ALMS 2011 thread

[MOTV8]

ALMS: Ferrari 1-2 In GT Testing At Road America

Toni Vilander, Guy Cosmo lead highly competitive GT category in two-hour promoter test session...

A pair of Ferrari F458 Italias topped the GT class time charts today at Road America as American Le Mans Series teams gear up for Saturday's Time Warner Cable Road Race Showcase.

Toni Vilander turned a best time of 2:06.894 in his Risi Competizione machine, edging out the No. 02 Extreme Speed Motorsports entry of Guy Cosmo by 0.425 seconds.

Both Prancing Horses proved to hold an upper edge on the competition, as quickest non-Ferrari, the No. 4 Corvette Racing C6.R of Oliver Gavin and Jan Magnussen, was nearly one-second off Vilander's flying time. (Fine, I don't think a fast but fragile prancing horse will last 4 hours, boom, I said it. )

Championship leaders Joey Hand and Dirk Muller slotted in fourth quickest in their No. 56 BMW Team RLL BMW M3 GT, while ESM's sister No. 01 Ferrari, driven by Scott Sharp and Johannes van Overbeek, completed the top-five in class.

Up front, the No. 16 Dyson Racing Lola B09/86 Mazda of Guy Smith led the way, thanks to the Briton's 1:55.132 lap time. It was some 2.437 seconds quicker than the surprisingly second quickest entry of AutoCon Motorsports. The No. 12 Lola B06/10 is being piloted by Tony Burgess, Chris McMurry and Mike Lewis, who is making his final prototype start this weekend.

Dyson's sister Lola-Mazda of Humaid al Masaood and Steven Kane struggled, setting only the ninth best time overall, while Mid-Ohio winners Muscle Milk AMR again elected to not take part in the two-hour promoter test session.

The surprise of the day came from Level 5 Motorsports, which ended the session third quickest overall and only four seconds away from the pace-setting LMP1 machine. Luis Diaz turned a best time of 1:59.356 in his LMP2-class Lola B11/40 Honda that he'll share with Scott Tucker and Christophe Bouchut on Saturday.

Level 5's Lola-Honda is 20 kg lighter this weekend, thanks to a balance of performance adjustment made by IMSA last month. Road America marks the Wisconsin-based team's first series start since Long Beach in April.

Gunnar Jeannette led the way in the LMPC category, running a 2:00.063 lap time in his CORE autosport Oreca FLM09, while defending class champion Jeroen Bleekemolen topped the charts in GTC aboard his Black Swan Racing Porsche.

No major incidents were reported throughout the session, other than a few GTC cars having off-course excursions. Meh.

Official practice gets underway Friday morning.

[Shifty]

Today's teh day (for Q, anyway)

[MOTV8]

Today's teh day (for Q, anyway)

You got your brats and suds ready?

ALMS: Corvette Paces Practice 1 At Road America

Corvette leads way in first official practice at Road America...

Corvette Racing led the way in the first official practice for Saturday's Time Warner Cable Road Race Showcase at Road America.

The No. 4 Corvette C6.R of Oliver Gavin topped the GT class time charts with a 2:06.422 lap time, edging out the No. 45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche of Jorg Bergmeister by 0.767 seconds.

Thursday's pacesetter, Risi Competizione, wound up third quickest in class, followed by the No. 56 BMW Team RLL M3 GT of Joey Hand, which made it four different manufacturers in the top-four.

The Le Mans-winning No. 3 Corvette of Tommy Milner completed the top-five in the highly competitive category.

Despite sitting out Thursday's Promoter test session, Muscle Milk AMR didn't waste any time getting their Lola-Aston Martin up to speed. Klaus Graf turned the quickest time of the session overall, a blinding 1:54.134. It edged out the No. 20 Dyson Racing Lola B09/86 Mazda of Steven Kane by 1.212 seconds.

The No. 055 Level 5 Motorsports Lola B11/40 Honda, the only LMP2 entry here this weekend, was fifth quickest overall, while Jon Bennett (CORE autosport) and Jeroen Bleekemolen (Black Swan Racing) led LMPC and GTC, respectively.

