The racing was tight although neither Audi or Porsche could hold off the Acura of Highcroft
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Acura
ANOTHER SPECTACULAR DAVID BRABHAM PASS GIVES ACURA ITS FIRST OVERALL AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES WIN
Brabham, Sharp Drive Patron Highcroft Acura ARX-01b To Historic Victory
LAKEVILLE, Conn. -- David Brabham's last-lap pole run on Friday at Lime Rock Park was trumped by his performance Saturday in the Northeast Grand Prix.
The No. 9 Patron Highcroft Acura ARX-01b driver put in one of the best maneuvers in American Le Mans Series history with a first-turn outside pass of Timo Bernhard to score Acura's first overall victory in two seasons of ALMS competition in front of massive crowd encircling the 1.53-mile road course.
Brabham, who co-drove to his second 24 Hours of Le Mans title last month, came from a 5.5-second deficit with eight minutes remaining in the two-hour, 45-minute feature to move around Bernhard's Penske Porsche on the next to last lap. The native Australian took over the driving chores from Scott Sharp with 90 minutes to go and worked his way from fourth to second on Lap 126. The final 40 laps proved to be an all-out sprint to the checkered flag, as Brabham and Bernhard diced their way through the backmarkers in a thrilling down-to-the-wire finish.
The Patron Highcroft victory was its second of the 2008 ALMS campaign, following a previous last-lap thriller with Brabham passing the No. 7 Penske Porsche on the streets of Long Beach last April.
The win did not come easily for the nearby Danbury, Conn., organization after Sharp collided with a couple of other cars early in the race. The Patron crew had to replace the No. 9 car's rear wing in quick fashion and Sharp was able to remain on the lead lap as the leaders barreled down on Sharp's mount.
It was then Brabham's spectacular drive to the front capped a dream weekend for the Patron Highcroft team that included Friday pole position and Acura's first overall American Le Mans Series triumph.
The Mexican driving duo of Adrian Fernandez and Luis Diaz piloted its No. 15 Lowe's Fernandez Acura ARX-01b to fifth overall Saturday and a fourth-place finish in the LMP2 division. The Lowe's car ran as high as third during the fifth stop on the 11-race ALMS tour, before settling for fifth due to a fuel economy strategy.
The new combination of IndyCar Series star Marco Andretti and Le Mans veteran Franck Montagny drove a solid come-from-behind race in the No. 26 XM Satellite Radio Andretti Green Racing Acura ARX-01b machine to finish sixth, overall after starting last in the 27-car field. Andretti, who later drove the Nashville IndyCar Series race Saturday night, started from the the back of the grid and drove to eighth before handing the Acura over to Montagny.
The No. 66 Panasonic ELS Sound de Ferran Motorsports Acura ARX-01b had a rough outing Saturday from a front starting spot. Drivers Simon Pagenaud and Gil de Ferran were able to finish the race after several pit stops due to electrical problems. The No. 66 car finished 14th overall, seventh in the LMP2 class.
DAVID BRABHAM (#9 Patron Highcroft Racing Acura ARX-01b): "This race was a tough one. With the sand coming up on the racing surface, it was very easy to make mistakes. I am massively relieved we were able to pull off this win. It was a hard charge to catch the Penske car at the end. To go around the outside of Turn One and make that pass on Timo [Bernhard] was a driver's dream move. I knew the Patron Acura was really good today. I had a lot of confidence in the car to make that type of move with only a lap or two left. I knew our car had the grip and I had to go for it. This is huge win for our team, being that it is a home race. It is very exciting to get Acura its first overall win in the American Le Mans Series. Everyone at Acura and HPD has worked hard for this win. It is a amazing to think where the Highcroft team has come from starting last year with an all-new operation. Now, this overall win at Lime Rock is just a fitting climax for us."
SCOTT SHARP (#9 Patron Highcroft Racing Acura ARX-01b): "This is an unbelievable win. We felt this would be a good track for us, as will Mid-Ohio next week. On the first lap, one of the Penske Porsches tried to slide under me in the first turn. I didn't want to get into the marbles but the car shot up the track. Then I was wide, and the Penskes and the Audis got by me. That got me mad, so I kept my head down and drove as hard as possible. We knew we would be loose [oversteer] with the car early on. I don't know what happened with [Simon] Pagenaud during an early-race incident. I was going into the chicane and he hit me and I spun. I got back going and just tried to stay out of trouble. I wanted to give David [Brabham] a good car for the end. Duncan [Dayton] and the crew did a great job with strategy today."
