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Porsche pilots pursue drivers’ title at final

Stuttgart. Right from the start, the race for the American Le Mans Series title was a fiercely-contested battle between Porsche, Ferrari and BMW. And the suspense continues: The drivers’ championship will only be decided at the season final on Saturday in California’s Laguna Seca. After Porsche claimed the GT2 manufacturers’ championship at the Petit Le Mans event in Road Atlanta, Porsche works drivers Joerg Bergmeister (Germany) and Patrick Long (USA) are now determined to crown a phenomenal season with the title.

At the wheel of their Flying Lizard Motorsports 911 GT3 RSR, the pair claimed five straight wins from the first six races and, with this brilliant effort, built up a comfortable points’ lead. Heading to the finale on the demanding 3.601 kilometre circuit in the dunes of Monterey, two hours’ drive south of San Francisco, they hold a 19-point advantage over their Ferrari opponents. Even if the Ferrari wins the race, tenth place would be enough for the Porsche pilots to claim the title.

“I know you should never be too sure of your position, but it really should be possible here, particularly because Laguna Seca suits us much better than the last three tracks,” said a confident Joerg Bergmeister. For him, this would mark his fourth championship title in the race series featuring the world’s fastest sports cars after 2005, 2006 and 2008. On the challenging circuit with its legendary corkscrew corner, which winds downwards from the highest point of the track, Bergmeister and Patrick Long have already claimed victory here in 2005 and secured the championship title. “I hope the same thing happens this year,” says Bergmeister. His teammate went on to reveal the strategy that should safeguard the title: “We will do everything in our power to keep out of trouble.”

The successful customer squad, Flying Lizard Motorsports, which could again win the team classification in Laguna Seca, fields a second 911 GT3 RSR with pilots Darren Law (USA) and Seth Neiman (USA). Porsche works driver Wolf Henzler (Germany), who recently yielded third at Petit Le Mans, competes with his compatriot Pierre Ehret for Farnbacher Loles Racing.

In the LMP2 class, Klaus Graf (Germany) and Greg Pickett (USA) will attempt to bring home their fourth consecutive podium result with the Porsche RS Spyder. The Cytosport team, which fielded the RS Spyder from Weissach for a successful comeback, receives praise from Porsche’s head of motorsport Hartmut Kristen: “The team has very quickly familiarised itself with the RS Spyder and has achieved excellent results. We would be delighted if they would return in 2010 to contest the new LMP class.”

The race in Laguna Seca starts on Saturday, 10 October, at 14.45 hours local time (23.45 CEST) and runs over four hours.



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.