CORE autosport on wining PC teams' and drivers' championships again

CORE Autosport, LMPC Champion 2012

The 2011 title holder CORE Autosport has won again the Drivers’ and Teams’ championships in the American Le Mans Series’ LMPC category – before even reaching the final stage !

#06 CORE Autosport Oreca FLM09 Chevrolet: Alex Popow

Photo by: Greg Nichols

Two years later, the company, based in Rock Hill, South Carolina, has become a milestone in this domain. As the 2011 LMPC title holder, CORE Autosport has once again been crowned after a flawless season with their ORECA-FLM 09. Despite a stiff competition in one of the most disputed ALMS classes, the team has the title in the bag three races before the end of the championship, while Alex Popow has his Drivers’ championship all sewn up, closely followed by his team mates on the sister car, Jon Bennett and Colin Braun. Team manager Morgan Brady shares his feelings before the final stage at Petit Le Mans:

How do you feel after winning both LMPC titles – Drivers and Teams – in American Le Mans Series?

Morgan Brady: “It is a fantastic feeling to have the championships before the last race. Now we can go into Petit Le Mans focused on winning the race and having fun. We do not need to worry about scoring any points.”

What do you think when you look back on this year’s season when compared to the previous one?

MB: “In each season there were different objectives and goals set for the team. In 2011 the expectations were set much lower and the focus was on building he team, compiling the required equipment and acclimating ourselves with the car and regulations. For 2012 the expectations were much higher. We held ourselves to higher standards and wanted to achieve more wins. The focus of 2012 surrounded improving the cars and winning races with good strategy and pit stops. Improving aspects of the team that we could not just buy off the shelf of a store.”

Did you imagine finishing the races on the overallpodium?

“We do not focus much on the overall classification because no points are awarded. However, It is a great accomplishment to have our driver standing on the podium ahead of the P1 and P2 drivers.

“On both of the street circuits this season we made it to the overall podium. The fact that the FLM-09 can beat the LMP2 and LMP1 is testament to the Oreca chassis, good torque from the Chevrolet Katech Engine, and the excellent tire that Michelin has developed which all work very well together on the tight street circuits. Also our drivers deserve much of the credit for staying out of trouble on the tight street circuits.”

How do you assess your team’s progress over the past two or three years?

MB: “We judge the team on many aspects particularly on winning races which we are very good at right now. In addition we look at many other factors including: strategy, pitstops, driver performance and of course budget. In all categories we are doing very well but with racing there are always areas that can be improved.”

Source: CORE autosport