koolaid117
03-20-05, 08:15 AM
From ALMS website:
ADT CHAMPION RACING, ASTON MARTIN RACING MAKE HISTORY AT MOBIL 1 TWELVE HOURS OF SEBRING
Sebring, Fla. - In the closest finish in race history, the No. 1 ADT Champion Racing Team Audi R8 beat its No. 2 sister car to win the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on Saturday, the season-opener for the American Le Mans Series.
The trio of JJ Lehto, Marco Werner and Tom Kristensen gave Champion Racing its first Sebring victory in the closest competitive finish in Sebring's 53-year history. The No. 1 Audi R8 posted a 6.365-second win over the No. 2 car driven by Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro and Allan McNish.
Biela was trying for a record fourth overall victory in the Sebring race. And he might have gotten it were it not for a pair of stop-and-go penalties early in the race.
Instead, Kristensen won the race for the third time, and Werner and Lehto each won their second Sebring titles. Werner was part of the victorious Audi Sport Team Joest entry in 2003, while Lehto was a winning driver with BMW in 1999.
Ironically, Kristensen and Lehto were part of the previous race record for margin of victory. They teamed with Jorg Mueller in 1999 to win by 9.2 seconds in a BMW V12 LMR.
The victory extended Audi's winning streak at Sebring to six races. The last manufacturer other than Audi to win the historic Florida endurance race was BMW in 1999. Only Porsche has won more consecutive Sebring titles in a row (1976-88).
"This was a great win for the Champion Audi team," Lehto said. "It was tough all the way, we started with a harder compound tire than the No. 2 car which made it very difficult to work, but we were equal all the way. It was a good show for champion, we had tried before and always finished second."
The other big story was the No. 57 Aston Martin Racing DBR9, driven by David Brabham, Peter Kox and Darren Turner. The three gave Aston Martin its first class victory at Sebring since 1956, a span of 49 years. In its ALMS debut, the car outran a pair of Corvette Racing C6-Rs for a one-lap victory over the No. 3 car of Ron Fellows, Johnny O'Connell and Max Papis.
Saturday's race was the first for Aston Martin since 1983, when Reggie Smith, Lynn St. James and Drake Olson placed fifth overall in an Aston Martin Nimrod. Saturday, the Aston Martin crowd got the loudest cheers in the post-race ceremony.
"It was a great race," Brabham said. "It feels so good to beat such strong competition. It's a credit to everybody. We've got a great team, and the Aston Martin is a great car. This was an astonishing finish at such a tough race."
The LMP2 battle was finished with more than two hours left in the race. The No. 10 Miracle Motorsports Courage C65 AER of Ian James, Chris McMurry and Jeff Bucknum took the lead on lap 238 when the No. 27 Kruse Motorsports Courage C65 Judd lost an engine and had to retire.
The remaining class cars were so far behind at that point that they could not catch James, McMurry and Bucknum in the time remaining. It was the fourth class victory for each member of the Miracle trio. James won his second Sebring class title in a row.
The No. 31 Petersen Motorsports/White Lightning Racing Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, driven by Lucas Luhr, Patrick Long and Jorg Bergmeister posted a seven-lap victory in GT2. The defending class winners at the 24 Hours of Le Mans placed second last year and became the first privateer GT2 team to win its class at Sebring since 1999 (Kelly Collins and Cort Wagner in a Porsche 911 RSR).
"The race wasn't really that hard physically," Luhr said. "It's usually much, much hotter. I have to mention our team. The guys did a perfect job with the pit stops. We were quicker than the other teams, which is great for a privateer."
The No. 79 J3 Racing Porsche 911 GT3 RSR of Justin Jackson, Tim Sugden and Nic Jonsson were second in class. It marked the team's highest ALMS finish.
A record crowd was at Sebring International Raceway, one so large that the track cut off access through the main gate at 10:30 a.m., the earliest time in the race's history. An alternate parking area was created off-site to accommodate the overflow crowd.
