ALMS 2011 thread

[Shifty]

Tell ya what, if Big Messican Wimmen win this race too, it should go down in teh record books with an asterisk next to it, like Barry Bonds home run record...

[Two Fangs]

Qualifying starts in two hours on the XBox 360, woot!

[Shifty]

Gee, big shocker....stinkin' Bitches Masticating Wankers 1 and 2 without much effort according to Mueller, meanwhile Villander in teh 458 Ferrari destroyed his starting tires trying to cut some time, and didn't make it...with any luck, teh Kraut cars will wipe each other out...

[MOTV8]

Qualifying starts in two hours on the XBox 360, woot!

WOOT! Wassup P.

Dawg, you missed it. Teh live stream of Qualifying had Johnny O. giving "color" commentary, he was sofa king hilarious. First he called CR out, saying he can tell teh vettes are having "damping problems" especially thru bumpy turn 2 and how important it was at Mosport for teh driver to have confidence in the car. Then he references "OG" having two of his biggest wrecks here at Mosport! Burn. Then, as BMW was dominating qualifying, he called them out, saying everyone up and down teh pits can see what's going on, referencing their "electronics" and how their top speeds were like 155.4, 155.4, 155.4...lol, a little too consistent for this ole race car driver!

Anyway, GT qualifying:

1 P 56 GT Dirk Mueller BMW M3 GT 7 1:46.842 1:17.083 --- --- 1 --- 2 Dirk Mueller

2 P 55 GT Bill Auberlen BMW M3 GT 8 1:26.550 1:17.142 -0.059 -0.059 2 -0.059 5 Bill Auberlen

3 P 45 GT Joerg Bergmeister Porsche 911 GT3 RSR 5 1:17.312 1:17.312 -0.229 -0.170 3 -0.229 4 Joerg Bergmeister

4 P 01 GT Scott Sharp Ferrari F458 Italia 5 1:36.764 1:17.511 -0.428 -0.199 4 -0.428 3 Scott Sharp

5 P 62 GT Toni Vilander Ferrari F458 Italia 11 1:34.356 1:17.543 -0.460 -0.032 5 -0.460 5 Toni Vilander

6 P 4 GT Jan Magnussen Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR 8 1:25.124 1:17.580 -0.497 -0.037 6 -0.497 5 Jan Magnussen

7 P 17 GT Wolf Henzler Porsche 911 GT3 RSR 6 1:27.624 1:17.964 -0.881 -0.384 7 -0.881 5 Wolf Henzler

8 P 3 GT Olivier Beretta Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR 8 1:27.631 1:17.997 -0.914 -0.033 8 -0.914 4 Olivier Beretta

9 04 GT David Murry Doran Ford GT 8 1:19.253 1:18.847 -1.764 -0.850 9 -1.764 6 David Murry

10 P 50 UNC Ian James Panoz Abruzzi 11 1:39.674 1:19.243 -2.160 -0.396 1 --- 10 Ian James

11 P 98 GT Rocky Moran Jaguar XKR 8 3:37.777 1:19.302 -2.219 -0.059 10 -2.219 5 Rocky Moran

12 P 48 GT Bryce Miller Porsche 911 GT3 RSR 8 1:26.647 1:20.377 -3.294 -1.075 11 -3.294 3 Bryce Miller

13 P 02 GT Ed Brown Ferrari F458 Italia 11 1:34.891 1:21.051 -3.968 -0.674 12 -3.968 6 Ed Brown

14 P 99 GT Ken Wilden Jaguar XKR 9 1:37.696 1:22.653 -5.570 -1.602 13 -5.570 8 Ken Wilden

15 P 44 GT Seth Neiman Porsche 911 GT3 RSR 10 1:31.801 1:22.693 -5.610 -0.040 14 -5.610 6 Seth Neiman

Edit: Oh yea, and your favorite car, teh Panoz Abruzzzzi is back, running around classified as "UNC"....

[Shifty]

Damn! That's uglier than anything I can recall seeing...

[MOTV8]

Ted likes teh street version, in fact he'd trade the McVette for one. I believe it has something to do with science fiction icon Arthur C. Clarke. Or his minions.

ALMS: Corvette Racing Mosport Qualifying Report

Mosport International Raceway

Corvettes Qualify Sixth and Eighth for ALMS Grand Prix of Mosport

Corvette Racing Contends with Heat and Traffic in Qualifying at Fast Canadian Circuit

In 90-degree heat on a blistering 114-degree track, Corvette Racing qualified sixth and eighth for Sunday's Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport. The fourth round of the American Le Mans Series will see the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R driven by Jan Magnussen and Oliver Gavin start sixth in the hotly contested GT class. The No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R of Olivier Beretta and Tommy Milner will grid eighth.

