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American LeMans
ALMS: Sebring Winter Test Monday Blog
Check back frequently for updates by John Dagys from the first day of official American Le Mans Series testing at Sebring.
John Dagys  |  Posted February 22, 2010   Sebring, FL
The lightning-fast AMR Lola was undoubtedly the best-sounding prototype lapping Sebring today. (John Dagys)
SEBRING WINTER TEST MONDAY MORNING PHOTO GALLERY

Monday Recap Updated 10:45 p.m.

After a busy day of activities at Sebring, it’s time to catch up with the odds and ends before tomorrow’s second and final day of official testing.

• As revealed on SPEEDtv.com earlier this afternoon, the ALMS has signed Tequila Patrón as its presenting sponsor. The Series is now known as the American Le Mans Series Presented by Tequila Patrón. More details and analysis on this exciting new three-year partnership can be found here.

• Prior to the unveiling of the new presenting sponsor, the ALMS held its annual media luncheon, sponsored by Michelin. A number of announcements came from the session, including that Yancey’s Fancy has become the official cheese of the American Le Mans Series.
Yes, you read that correctly, There is now an "official cheese" of the ALMS. But Yancey’s Fancy promises brand activation in supermarkets and more. (John Dagys)

“We are very excited to establish this partnership with the American Le Mans Series,” said Mike Wimble, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Yancey’s Fancy. “Yancey’s Fancy is New York’s Artisan Cheese and our brand has been built on exciting flavor profiles that are always on the cutting edge of the industry. We look forward to sharing in the innovation and success of the American Le Mans Series both on and off the track in 2010.” 

• The 2010 season also marks the second season of the Michelin Green X Challenge, the Series’ environmental competition that rewards teams with the best fuel efficiency and environmental impact. Working in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and SAE International, this ‘race within a race’ is expected to make huge strides this year, thanks to the ever-increasing amount of data collected at every round.

“Now that we have one year under our belt, we’ll be able to show the differences,” said Silvia Mammone, Motorsports Manager for Michelin North America. “We’ll be able to come back to Sebring [in March] to compare the results [from last year]. As we move forward, the data evolves and the program evolves, hopefully we’ll not only see better performance from the cars, but a reduction in the energy used. That, for us, means that performance and energy in motorsports are not mutually exclusive, but they can work together. We just have to find a good way to continually evolve.”

• Series President and CEO Scott Atherton also took to the stage to give an outlook into the 2010 season. We’ll have more from Atherton in our post-test notebook later in the week.

• With only 26 days before the Twelve Hours of Sebring, the 2010 LMP equivalency regulations yet to be finalized. We'll have reactions from leading LMP1 and LMP2 teams, plus further updates from IMSA's VP of Operations, Scot Elkins, in tomorrow's blog.

Afternoon News & Notes Updated 8:00 p.m.

As no surprise, Aston Martin Racing topped the time sheets in the afternoon session. The No. 009 Lola-Aston Martin of Harold Primat, Adrian Fernandez, Stefan Mucke and Chris Buncombe turned a 1:48.125 lap, some two-tenths slower than their pace-setting time from the morning.
Intersport will have a late night rebuilding its Lola-AER after an accident on Monday afternoon. (John Dagys)

Team Cytosport improved to second overall and quickest in LMP2. The No. 6 Porsche RS Spyder ran a 1:49.187, over eight-tenths quicker than the Patron Highcroft Racing HPD ARX-01C in third.

Problems continued for Dyson Racing, as its No. 16 Lola B09/86 Mazda ground to a halt on track, bringing out one of the handful of red flags during the session. An accident by the No. 37 Intersport Racing Lola B06/10 AER also brought out a lengthy red flag around 3:30 p.m.

The No. 92 BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team M3 of Bill Auberlen and Tommy Milner led the way in GT2, followed by the Risi Competizione Ferrari and No. 45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche.

Green Earth Team Gunnar was atop the leaderboard in LMPC, while the No. 65 Kelly Moss Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car topped the time sheets in GTC.

Intersport Racing Raises The Game Updated 4:00 p.m.

What a difference a year can make for Intersport Racing. The once-small Dublin, Ohio-based team has now expanded into an impressive two-car operation, with a third prototype possibly on the way. The beefed up effort is clearly visible by the number of crew now employed, not to mention the their purchase of Fernandez Racing’s pit command center.

While team owner Clint Field and father Jon continue to pilot the No. 37 Lola B06/10 AER, they’ve also added an ORECA FLM09 to the mix for Mitch Pagerey and Brian Wong. But as Clint points out, adding the LMPC car isn’t as complex as it might sound.

