Mosport Breaks Streaks And Dims Season's Chances In ALMS GT

GT Class race leaders at Mosport before the final change when a penalty is assessed on the #55 BMW of Auberlen/Werner (pictured leading eventual winner Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen's Corvette, and P2's Jaime Melo/Toni Vilander's Ferrari F458 Italia). Image Credit: ALMS/Ryan Smith

Mosport Breaks Streaks And Dims Season's Chances In ALMS GT

The weather was perfect for a summer's race of exotic, and expertly prepared sports cars at Mosport International Raceway just outside Toronto.

The Abruzzi “Spirit of the Le Mans” racer. The Abruzzi “Spirit of Le Mans” is set to carry on a successful history of Panoz in motorsport. With 10 class victories – including eight overall – in the American Le Mans Series and the 2002 Trans-Am championship, the manufacturer is one of the most renowned in the world. In addition to winning at Sebring and Le Mans, Panoz has won at such venues as Road Atlanta, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Sears Point, Portland, the Nürburgring and Washington DC. Image Credit: ALMS/Ryan Smith

Joining the GT Class (but running as Unclassified) for the first time in 2011, Team Panoz returned with the radical Panoz Abruzzi ‘Spirit of Le Mans’ with drivers Ian James and Edward Sandström. The Panoz, however, was not a factor in the race and it's outing showed that getting to learn a new car is never easy. In the morning warm-up before the race, the #50 UNC Panoz Abruzzi driven by Edward Sandstrom stopped at turn 2 with damage to the left front of the car after hitting the tire walls. On a positive note, the Unclassified run of the Panoz had it come in at P9 (if judged as GT) ahead of such notable entrants as the #01 Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferrari 458 Italia driven by Scott Sharp/Johans van Overbeek, the #98 RSR Jaguar XKR driven by P.J. Jones and Rocky Moran Jr., and the #45 Flying Lizard Porsche 911 RSR driven Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long.

The last notable mentioned is where the hopes for a repeat in the GT Class dimmed. The Flying Lizard Porsche of Bergmeister and Long showed great promise at climbing back into the championship points frey after qualifying well in P3 just behind the two Team RLL BMWs and just .231 seconds behind the season points leading team of the #56 of Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller in P1.

Joerg Bergmeister driving the Flying Lizard factory Porsche chases down the #56 Team RLL BMW before its driver, Joey Hand is issued a penalty, giving the Porsche a temporary lead at Mosport. Image Credit: ALMS/Ryan Smith

The Green Flag drops At 3:03 pm and race was beginning to come the Flying Lizards way when they were able to run at P2 just behind the #56 BMW. The GT madness began after nearly an hour of tight racing when Joey Hand made contact in his #56 BMW M3 GT with Risi Competizione`s #62 Ferrari F458 Italia of Toni Vilander. A penalty for Hand promoted Jeorg Bergmeister and the #45 Flying Lizard Porsche 911 GT3 RSR into the lead. Things were looking great until Bergmeister got his Porsche sideways in Turn 10, handing the lead to Bill Auberlen in the #55 BMW Team RLL entry.

Normally, a racer can recover from a spin but the Porsche was not behaving well.

This excerpted and edited from ALMS Race Notes -

At 4:25 pm (1h 22m running), Joerg Bergmeister (#45-GT Porsche 911 GT3 RSR) has radioed that he has lost power steering and will pit for the crew to evaluate.

At 4:26 pm (1h 23m running), Joerg Bergmeister (#45-GT Porsche 911 GT3 RSR) into the pits. 4 tires, fuel, driver change: Patrick Long . working on the power steering.

At 4:36 pm (1h 33m running), Patrick Long (#45-GT Porsche 911 GT3 RSR) into the pits. No fuel, no driver change. Finished repairs on pit lane. Rejoining the race.

END

This eleven minute repair delay placed the team well down in the field finishing the race at Mosport P12 in GT Class. The #45 Flying Lizard effort entered the race at a real chance of climbing back into the season points race from P3 but leaves dropping to P6.

GT championship leader BMW Team RLL`s three-race win streak came to a close at Mosport as a combo of contact, mechanical woes and penalties jumbled the order throughout the two-hour, 45 minute race. After the final round of pit stops and with Dirk Werner in the driver`s seat, it appeared BMW`s biggest concern would be holding off Magnussen`s #4 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C6.R. But with less than 20 minutes remaining, another penalty cost BMW the lead once again. Officials ruled Werner's contact with GTC leader Pumpelly at Turn 10 as avoidable and called the #55 BMW into the penalty box. It promoted Magnussen and his Corvette to the GT lead.