The 60-minute session saw two red flags, the first for the No. 12 AutoCon Motorsports Lola B06/10 AER, which suffered an off in Turn 11. A second red was shown when Rudy Junco went off-course in his No. 52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca FLM09 with less than 20 minutes to go.

Practice 2 is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.

[Shifty]

Verra WTG Olly!

[Shifty]

2nd and 6th...

[MOTV8]

Magnussen Qualifies No. 4 Corvette C6.R Under GT Track Record

Corvettes Qualify Second and Sixth in Road America

Jan Magnussen was more than a second quicker than Oliver Gavin's pole-winning lap at Road America in 2010, and six tenths of a second under the GT qualifying record set in 2008. Despite the Dane's strong performance on August 19, 2011, he missed putting the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R on the GT pole for the second consecutive year by .005-second. That was the razor-thin margin that favored Dirk Mueller's No. 56 BMW M3 GT in qualifying for Saturday's Road Race Showcase, the sixth round of the American Le Mans Series.

Magnussen held back as the 15-minute qualifying session began, seeking a gap in traffic. With a clear track ahead, he rocketed around the 4-mile circuit in 2:05.452 (116.162 mph) on his fourth lap, eclipsing his teammate's pole-winning 2:06.509 time from last year. Olivier Beretta was close behind with a lap at 2:06.585 (115.123 mph) that put the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R sixth on the GT grid. Mueller took the pole with a 2:05.447 (116.167 mph) lap.

"Five thousandths!" Magnussen exclaimed after qualifying. "When the session started, I made a quick decision to fall back to give myself a big gap. I was clear of traffic, set my fast time, and then did a cool-down lap to get ready for my final qualifying run. That lap was looking really good until we caught traffic. Even with a similar lap, five thousandths could have gone either way.

"Corvette Racing has done such a fantastic job with the cars," Magnussen said. "We're developing all the time, Michelin is making gains with the tires, and the guys back in the shop are prepping the cars perfectly. There are so many tiny improvements, so much attention to the details, and when they are all added up, you get a big improvement like this in one year."

Beretta also posted his best time on his fourth lap, jumping from 11th to sixth in the order.

"Everything was OK, the tires were working well, but I had some power understeer," Beretta said. "I felt that I was losing time in the Carousel, the Kink, and Turn 7. Four hours is a long race, so I think we can make it to the front with some more work on the front of the car."

The four-hour event is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday, August 20. Live video coverage will be available on ESPN3.com in the US and americanlemans.com for international users. ABC will televise the Time Warner Cable Road Race Showcase on Sunday, August 21, at 4:30 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT).

.005 seconds.

More cheese!!! Mueller's mom wears combat boots.

[MOTV8]

Tommy, Tommy... :cuss

[MOTV8]

That was fugly.

[Shifty]

Tell me that teh Bimmers don't have some unfair advantages.....go ahead and tell me....

Those effers walked teh rest of teh competition, and if it hadn't been for Risi getting that great last catapult into teh lead, they would have snipped Melo too, and he ran a helluva race...unless teh rules are enforced next year, and teh ALMS

stops kissing Rahal's bishops ring, I personally believe teh Vettes should sit out a year, and hit ALMS where they live, as Corvette Racing is by far their biggest draw. True, Tommy did go too deep into teh turn, but he was driving all out, and needed

to, if CR wanted a shot at teh podium. I understand that CR can't win every race, and I'm trying hard not to snivel, but only circumstances have kept teh RLL from winning every race...they essentially have a GT1 car in GT2 class...

Rant over...

[MOTV8]

I won't tell you that.

Watching first Mags, then even Patty Long get just OWNED by teh BMWs towards teh end there was just brutal. Teh points have me so depressed, broke out teh good sheit.

ALMS: Muscle Milk AMR Wins Road America Thriller

Klaus Graf holds off Guy Smith in closest finish in series history. Other class winners include: Risi Competizione (GT), PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports (LMPC) and Black Swan Racing (GTC)...

