The Lola Coupe made its race debut at Laguna and saw an upturn in performance for B-K Motorsports
Corsa
Intersport
Zytek
B-K Motorsports
Dyson
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Corsa
Corsa Takes Third in LMP1; Is Highest-Finishing Privateer Team
MONTEREY, CA (October 18, 2008) -- In just its second start with the Zytek 07S, Corsa Motorsports grabbed a spot on the LMP1 podium in Saturday evening's Monterey Sports Car Championships at Laguna Seca. The Salt-Lake City-based race team finished third in class with drivers Stefan Johansson and Johnny Mowlem sharing the driving duties during the four-hour event. In addition to its podium finish, Corsa was the highest-finishing privateer team overall.
"I'm delighted for Steve Pruitt and the entire Corsa Motorsports team, and Zytek Motorsport as well. We raced to a good LMP1 podium," said an excited Mowlem following the race. "The car was very, very quick, especially early on when there was heat in the track. It was a little bit trickier as it got cooler. We were conserving fuel at the end and were able to go without making a splash at the end because of the crazy number of cautions."
Johansson drove the No. 48 to the front of the field, taking the class and overall lead about an hour and 50 minutes into the event, despite being tapped by an Audi in the early minutes of the race. After racing to the lead and maintaining the point for an extended amount of time, the team pitted during a caution for gas, tires and a driver change. Mowlem rejoined the field 12th overall after the engine failed to refire immediately because of a wiring problem.
Strategy enabled the team to maintain its position, with Mowlem making an effort throughout his stint to conserve fuel. The team made a fuel-only stop late in the race, opting not to change tires with hope of keeping its tire temperatures heated as the track surface cooled.
Success did not come without any tribulations during the weekend. The car was unable to participate in the morning warm-up because of a leaking oil pump, which was noticed on the first lap of the session. The team worked quickly to get it repaired for the grid.
"I give a lot of credit to the crew and drivers for their hard work this week," said Steve Pruitt, owner and team principal. "It's been a dream of mine since getting involved in racing to compete for podiums, wins and championships, and this is just the beginning for Corsa Motorsports and Zytek; we see this as the first of many to come and look forward to incorporating Zytek's hybrid technology as we move forward."
Corsa's third-place finish in LMP1 was behind the two Audi works teams which also garnered overall honors.
Corsa Motorsports will spend the off-season preparing its hybrid package which will debut at Sebring in 2009. The car will be powered through the combination of an ethanol-fueled internal combustion engine and a three-phase electric motor. The electric motor is a direct drive Zytek proprietary design powered by an on-board lithium-ion energy storage system with a KERS (kinetic energy recovery) supplemental regeneration
Intersport
Intersport Finishes 2008 Season Another Charge to the Front
Monterey, Calif. -- Intersport Racing flexed its muscle in the American Le Mans Series season-ending Monterey Sports Car Championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, as Jon Field led the opening lap in the LMP1 category. Field, aboard the No. 37 Very Berry Exotics Lola B06/10 AER, powered his way past the two factory Audi R10 TDIs on the first lap, once again showing the strength of the team and the cellulosic E85-powered prototype.
Jon Field, teaming with season regular Richard Berry and British road racing star Ryan Lewis, finished fifth in the highly competitive P1 category. The Clint Field-owned team now focuses on the 2009 season, where it expects to be back stronger than ever. Details on Intersport Racing's 2009 program will be forthcoming.
Clint Field: "It was great again seeing Dad out front on that first lap. It brought back memories of his great runs at Salt Lake City and Road America. We unfortunately had an unlucky break but we rebounded and look forward to returning to the series again in 2009."
Ryan Lewis: "We had a hiccup at the start of the race, but we once again showed how competitive we could have been. I'm really looking forward to next year. The American Le Mans Series is where I want to be, as I've had a great time racing here. Hopefully I can work something out."
The 2009 American Le Mans Series season starts with the 57th annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on Saturday, March 21. It will mark the 100th race in the history of the American Le Mans Series.
Zytek
Zytek Leads Again; Podium place and first privateer status for Corsa at Laguna Seca
A Zytek 07S has held the overall lead in an American Le Mans Series round for the second race running. "The Zytek has always been a great car, especially in a race situation," said Stefan Johansson, who, half way through, headed last weekend's Monterey Sports Car Championship race at Laguna Seca, California driving for the Corsa Motorsports team.
Despite the fact that the Zytek was tapped by a rival LMP1 car early in the race, former Grand Prix driver Stefan was able to take the lead on pace just under two hours into the four-hour contest. He maintained this until an eventual pit stop, after which a series of minor problems dropped the car back a lap. However, Stefan and team mate Johnny Mowlem were able to maintain third place in the LMP1 class until the end of the race. They were also the first privateer team to finish.
"I was very encouraged by our race pace," said Stefan. "We were easily able to split the two factory Audis
. What we now have in the pipeline in terms of chassis and (hybrid) engine development during the close season bodes extremely well for next year.
"I'm delighted for (owner and team principal) Steve Pruitt and the entire Corsa Motorsports team, and Zytek Motorsport as well," added Johnny. "We raced to a good LMP1 podium. The car was quick, especially early on when there was heat in the track. It was a little bit trickier as it got cooler. We were conserving fuel at the end."
