Long Beach

[MOTV8]

Well, the race next weekend marks the final ALMS GT1 class appearance for Corvette Racing, then they're off to Le Mans. The race will be shown on ABC according to this:

Racing series ALMS

Date 2009-04-09

O'CONNELL GOING BACK IN TIME AT LONG BEACH

Other drivers may have more starts at Long Beach but no one in the American Le Mans Series goes back further there than Corvette Racing's Johnny O'Connell. The American Le Mans Series' leader in career starts (among other categories), O'Connell is entered in one of Corvette Racing's two Corvette C6.Rs...22 years after racing for the first time on southern California's famed street circuit.

O'Connell placed 17th at Long Beach in 1986 as part of a Formula Mazda race. Three years later he made his first Indy Lights start there (with a best showing of fifth in 1990) before posting the same result in a 1996 Trans-Am Long Beach race.

O'Connell and Jan Magnussen will attempt to repeat their GT1 victory from a year ago in Corvette Racing's final American Le Mans Series appearance in the class. The team is planning to debut its GT2 Corvette in August at Mid- Ohio.

Also of note, Scott Sharp will return to Long Beach 20 years after his first race there (in Trans-Am). Patron Highcroft Racing's American star won in LMP2 last year with David Brabham, and the pairing is shooting for a repeat - this time in LMP1 with the new Acura ARX-02a. Sharp also has raced at Long Beach with CART.

Bill Auberlen made his first Long Beach start in 1990 with IMSA GTU as well as Formula Atlantic in the mid-90s. After missing last year's race, he'll be back with Joey Hand behind the wheel of a BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team BMW M3.

The Tequila Patron American Le Mans Series at Long Beach is set for 4:15 p.m. PT on Saturday, April 18 from the famed Long Beach street circuit in southern California. The race will be televised from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 19 on ABC. Qualifying is scheduled for 4 p.m. PT on Friday, April 17. American Le Mans Radio and Live Timing and Scoring will be available at americanlemans.com. The race also will be aired on XM Channel 242 and Sirius Channel 126 from 7 to 9 p.m. ET on Saturday.

The race also will mark the next round for the MICHELIN® Green X® Challenge. For tickets, visit americanlemans.com or gplb.com.

-credit: alms

[Desertdawg]

And sadly that is probably the most news Corvette Racing will get for thier final outing in GT1...

[MOTV8]

And sadly that is probably the most news Corvette Racing will get for thier final outing in GT1...

Sadly, imho, the most they've mustered was a mention in the damn eco-friendly angle.

Long Beach: Series update on Michelin GreenX Challenge

Racing series ALMS

Date 2009-04-13

MICHELIN® GREEN X® CHALLENGE CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE

The Race to Tomorrow is heading west. As the American Le Mans Series moves to California and the Tequila Patron American Le Mans Series at Long Beach, so does the MICHELIN® Green X® Challenge. The championship standings among both prototypes and GT entries are extremely close in the groundbreaking competition that judges all Series entries on going the farthest and the fastest with the smallest environmental impact.

Off its LMP2 race victory at St. Petersburg and first prototype trophy in the MICHELIN® Green X® Challenge, Lowe's Fernandez Racing and its Acura ARX- 01b leads the prototype standings with 40 points having finished fourth at Sebring in the season opener. It leads fellow Acura team and LMP1 entrant Patron Highcroft Racing by eight points.

One point separates the top three GT entries. Panoz Team PTG and its No. 21 Panoz Esperante GTLM leads with 31 points with a third-place finish at St. Petersburg. Two teams are tied for second. Corvette Racing's E85-powered No. 3 Corvette C6.R has 30 points after winning the GT competition at Sebring, as does Farnbacher Loles Racing's Porsche 911 GT3 RSR after fourth- place finishes in the season's first two events.

The points system for the MICHELIN® Green X® Challenge mirrors that of the American Le Mans Series championship. At Long Beach, winners will receive 20 points, runners-up 16 points and third-place finishers 13.

The Tequila Patron American Le Mans Series at Long Beach is set for 4:15 p.m. PT on Saturday, April 18 from the famed Long Beach street circuit in southern California. The race will be televised from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 19 on ABC. Qualifying is scheduled for 4 p.m. PT on Friday, April 17. American Le Mans Radio and Live Timing and Scoring will be available at americanlemans.com. The race also will be aired on XM Channel 242 and Sirius Channel 126 from 7 to 9 p.m. ET on Saturday.

