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Le Mans / ALMS
ALMS: Road America Notebook
News and notes ahead of Saturday’s Road America Road Race Showcase...
Alex Popow turned his first laps of the weekend in the No. 06 Soloson Import-sponsored CORE autosport Oreca FLM09 Friday. (Photo: John Dagys)
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS ALEX POPOW? — With two races in two different countries on a single day, Alex Popow will be looking to achieve victories in the GRAND-AM Montreal 200 and the ALMS Road Race Showcase at Road America, while maintaining his championship quests in both series.
Popow’s ambitious travel schedule began Thursday when he took part in practice at Montreal in his Starworks Motorsport Riley-Ford before flying to Road America in time for this morning’s first official practice session aboard the No. 06 CORE autosport Oreca FLM09.
After getting his necessary laps in the Prototype Challenge-class contender, the Venezuelan hot shoe jumped back on a commercial flight from Milwaukee to Montreal, via Chicago and expects to arrive back at his hotel near Circuit Gilles Villeneuve around 1 a.m. on Saturday.
But the real fun starts on Saturday, with the Rolex Series race getting a 11:15 a.m. ET green flag and the ALMS race at Road America set to get underway just over four hours later.
How will Popow manage to do both?
“Tomorrow, I'll do my first stint [in Starworks DP], get out of the car and then let Alex Tagliani do the rest of the job,” Popow explained. “From there, I'll jump in a helicopter that will take me out of the track and to the airport and then into a private plane that will take me directly to the Sheboygan airport. Then I'll drive as fast as I can to get here to the track.”
While it may sound like a crazy undertaking, Popow has plenty of motivation to do it. He currently leads the ALMS PC drivers’ championship, while also sitting fourth in the GRAND-AM Daytona Prototype title race and only 21 points out of the lead.
And in case of any unforeseen travel delays, CORE autosport has already crafted up a backup plan, with team owner Jon Bennett listed as a third driver in the No. 06 car alongside Popow and Tom Kimber-Smith, who will start the race.
Bennett, who is nominated to score points in his usual No. 05 ride with Colin Braun, could complete the 1 hour and 10-minute drive-time minimum needed for a Bronze or Silver-graded driver in the No. 06 car, should Popow not make it to Road America in time.
SUMMERTON RETURNS — With Joey Hand on DTM duty this weekend, Jonathan Summerton slips back into the No. 56 BMW Team RLL M3 GT, marking the open-wheel ace’s second start of the year with the Bobby Rahal-led organization.
The 24-year-old American will be looking to keep a perfect record in the ALMS, having won in his sports car racing debut with Hand and Dirk Mueller, the only season-long driver of the No. 56 BMW M3 GT.
“If anyone had told me I would be able to celebrate victory with the guys after my first race in the BMW M3 GT, I wouldn’t have believed them,” Summerton said of his debut win at Sebring.
“BMW Team RLL knows everything about this place. They know exactly what they had to do in any situation. The same goes with Joey and Dirk.
“I couldn’t have asked for better teammates. They made me feel at home from the very first moment and supported me in all areas. Being with this team for this race is the best that could happen to me.”
In addition to Saturday’s four-hour enduro, Summerton is tapped to drive with Dirk Mueller at VIR and Road Atlanta, two other rounds Hand will be forced to miss.
PHOTOS: Road America Road Race Showcase Gallery
Popow’s ambitious travel schedule began Thursday when he took part in practice at Montreal in his Starworks Motorsport Riley-Ford before flying to Road America in time for this morning’s first official practice session aboard the No. 06 CORE autosport Oreca FLM09.
After getting his necessary laps in the Prototype Challenge-class contender, the Venezuelan hot shoe jumped back on a commercial flight from Milwaukee to Montreal, via Chicago and expects to arrive back at his hotel near Circuit Gilles Villeneuve around 1 a.m. on Saturday.
But the real fun starts on Saturday, with the Rolex Series race getting a 11:15 a.m. ET green flag and the ALMS race at Road America set to get underway just over four hours later.
How will Popow manage to do both?
“Tomorrow, I'll do my first stint [in Starworks DP], get out of the car and then let Alex Tagliani do the rest of the job,” Popow explained. “From there, I'll jump in a helicopter that will take me out of the track and to the airport and then into a private plane that will take me directly to the Sheboygan airport. Then I'll drive as fast as I can to get here to the track.”
While it may sound like a crazy undertaking, Popow has plenty of motivation to do it. He currently leads the ALMS PC drivers’ championship, while also sitting fourth in the GRAND-AM Daytona Prototype title race and only 21 points out of the lead.
And in case of any unforeseen travel delays, CORE autosport has already crafted up a backup plan, with team owner Jon Bennett listed as a third driver in the No. 06 car alongside Popow and Tom Kimber-Smith, who will start the race.
Bennett, who is nominated to score points in his usual No. 05 ride with Colin Braun, could complete the 1 hour and 10-minute drive-time minimum needed for a Bronze or Silver-graded driver in the No. 06 car, should Popow not make it to Road America in time.
SUMMERTON RETURNS — With Joey Hand on DTM duty this weekend, Jonathan Summerton slips back into the No. 56 BMW Team RLL M3 GT, marking the open-wheel ace’s second start of the year with the Bobby Rahal-led organization.
The 24-year-old American will be looking to keep a perfect record in the ALMS, having won in his sports car racing debut with Hand and Dirk Mueller, the only season-long driver of the No. 56 BMW M3 GT.
“If anyone had told me I would be able to celebrate victory with the guys after my first race in the BMW M3 GT, I wouldn’t have believed them,” Summerton said of his debut win at Sebring.
“BMW Team RLL knows everything about this place. They know exactly what they had to do in any situation. The same goes with Joey and Dirk.
“I couldn’t have asked for better teammates. They made me feel at home from the very first moment and supported me in all areas. Being with this team for this race is the best that could happen to me.”
In addition to Saturday’s four-hour enduro, Summerton is tapped to drive with Dirk Mueller at VIR and Road Atlanta, two other rounds Hand will be forced to miss.
PHOTOS: Road America Road Race Showcase Gallery
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