Petit Le Mans Preview
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| Last year's Petit LeMans winner the Toyota Lola of Neel Jani |
FAST FACTS
TUDOR CHAMPIONSHIP
The Race: Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda
The Place: Road Atlanta
The Date: Saturday, Oct. 4
The Track: 2.54-mile, 12-turn road course
The Race Length: 10 hours
Broadcast Schedule:
Qualifying (IMSA.com)
Friday: 4:20 p.m. (ET)
Race (IMSA.com)
Saturday: 11 a.m. (ET) – LIVE
Race (FOX Sports 2)
Saturday: 3 p.m. (ET) – LIVE
Race (FOX)
Sunday: Check your local listings
CONTINENTAL TIRE CHALLENGE
The Race: Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda
The Place: Road Atlanta
The Date: Friday, Oct. 3
The Track: 2.54-mile, 12-turn road course
The Race Length: Two hours, 30 minutes
Broadcast Schedule:
Race (IMSA.com)
Friday, 1:15 p.m. (ET) – LIVE
Race (FOX Sports 1)
Oct. 12, noon (ET)
Titles On The Line At Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda
The inaugural TUDOR United SportsCar Championship will conclude at Road Atlanta on Saturday with the 17th annual of Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda.
Titles in both the TUDOR Championship and Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup will be on the line in the race, which takes the green flag at 11:15 a.m. ET Petit Le Mans will run the full 10-hour distance. In the past, the event was scheduled for 1,000 miles or 10 hours.
The finale will crown champions in the Prototype (P), GT Le Mans (GTLM), Prototype Challenge (PC) and GT Daytona (GTD) classes. While only the PC driver title has been decided in favor of Colin Braun and Jon Bennett, PC team honors will go down to the line in the finale, in addition to driver, team and manufacturer honors in all other classes.
Petit Le Mans also will conclude the Patron Endurance Cup, a four-race competition featuring the four longest races on the TUDOR Championship schedule. The Rolex 24 At Daytona, Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida and Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen join Petit Le Mans in the competition, which awards points for each class at strategic points in each event.
For Road Atlanta, points will be awarded after four hours, eight hours and the finish of the 10-hour race, with five points for first, four for second, three for third and two points for all other competitors.
In addition to live coverage on IMSA.com and FOX Sports 2, Petit Le Mans will be telecast on the FOX network on Sunday, with times for the two-hour program depending on the network's NFL coverage in each market.
Fittipaldi, Barbosa Have Prototype Championship In Grasp
The order of business is straightforward to Action Express Racing in the Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda.
By starting the race, the No. 5 Action Express Corvette DP clinches the Prototype class team championship. Drivers Christian Fittipaldi and Joao Barbosa will share the driver championship if each achieve the minimum 45-minute driving time.
"Hopefully, we can come out of this race smiling," said Fittipaldi, who won the 1991 International F3000 championship before enjoying success in Formula One, Champ Car, NASCAR and sports cars. "There are two championships on the line, and we're definitely going to try to do our every best to try and grab both of them. But we know it's very hard, and very competitive, also."
The Patron Endurance Cup points race is closer, with the No. 5 Corvette DP holding a five-point lead over teammates Burt and Brian Frisselle in the No. 9 Action Express Corvette DP, 31-26 points. Sage Karam – who is not entered at Road Atlanta – also has 26 points.
Max Angelelli and brothers Ricky and Jordan Taylor have scored 25 points in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette DP, while Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas have 24 points in the No. 01 Telcel Ford EcoBoost/Riley DP for Chip Ganassi Racing.
Tech Corner: IMSA Competitors Take Clean, Fast, Efficient Approach To Green Racing
Known as the "race within the race," the Green Racing Initiative's Green Challenge Award recognizes the teams and manufacturers of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship that go the farthest and fastest with the smallest environmental footprint.
Since 2006, Green Racing has encouraged racing with relevance: becoming a part of the solution instead of contributing to the problem. Developed and sponsored by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), SAE International (one of the nation's leading transportation engineering associations), and several automotive industry leaders, the Green Racing Initiative (GRI) aims to leverage the technology innovation of the racing community to develop and transfer cleaner, more efficient fuels and vehicle technologies to consumer vehicles.
The Green Racing partnership with IMSA represents a tremendous opportunity to demonstrate that efficient automotive technologies can meet the performance requirements of even the most demanding customers.
For example, teams in the highly-competitive GTLM class adopted E85 (fuel that is 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline) as their fuel of choice, demonstrating that renewable fuels can have superior performance. As a result of using E85, teams achieved 62 percent petroleum reduction and 65 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions compared to the previously-used oil-based fuels.
In 2013, Honda and Chevrolet received the American Le Mans Series Presented by Tequila Patron Green Challenge Manufacturer's Championship awards while Muscle Milk Pickett Racing and Corvette Racing were named the Team Champions from IMSA.
