“Want to see my Rolex?”

Johnny Mowlem of ACEMCO Racing

By Margot Orenchuk

Photos courtesy ACEMCO Racing

SEBRING, Fl. (March 16, 2004) --  Johnny Mowlem comes into the ALMS season fresh off of a class win in the 24 hours of Daytona. And he’s a very happy boy! (Really, he is). He is stepping up from the GT class in 2003 to run with the GTS class S7R sleek and powerful ACEMCO Saleen. With the full backing of Pirelli development and his teammate, Johnny is a man on a mission. And that mission is to take it to Corvette, and Ferrari, and any other GTS out there! The top step is where he wants to be, and I’m sure if passion and desire and talent would be enough, we would see his team up there most racing weekends. RFM is pleased to present Part 2 of our exclusive ACEMCO Saleen Pre-Sebring 3-part driver profile, Johnny Mowlem. 

Margot Orenchuk: First off, congratulations on your spectacular (class) win at Daytona! (I’m sure they are still drying out your car). While it’s not the series you are running in this weekend, please tell us about that wild ride in Florida, and how close you came to winning it all. (And are you going to show us your new watch?) 

Johnny Mowlem: Other than the rear windscreen dropping into the car at about 3am, and me having to loosen my belts and wipe a hole in the screen with my glove when it got really bad at one point, the Orbit Porsche ran pretty much like clockwork. The only other problem – beside the Flying Lizard car – was our radio wasn’t working properly. The conditions made it an extraordinary race. It was also nice for me to see my ALMS teammate Terry Borcheller win (overall). Jeff Giangrande rang us both to wish us luck before the race, and I joked with him about us both winning a Rolex, and look what happened. Brabs won a Rolex last year as well, so obviously Jeff only likes to hire people with a Daytona on their wrist!! 

MO: How has the testing been going with your new teammate, Terry Borcheller? 

JM: Testing has been going very well. So far we have done a week or so proper testing and also some straight-line and wind tunnel work, which will allow us to move forward even more quickly. We’ve also got another week of testing coming up at Sebring when we’re going to do a 12 hour simulation (probably a 6 + 6 hour). All in all I’m confident that Jeff Giangrande and his ACEMCO team, along with Saleen and Pirelli’s support, are doing everything within their power to get us up there challenging for GTS wins. It has been a pleasure working with Terry also, and he’s been very helpful in showing me the ropes, as he knows the S7R far better than I. We’re both being joined at Sebring by David Braham, and this is also a demonstration of just how serious an effort this is, when we’re sharing driving duties with one of the best sports car drivers around. 

MO: Tell us about your new car, the ACEMCO Saleen. Is she as fast as she is beautiful? 

JM: Yes, she is fast. At the moment my feeling is that I’m not getting 100% out of her, but that’s just because she has so much more to give, and I have to learn how to get her to give it up!! 

MO: Has Sebring been a kind track to you? Do you enjoy racing here? 

JM:  Sebring has been kind to me, although perhaps not as much as Daytona!! I’ve raced there 4 times and finished 2^nd twice. Having said that, I have bittersweet memories also, as in 2001 we lost Bob Wollek at the Sebring race weekend, and as a result we didn’t race. I always think of Bob when I go back. 

MO: Which one of you will be qualifying the car this weekend?  

JM: We don’t know yet. Jeff Giangrande sat me and Terry down at the end of the last test, and decided that we would alternate qualifying. We may mix this up a bit depending on our various preferences to different tracks that we visit, but it will balance out throughout the season. I suspect that Terry may well qualify first at Sebring, given his greater experience of the car, but I don’t really know. Ultimately it’s irrelevant, as long as we end up wining the race, I don’t care who qualifies!! 

MO: What is the biggest change you need to make in your driving style when you swap classes? 

JM: I’m not really swapping classes much now, because after Daytona (that Rolex feels good on my wrist by the way!), I’m not scheduled to drive anything other than the Saleen S7R. That’ll keep me busy enough, especially with all the test dates we have scheduled. I may well drive selected FIA and LMES rounds, and if that’s in a Porsche again it’ll be no problem as I can drive them in my sleep. I’m currently focusing on the ALMS and really the only other thing I need to sort out in the next few weeks is a competitive Le Mans drive. 

MO: Who are you looking most forward to mixing it up with when the checkered drops on Saturday? 

JM: Oliver Gavin and Jan Magnussen in a Corvette! 

MO: How is the tire development going with Pirelli? Do you think you will be up to speed this year?  

JM: Pirelli have really thrown 110% of their support behind Jeff and his team. I’ve never seen them this fired up, and I have no doubts that they will try to do whatever they have to, to beat Michelin and Corvette.

MO: Is ACEMCO going back to Le Mans? 

JM:  As of now, no. 

MO: What to you think is going to be your greatest challenge this weekend? 

JM:  I think keeping focused throughout the whole race, even when I’ll be getting tired after having driven a couple of stints, and making sure I don’t make any mistakes and bring the team home the result they deserve, the top step!! 

MO: Are you looking forward to showing what the ACEMCO Saleen can do at Sebring? Do you realistically feel you can show the car well against the factory Corvette?  

JM: It is too early to tell. We’ve heard a few lap time comparisons from the various Sebring tire tests that we’ve both done, and that indicates that we are close, but by no means there yet. However, the Saleen in my opinion has a lot more speed to be unlocked from it in chassis, engine and aero areas, than the Corvette, so you have to say, that even if we don’t beat Corvette at Sebring, as we develop the S7R, there will be races this year when they definitely won’t be having it their own way, and I’m sure they will relish that challenge also. After all, it is for the good of the ALMS series as a whole if there is a good fight going on in GTS, especially as it is fast becoming the premier class for the world’s car manufacturers. Saleen, Corvette, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Maserati are all committed to GTS programmes over the next few years.