MOBIL 1 TWELVE HOURS OF SEBRING
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
1. (1) JJ Lehto, Espoo, Finland; Marco Werner, Germany; Tom Kristensen, Hobro, Denmark; Audi R8 (1, P1), 361.
2. (2) Emanuele Pirro, Italy; Allan McNish, Scotland; Frank Biela, Germany; Audi R8 (2, P1), 361.
3. (4) James Weaver, England; Butch Leitzinger, State College, PA; Andy Wallace, England; Lola EX257 AER (3, P1), 341.
4. (14) Darren Turner, England; Stephane Ortelli, Monaco; David Brabham, Australia; Aston Martin DBR9 (4, GT1), 338.
5. (9) Ron Fellows, Canada; Johnny O'Connell, Flowery Branch, GA; Max Papis, Italy; Corvette C6-R (5, GT1), 337.
6. (8) Oliver Gavin, England; Olivier Beretta, Monaco; Jan Magnussen, Denmark; Corvette C6-R (6, GT1), 323.
7. (20) Jorg Bergmeister, Germany; Lucas Luhr, Germany; Patrick Long, Oak Park, CA; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (7, GT2), 321.
8. (11) Johnny Mowlem, England; Ralf Kelleners, Germany; Terry Borcheller, Gainesville, GA; Saleen S7R (8, GT1), 318.
9. (19) Andrea Bertolini, Italy; Fabio Babini, Italy; Fabrizio De Simone, Italy; Maserati MC12 (9, GT1), 316.
10. (15) Ryan Dalziel, Scotland; Alex Figgie, Hollywood, CA; David Empringham, Toronto, Ontario; Corvette C5-R (10, GT1), 315.
11. (29) Tim Sudgen, England; Nic Jonsson, Sweden; Justin Jackson, Buford, GA; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (11, GT2), 314.
12. (6) Jeff Bucknum, Lake Havasu City, AZ; Ian James, England; Chris McMurry, Phoenix, AZ; Courage C-65 (12, P2), 311.
13. (23) Jon Fogarty, Palo Alto, CA; Darren Law, Phoenix, AZ; Johannes van Overbeek, San Francisco, CA; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (13, GT2), 311.
14. (16) Jean-Philippe Belloc, France; Michele Rugulo, Italy; Tom Weickardt, Whitefish Bay, WI; Dodge Viper (14, GT1), 310.
15. (13) Peter Kox, The Netherlands; Pedro Lamy, Lisbon Portugal; Stephane Sarrazin, France; Aston Martin DBR9 (15, GT1), 303.
16. (34) Michael Cawley, Atlanta, GA; Tracy Krohn, Houston, TX; Marc Sluszny, Belgium; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (16, GT2), 297.
17. (33) Michael Vergers, England; Andrew Thompson, Scotland; Juan Barazi, Switzerland; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (17, GT2), 278.
18. (37) Andy Lally, New York, NY; Steve Ivankovich, Kingstown, St Vincent; Spencer Pumpelly, Mason Neck, VA; Porsche 911 GT3 RS (18, GT2), 275.
19. (3) Guy Smith, England; Chris Dyson, Pleasant Valley, NY; Lola EX257 AER (19, P1), 264.
20. (24) Gunnar Jeannette, Palm Beach Gardens, FL; Scott Maxwell, Canada; Bryan Sellers, Centerville, OH; Panoz Esperante eGTLM (20, GT2), 239.
21. (7) Harold Primat, Switzerland; Phillip Bennett, England; Ian Mitchell, UK; Courage C-65 Judd (21, P2), 238, Engine.
22. (28) Mike Rockenfeller, Germany; Martin Jensen, Denmark; Tony Burgess, Canada; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (22, GT2), 207, Engine.
23. (10) Michael Lewis, San Diego, CA; Tomy Drissi, Hollywood, CA; Bryan Willman, Kirkland, WA; Riley & Scott MRK IIIC (23, P1), 202, Gearbox.
24. (5) Jon Field, Dublin, OH; Duncan Dayton, North Salem, NY; Gregor Fisken, Scotland; Lola B05/40/AER (24, P2), 166, Gearbox.