This year's season-long Green Racing awards will be presented at the TUDOR Night of Champions at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City on Monday, Oct. 13.
Together, Green Racing and IMSA are advancing vehicle technologies, reducing oil use, and limiting carbon emissions while proving the performance and benefits of these technologies on a global stage.
The Green Racing team looks forward to a continued partnership to make racing cleaner, greener, more efficient, and even more exciting in the TUDOR Championship.
CORE autosport Can Sweep All Four Patron Endurance Cup Events
With one championship already clinched and another in its grasp, CORE autosport goes to Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda with two major items of business.
First is the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship team title. With the drivers' title already secured for Jon Bennett and Colin Braun, CORE enters the finale with an 11-point lead over 8Star Motorsports in the team category. Running a streak of three consecutive titles from the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron, CORE is looking to make it four straight for the No. 54 ORECA FLM09.
CORE autosport also will clinch the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup by starting the race, with Bennett, Braun and James Gue sharing drivers honors after each meets the two-hour, 15-minute required time needed to score points. With PC victories in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida and Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen, CORE autosport can sweep its class by winning in the four endurance races on the schedule.
8Star takes momentum into the finale, with Sean Rayhall winning the last two races in the No. 25 Takis ORECA FLM09. Rayhall will be joined by Tom Kimber Smith in the finale.
TUDOR Championship, Etc.
The Metro Atlanta Area has been a magnet for teams and drivers in the TUDOR Championship, with three teams and a number of drivers calling the area home. Team DeltaWing (Braselton), Paul Miller Racing (Buford) and Dempsey Racing (Flowery Branch) are based nearby.
Among the drivers now living in the region are Sean Rayhall (Winston), Andy Lally (Dacula), Leh Keen (Atlanta), Spencer Pumpelly (Atlanta), Bryan Sellers (Atlanta), Andrew Davis (Athens), Nic Jonsson (Buford), James Gue (Alpharetta), Ryan Eversley (Lithonia) and Joe Foster (Suwanee). …
Only two teams are staying with two-driver lineups at Petit Le Mans. John Pew and Ozz Negri give Michael Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian the lone two-driver entry in Prototype class.
The only other two-driver entry is in the GT Daytona class is the No. 58 Dempsey Racing Porsche 911 GT America of Madison Snow and Jan Heylen.
GTLM Manufacturer Championship Tied Entering Season Finale
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| Risi Ferrari |
The prestigious manufacturer championship in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class is all tied entering the season-ending Petit Le Mans.
With only the 10-hour race remaining, Dodge and Porsche are knotted at 308 points each, followed by Chevrolet and BMW with 300 points each. Ferrari is fifth with 294 points.
Dodge took a share of the lead with its second victory of the season at Austin's Circuit of The Americas by SRT Motorsports No. 93 Dodge Viper GTS-R, which holds a seven-point lead in the team standings. Dodge Viper SRTs also have three seconds and seven podium finishes in 10 races.
Porsche opened the year with victories in the Rolex 24 At Daytona and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida. Austin marked Porsche's second consecutive runner-up finish, giving the manufacturer seven podium finishes.
SRT Motorsports enjoys a slim lead in the team and driver standings. Jonathan Bomarito and Kuno Wittmer have scored 300 points and can clinch both titles with a third-place finish in the No. 93 SRT Motorsports Dodge Viper SRT GTS-R.
Antonio Garcia, who won four consecutive races earlier this year in the No. 3 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C7.R, is seven points behind with 293 points.
While an additional four cars and nine drivers are mathematically eligible for the championship, they all will be eliminated if the No. 93 Viper starts the race and either Bomarito or Wittmer reaches the minimum 45 minutes driving time needed to score points.
Competition in the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup is even tighter in GTLM, with only three points separating the top six teams. With points awarded at four hours, eight hours and the finish (five points for first, four for second, three for third and two for all other competitors in each segment), the lead can change hands several times before the championship is crowned.
Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner – drivers of the No. 4 Corvette Racing Corvette C7.R, lead the class with 28 points. Richard Lietz, Patrick Pilet and Nick Tandy – drivers of the No. 911 Porsche Motorsports North America Porsche 911 RSR – are tied with Garcia and co-driver Jan Magnussen for second with 27 points.
Fourth, with 26 points, are Marc Goossens and Dominik Farnbacher – drivers of the No. 91 SRT Motorsports Dodge Viper SRT GTS-R, followed by Wittmer/Bomarito and Patrick Long and Michael Christensen, drivers of the No. 912 Porsche Motorsports North America Porsche 911 RSR, both with 25 points.
Turner Motorsport Holds Slim Lead In Three-Team, Three-Manufacturer GTD Race
Dane Cameron didn't want to talk about Petit Le Mans prior to the recent race at Austin's Circuit of The Americas, where he was among a five-driver tie for the GT Daytona (GTD) points lead.
