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Porsche RS Spyder secures second podium result

Stuttgart. Success for Porsche at the American Le Mans Series race in Elkhart Lake: With the Porsche RS Spyder run by the US customer team Cytosport, Klaus Graf (Germany) and Greg Pickett (USA) secured third in the LMP2 class, earning their second podium result from two races with the sports prototype from Weissach. In the GT2 class, Porsche works driver Joerg Bergmeister (Germany) and Patrick Long (USA) further extended their lead with the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR fielded by Flying Lizard Motorsports. With just three races left to the season, the five-time winners are on a steady title course.

On the legendary Road America, the demanding time-honoured circuit in the US State of Wisconsin, spectators experienced a particularly exciting race in the GT2 class that waged from start to finish. In the dying moments of the race, Patrick Long slipped past the Ferrari of Jaime Melo and Pierre Kaffer - his toughest rivals for the title - to sit third. He then became caught up in heavy traffic and lost an almost certain last podium spot in the penultimate lap to the Corvette of Jan Magnussen and Johnny O’Connell. Trying everything up his sleeve in his charge forward he was finally beaten by just 0.411 seconds. Up until this race, he and Joerg Bergmeister had won five races in a row.

“During the final caution phase, my pit crew called me in to change the tyres. This was a clever strategy because it helped me overtake the Ferrari,” said Patrick Long. Narrowly missing out on a podium result in the end was not particularly tragic for his teammate Joerg Bergmeister either. “We wanted to increase our lead in the championship and we achieved this. That’s the most important thing. Of course we would have loved to have continued our string of wins to make it six in a row, but every winning streak comes to an end sometime. What counts is that we took another step towards winning the title.”

At the wheel of Farnbacher Loles Racing’s 911 GT3 RSR, Porsche works driver Wolf Henzler (Germany) and Bryce Miller (USA) saw the flag in tenth due to a suspension problem. Darren Law (USA) and Seth Neiman (USA) finished eighth in the second 911 GT3 RSR of Flying Lizard Motorsports.

Putting in a strong performance, Klaus Graf and Greg Pickett continued the excellent comeback of the Porsche RS Spyder in the American Le Mans Series. Only one week after claiming second in Mid-Ohio, they drove the Cytosport-run sports prototype from Weissach home to take third in the LMP2 class, and yielded their second podium result - despite having been handed a Stop-and-Go penalty. The reason: Team owner Pickett came into the pits too early during a caution phase to avoid running out of fuel. It made no difference that Klaus Graf turned the fastest race lap in his class. “What a shame, we deserved better today,” he said. “That was a very close race, but I just ran out of time.”

In the ALMS Challenge, Martin and Melanie Snow (USA) secured their third win of the season with their Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, further extending their lead in this new category below the GT2 class.

Round 8 of the American Le Mans Series takes place on 30 August in Mosport/Canada.


Statistics: 7th of 10 races in the American Le Mans Series in Elkhart Lake, WI

Result GT2 class
1. Auberlen/Hand (USA/USA), BMW E92 M3, 68 laps
2. Müller/Milner (D/USA), BMW E92 M3, 67
3. Magnussen/O’Connell (DK/USA), Chevrolet Corvette C6.R, 67
4. Bergmeister/Long (D/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 67
5. Melo/Kaffer (BRA/D), Ferrari F430 GT, 67
6. Berretta/Gavin (MC/GB), Chevrolet Corvette C6.R, 67

Points’ standings GT2 class
Drivers
1. Joerg Bergmeister, Patrick Long, Porsche, 130 points
2. Jamie Melo, Pierre Kaffer, Ferrari, 91
3. Dirk Müller, Tommy Milner, BMW, 63
4. Dominik Farnbacher, Ian James, Panoz, 62
5. Wolf Henzler, Porsche, 51
6. Seth Neiman, Porsche, 49

Manufacturers
1. Porsche 130 points
2. Ferrari 91
3. BMW 79

Teams
1. Flying Lizard Motorsports, Porsche, 130 points
2. Risi Competizione, Ferrari, 91
3. BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team, 79



Facts and Figures

This is the American Le Mans Series

The American Le Mans Series was created in 1999 for sports prototypes and GT vehicles. The regulations correspond to those of the Le Mans 24 hour race. Ten races in the USA and Canada make up this year’s calendar. Traditional highlights are the Sebring 12 hour race and the 1,000 mile “Petit Le Mans” at Road Atlanta. Most races run over 2:45 hours.

The starter field is made up of two different race car categories: Sports prototypes and standard sports cars. These are divided into four classes:
LMP1 class: Sports prototypes with up to 750 hp and a minimum weight of 900 kilograms. Power to weight ratio: ca. 1.2 kg/hp.
LMP2 class: Sports prototypes with around 440 hp (normally aspirated engine) and an 825 kilogram minimum weight. Power to weight ratio: ca. 1.8 kg/hp.
GT1 class: Heavily modified standard sports cars with up to 650 hp and a minimum weight of 1,125 to 1,325 kilograms.
GT2 class: Slightly modified standard sports cars with approx. 450 hp and a minimum weight of 1,125 – 1,325 kilograms (e.g. Porsche 911 GT3 RSR).

All race cars start together but are classified separately. Points are awarded only for placings in each class. After 2006 and 2007, Porsche again won the championship titles in the LMP2 class last year for Drivers (Timo Bernhard/Romain Dumas) as well as for Chassis and Engine Manufacturer and for Teams (Penske Racing) with the RS Spyder. In the GT2 class, Porsche secured the championship titles for Drivers (Joerg Bergmeister/Wolf Henzler) as well as for Manufacturers and Teams (Flying Lizard Motorsports) in 2008 with the 911 GT3 RSR.