The heat was on at Mosport, with summertime temperatures that far exceeded the cool weather that traditionally prevailed on the event's previous Labor Day date. With Magnussen at the wheel, the No. 4 Corvette C6.R turned its quickest time on its fifth lap at 1:17.580 (114.107 mph), while Beretta clocked his best lap (1:17.997/113.497 mph) on his fourth circuit. Dirk Mueller put the No. 56 BMW M3 GT on the Mosport pole with the session's fastest lap at 1:17.083 (114.842 mph).

"It was a really good qualifying lap, no traffic and as mistake-free as you can make one," said Magnussen. "That was absolutely as fast as I could go today. We don't have the same balance in the car as we did last year at Mosport, and the difference is it was cooler. Maybe the cooler weather that's predicted for tomorrow will help us, but usually it helps everybody.

"It's very, very close, less than a tenth of a second between each car, but it's not where we want to be and we have our work cut out," Magnussen said. "We'll have to race hard and smart tomorrow. It shows there are some adjustments that need to be made to the performance of the various cars, if only small adjustments."

Beretta was pleased with the improvement in the No. 3 Corvette C6.R following the final practice session. "The performance in qualifying was better, no question, and the team did a good job," Beretta said. "The problem on my lap was traffic. I did my qualifying time, and then I had traffic on the next three laps. Sure, I could have been quicker, but it looks like some of the other cars are definitely quicker than us – but it's a long race!"

Balance of performance adjustments announced after the Lime Rock race two weeks ago will be implemented in the upcoming round at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

"It was a difficult day at a very fast race track," said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. "You look at the top six cars and they're within a half a second – almost nothing. I think that promises an extremely close competition tomorrow. As we move on to Mid-Ohio, the performance balancing rules will take effect and we'll see even closer competition."

By: corvette racing

Fine PR work.

Side hijack, teh "Le Mans Series" made an announcement, which sounds like a pissing match with the WEC.

LE MANS: LMS Drops LMP1 Category

Le Mans Series announces class restructure, splits from World Endurance Championship...

While wholesale changes were expected, the European-based Le Mans Series officially announced on Friday a restructuring of its championship for 2012, which will see the elimination of the LMP1 category, expansion in the GT ranks, and standalone races from the ACO's global sportscar championship.

The Le Mans Endurance Organization (LMEO), led by Patrick Peter, confirmed that the privateer-driven LMP2 class will now become the premier prototype category. While LMP1 car counts have been inflated this year due to the combined races with the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, only four entrants are registered for the full five-round series.

While the GTE-Pro and GTE-Am categories will remain unchanged, the series confirmed the addition of the GTC category, for eligible Porsche 911 GT3 Cup and Ferrari Challenge cars. GTC joins Formula Le Mans, also known as LMPC in the American Le Mans Series, as a low-cost alternative category.

With the elimination of LMP1, next year's LMS season will be held separate of the World Endurance Championship. This year's schedule featured three shared events between the ILMC and LMS at Spa-Francorchamps, Imola and Silverstone.

Additionally, full-season LMS entrants for next year will be given "priority to obtain an entry in the 24 Hours of Le Mans to complete the grid [of cars] participating in the World Championship", according to the official statement.

The 2012 LMS schedule, which will not have any conflicting rounds with the WEC, will be confirmed by the end of the year.

Üm, okay then.

[MOTV8]

Mofo Chris Cumming must be huffing that gold paint they use on that pos Porch.

[Two Fangs]

Punt a Porsche, get a penalty. And then cry like a baby about it. :smilelol

[Two Fangs]

We can't get a break, the Lizards jumped us at the start, bwaaaa ha ha ha

[MOTV8]

Karma, huh? Thas right beeches, oh yeah! Dawg, you can watch it on TV tonite at 7 pm.

[Shifty]

Happy Anniversary to Mags and Mrs. Mags! What a way to bring it home!

[Two Fangs]

[MOTV8]

ALMS: Aston Martin, Corvette pick up wins at Mosport

Muscle Milk Aston Martin Racing collected its second victory in the American Le Mans Series on Sunday at Mosport International Raceway with drivers Lucas Luhr and Klaus Graf. Behind them, an intense series of events ended BMW Team RLL's GT win streak, as Jan Magnussen and Oliver Gavin scored Corvette Racing's first win since the 2010 season finale.

