ALMS GT1 Class Nothing But Excitement at Sebring
03-13-2005, 03:32 AM
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ALMS GT1 Class Nothing But Excitement at Sebring
American Le Mans Series GT1 Class Nothing But Excitement at Sebring
ALMS Story 3-9-2005
Braselton, Ga. - The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring GT1 class entries have been the talk of the series lately with Corvette Racing's new and improved C6-R facing challenges from entries such as the unique Maserati MC12, the Aston Martin DBR9 and the much improved ACEMCO Saleen S7R entry. With entries like these as well as the other additions and returning competitors, the GT1 class is more competitive than ever as the 2005 ALMS season opens at Sebring next week.
Leading the GT1 class with be the two familiar Corvette C6-Rs. Wait a minute, C6-Rs? The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring with be the official race debut of the new Corvette Racing sports cars. The No. 3 Corvette will be driven by last year's ALMS GT1 Class Champions Ron Fellows and Johnny O'Connell. The dynamic duo will be joined again at Sebring by Max Papis in search of yet another Sebring victory for the team of three and a fourth straight win for Fellows and O'Connell. O'Connell enters Sebring with more class wins (6) at the historic race track than any other driver in Sebring history. Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta and Jan Magnussen will pilot the No. 4 Corvette in hopes of improving upon last season's sixth place finish at Sebring.
One of the most talked about entries on the prestigious list of GT1 sports cars is the Maserati MC12. The all-Italian team of Andrea Bertolini and Fabio Babini will drive the MC12 with a third driver still to be determined. The new Maserati MC12 ALMS endeavor marks the first time in 48 years that Maserati has fielded a full factory race car in the United States. The last time a factory Maserati appeared on the grid at Sebring, Juan Manuel Fangio drove it to victory in 1957. The MC12 will be a full competitor in the GT1 category and will be classified by IMSA based on its finishing position, but will not be eligible for series points.
Aston Martin Racing will run two DBR9s at Sebring carrying the same green and yellow livery as the cars that dominated sports car racing in the late 1950s. David Brabham, Darren Turner and Stephane Ortelli will be at the helm of the No. 57 DBR9 while Peter Kox, Pedro Lamy and Stephane Ortelli will pilot the No. 58. This will mark Aston Martin's long-awaited return to Sebring, a race Aston Martin won outright in 1959 with Roy Salvadori and Carroll Shelby.
The competitive ACEMCO Motorsports Saleen S7R is back this year for Sebring and will run on Michelin Tires for the first time. The No. 63 Saleen will be driven by Terry Borcheller, Johnny Mowlem and Ralf Kelleners. The ACEMCO team finished on the podium seven times last year with seven third place finishes including a third spot at Sebring.
Pacific Coast Motorsports, a new ALMS privateer entrant, will put the old against the new when it challenges Corvette Racing's new C6-Rs with a C5-R. Although the livery will be different, the No. 5 Pacific Coast entry should be familiar to ALMS and Corvette fans as it is the same race car that Fellows and O'Connell used to win last year's ALMS GT1 Championship. The pilots of the battle tested Corvette will be Alex Figge, Ryan Dalziel and David Empringham.
Carsport America has entered its No. 71 Dodge Viper GTS-R for the 12 Hour endurance race with drivers Tom Weickardt and Jean-Philippe Belloc behind the wheel. A third driver is still to be determined. The Carsport America Viper had its best finish of the season last year at Petit Le Mans so the team is accustomed to the vigor of an extremely long endurance race.
A second Saleen S7R will make an appearance at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring entered by Graham Nash Motorsport. To date, ALMS Veteran Rick Sutherland is the only named driver of the No. 83 Saleen. Sutherland placed third at Sebring last year with Intersport Racing's Clint Field and Robin Liddell. Sutherland has made appearances in the ALMS every year since its inception in 1999.
What would Sebring be without a Ferrari in the mix of the GT1 class? Care Racing-Larbre has entered its Ferrari 550 Maranello with drivers Christophe Bouchut, Fabio Gollin and Champ Car Champion Sebastain Bourdais. Bouchut is the only driver on the team that has competed in the ALMS, compiling 11 starts since 2000. The talented and fast Bourdais, a native of Le Mans, France, will be making his first-ever ALMS start. The three hope to make an impact at Sebring in a car that won consistently during the 2003 ALMS season.
