ALMS 2011 thread

[MOTV8]

I think teh Tommy has some unresolved anger issues with BMW, not that there's anything wrong with that!

[Shifty]

I honestly believe that Tommy was told to go balls out, with only 36 minutes left...and if his tires hadn't cooled because of that caution, he just might have pulled that move off...

[MOTV8]

Fair enough. I just think he likes punting Bimmers on street courses.

[Shifty]

I don't blame him, I'd like to punt them cheating mofos myself....

[Shifty]

BTW: Where was teh GT40's and Jaguars?

[MOTV8]

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.

^^Don't know why. Teh Jags were a travesty of a sham of a mockery. One was a DNS (did not start) and teh other made just one lap and retired with a "mechanical" issue.

ALMS: Dyson's Kane & Al Masaood win in Baltimore

Joe Jennings, ALMS correspondent

Upstarts Kane and Al Masaood ALMS victors; Team Fallen Tire wins GT class

Steven Kane and Humaid Al Masaood scored an upset victory in the LMP1 class when they drove the Oryx Dyson Racing Mazda Lola B09/86 to victory in the two-hour American LeMans Series presented by Tequila Patron race that’s part of the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix

Thousands of fans were watching from the grandstands, standing along the track, viewing from balconies of nearby hotels and office buildings and filling every nook of the large down town facility. The weekend represents a success story to the city, the organizers and the participants from the ALMS and the IZOD IndyCar Series.

The pair of accomplished drivers took advantage of a faulty starter motor on a companion Dyson Racing Lola B09/86, grabbing the lead on the 40th lap and being unchallenged as they raced to victory in the 71-lap race.

The victors finished 6.9 seconds ahead of teammates Chris Dyson and Guy Smith.

Said Irishman Kane, “It is absolutely massive. To win an ALMS race this early in our career is fantastic. To do it before such a large crowd in Baltimore is fantastic. The last few laps were nerve-wracking for me. This is only my fifth ALMS race after racing all over Europe.

Al Masood hails from the United Arab Emirates, and he, too, was thrilled with the outcome. “I am extremely excited to win this race. For us to come here with it only being our first year in the ALMS, it is so exciting to win. And to do it before such a large crowd is great. The whole thing – the track, the set-up and the organization – was great. This is a great win to score.”

Said car owner Rob Dyson, “Fear, joy and anticipation went through my mind as the race wound down. At any race, there is hazard, which is elevated at a street circuit. It’s really impressive to see both cars be very competitive today, and the team working really well together. First and second, we couldn’t have done any better than that.”

For Dyson Racing, it last had a one-two finish at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 2005.

Third behind the two Mazda LMP1s was the Intersport Racing Oreca LMPC driven by Kyle Marcelli and Tomy Drissi, winning their second race of the year.

“Throughout the race, my job was not to make a mistake, keep the car clean and give a good car to Kyle. After settling in, I got it down to race pace and kept my ego in check. The race was really, really difficult with the risk you take for a second here, a tenth there and another tenth there.”

Added Marcelli, “You have to come into a temporary circuit with a well-prepared car, which we did. I knew my job was to bring the car home and maintain the lead that I knew Tommy would bring me. Continuity and consistency are the most important things among mechanics and engineers, and everyone did their job today.”

Finishing sixth overall and the GT winner was Wolf Henzler and Bryan Sellers in the Tam Falken Tire Porsche 911 GT3 Cup entry. They won for the second time in 2011.

“It was an amazing start today, and I was a bit scared,” Henzler said. “I knew once we arrived in turn one, we’ve have such great speed. Once everyone broke, I saw there was a spot on the right, dived in and overtook a few cars. One of the Corvettes spun and I t-boned him. I was lucky our Porsche wasn’t damaged.”

Sellers stated, “It was a crazy atmosphere with the crowds and sounds. The track had very smooth asphalt and concrete, but we didn’t know whether we would have a compound soft enough, but the tire turned out to be terrific.”

Second in class was the BMW M3 of Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller trailed by the Chevrolet Corvette C6 of Oliver Gavin and Jan Magnussen.

In separate GT action, Bill Auberlen and his BMW M3 was taken out by Tommy Milner in another Chevrolet Corvette C6.

Tim Pappas and Jeroen Bleekemolen took the GT Challenge class victory in their Black Swan Racing Porsche GT3 Cup car.

