ALMS Season At 1/3 Point With A Mazda Surge, BMW Dominance, & Late Race Assessments

The Muscle Milk Aston Martin (right) pulls off a pass on the pole position Dyson Racing Mazda early in the race at Lime Rock Park, race three of nine in the ALMS 2011 championship season. Image Credit: American Le Mans Series

ALMS Season At 1/3 Point With A Mazda Surge, BMW Dominance, & Late Race Assessments

Chris Dyson and Guy Smith drove their Dyson Racing Lola-Mazda MZR-R to their first win of the 2011 season.

The hunt for the LMP1 championship in the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón lost none of its intensity over the Series` two-month break. Dyson Racing maintained its title lead with a victory in the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix. The duo of Chris Dyson and Guy Smith exchanged the lead six times with Muscle Milk Aston Martin Racing on Saturday and took the overall victory. BMW Team RLL also picked up where it left off, scoring its third consecutive GT victory.

Dyson Racing won by 19.969 seconds over the Muscle Milk Aston Martin squad. It was the first ALMS win for Chris Dyson at his home track. Dyson`s second Lola-Mazda, driven by Humaid Al Masaood and Steven Kane, finished third.

Starting from the pole, Dyson Racing`s Chris Dyson had his work cut out for him in the No. 16 Lola-Mazda, holding off Lucas Luhr`s No. 6 Aston Martin-powered Lola in the opening laps through a swarm of traffic on the 1.474-mile road course. Luhr dispatched Dyson on lap 16, but was then forced to pit early to replace a flat tire.

"It was great fun," Dyson said. "Lucas and I were going back and forth from the get-go. It was all about where you positioned yourself. It felt a bit like a video game. Our Mazda was fantastic from the start. I think the car really came into its own at the end of the race. We were lucky to catch the yellow when we did. They fought us hard all the way like they always do."

After three races of the nine-round ALMS season, Dyson and Smith lead the drivers’ championship, Dyson leads the team, and Mazda leads the manufacturers’ championships. The driver points lay out as follows - #1) Dyson Racing Mazda's Chris Dyson and Guy Smith - 66 points each, #2) Muscle Milk Aston Martin Racing's Klaus Graf and - Lucas Luhr - 36 points each, #3) Dyson Racing Mazda's Jay Cochran - 30 points.

Team RLL's Joey Hand in the #56 BMW as it approaches a clutch of competitors, as fans watch from a hill at Lime Rock Park, Connecticut. Image Credit: American Le Mans Series

BMW Team RLL extended its GT Class winning streak to three as the No. 56 BMW M3 GT of Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller topped Flying Lizard Motorsports` Patrick Long and Joerg Bergmeister in the No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.

"Team RLL, BMW, Dunlop, have done a very nice job," Hand said. "The things we have now have made the car more comfortable and more in the zone. That`s how you win races. That`s a real key and real testament to BMW Team RLL and BMW Motorsport. Dunlop is really stepping up. They have a very consistent tire now."

"Winning is always very sweet and very important and it`s good to collect the points," Mueller, Hand's teammate said. "Like Joey said, we`re in year three. Everything is now coming together like it is supposed to. I think we turned three screws on the car before we started the race. The break [between Long Beach and Lime Rock] was massive but we tested in between. At the level we are racing, it has changed so dramatically. Now we have a car that you need to push from the first second. Winning three times in a row looks so easy now."

A smart opening-lap pass by Long on the No. 55 BMW M3 driven by Dirk Werner enabled the Porsche driver to move into second and chase after Hand. Behind them, havoc in West Bend damaged both of the Corvettes, Werner`s BMW and the No. 02 Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferrari F458 Italia.

Long and Bergmeister kept their Porsche within striking distance of the leading BMW throughout the race. Though constant traffic provided some hair-raising moments, a true opportunity for a lead change never materialized.

Fresh from a podium finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Robertson Racing scored its first ALMS podium with a third-place finish Saturday for David Murry and Anthony Lazzaro. Starting seventh in class, the No. 04 Doran Ford GT first appeared in the top three following the chaos in West Bend. The Ford was eventually caught by Team Falken Tire`s No. 17 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. Lazzaro was shown in fourth at the line, but a 90-second avoidable contact penalty on Team Falken Tire elevated Murry and Lazzaro to the final podium position in GT.

At the end of race interview, Patrick Long felt better about their Flying Lizard effort here in Lime Rock with a complete race under his and Joerg's belt. It helped to put behind his (Long's) troubles at Long Beach where he had a DNF after showing promise early just to crash out.

The biggest disappointment suffered in the GT Class had to be felt in the Corvette camp with Oliver Gavin and Jan Magnussen only able to post one point in the overall driver's championship and teammates Olivier Beretta and Tommy Milner post only two points.

With one third of the season having been played out, #1) BMW Team RLL drivers Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller with three successive wins have 70 points each, #2) Corvette Racing's Oliver Gavin and Jan Magnussen - 37 points each, #3) Flying Lizard Motorsports Factory Porsche Team's Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long - 34 points each.

