Werner wins Infineon Raceway Pole for ADT Champion Audi

Sonoma, CA  (July 17, 2004)- Marco Werner led a record-shattering American Le Mans Series qualifying session Saturday to win the pole for Sunday's Infineon Grand Prix of Sonoma at Infineon Raceway. 

Werner, driving the ADT Champion Racing Audi R8, was one of three class pole winners to break existing records on the 2.53-mile road racing circuit, which has been repaved since last year's ALMS event. The German driver turned a lap of 1:22.320, bettering the old record of 1:22.615 set in 2002 by Tom Kristensen. 

Werner will co-drive in the two-hour, 45-minute sports car race with JJ Lehto of Finland as the two seek their third consecutive ALMS win this season. Werner's lap was only .079 second faster than the Dyson Racing Lola EX257-AER/MG of James Weaver and Butch Leitzinger, winner of last year's event after passing Werner in the last five minutes. 

"It is very close but we are in front," said Werner, who won his first pole of the season. "That makes me very happy. The new track surface is good for us and it's not so bumpy like some other tracks. We have better grip and its all working for us." 

The other Dyson Racing entry of Chris Dyson and Andy Wallace qualified third overall and in the LMP1 class with a time of 1:25.712.

Oliver Gavin wins GTS Pole for Corvette

Oliver Gavin of England, driving another car from the factory Corvette team, won the GTS class pole with a track record lap of 1:28.042. He will co-drive with Olivier Beretta of Monaco. The pole was Gavin's third straight this season. 

Ron Fellows and Johnny O'Connell, seeking their fourth straight GTS class win at Infineon, will start second in class in a third Corvette. Fellows was less than two-tenths of a second behind Gavin. 

"This new (qualifying) format is a lot of fun," said Gavin. "I enjoyed it and I know a lot of the other drivers do too. We do so much to set up for the race and with the new format you have to keep qualifying in mind too. We did a lot of playing with the tire pressures. I think I had a carrot in front of me after Ron (Fellows) set his time before me. That might have gotten me a bit more fired up. The track rubbered up more and more as the session went on. I was really wild on my first lap but I got it so the team had me come in. That's one less lap on the tires."  

"The (new) track surface may be suiting Michelin tires more than any other manufacturers. The Saleen was so close at Lime Rock and at Mid-Ohio and now they're a bit farther back. A lot more has come with the car. These are the cars that raced at Le Mans so they are more perfectly balanced for weight, have a better chassis and gear box, and are better aerodynamically. The lap times could be better from the new surface and the switch to the Michelin tires is helping too."

NASCAR's Dale Earnhardt, Jr., was the star attraction of the day, drawing a long line to a driver autograph session and then watching as co-driver Boris Said qualified third in the GTS class in the Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C5-R they will share in Earnhardt's first ALMS event. 

"It's going real good," said Earnhardt. "The car is real fast and I'm comfortable in the car. My co-driver is very, very quick and we feel like we have a good chance this weekend. It's a great car. Corvette has done a lot of testing. They deserve it because there is a lot of hard work behind it. I am very fortunate just to be able to climb right in and go so fast.  

"It's going to be different, watching for the prototypes, GT cars, being careful and just having a lot of respect and courtesy out there for everybody," he said. "You know I don't do this every weekend and to be here is a big honor for me to race against such a great group of competitors. I am just trying to earn respect and pay my dues out there and take my time and work my way up. I feel like we have a good chance to get a great finish this weekend if we keep our heads straight."  

Dumais wins second straight GT Pole 

Romain Dumas of France, in his first full ALMS season, won his second straight GT class pole with a track record lap of 1:32.244 in the Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT3 RSR he will share with Marc Lieb of Germany. The two will be seeking their first ALMS win together as teammates in Sunday's race. 

