Video Post: Trackside at Sebring 2012

From behind the pitwall: Petit Le Mans 2011

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The following can be attributed to Robert Overholser of Lufteknic Porsche, Richmond, VA. 

It's been a while since I was at the track for some ALMS crew work. It was refreshing and fun to be back in the action, almost a vacation to be away from the shop and doing something that I've enjoyed doing for a long time now. My good friend Marc at German Performance Service has been working with Black Swan Racing for the past 2 years.

 

The past 2 years have resulted in Championships in the ALMS GTC class. Road Atlanta was packed with fans ready to watch the battles, and it was also one of the few races in recent memory where there was more competitors than slots available to race cars. A few were cut depending on qualifying results...

The Baltimore Grand Prix

Approximately one month ago, Baltimore City, held the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix. It was a double-header weekend featuring the American Le Mans series on Saturday, and IndyCar on Sunday. Despite the fact I was quite literally in the process of moving from New York to Baltimore, there was no way I was missing the ALMS on the streets of my hometown.

 

Open wheelers, let alone spec open wheelers, have never really done it for me, so I opted to finish moving on Sunday, but with the full blessing of the best wife in the world to go and enjoy myself, I was able to make it down on Friday and Saturday for the main event, the ALMS. And what a weekend it was.

Double Coaster: ALMS and CTSCC on Saturday

It's a busy weekend for motorsport in the good ole U-S of A. The American Le Mans boys are up one of the shortest and fastest tracks in the country, Lime Rock Park. We were there last year and it was blazing hot, much to my wife's chagrin at the time, but not many spouses are crazy enough to let you take them to a race track on THEIR birthday. Unfortunately with the upcoming Waterfest show and upcoming move from NYC to Baltimore taking all my time and energy, we won't be attending this year.

Still, it should be a great battle. Dyson brings a second car so at the very least there will be a full podium in LMP1, but of course, the real battle is in GT. It's anybody's guess as to what team will take honors - the Ferraris are always fast, Corvette and BMW have been the two to beat here and abroad, and Flying Lizard is overdue for a win for Porsche. As always my underdog favorite is the Porsche RSR of Team Falken Tire. In GTC look for it to be Black Swan's race to lose - not that the other teams are of lesser quality or ability, it's just that Black Swan have been that good. It is impossible to count them out.

Practice and qualifying all take place tomorrow, and the race is at 2:05pm Eastern Time. As usual those with ESPN3 will be able to stream the race live in its entirety, but it will be rebroadcast the following day I believe, should you miss it. You can also check www.americanlemans.com as international viewers don't have to worry about being "allowed" to view the ESPN3 feed.



All the way across the country and on a similarly historic track, the Grand Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (sheesh) is running at Laguna Seca.  APR Motorsport is going strong, after a fantastic 2nd place finish at Road America a couple of weeks back. APR Motorsport is 3rd in ST team standings (just one point behind Compass360), drivers Ian Baas and Ryan Ellis are tied for 3rd in the driver's championship, and Volkswagen lies 1st in the manufacturers championship. Mazda is nipping at their heels just 3 points back, so Laguna could be the make-or-break race of the year.

With just three races remaining, it's imperative that APR Motorsport put in consistent performances in all of them. A DNF or finishing out of the points would be devastating to drivers, team and manufacturer alike.

Practice kicks off tomorrow at multiple times before qualifying in ST goes down at 3:55pm PST.  Check out live timing and scoring at Grand-am.com - and then the race, a 2.5 hour run, begins at 10:45 am.


Hopefully after the silly season dies down I'll have some more time on my hands, and naturally our IMSA GTI will begin to make strides towards track worthiness in no-time.

Look for Waterfest coverage as well, at least a bit from my little dark corner of the vendor row...

_WRS

Baltimore's Bucky Lasek to compete in ALMS in 2012

9Magazine is reporting that Rebel Rock Racing - a motorsport / entertainment fusion entity headed by producer Jim Jonsin - will field an entry for the 2012 American Le Mans season in the GTC class with none other than Bucky Lasek as one of their drivers. Bucky is no stranger to the performance automotive world (at least not to us) and it is with great excitement that we learned about this latest foray into the racing world. The ALMS is in need of fresh blood and a strong commitment from this sort of young, energetic and capable (rich) type of team is just what the motorsport world, and sports car racing in particular, needs to succeed and grow in the future. We will watch this new team with a close eye over the coming months to see how things develop; it could turn out to be quite interesting.

Naturally it is of particular interest to see Bucky entering into a professional racing series. He emerged from the Baltimore skate scene of which we were also a part of, and it was not uncommon to see him him out and about at various VW car shows back in the early-mid 90s with his Corrado. I think the last time I personally ran into him and chatted for a bit was just before he moved out west to concentrate on his professional skateboarding career; the rest of course is history.

