AGR are looking forward to getting back on track
de Ferran Motorsports
Fernandez Racing
Andretti Green Racing
B-K Motorsports
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de Ferran Motorsports
DE FERRAN MOTORSPORTS READY FOR SALT LAKE CITY DEBUT
SALT LAKE CITY, Ut. (May 13, 2008) -- de Ferran Motorsports' Panasonic-sponsored assault on the LMP2 class of the American Le Mans Series kicks off this weekend when former Indy 500 winner and two-time CART Champion Gil de Ferran joins forces with young French star Simon Pagenaud for the team's debut at Miller Motorsports Park aboard their Acura Acura ARX-01b.
GIL DE FERRAN
"Everyone has put in a lot of hours in creating this team and it is great for all involved to see the fruits of our labors become a reality. We have already completed a test at Miller Motorsports Park and we are as prepared as we could have hoped for, considering the short life span of the team.
"For me, the weekend will be very emotionally charged but after five years out of the seat, it has been a bit like putting on an old comfortable pair of shoes -- in a way this will be an exercise in trying to pretend that the last five years didn't happen.
"I really have to thank all the team members, suppliers, HPD engineers who work on the Acura program and the guys from Panasonic who have made this all possible. We are all entering unchartered waters, but all the team, Simon and myself are really looking forward to the weekend."
SIMON PAGENAUD
"I am really looking forward for my first race with the de Ferran Motorsport and Acura. I am amazed that we are about to go racing and six weeks ago I saw the workshop with nothing inside.
"Gil is a real professor. I am learning so much beside him and feel like the approach of my job is getting better and better everytime i talk with him.This week end will be my first endurance race. There are lots of details in that kind of racing and it is never easy to put everything together. Salt lake city is a beautiful track where you get to flirt with the limit of our Acura car a lot in all those fast corners. It is a
Fernandez Racing
Lowe's Fernandez Racing Heads to Utah
After a three-week break in the schedule, the American Le Mans Series returns to racing action this weekend with the Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix presented by the Grand & Little America Hotels. The state-of-the-art Miller Motorsports Park facility, located 35 minutes southwest of Salt Lake City, will host Round Four of competition albeit with a new challenge for this year. Teams used to contesting the 4.5-mile, 24-turn permanent road course will turn their first official laps on the 3.048-mile, 15-turn perimeter circuit.
Lowe's Fernandez Racing drivers Adrian Fernandez and Luis Diaz had their first look at the new configuration during a test day on April 30. Both felt the super-fast track would become a favorite among drivers and fans, and was well-suited for the team's #15 Lowe's Acura ARX-01b chassis.
Fernandez and Diaz were strong out of the box at Utah last year, qualifying third overall. The duo were unable to capitalize on a strong run despite Diaz taking the LMP2 class lead in the early stages. Fernandez, who was running second in class, suffered from two incidents of on-track contact which knocked the pair out of podium contention.
FERNANDEZ ON THE NEW CONFIGURATION: "This is the fastest track we race on with the new configuration. It is very enjoyable for a driver because there are a lot of fast corners. You are pulling a lot of g's, and I think every driver had neck problems at the test. I feel very confident and hopefully this will be our weekend. We always say the same things, but we are strong and it is just a matter of putting all the things together and I think it can happen this weekend. This is a really nice race track. It is very smooth. It is very challenging for the drivers because of the high speeds and also because the apexes and exits of the corners are very bland and it is not very easy to see some of the exits of the corners. It is about reference, and knowing your way around is very, very important. I think we have a good car. We had a good test and I feel pretty confident.
"For me, my son was born this week and will be home on Wednesday [today] so I will have time to get everything organized there and I can leave with no pressures."
DIAZ ON THE CHALLENGES FOR THE WEEKEND: "This is one of the team's favorite tracks, and last year was a good showing for us. We have the challenge of a different course this year but the nicest corners of the track remain in this new configuration. For us, it was a matter of learning one new corner at our test. This new configuration is quite a bit quicker, and our car was good. During our test, it was very, very cold. It won't be like that for the race and that will be the main difference for us this weekend. I expect to have a lot less grip than in the test but we have a good car to start with on Friday. This is one of the tracks on the schedule that is very fast. It is a quick track like Sebring, so I am very confident this will be a good weekend for us. I like the fans a lot here in Utah. They have always been very supportive of the Lowe's team and I am looking forward to our first official podium of the year."