Throw in a last-lap win for TRG's Spencer Pumpelly and Duncan Ende in GT Challenge, and you had a manic day at Mosport in Bowmanville, Ontario.

Starting the Muscle Milk Lola-Aston Martin coupe from the pole, Luhr appeared uncatchable early in the race, stretching out a sizeable lead on Chris Dyson in Dyson Racing's Lola-Mazda. However, a miscue during the race's first and only full-course caution caused Luhr to miss his first opportunity to come into the pits, putting Dyson into the LMP1 lead.

"After that we said, 'OK, we have the speed; just do your job,' and that's what we did," Luhr said. "If you have a 50-second lead and you're only 25 seconds down, it's a big deal. Things go wrong so easily. You have to make it up at the right spot. It takes a lot to get back to the front."

Luhr quickly tracked down the Mazda and retook the lead with a Turn 1 pass just past the 1-hour, 20-minute mark. It was clear sailing for Luhr and Graf from there, as the duo scored its second straight Mosport victory by 28.420 seconds over Dyson and Smith. The sister Lola-Mazda of Humaid Al Masaood and Steven Kane was third.

"We certainly found a good setup and have good memories from last year," said Graf, who drove a Porsche RS Spyder in 2010 with Romain Dumas. "We did some testing with the Aston Martin this year to find good aero balance and get the car to where it is now. It showed today. We certainly didn't make it easy. Lucas did a good job at the beginning and then he pushed once we lost the lead. At the end of the day it comes down to experience from both drivers and our team. We've both won here and we like the track. The team performed excellent. It was a bit of a roller coaster this weekend, even during the race. It's nice to finish with a win."

GT championship leader BMW Team RLL's three-race win streak came to a close at Mosport as a combo of contact, mechanical woes and penalties jumbled the order throughout the two-hour, 45 minute race.

The GT madness began during the full-course caution when Joey Hand made contact in his BMW M3 GT with Risi Competizione's Ferrari F458 Italia of Toni Vilander. A penalty for Hand promoted Jörg Bergmeister and the Flying Lizard Porsche 911 GT3 RSR into the lead, which was short-lived. Less than 30 minutes later, Bergmeister got his Porsche sideways in Turn 10, handing the lead to Bill Auberlen in the second BMW Team RLL entry.

After the final round of pit stops and with Dirk Werner in the driver's seat, it appeared BMW's biggest concern would be holding off Magnussen's Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C6.R. But with less than 20 minutes remaining, another penalty cost BMW the lead once again. Officials deemed Werner's contact with GTC leader Pumpelly at Turn 10 as avoidable and called the No. 55 into the penalty box. It promoted Magnussen to the GT lead.

"It was one of those moments where you see the incident, and you think, in the past the person gets a penalty," Gavin said. "It was called that way, and it was something that aided us to get the win. Jan still had to do a lot of hard work out there and navigate the traffic. Hats off to Jan and the team, just a stellar job today. I knew from my stint that if Jan was on the Ferrari gearbox coming out of Turn 5, you could probably get a tow coming out and use the momentum to get by. He executed brilliantly and then sliced through traffic to get a 4- or 5- second lead."

Magnussen held off Jamie Melo, who teamed with Vilander, by 4.409 seconds. Werner brought the No. 55 BMW he shares with Auberlen home in third.

"We were pushing as hard as we could the whole race, same as the Ferrari," recalled Magnussen, who helped give Corvette its first GT victory in 2009 at Mosport. "It's a really fast car, I had to wait for him to make a mistake for a while. He finally made one in traffic and I was able to take advantage. I knew I couldn't pull away from him on speed, so I knew I had to take some chances in traffic to keep ahead of him.

"This race had a bunch of different potential winners at different stages," he added. "I think BMW looked like they had the advantage, but we were able to push at the right moments and pull a win out. If you asked us this morning, we'd say, there will only be one winner. It just unfolded that way today. I'm glad we were the ones that got to break the win barrier."

Adding one last surprise to the GT show at Mosport, Jaguar RSR scored the fastest lap of the race with driver Bruno Junqueira, who posted a 1:18.102 (113.334 mph). Now this was a surprise, indeed. Bruno was whipping that kitty cat hard.

LMPC was a Core Autosport sweep, as Ricardo Gonzalez and Gunnar Jeannette led teammates Jon Bennett and Frankie Montecalvo to a one-two finish in their twin ORECA FLM09s.