With less than 10 minutes to go in Saturday’s Time Warner Cable Road Race Showcase, Klaus Graf was going through a bit of deja vu. The Muscle Milk AMR driver was out front but chased closely in pursuit by the Dyson Racing Lola-Mazda of Guy Smith.

Graf, though, not only had to worry about fending off the hard-charging Briton, but also watch his fuel gauge, knowing that his V12-powered Lola-Aston Martin was on its last drops of E85.

The German lost last year’s American Le Mans Series race at Road America on the final lap with only two corners to go when his prototype sputtered out of fuel. Twelve months later, he and the Greg Pickett-led team celebrated a thrilling victory in the closest overall finish in series’ history.

After four hours of hard-fought racing, Graf edged across the line just 0.112 seconds ahead of Smith to take the down-to-the-wire LMP1 win for he and co-driver Lucas Luhr.

“It was probably one of the hardest races I’ve ever done,” said an elated Graf, who scored his fourth victory of the season. “They told me to keep pushing and save fuel, so it’s kind of a hard combination!

"I had to give it all I had and drive defensively at the end. Guy was very fair, I really appreciate it. After four hours and to come so close. It’s unbelievable for the Muscle Milk car and Aston Martin. It’s a great day.”

It appeared to be Muscle Milk AMR's race to lose at the halfway point, with Graf jumping into a comfortable lead over the No. 16 Dyson Lola B09/86 Mazda of Smith and Chris Dyson. Dyson's sister No. 20 machine of Steven Kane hit trouble after jumping out to an early lead.

While the Oryx-backed Lola ultimately retired due to a crash by Humaid al Masaood, the fight for LMP1 honors came down to a two-horse race.

Smith and Grad made their final stops together under the final caution with 45 minutes to go, but the Muscle Milk crew opted for scrubbed Michelins compared to Dyson's sticker Dunlop tires. Fuel concerns for Graf added further uncertainty over the final few laps.

AutoCon Motorsports completed the LMP1 podium, although the Chris McMurry and Tony Burgess-driven Lola B06/10 AER was classified in 7th overall.

After a season filled with disappointments, Risi Competizione’s Jaime Melo and Toni Vilander finally broke through to score their first GT class victory.

The No. 62 Ferrari F458 Italia "cruised" to a 9.061-second victory over the No. 55 BMW Team RLL BMW M3 GT of Dirk Werner, who appeared to hold the upper edge in the closing stages of the four-hour enduro.

Werner took over the class lead during the fourth and final full-course caution with 45 minutes remaining, thanks to a bold two-tire change by the Bobby Rahal-led crew just a handful of laps prior to the yellow.

But following the restart, it didn't take long for Melo to reel in the German, passing the BMW with 28 minutes to go.

The win for he and co-driver Toni Vilander marked the first for the Ferrari F458 in ALMS competition and for the Houston-based crew this year.

"We actually had a clutch problem in the middle to end of the race," said Melo, who earned the win in his 50th ALMS start. "It was pretty hard to keep the pace under the conditions. But the team did a great job. The crew is fantastic. The first victory for the Ferrari 458... I'm really happy.

"We had many problems in the beginning of the year and we were waiting for this win. I don't think it's going to be the last one. It's going to be the beginning of many wins, I think."

Werner and co-driver Bill Auberlen came home in second, ahead of BMW Team RLL teammates Joey Hand and Dirk Muller, who retain the GT class drivers' championship lead.

Muller made a bold late-race pass on the No. 45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche of Jorg Bergmeister for the final podium position. Bergmeister and co-driver Patrick Long were credited with a fourth-place finish as a result.

Corvette Racing led early in the hands of Oliver Gavin but was forced to settle for fifth. Gavin and Jan Magnussen's fortunes were still better than their sister car of Tommy Milner, which ran to the same strategy as BMW's Werner but retired late in the running due to a crash. ( Ending up 14th, that was a bonehead crash! What this doesn't tell you, Dawg, is that Milner had just pitted for tires and fuel and he was gonna be golden for the stint to the end, and he got off track on his own and just blew it.)