Andretti Green Racing
Bryan Herta, #26 XM Acura
"Utah is a very different race course than the three street courses on the schedule that precede it. Salt Lake City is wide open and it is much easier to get around the GT cars. It definitely lends itself more to the LMP1 cars. The views are amazing and it's truly a great race weekend. The people who built the track spared no expense. It's a first-class facility."
Christian Fittipaldi, #26 XM Acura
"We are definitely looking forward to getting back on track since we are still looking for our first clean finish of the season. I don't think we have exploited the true potential of the XM Acura yet. So far this season, the competition has shown to be tougher than ever and with an additional team from Acura this weekend, I think it is going to be even tougher. But, hopefully we will be able to get our first win of the season this weekend."
B-K Motorsports
B-K Motorsports Rockets into Salt Lake City for Utah Grand Prix
Tooele, Utah- After claiming two consecutive top-10 overall finishes, B-K Motorsports heads to Salt Lake City this weekend for the Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix presented by The Grand and Little America Hotels. The fourth round of the American Le Mans Series season will see the No. 8 BP Lola B07/46 Mazda compete on the 15-turn, 3.048-mile outer course layout at Miller Motorsports Park.
Drivers Ben Devlin and Gerardo Bonilla are looking forward to getting back to a natural terrain road course after soldiering through the streets of St. Petersburg and Long Beach in their Yokohama-shod LMP2 race car.
"Our first natural terrain course of the year will be as much fun as any track we race," Bonilla said. "If anything, the variety is a fresh experience for our minds, but its still the same great challenge as any track configuration. The Mazda MZR-R engine is well suited to this kind of track as well."
Last year, Devlin and the team enjoyed an impressive run at Miller, showing the strengths of the turbocharged Mazda MZR-R engine in the high altitude. Devlin got the car up to third in class early on in the race and had a great battle with other LMP2 cars.
"To show that the car had great potential last year was very satisfying," Devlin said. "It was a real morale booster for the team. We want to try to do the same again. There's no reason why we can't do the same again. We know the car has got the potential to do it. The team has come such a long way. We just need to now get all the pieces in the right place and hopefully get a great finish and get on the podium."
Despite the new challenge of the new outer course layout, B-K Motorsports is well prepared for the task at hand. The team conducted a test at the new layout last month prior to Long Beach, finding it well suited to their race car.
"The test went very well for us," Bonilla said. "We learned quite a lot about our new Yokohama tires and chassis setup. Ben [Devlin] and I have both driven at Miller before, but never on the outer loop. This configuration is actually a lot of fun. It's still 3 miles long and has the best and fastest corners. Our BP car is well suited to this new layout."
Devlin notes the increased development of the Mazda engine and relationship with Yokohama will help to bring another solid result this weekend.
"I think the track is going to suit us and obviously testing went very well," Devlin said. "It builds us hope to go to the race this weekend. The car is strong. It really suits this type of circuit -- very high speed, very flat, very smooth. The altitude can let the turbos fan out a little bit more than the normally aspirated engines. It all builds to hopefully a good weekend."
Before making their way to Miller Motorsports Park, Devlin, Bonilla and the team's Lola B07/46 Mazda made a pit stop at a promotion for the newly released film Speed Racer. The Jordan Commons Megaplex 17 in the Salt Lake City suburb of Midvale was transformed into a high-octane event that featured a karting track set up in the parking lot of the theater. Fans bought ticket packages that included a Speed Racer screening, lunch and karting session. Devlin and Bonilla were on hand to offer pointers on karting, sign autographs and pose for photographs.
B-K Motorsports and Yokohama will continue its promotion of Speed Racer this weekend as the BP-sponsored car will once again carry Speed Racer logos. Bonilla, Devlin and team members will also be sporting Speed Racer-designed shirts and driving suits.
The Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix presented by The Grand and Little America Hotels is set for Sunday, May 18 from Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. The green flag is scheduled for 1 p.m. MT with live television coverage on SPEED. Live radio coverage will be available on XM Satellite Radio Channel 144 and American Le Mans Radio at americanlemans.com, which also will feature IMSA's Live Timing & Scoring.