The race also will mark the next round for the MICHELIN® Green X® Challenge. For tickets, visit americanlemans.com or gplb.com.

MICHELIN® Green X® Challenge The MICHELIN® Green X® Challenge, created jointly by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy, SAE International and the American Le Mans Series, uses a system ranking all cars in the race according to average speed and distance covered, along with the amount of energy used, greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted and petroleum displaced. The MICHELIN® Green X® Challenge is a race-within-a- race at every American Le Mans Series event.

-credit: alms

Wake up! I was asleep half-way thru that masterpiece.

[Desertdawg]

[MOTV8]

Oops...it has generated more blurbage:

ALMS » Series plans Corvette send-off at the Beach

The streets of Long Beach are a stage where motorsports history has been made since the inaugural race was held on the city's bayside course in 1975, but will mark the end of an era this weekend with the final US appearance from the Corvette C6.R.

The 100-minute Tequila Patron-sponsored American Le Mans Series event in Long Beach will bring the curtain down on Corvette Racing's record-setting run in the GT1 division, and ALMS officials are planning to give the team and its iconic cars a fitting send-off during a special post-qualifying ceremony in the Long Beach winner's circle. Later this season, the most successful sportscar team in ALMS history will begin its transition to an eagerly anticipated global GT class based on current GT2 regulations as the GT1 category passes into racing's history books.

"The best sportscar teams in the world have competed in the American Le Mans Series over the last eleven years, but it is impossible to think of one that has generated more success than Corvette Racing – both on and off the track," ALMS president and CEO Scott Atherton admitted, "The countless people at Corvette Racing, GM and Pratt & Miller who have made this programme the most popular among our fans and dominant among its competitors have every reason to be proud as they have made history and rewritten the record book in GT1.

"Corvette Racing has been a benchmark example of developing technology on the race track that gets transferred to the road car. It has succeeded with every challenge, the latest being the pioneering use of cellulosic E85 in the American Le Mans Series. While this marks the end of one era, it signals the start of another with Corvette's imminent GT2 programme. The fight and might it will bring to what already is the most competitive class in the American Le Mans Series will make it even more of a spectacle for fans – especially the legions of Corvette fans – around the world.”

Although Corvette Racing has competed 18 times on tracks in the important road car market of California, the third Long Beach race is as good a place as any to bid farewell, according to Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan.

"Long Beach is a great place to say goodbye to GT1 in the United States," he said, "The race is a hugely successful event attended by thousands of fans, so it's a very fitting place to finish the GT1 programme by taking the Corvettes to the people.

"When the chequered flag falls at Long Beach, I think it will be a moving experience for everyone on the team. It will mark the closing of one chapter, the likes of which will never be written again in Corvette history.

"At the same time, however, it will mark the opening of another chapter that will eventually see Corvette competing in a global GT class under the international regulations that will come into effect next year. That is one of the most exciting challenges that this team has undertaken, and it will be the culmination of a decade of development and continuous improvement that has made Corvette the standard by which GT cars are now measured."

Winner of the last eight ALMS GT1 team and manufacturer championships, Corvette Racing has posted 75 class wins worldwide – including a record 69 ALMS victories.

"I've been there for all but two years of competition in GT1, so there will certainly be some sadness when we finally say goodbye to such an amazing car," Corvette favourite Johnny O'Connell noted, "The GT1 Corvettes are among the coolest cars in racing history, and they've left their mark in the record books for Corvette, for Chevrolet and for sportscar racing.

"Over the years, we've had great battles and rivalries with Viper, Ferrari, Saleen, Maserati, and Aston Martin, but we're moving to an even more competitive arena, and that's another example of Chevrolet taking on challenges. The commitment to compete on the world stage is something that everyone at Chevrolet can be proud of."

[P51tj]

Wow, that was more than a quick blurp, now lets see how Speed/ABC does.

[MOTV8]

ALMS » Brabham, Highcroft quickest in Long Beach test

David Brabham picked up from where he left off a year ago to sit at the top of the results as the American Le Mans Series returned to Long Beach for the Tequila Patron-backed third round of 2009.

Driving the event sponsor's colours on his Patron Highcroft Acura ARX-02a, Brabham revived memories of last year's last-lap pass for LMP2 victory in southern California by posting the quickest time of Thursday's official pre-race test.

