ALMS Porsches Are Going Green

ATLANTA — Porsche will introduce an Ethanol-mixed fuel in its Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) RS Spyders for the July 7 American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at Connecticut's Lime Rock Park.

The four Porsche prototypes, entered by Penske Motorsports and Dyson Racing, will use the same E10 Ethanol fuel mixture as the GT2 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR race cars also entered in the two-hour-and-45-minute contest. The Porsche Cayenne S and Turbo that serve as the official rapid-response vehicles of the American Le Mans Series also run on an Ethanol-mixed fuel.
"We applaud the American Le Mans Series for their pioneering commitment to raising ecological awareness among automotive enthusiasts," said Peter Schwarzenbauer, president and CEO of Porsche Cars North America. "This initiative falls in line with the practices we have already established with our standard production models."

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New England Grand Prix
Lakeville, Conn.

1:00 p.m. EDT (Jul 8) CBS
10:00 AM PDT (Jul 8) CBS

Romain Dumas claimed his second overall pole position at Lime Rock Park on Friday as rain and lightning forced the cancellation of qualifying for the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix. Dumas and Timo Bernhard will start at the head of the grid for Penske Motorsports and Porsche for the sixth round of the 2007 American Le Mans Series.

Storm clouds rolled into Lime Rock early in the afternoon, bringing heavy rain and lightning with them. With a chance of rain looming for later in the afternoon plus concerns for driver safety, IMSA officials decided to set the lineup based on Friday morning's practice times. That put Dumas and his Porsche RS Spyder on pole position and Dyson Racing's Porsche of Guy Smith and Chris Dyson on the outside front row as LMP2 teams held the top six positions.

Near the end of the morning session, team members warned Dumas about the chance of rain during the afternoon. As a result, the Frenchman picked up the pace just in case.

"Last year at Mosport we had the same situation and thought that we had to push harder in practice because it might rain during qualifying," said Dumas, who led a total of 68 laps last year. "We did not use new tires and we did not maximize our fuel situation. But we did push for qualifying speed. And it paid off. The setup wasn't an issue because we were here on Tuesday testing."

So was Dyson Racing. And unlike Dumas' car, the Poughkeepsie, NY-based team did elect to put on new rubber at the end of the morning practice. The move, like Penske's paid off.

"Chris will be starting tomorrow and the strategy is easy from where I'll be sitting: lead going into Turn 1, lead coming out of Turn 1 and just keep going," Smith said.

Highcroft Racing's Acura ARX will start third after David Brabham's lap of 45.799. Highcroft is another local team, based in Danbury, Conn. It will start alongside the other Acura chassis from Andretti Green Racing.
Allan McNish will start first in LMP1 but seventh overall in the Audi R10 TDI. After winning for the second year in a row at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the diesel-powered prototype is at Lime Rock for the first time. McNish and Dindo Capello won last year's race in the finale for the highly successful Audi R8.

McNish's best time Friday morning was a 46.419, good enough for a 0.225-second cushion over the sister car of Emanuele Pirro and Marco Werner fresh off their 24 Hour of Le Mans win in France.

"The Audi R10 TDI is making its debut here at Lime Rock so we needed as much track time and dry weather running as possible," McNish said. The LMP2 cars have already shown they are very quick on this short track. Our R10 TDI is a heavy car and on this undulating track it shows. It's definitely going to be a tough race for us but with Audi's experience on and off the track with race strategy, we'll give it everything."

One of the Audi's began the previous race at Utah's Miller Motorsports Park on the third row of the grid but took the lead at the end of the first turn using its tremendous torque. But Lime Rock's frontstretch is considerably shorter and narrower, which will make such a move nearly impossible.

"I think where we are on the grid is where we would have ended up if we had to qualify today," McNish said. "Where we are is where we are in the field. I think we can use this time to find out what changes we can do to make the car more comfortable for the race tomorrow. At this point, I don't even see a podium finish tomorrow."

Olivier Beretta captured his third GT1 pole in four tries at Lime Rock as he and Oliver Gavin look to extend their lead in the race for a third straight class championship. Friday's effort was a 51.411 lap that put him 0.013 seconds clear of Johnny O'Connell in the sister car.

"The team has done good preparation on the car after Le Mans, and we hope to have a good race. If it's raining, it will be a difficult one," said Beretta, who suffered an uncharacteristic retirement at the 24 Hours early with a driveshaft problem.