“I think everyone expected turn one to be crazy, so I held back to see what was going to happen,” Pappas said. “I got a little lucky and went through a little whole on the outside. The hole closed behind me and everything came to a stop. Ever since Long Beach the car has been very good and this team has just really found its stride.”

Bleekemolen, who became a worldwide celebrity after stopping to pick up a wheel from his car and putting into his car to return it to the pits during qualifications, was still basking in the attention received. But he was also thrilled with today’s outcome.

Leh Keen and Bill Sweedler finished second in GT driving the Alex Job Racing Porsche GT3 Cup entry.

Third in class was John Potter and Craig Stanton in the Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car.

Second place was up for grabs between the second and third-place cars until the checkered flag dropped.

Just two caution flags slowed the race, consuming 10 laps. The first slowdown didn’t occur until the 31st lap and that was for a manhole cover that came loose.

-and-

ALMS: Corvette Racing Baltimore race report

Corvette Racing press release

Corvette Finishes Third and Seventh in Baltimore Street Fight

Gavin and Magnussen Recover from First-Turn Melee to Score Podium Finish

BALTIMORE, Sept. 3, 2011 – Spins, accidents, penalties and punctures all figured in Corvette Racing's results in the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix. Played out before an enthusiastic crowd in the packed grandstands, the two-hour race had everything expected in a street race – and more.

When it was over, Oliver Gavin and Jan Magnussen stood on the GT podium in third place. That was a remarkable comeback after an incident in the first corner that pinned the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R against the wall and allowed the entire field to pass. Magnussen was on a mission, going from 12th to fourth in 22 laps. The first-turn contact had damaged a tire, however, and he pitted at 36 minutes. On four fresh Michelins, the Dane turned the fastest lap of the race, and then handed off to Gavin at the one-hour mark. Gavin was third after the restart for the race's second full-course caution, and held that position to the end in a battered and bruised race car. Wolf Henzler and Bryan Sellers won the GT class in a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, completing 71 laps on the 2.04-mile temporary circuit.

Magnussen started second in the GT class, and found himself in the middle of a holiday traffic jam in the first turn. "Turn 1 is a very tight and slippery corner, and there was a bit of confusion," said Magnussen. "No one was to blame, it was just a racing incident. I had a good start and a good run on the BMW, and then a prototype ahead of us slowed right down. When he braked, I had to follow the BMW around the outside, but then someone came up the inside and it was a mess. I was able to catch back up, pass most of the guys, and then got a puncture. I went back out on fresh tires, and the car was fantastic."

Olivier Beretta started fourth in the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R, came out of the first turn in second, survived a spin that dropped him to sixth, and was running third when he pitted at 47 minutes to give the car to Tommy Milner.

"On the start, the No. 17 Porsche was coming up the inside and I was trying to fight with him," Beretta said. "When Jan slowed for the corner, there was no room between us. I'm sorry, but I couldn't do anything.

"Then in the Turn 5 chicane, as I was braking, the car hit a bump and my foot slipped between the brake and throttle pedals," Beretta reported. "For a moment it was caught between the pedals, so instead of going straight, I spun the car. I didn't hit anything, but it was a big moment."

Milner was second in No. 3 Corvette C6.R behind Bill Auberlen's class-leading No. 55 BMW when the race restarted with 40 minutes remaining after a full-course caution to replace a manhole cover that had gone astray. Turn 1 was again Corvette Racing's Achilles heel as Milner had contact with the BMW, damaging the front bodywork and incurring a stop-and-hold 60-second penalty.

"The team is giving us great cars and making the right pit calls, but lately I've not been holding up my end of the bargain," Milner said. "It was a tough race. On the restart I was protecting the inside from an LMP car, and as we went into the braking zone, Bill braked earlier than I anticipated. I put myself in a situation where I braked hard and locked the fronts, and made unfortunately made contact with him. That effectively ended our race right there."

Gavin had to cope with the aftereffects of the first-lap incident during his one-hour stint as the damaged exhaust allowed fumes into the cockpit. He pulled to within three seconds of the second-place No. 56 BMW, but after an excursion up the escape road in Turn 1, he brought the No. 4 Corvette C6.R home in third place.

"Unfortunately our race was decided by the contact in the first turn," Gavin said. "After that we were playing catch-up, and Jan did a brilliant of getting the car into a decent position. Jan had to pit out of sequence because we had a tire going down, but then after the restart we were back in position to fight. With the damage to the car, as soon as we lost the mechanical grip on the front tires, the car started to push and slide the tires. My eyes were stinging because of the damaged exhaust system, and I just tried to keep fresh air blowing toward my helmet."

