"We're really looking forward to a great race in Portland."
Lucas Luhr of BAM! Motorsports
By Margot Orenchuk
Photos courtesy Margot Orenchuk
Mont-Tremblant, Quebec and Portland, Ore. (July 25, 2004) -- Lucas Luhr comes into the ALMS series in 2004 as a Porsche Factory driver on the loan; driving for his old team Alex Job Racing at Sebring he placed 2nd to his former teammate Sascha Maassen (MUCH to his displeasure due to a botched pit stop). He’s not in the hunt for the Championship this year, and he can’t defend his 2003 Title. Yet he’s pleased and happy to assist and help out his BAM! Team-mates Leo Hindery, Mike Rockenfeller and Sascha (again) to win a few this year for the #43 RSR Porsche. He hasn’t seen much seat time yet, but he had firmly placed the BAM! Porsche in 2nd place qualifying at Lime Rock; and any observer of this series knows this fine young driver will do no less than place the car as high up as he possibly can.

This 3-time GT Le Mans Champion decided to give the race a skip this year to test the waters of Nürburgring. As I kept running down to inform the Porsche drivers of Lucas’s standings during the Le Mans race and Sascha told me the BMWs were unstoppable, and to stop dreaming... And he came in a stunning 3rd out of 219 cars! When I spoke to him in Mont-Tremblant in April he really looked so hopeful that he had a chance of winning that race, overall. And how remarkable was it when you sit back and think about it; 3rd out of 219. And he’s only 24 years old. And he’s already won Le Mans 3 TIMES. Is there any Sports Car driver out there to touch him? How lucky we are as racing fans to get to see this man race! In the words of Leo Hindery “There is no driver I’d rather have beside me than Lucas Luhr” He’s such a fierce, natural talent behind the wheel and such a quiet, nice young man when not behind it.

Margot Orenchuk: You have left regular competition in the ALMS and are only racing in select ones this year; are you really bored already as the “rumour mill” suggests?

Lucas Luhr: Well, not really. I don’t win ALL the time but it just looks like it. But I can only win the GT classes in the ALMS series and of course at Le Mans working for Porsche.

MO: You looked so unhappy with your 2nd place finish this year in Sebring.

LL: If things don’t go as they should do, like in Sebring when we loose a race because of a bad pit stop, which is because of something else. We were in the lead at the time and both (AJR) cars came in at the same time and then 23 car got out in front of us, and ended up winning the race. And that is what made me so upset about coming in second, because it wasn’t my driving or my teammates driving or anything that happened on the track.

MO: How are you finding driving in the FIA GT? It looks like you are walking in there and blowing everybody away like you did during your time in the ALMS.

LL: It looks like it, but it is really close racing.

MO: But are you enjoying it?

LL: We have 2 really strong teammates; it’s hard to beat them. It’s defiantly a harder job to beat them than it was to beat them (our Alex Job) teammates in the US. And even so, its’ the same thing, we won the Championship in America 3 years in a row and so that is why we went to Europe. I know most of the American racetracks; I didn’t even know Hockenheim, my home track!!

MO: And you have never driven it?

LL: No!

MO: Not even as a kid Karting?

LL: No.

MO: Are your parents proud of you?

LL: Ya, they are.

MO: How long have you been racing?

LL: I started when I was 8.

MO: And you live in Monaco. It sounds very exotic; do you live in a house? Or have a yacht like Jacques Villenuve?

LL: No, (laughs) I just have an apartment.

MO: Now here is the million-dollar question; do you actually ever get home? Do you have a life? You race every weekend.

LL: Not really. I go somewhere next and the next but THEN I have one week off. So, I get to go to Monaco. July and August I have 8 weeks straight, and than I get to go home. Usually I get to fly home for a Tuesday, maybe get to spend a Wednesday home then off again for a whole week.

MO: So you have no life!

LL: Summer, no! I get one in the wintertime. Obviously my life isn’t an 8 to 4 during the summertime and we do we have some weeks where it’s really busy during the season, the whole season is busy, but like October to January we are off and we can do most like what ever we want, well except for Daytona in January. But for me, at my age, I have flown to places in the world and seen things and experienced things that some will have never and will never see in their lifetime. I’ve seen nearly everywhere in the world. I’m so blessed.

And for a quick update and a few unhappy results for the BAM! Team, we are in very sunny, extremely hot Portland, Ore for round 5 for the AMLS series and Lucas and Leo Hindery sat down and quickly spoke about their qualifying hopes this afternoon.

MO: Lucas, you’ve had a chance to get out in the BAM! Car already this weekend and get re-acquainted with the Portland track; do you feel good about how the car feels?

LL: Ya, I mean the last 2 races have been just bad luck for us, especially at Sears Point we did so well in qualifying but then we were just unlucky with am electrical problem, and Lime Rock it was the weather all over the place, a lot of guys had problems, it certainly wasn’t just us. We are really looking forward to having a great race here in Portland. All of the BAM! Guys are working their tails off to give us a great car and the car is really great and to fine tune a little.

MO: So how did the car feel today?

LL: Today we improved the car quite a lot, we still need to work a little bit but we are very hopeful.

MO: The track should be 25 deg cooler tomorrow.

LL: That definitely helps! If you sit in these in the car conditions for an hour, or more (it’s been 100 deg, 124 on track) you are going to be worn out. So if the temperature drops in doesn’t just help us and the car, it helps everybody.

MO: Does your previous experience, help your team set up here?

LL: On this level, the GT class in absolutely the strongest competition in the whole ALMS series now. They don’t need just a few races at a track to win, they just need a few laps and they are there. And the last time I was here was in 2001. I almost don’t even remember what the track looks like.

MO: Leo! How are you feeling? Have you been out on the track yet?

Leo Hindery: Yes, and we are very anxious as Lucas said to get out and finish a race what Lucas said was when we have someone that can race as well has he can, as well as anybody out there. We have just had some bad luck at Lime Rock, then electrical at Infineon; we should do fairly well here, as long as we keep Lucas in the car. Because it really is such a Team Effort. We get so disappointed for the team. It’s so hard to race the car, not just to qualify the car. And we know with Lucas in the car we know we can be as good out there with anybody qualifying we just make sure we run this one. The track seems to be a little slipperier; we are excited about this afternoon, and you should see us right near the top if not right at the top.

MO: And they are going back to the regular qualifying rules this weekend?

LH: Yes, they are. Lucas will be qualifying the car for the BAM! Team.

Thanks as usual to Sylva Proudfoot and Lucas and Leo for their time, but an Extra-special thank-you to Lucas; it’s been such a great pleasure to meet, talk and interview him this past year as he gave up his free time he didn’t have to, to speak to me.