For more check out:

Rebel Rock Racing / and on Twitter / Jim Jonsin Twitter
Bucky Lasek / and on Twitter

_WRS

ALMS: Round 2 Qualify at 8pm Eastern - Race tomorrow

In just one hours time live qualifying will begin for round two of the 2011 ALMS season, taking place on the streets of Long Beach. Shown on ESPN3 - it should prove to be a great race in GT, but the LMP classes, if we're honest, are complete crap. Only 2 entries in LMP1, 2 entries (from the same team no less) in LMP2, and both of those cars are struggling to best the lowly LMPC cars.



In GT the Porsches have been doing quite well indeed (probably thanks to their post-Sebring weight break), with the #45 Flying Lizard ahead by a few tenths over the BMWs. Our favorite underdog, Team Falken Tire, are sitting 7th in GT behind the Bimmers, 'Vettes and the Risi Ferrari. We're pulling for a dark-horse upset, so look for Falken to be on the front row...mark my words.

In GTC Black Swan is clearly the team to beat. The 2010 champs have Jeroen back in the car for Long Beach, and there's no doubt that they're going to be on pole and will take the win, assuming no outside interference or problems.  

The race will be live in ESPN3 tomorrow at 7:15pm Eastern, and shown in "highlight" form on Sunday on ESPN2...

By the way, does anyone know how to set up a proxy so I can watch the race?

_WRS

Sebring Paddock: Princes to Paupers

 




The paddock at any big event like the 12 Hours of Sebring is a fascinating place to be. I almost prefer it to being out by the track in certain ways, as you get a much better feel for who the teams really are and what they're really all about. Sure you can see who's fastest on a time sheet, break it down into simple statistics, but that only shows half of the competition really. It's more than who's fastest, it's who's got the most cash, and from the top to the bottom of the grid, teams aren't afraid to spend some cubic dollars to one-up the next guy.

12 Hours of Sebring 2011, Wed-->Thurs

 

For the second time in as many years, the crew (myself and Josh) have made the trek 1200 miles south from NYC to sunny Florida for the most important and exciting endurance race that takes place on United States soil: the 12 Hours of Sebring. So far we know one thing for certain, it's a hell of an adventure no matter how you slice it.

Victory for Oreca at Sebring

While the drivers are off at the podium receiving the accolades, the Team Oreca Matmut crew takes a moment to celebrate in their own way with the car they spend so much time with, and sent to victory lane at the 2011 12 Hours of Sebring. It was a great race. Back from Sebring with many more pictures to share and video to edit, but first, sleep...it was  a heck a of a drive back to NYC, and my mind needs a little time to catch up. 

_WRS

Ferrari 458 at night

Thursday night practice. A new Ferrari 458 is heading into the hairpin. Words can't quite describe this car, as it sounds and looks that good in person. Go to the track and see it, the 458 ain't no joke. Porsche, BMW and Corvette have their work cut out for them...

More soon, time for early bed and early rise for tomorrow's race.

_WRS

Sebring 2011; live updates from Wednesday to Saturday

In under a week's time, we'll be heading down to Sebring Florida for the second year in a row, and I for one can simply not wait. It's looking fantastic, with near 60 cars on the entry list, and the vast majority of those additional cars over last year's race have been gained in the prototype ranks. With Audi coming back after their absence in 2010, Flying Lizard coming back as strong as ever, and Falken with a much improved team working behind the scenes, we'll have plenty to cheer for.

In related news, new team for Falken Tire

Changes, they're a blowing in the wind. Or something. Team Falken Tire just announced they have contracted a new team to run their ALMS effort, or perhaps more specifically, they have sacked Rod Everett and crew for the 2011 season. After an up and down, but mostly mid-pack 2010, changes were needed to bring the performance up to where the team needs and deserves to be.

The announcement came today, and Falken has named Walker Racing in Indianapolis, Indiana as the replacement. Walker has mostly Indy Car (CART/ Camp Car) experience, and has the distinction of having run the Porsche Indy Car back in the very early 90s, in fact giving Porsche their only win in the series. So the level of professionalism should be next level, let's hope they have the engineers to back it all up.

With a little luck we should be seeing some green and blue in the winner's circle this year. The Falken boys are one of the few companies out there really stepping up and putting their money where their mouth is, and it would be great to see them rewarded for the effort.

_WRS

P.S. - Happy new year!

Waiting and wishing

I don't know about you, but I'm officially sick of the cold weather...and it's not even Winter yet. Right about now the only thing keeping me going, aside from copious amounts of spiked egg nog, is the thought of a warm spring. We'll be making the trek back down to Sebring Florida for the 1st American Le Mans race of the year, where this photo was taken back in March. It was a warm Friday evening as the cars were going out for night practice, and Peugeot was sending one of their all-conquering 908s to the track.