"As so often happens on street circuits, the race track rules," said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. "Today's race saw a stellar performance by the engineering team and the pit crew, and at times we had the fastest cars on the track – but it just wasn't to be today. That's what makes street racing so interesting. It was great to be part of a wildly successful Baltimore Grand Prix. We look forward to this event continuing, and we'll come back with a vengeance."

[Shifty]

At least BMW didn't take top tier, and Patricia didn't get close...

[MOTV8]

ABC replay coverage so far is meh...teh Gavin blurb is a rehash.

Laguna Seca should be a hoot.

ALMS: Gavin Baltimore race report

Oliver Gavin press release

The inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix provided incidents and accidents aplenty in yesterday’s two-hour street race. The packed grandstands and estimated crowd of 150,000 enthusiastic fans witnessed a terrific GT battle which saw Oliver Gavin and his team mate Jan Magnussen overcome a first-lap incident and the debilitating effects of exhaust fumes to take third place and some valuable points for their championship title place.

Despite this, the overwhelming feeling for the British driver was one of frustration as the weekend promised much but failed to fully deliver.

After overcoming a lack of track time in the compressed practice session on Friday, the No. 4 car – in the hands of Magnussen – nevertheless put in a great effort in qualifying to secure a front row starting place. With few laps under his belt, Oliver was looking forward to the morning warm up session to better familiarise himself with the 2.1 mile Baltimore track, but an engine misfire added to the driver’s frustration.

In hot and humid conditions, the Dane took the start but was involved in a multi-car pile-up in the first corner that pinned the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R against the wall and allowed the entire field to pass. Fired up, Jan was then a man on a mission, going from 12th to fourth in 22 laps.

The first-turn contact had, however, damaged a tyre and the Corvette was forced to make an additional, unplanned pit stop for a fresh set of Michelins. When Olly took the wheel at the mid-race mark, the No. 4 Corvette was third after the restart for the race's second full-course caution and held that position to the end in a battered and bruised race car.

Oliver had to cope with the after-effects of the first-lap incident during his one-hour stint as a damaged exhaust allowed fumes into the cockpit. Despite feeling woozy, and suffering from a pounding headache because of the carbon monoxide fumes, he pulled to within three seconds of the second-place No. 56 BMW, but after an excursion up the escape road in Turn 1, he brought the No. 4 Corvette C6.R home in third place.

"Unfortunately our race was decided by the contact in the first turn," Olly said. "After that we were playing catch-up, and Jan did a brilliant job of getting the car into a decent position. With the damage to the front of the car caused by the first lap accident, we lost mechanical grip on the front tyres and suffered from massive understeer.

“As well as the headache, my eyes were stinging because of the damaged exhaust system, and I just tried to keep fresh air blowing toward my helmet. I went to the medical centre for some treatment after the race and felt much better after receiving oxygen, but I’m very frustrated that we lost the chance to potentially win this race. It was critical for our championship hopes and now the challenge will be even greater in the next two races. They are, however, longer races and there are more points up for grabs so nothing is impossible and we’ll be more determined than ever."

Olly was driving baked.

[Desertdawg]

Just finished the DVR replay, damn first corner and everything goes haywire! Coverage sucked, but what do you expect on a street course. Wolfie is a man on a mission now, nice to see someone new in front at the end!

[Shifty]

I'd have to agree, Henzler has been driving like he's possessed...

[MOTV8]

The blurbage begins to trickle....get some penicillen.

39-car field set for Monterey ALMS

The race toward the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón championships moves to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the ModSpace American Le Mans Monterey presented by Patrón on Saturday, Sept. 17. It's the eighth and penultimate round for the 2011 championship and marks the ALMS' return to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

The 39-car grid is the series' largest at the track since the first event in 1999. The six-hour enduro will feature the return of two high-profile entries. The first is Aston Martin Racing with a Lola-Aston Martin coupe for Adrian Fernandez and Harold Primat. They finished second in their most recent ALMS race at Long Beach in 2010 in the same car, and the factory entry will join Muscle Milk Aston Martin Racing's Lola-Aston Martin on the grid.

