gaijin
08-10-2004, 09:17 AM
FELLOWS WORKING TOWARD RECORD THIRD STRAIGHT TITLE IN AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES
Braselton, GA - Though he was disappointed that he didn't win in front of his hometown fans Sunday at Mosport International Raceway, the second-place finish that Ron Fellows earned in the Toronto Grand Prix of Mosport helped him move closer to winning the American Le Mans Series GTS class driving title for what would be a series record third time.
No driver in any class of competition within the professional sports car racing series has won three driving championships since the formation of the series in 1999. If Fellows and Corvette Racing co-driver Johnny O'Connell can continue their success through the final three races of the season, Fellows would not only become the first three-time series champion but would also win three titles consecutively.
After six races, Fellows and O'Connell have four wins and two runner-up finishes, a remarkable record of consistency that has helped them accumulate 118 points. Their Corvette Racing teammates, two-time ALMS GTS champion Olivier Beretta and co-driver Oliver Gavin, winners at Mosport, are in second place with 85. Terry Borcheller, the 2001 GTS class champion, and ACEMCO Motorsports Saleen co-driver Johnny Mowlem are third with 71.
Fellows, who has co-driven with O'Connell in the team's Chevrolet Corvette C5-R machines since 2001, won the 2002 title solo, then a change in the ALMS points structure for 2003 that allowed co-drivers to share championships made them champions together last year.
The next race for the ALMS is at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., Aug. 20-22, a track that Fellows and O'Connell have not won on in ALMS competition, followed by Chevy presents Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta Sep. 22-25. The Road Atlanta event, which will cover 1,000 miles or 10 hours, awards extra points because of its length and could be a critical factor in the championship chase.
The season will end with a four-hour event at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif., Oct. 14-16.
"We were disappointed that we didn't win at Mosport because that's Ron's home track," said O'Connell. "Oliver and Olivier drove a great race and it was still a good day for the Corvettes. Ron and I are still in good shape for the championship."
"We want to win every race but we also have to drive to win the championship," said Fellows. "There are still three races left and we haven't won it yet."
AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES POINT STANDINGS
(As of 8/9/04)
NOTE TO EDITORS: Please be aware that cars in the American Le Mans Series are driven in races by two (and sometimes three) drivers and those drivers receive equal points. In the driver standings, those who have earned points as teammates are listed as "(driver 1) and (driver 2)." They are not TIED for a position; they hold it together. When drivers are tied for a position, they are listed separately.
LMP1 DRIVERS
1. JJ Lehto and Marco Werner, 118
2. Andy Wallace, 85
3. Butch Leitzinger and James Weaver, 79
4. Chris Dyson, 71
5. Frank Biela, Pierre Kaffer and Allan McNish, 26
LMP1 MANUFACTURERS
1. Audi, 122
2. Lola, 98
3. Dallara, 16
4. Riley & Scott, 12
5. Panoz, 10
LMP2 DRIVERS
1. Ian James, 107
2. James Gue, 103
3. Clint Field and Robin Liddell, 80
4. John Macaluso, 58
5. Jon Field, 40
LMP2 MANUFACTURERS
1. Lola, 126
2. Pilbeam, 29
GTS DRIVERS
1. Ron Fellows and Johnny O'Connell, 118
2. Olivier Beretta and Oliver Gavin, 85
3. Terry Borcheller and Johnny Mowlem, 71
4. Tom Weickardt and Jean-Philippe Belloc, 30
5. David Brabham, 29
GTS MANUFACTURERS
1. Chevrolet, 126
2. Saleen, 71
3. Lamborghini, 36
4. Dodge, 30
5. Ferrari, 22
GT DRIVERS
1. Darren Law and Johannes Van Overbeek, 97
2. Timo Bernhard, 93
3. Romain Dumas and Marc Lieb, 72
4. Craig Stanton and David Murry, 70
5. Jorg Bergmeister, 67
GT MANUFACTURERS
1. Porsche, 122
2. Ferrari, 50
3. Morgan, 7
4. Panoz, 5
Braselton, GA - Though he was disappointed that he didn't win in front of his hometown fans Sunday at Mosport International Raceway, the second-place finish that Ron Fellows earned in the Toronto Grand Prix of Mosport helped him move closer to winning the American Le Mans Series GTS class driving title for what would be a series record third time.