25. (31) Richard Dean, England; Patrick Pearce, England; Marc Hynes, England; TVR 400R (25, GT2), 157.
26. (17) Christophe Bouchut, France; Fabricio Gollin, France; Sebastien Bourdais, France; Ferrari 550 Maranello (26, GT1), 155, Gearbox.
27. (32) Jonny Kane, Ireland; Lawrence Tomilson, Ireland; Warren Hughes, England; TVR 400R (27, GT2), 136.
28. (12) Joao Barbosa, Portugal; Didier Theys, Belgium; Michael Krumm, Germany; Dallara Nissan (28, P1), 130.
29. (21) Bill Auberlen, Hermosa Beach, CA; Robin Liddell, Scotland; Emanuele Naspetti, Italy; Panoz Esperante eGTLM (29, GT2), 121, Electrical.
30. (36) Tom Coronel, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Marc Goosens, Belgium; Donny Crevels, The Netherlands; Spyker C-8 Spyder GT2 R (30, GT2), 121, Mechanical.
31. (22) Timo Bernhard, Germany; Romain Dumas, France; Sascha Maassen, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (31, GT2), 98, Engine.
32. (35) Clint Field, Dublin, OH; Gareth Ridpath, UK; Liz Halliday, Rancho Santa Fe, CA; Lola B2K/40/Judd (32, P2), 62, Electrical.
33. (25) Randy Pobst, Gainesville, GA; Ian Baas, Noblesville, IN; Brian Cunningham, Danville, KY; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (33, GT2), 62, Transmission.
34. (26) Lonnie Pechnik, Pacific Grove, CA; Seth Neiman, Burlingame, CA; David Murry, Cumming, GA; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (34, GT2), 46, Engine.
35. (27) Pierre Ehret, Santa Rosa, CA; Kevin Buckler, Sonoma, CA; Andrew Davis, Lilburn, GA; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (35, GT2), 21, Wheel.
36. (38) Peter van Merkensteyn, The Netherlands; Frans Munsterhuis, The Netherlands; Marino Franchitti, Scotland; Spyker C-8 Spyder GT2 R (36, GT2), 18, Lost Drive.
37. (18) William Binnie, Portsmouth, NH; Adam Sharpe, England; Robert Julien, Canada; Lola B05/42 McLaren (37, P2), 11, Excluded.
38. (30) Nigel Smith, Landau, Germany; Rick Sutherland, Los Gatos, CA; Rick Cole, Southampton, England; Saleen S7R (38, GT1), 0, Accident.
UNOFFICIAL ALMS POINTS STANDINGS
LMP1
Marco Werner 26
Tom Kristensen 26
JJ Lehto 26
Allan McNish 22
Emanuele Pirro 22
Frank Biela 22
James Weaver 19
Andy Wallace 19
Butch Leitzinger 19
Chris Dyson 16
Guy Smith 16
LMP2
Ian James 26
Jeff Bucknum 26
Chris McMurry 26
GT1
Darren Turner 26
Stephane Ortelli 26
David Brabham 26
Max Papis 22
Ron Fellows 22
Johnny O`Connell 22
Olivier Beretta 19
Ralf Kelleners 19
Johnny Mowlem 19
Oliver Gavin 19
Terry Borcheller 19
Jan Magnussen 19
David Empringham 12
Alex Figge 12
Ryan Dalziel 12
Michele Rugolo 10
Jean-Philippe Belloc 10
Tom Weickardt 10
Stephane Sarrazin 9
Pedro Lamy 9
Peter Kox 9
GT2
Patrick Long 26
Jorg Bergmeister 26
Lucas Luhr 26
Tim Sugden 22
Nic Jonsson 22
Jon Fogarty 19
Johannes van Overbeek 19
Darren Law 19
Marc Sluszny 16
Tracy Krohn 16
Michael Cawley 16
Andrew Thompson 14
Michael Vergers 14
Juan Barazi 14
Spencer Pumpelly 12
Andy Lally 12
ADT CHAMPION RACING, ASTON MARTIN RACING MAKE HISTORY AT MOBIL 1 TWELVE HOURS OF SEBRING
Sebring, Fla. - In the closest finish in race history, the No. 1 ADT Champion Racing Team Audi R8 beat its No. 2 sister car to win the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on Saturday, the season-opener for the American Le Mans Series.