Now LMP1 mounted, the Australian clocked 1min 14.226secs in the second of the day's two sessions, knocking de Ferran Motorsports' Simon Pagenaud from top spot.

"The track was very slippery in the early stages, but we found a good direction with the Acura's set-up in the second round<" Brabham reported, "We made some pretty good improvements during the session - we don't have a lot of time here, so you have to be sure you get it right. We have some direction for tomorrow, and that is the main thing that we really needed to achieve today."

Thursday proved to be an all-Acura affair, with the marque's two new LMP1 models leading the way, followed by the remaining LMP2 of Lowe's Fernandez Racing. Coming off a 1-2 finish two weeks ago in St Petersburg, the Acura contingent will start Saturday's race as favourite to battle for overall honours as the opening day saw Mexico's Luis Diaz - fresh from consecutive LMP2 wins at Sebring and St Pete, sitting just behind Brabham, with Pagenaud demoted to third overall.

"We had a little electrical glitch in the first practice, but the car is really handling well," Diaz said of the LMP2 machine, "I was pleased with the team's set-up, and Adrian [Fernandez] was fast in second practice too, so I think we have a great shot at another win."

Intersport Racing's Lola B06/10-AER was third fastest in LMP1, while Dyson Racing again provided the leading opposition to Lowe's Fernandez with its pair of Mazda-powered Lola B09/86 coupes. The Butch Leitzinger/Marino Franchitti car was quicker on this occasion than the sister machine of Chris Dyson and Guy Smith.

Olivier Beretta was quickest in GT1 as Corvette Racing prepare for its final ALMS race in the class, putting the entry he will share with Oliver Gavin some 0.341secs ahead of the sister car of defending race winners Johnny O'Connell and Jan Magnussen.

Jaime Melo, meanwhile, proved to be the fastest GT2 runner, pushing the Risi Competizione Ferrari F430 GT that he will drive with Pierre Kaffer to the top of the class times. Melo, who won at the Beach two years ago with Mika Salo, only just had the measure of the rival Farnbacher Loles Porsche of Wolf Henzler and Dirk Werner, while Flying Lizard Motorsports' Porsche, driven by Patrick Long and Jörg Bergmeister, was third in class, having topped the first session.

“It was good," Kaffer commented, "but, when you only have a small amount of practice time, you have to compromise on some things. It worked very well though, I have to say."

Last time out on U.S. soil for the GT1 Corvettes, who ya got? I'll take Magnussen and O'Connell over the Ollies.

[MOTV8]

I almost forgot, WCGT returns to action too...Eric Curran is back in a Corvette, just not Lou's GT2 vette.

Ready to Rumble: World Challenge GT Prepares for Round Two at Long Beach

Street courses: motorsport’s version of the cage match. As if rocketing around at 100 mph, door-to-door with your opponent isn’t hair-raising enough, let’s surround the entire show with unforgiving concrete walls. Yes, this is Round Two of the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT Championship, the World Challenge ACS Grand Prix of Long Beach Presented by Lala Motorsports.

The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach has long been a jewel on the U.S. racing calendar. Some even refer to it as the Monaco of North America. Monaco, however, has never seen anything the likes of World Challenge GT.

Arriving in Long Beach less than a month after the opening round at Sebring, the mean machines of World Challenge GT have only just begun to stretch their legs. If we learned anything from Round One, it’s to expect the unexpected and to keep an eye on Tony Rivera and Brass Monkey Racing.

Certainly no one brushed aside the work of Kelly Moss Motorsports or Rivera’s impeccable record in last year’s IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge, but surely it would take a race or two for them to learn the ropes right? Wrong. With zero experience on standing starts, Rivera rocketed away from the grid in his No. 97 Tax Masters/Mirage Group Porsche 911 GT3 and proceeded to hold his own with the likes of Dino Crescentini, Brandon Davis and Eric Curran. After taking the win in his first series start, Rivera commented how refreshing it was to compete with a group of drivers you could trust to race side-by-side without incident. Will he have the same comments after racing in the close confines of Long Beach?