"At the start I pulled in the inside of Turn 1 and got the first position," Gonzalez said. "The goal was to make as comfortable a lead as possible. The last time our strategy might have lost us the race (at Lime Rock). I knew to be aggressive in traffic, but intelligent, and stay out of trouble. If you saw in the first stint and a half, I had almost lapped second place. The strategy was for sure a good one. It could have been impossible to pass GT cars or really dangerous without the larger restrictors today. I'm glad they passed it for this race."

"Racing in the series is about being smart right now," Jeannette said. "There are so many classes and closing speeds, especially at a place like this. You can come up on a GTC and they don't see you there as well. This is a new team, the Core team, so we're just working on driving smarter and keeping our nose clean. They are doing a fantastic job."

Lime Rock Park winner Genoa Racing was third with drivers Eric Lux and Christian Zugel.

LMPC polesitter and local favorite Kyle Marcelli's day ended early after the Canadian was caught out in a tangle between Intersport's LMPC car driven by Jon Field and the GTC Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of Chris Cumming (JDX Racing). Marcelli still had enough track time to set the fastest LMPC lap of the race, a 1:13.455.

The GTC race mirrored that of its GT brethren with multiple lead changes. It climaxed with Pumpelly's last-lap pass on TRG teammate Dion von Moltke.

"My job was to get a good lead for Spencer," Ende said. "Spencer had the rough day, I knew if anyone could get us back in the race it was him. He had to dance with the flat spots but did a great job."

It was sweet redemption for Pumpelly and Ende in their Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Not only did the duo barely miss out on a win at Lime Rock Park--the result of a last lap pass by von Moltke on Pumpelly--but Pumpelly was spun from the GTC lead earlier in the race.

"This might be the only race I've won twice," Pumpelly said. "We passed the (Black Swan Racing car) and then the (Alex Job Racing car) again. Next thing I knew I was going backward. Then I got to watch the GTC race for the lead while sitting backward. But I got back in the pits and the car was 100 percent after that. Even with some small flat spots, the TRG team put together a great car. Duncan did a great job putting us in a spot to win the race too. Great job by him today."

The American Le Mans Series heads to Lexington, Ohio, and the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge on Aug. 6.

RESULTS

1. (1) Lucas Luhr, Monte Carlo, Monaco; Klaus Graf, Dornham, Germany; AMR/ Lola Coupe B08 62 (1, LMP1), 129.

2. (2) Chris Dyson, Pleasant Valley, New York; Guy Smith, Bracken, Yorkshire, UK; Lola B09 86/Mazda (2, LMP1), 129.

3. (3) Humaid Al Masaood, Abu Dhabi, UAE; Steven Kane, Newtownards, Ireland; Lola B09/86 Mazda (3, LMP1), 127.

4. (5) Ricardo Gonzalez, Monterrey, Mexico; Gunnar Jeannette, Salt Lake City, Utah; Oreca FLM09 (1, LMPC), 125.

5. (7) Jon Bennett, Fort Mill, South Carolina; Frankie Montecalvo, Highlands, New Jersey; Oreca FLM09 (2, LMPC), 123.

6. (10) Christian Zugel, Holmdel, New Jersey; Eric Lux, Jacksonville, Fla.; Oreca FLM09 (3, LMPC), 123.

7. (6) Ricardo Vera, Ponce, Puerto Rico; Jon Field, Dublin, Ohio; Oreca FLM09 (4, LMPC), 122.

8. (16) Oliver Gavin, Yardley Hastings, England; Jan Magnussen, Roskilde, Denmark; Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1 (1, GT), 121.

9. (15) Toni Vilander, Kankaanpaa, Finland; Jaime Melo, Cascavel, Brazil; Ferrari F458 Italia (2, GT), 121.

10. (12) Bill Auberlen, Redondo Beach, Calif.; Dirk Werner, Kissenbruck, Germany; BMW M3 GT (3, GT), 121.

11. (11) Joey Hand, Sacramento, Calif.; Dirk Mueller, Monte Carlo, Monaco; BMW M3 GT (4, GT), 121.

12. (17) Wolf Henzler, Nuertingen, German; Bryan Sellers, Braselton, Ga.; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (5, GT), 120.

13. (9) Jarrett Boon, Phoenix, Ariz.; Anthony Nicolosi, Palm Beach, Fla.; Oreca FLM09 (5, LMPC), 119.

14. (18) Tommy Milner, Leesburg, Va.; Olivier Beretta, Monte Carlo, Monaco; Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1 (6, GT), 119.

15. (19) David Murry, Atlanta, Ga.; Anthony Lazzaro, Atlanta, Ga.; Doran Ford GT (7, GT), 119.