The trio of JJ Lehto, Marco Werner and Tom Kristensen gave Champion Racing its first Sebring victory in the closest competitive finish in Sebring's 53-year history. The No. 1 Audi R8 posted a 6.365-second win over the No. 2 car driven by Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro and Allan McNish.
Biela was trying for a record fourth overall victory in the Sebring race. And he might have gotten it were it not for a pair of stop-and-go penalties early in the race.
Instead, Kristensen won the race for the third time, and Werner and Lehto each won their second Sebring titles. Werner was part of the victorious Audi Sport Team Joest entry in 2003, while Lehto was a winning driver with BMW in 1999.
Ironically, Kristensen and Lehto were part of the previous race record for margin of victory. They teamed with Jorg Mueller in 1999 to win by 9.2 seconds in a BMW V12 LMR.
The victory extended Audi's winning streak at Sebring to six races. The last manufacturer other than Audi to win the historic Florida endurance race was BMW in 1999. Only Porsche has won more consecutive Sebring titles in a row (1976-88).
"This was a great win for the Champion Audi team," Lehto said. "It was tough all the way, we started with a harder compound tire than the No. 2 car which made it very difficult to work, but we were equal all the way. It was a good show for champion, we had tried before and always finished second."
The other big story was the No. 57 Aston Martin Racing DBR9, driven by David Brabham, Peter Kox and Darren Turner. The three gave Aston Martin its first class victory at Sebring since 1956, a span of 49 years. In its ALMS debut, the car outran a pair of Corvette Racing C6-Rs for a one-lap victory over the No. 3 car of Ron Fellows, Johnny O'Connell and Max Papis.
Saturday's race was the first for Aston Martin since 1983, when Reggie Smith, Lynn St. James and Drake Olson placed fifth overall in an Aston Martin Nimrod. Saturday, the Aston Martin crowd got the loudest cheers in the post-race ceremony.
"It was a great race," Brabham said. "It feels so good to beat such strong competition. It's a credit to everybody. We've got a great team, and the Aston Martin is a great car. This was an astonishing finish at such a tough race."
The LMP2 battle was finished with more than two hours left in the race. The No. 10 Miracle Motorsports Courage C65 AER of Ian James, Chris McMurry and Jeff Bucknum took the lead on lap 238 when the No. 27 Kruse Motorsports Courage C65 Judd lost an engine and had to retire.
The remaining class cars were so far behind at that point that they could not catch James, McMurry and Bucknum in the time remaining. It was the fourth class victory for each member of the Miracle trio. James won his second Sebring class title in a row.
The No. 31 Petersen Motorsports/White Lightning Racing Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, driven by Lucas Luhr, Patrick Long and Jorg Bergmeister posted a seven-lap victory in GT2. The defending class winners at the 24 Hours of Le Mans placed second last year and became the first privateer GT2 team to win its class at Sebring since 1999 (Kelly Collins and Cort Wagner in a Porsche 911 RSR).
"The race wasn't really that hard physically," Luhr said. "It's usually much, much hotter. I have to mention our team. The guys did a perfect job with the pit stops. We were quicker than the other teams, which is great for a privateer."
The No. 79 J3 Racing Porsche 911 GT3 RSR of Justin Jackson, Tim Sugden and Nic Jonsson were second in class. It marked the team's highest ALMS finish.
A record crowd was at Sebring International Raceway, one so large that the track cut off access through the main gate at 10:30 a.m., the earliest time in the race's history. An alternate parking area was created off-site to accommodate the overflow crowd.