Two former Long Beach winners followed Rivera across the finish line in Sebring and follow him in the point standings as well: Curran and Davis. Victorious at Long Beach in 2007, Curran cautiously jumps behind the wheel of his No. 30 Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Corvette this weekend. In previous years, a successful result, such as his second-place finish at Sebring, was inevitably followed by a frustrating one. In fact, at Long Beach last year, Curran started at the back of the grid after an electrical problem in qualifying and then sustained front end damage early in the race, which affected the car’s cooling and forced him to park it after only five laps. He’s betting a renewed focus on World Challenge will be the key to unlocking a consistent season in 2009.

Defending race winner and hometown favorite Davis is also aiming for consistency this season and a third-place finish at Sebring in the No. 10 Applied Computer Solutions/Sun Microsystems Ford Mustang Cobra was a good way to start. In addition to starting the season with a podium finish, Davis, from Huntington Beach, is racing on home turf this weekend, at the course that brought him his first World Challenge GT win and with his dad Mike alongside him in the No. 11 Applied Computer Solutions/Sun Microsystems Ford Mustang Cobra. It will be tough to shake the 23 year-old’s confidence this weekend.

Davis isn’t the only hometown standout on the entry list. James Sofronas, who owns Southern California’s foremost Porsche tuning outfit, Global Motorsports Group, is always pumped for Long Beach. Though sometimes he lets it get the better of him, like in 2007 when he collected a speeding ticket on his way to the track! Sofronas has yet to finish outside the top 10 at Long Beach in the No. 14 Global Motorsports Group Porsche 911 GT3, but climbing the top step on Sunday would be a dream come true for the Newport Beach resident.

The season got off to a rough start for the K-PAX Racing squad. Time simply ran out in the off-season when it came to building two Volvo S60s from scratch, even with the highly respected 3R Racing crew on the job. Mechanical gremlins appeared left and right at Sebring, preventing defending Champion Randy Pobst from starting the race in his No. 1 K-PAX Racing Volvo S60 and putting Andy Pilgrim in the No. 8 K-PAX Racing Volvo S60 at the back of the grid. Keeping one eye on the temperature gauge and one on the road ahead, Pilgrim managed to pick his way through the field for a well-earned 12th-place finish. Going back over the cars with the utmost scrutiny and logging in some more testing time after Sebring, Pobst, Pilgrim and the K-PAX team are looking forward to running up front once again.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Tony Gaples has gotten the season off to a tremendous start in the No. 34 Kleinschmidt/Blackdog Racing Chevrolet Corvette. The team elected to change a motor before the race at Sebring, requiring Gaples to start from the back of the grid. Unphased, Gaples patiently sliced his way to the front, collecting a remarkable fourth-place finish, his best result since Infineon Raceway in 2004. Long Beach hasn’t been too kind to Gaples in season’s past (best finish was 14th last year), but the team has karma on their side this weekend as they partner with the Boys and Girls Club of Long Beach for their "Greater Good" campaign.

An intriguing story line to follow is Chip Herr’s new drive: the No. 7 DP7 Racing Lamborghini Gallardo. The car made its debut at Sebring, but engine concerns forced the team to pull out of the race. To maximize the performance of the Lamborghini and speed up the development process, former Houston Oilers star quarterback Dan Pastorini is handing over driving duties to Herr. It will be interesting to see what this World Challenge Touring Car ace brings to the team and a new car on his first trip to Long Beach.

Last year’s highest finishing Dodge Viper pilot at Long Beach, Jason Daskalos, is crossing his fingers for another strong finish in the LBC after a poor showing at Sebring. Early in the race, brake issues contributed to a run-in between Daskalos’ No. 5 Daskalos Developments Dodge Viper and the Porsche of Tim McKenzie. The incident forced Daskalos to hit pit lane and retire with only four laps in the books. Long Beach was a breakthrough race for Daskalos last year, finishing fifth, which was a new career-best for the Viper pilot at the time. The team will try to re-start its 2009 season this weekend with an equally strong performance.

Gunter Schaldach is also aiming for an impressive performance at Long Beach. With his team, Lala Motorsports signed on as the presenting sponsor for this weekend’s World Challenge race, it would make for a perfect photo-op if Schaldach were to claim his maiden podium finish here. The 2008 World Challenge GT Rookie of the Year finished 17th in his first visit to Long Beach and needs to score big on Sunday to bounce back from a technical disqualification at Sebring in the No. 9 Lala Motorsports Dodge Viper.

[Desertdawg]

Last time out on U.S. soil for the GT1 Corvettes, who ya got? I'll take Magnussen and O'Connell over the Ollies.