Here's to an early Spring!

_WRS

Big fun in Baltimore - ALMS joins Indy exactly one year from now

There was a big announcement from the American Le Mans Series yesterday, officially confirming the numerous rumors that had been circulating for the past few months: Yes, the ALMS is officially going to be making a stop in Charm City USA. The great Memorial Labor Day bash, part of the Indy Car weekend that the Baltimore Racing Development has been working on for the past few years, has just been put on must-attend status for us here at Der Wofsburg Rennsport.



Aside from the fact that there have been no Mid-Atlantic ALMS events since the very short liveed Cadillac Grand Prix of Washington DC, Baltimore is our home town and knowing those streets and the environment of downtown Baltimore, it will be a heck of an event for sure. The Baltimore Grand Prix, as it is officially known, will take place over the weekend of September 2nd through the 4th, and will feature the IZOD Indy cars as the main event for Sunday, backed up by the ALMS on Saturday.



The announcement was made official yesterday afternoon, fittingly, at Baltimore's Inner Harbor. The streets to be used for the track are already under reconstruction and improvement, and based on what we have seen it should be an excellent layout, with great vantage points and a supurb backdrop, fitting the world class racing the ALMS is known for.

More as it develops, but if you're on the east coast you owe it to yourself to be in Baltimore next year for this event. We certainly will be.

_WRS

This weekend: ALMS at Mid Ohio

This weekend sees the return of LIVE FREE STREAMING of the American Le Mans' 6th race of the year, at Mid Ohio. Be sure to check it out tomorrow at 2:30 PM, Eastern. Sign up at www.americanlemans.com/live to take advantage. Coverage is thanks to our friends over at Falken Tire. As always you can listen on Radio Le Mans as well.

In qualifying today it was everything but Porsche, with the Ferrari's from Risi battling the Corvettes from Pratt & Miller, but the Italian horsepower trumped American torque and saw the two red F430 GTs sweep the front row. Corvette lined up 3rd and 4th, while BMW rounded out the top 7, with one of the Extreme Speed Ferraris sandwiched in between. Flying Lizard, with Patrick Long handling the wheel on the 45 and team principle Seth Neiman in the 44, could manage no better than 8th and 13 in class, respectively. Team Falken Tire struggled with the pace throughout all the practice sessions and it continued during qualifying, placing 11th on the grid, a mere 3-tenths faster than the Jaguar which has found quite a bit of speed. Although the big Jag still lacks the ultimate pace to take a podium or a win, the improvement is nothing more than huge in a program which has up to this point been a bit of a disaster.

Black Swan continues to dominate the GTC class, with Jeroen Bleekemolen wheeling the 2010 Porsche GT3 Cup to pole position.

The deck is stacked against the Porsches this weekend in GT. It will take a bit of a Miracle to pull out a podium let a lone a victory at Mid Ohio, but with the number of offs and cautions in practice they could prove to be the deciding factor in the race. Getting caught out and at the wrong place and time could mean a wrecked race car or at least being put at the wrong end of the pace car, which could mean artificially going a lap down. One puts you out of the race, the other instantly out of contention.

Should be a great show!

_WRS

ALMS - Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park

For the very first time, out of all the years that the American Le Mans series has come to a track even remotely close to where I have lived, I have finally been able to attend a race. Usually Waterfest and this East Coast event fall on the same weekend...for the past several years it has been at Lime Rock Park, and once it was even right in our backyard, the short-lived Washington DC street race.



Since this was such a rare opportunity...who knows when the stars would align in such a manner ever again...I HAD to go. Only one problem. A big one. The day of the race, July 24th, is the birthday of one Mrs WRS.



To convince my wife, who although loves and appreciates my own love of mechanized racing vehicles is not exactly a 'car girl', would take some doing. It's not that she isn't supportive, or not even that she doesn't usually go with me to the track. She has gone with me to Lime Rock for vintage events, the CTSCC, and she's had a blast. It's just that when it's a girl's birthday, well...you know how it can be.



After some mild groveling and explaining that this was a once in a very long while opportunity, and knowing how much fun I had at Sebring she acquiesced, with one stipulation: We had to stay at a nice relaxing bed and breakfast. No problem, sounded like a good deal to me, so I booked a room at the ever so lovely and awesome Cornwall Inn, just 20 minutes down the road from Lime Rock.



First off, it is worth noting that the Cornwall Inn is absolutely fantastic. Innkeepers Mark and Stacey are so very open and everyone who works there quite literally makes you feel like family. Added to that a bunch of fellow ALMS-attendees and it was a sure-fire hit.