MOBIL 1 TWELVE HOURS OF SEBRING
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
1. (1) JJ Lehto, Espoo, Finland; Marco Werner, Germany; Tom Kristensen, Hobro, Denmark; Audi R8 (1, P1), 361.
2. (2) Emanuele Pirro, Italy; Allan McNish, Scotland; Frank Biela, Germany; Audi R8 (2, P1), 361.
3. (4) James Weaver, England; Butch Leitzinger, State College, PA; Andy Wallace, England; Lola EX257 AER (3, P1), 341.
4. (14) Darren Turner, England; Stephane Ortelli, Monaco; David Brabham, Australia; Aston Martin DBR9 (4, GT1), 338.
5. (9) Ron Fellows, Canada; Johnny O'Connell, Flowery Branch, GA; Max Papis, Italy; Corvette C6-R (5, GT1), 337.
6. (8) Oliver Gavin, England; Olivier Beretta, Monaco; Jan Magnussen, Denmark; Corvette C6-R (6, GT1), 323.
7. (20) Jorg Bergmeister, Germany; Lucas Luhr, Germany; Patrick Long, Oak Park, CA; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (7, GT2), 321.
8. (11) Johnny Mowlem, England; Ralf Kelleners, Germany; Terry Borcheller, Gainesville, GA; Saleen S7R (8, GT1), 318.
9. (19) Andrea Bertolini, Italy; Fabio Babini, Italy; Fabrizio De Simone, Italy; Maserati MC12 (9, GT1), 316.
10. (15) Ryan Dalziel, Scotland; Alex Figgie, Hollywood, CA; David Empringham, Toronto, Ontario; Corvette C5-R (10, GT1), 315.
11. (29) Tim Sudgen, England; Nic Jonsson, Sweden; Justin Jackson, Buford, GA; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (11, GT2), 314.
12. (6) Jeff Bucknum, Lake Havasu City, AZ; Ian James, England; Chris McMurry, Phoenix, AZ; Courage C-65 (12, P2), 311.
13. (23) Jon Fogarty, Palo Alto, CA; Darren Law, Phoenix, AZ; Johannes van Overbeek, San Francisco, CA; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (13, GT2), 311.
14. (16) Jean-Philippe Belloc, France; Michele Rugulo, Italy; Tom Weickardt, Whitefish Bay, WI; Dodge Viper (14, GT1), 310.
15. (13) Peter Kox, The Netherlands; Pedro Lamy, Lisbon Portugal; Stephane Sarrazin, France; Aston Martin DBR9 (15, GT1), 303.
16. (34) Michael Cawley, Atlanta, GA; Tracy Krohn, Houston, TX; Marc Sluszny, Belgium; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (16, GT2), 297.
17. (33) Michael Vergers, England; Andrew Thompson, Scotland; Juan Barazi, Switzerland; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (17, GT2), 278.
18. (37) Andy Lally, New York, NY; Steve Ivankovich, Kingstown, St Vincent; Spencer Pumpelly, Mason Neck, VA; Porsche 911 GT3 RS (18, GT2), 275.
19. (3) Guy Smith, England; Chris Dyson, Pleasant Valley, NY; Lola EX257 AER (19, P1), 264.
20. (24) Gunnar Jeannette, Palm Beach Gardens, FL; Scott Maxwell, Canada; Bryan Sellers, Centerville, OH; Panoz Esperante eGTLM (20, GT2), 239.
21. (7) Harold Primat, Switzerland; Phillip Bennett, England; Ian Mitchell, UK; Courage C-65 Judd (21, P2), 238, Engine.
22. (28) Mike Rockenfeller, Germany; Martin Jensen, Denmark; Tony Burgess, Canada; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (22, GT2), 207, Engine.
23. (10) Michael Lewis, San Diego, CA; Tomy Drissi, Hollywood, CA; Bryan Willman, Kirkland, WA; Riley & Scott MRK IIIC (23, P1), 202, Gearbox.
24. (5) Jon Field, Dublin, OH; Duncan Dayton, North Salem, NY; Gregor Fisken, Scotland; Lola B05/40/AER (24, P2), 166, Gearbox.
