Lotus Alex Job Racing to start Petit Le Mans finale from seventh row

BRASELTON, Ga. (Oct. 19, 2012) - Lotus Alex Job Racing (AJR) will start the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) season ending Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda from the seventh row in GT. Bill Sweedler, Townsend Bell and Johnny Mowlem are poised for 10 hours of racing tomorrow at Road Atlanta.

Bell (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) had the wheel of the No. 23 Alex Job Racing Lotus Evora GT for the 15-minute qualifying session. The Californian put in a lap of 1:21.510 around the 2.54-mile, 12-turn Road Atlanta circuit that will have them starting from the seventh row tomorrow. The development that the team has been doing on the Evora has paid dividends as the car is over a second faster from when it competed here last year.

"I am pretty happy with everything so far this week," Bell said. "We've welcomed Johnny into the team and we are benefitting from all of his experience driving this car. He also brings a lot of endurance racing miles. We have reached a nice harmony in making the car, overall, better. We are over a second faster than the car ran here last year, so that is a good gain. Our competitors aren't sitting still. We will have a good consistent race car like we had VIR (Virginia International Raceway). If our competitors stumble on tire wear or have any issues we will be there to take advantage of any and every position."

Sweedler (Westport, Conn.) is happy with the car and the addition of Mowlem this weekend.

"It has been a good week with the Evora," Sweedler said. "I am happy with my lap times and we have the car handling really well around this great circuit. Johnny brings a lot of racing knowledge as well as a lot of time behind the wheel of this car. We have impressed him with our package, and he has provided some positive feedback that has made us better this week. Our partners are here in force. Yokohama remains committed and keeps pushing forward with the development of the tires, which is big benefit for us. Alex and the team are working hard, and we are looking to have a strong finish come tomorrow night."

Mowlem (Charvil, UK) is the Lotus Factory Driver and likes what the team has done with the Evora GT this season.

"Alex and engineer Greg Fordahl have done a fantastic job optimizing the package that they have," Mowlem said. "For the Evora GT to make a massive step forward it will need to be readdressed. The car that I drove just before qualifying is better than any Evora I've driven so far. We now have to take the next step forward with the car which includes addressing a number of areas like the engine torque and aero. It needs a lot of investment. But I am still convinced that this car, inherently, is a great racing package. Compare this car to every other GT car on the grid, it has a tiny percentage of the investment in it. On race pace tomorrow we will be a lot closer than we were in qualifying."

Alex Job, team principal, has his team and the car ready for 10 hours of racing.

"We had a little scare in testing on Monday with an engine issue, but we have worked through it," Job said. "The team has welcomed Johnny into the fold and he is providing some very positive feedback on what we have done with the car. He has a lot of experience at this track and racing the Evora, making him a real asset this weekend. Bill and Townsend have the car working well and we are looking forward to seeing the race shake out and where we are once the sun goes down tomorrow."

Source: Alex Job Racing