One of the more interesting guests with whom we had the pleasure of meeting was Ginger aka 'The Porsche Lady' whom was there in her very newest 911 GT3 RS. Ginger is the sort of person whom is living the dream as far as Porsche ownership is concerned. The RS is but one of many in her stable, but you know what's awesome about that?



She actually drives her cars...all of them. Florida, California and everywhere in between, she had stories about road trips with this car and that one....unafraid to rack up the miles and put these cars through their paces. Simply awesome, and proof positive that the people at these events really make them that much more special.



On race day the forecast was originally for gray skies and potential for scattered thunderstorms, and the heavy rains on Friday night were suggesting they may be right. As morning rolled around it became clear that this was not to be...it was bright, sunny, and hot. Hot as hell actually, and this was early.



After a leisurely breakfast of homemade granola and fruit salad we embarked in old faithful to beat the crowds to the venue. The roads at Lime Rock are small, and even though we arrived before 10am traffic was already beginning to pile up on the small access road. After some brief stop and go we parked, grabbed our tickets and headed over the West bend bridge to say hello to some friends at Falken Tire and Black Swan before the race. It was especially cool how close you could get here, even closer than Sebring in some ways since paddock space was so limited.



Except somehow, even at a track as small as Lime Rock we managed to avoid running into even one of them. It defies logic, but it kind of figures. The insanely hot weather seemed to be effect everyone's ability to think, or maybe just mine, but the first half of race proved to be a real challenge.



If there's one thing I appreciated here it was that the 'lower budget' efforts were pushed over into the B paddock and working in the grass. It reminded me of some of the old school images I've seen online from the late 70s and early 80s of Porsche 935s sitting in grass while decidedly under-dressed team members work on them...a different time to be sure.



One of the guys from Black Swan invited us into their 'garage' area to take some better pictures. It was much appreciated.







Since it was the Mrs's birthday I didn't want to go too crazy with taking pictures and dragging her from corner to corner as I did, so we made our way to the far side of the front stretch for the start of the race. Sight lines aren't all that great, but I'd never been over there before and it was a great perspective for the start of the race. Lunch was decidedly classy...



The crowd was impressive from my perspective. Plenty of people took advantage of the open front stretch before the start.



With the Porsches of Flying Lizard and Falken Tire up front in GT things couldn't have been better.



The Dyson Mazda Lola, which I was personally routing for since it sounds and looks better than the Porsche RS Spyder, and the Highcroft car is too dominant, was off to a hell of start thanks to Chris Dyson.



It was not to last however, as a massive fireball on the overrun into turn run pretty much showed that the engine (or turbo, or both) had expired.



This marked the first of our three unfortunate attempts to get near the track during green flag running. Each time we walked away and headed to another location the race went green.



As soon as we got back to a reasonable spot, the yellow flag flew. It was exceptionally frustrating, and along with the heat it more or less killed the first hour of the race for us.







Lime Rock always produces some insanely close racing, perhaps sometimes too close, as cars usually end up passing in less-than-safe fashion down the no-name straight.



Eventually though things settled into a rhythm and we found an excellent spot right at the West Bend / downhill area, allowing great sight lines and close racing.





As the rain came out in the last 30 minutes or so things began to get interesting.





A few cars spun, and the Falken Tire 911 RSR went off backwards at a fairly high rate of speed. I was about .2 seconds away from getting a great shot of it.



Bryan Sellers was able to drive the car out of the barrier under its own power and was soon back in the race.



The final laps saw a fierce battle in GT and LMP. LMP was close, with the Porsche and HPD running quite close, but GT was literally bumper to bumper. The #45 Flying Lizard Porsche was being hounded by both Rahal / Letterman BMW M3s.



Eventually the traffic which bunched them all together spread them back out, but the BMWs were going absolutely all-out, bumping even each other in an effort to score the team's first win. They didn't quite manage it, but they once again finished 2-3 on the podium. A win is literally right around the corner for these guys.



In the end it was the Porsche RS Spyder of Klaus Graf and Greg Pickett winning overall, and the 911 RSR of Jorg Bergmeister and Patrick Long taking the win in GT.





All in all it was a fantastic weekend, and despite the insane heat we had a blast and perhaps best of all, didn't even hit traffic on the way back into NYC.



Since the final East Coast race, Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, happens to fall on the same weekend as H20 International this was probably the last ALMS race I'll be able to attend this year. I'm a little bummed since I'd gladly forgo H20 the Petit, but that's life...maybe next year.



The ALMS is at Mid Ohio next weekend, and will have LIVE free streaming thanks to Falken Tire and Mid Ohio...stay tuned for links.

As always check out the Flickr Page for a bunch of additional photos....

_WRS