"The car was very good this morning," Beretta said. "There are many quick P2 cars this year, and there is even more traffic to watch. This track is very narrow and there is different grip on the concrete and asphalt, but there is only one racing line in several corners. When you go on the concrete, it's like hitting a patch of water, so in traffic when you have to overtake a GT2 car or when a prototype overtakes you, it is quite tricky."
Petersen Motorsports/White Lightning Racing claimed its second straight GT2 pole and third of the season thanks to Tomas Enge's time of 52.431 in the team's Ferrari F430 GT. Enge and Darren Turner won at Miller Motorsports Park in the Czech star's return to the Series following a devastating crash at St. Petersburg.

Enge was 0.707 seconds faster than the Risi Ferrari of Jaime Melo and Mika Salo, class championship leaders. Next was the Panoz Esperante GTLM of Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand for Panoz Team PTG.

"This morning everything ran smoothly," Enge said. "The car was not easy handle but it ran fast. We were actually surprised that we are so far ahead of the competition considering how short the track is. This weekend started out good like it did at Salt Lake City. We are pretty sure that it can end the same way."

Round Six of the American Le Mans Series is the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix, set for 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 7 at Lime Rock Park. CBS Sports will televise the race at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 8. American Le Mans Radio will have live coverage at americanlemans.com, which also will feature IMSA Live Timing & Scoring.



1. Romain Dumas, France; Timo Bernhard, Germany; Porsche RS Spyder (P2), 44.659, 124.141
2. Chris Dyson, Pleasant Valley, NY; Guy Smith, England; Porsche RS Spyder (P2), 45.176, 122.720
3. Stefan Johansson, Sweden; David Brabham, Australia; Duncan Dayton, North Salem, NY; Acura/ARX-01a (P2), 45.799, 121.051
4. Marino Franchitti, Scotland; Bryan Herta, Valencia, CA; Acura/ARX-01a (P2), 45.829, 120.971
5. Sascha Maassen, Germany; Ryan Briscoe, Australia; Porsche RS Spyder (P2), 45.846, 120.927
6. Luis Diaz, Mexico; Adrian Fernandez, Mexico; Lola/B06-43/Acura (P2), 46.247, 119.878
7. Rinaldo Capello, Italy; Allan McNish, Scotland; Audi AG/R10/TDI (P1), 46.419, 119.434
8. Emanuele Pirro, Italy; Marco Werner, Germany; Audi AG/R10/TDI (P1), 46.644, 118.858
9. Butch Leitzinger, State College, PA; Andy Wallace, England; Porsche RS Spyder (P2), 46.861, 118.307
10. Ben Devlin, England; Jamie Bach, West Palm Beach, FL; Lola/B07-40/Mazda (P2), 47.882, 115.785
11. Clint Field, Dublin, OH; Richard Berry, Evergreen, CO; Jon Field, Dublin, OH; Creation/CA06H/Judd (P1), 48.243, 114.918
12. Gunnar Van der Steur, Chesapeake City, MD; Adam Pecorari, Aston, PA; Radical / SR9/AER (P2), 49.017, 113.104
13. Oliver Gavin, England; Olivier Beretta, Monaco; Corvette C6.R (GT1), 51.411, 107.837
14. Jan Magnussen, Denmark; Johnny O`Connell, Flowery Branch, GA; Corvette C6.R (GT1), 51.424, 107.810
15. Michael Lewis, San Diego, CA; Chris McMurry, Phoenix, AZ; Creation CA06H-Judd (P1), 52.043, 106.527
16. Tomas Enge, Czech Republic; Darren Turner, England; Ferrari 430GT (GT2), 52.431, 105.739
17. Mika Salo, Finland; Jaime Melo, Brazil; Ferrari 430GT Berlinetta (GT2), 53.138, 104.332
18. Bill Auberlen, Hermosa Beach, CA; Joey Hand, Sacramento, CA; Panoz Esperante GTLM (GT2), 53.275, 104.064
19. Tom Milner, Leesburg, VA; Ralf Kelleners, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT2), 53.966, 102.731
20. Eric Helary, France; Nic Jonsson, Sweden; Ferrari 430GT Berlinetta (GT2), 54.064, 102.545
21. Wolf Henzler, Germany; Robin Liddell, Scotland; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT2), 54.084, 102.507
22. Jorg Bergmeister, Germany; Johannes van Overbeek, San Francisco, CA; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT2), 54.350, 102.006
23. Darren Law, Phoenix, AZ; Seth Neiman, Burlingame, CA; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT2), 54.424, 101.867
24. Jim Tafel, Alpharetta, GA; Dominik Farnbacher, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT2), 54.630, 101.483
25. Tim Pappas, Boston, MA; Terry Borcheller, Gainesville, GA; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT2), 56.942, 97.362

Now!


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A good day for Porsche.

