BAR1 Motorsports sees momentum as their edge for series finale

The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón will throw the green flag on its final event this Saturday. The Series will have come full circle ending where it began with the 2013 Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.

BAR1 will field two cars in the final event with the team Championship and Driver championship on the line.

Kyle Marcelli and Chris Cumming

Photo by: Art Fleischmann

The No. 8 Evident Capital car will be driven by Kyle Marcelli, Chris Cumming and Stefan Johansen. Marcelli and Cumming have teamed up for back-to-back wins at the last two ALMS events; Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas and Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia.

Tomy Drissi and Rusty Mitchell will team up with James French to drive the No. 7 PetroComm car featuring The Maze Runner movie on its livery for this final event. French and Mitchell campaigned the No. 7 to a podium finish two weeks ago at Virginia International Raceway.

Team owner, Brian Alder, is confident the team can get the job done.

"I really think we're in great shape. Not unlike teams in all forms of sports, I think it's good we've hit our stride at the right time of the year. There are championships on the line and I feel we're in a position to get the job done.

"Every member of our team is on the same page. Every driver, every mechanic and every engineer. They've all fought hard all season. They've been knocked down… been dealt bad breaks and they've never given up. I think they all feel it's their turn and they're all ready to fight right down to the wire. It's exciting.

"Regardless of what happens, I'm pleased. We're still a fairly young team and I think we've earned the right to hold our heads high. Through it all, my guys have handled themselves with dignity and class. I'm proud of that."

Alder will also drive in the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites races competing in the L2 class. The Series is slated for two feature events with a 30 minute race Thursday and a 45 minute race on Friday. Alder is locked in a 4-way run for the L2 Championship.

"This is kind of a bonus for me to get to drive this weekend. I have a shot at the Championship… so I just couldn't say no to that. We're expanding our Lites' program in 2014, so a Championship would be a nice thing to have under our belt."

The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón ends its 15th and final season with the Petit Le Mans Powered by Mazda on Saturday and ALMS fans will be able to follow the action live across multiple FOX Sports platforms and ALMS.com.

Petit Le Mans will mark the end of an era in American sports car racing while anticipating the unification of the ALMS and the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series into the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship in 2014. The Petit Le Mans will maintain its time-honored position on the new TUDOR Championship calendar as the final race of the season.

FOX Sports’ coverage of the race on Oct. 19 begins on FOX Sports 2 from 11 a.m.-noon ET, including pre-race activities and the green flag at 11:30 a.m. for the 1,000-mile (394 laps)/10-hour time limit race.

FOX Sports 2 resumes the broadcast from 2:30-6:30 p.m. FOX Sports 1 will continue live coverage from 6:30-8 p.m., before FOX Sports 2 picks up with the conclusion beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Live coverage of the entire event will be available on FOX Sports’ new mobile application, FOX Sports Go.

FOX Sports 1 will also broadcast a three-hour highlight presentation from 4-7 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 20.

BAR1 Motorsports