Briscoe added to Penske Porsche Lineup

Ryan Briscoe appears set to do double-duty in Detroit this weekend as the Australian is joining Patrick Long in one of Penske Racing’s two Porsche RS Spyders for the Detroit Sports Car Challenge by Bosch, Round 9 of the 2008 American Le Mans Series.

Briscoe, a Porsche works driver last year, is replacing Sascha Maassen in the No. 6 entry. He will use Detroit to prepare for next month’s 1,000-mile/10-hour Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. The race pays 10 additional championship points, which are in critical supply given the tight LMP2 standings for the manufacturers crown. Porsche leads Acura by six points heading into this weekend’s race at Belle Isle.

Last season for Penske in P2, Briscoe scored three class victories – two overall – to go along with five fastest race laps and the overall pole position at Belle Isle. He has won twice this year for Penske in IndyCar, which is the co-feature at Detroit with the American Le Mans Series. ALMS