Facing no competition, Level 5 Motorsports cruised to the LMP2 class victory, but a costly mid-race pit lane penalty deprived Scott Tucker, Christophe Bouchut and Luis Diaz of a possible overall podium result.

The trio in the No. 055 Lola B11/40 Honda came home in fifth overall, four laps back from the overall-winning cars and only one lap adrift from third place after a relatively trouble-free run.

"We were pushing 100 percent," Diaz said. "We wanted to be on the overall podium. I think Scott did a great job in his first stint. Christophe drove well. We were pushing hard, but we unfortunately had a penalty that maybe cost us to be on the overall podium. I think the Level 5 team did a great job and I'm very happy."

LMPC class honors went to PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports' Butch Leitzinger and Rudy Junco Jr., who finished an impressive third overall in their No. 52 Oreca FLM09.

Having started from the class pole, Junco led early, but came under attack from the No. 63 Genoa Racing machine of Elton Julian. The two exchanged the top spot a number of times before Leitzinger's race-winning move on Eric Lux with 33 minutes to go.

Leitzinger edged out Lux at the line by 19.515 seconds to score the California-based team's first victory in series competition.

"The PR1 team did just a phenomenal job," said Leitzinger, who won in his LMPC debut. "At any one point, we would all be together. There was no [team] you could discount and say, 'Oh I'll get by them easily and I won't have to battle them.' You had to battle everyone, every time for every turn."

Lux, Julian and Christian Zugel came home in second, capitalizing on a rather disastrous day for championship leaders CORE autosport, which suffered two costly incidents that dropped the No. 06 entry of Gunnar Jeannette and Ricardo Gonazlez to a fifth place finish.

However, the Charlotte-based squad managed to get its sister car of Frankie Montecalvo and team principal Jon Bennett on the podium in third.

Once again, the battle for GTC class honors didn't fail to disappoint, with Black Swan Racing's Jeroen Bleekemolen leapfrogging from third to first on the final lap amid an action-packed fight for the win.

"It was unbelievable," Bleekemolen said. "I was catching them the whole time but there was not so much of a difference in speed. Then on the last lap, I got around on Spencer [Pumpelly], who was blocked by the 30 [of Sean Edwards]. Then I could overtake Sean two corners before the end. Then he hit men, so I got a puncture. But still, I could bring it home. It was really close."

Edwards, who was gambling on fuel in his No. 30 NGT Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, was handed a 150-second penalty post-race for blocking, which dropped him to third in the results. The current Porsche Supercup championship leader held control of the race in the closing stages.

Pumpelly nearly pulled off his third victory in as many weeks but like Bleekemolen, was caught up in the last-lap shoving match. It just turned out to be Bleekemolen and co-driver Tim Pappas' day.

The American Le Mans Series returns to action in two weeks' time on the streets of Baltimore for the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix on Sept. 2-3.

What? The streets of Baltimore?

Where will the hookers and crackheads go?

Sorry, I'm just bitter. Even the lizard beat us today. Our pits were less than epic. And I have to eat crow, the Ferrari survived even a love tap from Oli and they were flying this weekend.

[Shifty]

Ya, that was kind of a facial by teh Risi, wasn't it... I dunno though, I still can't blame Tommy for teh whole mess, I think he was told to push as hard as he could, and it popped him a little out of his zone...he would have needed that jump, as I believe teh Bimmers still would have caught him... What's teh point standing look like now? Does RLL have teh championship sewn-up now?

[MOTV8]

Points were just updated by ALMS: GT Point Standings pdf

I've been looking for info on this street course they've laid out for Baltimore, and found this:

Don't know what to expect, looks tight like Long Beach.

[Shifty]

If my math is correct, it looks like an all at-night race.... BTW, we need a countdown to green clock for this section.

[MOTV8]

If you figure a way to steal the one at BBV let me know.

Binks agrees with me...Milner threw away a podium at the very least.