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ALMS: Perfect Day For Penske, Porsche At Lime Rock

Written by: ALMS Media

Lakeville, Conn. – 7/7/2007




Fresh tires made the winning difference for Briscoe and Penske Porsche. (LAT photo) MORE PHOTOS

Fresh tires, a late pass in traffic and a solid restart with three minutes left gave Penske Motorsports’ Ryan Briscoe and Sascha Maassen their second straight overall victory in the American Le Mans Series on Saturday in the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix. Briscoe took a 7.5-second victory over the sister Porsche RS Spyder of Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas.

Briscoe made the winning pass with less than 25 minutes remaining, ending what had been race-long dominance by the pole-sitting car of Bernhard and Dumas. The two LMP2 cars pitted together with 50 minutes left and the race under caution. Briscoe, running second at the time, got new tires and fuel while Bernhard’s crew elected to just top off the fuel tank.

The fresh rubber made the difference down the stretch. Briscoe dove inside of Bernhard at Turn 1 and made the pass stick.

“It was clear that taking new tires during the stop was a big advantage,” Briscoe said. “After the stop, we were much quicker. I got a great run down the hill and Timo was held up by a GT2 car and I sailed down the front straight. But there was a long way to go and you never know what’s going to happen. It was a very safe pass and we needed it for the championship.”

Briscoe and Maassen won the last Series round at Utah’s Miller Motorsports Park in May and also claimed the LMP2 class win at St. Petersburg. They are nine points behind Dumas and Bernhard in the class championship race.

The victory surely brought back memories of team owner Roger Penske’s first win as a driver in 1959. Coincidentally, it came in a Porsche at Lime Rock. This time, it was his call that claimed yet another Lime Rock win.

“For us, there was no losing,” Maassen said. “We pitted together with the 7 car and they were afraid of losing the position if they took tires. But there was no one close to us so it was an easy decision. It was the biggest advantage and the reason Ryan could do such quick lap times.”

Dumas and Bernhard led the first 145 laps. David Brabham and Stefan Johansson took third overall and in class for Highcroft Racing and Acura. It is their first podium since St. Petersburg.

Allan McNish and Dindo Capello took the class win in LMP1 and finished fifth overall. The diesel-powered Audi R10 TDI struggled on the short circuit and in the traffic as both drivers spun at various points of the race. McNish was running second overall early on behind Dumas 40 minutes into the race before a Turn 1 spin after colliding with the Intersport Racing Creation-Judd.

The Audi Sport North America crew had to replace the front nose as the car lost three laps to the leaders. They made up two of those by race’s end.

“Before we arrived here we knew we would struggle in an LMP1 car when you have such good LMP2 competition. That’s the nature of the track. The circuit is extremely tight and narrow and it’s hard to get around traffic,” McNish said. “I was able to get a good jump at the start but was really struggling to keep up with the two Porsches. I got caught when I tried to get around the Intersport car. He went down and I locked up the brakes and then tried to pass him again on the next lap and he did the same thing.”

McNish and Capello, who won the race last year, recovered to finish ahead of Intersport, which posted its best finish of the year with Jon Field, Clint Field and Richard Berry. The second Creation-Judd of Autocon Motorsports finished third with Chris McMurry and Mike Lewis.

The second R10 TDI, which made its debut at Lime Rock on Saturday, finished fourth following a heavy shunt with Marco Werner at the wheel. Coming into the final turn, the rear suspension failed and sent the reigning Le Mans winner hard into the outside wall.

“Today I could feel after a few laps that it could have been so easy to make a mistake,” Capello said. “We had two options: cruise around to the end or push hard for the win. We tried to take the second approach. From the lap after the spin I tried to take care the rest of the way.”

GT1: Gavin/Beretta win Corvette war

In GT1, Corvette Racing’s Oliver Gavin and Olivier Beretta took a 0.384-second victory over teammates Johnny O’Connell and Jan Magnussen. The win was the fifth of the season for the defending class champions and their third Lime Rock win in four years.

“It was very busy. It always is here,” Gavin said. “It’s the craziest track we drive at. You have to keep your wits about you the whole time. It’s a constant battle. I was touched by three cars today; nothing big but it’s the nature of the track. You hope that it’s not going to be a big one. There were a few incidents that were unfortunate but didn’t involve us.”

The Corvettes were two of the few cars that had trouble-free runs. That’s been the case most of the year for both C6.Rs.

“We had a good fight with the No. 3 Corvette,” Beretta said. “We didn’t make any mistakes but had a little contact. Other than that it was very good. On the pit stop we can make a mistake or have contact with another car and the race is done. But we didn’t make any mistakes and made no major contact.”

Flying Lizard Motorsports took its first win of the year and the first for the new Porsche Type 997 in the American Le Mans Series. Jörg Bergmeister and Johannes