Winning Driver's Quotes:

Jan Magnussen (#4-GT Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1) (about the battle with Ferrari) “We were just ahead in the pits stops, and after that we had to hold him off. We were side by side through three, it was really exciting. We were pushing as hard as we could the whole race, same as the Ferrari. It's a really fast car, I had to wait for him to make a mistake for a while. He finally made one in traffic and I was able to take advantage. I knew I couldn't pull away from him on speed, so I knew I had to take some chances in traffic to keep ahead of him. This race had a bunch of different potential winners at different stages, I think BMW looked like they had the most advantage, but we were able to push at the right moments and pull a win out. If you asked us this morning, we'd say, there will only be one winner. It just unfolded that way today. I'm glad we were the ones that got to break the win barrier.”

Oliver Gavin (#4-GT Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1) “It was one of those moments where you see the incident, and you think, in the past the person gets a penalty. It was called that way, and it was something that aided us to get the win. Jan still had to do a lot of hard work out there and navigate the traffic. Traffic does seem to be a really big issue here. Any time you slip and go off the track, you can end up in the wall. That could be a race ending moment. There is no chance to rest here. Hats off to Jan and the team, just a stellar job today. I knew from my stint that if Jan was on the Ferrari gearbox coming out of turn 5, you could probably get a toe coming out and use the momentum to get by. He executed brilliantly and then sliced through traffic to get a 4 or 5 second lead. The rain that came through last night showed a bit today. We were chasing the car all weekend, we weren't the fastest car. What we showed today was winning by team, pit stop strategies, coming in at the right time, having the least amount of mistakes. It comes down to the entire team operating at 100% every second of the race.”

The #01 and #02 Ferrari 458 Italia race cars of Extreme Speed Motorsports. Image Credit: ALMS/Ryan Smith

Going into the next race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge (Race 5 of 9), the season points breakout is as follows:

Position - Drivers - Car - Season Championship Points
1 Dirk Mueller/Joey Hand (#56-GT BMW M3 GT) - 80
2 Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen (#4-GT Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1) - 57
3 Bill Auberlen/Dirk Werner (#55-GT BMW M3 GT) - 46
4 Jaime Melo/Toni Vilander (#62-Ferrari F458 Italia) - 41
5 Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner (#3-GT Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1) - 39

... notes from The EDJE


[Article first published as Mosport Breaks Streaks And Dims Season's Chances In ALMS GT on Technorati]

ALMS Season At 1/3 Point With A Mazda Surge, BMW Dominance, & Late Race Assessments

The Muscle Milk Aston Martin (right) pulls off a pass on the pole position Dyson Racing Mazda early in the race at Lime Rock Park, race three of nine in the ALMS 2011 championship season. Image Credit: American Le Mans Series

ALMS Season At 1/3 Point With A Mazda Surge, BMW Dominance, & Late Race Assessments

Chris Dyson and Guy Smith drove their Dyson Racing Lola-Mazda MZR-R to their first win of the 2011 season.

The hunt for the LMP1 championship in the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón lost none of its intensity over the Series` two-month break. Dyson Racing maintained its title lead with a victory in the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix. The duo of Chris Dyson and Guy Smith exchanged the lead six times with Muscle Milk Aston Martin Racing on Saturday and took the overall victory. BMW Team RLL also picked up where it left off, scoring its third consecutive GT victory.

Dyson Racing won by 19.969 seconds over the Muscle Milk Aston Martin squad. It was the first ALMS win for Chris Dyson at his home track. Dyson`s second Lola-Mazda, driven by Humaid Al Masaood and Steven Kane, finished third.

Starting from the pole, Dyson Racing`s Chris Dyson had his work cut out for him in the No. 16 Lola-Mazda, holding off Lucas Luhr`s No. 6 Aston Martin-powered Lola in the opening laps through a swarm of traffic on the 1.474-mile road course. Luhr dispatched Dyson on lap 16, but was then forced to pit early to replace a flat tire.

"It was great fun," Dyson said. "Lucas and I were going back and forth from the get-go. It was all about where you positioned yourself. It felt a bit like a video game. Our Mazda was fantastic from the start. I think the car really came into its own at the end of the race. We were lucky to catch the yellow when we did. They fought us hard all the way like they always do."