Gavin and Magnussen Run at the Front in GT

Corvette Racing Takes Fifth at Road America

The fans wanted a four-hour race at Road America, and the American Le Mans Series teams delivered four hours of nonstop action in the Time Warner Cable Road Race Showcase. The No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R driven by Oliver Gavin and Jan Magnussen finished fifth in the GT class after running in the lead pack throughout the race. The No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R of Tommy Milner and Olivier Beretta retired with suspension damage after an accident at the three-hour mark. The No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia driven by Jaime Melo and Toni Vilander won the hard-fought GT category, and the No. 4 Corvette won the Michelin Green X Challenge competition.

After qualifying second and sixth, the yellow Corvettes were third and fourth when the first lap was completed. An early full-course caution opened the opportunity to split the race strategies, and Milner pitted the No.3 for fuel only at 20 minutes. After a spirited fight with the No. 56 BMW and the No. 62 Ferrari, Gavin took the lead at 54 minutes into the race. He held the point through the No. 4 Corvette's first pit stop, then had contact with the Ferrari as the two cars exited the pit lane simultaneously. After dropping to fifth, Gavin worked his way back to the front, passing the BMW again for the lead at 1:52. The Briton then handed off to Magnussen when the No. 4 pitted at 2:16.

"It was an action-packed stint," Gavin said. "I was tapped at the start, got sideways, and several cars screamed by on the inside. Then there was a big scrap as we went into Turn 5, with cars everywhere. Finally things settled down a little.

"On the first pass for the lead, the BMW was pushed wide by the Ferrari and they got bottled up in Carousel," he recalled. "I got around the BMW, and then passed the Ferrari as we came into Turn 14. After the pit stop, the Ferrari's door was open as we went down the pit lane, Vilander was trying to get himself secured, and he spun me around. On the next restart, I passed the Ferrari and was having a good battle with the leading BMW. When we came up behind a slower GTC car, he went left, I went right, and I managed to outdrag him on the front straight. It was great fun and great racing!"

Milner agreed. "The start was unbelievable," he said. "They've been trying to pack everybody up at the green flag, and they got that here at Road America. There was definitely some good action where I was sitting. After everything settled down, the No 3 Corvette was quick. The guys made the right call to switch strategy and pit us out of sequence."

That gamble nearly paid off as Beretta was running third in the No. 3 Corvette C6.R after taking over from Milner at 1:28 into the race. Milner was back in at 2:36, and stopped for fuel and two tires at 3:02. On the out-lap, he spun off in Turn 13 and damaged the right-side suspension.

"If I hadn't wrecked, that would have been the right call," Milner said. "It's frustrating because we had such a really good car today. We ran quick laps when I was by myself, but in traffic it's hard to run to the capabilities of the car. We put on two tires to go to the end, and the car was tough to drive with two sticker tires. I turned in for Turn 13, the rear was loose and I had to catch it. I was off the line, and there's a big bump at the exit. I tried to avoid it, but got the car sideways and into the wall."

"We got off sequence early and hoped that it would pay off," explained crew chief Dan Binks. "After that last pit stop, I think we had 'em smoked. The engineers made a great call, but with cold tires, Tommy just spun off. The rear suspension was too badly damaged to fix safely in 30 minutes, so we called it."

Magnussen was consistently in the top five in the No. 4 Corvette in the second half, and was attacking the No. 45 Porsche for third with 30 minutes remaining. In the closing minutes, however, he was passed by the No. 56 BMW, and then had to defend his position against the No. 17 Porsche.

"My first stint in the car was quite good," Magnussen said. "Then as the temperature cooled down, the balance of the car changed and I backed off to bring the car home. Fifth place is absolutely not satisfying in any way; it's not where I thought we were going to finish."

The No. 4 Corvette C6.R won the Michelin Green X Challenge competition as the fastest, cleanest, and most efficient entry in the GT class for the third consecutive race.

