By the Numbers: Sportsbook.com GP of Atlanta - ZR-1 Net Registry Forums

gaijin · 04-24-2005

By the Numbers: Sportsbook.com Grand Prix of Atlanta

ALMS Story 4-21-2005

Braselton, Ga. - The number 56 may not be just historic in baseball lore after next month. By then, it could have significant meaning in the American Le Mans Series, too.

If the No. 3 Corvette Racing C6-R takes the green flag at the American Le Mans at Mid-Ohio set for May 20-22 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Johnny O'Connell will have started his 56th career ALMS race. It would be another bullet on O'Connell's already impressive rÃ©sumÃ©.

O'Connell's 55th start was one he won't soon forget. He set a new GT1 qualifying record at the Sportsbook.com Grand Prix of Atlanta held at Road Atlanta with a blistering 1:17.034 lap around the 2.54-mile circuit. It was the first time O'Connell won a pole position, made even more special because he did it less than 10 minutes from his home in Flowery Branch, Ga.

"Ron (Fellows) and I were able to get the last win in the C5-R, and to get the first win with the C6-R at my home track is very special," O'Connell said. "I knew in qualifying that this was the best car I've driven since I joined Corvette Racing. Ron and I did what we always do - push as hard as we can and stay out of trouble."

Â· Fellows and O'Connell joined Champion Racing's JJ Lehto at Road Atlanta with 22 career ALMS class victories. The trio tied the mark of Sascha Maassen, who finished seventh in GT2 on Sunday with the No. 43 BAM! Porsche.

Of the four, Lehto and O'Connell have won in two different classes: 18 in LMP1 and four in GT2. O'Connell won one race in LMP1, with the rest coming in GT1.

Â· Heading to Mid-Ohio, Marco Werner continues to be the most prolific winner in the ALMS. In 20 starts since 2003, Werner has posted 13 victories, a .650 winning percentage. He has never finished lower than third in class in any ALMS race.

In his only appearance with the ALMS at Mid-Ohio last year, Werner set fast time and won the race with teammate Lehto. Another victory this year would make the pair the first two-time winners of an ALMS event at the track.

Â· The first GT2 victory and pole weren't the only significant happenings for the No. 50 Panoz Motor Sports Esperante GTLM over the weekend. Bill Auberlen set a new class qualifying record Saturday with a lap of 1:21.467. He and Robin Liddell posted the quickest time in every session except Sunday morning's warm-up.

The duo also set a new race record with a fast lap of 1:22.930. It was about 0.2 seconds faster than Dirk Muller's mark set at the 2001 Petit Le Mans.

"We were fast all weekend. It wasn't just in one session," Auberlen said. "The whole team was great and all the credit goes them. It was a great feeling winning at our hometrack."

Â· The second-place finish in LMP2 for the Mazda-powered No. 8 B-K Motorsports Courage was the first podium finish for Mazda in the ALMS since 2003. The Howard Katz and Jim Downing Welter Racing Mazda posted a pair of third-place finishes in the last four races of â€˜03.

In the debut for the B-K Motorsports entry at Road Atlanta, Guy Cosmo and Jamie Bach posted the highest finish ever for a Mazda in the ALMS.

"To sum up the weekend, we came and did what we wanted to do," Cosmo said. "The whole package is super. We look forward to the upcoming season."

Â· The No. 35 Maserati MC12 continues to make gains in the ALMS. After finishing ninth overall and fifth in GT1 at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the duo of Andrea Bertolini and Fabrizio DeSimone finished seventh overall and third in GT1 at Road Atlanta.

Â· The American Le Mans Series race at Mid-Ohio is scheduled to start at noon EDT May 22. CBS Sports will televise the race from 1 to 3 p.m. Live radio coverage will be available at www.americanlemans.com.

Mid-Ohio will be the second of three network broadcasts for the ALMS this year. CBS also will televise the Infineon Grand Prix of Sonoma, set for July 17.