"I'm really happy, this is my first time here," said Dumas. "I really like this track. It is not an easy track. It has a European style and the track is not as bumpy. It is quite easy to learn. The track is a lot smoother than most American tracks, most tracks in Europe are very smooth. Not too say American tracks are bad, they just require different driving styles. I was talking to my friend, (CART driver) Sebastian Bourdais, who I used to race with, and he was telling me that you have to adapt your driving style to drive here in the States. Tracks are longer here; they are much shorter in Europe, that is why I like this course, it's not so long." 

The other Job car driven by Jorg Bergmeister and Timo Bernhard qualified second, with third on the grid going to the Petersen Motorsports/White Lightning Porsche of Craig Stanton and David Murry. 

Clint Field wins first ALMS Pole

Young Clint Field continued his outstanding season in the LMP2 class for smaller, less-powerful Prototypes by qualifying on the class pole in the Intersport Racing Lola B2K/40-Judd. 

Field, who won the P2 class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in the ALMS event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, turned a lap of 1:28.952 in the car he will share with his father, Jon, and Robin Liddell of Scotland. 

Jon Field was added to the driver lineup after his LMP1 car was withdrawn from the race due to a cracked tub. The elder Field had two off-track excursions during practice while getting used to the car but the car suffered no damage. 

"As you know, the #37 had a problem with the tub, so my dad switched over to our car which is a lot more 'rolly-polly' and not as rigid which takes some getting used to," said Field. "That's all he was doing; getting used to the car. It's definitely a good feeling to win the pole. In the last couple of races we weren't too far behind the #56 Bucknum Racing car, but to get ahead of them this weekend is a great thing." 

The Bucknum Pilbeam MP91-Nissan of Jeff Bucknum, Chris McMurry and Bryan Willman qualified second, with the Miracle Motorsports Lola-Nissan of Ian James and James Gue third.  

The Racers Group qualifies 4th at Sonoma
Sonoma, CA– July 17, 2004 --The #66 New Century Mortgage/Monster Cable Porsche 911 GT3 RSR qualified in 4th position for Sunday’s Grand Prix of Sonoma, as Porsche works driver Patrick Long took advantage of a traffic-free qualifying field to lay down a nearly perfect lap.  The American Le Mans Series today began a qualifying experiment, altering the format of the session to include groups of five cars, each of which has a total of two timed laps during which to qualify.  The new format allows each car a true top-speed lap, as the sanctioning body allows cars out of the pit lane at timed intervals to ensure adequate spacing.  TRG was an IMSA winner at the former Sears Point Raceway in 1995, when team owner Kevin Buckler made his first professional start and took his first win.  The team will look for its first ALMS win at Infineon tomorrow.   

Patrick Long said, “It was an okay qualifying lap, but not perfect in my opinion.  In the end, we’ve qualified fourth, which is great considering the strength of this field.  This morning, I laid down what I think was a perfect lap here, and it paid off with position 2 in the session.  The team has done a great job of focusing on building us a car that’s simultaneously quick and conservative on the tires, so I think we’ve got a car that’s going to be solid for the duration of the race.” 

The #67 Flamingo Resort/TRG Porsche of Pierre Ehret and Jim Matthews developed a clutch problem in Saturday’s second practice session that would necessitate the installation of a replacement unit, causing the duo to opt out of qualifying.  The car will start the race from the back of the GT grid.   

Jim Matthews said, “It’s not great to miss the qualifying session, but I’m glad that we got the mechanical gremlins out of the way today rather than tomorrow.  I think we’ve got a very well set-up car for the race tomorrow, and Pierre and I are excited to get out there.  This is one of the tracks that he has the most experience at, so we’ll draw on his local knowledge to get up the field.“   

Team owner Kevin Buckler was happy with the day’s results.  “The new qualifying format was really exciting to watch, and it helps us a bit as we’re able to determine everyone’s true pace.  I’d say that it’s less strategic for us now, because you just have to get out there and go for it – with only one lap to warm up the car and the tires and two timed laps the drivers really have to get after it.  It was exciting to sit and watch the session unfold.  We’re in a good position for the race tomorrow, and we’ve built two cars that can be consistent and strong for the duration of their stints.”   