16. (24) Seth Neiman, San Francisco, Calif.; Marco Holzer, Bobingen, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (8, GT), 118.

17. (20) Ian James, Phoenix, Ariz.; Edward Sandstrom, Orebro, Sweden; Panoz Abruzzi (9, UNC), 117.

18. (14) Johannes van Overbeek, San Francisco, Calif.; Scott Sharp, Jupiter, Fla.; Ferrari F458 Italia (10, GT), 117.

19. (22) Bryce Miller, Summit, New Jersey; Sascha Maassen, Lontzen, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (11, GT), 117.

20. (21) PJ Jones, Torrance, Calif.; Rocky Moran, Ladera Ranch, Calif.; Jaguar XKR (12, GT), 116.

21. (13) Joerg Bergmeister, Langenfield, Germany; Patrick Long, Bellaire, Fla.; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (13, GT), 113.

22. (26) Duncan Ende, Los Angeles, Calif.; Spencer Pumpelly, Mason Neck, Va.; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (1, GTC), 112.

23. (30) Marc Bunting, Monkton, Md.; Dion von Moltke, Coral Gables, Fla.; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (2, GTC), 112.

24. (23) Ed Brown, Las Vegas, Nev.; Guy Cosmo, West Palm Beach, Fla.; Ferrari F458 Italia (14, GT), 112.

25. (25) Tim Pappas, Boston, Mass.; Damien Faulkner, County Donegal, Ireland; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (3, GTC), 111.

26. (29) Bill Sweedler, Westport, Conn.; Brian Wong, Newport Beach, Calif.; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (4, GTC), 111.

27. (27) Chris Cumming, Vancouver, British Columbia; Nick Ham, Evergreen, Colo.; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (5, GTC), 111.

28. (28) Andrea Robertson, Ray, Mich.; David Robertson, Ray, Mich.; Doran Ford GT/Elan (15, GT), 109.

29. (31) Bruno Junqueira, Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Kenny Wilden, Oakville, Ontario, Canada; Jaguar XKR (16, GT), 97.

30. (4) Chapman Ducote, Miami Beach, Fla.; Kyle Marcelli, Barrie, Ontario, Canada; Oreca FLM09 (6, LMPC), 48.

31. (8) Tony Burgess, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Chris McMurry, Phoenix, Ariz.; Lola B06/10 (7, LMP1), 39.

[Desertdawg]

Ok, I have it recorded on the DVR, no one spoil it for me by posting what happens......

[MOTV8]

Ok, I have it recorded on the DVR, no one spoil it for me by posting what happens......

Okay...

Corvette Scores First ALMS GT Victory of Season

Corvette Racing Wins Grand Prix of Mosport

Corvette Racing returned to the winner's circle July 24 at the Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport as Oliver Gavin and Jan Magnussen scored the team's first American Le Mans Series victory of the season. Gavin and Magnussen won the GT class by 4.4 seconds in their No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R over the Ferrari 458 Italia of Jaime Melo and Toni Vilander. Tommy Milner and Olivier Beretta finished sixth in the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R after contact with a backmarker cost them valuable time on the high-speed Canadian circuit.

After qualifying sixth and eighth on Saturday, Corvette Racing rebounded with a strong race day setup. The two-hour, 45-minute race was anything but predictable as spins, crashes, close calls, and penalties added to the drama.

Gavin and Milner were the starting drivers, and slotted into sixth and eighth respectively as the race began. The running order changed dramatically after the first round of pit stops under a full-course caution, as Gavin emerged in third after two cars were penalized. Shortly after the one-hour mark, Gavin moved into second and began an extended battle with Vilander in the Risi Competizione Ferrari.

"We started coming on these big clumps of traffic, and things started getting crazy," Gavin said. "I had this mad battle with Toni, where he passed me going into Turn 2 and then he went around the outside of a GTC car. I managed to undercut them both and come back around the outside into Turn 3 – it was fantastic racing!"

Contact with the Ferrari in Moss Corner punctured a tire, and the crew scrambled as Gavin dove into the pits with one hour and four minutes to go. Magnussen took over the No. 4 Corvette and emerged in third. The Dane passed the Ferrari with 30 minutes to go, and then took the lead with 20 minutes remaining.

"I knew that for us to get a good result out of this race, we had to be 100 percent focused every second," Magnussen said. "We could never relax, just push all the time. To pull a win from where we were after qualifying is just fantastic. These guys have done it before and they'll do it again – you can never count Corvette Racing out. The way this team pushes, I'm so proud to be part of it."

[Shifty]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't teh win yesterday gain them an automatic invite to LeMans 2012, because of teh lead in teh Green X Challenge?