04-24-2005	#1
gaijin Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Road Atlanta Posts: 371	By the Numbers: Sportsbook.com GP of Atlanta By the Numbers: Sportsbook.com Grand Prix of Atlanta ALMS Story 4-21-2005 Braselton, Ga. - The number 56 may not be just historic in baseball lore after next month. By then, it could have significant meaning in the American Le Mans Series, too. If the No. 3 Corvette Racing C6-R takes the green flag at the American Le Mans at Mid-Ohio set for May 20-22 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Johnny O'Connell will have started his 56th career ALMS race. It would be another bullet on O'Connell's already impressive rÃ©sumÃ©. O'Connell's 55th start was one he won't soon forget. He set a new GT1 qualifying record at the Sportsbook.com Grand Prix of Atlanta held at Road Atlanta with a blistering 1:17.034 lap around the 2.54-mile circuit. It was the first time O'Connell won a pole position, made even more special because he did it less than 10 minutes from his home in Flowery Branch, Ga. "Ron (Fellows) and I were able to get the last win in the C5-R, and to get the first win with the C6-R at my home track is very special," O'Connell said. "I knew in qualifying that this was the best car I've driven since I joined Corvette Racing. Ron and I did what we always do - push as hard as we can and stay out of trouble." Â· Fellows and O'Connell joined Champion Racing's JJ Lehto at Road Atlanta with 22 career ALMS class victories. The trio tied the mark of Sascha Maassen, who finished seventh in GT2 on Sunday with the No. 43 BAM! Porsche. Of the four, Lehto and O'Connell have won in two different classes: 18 in LMP1 and four in GT2. O'Connell won one race in LMP1, with the rest coming in GT1. Â· Heading to Mid-Ohio, Marco Werner continues to be the most prolific winner in the ALMS. In 20 starts since 2003, Werner has posted 13 victories, a .650 winning percentage. He has never finished lower than third in class in any ALMS race. In his only appearance with the ALMS at Mid-Ohio last year, Werner set fast time and won the race with teammate Lehto. Another victory this year would make the pair the first two-time winners of an ALMS event at the track. Â· The first GT2 victory and pole weren't the only significant happenings for the No. 50 Panoz Motor Sports Esperante GTLM over the weekend. Bill Auberlen set a new class qualifying record Saturday with a lap of 1:21.467. He and Robin Liddell posted the quickest time in every session except Sunday morning's warm-up. The duo also set a new race record with a fast lap of 1:22.930. It was about 0.2 seconds faster than Dirk Muller's mark set at the 2001 Petit Le Mans. "We were fast all weekend. It wasn't just in one session," Auberlen said. "The whole team was great and all the credit goes them. It was a great feeling winning at our hometrack." Â· The second-place finish in LMP2 for the Mazda-powered No. 8 B-K Motorsports Courage was the first podium finish for Mazda in the ALMS since 2003. The Howard Katz and Jim Downing Welter Racing Mazda posted a pair of third-place finishes in the last four races of â€˜03. In the debut for the B-K Motorsports entry at Road Atlanta, Guy Cosmo and Jamie Bach posted the highest finish ever for a Mazda in the ALMS. "To sum up the weekend, we came and did what we wanted to do," Cosmo said. "The whole package is super. We look forward to the upcoming season." Â· The No. 35 Maserati MC12 continues to make gains in the ALMS. After finishing ninth overall and fifth in GT1 at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the duo of Andrea Bertolini and Fabrizio DeSimone finished seventh overall and third in GT1 at Road Atlanta. Â· The American Le Mans Series race at Mid-Ohio is scheduled to start at noon EDT May 22. CBS Sports will televise the race from 1 to 3 p.m. Live radio coverage will be available at www.americanlemans.com. Mid-Ohio will be the second of three network broadcasts for the ALMS this year. CBS also will televise the Infineon Grand Prix of Sonoma, set for July 17.