Heck, I'll take the Ollie's, what do you say to a sawbuck?

[MOTV8]

Last time out on U.S. soil for the GT1 Corvettes, who ya got? I'll take Magnussen and O'Connell over the Ollies.

Heck, I'll take the Ollie's, what do you say to a sawbuck?

Okay, so I owe you $10.

*Spoiler Alert* *Flaming Results Posted Below*

Gil de Ferran finally got his win at Long Beach, and de Ferran Motorsports took victory in the American Le Mans Series on Saturday as de Ferran and Simon Pagenaud won at the Tequila Patr¢n American Le Mans Series at Long Beach. de Ferran and his Acura ARX-02a beat Patr¢n Highcroft Racing’s David Brabham across the finish line on Shoreline Drive under yellow.

de Ferran last won a race in 2003 in his final IndyCar race at Texas. He and Simon Pagenaud were close during the team’s rookie season in 2008. The defining moment came in pit lane when the Patr¢n Highcroft car was penalized 20 seconds for a pit stop violation.

Brabham and Scott Sharp did maintain their LMP1 championship lead.

The caution came out with less than five minutes left when Boris Said’s LG Motorsports Corvette C6 erupted in flames just past the start-finish line.

Adrian Fernandez and Luis Diaz earned their third straight LMP2 victory for Lowe’s Fernandez Racing as Acura swept the two prototype classes for the second straight race. The Lowe’s Fernandez Acura ARX-01b finished five seconds ahead of Chris Dyson and Guy Smith in the first of Dyson Racing’s Mazda-powered Lola B09/86 coupes.

Smith led in class early before the pit stop cycle. The sister car of Butch Leitzinger and Marino Franchitti finished third in class.

Olivier Beretta and Oliver Gavin will go down in the record books as the winners of the final GT1 race for Corvette Racing in the American Le Mans Series. The duo won at Long Beach for the second time in three years in their Corvette C6.R.

Flying Lizard Motorsports’ Patrick Long and Jörg Bergmeister won in GT2 for the second straight race with a victory over Risi Competizione’s Jaime Melo and Pierre Kaffer. The Flying Lizard Porsche 911 GT3 RSR took victory two weeks ago at St. Petersburg and held off a hard-charging Ferrari, which started from the rear of the grid.

Saturday’s results

1. (2) Simon Pagenaud, France; Gil de Ferran, Brazil; Acura ARX-02a (1, P1), 76.

2. (1) Scott Sharp, Jupiter, FL; David Brabham, Australia; Acura ARX-02a (2, P1), 76.

3. (3) Luis Diaz, Mexico; Adrian Fernandez, Mexico; Acura ARX-01B (1, P2), 75.

4. (4) Guy Smith, England; Chris Dyson, Pleasant Valley, NY; Lola B09 86 Mazda (2, P2), 75.

5. (5) Butch Leitzinger, State College, PA; Marino Franchitti, Scotland; Lola B09 86 Mazda (3, P2), 74.

6. (8) Olivier Beretta, Monaco; Oliver Gavin, England; Corvette C6.R (1, GT1), 73.

7. (6) Jon Field, Dublin, OH; Chapman Ducote, Miami, FL; Lola B06/10 AER (3, P1), 71.

8. (11) Patrick Long, Oak Park, CA; Jorg Bergmeister, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (1, GT2), 71.

9. (21) Pierre Kaffer, Germany; Jaime Melo, Brazil; Ferrari F430 GT (2, GT2), 71.

10. (12) Tom Milner, Leesburg, VA; Dirk Mueller, Germany; BMW E92 M3 (3, GT2), 70.

11. (14) Richard Westbrook, England; Johannes Stuck, Austria; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (4, GT2), 70.

12. (19) Seth Neiman, Burlingame, CA; Darren Law, Phoenix, AZ; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (5, GT2), 70.

13. (20) Ian James, England; Dominik Farnbacher, Germany; Panoz Esperante GTLM Ford (6, GT2), 69.

14. (18) Joel Feinberg, Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Chris Hall, Daytona, FL; Dodge Viper Coupe (7, GT2), 68.

15. (7) Michael Lewis, San Diego, CA; Bryan Willman, Kirkland, WA; Lola B06/10 AER (4, P1), 67.

16. (13) Bill Auberlen, Hermosa Beach, CA; Joey Hand, Sacramento, CA; BMW E92 M3 (8, GT2), 67.