[MOTV8]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't teh win yesterday gain them an automatic invite to LeMans 2012, because of teh

lead in teh Green X Challenge?

Teh ACO gives automatic invites for next year to teh 1st and 2nd place entries from this year's 24 hours (so we're in there), and to teh overall ALMS series champs and to the winners of teh Petit Le Mans event. An automatic invitation is also awarded to the team which accumulates the most points in the Michelin Green X Challenge for the season. Not just one race.

[Shifty]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't teh win yesterday gain them an automatic invite to LeMans 2012, because of teh

lead in teh Green X Challenge?

Teh ACO gives automatic invites for next year to teh 1st and 2nd place entries from this year's 24 hours (so we're in there), and to teh overall ALMS series champs and to the winners of teh Petit Le Mans event. An automatic invitation is also awarded to the team which accumulates the most points in the Michelin Green X Challenge for the season. Not just one race.

OK, I thought I heard Jeremy Shaw mention that if Corvette won, they were already far enough ahead on teh Green X to lock it.

[MOTV8]

ALMS: Corvette Racing Seeks Win At Mid-Ohio

Corvette Racing at Mid-Ohio: No Place Like Home

Corvette Racing Celebrates Homecoming as Le Mans and Mosport Winner

Situated between the Corvette assembly plant in Bowling Green, Ky., and Corvette Racing's headquarters in suburban Detroit, the historic 2.25-mile Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is the spiritual home of the Compuware Corvettes. The Corvette Racing team is hoping for a homecoming celebration in the fifth round of the American Le Mans Series, the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge, on Saturday, August 6.

Corvette Racing returns to Mid-Ohio with momentum after a victory by Jan Magnussen and Oliver Gavin in the No. 4 Corvette C6.R at the preceding round at Mosport International Raceway on July 24. In June, teammates Tommy Milner, Olivier Beretta, and Antonio Garcia triumphed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Gavin and Magnussen's win in Mosport narrowed the ALMS GT championship race; the Corvette duo is second in the drivers' standings, 23 points behind BMW's Dirk Mueller and Joey Hand, and Chevrolet is second in the manufacturer standings by 22 markers. With a maximum of 120 points on the table in the next five races and series-mandated balance of performance adjustments taking effect at Mid-Ohio, the GT championship is wide open at the midpoint of the ALMS season.

After scoring seven wins in the GT1 category at Mid-Ohio, Corvette Racing debuted its GT class Corvettes at the Ohio circuit in August 2009 with a runner-up finish by Magnussen and Johnny O'Connell. Last year at Mid-Ohio, Gavin and Beretta finished second in the fiercely contested class. Now the team is focused on moving up one spot on the podium with a victory.

"Mid-Ohio is quite a good track for us, and we've been very strong there from the first race with the GT car," Magnussen said. "This year we've been a little behind because of the regulations, but this may change at Mid-Ohio. It could be our time to shine."

"Last year we were really, really close to a win at Mid-Ohio," Gavin recalled. "Our car came alive in the race and we had a great battle in GT. I managed to get past the BMW and Porsche, and then I had an excellent fight with Jamie Melo's Ferrari in the final minutes. I think we had a car that was fast enough to win, but didn't quite get the breaks to get a victory. I just hope we can continue on an upward trend.

"The Mid-Ohio circuit is rather narrow and it can be quite tricky to pass, but we proved last year that we could do it," Gavin explained. "Getting the car through the Keyhole is challenging because you're braking uphill and then the track falls away as the car goes over the crest. Coming into the corner at the end of the back straight is another challenge because the braking zone can be quite slippery. It's a track where you need to be precise with your lines, precise with your braking, and have a car that rotates well."

Tommy Milner will drive a Corvette for the first time at Mid-Ohio after finishing third there in 2009 and 2010. "I've had success at Mid-Ohio in the past, and combined with Corvette's previous success, I hope to get a good result this year," Milner said.

"Mid-Ohio is a showcase for the GT class; there are areas where it's tough to pass, but there are enough opportunities for the prototypes to get by. The elevation changes and the variety of corners make it a great place to race."

The Mid-Ohio round is well attended by Corvette Racing’s friends and extended family, and the team is supported by hundreds of Corvette owners and enthusiasts in the Corvette Corral.

"It's not far from the team headquarters, and a lot of the people who design and build the cars come from the race shop," said Beretta, who is slated to make his milestone 100th ALMS start this weekend. "I hope we will have a good result with both cars. The track is quite interesting because the grip is not constant. The best strategy is to get out front and stay there!"