Porsche's ground-breaking 911 GT3 R Hybrid also will return to the ALMS at Monterey. Factory drivers Romain Dumas and Richard Lietz will share the Porsche, which has seen numerous updates since the car raced last in the ALMS at Petit Le Mans, 2010. Among them is a lighter motor, a reconfigured distribution system for stored energy that is transferred to a more efficient flywheel. Moreover, drivers can manually use the stored energy with a boost-paddle on the steering wheel for overtaking. The car will run unclassified.

The championship chases for each of the four classes are likely to become much clearer at the end of six hours. Driver, team and tire manufacturer championships all remain in play heading to Monterey.

• The ModSpace American Le Mans Monterey presented by Patron is set for 4:30 p.m. ET. The race will air on ESPN2 from 1 to 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 18. Live coverage will be available in the U.S. on ESPN3 or outside the U.S. on americanlemans.com.

[Shifty]

I bought more bandwidth specifically for this race, that I sould have been there for....I loves me some corkscrew!

[MOTV8]

Sabotage strategy for Laguna: sushi with ptomaine.

Corvette Racing at Laguna Seca: Riding the Roller Coaster

by CORVETTE RACING on SEPTEMBER 14, 2011

Strategy and Speed to Determine Success in Six-Hour Endurance Race

MONTEREY, Calif., Sept. 13, 2011 – The 2011 season has been a roller coaster year for Corvette Racing, with both victory celebrations and bitter disappointments. Saturday’s six-hour ModSpace American Le Mans Series Monterey, the penultimate round of the ALMS championship, will be contested on a track reflects this harsh reality of top-level motorsports competition, a circuit with enough ups and downs to qualify as America’s fastest amusement park ride.

The storied Corkscrew turn that stands at the summit of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca heralds a precipitous 300-foot drop to the dry lakebed below. Known officially as Turn 8, the Corkscrew is the track’s signature corner. Corvette Racing’s twin Compuware Corvette C6.Rs will take the plunge through the Corkscrew more than 200 times in the six-hour endurance race that is crucial in the team’s quest for the GT driver and manufacturer championships.

Second in the standings going into the series’ eighth round, the drivers of Corvette Racing’s No. 4 Corvette C6.R are focused on success at Laguna Seca. “We’ve got to perform at the top of our game, while keeping in mind that we have to score maximum points and not take any unnecessary risks,” said Oliver Gavin, who co-drives with Jan Magnussen. “Jan and I have been in this position before with championships on the line. You’ve got to be smart, respect the machinery, and keep one eye on a good result in the race and the other on the championship. These final rounds are always gut wrenching.”

Gavin and Magnussen are second in the standings on the strength of consistent podium finishes: a win in Mosport, runner-up finishes in Long Beach and Mid-Ohio, and third on the streets of Baltimore. Now the pair must overcome a 25-point lead held by Dirk Mueller and Joey Hand in the next two rounds, while Chevy must overcome BMW’s 30-point margin in the manufacturer race. With 55 points on the line in the series’ season-ending events, the objective is clear.

“We’re still very much in the championship hunt and we definitely have a chance to win the title, but we need a good result and the BMWs to be a bit unlucky,” Magnussen said. “It can be done, and the whole team is pushing in that direction.

“A six-hour race suits Corvette Racing’s strengths – speed and reliability, getting the strategy right, and making consistently quick pit stops,” the Dane explained. “I have high hopes for this race, and I’m looking forward to racing at Laguna Seca.”

While the Corkscrew commands the attention of photographers and fans, the other 10 turns on the 2.238-mile circuit offer ample opportunities for cutting lap times.

“The hairpin at the end of the pit straight and Turns 3, 4, and 5 through the infield are vitally important to getting a fast lap,” Gavin said. “Similarly, getting off Turn 6 that takes you up the hill to the Corkscrew is crucial.”

Magnussen agreed: “The medium speed corners are the key – Turns 3, 4, 5, and 6. There’s time to be gained and lost in every one of them. When the car is working well, the track has a natural flow, and I get into a zone that I don’t experience at many other circuits. So for me, Laguna Seca is just super enjoyable – in fact, it’s my favorite track in the U.S.”

Sunset on the Monterey Peninsula will arrive at 7:12 p.m. on Saturday evening, and the closing laps will be run in twilight until the checkered flag falls at 7:30 p.m. The combination of gloaming light and a cooling track will add to the degree of difficulty in the final minutes.

“We learned a lesson at Road America when the temperature changed more than we had anticipated and affected the balance of the car,” Magnussen said. “This time we’ll strive to make the right decisions at the right time.”

