Photo by: Kenneth May
Tavares, FLA. - Lotus Alex Job Racing's (AJR) Bill Sweedler and Townsend Bell are taking their Lotus Evora GT to the American Le Mans Series Baltimore Grand Prix presented by SRT to be run Aug. 31 - Sept. 1.
Coming off of a good run at Road America just ten days ago, the car finally went back to the team's headquarters in Florida after being on the road since Lime Rock in early July. The 2.02-mile, 12-turn temporary street circuit, although concrete lined and tight, may just be the circuit that levels the performance playing field for the Lotus Evora GT.
Sweedler (Westport, Conn) ran at Baltimore last year and finished second in his AJR Porsche GTC car. For Bell (San Luis Obispo, Calif) it will be his first taste of the streets of Baltimore.
"Baltimore was one of the best races last year," Sweedler said. "The fans were totally into the race weekend and were out in huge numbers. It felt like a giant block party around the Inner Harbor! The circuit itself has a great layout, I can't wait to get the lotus GT out in practice.
Considering all the improvements the team has made along with Yokohama's strong tire development, our Battery Tender and William Rast Lotus should be even faster. Since the start of this development season, we have improved our finishing position each and every race."
Bell will be running at Baltimore for the first time, but has heard good things about the circuit and the event. "This will be another chapter in our science project, which is appropriate as school is starting for everyone," Bell said. "The track has an interesting layout, and the changes that the promoters have made should make overtaking a little easier.
Patience is the key to running on street courses. Lots of things happen, and we can benefit from others over exuberance. This track rewards torque, but not all out horsepower, so I hope the GT front runners will be a little closer to our sights this weekend.
I have heard nothing but great things about the Baltimore race being a great event with a lot of fans turning out for the races. I am looking forward to having a great weekend on the east coast and enjoying a rocking party at Angels Rock Bar Saturday night."
Alex Job, team principal, is optimistic about the coming weekend. "Having a second street course on the ALMS schedule is a good thing," Job said. "All of the work done in preparation for Long Beach can also be used again later in the season. Although we don't have a great deal of data from Long Beach, due to the rain we experienced there on practice day, we do have a starting point. Usually street courses help to equalize the field a little better. We will see if that is the case this weekend with the Lotus."
Source: Lotus Alex Job Racing
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