TRG sponsors New Century Mortgage, Monster Cable and CDOC will contribute significantly to the attendance figures of Sunday’s race, as all three companies bring in groups of guests to enjoy wine country and the exotic racecars of the ALMS.  With headquarters near San Francisco, Monster Cable will dispatch a large contingent of local Monsters to cheer on the nos. 66 and 67 cars.   

CBS will broadcast tomorrow’s Grand Prix of Sonoma live at 3pm ET.  

Werner, Lehto score third straight ALMS win
Photos © 2004 Margot Orenchuk
Sonoma, CA – (July 18, 2004) --  JJ Lehto and Marco Werner drove the ADT Champion Racing Audi R8 to victory in Sunday's Infineon Grand Prix of Sonoma at Infineon Raceway, their third consecutive win this season in the American Le Mans Series.  

Chris Dyson and Andy Wallace finished second in the Dyson Racing Lola EX257-AER/MG, just over a minute behind the winners in the two-hour, 45-minute timed event on the 2.53-mile road racing circuit.  

Butch Leitzinger, driving a team Lola to the Dyson/Wallace car, raced Werner hard for the lead in the first 30 minutes of the race but was eliminated from contention when his crew had to repair damage from a small fire that occurred on Leitzinger's first pit stop. The car lost four laps but Leitzinger and co-driver James Weaver rallied to finish third. 

"It was a very difficult race," said Werner. "Butch made it hard for me and pushed me very much. I was able to get a break in traffic and build a bit of a lead and then they had their problem." 

"We had an electrical misfire that dropped us back," said Leitzinger. "We were waiting for a yellow and we got one. We changed all the electrical (boxes) on the car and lost four laps. The car caught fire at the same time. Not a day to write home about." 

Lehto drove the last half of the race in the Audi and was able to maintain a comfortable lead on the Dyson/Wallace car to the finish. "It's always good to win three in a row," said Lehto. "Can it be any better? It's good for the championship. We got the maximum points again and you know we had a really good race. We didn't have any mechanical problems like number 16 (Dyson) had unfortunately they were pushing really hard in the beginning and we thought we were going to have a hard time with them. They had the problem and we were just controlling the race after that." 

FELLOWS, O'CONNELL WIN FOURTH STRAIGHT IN GTS 

Ron Fellows and Johnny O'Connell won the GTS class in the Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C5-R, their fourth consecutive win at Infineon Raceway, tying an ALMS record for the most consecutive wins at a single venue. 

"It's a win, when you win anyplace its great," said O'Connell. "When you win one time at a track you like it. When you win four times at a track you love it."  

Fellows dedicated the win to Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who was to have been driving a team Corvette in the race but was injured in an accident during a practice session earlier in the day. 

"It's kind of a bittersweet win," said Fellows. "We were all a little down this morning after Dale got hurt, but then we still had to get our minds on the race. We're glad to win this one for him."  

The #4 Corvette of Oliver Gavin and Olivier Beretta led most of the race but was eliminated from contention after tangling with the lapped Lamborghini of Tracy Krohn. Gavin was at the wheel and the car suffered body damage that had to be repaired before the car could return to the track and ultimately finish third in class, ironically behind the Lamborghini shared by Krohn and Dave McEntee. 

BERNHARD, BERGMEISTER WIN GT AFTER PENALTY TO LIZARD 

Timo Bernhard and Jorg Bergmeister won the GT class in a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR after apparent winners Johannes van Overbeek and Darren Law received a 42-second post-race penalty for driving through the pits during the race without stopping. 

The win was the first of the season for Bergmeister, who was unable to drive at Sebring earlier this season due to illness and had to watch as Bernhard won the race with co-driver Sascha Maassen for the Alex Job Racing team. 

