver Butch Leitzinger (USA) came together after contesting the same piece of asphalt, with Leitzinger spinning and then being hit by the #45 Flying Lizard Porsche.
After the race, the International Motor Sports Association ruled that Long did not give Leitzinger enough room coming out of the corner, and penalized the entry (both drivers) three championship point. So Maassen and Long only gain ten points each instead of the 13 points they would have earned for third place in LMP2. Ordinarily, the team would have been assessed with a stop-and-go penalty during the race, but the ruling was not made until the race was over.
Speaking of the Dyson Racing Porsche RS Spyders, the team ran a strong race, and contested for the podium positions all afternoon before Leitzinger's accident. He and Marino Franchitti, who led the race overall for a brief time at the 40-minute mark, finished ninth in class, while teammates Chris Dyson (USA) and Guy Smith (England) finished just off the podium in fourth place in LMP2.
In GT2, a promising second win by the Jorg Bergmeister/Wolf Henzler Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 RSR came to an end abruptly with only ten minutes left in the race in the incident described above with the Dyson Racing Porsche LMP2 car. That left the door open for the Mueller/Farnbacher Ferrari, which won the class. The Johannes van Overbeek/Patrick Pilet team Porsche finished second, while the Marc Basseng/Dirk Werner Farnbacher Loles Porsche, which dropped to dead last on the first lap due to a faulty fuel pressure setting switch, came all the way back to finish third in GT2.