By: corvette racing

[Shifty]

Let's go racin'!

[Desertdawg]

I finally got to watch Mosport on the DVR at 3 this morning... Looked like some fun racing but the bimmer punting the GTC porch to earn a stop and go with 20 togo was awesome, the whining from teh pits made it that much better can someone record midohio and send it o me???

[Shifty]

Teh Vettes looked good in practice 1st and 3rd best times....teh Bimmers, 6th and 9th, but they are known for sandbagging....

[MOTV8]

Teh Vettes looked good in practice 1st and 3rd best times....teh Bimmers, 6th and 9th, but they are known for sandbagging....

And whining... Performance balancing and karma are bitches.

ALMS: Corvette Leads GT In Thursday Mid-Ohio Test

Mosport-winning Corvette of Oliver Gavin, Jan Magnussen lead way in Thursday's Promoter Test...

Fresh off their first American Le Mans Series victory of the season, Corvette Racing proved to be the early pacesetters at Mid-Ohio, topping the GT-class time charts in Thursday’s Promoter Test Day.

The Mosport-winning No. 4 Corvette C6.R of Oliver Gavin turned a blazing 1:21.634 lap time, edging out the Toni Vilander-driven No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia by only 0.058 seconds. Corvette teammate Tommy Milner was third, thanks to a 1:21.849 lap time in the Pratt & Miller-run No. 3 machine.

Absent from the top-five in the GT class were the entries from BMW Team RLL, which dominated the opening three races of the season. The pair of factory BMW M3 GTs were handed a 0.4 smaller air restrictor (3 percent decrease) beginning with this weekend’s Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge.

It proved to make a difference on Thursday, with the points-leading No. 56 entry of Dirk Muller and Joey Hand mustering only the sixth quickest time in class, nearly a half-second off the pace. The team’s sister No. 55 BMW slotted in ninth on the time charts.

Porsches were also given a Balance of Performance adjustment, a 15 kg weight addition. Yet, the No. 45 Flying Lizard Motorsports entry of Patrick Long ended up fourth quickest in GT, ahead of the No. 02 Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferrari of Guy Cosmo, who rounded out the top-five in class.

The top-eight GT cars were all separated by less than one-second.

Guy Smith led the way overall and in the LMP1 ranks, recording a 1:15.661 lap time in his No. 16 Dyson Racing Lola B09/86 Mazda. Smith and co-driver Chris Dyson currently lead the championship chase over rivals Muscle Milk AMR, which elected to sit out today’s one-hour and 40-minute session.

Dyson’s Oryx-backed Lola-Mazda of Steven Kane continued to impress, having set the second quickest time of the day. The Irshman’s 1:16.167 lap time was only 0.506 seconds slower than Smith’s best. The No. 12 AutoCon Motorsports Lola of Chris McMurry, the only other LMP1 entry on hand this weekend, was nearly six seconds off the pace in eighth overall.

In addition to the performance changes made in GT, IMSA has also increased the air restrictors for all LMP1 entries, which should see a larger gap between the LMPC, GT and GTC class contenders in top speeds and average lap times.

CORE autosport’s Ricardo Gonzalez posted the quickest time in LMPC. The Mexican driver’s 1:16.167 lap edged out the No. 89 Intersport Racing Oreca FLM09 of Kyle Marcelli by 0.137 seconds.

In GTC, the No. 54 Black Swan Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car of Jeroen Bleekemolen topped the time charts with a 1:26.412, nearly one second quicker than Mosport winners Spencer Pumpelly and Duncan Ende in the No. 66 TRG entry, which was second.

Official practice gets underway Friday at 9:30 a.m. ET.

source: Speedtv.com

[MOTV8]

ALMS: Risi Ferrari Quickest In Practice 1 At Mid-Ohio

Risi Competizione leads way in opening practice at Mid-Ohio...

Jaime Melo topped the time sheets in Friday's opening American Le Mans Series practice at Mid-Ohio. The Brazilian's No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia turned a best time of 1:20.787, besting Thursday's pace-setting No. 4 Corvette C6.R of Jan Magnussen by 0.157 seconds.

Extreme Speed Motorsports continued to make improvements, as its No. 02 Ferrari of Guy Cosmo clocked in third with a 1:21.025 lap time, ahead of defending class co-champion Patrick Long in fourth. The No. 55 BMW Team RLL M3 GT of Dirk Werner completed the top-five in class.