DUNCAN DAYTON (#9 Patron Highcroft Racing Acura ARX-01b team owner): "Long Beach was a huge win for us. The first one is always the hardest. We came back from adversity and after getting hit from behind with Scott. We had to pit and then go back out and change a floor on the car. It is great that [chassis specialist] Nick Wirth and his guys have this new quick-change rear and floor for us. It is tough to change things here and not lose a lap. To see David drive the Patron Highcroft Acura that way again was sensational. Just like he did from behind at Long Beach. Scotty did a good job at the start of race with some of aero [dynamic] stuff hanging off the car. That makes it hard to drive. The competition level is so high here in the ALMS, and to win overall is an honor. I am so proud of everyone on our team. Now, we move to Mid-Ohio next week and look to win at the Acura Sports Car Challenge."
ROB HILL (#9 Patron Highcroft Racing Acura ARX-01b team manager): "We definitely rolled the dice with the fuel meter today. I had my fingers crossed with two minutes to go in the race. We were going for it and, if it ran out of fuel, those were the breaks. That was David being David at the end. He is one awesome driver! When you need it from him, he just delivers. It was a tremendous win for the team."
ERIK BERKMAN (President, Honda Performance Development): "Wow! You couldn't have written a better story for our group at Acura and HPD. It was a wild weekend with the front row for Acura and then we are bumping into each other. We looked out of contention in the middle of the race. The Patron Highcroft team did some heroic work in the pits to stay on the lead lap. It was an amazing race. I followed Robert Clarke in this position, and Robert did a massive amount of work to help make this win possible. I am proud of all of the Acura teams and I am sure he is, too. Winning overall is a new milestone for this young Acura program. But we have to continue to work hard and keep pushing. I want to congratulate Duncan [Dayton] and the whole Patron Highcroft Racing organization for a superb effort in this Lime Rock victory."
Audi
Ingolstadt/Lime Rock -- Small errors, big impact. That is the bottom line for Audi after the fifth round of the American Le Mans Series at Lime Rock (U.S. state of Connecticut). In front of an impressive crowd, Audi's diesel sports car was the fastest car of the field. However, Team Audi Sport North America had to settle for fourth place overall and a victory in the LM P1 class after a thrilling race.
On the shortest track of the American Le Mans Series' schedule, the two Audi R10 TDI prototypes started from the fourth row of the grid. It took Emanuele Pirro and Lucas Luhr just ten minutes to overtake the Acura/Hondas and Porsches in front of them and take a 1-2 lead for Audi. Particularly impressive was the performance of Emanuele Pirro, who opened a commanding 20-second lead before he handed the R10 TDI over to Dindo Capello just before the end of the first hour.
At his comeback in the ALMS, the defending champion and Le Mans winner, however, enjoyed just eight laps before colliding with a slower GT1 car and crashing into the barrier in spectacular style. The strength of the R10 TDI allowed Capello to continue the race after a 40-minute repair and even setting the fastest race-lap in 48.007 seconds. However, even with a quick repair and good driving the best finish possible was 21st overall and 3rd in class.
Lucas Luhr needed just twelve laps to move from eighth to second place after a careful start with the "sister car". The German dropped back to position five temporarily after a spin. Despite the nose of the car being damaged, Luhr was already back in third position before handing the car over to Marco Werner.
A small mistake of the crew at the pit-stop resulted in a penalty: Because a mechanic had his goggles not properly fitted as requested by the regulations, a 25-second time penalty was imposed against the team which cost Luhr/Werner a lap and dropped them to position eight. Werner fought his way back to fourth place with fast lap times despite changing the nose during a caution period and having to pit for fuel just ten laps from the finish.
With their fourth class victory of the season, the two Audi drivers extended their lead in the LM P1 class of the American Le Mans Series. The next race is is taking place as early as next weekend at Mid-Ohio.
Quotes after the race at Lime Rock
Dr Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): "The performance of the Audi R10 TDI was great, but unfortunately both the team and the drivers made mistakes that prevented us from scoring an adequately good result. Such errors simply may not happen because the competition in the American Le Mans Series is so strong. I hope that next week at Mid-Ohio everybody will concentrate on making an absolutely flawless job. Only then we can win."