17. (15) David Murry, Cumming, GA; David Robertson, Ray, MI; Doran Ford GT MK 7 (9, GT2), 67.

18. (10) Wolf Henzler, Germany; Dirk Werner, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (10, GT2), 67.

19. (17) Lou Gigliotti, Dallas, TX; Boris Said, Carlsbad, CA; Chevrolet Riley Corvette C6 (11, GT2), 64.

20. (16) B. Sellers, Centerville, OH; D. Cicero, Portland, OR; Porsche 911 GT3 (12, GT2), 43, Transmission.

21. (9) Johnny O'Connell, Flowery Branch, GA; Jan Magnussen, Denmark; Corvette C6.R (2, GT1), 42.

I'll hafta let you know what happened to Johnny & Jan...and flaming Boris.

[MOTV8]

Long Beach: Corvette Racing race report

Racing series ALMS

Date 2009-04-18

Gavin and Beretta Take Final ALMS GT1 Victory in Long Beach

Corvette Racing Duo Brings Down the Curtain on GT1 Era with Record-Setting Win

LONG BEACH, Calif., April 18, 2009 -- Oliver Gavin and Olivier Beretta left their stamp on the American Le Mans Series record book with a victory in Corvette Racing's final GT1 race in the series. The three-time Corvette GT1 champions had a trouble-free run in the 100-minute Tequila Patron American Le Mans Series at Long Beach in their No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R. Beretta extended his record for ALMS victories with his 41st career win, while Gavin notched his 32nd ALMS victory. With a total of 73 wins, the pair is the most successful driving duo in ALMS history.

The streets of Long Beach turned mean for the sister No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R of Johnny O'Connell and Jan Magnussen. O'Connell passed Beretta, the GT1 polesitter, on the first lap of green-flag racing, but had to make an unscheduled pit stop at 18 minutes into the race to replace a punctured tire, surrendering the lead. With fresh medium-compound Michelin tires on his Corvette C6.R, O'Connell was steadily cutting into Beretta's advantage. The No. 4 Corvette made its scheduled pit stop at the 41-minute mark for tires and fuel, with Gavin replacing Beretta. With the race leader between the two cars, a safety car period could have dramatically changed the complexion of the race -- but then a drivetrain problem stopped the No. 3 Corvette on the course after 58 minutes of racing. The race ended under caution with Gavin and Beretta completing 73 laps and finishing sixth overall behind five prototypes.

"When I woke up this morning, I said I want to win the race, I want to stay out of trouble, and I want to have no mechanical problems," Beretta said. "All three came true today.

"Racing Johnny was a lot of fun," Beretta recalled. "I was pushing hard, and seemed to have an advantage in the braking zones, but as everyone knows, Long Beach has hard concrete walls and I could not overtake him. I tried to stay out of trouble because the main targets today were to win the race and to keep both cars in good condition to take to Le Mans. We could not afford to make any mistakes."

The misfortune that stalked Beretta and Gavin last season befell their teammates today.

"Those opening laps show just how hard we race at Corvette Racing," O'Connell said. "Olivier had a bit of a bobble and I got by him. I was just trying to control the pace; I knew where he was stronger and was just managing things to keep him behind me. Then he had a big moment in a corner and that opened a nice gap. Suddenly I got a low tire pressure alarm, and had to pit for tires. I felt our pace was good and everything was going great for the No. 3 Corvette, but then coming out of the hairpin something in the driveline broke.

"You don't want to end the last ALMS GT1 race being towed in, but the Corvette Racing team gave me a very sweet race car," O'Connell continued. "The number of problems we've had is so incredibly small, I'd much rather have an issue today and then go to Le Mans and win that one. That's what we're really thinking about."

With the No. 3 Corvette C6.R on the sidelines, Gavin had an uncontested run to the checkered flag.

"It was shaping up to be a great race at the end," said the Briton. "They'd had some misfortune at the start with a puncture, and then switched tires. Olivier was having real problems on the softer tire, and Johnny was catching him on the medium compound. We then switched to that tire and it was obviously the right move for these warm conditions. The car was fantastic from then onwards. After they had a mechanical issue, it was just a matter of being smart, hitting my marks, being mindful of the prototypes, and trying to pick my way through the GT2 cars sensibly.

