ALMS: Series winter test underway at Sebring

Preparations for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring got underway in earnest Wednesday with the start of a two-day winter test at the iconic Sebring International Raceway. The 60th anniversary edition of the famed race takes the green flag on March 17, 2012, and 25 teams traveled to Florida to fine tune their cars for the opening event of the American LeMans Series presented by Tequila Patron season.

Four lengthy practice sessions, totaling 15 hours, have been scheduled over the two days. In the opening round, the Level 5 Motorsports HPD ARX-03b LMP2 of Scott Tucker, Christophe Bouchut and Luis Diaz led the way with a speed of 116.910 miles per hour around the 3.74-mile course.

For the afternoon session, the Level 5 continued to lead the way, slightly improving on their lap speed to 117.830 mph. Second was Pecom Racing’s Oreca Nissan driven by Pierre Kaffer, Luis Perez and Soheil Ayari.

Third overall and the LMPC leader was the PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca FLM09 of Butch Leitzinger and Rudy Junco. Their speed was 114.561 mph.

Ferrari F458 Italia’s swept the top-three spots in the GT class with three Extreme Motorsports entries leading the way. Topping the chart was the Ferrari of Scott Sharp and Johannes van Overbeek at 109.719 mph, and they were closely followed by Guy Cosmo and Ed Brown. Third was Olivier Beretta, Toni Vilander and Gianmaria Bruni.

In the GTC class, the Green Hornet Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of Peter LeSafre and Damien Faulkner was on top at 104.607 mph.

During the mid-day break on Wednesday, ALMS officials, representatives from each ALMS class and other notables met with the media to discuss the Sebring race, the ALMS season and other relevant items.

Scott Atherton, ALMS president and CEO, led off the press conference, giving an overview of the 2011 season and a preview of the season ahead. “We are starting our 14th ALMS season and the first-event of the FIA World Endurance Championship,” he said. “Without question, this means the convergence of quite possibly the most impressive list of competitors, drivers, manufacturers, sponsors, TV networks and fans that has ever occurred on American soil.”

Scott Atherton, ALMS President and CEO

Photo by: Alexander Trienitz

Regarding the 12-hour race, Atherton said there will be more than 60 entries and he believes it will the most competitive field ever. “The caliber of the grid is unprecedented,” he said, adding that 30 of the cars will be competing as part of the WEC.

He also congratulated Daytona for its 50th anniversary production of the Rolex24 and said he was looking forward to the 80th edition of the 24 Hours of LeMans in June, with the two events book-ending the 60th running of the 12 Hours of Sebring.

Addressing pre-race events for Sebring, he noted that drivers Geoff Brabham, Hans Hermann, Johnny O’Connell, Denise McCluggage, Jim Downing and manufacturer Corvette will be inducted into the Sebring Hall of Fame and the accomplished drivers along with some two dozen former winners will sign autographs the day preceding the race.

In addition, 20 winning cars will be on display on race weekend. Also, the new Delta-wing car is expected to take demonstration laps prior to the race.

According to Atherton, the 2011 television package was a success, even though some fans were not happy with it. “It was a learning experience for us with people learning a new way (to view races),” he said. “Last season more people and more households tuned in to ALMS races than in any year before. On a percentage basis, there was a 67 per cent increase over the previous year.”

For 2012, ABC and ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3 will continue to provide coverage and four races will be telecast live. ESPN3 will carry 13 hours of live coverage of the upcoming Sebring event and ABC will carry a delayed two-hour race coverage broadcast.

ALMS officials are projecting more prototypes will compete in the season ahead and new entries are expected in the LMP2, LMPC and the GTC classes. The high-profile LMP1 series will not expand in number but new cars are expected from the entrants. On a race-by-race basis, some 36 entries are expected.

WEC president and CEO Gerard Neveu expressed optimism with the debut season ahead and exuded enthusiasm with the link to the ALMS.

Gerad Neveu, FIA WEC CEO

Photo by: Alexander Trienitz

Tracy Krohn, a 2011 class winner at Sebring, advised he has taken delivery of a new Ferrari F458. He plans to concentrate on the WEC with periodic forays into ALMS and Grand-Am action. His team has just taken delivery of the new car, and they are working out the bugs this week.

Chris Dyson and Greg Pickett stated their teams, Muscle Milk and Dyson Racing, will field new P1 cars for 2012. Pickett’s team has taken delivery and expects to test this week while the Dyson organization anticipates its car momentarily. The Pickett entry is a HPD ARX-03a and the Dyson entry will be a MAZDA-powered Lola B12/60. Owing to its 2011 ALMS championship, the Dyson team has accepted an invitation to race its cars at LeMans in June.

Tucker will take his Level 5 Motorsports team back to LeMans and he will continue to race in three ALMS classes, which seems to be a challenge he enjoys doing. “A year ago I wanted to see if I could physically do it, and I did,” he said. “It is great racing.”

Jens Walther, president of Porsche Motorsports North America, gave an overview of the German company’s plans for 2012 and beyond. At Sebring, the popular manufacturer has scored 15 manufacturer titles and the company hopes to add to the number next month. “Porsche stands for competition, and our objective is to focus on GT racing,” he said.

He also indicated Porsche’s expansion into prototype racing requires an increase in staffing and new buildings to house its motorsports efforts. Porsche expects to increase its staff from 130 to around 500.

Paul Miller Racing announced it has acquired a new Porsche RSR to be driven by Bryce Miller, the owner’s son, and Sascha Maassen. At Sebring, Rob Bell will be the third driver.

#29 Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferrari F458 Italia: Olivier Beretta, Toni Vilander, Gianmaria Bruni

Photo by: Alexander Trienitz

CORE Autosport’s Jon Bennett introduced new co-driver Colin Braun. “It is great to have a top-notch driver for our team,” Bennett said. Added Braun, “It was an easy decision for me (to accept the offer), as I want to win races.”

Braun said he resides close to the team’s shop and has spent many hours there learning the intricacies of the car and getting accustomed to the LMPC entry. “It is different both inside and outside the car,” Braun indicated. “The first thing I noticed was that I didn’t have a roof over my head, and I have never driven a car with carbon-fiber brakes. The first time out there was an amazing experience, and it takes a little bit of adjustment.”