“The last stint when you’re racing at dusk can be quite brutal,” Gavin added. “It can be difficult to make out the line between the edge of the track and the dirt that borders the circuit because they are similar in color at twilight. That can lead to drivers going off the track and dragging sand onto the surface, and then cars going off on that.”

With six hours of hard racing in store, this year’s race at Laguna Seca promises to be another physical and emotional roller coaster. “It’s a fantastic place to race, and usually we’re quite competitive there,” Magnussen said. “We’ve had some great races there and some interesting finishes. It should be good.”

Corvette Racing’s next event is the six-hour ModSpace American Le Mans Series Monterey at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on Saturday, September 17, at 1:30 p.m. PT. Live video coverage will be available on ESPN3.com in the U.S. and americanlemans.com for international users. ESPN2 will televise the ModSpace American Le Mans Series Monterey on Sunday, September 18, at 1 p.m. ET.

[MOTV8]

CHASING A CHAMPIONSHIP: Coming down to the wire

Driver, team and manufacturer titles all in play in Monterey

Following the most recent round of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón at Baltimore, championship chases in four classes are beginning to come more into focus. There are 55 points available to winners in the final two rounds – 25 points at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and 30 at Road Atlanta’s Petit Le Mans. Heading into this weekend’s ModSpace American Le Mans Monterey presented by Patrón, here is how things stand…

LMP1: Dyson Racing’s runner-up finish at Baltimore combined with a fourth-place showing by Muscle Milk Aston Racing gives the Dyson team a 24-point edge over its chief rivals. Should the Dyson duo of Chris Dyson and Guy Smith earn the 25 first-place points and Muscle Milk’s Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr finish third or worse, the Dyson camp will clinch the drivers and team championship. A DNF for Muscle Milk’s Graf and Luhr also will eliminate them from Graf title contention. On such DNF at Sebring for Muscle Milk is the difference.

Mazda and Dunlop lead the engine and tire manufacturer battles, respectively, by 28 points over Aston Martin and Michelin.

GT: BMW Team RLL’s Joey Hand and Dirk Müller added to their lead in the drivers’ championship with a runner-up GT finish at Baltimore. They now lead Corvette Racing’s Oliver Gavin and Jan Magnussen by 25 points. BMW RLL’s other pairing of Bill Auberlen and Dirk Werner sits third, just 11 points ahead of Team Falken Tire’s Wolf Henzler and Bryan Sellers.

Porsche is now second in the manufacturer chase behind BMW, thanks to a win at Baltimore for Henzler and Sellers. BMW leads its German counterpart by 26 points and Chevrolet by 30 points. Dunlop is just four points up on Michelin among tire companies.

LMPC: This currently is the closest of the bunch. Genoa Racing’s Eric Lux moved to within one point of CORE autosport’s Ricardo Gonzalez and Gunnar Jeannette following the Baltimore race following Genoa’s runner-up finish there. A podium for the sister CORE entry of John Bennett and Frankie Montecalvo gave CORE a two-point lead in the team standings.

GTC: Tim Pappas and Black Swan Racing regained control of the team championship with a victory at Baltimore and a fifth-place finish by chief rival TRG; that puts BSR up by 11 points in the team standings. Pappas’ win with Jeroen Bleekemolen increased his lead in the drivers’ championship to 25 points over TRG’s Duncan Ende and Spencer Pumpelly. A win for Black Swan combined with a third-place finish for Pumpelly/Ende would wrap up the drivers championship for Pappas.

Rancid sushi sent to Team RLL, infectious skanks dispatched to both Porsche teams, the rest is up to CR. I hope ACEhole Tom gets some good pix.

[Shifty]

Better Wolf and Sellers than teh Patricia Long one-in-my-fanny, but yeah...

[Desertdawg]

Let's just hope it ends better than it did last year..

[Shifty]

Let's just hope it ends better than it did last year..

[MOTV8]

While twidling thumbs awaiting Laguna I ran across some renderings that would be a BIG improvement over the current graphics scheme. I likey the Monster and the Jake. Which do you like best?

[Shifty]

Jake all teh way for me, with teh 4 car colors reversed....that was always my favorite....but ya, teh Monster car looks good too....

[MOTV8]

I like teh Monster cuz it has my Kawasaki Green, but I doubt CR would ever abandon teh Velocity Yeller.