The other two classes, LMPC and GTC, also have great competition but for the purposes of this inaugural post, we will focus on the overall leader competition and the class that gets the most attention because of the strong factory interest and participation between BMW, Porsche, and Corvette ... it doesn't get any better when racing full-bodied, beefed up sports cars.

Winner's All - The four classes of winners take to the podium to hoist high their bottles of series sponsor, Tequila Patron for the gathered crowd. Image Credit: American Le Mans Series

American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix
Lime Rock Park, Lakeville, Conn.
Saturday`s Results:

Finish Pos. - (Qual.) - Driver & Location - Racecar Type - (Finish in Class) - LAPS
[Winners In Class Highlighted In BOLD]

1. (1) Chris Dyson, Pleasant Valley, NY; Guy Smith, Bracken, Yorkshire; Lola B09 86/Mazda (1, LMP1), 187.

2. (3) Lucas Luhr, Monte Carlo; Klaus Graf, Dornham; AMR/ Lola Coupe B08 62 (2, LMP1), 187.

3. (2) Humaid Al Masaood, Abu Dhabi; Steven Kane, Newtownards; Lola B09/86 Mazda (3, LMP1), 182.

4. (4) Eric Lux, Jacksonville, FL; Elton Julian, Santa Monica, CA; Oreca FLM09 (1, LMPC), 181.

5. (5) Ricardo Gonzalez, Monterrey; Gunnar Jeannette, Salt Lake City, UT; Oreca FLM09 (2, LMPC), 181.

6. (6) Tomy Drissi, Los Angeles, CA; Kyle Marcelli, Barrie, ON; Oreca FLM09 (3, LMPC), 180.

7. (10) Joey Hand, Sacramento, CA; Dirk Mueller, Monte Carlo; BMW M3 GT (1, GT), 176.

8. (12) Patrick Long, Bellaire, FL; Joerg Bergmeister, Langenfield; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (2, GT), 176.

9. (9) Jarrett Boon, Phoenix, AZ; Anthony Nicolosi, Palm Beach, FL; Oreca FLM09 (4, LMPC), 175.

10. (7) Frankie Montecalvo, Highlands, NJ; Jon Bennett, Fort Mill, SC; Oreca FLM09 (5, LMPC), 175.

11. (18) Bryan Sellers, Braselton, GA; Wolf Henzler, Nuertingen; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (3, GT), 174.

12. (16) David Murry, Atlanta, GA; Anthony Lazzaro, Atlanta, GA; Doran Ford GT (4, GT), 174.

13. (19) Scott Sharp, Jupiter, FL; Johannes van Overbeek, San Francisco, CA; Ferrari F458 Italia (5, GT), 174.

14. (21) Bryce Miller, Summit, NJ; Sascha Maassen, Lontzen; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (6, GT), 172.

15. (15) Seth Neiman, San Francisco, CA; Marco Holzer; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (7, GT), 165.

16. (25) Mike Piera, Newtown, Conn.; Dion von Moltke, Coral Gables, FL; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (1, GTC), 164.

17. (26) Duncan Ende, Los Angeles, CA; Spencer Pumpelly, Mason Neck, VA; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (2, GTC), 164.

18. (27) Bill Sweedler, Westport, CT; Butch Leitzinger, Rebersburg, PA; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (3, GTC), 164.

19. (23) Tim Pappas, Boston, MA; Damien Faulkner, County Donegal; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (4, GTC), 164.

20. (11) Dirk Werner, Kissenbrück; Bill Auberlen, Redondo Beach, CA; BMW M3 GT (8, GT), 163.

21. (14) Olivier Beretta, Monte Carlo; Tommy Milner, Leesburg, VA; Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1 (9, GT), 161.

22. (29) James Sofronas, Newport Beach, CA; Alex Welch, Englewood, Colo.; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (5, GTC), 160.

23. (13) Jan Magnussen, Roskilde; Oliver Gavin, Yardley Hastings; Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1 (10, GT), 156.

24. (17) Ed Brown, Las Vegas, NV; Guy Cosmo, West Palm Beach, FL; Ferrari F458 Italia (11, GT), 153.

25. (24) Chris Thompson, Englewood, Colo.; Nick Ham, Evergreen, CO; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (6, GTC), 149.

26. (20) Cristiano da Matta, Belo, Horizonte; Bruno Junqueira, Brazil; Jaguar XKR (12, GT), 149.

27. (8) James Kovacic, Forrester Beach; Jon Field, Dublin, OH; Oreca FLM09 (6, LMPC), 126, Mechanical.

28. (28) Andrea Robertson, Ray, MI; David Robertson, Ray, MI; Doran Ford GT/Elan (13, GT), 116, Mechanical.

29. (31) Toni Vilander, Kankaanpaa; Jaime Melo, Milan; Ferrari F458 Italia (14, GT), 79, Mechanical.

30. (22) Peter Lesaffre, Rye, NH; Jaap van Lagen, Ede; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (7, GTC), 74.

31. (30) PJ Jones, Torrance, CA; Rocky Moran, Ladera Ranch, CA; Jaguar XKR (15, GT), 49.

Thanks to the American Le Mans Series for article and resource assistance in the crafting of this posting.

