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American LeMans
ALMS: Sebring Test Entry List Released
Twenty-seven cars entered for Series’ official test on Feb. 22-23.
John Dagys  |  Posted February 10, 2010   Chicago, IL
Aston Martin Racing is amongst the entries in this year's Sebring Winter Test. (LAT)
The new-look American Le Mans Series will break cover later this month, with a record 27 cars entered for its traditional Sebring Winter Test on Feb. 22-23. Ten different manufacturers across five categories will be represented in the two-day test on the historic 3.7-mile, 17-turn Sebring International Raceway.

Much of the increased turnout can be credited to the Series’ class overhaul for 2010. It features the introduction of the cost-effective Le Mans Prototype and Grand Touring Challenge categories, and a combined LMP division for existing LMP1 and LMP2 prototypes. The ultra-successful GT2 class remains unchanged, other than a name change to GT.
Genoa Racing's Oreca-Courage FLM09 car arrived at its Zionsville, Ind. shop on Saturday and is currently being prepped for the Winter Test. (Linda Mansfield)

While P1 and P2 will run separately at the season-opening Twelve Hours of Sebring in March and the 1000-mile/10-hour Petit Le Mans in October, five LMP teams will still be racking up the test miles at Sebring later this month.

The biggest addition comes with the North American debut of Aston Martin Racing’s V12-powered Lola prototype. The factory-run Lola-Aston Martin will be in the hands of Adrian Fernandez, Chris Buncombe, Harold Primat and 2009 Le Mans Series champion Stefan Mucke at the test, prior to an expected three-driver squad for next month’s race.

Intersport Racing will again be represented in the LMP1 ranks. Father-and-son Jon and Clint Field have been named drivers for its Lola B06/10 AER. The family owned team will also field a LMPC car.

Defending Series P1 champions Patron Highcroft Racing moves to a P2-spec Honda Performance Development ARX-01c for 2010, and therefore will be classified in the second-tier prototype division for the two enduros. David Brabham and Simon Pagenaud will be joined by endurance driver Marino Franchitti in the Patron-sponsored machine, which will carry the No. 1 this season.

Team Cytosport and Dyson Racing will also be represented at the test. Following a mid-season entry into the P2 ranks, Cytosport’s Greg Pickett and Klaus Graf are expected to run for the full-season championship with their Porsche RS Spyder, the only remaining Weissach-built prototype left in competition.

Following a two-car program last season that produced wins at Lime Rock and Road Atlanta, it appears Dyson Racing could campaign a single Lola-Mazda in 2010. While no formal announcement has been made by the team, only the No. 16 car for Chris Dyson and Guy Smith has been entered for the test.

Drayson Racing and Autocon Motorsports, two P1 teams that are expected to return for full-season programs, are absent from the test day entry.
With over a dozen cars expected for the season, GT(2) will likely be the most competitive category this season. (John Dagys)

LMPC, the first of the new season-long Challenge categories, features no less than five ORECA-Courage FLM09 prototypes. In addition to the previously announced entries from Intersport Racing, Primetime Race Group and Genoa Racing, two new teams, Level 5 Motorsports and Green Earth Team Gunnar, have joined the ranks.

It comes as no surprise seeing both teams in LMPC, as Level 5 team owner Scott Tucker and Christophe Bouchut, plus Gunnar Racing’s Gunnar Jeannette tested the French-built prototype at the Series’ official LMPC test in October.

A sixth LMPC team, PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports, announced plans for a full-season program earlier this week, but won’t take delivery of its car until early next month.

A deep and diverse field of 11 cars make up the highly competitive GT2 division. The usual entries from defending class champions Flying Lizard Motorsports, Risi Competizione, BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team and Robertson Racing are joined by notable newcomers for 2010.

Following a three-race development program last year, Team Falken Tire steps up for a full-season attack with a brand-new 2010-specification Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. Porsche works driver Wolf Henzler and Bryan Sellers are listed as drivers.

Another new Porsche comes from Black Swan Racing, which returns to the Series after a one-year absence. Team owner Tim Pappas teams with Porsche SuperCup champion Jeroen Bleekemolen in the Dunlop-shod machine.

Extreme Speed Motorsports will make its official Series debut with two new Ferrari F430 GTs for team owner Scott Sharp, Johannes van Overbeek, Ed Brown and Guy Cosmo.

Finally, Jaguar RSR kick starts its 2010 full-season campaign with an entry at the test for Paul Gentilozzi, Marc Goossens, Scott Pruett and Tomy Drissi. A two-car program is expected for the season, with Goossens and Gentilozzi already being named as drivers.
A record 27 cars have been entered for this year's annual Winter Test at Sebring. (ALMS)

Corvette Racing, another full-season two-car effort, will not be at the Winter Test, but will conduct its own private test at Sebring later this month with its two GT2-spec Corvette C6.Rs.

Six cars have been entered in the GTC category, which steps up to a full-season schedule this year. Patron GT3 Challenge stalwarts Kelly Moss Racing has three Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars entered, while the two-car GMG Racing squad and single P7 Racing effort rounds out the lineup.

Two other GTC teams will join the grid next month, as Alex Job Racing and Velox Motorsport have announced season-long plans of competing for the championship.

Sebring Winter Test Entry List

LMP1

37 - Intersport Racing - Lola B06/10 - Field/Field
009 - AMR - Lola-Aston Martin - Buncombe/Primat/Fernandez/Mucke

LMP2

1- Highcroft Racing - HPD ARX-01c - Brabham/Pagenaud/Franchitti
6 - Team Cytosport - Porsche RS Spyder - Pickett/Graf
16 - Dyson Racing Team - Lola B09/86 Mazda - Dyson/Smith

LMPC

11 - Primetime Race Group - Oreca FLM09 - Feinberg/Marcelli
36 - Genoa Racing - Oreca FLM09 - Larry Connor/TBA
55 - Level 5 Motorsports - Oreca FLM09 - Tucker/Bouchut
89 - Intersport Racing - Oreca FLM09 - Pagerey/Wong
99 - Green Earth Team Gunnar - Oreca FLM09 - Zugel/Jeannette/Julian

GT2

17- Team Falken Tire - Porsche 911 GT3 RSR - Sellers/Henzler
33 - Jaguar RSR - Jaguar XKRS - Gentilozzi/Goossens/Pruett/Drissi
40 - Robertson Racing - Doran Ford GT-R - Roberston/Robertson/Murry
44 - Flying Lizard Motorsports - Porsche 911 GT3 RSR - TBA/TBA
45 - Flying Lizard Motorsports - Porsche 911 GT3 RSR - TBA/TBA
54 - Black Swan Racing - Porsche 911 GT3 RSR - Pappas/Bleekemolen
62 - Risi Competizione - Ferrari 430 GT - Melo/TBA
90 - BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team - BMW E92 M3 - TBA/TBA
92 - BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team - BMW E92 M3 - TBA/TBA
01 - Extreme Speed Motorsports - Ferrari 430 GT - Sharp/van Overbeek
02 - Extreme Speed Motorsports - Ferrari 430 GT - Brown/Cosmo

GTC

32 - GMG Racing - Porsche 911 GT3 Cup - Curtis/Sofronas
33x - Kelly Moss Racing - Porsche 911 GT3 Cup - LeSaffre/TBA
65 - Kelly Moss Racing - Porsche 911 GT3 Cup - Walton
69 - P7 Racing - Porsche 911 GT3 Cup - Rodriguez/Bieker
44x - GMG Racing - Porsche 911 GT3 Cup - Holden
92x - Kelly Moss Racing - Porsche 911 GT3 Cup - Carlisle/TBA

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