Pix from set up day at teh Seca trickling in....midget Patricia Long gets anal suppository instructions from little old lady, film at eleven.

[Shifty]

No CR yet?

[MOTV8]

No CR yet?

Pix...trickling in....

Patience, grasshoppa...maybe tehy stopped at a strip club.

For teh lunch buffet, of course.

[Shifty]

No CR yet?

Pix...trickling in....

Patience, grasshoppa...maybe tehy stopped at a strip club.

For teh lunch buffet, of course.

Of course....*wink*

[MOTV8]

Okay, last 'preview' blurb, apparently teh GT40's can't come out to play...again. And now I want to track this new Porch hybrid's lap times since it's such a "rocket."

PREVIEW: ModSpace ALMS Monterey

Tony DiZinno - Racer.com

The penultimate round of the 2011 American Le Mans Series season sees a return to Monterey in the fall, after it moved to May last year. Once again, the six-hour test will provide a bevy of challenges for the teams and drivers in the five classes. There are more points up for grabs, too; an additional five points go to class winners with the longer distance.

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca has always been a tough track for teams to get and keep their tires up to the proper temperatures. A return to its normal spot on the calendar in September will provide a baseline setup from years past, even as this should be one of the coldest races of the year – ambient temperatures should only range between 55 and 65 degrees, with the track temps not much warmer. Both the overall and GT winners last year double-stinted their final set of tires.

“Normally you put on the soft tires toward the end and get them up to temps quickly,” said Flying Lizard's Jorg Bergmeister, who won in GT last year with Patrick Long. “I like the long races, and since we have short pit stops it always provides a nice advantage to gain positions in the pits. Again, it's all about staying out of trouble for the first five hours before the last hour.”

Two returning cars are expected to steal the spotlight from the championship contenders. Aston Martin Racing makes its first ALMS appearance since Long Beach 2010 with its Lola Aston Martin coupe, joining Muscle Milk AMR with a second V12 screamer on the grid. Adrian Fernandez, Harold Primat and Stefan Mucke will be aboard the factory effort, in a car which finished ninth last weekend at Silverstone in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup.

The second of note is Porsche's 911 GT3 R Hybrid, in its second ALMS race (2010 Petit Le Mans), driven by Porsche factory pilots Romain Dumas and Richard Lietz. Further developments to the flywheel-based car have seen its pace improve even more in its second full season of competition. Bergmeister estimated on pure pace, the hybrid could eclipse most of the GT field.

“It's just a rocket ship,” Flying Lizard's chief strategist Thomas Blam said of the hybrid. “We were behind it coming out of Turn 7 at Road Atlanta in practice last year. From the in-car camera you could barely see it by the end of the back straightaway.”

Of the usual contenders, Dyson Racing enters Monterey after its first win with its No. 20 car at Baltimore, an impressive effort delivered by series rookies Steven Kane and Humaid Al Masaood. Their chances of a second straight win increase with underrated ace Butch Leitzinger, a 15-year Dyson veteran, returning to the team for the first time since 2009. Leitzinger won his only prototype start of 2011 in the LMP Challenge class at Road America.

Dyson's primary effort, Guy Smith and Chris Dyson, enter with a 24-point lead over Klaus Graf in the Muscle Milk AMR Lola. Smith took the pole in a Mazda at Mazda's home track a year ago. Jay Cochran joins those two as the No. 16's third driver.

Graf co-drives with Lucas Luhr again after he missed Baltimore. The team produced an incredible effort to even start at Baltimore after the electrical wiring loom was replaced, led by the team's data acquisition engineer Lee Szczypski.

In GT, BMW hasn't won since Lime Rock in July, but still holds comfortable leads of 25 points or more in each of the driver, team and manufacturer standings.

Four teams have won the last five races, and the only repeat winner among them is Team Falken Tire – which has victories in both wet and dry conditions.

Proof positive that even if the championships seem out of reach, it's not easy picking a GT winner from BMW, Corvette, Risi Ferrari and either Falken or Flying Lizard Porsche. Long delivered the win for the Lizards this race last year after a dynamite late-race pass on Joey Hand in one of the BMWs; Long and Bergmeister hope to get the Lizards on the board this weekend.

Perhaps more important than the primary class battles this weekend are the ones in the Challenge classes of LMPC and GTC. There's no guarantee every entrant in the two classes will start at Petit Le Mans due to a lack of paddock and pit space with ILMC entrants gaining priority for the joint ILMC/ALMS race. It makes this event that much more vital.