“The beauty of the Challenge car is that it’s easy," Clint said. "It’s normally aspirated and there’s not a lot of electronics, turbos or intercoolers that we’re used to. So it’s a nuts-and-bolt kind of thing. The gearboxs and engines are sealed, so you can’t do anything except springs, shocks and the overall setup.”
Patron Highcroft Racing's HPD ARX-01C still sports the 2008-spec LMP2 bodywork. More to come on that in tomorrow's blog. (John Dagys)

Intersport was the first team to officially confirm the purchase of a LMPC, with five other teams following suit. However, none of them were able to turn a wheel until Monday, per an agreement to keep everyone on a level playing field heading into the season opener.

“That’s the beauty of it being a spec class,” Clint said. “A lot of people don’t like spec classes, but I think it’s going to provide some of the closest racing on the track. The speed’s not going to be there, but the racing is going to be nose-to-tail.”

Clint confirmed David Ducote, brother to occasional Series competitor Chapman, will be the team’s third driver in the LMPC for the endurance races this year. David and his father Wayne will also drive Intersport’s Prototype Lites cars.

The team also used Monday’s test to try out a potential new driver for its LMP1 program. Nikolas Konstant turned laps in the No. 37 car, but unfortunately suffered a fairly significant accident in Turn 16. Considerable damage was sustained to the nose, sidepod, tail, wing and wheels, but Clint confirmed they’ll have the car back out tomorrow.

Intersport was initially exploring the possibility of fielding a second Lola-AER in P1, the chassis formally owned by Richard Berry. It’s unknown whether Konstant's accident may have put a damper on those potential plans.

Morning News & Notes Updated 1:20 p.m.

After a busy morning on and off the track, here’s a quick overview from the first of four test sessions:

Aston Martin Racing made a splash with the North American debut of its Lola-Aston Martin LMP1 machine. The Gulf-liveried No. 009, carrying the backing of Lowe’s, set a 1:47.826 lap time in the session, 0.240 seconds quicker than the No. 37 Intersport Racing Lola B06/10 AER.

Defending P1 champions Patron Highcroft Racing topped the time sheets in LMP2, less than a half-second behind the best time set by AMR.
Extreme Speed Motorsports debuts its two Ferrari F430 GTs. (John Dagys)

Green Earth Team Gunnar’s ORECA FLM09 was quickest in LMPC with best lap time of 1:57.533, nearly ten seconds slower than the pacesetters in P1.

The newly upgraded Risi Competizione Ferrari F430 GT led the way in GT2, with a 2:02.286, ahead of the No. 92 BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team BMW in second.

GTC front runners include the No. 92 Kelly Moss Racing and No. 44 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars.

There were a number of minor incidents during the session which brought out red flags. The No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari ran out of fuel on course around 9:45 a.m., while the same Prancing Horse was allegedly also involved in a collision with the No. 16 Dyson Racing Lola-Mazda of Chris Dyson.

As the second four-hour session of the day gets underway, the skies over Sebring International Raceway have turned overcast. With a threat for rain, a handful of teams continue to clock valuable dry testing miles.

Andy Meyrick Joins Dyson For Enduros Updated 11:05 a.m.

Dyson Racing announced its newest addition Monday, naming Andy Meyrick as the team’s third driver for the enduros at Sebring, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and Petit Le Mans. The 24-year old Welsh racer joins Chris Dyson and Guy Smith behind the wheel of the No. 16 Lola-Mazda.

“I am really excited to be joining Dyson Racing,” Meyrick said. “They have an amazing history in endurance racing in the USA. Both Rob and Chris Dyson are very passionate about their racing and I am very grateful to them for the chance to be in the 16 car with Chris and Guy. It is an ideal situation for me to make my debut in the American Le Mans Series. Chris first invited me to test late last year and our focus has been to secure this drive ever since. The Mazda-powered Lola is a great package and I am really looking forward to the challenge of Sebring and the other events.”  

Following an encouraging test with the team in mid-December, Meyrick came back to Sebring a few weeks ago for another outing in the BP-sponsored Lola-Mazda. While he’s only had two half-days in the car, the open-wheel ace turned sportscar driver is looking forward to the new challenge.

“I met the guys for the first time at Petit Le Mans last year and got introduced to Chris [Dyson] and started talking there, then he invited me for the test in December. We just clicked from there,” he said.

Meyrick’s only other sportscar experience has come with the Kolles Audi R10 TDI in the European-based Le Mans Series last year, where he recorded a fourth-place overall finish in the Nurburgring 1000km. He quickly realized the Lola-Mazda is a completely different beast compared to the diesel-powered Audi.

“There’s a lack of power and lack of torque compared to the diesel, but I really like the chassis,” he said. “Obviously this is the first time I’m driving a coupe, so that’s difficult to get used to. But it’s a really good and well-sorted car. It’s going to be a little tough getting used to, but I’m in good hands. The team’s heritage and experience speaks for itself.”

Extreme Speed Makes Public Debut Updated 10:00 a.m.