No driver in any class of competition within the professional sports car racing series has won three driving championships since the formation of the series in 1999. If Fellows and Corvette Racing co-driver Johnny O'Connell can continue their success through the final three races of the season, Fellows would not only become the first three-time series champion but would also win three titles consecutively.
After six races, Fellows and O'Connell have four wins and two runner-up finishes, a remarkable record of consistency that has helped them accumulate 118 points. Their Corvette Racing teammates, two-time ALMS GTS champion Olivier Beretta and co-driver Oliver Gavin, winners at Mosport, are in second place with 85. Terry Borcheller, the 2001 GTS class champion, and ACEMCO Motorsports Saleen co-driver Johnny Mowlem are third with 71.
Fellows, who has co-driven with O'Connell in the team's Chevrolet Corvette C5-R machines since 2001, won the 2002 title solo, then a change in the ALMS points structure for 2003 that allowed co-drivers to share championships made them champions together last year.
The next race for the ALMS is at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., Aug. 20-22, a track that Fellows and O'Connell have not won on in ALMS competition, followed by Chevy presents Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta Sep. 22-25. The Road Atlanta event, which will cover 1,000 miles or 10 hours, awards extra points because of its length and could be a critical factor in the championship chase.
The season will end with a four-hour event at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif., Oct. 14-16.
"We were disappointed that we didn't win at Mosport because that's Ron's home track," said O'Connell. "Oliver and Olivier drove a great race and it was still a good day for the Corvettes. Ron and I are still in good shape for the championship."
"We want to win every race but we also have to drive to win the championship," said Fellows. "There are still three races left and we haven't won it yet."
AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES POINT STANDINGS
(As of 8/9/04)
NOTE TO EDITORS: Please be aware that cars in the American Le Mans Series are driven in races by two (and sometimes three) drivers and those drivers receive equal points. In the driver standings, those who have earned points as teammates are listed as "(driver 1) and (driver 2)." They are not TIED for a position; they hold it together. When drivers are tied for a position, they are listed separately.
LMP1 DRIVERS
1. JJ Lehto and Marco Werner, 118
2. Andy Wallace, 85
3. Butch Leitzinger and James Weaver, 79
4. Chris Dyson, 71
5. Frank Biela, Pierre Kaffer and Allan McNish, 26
LMP1 MANUFACTURERS
1. Audi, 122
2. Lola, 98
3. Dallara, 16
4. Riley & Scott, 12
5. Panoz, 10
LMP2 DRIVERS
1. Ian James, 107
2. James Gue, 103
3. Clint Field and Robin Liddell, 80
4. John Macaluso, 58
5. Jon Field, 40
LMP2 MANUFACTURERS
1. Lola, 126
2. Pilbeam, 29
GTS DRIVERS
1. Ron Fellows and Johnny O'Connell, 118
2. Olivier Beretta and Oliver Gavin, 85
3. Terry Borcheller and Johnny Mowlem, 71
4. Tom Weickardt and Jean-Philippe Belloc, 30
5. David Brabham, 29
GTS MANUFACTURERS
1. Chevrolet, 126
2. Saleen, 71
3. Lamborghini, 36
4. Dodge, 30
5. Ferrari, 22
GT DRIVERS
1. Darren Law and Johannes Van Overbeek, 97
2. Timo Bernhard, 93
3. Romain Dumas and Marc Lieb, 72
4. Craig Stanton and David Murry, 70
5. Jorg Bergmeister, 67
GT MANUFACTURERS
1. Porsche, 122
2. Ferrari, 50
3. Morgan, 7
4. Panoz, 5