CORE autosport could have had the LMPC crown wrapped up by now if not for a streak of poor luck plaguing class championship leaders Gunnar Jeannette and Ricardo Gonzalez. They lead Genoa Racing's Eric Lux by just one point. CORE hopes to boost its chances with third driver additions Andy Wallace and Rudy Junco this weekend, and should beat Genoa's third driver Michael Guasch on pure speed.

The hottest team in class is Intersport Racing, which has won two of the last three races with Kyle Marcelli and Tomy Drissi. However, the strongest two drivers in Intersport's camp are split between the team's two entries this weekend.

Meanwhile, three of the last five GTC races have been decided on the final lap. That wasn't the case in Baltimore as Black Swan Racing laid down an authoritative flag-to-flag victory with Jeroen Bleekemolen and Tim Pappas; Pappas enters Monterey with a 25-point lead on Duncan Ende and Spencer Pumpelly of TRG.

In an effort to put their second cars up front, BSR adds Irish ace Damien Faulkner to its second Green Hornet/BSR car while TRG team principal Kevin Buckler makes a welcome return to the cockpit alongside Dion von Moltke and Emilio di Guida in its second effort.

“Laguna's my home track, and I haven't driven in a while,” Buckler said. “I'm just being there for the team, and I just come in as a relief pitcher.”

Five additional GTC entrants, including series debutants Competition Motorsports with a trio of Los Angeles-based drivers and lead driver Cort Wagner, bolster the field.

Five LMP1, one LMP2 (Level 5 Motorsports returns with its new HPD ARX-01g) 13 GT (Robertson Racing's Fords are withdrawn again), the Porsche Hybrid, seven LMPC and nine GTC make up the 36-car field for the six-hour race at Mazda Raceway.

• The American Le Mans Series ModSpace ALMS Monterey airs on ESPN2 Sunday at 1 p.m. EST, and is also available live via web-based ESPN3 on Saturday, starting at 4:15 p.m. EST.

[MOTV8]

ALMS: BMW Paces Thursday Test At Monterey

Joey Hand, Bill Auberlen lead BMW Team RLL 1-2 in GT in Thursday's Promoter Test Day at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca...

BMW Team RLL set the pace in testing Thursday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, as American Le Mans Series teams gear up for Saturday's ModSpace American Le Mans Series Monterey.

GT championship leader Joey Hand topped the time charts in the 90-minute session, turning a best time of 1:23.488 in his No. 56 BMW M3 GT he shares with fellow factory driver Dirk Muller. Teammate Bill Auberlen slotted in just 0.115 seconds slower, making it a BMW 1-2 in class.

The No. 45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 RSR of Jorg Bergmeister and Patrick Long, still winless in 2011, recorded the third quickest time in GT, ahead of the Scott Sharp and Johannes van Overbeek-driven Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferrari F458 Italia, which has also yet to visit victory lane.

Porsche's second-generation 911 GT3 R Hybrid, making its North American debut, impressed with the fifth quickest time in GT, although drivers Romain Dumas and Richard Lietz will race unclassified this weekend with the flywheel-based hybrid.

Up front, the No. 06 Muscle Milk AMR Lola-Aston Martin of Klaus Graf led the way, thanks to the German's 1:16.293 lap time in the LMP1 contender.

Graf edged out Baltimore winner Steven Kane in the No. 20 Oryx Dyson Lola B09/86 Mazda by 0.964 seconds. Teammate Guy Smith wound up third overall in the points-leading No. 16 Dyson machine.

The much-anticipated return of Aston Martin Racing saw Adrian Fernandez only muster the fourth quickest time, over 1.5 seconds off Graf's lap in his near-identical Lola-Aston Martin.

Level 5 Motorsports rolled out its new HPD ARX-01g for the first time on Thursday, recording a solid fifth quickest time overall in the new LMP2 cost-capped machine. Scott Tucker, Christophe Bouchut and Luis Diaz combined to complete 25 laps.

The No. 06 CORE autosport Oreca FLM09 of Ricardo Gonzalez was quickest in LMPC, while former Porsche Junior driver Martin Ragginer led the way in GTC aboard his NGT Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car.

The session featured numerous red flags, mainly for cars stranded in gravel traps. However, no serious incidents were reported.

Official practice gets underway tomorrow morning.

Vettes were 5th and 10th, damn those strip club distractions!