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American LeMans
ALMS: Diaz, Gonzalez Eye LMPC
Mexican duo aim for Mid-Ohio return
John Dagys  |  Posted July 22, 2010   Lakeville, CT
Luis Diaz and Ricardo Gonzalez hope to move up to the LMPC ranks soon. (John Dagys)
Just days after Alex Job Racing’s announcement that it will no longer field two of its three Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars in American Le Mans Series competition, two of its former drivers are looking towards the future.

Luis Diaz and Ricardo Gonzalez are eyeing a move into the LMPC category, with the goal of an attack on the 2011 championship. The Mexican duo, who were paired in AJR’s No. 80 Porsche for the first four races of 2010, could return to the series as soon as next month at Mid-Ohio behind the wheel of an Oreca FLM09.

“It’s been an interesting year for us,” said Diaz, the 2009 LMP2 co-champion. “We started driving the Porsches which represented a steep learning curve for me and Ricardo since we had to completely adjust our driving styles. But we picked it up quickly and achieved some good results. The Alex Job Racing team did a great job and helped us adapt quickly.

“Now we have a new challenge ahead with the LMPC prototypes and I am very happy to take it on. We’ll be able to go back to the types of cars that I know best and that I’ve had great success with. It’s an interesting situation for us since we won’t be fighting for the championship so we’ll be able to just concentrate on preparing for next year and fighting straight up for wins.”

Six LMPC cars are on the grid this weekend at Lime Rock, including entries from Genoa Racing, Green Earth Team Gunnar, Intersport Racing, Level 5 Motorsports and PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports.

Diaz and Gonzalez’s intentions spurs new interest in the category, after a handful of teams have struggled recently to attract funded drivers. While it's unclear where they could end up, it's none the less good news for the first-year spec-prototype category.

“It’s been a busy few days trying to get everything organized for the rest of the season but we are very happy that this opportunity came up,” Gonzalez said. “My goal has always been to use this as a learning year and get to know the tracks and the series, and now I will be able to do it in a much faster car and one that drives more like the formula cars that I am used to.  

“The opportunity to drive an LMPC prototype for the rest of the year is very important for us since it will allow us to prepare with time for 2011 and to develop the car and our driving, in a way the next races will serve as testing sessions for us for next season.  We are currently finalizing details and we hope to announce our plans very soon.”

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