After winning that race, Cameron now enjoys a four-point lead over Leh Keen and Cooper MacNeil, with Bill Sweedler and Townsend Bell another three points back.
"Petit is its own animal – 10 hours – and anything can happen," said Cameron, who can clinch the driver and team titles for the No. 94 Turner Motorsport BMW Z4 with a second-place finish. "It's the equivalent of combining four good races into one. I'm sure the title will come down to the last lap. We were able to take the GTD lead at Austin, so now we can focus on the two-three cars we need to beat.
While Cameron has 275 points, MacNeil and Keen have 271 points in the No. 23 Alex Job Racing WeatherTech Porsche 911 GT America, and Sweedler and Bell 268 points in the No. 555 AIM Autosport Ferrari 458 Italia.
Also in contention are Christopher Haase and Bryce Miller, with 259 points in the No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Castrol Porsche 911 GT America, and John Potter, 258 points in the No. 44 Magnus Racing Flex-Box Porsche 911 GT America. Markus Palttala, Cameron's co-driver, also has 258 points.
The Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup is not as complicated. Sweedler and Bell will clinch team honors by starting the race in the No. 555 AIM Autosport Ferrari 458 Italia, and will share individual honors by driving the minimum two hours, 15 minutes needed to score points.
Magnus Racing's John Potter and Andy Lally enter the event mathematically eligible, trailing by 14 points.
Hindman, Foss Take Slim Point Leads Into Finale
With the points lead changing hands in both classes of the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge following the most recent race at Austin's Circuit of The Americas, the titles in both the Grand Sport (GS) and Street Tuner (ST) classes are expected to go down to the wire in Friday's season-ending race at Road Atlanta.
Trent Hindman regained the GS lead with his second victory of the season in the No. 46 Fall-Line Motorsports Trim-Tex BMW M3. Hindman enters the finale with a five-point cushion over Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell, three-time winners in the No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R (296-291 points). John Edwards – Hindman's co-driver – is the only other driver eligible for the title with 281 points.
"We had a rough time and lost the lead at Virginia International Raceway, but got it back at COTA," Hindman said. "It's only five points, but the championship is more than achievable. For our mindset at Road Atlanta, we'll do nothing different. We'll keep working hard, like we have all year."
Eric Foss enters the finale with a nine point lead in the ST standings over Wayne Nonnamaker, 291-282 points. Foss co-drives the No. 56 Murillo Racing/Mosing Motorcars Porsche Cayman with Jeff Mosing, who is third in the championship with 280 points.
After losing the ST lead with a ninth-place finish at Austin, Team Sahlen will have a new driver combination for Road Atlanta. Prototype driver Michael Valiante – a 2014 ST winner for HART at Kansas – will qualify the No. 42 Team Sahlen's Porsche Cayman for Wayne Nonnamaker. After the driver change, Valiante will take over for Will Nonnamaker in the team's No. 43 Cayman.
"We'll do everything we can to win the race, and let the chips fall where they may," Will Nonnamaker said.
"This weekend, we're going to try to execute to the best of our ability, and not worry about what the other teams are doing," Foss said. "Anything can happen in this series. It's been an up and down year for many teams."
Also mathematically eligible for the ST title are defending ST champions Terry Borcheller and Mike LaMarra, who teamed to give Burton Racing its first victory last year at Road Atlanta in the No. 23 Excelda Manufacturing BMW 128i.
Rum Bum Racing, Burton Racing Beef Up Lineups For Finale
Team Sahlen's addition of Michael Valiante to the lineup of its ST championship-contending No. 42 Porsche Cayman is not the only change involving Continental Tire Championship contenders entering Friday's finale at Road Atlanta.
Rum Bum Racing – which saw its streak of two consecutive GS team titles ended this season – added Brandon Davis to the lineup of the No. 13 The Billfish Foundation/Rum Bum Films Porsche 911, joining Matt Plumb. Davis was the 2013 ST pole winner at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for TRG-AMR.
Bill Auberlen will co-drive with Connor Bloum in the No. 22 Burton Racing Gold Eagle BMW 128i. Auberlen is the second-leading winner in series' history with 14 victories, trailing only Plumb with 17. Auberlen is looking to help BMW in the ST manufacturer championship, with BMW trailing Porsche by five points, 251-246.
There will be plenty of home-state talent in the lineup. Georgia drivers include Andrew Davis (Athens), Andy Lally (Dacula), brothers Mat and Mark Pombo (Atlanta), Randy Pobst (Gainesville), David Murry (Cumming), Ryan Eversley (Lithonia), Eric Zimmermann (Atlanta), Seth Thomas (Cumming) and John De Barros (Kennesaw).