"Although this is our last ALMS GT1 race, it isn't the last hurrah for the GT1 Corvettes," Gavin noted. "We still have unfinished business in Le Mans."

Jan Magnussen was ready to take over the No. 3 Corvette C6.R when it slowed on the course, denying the Dane the opportunity to compete in the ALMS GT1 class for one last time.

"This isn't the way we wanted to end the GT1 program, and these things don't happen very often for us," said Magnussen. "To be completely honest, I don't mind it so much here as long as we don't have any problems at Le Mans. Johnny did a fantastic job, he raced really hard and was absolutely mega.

"We'll come back at Le Mans strong and reliable. Finishing off a decade with this car with everyone involved in the program at Corvette Racing, Chevrolet, Compuware, Michelin, and Katech, we owe them a big thanks."

For Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan, the end of the GT1 era in ALMS was a bittersweet experience.

"This was not exactly the conclusion we had hoped for, but it shows how much luck plays a role in racing," Fehan said. "Regardless of what the problem might be, the positive side is that we're going to go back and learn from it, and that's what has made Corvette Racing a great team. We try to turn every adversity into opportunity.

"When you compress almost 11 years of racing memories, with so many highs and lows, so many victories and so much success, it's really difficult to choose between them. It's been a great run for the Corvettes in GT1, and we have one more to go -- it's going to be a great 24 Hours of Le Mans, and we are tuned up and ready to go."

Corvette Racing's next event is the 24 Hours of Le Mans in Le Mans, France, on June 13-14. The 77th running of the classic 24-hour endurance race on the 8.5-mile Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans will begin at 3 p.m. local time (9 a.m. EDT). Portions of the race will be televised live in the U.S. on SPEED.

NEXT EVENT

June 13-14, 24 Hours of Le Mans, Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans, Le Mans, France

TV: SPEED live, see local listings

-credit: gmracing/cr

There were only 6 minutes left in the race when the GT2 Corvette driven by Boris Said burst into flames and filled with smoke. The veteran racer scrambled out of the cockpit and across the track as safety workers sprayed the car with fire extinguishers. Said was not injured, but ALMS officials were not able to clean up the mess in time to restart the race.

[Tim]

Just saw some hightlights at Long beach...

1 vette with a broken axle and one vette on fire!!! Wow.

[MOTV8]

Found some video of the flaming flame-job: Linkski

[Tim]

That's more footage then I saw on the speed channel....luck guy...getting out of that.

[Desertdawg]

Holy Crap that thing was getting toasty!!! Lucky Said got out when he did... Hope he recovers from the burns!

There was a Lou blurb with that link, he sounds positive about returning, always good news...

Jan Magnussen

Johnny did a fantastic job, he raced really hard and was absolutely mega.

One day I would like to be absolutely mega!!!

[P51tj]

Glad to see no serious injuries from that..Hurry back Lou and Boris!

[MOTV8]

Also, FYI, the kid Curran and his Corvette came from 7th starting position to finish 2nd in WCGT and now holds the points lead!

Long Beach: Series GT race report

Racing series SCCA-WC

Date 2009-04-19

Sofronas Scores Hometown World Challenge Win At Long Beach

LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 19, 2009) -- James Sofronas, of nearby Newport Beach, Calif., took a popular hometown win Sunday at the World Challenge ACS Grand Prix of Long Beach Presented by Lala Motorsports, Round Two of the 2009 SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT Championship. Eric Curran, of Easthampton, Mass., and Brandon Davis, of Huntington Beach, Calif., completed the podium.

In the curtain closer of the 35th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, Sofronas started second in his No. 14 Global Motorsports Group Porsche 911 GT3 and moved past Mike Davis' No. 11 Applied Computer Solutions/SunMicro Ford Mustang Cobra on lap two to take the lead he would never relinquish. While he had cars close behind him, Sofronas drove a flawless race to take his second-career victory by 2.43 seconds, averaging 73.686 mph.

"This was a race we wanted to win for obvious reasons -- you want to win in front of the hometown crowd," Sofronas said. "We've been coming here for the last three years and had top fives every time, but finally getting the win is so gratifying. I think our team was one of the last to leave the paddock this weekend. They were up until 2:30 in the morning making changes.

