Points leader Rayhall and his Prototype Lites rivals head to Road America

BRASELTON, Ga., (August 5, 2013) - As the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda Series returns to the states for rounds 9 and 10, participants must adjust to the lengthy Road America circuit. The 4.048-mile, 14-turn track is the longest road course teams will see this season, and one of the most majestic tracks in North America.

Competitors enter Elkhart Lake after two rounds north of the border last month.

Located in the Wisconsin countryside, many drivers enjoy gazing at the 640 acres of landscape on cool-down laps, but there will be no time for gazing during the two on-track battles this weekend.

Nine teams will attempt to dominate the course with the infamous "Kink" at the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series and American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón double header this weekend, with current Lites 1 team standings leader Performance Tech running five entries. Performance Tech currently has 144 points, followed by Comprent Motor Sports in second (141) and JDC Motorsports in third with 126 points.

At the top of the driver standings is the No. 14 L1 Élan DP02 2.0L Mazda machine of Sean Rayhall. Rayhall swept the show at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in rounds 7 and 8 of the 2013 season, and has tallied a grand total of 132 points this year. Tied for second place are Performance Tech teammates Ryan Booth and Daniel Goldburg, each knotted at 106. The four-mile feature was kind to Performance Tech last year, with Tristan Nunez claiming both victories and and Goldburg landing on the podium for the second race.

One point back from Booth and Goldburg in the standings is JDC Motorsports' Mikhail Goikhberg in the No. 10 entry. Goikhberg landed on the podium in both races at Road America last year and needs a repeat performance this year to make up for an incident that kept him from completing the seventh race of the season.

If history repeats itself, the No. 34 Eurosport Racing entry of Jon Brownson will be in the mix at the top of the pack again this year. Masters contender Brownson finished third and fourth in the two races in Elkhart Lake last season, and has consistently been in the top five this season.

The Breckenridge, Colo.-resident has held a steady lead in the Masters Championship this season, but Lamont Harris is just 20 points back from Brownson. Harris and Brownson split victories at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and a solid weekend at Road America could mix up the leaderboard in Masters.

Two new Lites L2 entries take the Road America stage in 8Star Motorsports' Gustavo Torres and Ludovico Manfredi with Ansa Motorsports.

The first of two sprints takes place Saturday, August 10 bright and early at 7:45 a.m. for a 30-minute feature. The green flag drops for Race Two Sunday, August 11 at 9:25 a.m. for a longer 45-minute contest.

IMSA