Up front overall, the No. 16 Dyson Racing Lola B09/86 Mazda of Guy Smith was again quickest in LMP1, thanks to a blazing 1:14.282 lap time. Muscle Milk AMR's Lola-Aston Martin turned its first laps of the weekend, slotting in second and less than two-tenths behind the Mazda-powered Lola.

Genoa Racing led the way in LMPC, with Eric Lux clocking a 1:17.869 in his Oreca FLM09, while the No. 66 TRG Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car of Spencer Pumpelly topped GTC.

The only notable incident came halfway through the 60-minute session when Nick Ham spun into the gravel trap in Turn 9, which brought out a red flag.

Practice 2 is on tap for 1 p.m. ET.

2011 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge

American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón

Pos ClassPos CarNo Class Drivers Diff Laps BestTime Speed InLap Diff Laps Make

1 1 16 P1 Dyson/Smith 1:14.282 109.432 16 -.--- 28 Lola B09 86 Mazda

2 2 6 P1 Luhr/Graf 1:14.474 109.150 33 0.192 34 Aston Martin Lola B08 62

3 3 20 P1 Al Masaood/Kane 1:14.880 108.558 19 0.598 29 Lola B09/86

4 1 63 PC Lux/Zugel 1:17.869 104.391 18 3.587 34 Oreca FLM09

5 2 89 PC Marcelli/Drissi 1:18.038 104.165 32 3.756 32 Oreca FLM09

6 3 37 PC J.Field/C.Field 1:18.437 103.635 11 4.155 30 Oreca FLM09

7 4 06 PC Jeannette/Gonzalez 1:18.477 103.582 24 4.195 28 Oreca FLM09

8 5 18 PC Nicolosi/Boon 1:19.108 102.756 35 4.826 36 Oreca FLM09

9 6 52 PC Chaves/Echeverria 1:19.741 101.940 19 5.459 21 Oreca FLM09

10 4 12 P1 Burgess/McMurry 1:19.798 101.867 19 5.516 29 Lola B06 10

11 7 05 PC Bennett/Montecalvo 1:20.506 100.971 25 6.224 32 Oreca FLM09

12 1 62 GT Melo/Vilander 1:20.787 100.620 31 6.505 31 Ferrari F458 Italia

13 2 4 GT Gavin/Magnussen 1:20.944 100.425 13 6.662 31 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

14 3 02 GT Brown/Cosmo 1:21.025 100.325 24 6.743 32 Ferrari 458 Italia

15 4 45 GT Bergmeister/Long 1:21.555 99.673 21 7.273 23 Porsche 911 RSR

16 5 55 GT Auberlen/Werner 1:21.629 99.582 9 7.347 31 BMW M3 GT

17 6 3 GT Beretta/Milner 1:21.652 99.554 15 7.370 32 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

18 7 01 GT Sharp/van Overbeek 1:21.776 99.403 23 7.494 28 Ferrari 458 Italia

19 8 56 GT Mueller/Hand 1:21.926 99.221 6 7.644 32 BMW M3 GT

20 9 17 GT Henzler/Sellers 1:22.746 98.238 12 8.464 28 Porsche 911 RSR

21 10 04 GT Murry/Lazzaro 1:23.233 97.663 12 8.951 15 Doran Ford GT

22 11 48 GT Miller/Maassen 1:23.285 97.602 24 9.003 27 Porsche 911 RSR

23 12 98 GT Jones/Moran 1:23.455 97.403 29 9.173 29 Jaguar XKR

24 13 99 GT Junqueira/Wilden 1:24.325 96.398 5 10.043 5 Jaguar XKR

25 14 40 GT A.Robertson/Snow 1:25.235 95.369 25 10.953 28 Doran Ford GT

26 1 66 GTC Ende/Pumpelly 1:26.471 94.006 8 12.189 29 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup

27 2 23 GTC Sweedler/Keen 1:26.649 93.813 25 12.367 31 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup

28 3 54 GTC Pappas/Bleekemolen 1:26.965 93.472 8 12.683 31 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup

29 4 68 GTC von Moltke/Bunting 1:27.274 93.141 7 12.992 32 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup

30 5 77 GTC Potter/Stanton 1:27.477 92.925 14 13.195 30 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup

31 15 44 GT Neiman/Law 1:27.839 92.542 9 13.557 13 Porsche 911 RSR

32 6 34 GTC LeSaffre/Davis 1:27.906 92.472 13 13.624 28 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup

33 7 11 GTC Ham/Cumming 1:28.211 92.152 9 13.929 28 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup

[Shifty]

Looks like a pair of yellow and black cars are saving themselves for qualifying....