"Corvette Racing won the inaugural Michelin Green X Challenge in 2009, and to win for the ninth time in the milestone 25th competition shows Chevrolet's enduring commitment to efficiency, performance, and alternative fuels," said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. "The team did a masterful job of executing a two-car strategy, but unfortunately circumstances prevented us from reaching our goal."

ABC will televise the Time Warner Cable Road Race Showcase on Sunday, August 21, at 4:30 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT). Corvette Racing’s next event is the two-hour Baltimore Grand Prix on Saturday, September 3, starting at 4:30 p.m. ET. Live video coverage will be available on ESPN3.com in the US and americanlemans.com for international users. ABC will televise the Baltimore Grand Prix on Sunday, September 4, at 4 p.m. ET.

Hey, chicks dig the Green X, right? :smilelol

[Shifty]

Naw, that's teh Green Hornet that chicks dig....

[MOTV8]

Fluff blurb...although I didn't know about the Oli's street circuit record. Nice.

Up Next: Baltimore And The Inner Harbor

It’s on to Baltimore for the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón and the final street race of the 2011 season. The inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix is the seventh round of this year’s championship and the 19th street circuit race in ALMS history.

There have been eight previous street races in the American Le Mans Series, dating back to the Race of a Thousand Years in Adelaide, Australia in 2000. The mid-Atlantic offers familiar surroundings to the Series, which raced at RFK Stadium in Washington DC during the 2002 season.

Corvette Racing’s Olivier Beretta and Oliver Gavin are the most successful ALMS drivers on street circuits. They each have seven victories, followed by Paul Miller Racing’s Sascha Maassen with six. No one has had more pole positions on street circuits than Beretta with five, and Gavin has six fastest race laps.

As far as recent performances, CORE autosport’s Gunnar Jeannette has won two straight street races in ALMS – Long Beach in 2010 and 2011 in LMP Challenge.

The Baltimore Grand Prix is set for 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 3. The race will air on ABC, Sunday, Sept. 4 at 4 p.m. (ET) and be shown live in the U.S. on ESPN3.com or americanlemans.com outside the U.S. Live coverage also will be available on Rogers Sportsnet in Canada and MotorsTV in Europe.

[Shifty]

Teh problem is that their wins were in GT1, which they dominated with teh exception of teh early 2000's....now they have to contend with GT1 cars (BMW's, except teh motor) while being limited to GT2 cars.... I hope I'm wrong, as CR needs to finish 1-2 in class if they have any hope of a championship....

[MOTV8]

Speaking of GT1, hijack, if you watch closely about 2:20 into this vid, you'll see ole C5-R chassis #009 (Le Mans blue #53) roll by: Corvette World Tribute 2011 vid

Chassis #009 finished third at Le Mans, but after that you may remember Dale Jr. trying to barbeque himself in it:

Now, I had heard that car was literally toast. In fact, Group Marketing Manager for GM Racing, Gary Claudio, stated that C5R-009 was "damaged beyond repair for racing or show and would not be rebuilt".

However, never underestimate the power of a cash-laden collector:

It turns out both #008 & #009 were sold to Robert Patrella, and he had Pratt & Miller restore #009 back to race ready condition. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy to see her rolling on track again.

Wonder what the bill was though...

[Shifty]

I think when Road & Track tested teh GT2 cars vs their street kin, teh C6-r was something like 675k....

[MOTV8]

Meh, pocket change, what's a half mil here or there?

PREVIEW: ALMS Baltimore Grand Prix

Like every other series competing on the streets of Baltimore this weekend, the greatest challenge for American Le Mans Series teams is conquering the unknown.

After recent street races in St. Petersburg, Houston and Detroit have since fallen off the map, only Long Beach will provide a baseline for teams to set up their cars for this weekend's first run around the 2.1-mile, 12-turn circuit.

Additionally, as in Long Beach, the race is only two hours as opposed to the standard two hours and 45 minutes. Some teams could attempt to complete the race on just one pit stop.

Only eight drivers currently on the entry list competed the last time the ALMS ran on a street course in the northeast region of the country, Washington D.C. in 2002 near RFK Stadium (BELOW).