One of the first teams to take to the track this morning was the American Le Mans Series’ newest squad, Extreme Speed Motorsports. Team owner Scott Sharp was all smiles Monday as he watched his two cars roll out onto the 3.7-mile circuit for the first official day of testing.
Dominik Farnbacher (L) and Johannes van Overbeek (R) will join team owner Scott Sharp in the No. 01 car for Sebring and Petit Le Mans. (John Dagys)

“It’s impossible your first time around to truly estimate every detail and every cost and every facet of a start-up [team], so it’s been much more intense than I could have ever estimated,” Sharp said. “We’ve been real fortunate to hire some great guys that are super experienced. They’ve made a lot of the hurdles thrown in front of us quite small and have gotten quite a lot done.”

Sharp has assembled an all-star cast of drivers to wheel the team’s two Ferrari F430 GTs. Former Flying Lizard Motorsports ace Johannes van Overbeek joins reigning LMP1 co-champion Sharp in the No. 01 machine. Patron GT3 Challenge graduate Ed Brown and veteran Guy Cosmo will steer the No. 02 Ferrari. GT ace Dominik Farnbacher and 2010 Rolex 24 winner Joao Barbosa complete the lineup for Sebring and Petit Le Mans.

Led by team manager Derek Granison, ESM has successfully completed two test sessions at Sebring since taking delivery of the newest-generation Ferraris last December. For Sharp, the transition to a GT car has brought him back to his Trans-Am days.

“In many ways, it has some similar characteristics to what I spent so many years with in Trans-Am,” he said. “The first thing you realize is that it’s a very good handling car. It’s very well balanced and predicable with the way it absorbs the bumps. It’s a confident building way of a car to drive. Obviously our engineering group didn’t have any experience with a Ferrari, but they’ve taken to it quite quickly and are starting to get a good feel of the car.”

ESM has taken a realistic approach at attacking this week’s test and their debut race at Sebring next month. Patience and perseverance are keys for any new team's success.
Follow all the test day action on SPEEDtv.com. (John Dagys)

“We’ve mostly tested on our own, so it’s hard to get a gauge of where we’re at,” Sharp said. “But we’ve gotten faster every time out and the engineers get the data and figure out issues with the car and improve it every time. That’s how you have to look at the early stages like this. We have to be very productive.

“This is a good test for us to get a little bit of a yardstick of where we’re are. But I don’t gauge too much on that because the trick for us as a first team is to get through the 12-Hour unscathed. That’s our goal. If we can have both of these cars finish, we’ll have a great day.”

Green Flag For Sebring Winter Test 2010 Updated 8:00 a.m.

A record number of entries have assembled at Sebring International Raceway for the American Le Mans Series’ annual Winter Test. Twenty-eight cars from five categories will participate in the two-day test, which kicked off moments ago for the first of two four-hour sessions today. Another eight hours of track time is on tap for Tuesday.

The new condensed two-day format should still give teams plenty of track time, while also providing a glimpse into the season ahead. With the majority of the full-season competitors in attendance, this year’s Winter Test will likely provide the best benchmark for new and returning teams.

One of the biggest changes during the off season came with the Series’ class structure. LMP1 and LMP2 cars will compete under a single LMP category for the majority of the season, while LMPC and GTC classes have been added for the cost-effective ORECA FLM09 and Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars, respectively.

With the combined LMP category not debuting until the second round at Long Beach due to the Automobile Club de l’Ouest’s enforcement of its regulations for Sebring, this week’s test will likely see all prototype teams in full ACO-trim.

A slim field of five prototypes - two P1s and three P2s - will take to the track for the test. Aston Martin Racing with its Lola-Aston Martin makes its North American debut and is joined by Series stalwarts Intersport Racing with its Lola B06/10 AER in P1.

Reigning P1 champions Patron Highcroft Racing move back to a P2-spec HPD ARX-01C for 2010 and are joined by single-car entries from Team Cytosport and Dyson Racing.

In contrast to the LMP ranks, GT2 features a strong and diverse field of 11 cars, with all of the usual suspects plus some notable newcomers. Defending class champions Flying Lizard Motorsports return with two Porsche 911 GT3 RSRs, joined by rivals Risi Competizione and BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team.

Team Falken Tire steps up to a full-season program and is here with its 2010-spec Porsche, as is Robertson Racing’s Doran Ford GT-R and the return of Black Swan Racing to GT2 after a one-year hiatus. This week’s test will also mark the debut of Extreme Speed Motorsports, the Scott Sharp-owned two-car Ferrari squad.

LMPC, the new spec category for ORECA FLM09 prototypes, features entries from Primetime Race Group, Genoa Racing, Level 5 Motorsports, Intersport Racing and Green Earth Team Gunnar.

And finally, GTC, which evolves into a full-season championship this year with Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars, sees seven entries from the likes of GMG Racing, Kelly Moss Racing, WERKS II/P7 Racing and Velox Motorsports.

Over the next two days, we’ll be catching up with the majority of the teams and drivers at the test to break down the changes for 2010 and get their reactions on the season ahead.

This blog will be frequently updated throughout the day, so be sure to keep checking back for more!

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