Zytek made its 2008 LMP1 debut in the ALMS at the previous round, the 10-hour Petit Le Mans. There the UK-based Team LNT 07S, which did not contest the Laguna Seca race, had led overall during the early stages of the race while the Corsa Motorsports car had been in fourth place when an accident curtailed its progress. At Laguna Seca, Corsa was able to make use, for the first time, of the new Zytek 4.5-litre ZJ458, an example of which made its debut in the Team LNT car at Petit Le Mans.
"It's been a dream of mine since getting involved in racing to compete for podiums, wins and championships, and this is just the beginning for Corsa Motorsports and Zytek. We see this as the first of many to come," said Steve Pruitt.
B-K Motorsports
B-K Motorsports Rebounds to Take the Checkers at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
Monterey, Calif. - What could have been a race-ending gremlin for B-K Motorsports turned into a valuable learning experience Saturday in the American Le Mans Series season-ending Monterey Sports Car Championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
The Wisconsin-based team's brand-new Lola B08/86 Mazda MZR-R coupe ran strong all weekend long, including the first half of the four-hour race, but a small crack in the exhaust header put drivers Ben Devlin and Gerardo Bonilla on the sidelines while the crew made repairs. The extensive job to replace the part took close to an hour to complete, and Bonilla was on his way to take the BP Lola Mazda to the checkered flag.
"We lost a lot of ground because of the header problem, but getting back in there was really motivating," Bonilla said. "All the Mazda fans up in the suite were clapping and cheering for us when we got back out. That was a great feeling. The guys worked their butts off to get us back out there. We got to basically do a test on our tires and experience more nighttime running, which was great. Driving this coupe has been a dream come true."
Devlin started the Dunlop-shod LMP2 machine from 12th on the grid and quickly made progress up the leader board. The experienced Englishman overcame a series of full-course cautions periods and unfavorable track conditions to also gain valuable experience with the new car.
"It was going very well," Devlin said. "The car felt really good for the start. We've done a lot and have improved in every session, so it's going in the right direction. Unfortunately, we got so many yellows, which didn't play well for us. We were struggling on cold tires all weekend but I think everyone else was too. We learned a lot this weekend that we can take to testing this winter and it was a perfect time today to try some new things for next year."
While the final race results might not show it, Devlin, Bonilla and the entire B-K Motorsports team walked away satisfied with the obstacle they overcame and look forward to starting an extensive winter test program.
"On a whole, the team worked 100 percent," said Devlin, reflecting on the 2008 season. "I'm so happy what they've been able to do all year long. Every one of the team members has come off the disappointments at the beginning of the season when they were thrown in the deep end. We pulled through it and worked hard as a team and also got stronger and stronger as the year went on. That's what it's all about. Now we have a great level to start from for 2009."
There are certainly a lot of positives heading into next year's American Le Mans Series season for the team. With constant progress made all year long with its open-top Lola B07/46 Mazda MZR-R and the encouraging race debut of the brand-new Lola B08/86 Mazda MZR-R coupe this weekend, the Bob Bach-owned organization is hoping to keep that momentum high during the winter months.
"The hard work started back at the shop after we had the incident at Petit Le Mans," said John Doonan, manager, motorsports team development for Mazda North America. "We rebounded and pulled out a huge effort to get here first of all. The broken header set us back a bit, but we fought and made it to the checkered. Now it's time to get to the off-season and continue our development on the project. The landscape of the class is going to change next year, but we'll be there to fight it."
Dyson
Yellow Peril
MONTEREY
, CA October 18, 2008 At times, it seemed like the Mobil Economy Run had been resurrected. Almost half of the ALMS season-ending four-hour Monterey Sports Car Championship was run under yellow, with green periods often few and far between. Avoiding the sand traps that claimed so many, Dyson Racing put in a solid run in a most fragmented race. Chris Dyson and Guy Smith were fifth in LMP2 and Marino Franchitti and Butch Leitzinger finished sixth.
The team started the eight-month, eleven-race series with a second and third at the Twelve Hours of Sebring. The team finished the year third in the P2 team championship and Franchitti and Leitzinger were fifth in the drivers' points followed by Dyson and Smith in sixth. Porsche won both the engine and chassis manufacturer championships, the later by one point. Dyson Racing's points made both those championships possible.
The # 20 Porsche RS Spyder of Franchitti and Leitzinger finished in the points in every race of the season and the #16 Thetford/Norcold entry missed the points in only one race, at Lime Rock in May. The Lime Rock race marked the 25th anniversary of Dyson racing in professional motorsports. Of the thirty-seven cars that raced at the Connecticut track 25 years ago, only Dyson Racing is still competing today. They have garnered 17 championships, 61 wins, 56 poles and 156 podiums during their run at the top of sportscar racing.
This year also marks the tenth anniversary of the American Le Mans Series. "The competition, the depth of the field, and the quality of the driving is as good as we have ever seen at any time in sportscar racing," commented Rob Dyson.
"The 2008 season was a notable year," added Chris Dyson. "For us, it was a mixed season with some great highs and some lows. The arc of this season may not have been what we hoped for, but we gave it our best shot every weekend. The team conducted itself with a high degree of diligence and integrity all year. We certainly ran a good campaign and when you have a group that is always putting forth this level of effort, it reinforces your motivation as a driver. If we had to sum up the season in one word, it would be very simple: pride."