Jan Magnussen won overall that year co-driving a Panoz LMP roadster and has intentions of securing his second win this season in the Corvette Racing C6.R with Oliver Gavin.

A win is very much needed for the Corvette pairing as they enter 22 points behind the leading BMW Team RLL pairing of Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller. Despite a three-race winless drought, top five finishes in every event have kept them in prime position for the driver's championship in GT.

Those two are the top dogs in points but the last two race winners, Risi Ferrari and Falken Porsche, are surging quickly. And if street course history is anything to go off of, Flying Lizard Porsche should play a major role in the weekend. Prior to Long Beach, Jorg Bergmeister had won four straight street races dating to Detroit 2008. He and Patrick Long, who swept the Pirelli World Challenge races at Infineon this weekend, still seek their first ALMS win of the season.

In both the teams' and manufacturers' championships, BMW also holds 27-point leads over Corvette. An interesting sub-headline going into Baltimore is the tire manufacturer standings, as Michelin took the lead over Dunlop for the first time at Road America. That difference is merely one point — and how the tires hold up over the street course will certainly play a vital role in who's holding the trophies come Saturday evening.

The only bullet Michelin has in P1, Muscle Milk Aston Martin Racing, has an “old new” face returning to a prototype in Romain Dumas. The Frenchman will co-drive with Klaus Graf as Lucas Luhr misses his first ALMS event of the season on FIA GT1 World Championship duty in Ordos, China. Dumas and Graf won in the team's Porsche RS Spyder at Mosport last season in their last start together.

“Learning the track itself is a fairly easy process for me, walking the track on Thursday will be important but my top priority will be getting comfortable with the Muscle Milk Aston Martin and getting to know my new work environment, like learning all the buttons in the car and on the steering wheel as quickly as possible,” said Dumas, whose first stint behind the team's Lola Aston Martin will come in Friday morning practice.

Graf still trails the Dyson duo of Chris Dyson and Guy Smith by 18 points; those two are back on level numbers after a post-Road America adjustment of points clarifying minimum drive time requirement from the prior round at Mid-Ohio.

Gunnar Jeannette has won both prior street races in the LMP Challenge class, this year recording CORE autosport's first class win with Ricardo Gonzalez at Long Beach. Those two have a seven-point lead over Genoa Racing's Eric Lux in the class; Lux co-drives with Elton Julian this weekend, which enhances Genoa's victory chances.

A last-lap win for Tim Pappas and Jeroen Bleekemolen in their Black Swan Racing Porsche netted Pappas four crucial points to build his GTC class lead to 11 over Spencer Pumpelly and Duncan Ende of TRG. Pappas and Bleekemolen won at Long Beach earlier this season. Dion von Moltke and local Baltimore driver Marc Bunting might get additional support from the crowds in the second TRG entry.

Four LMP1, 13 GT (Robertson Racing's Fords skip the weekend), seven LMPC and six GTC make up the 30-car field for the inaugural running of the two-hour Baltimore Grand Prix.

• The ALMS Baltimore Grand Prix airs on ABC Sunday at 4 p.m. ET., and is also available live via web-based ESPN3 on Saturday, starting at 3:15 p.m. ET.

[Shifty]

It should be an interesting race.....

[MOTV8]

It should be an interesting race.....

I thought with the hurricane they might have some attendance issues...but again I don't get paid for thinking. The weekend's lineup of races is expected to draw at least 100,000 fans to the Inner Harbor area. Organizers said Wednesday fewer than 1,000 tickets remain to the grandstand area.

Teh teams have arrived and are setting up outside Camden Yards.

I hope Patty Long gets dysentery.

[Shifty]

I hope Patty Long gets dysentery.

I was thinking vaginal warts....

[Desertdawg]

Why don't we just box up Victor's frog and send it to him ???

[Guest 2010yumavette]

17 days till the ALMS race at laguna seca!!! ill take pics.. i bought a gopro1080 dp hd camera ill post videos when i get back... 2 parade laps on the friday prior......now i just have to drive 10 hrs!!!