After three races of the nine-round ALMS season, Dyson and Smith lead the drivers’ championship, Dyson leads the team, and Mazda leads the manufacturers’ championships. The driver points lay out as follows - #1) Dyson Racing Mazda's Chris Dyson and Guy Smith - 66 points each, #2) Muscle Milk Aston Martin Racing's Klaus Graf and - Lucas Luhr - 36 points each, #3) Dyson Racing Mazda's Jay Cochran - 30 points.

Team RLL's Joey Hand in the #56 BMW as it approaches a clutch of competitors, as fans watch from a hill at Lime Rock Park, Connecticut. Image Credit: American Le Mans Series

BMW Team RLL extended its GT Class winning streak to three as the No. 56 BMW M3 GT of Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller topped Flying Lizard Motorsports` Patrick Long and Joerg Bergmeister in the No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.

"Team RLL, BMW, Dunlop, have done a very nice job," Hand said. "The things we have now have made the car more comfortable and more in the zone. That`s how you win races. That`s a real key and real testament to BMW Team RLL and BMW Motorsport. Dunlop is really stepping up. They have a very consistent tire now."

"Winning is always very sweet and very important and it`s good to collect the points," Mueller, Hand's teammate said. "Like Joey said, we`re in year three. Everything is now coming together like it is supposed to. I think we turned three screws on the car before we started the race. The break [between Long Beach and Lime Rock] was massive but we tested in between. At the level we are racing, it has changed so dramatically. Now we have a car that you need to push from the first second. Winning three times in a row looks so easy now."

A smart opening-lap pass by Long on the No. 55 BMW M3 driven by Dirk Werner enabled the Porsche driver to move into second and chase after Hand. Behind them, havoc in West Bend damaged both of the Corvettes, Werner`s BMW and the No. 02 Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferrari F458 Italia.

Long and Bergmeister kept their Porsche within striking distance of the leading BMW throughout the race. Though constant traffic provided some hair-raising moments, a true opportunity for a lead change never materialized.

Fresh from a podium finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Robertson Racing scored its first ALMS podium with a third-place finish Saturday for David Murry and Anthony Lazzaro. Starting seventh in class, the No. 04 Doran Ford GT first appeared in the top three following the chaos in West Bend. The Ford was eventually caught by Team Falken Tire`s No. 17 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. Lazzaro was shown in fourth at the line, but a 90-second avoidable contact penalty on Team Falken Tire elevated Murry and Lazzaro to the final podium position in GT.

At the end of race interview, Patrick Long felt better about their Flying Lizard effort here in Lime Rock with a complete race under his and Joerg's belt. It helped to put behind his (Long's) troubles at Long Beach where he had a DNF after showing promise early just to crash out.

The biggest disappointment suffered in the GT Class had to be felt in the Corvette camp with Oliver Gavin and Jan Magnussen only able to post one point in the overall driver's championship and teammates Olivier Beretta and Tommy Milner post only two points.

With one third of the season having been played out, #1) BMW Team RLL drivers Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller with three successive wins have 70 points each, #2) Corvette Racing's Oliver Gavin and Jan Magnussen - 37 points each, #3) Flying Lizard Motorsports Factory Porsche Team's Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long - 34 points each.

The other two classes, LMPC and GTC, also have great competition but for the purposes of this inaugural post, we will focus on the overall leader competition and the class that gets the most attention because of the strong factory interest and participation between BMW, Porsche, and Corvette ... it doesn't get any better when racing full-bodied, beefed up sports cars.

Winner's All - The four classes of winners take to the podium to hoist high their bottles of series sponsor, Tequila Patron for the gathered crowd. Image Credit: American Le Mans Series

American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix
Lime Rock Park, Lakeville, Conn.
Saturday`s Results:

Finish Pos. - (Qual.) - Driver & Location - Racecar Type - (Finish in Class) - LAPS
[Winners In Class Highlighted In BOLD]

1. (1) Chris Dyson, Pleasant Valley, NY; Guy Smith, Bracken, Yorkshire; Lola B09 86/Mazda (1, LMP1), 187.

2. (3) Lucas Luhr, Monte Carlo; Klaus Graf, Dornham; AMR/ Lola Coupe B08 62 (2, LMP1), 187.