Lucas Luhr (Audi R10 TDI #2): "This was a very exciting race. We had the speed to achieve much more today because we had the fastest car in the field. But if you don't have the necessary luck than you cannot win. This happened to us today. We lost a lap due to the penalty in the pits. The team did a great job afterwards and Marco (Werner) was really flying so we were able to get the lap back. Unfortunately there was no caution period at the right time. At least we've scored another class victory and we were stronger than expected on this track. However, I'm disappointed because there was more in the car. We simply have to make up for this next week at Mid-Ohio."
Marco Werner (Audi R10 TDI #2): "This race belonged to Audi. In two respects: The number-1-car was well in front at the beginning, and we would also have had it in our hands, if ... we would not have got the 25-second penalty and not to refuel again shortly before the end of the race. We really had a good chance to win this race. Now it's a class victory and we have to be content with this. Virtually we came back from nowhere. But it's clear we had more in our hands."
Dindo Capello (Audi R10 TDI #1): "I'm very disappointed because we had a car to win the race. Emanuele (Pirro) did a very good and fast first stint. When I got into the car I tried not to take any risks because I knew the car was fast. Regarding the accident I have to say that this year -- apart from Le Mans -- something is going wrong. I always seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong moment. I tried to be very careful and to stay away from any kind of contact. But suddenly I got a hit from behind. To be honest, I still don't know what happened. But I'm very confident for Mid-Ohio because our car was really fast."
Emanuele Pirro (Audi R10 TDI #1): "It is unfortunate. We had the superior car. Everything was looking great. Personally after a disappointing Le Mans I really enjoyed every single corner of this race. It was really looking good without taking any risks. Then the accident happened. This is racing. At this circuit normally we were not expecting to be that good. With this car we could easily win. Let's look at the positive side: We had a competitive race and I was very satisfied. "
Dave Maraj (Team Director Audi Sport North America): "The performance of the cars was extremely well. Unfortunately there were a couple of little errors by the drivers and one little error by the crew. That's why we lost the race. On such a short race track and with such a short race you cannot afford making any mistakes."
Porsche
Stuttgart. Porsche continues on its title course in the American Le Mans Series. Securing second in Lime Rock Park/Connecticut, Timo Bernhard (Germany) and Romain Dumas (France) defended their clear points’ lead in the 476 hp Porsche RS Spyder. With an outstanding double victory in the GT2 class, the new four-litre engine of the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR celebrated a successful racing premiere.
Once again, this year’s round of the world’s fastest sports car series on the narrow and twisty circuit was not for the faint-hearted. Until 90 minutes before the flag of the 2.45 hour race, which was disrupted by several safety car phases, Timo Bernhard looked to have victory firmly in his grasp. Putting in a strong drive he successful managed to fend off attacks from David Brabham at the wheel of the quickest Acura. However, two laps before the finish he slid into the gravel with locked-up wheels.
“Of course it’s tough to have all your hard work end up in the gravel shortly before the flag,” said Timo Bernhard, who had taken the wheel of Penske Racing’s #7 RS Spyder from Romain Dumas after a good hour. “In the final laps my crew asked me to slow down a bit to save fuel. That’s why David could catch me. Aside from that I was held up lapping other drivers a couple of times. But second is better than not earning any points.” Romain Dumas comments: “The numerous caution phases cost us victory today. Sometimes you profit from them, sometimes they ruin your race. There is nothing you can do about it. Whenever we managed to pull away from our opponents the safety car came out and that was the end of our hard-earned advantage.”
In the second RS Spyder fielded by Penske Racing, last year’s winners Sascha Maassen (Germany) and Patrick Long (USA) crossed the finish line in third. With a dream start, the American snatched the lead position, only to first lose it and then further positions through the first yellow flag. When Sascha Maassen took over the #6 sports prototype, developed and built in Weissach, he proceeded to fight his way through the field in the second half of the race and reconnect with the front-runners, before bringing home a well-earned podium result. “What a shame. We had a great start and a quick car. We could have won today.”
In a collision through no fault of their own towards the end of the race, Butch Leitzinger (USA) and Marino Franchitti (Great Britain) lost their top three placing in the RS Spyder fielded by the US privateer team, Dyson Racing. The podium result would have been a fitting anniversary present for team boss Rob Dyson, who secured his first win as a professional racer in a Porsche 962 here in Lime Rock 25 years ago. The pair occupied sixth place in the LMP2 class. Their team mates Chris Dyson (USA) and Guy Smith (Great Britain) had already retired with the #16 RS Spyder.