Van Overbeeck and Law dominated most of the race after gaining nearly a lap lead on the field due to pit stop exchanges. However, after the race it was determined by race officials that the Flying Lizard Motorsports car had done a drive-through of the pits on its first apparent pit stop, a violation of ACO Code 18.10 which requires cars to stop, shut off the engine and then re-fire the engine upon entering the pits. 

The amount of the penalty was calculated by the amount of time the team's Porsche gained by not stopping in the pits. The penalty dropped the car to second place in the final standings. 

The other Job Porsche driven by Romain Dumas and Marc Lieb finished third in the GT class. 

FIELD, LIDDELL WIN AGAIN IN LMP2 

Robin Liddell joined the father-son duo of Jon and Clint Field to win the LMP2 class in the Intersport Racing Lola B2K/40-Judd. It was the second win this season in the ALMS for Liddell and Clint Field, who also won earlier in the year at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. 

Jon Field joined the team as a third driver after his LMP1 car was withdrawn from the race on Saturday due to a cracked tub. 

"Hopefully we can keep him (Liddell) for awhile," said Clint Field. "Robin came in at Mid-Ohio and did a great job. We're glad to have him back and that he can keep it up at Portland. We had one of the better cars today. The Pirellis were great and helped us as the track got more and more slippery as the day went on." 

Ian James and James Gue finished second in the Miracle Motorsports Lola B2K/40-Nissan, followed by the Team Bucknum Racing Pilbeam MP91-Nissan of Jeff Bucknum, Chris McMurry and Bryan Willman. 

PORTLAND NEXT FOR ALMS

The American Le Mans Series will return to Portland (Ore.) International Raceway for the first time since 2001 with the running of next weekend's Portland Grand Prix. The two-hour, 45-minute race will be run on Sunday, July 25, starting at 1 p.m. (PDT).  

The race will be televised live in North America by SPEED Channel, and live in Europe on MotorsTV. The American Le Mans Series Radio Web will have live coverage of the race and of Saturday's qualifying online at www.americanlemans.com.  

Terry Borcheller's homecoming weekend
returning to his racing roots at Sonoma 
Photos courtesy Margot Orenchuk
SONOMA, Calif. (July 14, 2004) -- Terry Borcheller will have a homecoming this week, returning to the track where he received his only formal race instruction. The Gainesville, Ga., driver has won 57 professional races en route to six professional driver championships, but he attended only one four-day racing school. The Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, previously based at Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., gave him the confidence to chase his racing dream. Not only did Borcheller graduate from the school, but he was hired almost immediately as a racing instructor.  

"I have a great appreciation for the track and for the area; it's a special place for me. We have super friends there who we've known for a long time," he said. "My first and only driving school was the Bondurant School, when they were located there. I ended up going to work for them and they are still a personal sponsor for me. That one and only driving school that I ever did in my life solidified for me that I could do this."  

inside secrets
The track, now called Infineon Raceway, will host an American Le Mans Series race on July 18. Borcheller and Johnny Mowlem of Maidenhead, England, will drive the No. 63 ACEMCO Motorsports Saleen S7R in the GTS class. Borcheller said his experience on the 2.53-mile road course is a valuable asset:  

"A lot of teaching is not track-specific, but when you teach at Sears Point, you have to be track-specific because there are so many spots that can bite you. You have to really know the track before you can get to the edge. I think that's why I've always done well there, because I've had the inside knowledge of the track. My instructor, Chris Cook, was great."  

fan base
The Sonoma track offers a diverse calendar of racing events, from go-karts to motorcycles, drag racing, stock cars and sports cars. Borcheller said the range of activities helps to cross-promote different forms of racing.  

"Sears Point has a great fan base, which includes not only a sports-car crowd, but also the karting, drag racing and NASCAR fans who will frequent our event," he said. "It's great for sponsors like K&N Performance Filters."