ALMS Story 3-9-2005
Braselton, Ga. - The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring GT1 class entries have been the talk of the series lately with Corvette Racing's new and improved C6-R facing challenges from entries such as the unique Maserati MC12, the Aston Martin DBR9 and the much improved ACEMCO Saleen S7R entry. With entries like these as well as the other additions and returning competitors, the GT1 class is more competitive than ever as the 2005 ALMS season opens at Sebring next week.
Leading the GT1 class with be the two familiar Corvette C6-Rs. Wait a minute, C6-Rs? The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring with be the official race debut of the new Corvette Racing sports cars. The No. 3 Corvette will be driven by last year's ALMS GT1 Class Champions Ron Fellows and Johnny O'Connell. The dynamic duo will be joined again at Sebring by Max Papis in search of yet another Sebring victory for the team of three and a fourth straight win for Fellows and O'Connell. O'Connell enters Sebring with more class wins (6) at the historic race track than any other driver in Sebring history. Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta and Jan Magnussen will pilot the No. 4 Corvette in hopes of improving upon last season's sixth place finish at Sebring.
One of the most talked about entries on the prestigious list of GT1 sports cars is the Maserati MC12. The all-Italian team of Andrea Bertolini and Fabio Babini will drive the MC12 with a third driver still to be determined. The new Maserati MC12 ALMS endeavor marks the first time in 48 years that Maserati has fielded a full factory race car in the United States. The last time a factory Maserati appeared on the grid at Sebring, Juan Manuel Fangio drove it to victory in 1957. The MC12 will be a full competitor in the GT1 category and will be classified by IMSA based on its finishing position, but will not be eligible for series points.
Aston Martin Racing will run two DBR9s at Sebring carrying the same green and yellow livery as the cars that dominated sports car racing in the late 1950s. David Brabham, Darren Turner and Stephane Ortelli will be at the helm of the No. 57 DBR9 while Peter Kox, Pedro Lamy and Stephane Ortelli will pilot the No. 58. This will mark Aston Martin's long-awaited return to Sebring, a race Aston Martin won outright in 1959 with Roy Salvadori and Carroll Shelby.
The competitive ACEMCO Motorsports Saleen S7R is back this year for Sebring and will run on Michelin Tires for the first time. The No. 63 Saleen will be driven by Terry Borcheller, Johnny Mowlem and Ralf Kelleners. The ACEMCO team finished on the podium seven times last year with seven third place finishes including a third spot at Sebring.
Pacific Coast Motorsports, a new ALMS privateer entrant, will put the old against the new when it challenges Corvette Racing's new C6-Rs with a C5-R. Although the livery will be different, the No. 5 Pacific Coast entry should be familiar to ALMS and Corvette fans as it is the same race car that Fellows and O'Connell used to win last year's ALMS GT1 Championship. The pilots of the battle tested Corvette will be Alex Figge, Ryan Dalziel and David Empringham.
Carsport America has entered its No. 71 Dodge Viper GTS-R for the 12 Hour endurance race with drivers Tom Weickardt and Jean-Philippe Belloc behind the wheel. A third driver is still to be determined. The Carsport America Viper had its best finish of the season last year at Petit Le Mans so the team is accustomed to the vigor of an extremely long endurance race.
A second Saleen S7R will make an appearance at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring entered by Graham Nash Motorsport. To date, ALMS Veteran Rick Sutherland is the only named driver of the No. 83 Saleen. Sutherland placed third at Sebring last year with Intersport Racing's Clint Field and Robin Liddell. Sutherland has made appearances in the ALMS every year since its inception in 1999.
What would Sebring be without a Ferrari in the mix of the GT1 class? Care Racing-Larbre has entered its Ferrari 550 Maranello with drivers Christophe Bouchut, Fabio Gollin and Champ Car Champion Sebastain Bourdais. Bouchut is the only driver on the team that has competed in the ALMS, compiling 11 starts since 2000. The talented and fast Bourdais, a native of Le Mans, France, will be making his first-ever ALMS start. The three hope to make an impact at Sebring in a car that won consistently during the 2003 ALMS season.
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