"Having GMG right down the street, we're lucky to have a lot of clients here and a lot of our cars on display. It gave a chance for people to see that we're not as much a race team as a Porsche prep shop. We do a good amount of racing, but we do a lot more on the street tuning side. The racing is the branding. It gives us the image of racing on Sunday and selling on Monday. The best part though, is having my wife here. She's amazing. I couldn't do this without her and we're expecting a baby girl in three months."

After Sofronas took over the point and had the younger Davis (Mike's son Brandon) behind him, he knew he'd be in for a fight, but learned he had the right car to do the job.

"I got by Mike [Davis] and the next thing I know I have this black beast in my mirrors, but I told myself to be smooth and run consistent laps," Sofronas said. "What was amazing was, when I was going through traffic, I got into Turn Nine at full brakes and I had no idea I had that much brake left and it made me that much more confident. Moving forward, I was so confident knowing that, if Brandon came charging, I knew I could brake deep with the Stoptechs. I knew that as long as I didn't make a mistake, I'd be okay."

Curran, the 2007 race winner, started seventh but moved to fourth by the time a lap three caution came out to re-set the Turn One tire wall. Despite high engine temperatures in the 96-degree heat, Curran's No. 30 Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Corvette was able to move up steadily after the restart, passing Mike Davis for third on lap eight and setting his sights on the lead duo of Sofronas and Brandon Davis' No. 10 Applied Computer Solutions/SunMicro Ford Mustang Cobra.

With two laps to go, Davis missed a shift, allowing Curran to get a run and up to second place, equaling his Sebring finish to take the point standings lead.

"It was nice to get up to Brandon," Curran said. "I didn't think I had anything for him, but he made a little bit of a bobble and I just timed it right and got by him. I didn't have anything for James at the end. Those Porsches are fast. They're tough to chase down on a slippery track like this."

Brandon Davis, the defending race winner, also experienced high engine temperatures after following Sofronas for so long, but held on for his second third-place finish of the season.

"It seemed like, in the beginning of the race, I had a little something for James, but it was in all the wrong places," Davis said. "I had to push really hard to keep with him, but then the spots that I would catch him I couldn't get by, so I think I burned the car up a little too much.

"The Mustang was really good on brakes. Our car is sprung really soft and we have a good package for the bumps here. It seemed like in the brake zones we'd catch up to James. But coming out of the slow speed corners we couldn't get on the power as good as James. When I tried to stay with him, the back end would step out and it started wearing on the tires more and more. By the end of the race I had nothing left in the car and Eric was able to run me down."

The lead trio stretched out to a 20-second lead over fourth place Mike Davis, who took the position, a career-best, after swapping it with Sebring winner Tony Rivera several times. Jason Daskalos moved up from his eighth starting position to complete the top five on the final lap in his No. 5 Daskalos Developments Dodge Viper. His lap-27 pass on Rivera on the outside of Turn Nine earned him the AutoWeek Move of the Race.

Andy Pilgrim, who started third in his Volvo S60 but faded to seventh after the start, turned the Debaufre Fast Lap of the race with a 1:26.744 (81.674 mph) and passed Rivera for sixth on the final lap. He nearly had Daskalos for fifth, but lost the drag race out of the final corner to the finish line.

Rivera cited high engine temperatures that robbed his Porsche 911 GT3 of power throughout the race, leading to an eventual seventh-place finish. Polesitter Randy Pobst, who started fifth after a coin flip inverted the top five qualifiers, finished a quiet eighth in his Volvo S60.

Tony Gaples earned the Sunoco Hard Charger Award for advancing from 17th to ninth in his No. 34 Kleinschmidt Inc/Blackdog Racing Chevrolet Corvette. Jeff Courtney completed the top 10 in his Dodge Viper.

Craig Stanton, of Long Beach, Calif., won the GT3 Cup Shootout, finishing 11th overall in his stock No. 07 Aasco Motorsports Porsche GT3 Cup.

After two of 10 Rounds, Curran took over the Drivers' Championship point lead, with 222, followed by Sofronas (212), Brandon Davis (199) and Rivera (196). With two wins on the season, Porsche leads the Manufacturers' Championship Presented by RACER Magazine, with 19 points, followed by Ford (10), Volvo (two) and Dodge (two).

Today's race will be broadcast Friday, May 22 at 2 p.m. (Eastern) on SPEED. The SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT Championship next travels to New Jersey Motorsports Park May 1-2. For additional information, please visit www.world-challenge.com.

-credit: scca

Thank goodness Curran passed that Mustang! Eat it FORD!