25. (31) Richard Dean, England; Patrick Pearce, England; Marc Hynes, England; TVR 400R (25, GT2), 157.
26. (17) Christophe Bouchut, France; Fabricio Gollin, France; Sebastien Bourdais, France; Ferrari 550 Maranello (26, GT1), 155, Gearbox.
27. (32) Jonny Kane, Ireland; Lawrence Tomilson, Ireland; Warren Hughes, England; TVR 400R (27, GT2), 136.
28. (12) Joao Barbosa, Portugal; Didier Theys, Belgium; Michael Krumm, Germany; Dallara Nissan (28, P1), 130.
29. (21) Bill Auberlen, Hermosa Beach, CA; Robin Liddell, Scotland; Emanuele Naspetti, Italy; Panoz Esperante eGTLM (29, GT2), 121, Electrical.
30. (36) Tom Coronel, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Marc Goosens, Belgium; Donny Crevels, The Netherlands; Spyker C-8 Spyder GT2 R (30, GT2), 121, Mechanical.
31. (22) Timo Bernhard, Germany; Romain Dumas, France; Sascha Maassen, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (31, GT2), 98, Engine.
32. (35) Clint Field, Dublin, OH; Gareth Ridpath, UK; Liz Halliday, Rancho Santa Fe, CA; Lola B2K/40/Judd (32, P2), 62, Electrical.
33. (25) Randy Pobst, Gainesville, GA; Ian Baas, Noblesville, IN; Brian Cunningham, Danville, KY; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (33, GT2), 62, Transmission.
34. (26) Lonnie Pechnik, Pacific Grove, CA; Seth Neiman, Burlingame, CA; David Murry, Cumming, GA; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (34, GT2), 46, Engine.
35. (27) Pierre Ehret, Santa Rosa, CA; Kevin Buckler, Sonoma, CA; Andrew Davis, Lilburn, GA; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (35, GT2), 21, Wheel.
36. (38) Peter van Merkensteyn, The Netherlands; Frans Munsterhuis, The Netherlands; Marino Franchitti, Scotland; Spyker C-8 Spyder GT2 R (36, GT2), 18, Lost Drive.
37. (18) William Binnie, Portsmouth, NH; Adam Sharpe, England; Robert Julien, Canada; Lola B05/42 McLaren (37, P2), 11, Excluded.
38. (30) Nigel Smith, Landau, Germany; Rick Sutherland, Los Gatos, CA; Rick Cole, Southampton, England; Saleen S7R (38, GT1), 0, Accident.
UNOFFICIAL ALMS POINTS STANDINGS
LMP1
Marco Werner 26
Tom Kristensen 26
JJ Lehto 26
Allan McNish 22
Emanuele Pirro 22
Frank Biela 22
James Weaver 19
Andy Wallace 19
Butch Leitzinger 19
Chris Dyson 16
Guy Smith 16
LMP2
Ian James 26
Jeff Bucknum 26
Chris McMurry 26
GT1
Darren Turner 26
Stephane Ortelli 26
David Brabham 26
Max Papis 22
Ron Fellows 22
Johnny O`Connell 22
Olivier Beretta 19
Ralf Kelleners 19
Johnny Mowlem 19
Oliver Gavin 19
Terry Borcheller 19
Jan Magnussen 19
David Empringham 12
Alex Figge 12
Ryan Dalziel 12
Michele Rugolo 10
Jean-Philippe Belloc 10
Tom Weickardt 10
Stephane Sarrazin 9
Pedro Lamy 9
Peter Kox 9
GT2
Patrick Long 26
Jorg Bergmeister 26
Lucas Luhr 26
Tim Sugden 22
Nic Jonsson 22
Jon Fogarty 19
Johannes van Overbeek 19
Darren Law 19
Marc Sluszny 16
Tracy Krohn 16
Michael Cawley 16
Andrew Thompson 14
Michael Vergers 14
Juan Barazi 14
Spencer Pumpelly 12
Andy Lally 12