3. (2) Humaid Al Masaood, Abu Dhabi; Steven Kane, Newtownards; Lola B09/86 Mazda (3, LMP1), 182.

4. (4) Eric Lux, Jacksonville, FL; Elton Julian, Santa Monica, CA; Oreca FLM09 (1, LMPC), 181.

5. (5) Ricardo Gonzalez, Monterrey; Gunnar Jeannette, Salt Lake City, UT; Oreca FLM09 (2, LMPC), 181.

6. (6) Tomy Drissi, Los Angeles, CA; Kyle Marcelli, Barrie, ON; Oreca FLM09 (3, LMPC), 180.

7. (10) Joey Hand, Sacramento, CA; Dirk Mueller, Monte Carlo; BMW M3 GT (1, GT), 176.

8. (12) Patrick Long, Bellaire, FL; Joerg Bergmeister, Langenfield; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (2, GT), 176.

9. (9) Jarrett Boon, Phoenix, AZ; Anthony Nicolosi, Palm Beach, FL; Oreca FLM09 (4, LMPC), 175.

10. (7) Frankie Montecalvo, Highlands, NJ; Jon Bennett, Fort Mill, SC; Oreca FLM09 (5, LMPC), 175.

11. (18) Bryan Sellers, Braselton, GA; Wolf Henzler, Nuertingen; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (3, GT), 174.

12. (16) David Murry, Atlanta, GA; Anthony Lazzaro, Atlanta, GA; Doran Ford GT (4, GT), 174.

13. (19) Scott Sharp, Jupiter, FL; Johannes van Overbeek, San Francisco, CA; Ferrari F458 Italia (5, GT), 174.

14. (21) Bryce Miller, Summit, NJ; Sascha Maassen, Lontzen; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (6, GT), 172.

15. (15) Seth Neiman, San Francisco, CA; Marco Holzer; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (7, GT), 165.

16. (25) Mike Piera, Newtown, Conn.; Dion von Moltke, Coral Gables, FL; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (1, GTC), 164.

17. (26) Duncan Ende, Los Angeles, CA; Spencer Pumpelly, Mason Neck, VA; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (2, GTC), 164.

18. (27) Bill Sweedler, Westport, CT; Butch Leitzinger, Rebersburg, PA; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (3, GTC), 164.

19. (23) Tim Pappas, Boston, MA; Damien Faulkner, County Donegal; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (4, GTC), 164.

20. (11) Dirk Werner, Kissenbrück; Bill Auberlen, Redondo Beach, CA; BMW M3 GT (8, GT), 163.

21. (14) Olivier Beretta, Monte Carlo; Tommy Milner, Leesburg, VA; Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1 (9, GT), 161.

22. (29) James Sofronas, Newport Beach, CA; Alex Welch, Englewood, Colo.; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (5, GTC), 160.

23. (13) Jan Magnussen, Roskilde; Oliver Gavin, Yardley Hastings; Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1 (10, GT), 156.

24. (17) Ed Brown, Las Vegas, NV; Guy Cosmo, West Palm Beach, FL; Ferrari F458 Italia (11, GT), 153.

25. (24) Chris Thompson, Englewood, Colo.; Nick Ham, Evergreen, CO; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (6, GTC), 149.

26. (20) Cristiano da Matta, Belo, Horizonte; Bruno Junqueira, Brazil; Jaguar XKR (12, GT), 149.

27. (8) James Kovacic, Forrester Beach; Jon Field, Dublin, OH; Oreca FLM09 (6, LMPC), 126, Mechanical.

28. (28) Andrea Robertson, Ray, MI; David Robertson, Ray, MI; Doran Ford GT/Elan (13, GT), 116, Mechanical.

29. (31) Toni Vilander, Kankaanpaa; Jaime Melo, Milan; Ferrari F458 Italia (14, GT), 79, Mechanical.

30. (22) Peter Lesaffre, Rye, NH; Jaap van Lagen, Ede; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (7, GTC), 74.

31. (30) PJ Jones, Torrance, CA; Rocky Moran, Ladera Ranch, CA; Jaguar XKR (15, GT), 49.

Thanks to the American Le Mans Series for article and resource assistance in the crafting of this posting.

... notes from The EDJE


[Article first published as ALMS Season At 1/3 Point With A Mazda Surge, BMW Dominance, & Late Race Assessments on Technorati]