... notes from The EDJE


[Article first published as ALMS Season At 1/3 Point With A Mazda Surge, BMW Dominance, & Late Race Assessments on Technorati]

NASCAR In Portland: ALMS & History Are In The Mix

The Garage/Paddock of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Bi-Mart Salute to the Troops 125 at Portland International Raceway. Image Credit: Kevin W. Green/NASCAR

NASCAR In Portland: ALMS & History Are In The Mix

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Bi-Mart Salute to the Troops 125 at Portland International Raceway was a stock car race for the ages. For only the second time since 1986, a NASCAR sanctioned automobile race was held on the dragstrip straightaway and Festival Corners of Portland International Raceway this last weekend on Sunday, July 18, 2010. Twenty-Seven former NASCAR "Cup" (not to be confused with the Car Of Tomorrow) and Nationwide Series specification full-bodied 600 HP stock cars took the 12 corner, 1.98 mile road course for what turned out to be a very historic and eye-opening race that ended in a NASCAR "Green/White/Checkered" rule Yellow Flag parade.

David Mayhew after he won his second straight Coors Light Pole Award at Portland International Raceway Sunday, topping his own track record with a lap of 75.426 seconds (94.503) around the 1.98-mile road course. This was Mayhew's third pole of the season and fifth of his career. He held the previous mark at Portland with his pole time of 76.328 (93.386) last year. Image Credit: NASCARHomeTrack

As for history, one could not overlook the fact that Hershel McGriff showed up, qualified, and ran the complete scheduled 125 mile/63 lap (extended to 65 laps on the G/W/C) race as he had in 1986 (where he won the race), 2009 (where he defended his championship finishing 13th and set the record for the oldest person to compete in a NASCAR sanctioned event), and now in 2010 where he re-set the NASCAR record for the oldest person to compete in a sanctioned event at 82 years of age.

Hershel McGriff climbs out of his K&N Pro Series West Park Corporation Chevy after 65 laps of strong competition at Portland International Raceway. Image Credit: NASCARHomeTrack

Hershel did not qualify all that well at P23 in a field of 27 cars, but this did not stop him from working his way up through the field of drivers who could have been his grandsons. The race featured four caution periods for collisions, oil on the track for transmissions letting loose, and stalled cars but by LAP 32, McGriff worked his way up nine positions through to P14 where he was ready to pass and exceed his previous race finish of P13. This would have been the case if it were not for a right-front flat tire on LAP 38, after a Green Flag Restart on Lap 36, bringing Hershel into the pits and dropping him back to P17 where he held station throughout the rest of the race.

Patrick Long (45) leads David Mayhew (17) and Blake Koch through the corner. Image Credit: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images - Clairity Media

As for the American Le Mans Series influence on this NASCAR event, one could not miss the standout performance of the red #45 Speed Wong Dodge, once fielded by Chip Ganassi's NASCAR Sprint Cup team, driven by Patrick Long.

Long is best known for his teammate skills driving for the Flying Lizard Motorsports team behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT3-RSR against exotic sports cars of the American Le Mans Series. What is he doing in a Dodge? ... let alone shaking down a field of stock car specialists with a dominating performance that actually had a few heads turning in that he looked like he was in a different class. It was reminiscent of watching Tiger Woods, in his heyday, ripping through a field of top class golf pros in a major tournament.

Green/White/Checker ... Yellow Flag finish for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Bi-Mart Salute to the Troops 125 at Portland International Raceway. Image Credit: NASCARHomeTrack

At one point, on this somewhat short, 1.98 mile course, Patrick Long pulled away from his P2 starting position and led the track record breaking pole-sitter, David Mayhew - 75.426 seconds (94.503), by over 10 seconds (10.98 seconds) before his first pitstops. At one point, Long was shuffled all the way back to P15 during a Yellow Flag caution period ... and on the first lap of a LAP 36 Restart, Patrick pulled the red #45 Dodge up nine places in just one lap!

Patrick Long showed off his road-course expertise, dominating the BI-MART Salute to the Troops 125 at Portland International Raceway Sunday. Image Credit: NASCARHomeTrack

“I wanted to have a really good balance in the car,” Long said of his No. 45 Speed Wong Racing Dodge. “We went very different, or unconventional, in our set-up. I think it was really the edge that we needed. With that, we had unbelievable tire wear. That Speed Wong car [owned by Daryl Wong who also fields cars to race in the ALMS from his shop in Orange County] was just hooked up.”

Post-race tech commences on David Mayhew's car with the tire Brian Wong's Speed Wong Racing #89 car (race winner Patrick Long's team mate) in the foreground at the BI-MART Salute to the Troops 125, Portland International Raceway. Image Credit: NASCARHomeTrack

It is not known which 2010 NASCAR K&N Pro Series race Patrick Long will race in next but the win earned Long, who led a race-high 51 laps, a secure starting position in the postseason NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown.

As for the ageless Hershel McGriff, he is expected to show up with his blue Park Corporation #04 Chevy Impala SS, qualify, and race in the Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts Bonus Challenge at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, the weekend of September 11-12, 2010.

... notes from The EDJE