In the GT2 class for slightly modified production-based sports cars, Germany’s Joerg Bergmeister and Wolf Henzler celebrated their third victory of the season with the 911 GT3 RSR of Flying Lizard Motorsports after Sebring and Salt Lake City. The double victory of the 911 GT3 RSR featuring the debuting four-litre engine was made perfect by Dirk Werner (Germany) and Richard Westbrook (Great Britain) from the Farnbacher Loles Racing team. “Our crew in the pits put us in the lead,” said Joerg Bergmeister, “and once we were there we kept out of trouble and controlled the race. I believe our car is the only one without a scratch.
The double victory of the 911 GT3 RSR was some comfort to Porsche’s head of motorsport Hartmut Kristen after the bad luck of the RS Spyder. “This is a great result. Everything we did over the winter with the car has paid off,” he said. “Our drivers and teams did a wonderful job. It’s such a shame that Timo and Romain didn’t quite manage to win. Still, they brought home crucial points towards the championship. And the next race is just one week away.”
Corvette
Magnussen and O'Connell Win GT1 Battle in Lime Rock
No. 3 Corvette C6.R Notches Fourth ALMS Victory in 2008
LAKEVILLE, Conn., July 12, 2008 -- Jan Magnussen and Johnny O'Connell didn't give up when they were a lap behind the GT1 leader in today's American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park. That perseverance was rewarded when they scored a come-from-behind victory after a sudden reversal of fortune put their No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R in front with 25 minutes remaining in the race. The pair's fourth victory of the season was highlighted by a wheel-to-wheel battle between O'Connell and Olivier Beretta as they jockeyed for position as the No. 3 emerged from the pits after its final splash-and-go fuel stop.
O'Connell and Magnussen completed 157 laps on the reconfigured and repaved Lime Rock Park road course, finishing eighth overall. The No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R driven by Beretta and Oliver Gavin finished second with 146 laps after a gearbox problem sidelined the car with eight minutes remaining. The No. 009 Aston Martin DBR9 of Borcheller and Ducote was third in the GT1 class, completing 61 laps before retiring after an accident.
"Today's race was a perfect example of why you never give up," said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. "Coming off our second and third-place finishes in Le Mans, you might think that this team might be a little bit down. But take a look at what happened today: Nobody gave up when one of the cars was almost a lap down. That's what makes Corvette Racing a great team."
Magnussen started in the No. 3 Corvette and Gavin in the No. 4, and they completed their 57-minute stints without a caution period. The first full-course yellow began at the one-hour mark just after the Corvettes had pitted for fuel, tires and driver changes. When racing resumed 25 minutes later, the two Corvettes were nose-to-tail with O'Connell in the No. 3 and Beretta in the No. 4. The complexion of the race changed dramatically when a second safety car period began at 1:34 into the race. With the leading prototype between the two Corvettes, the No. 4 gained nearly a full lap on its sister car. Then a third yellow at 2:02 put the two cars back on the same lap.
"It was looking dark for a while, but No. 3 Corvette C6.R was a great race car today," Magnussen said. "I was unlucky with traffic in my stint, and then just after Johnny got into the car, the race leader was between the two Corvettes when the yellow flag came out. We lost nearly a full lap on the wave-by. It looked grim, but then we got back on the lead lap when the other car had to stop. Then they had a small problem and stopped again. We needed just a few gallons of ethanol to make it to the finish, and Johnny just pipped Olivier coming out of the pit lane. That was very exciting!"
O'Connell notched his 32nd career ALMS victory today, but it was his first win ever at Lime Rock Park.
"There are so many races we could have won but for bad luck," said O'Connell. "I don't know if we should have won this one, but I'm going to take it!
"When I came out of the pits after the last stop, I saw Olivier coming," O'Connell continued. "I held the inside line, and the only way he was going to take me was on the outside -- and that would have been impossible."
With their victory today, O'Connell and Magnussen now hold a 12-point lead (106-94) over their teammates in the GT1 drivers championship with six races remaining.
"That is racing," said Beretta. "We were fast again like we were in Long Beach and Salt Lake City, but the luck was not with us. At the end of the day, Corvette Racing finished one and two, and we are still working to improve for next year."
Gavin agreed: "You wonder when the luck will turn our way," he said. "Olivier drove brilliantly and the team did a great job. Now we need to get to the bottom of the issue with the gearbox. We're pleased that both cars have come out of this race unscathed and are ready for next weekend in Mid-Ohio, because this is a very difficult track."