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 Sonoma,
CA. (July 14, 2004) -
Team ADT Champion Racing is on a winning
streak after having won the last two races in the American Le Mans
Series. This weekend will test Team ADT Champion Racing's "winning
ways" as the crew and drivers prepare for the Grand Prix of Sonoma
Presented by Napa Valley Marriott Hotel & Spa at Infineon Raceway,
July 16-18.
Last year, Finland's Lehto and Germany's
Werner were driving for different teams in the ALMS, but both were
behind the wheel of an Audi R8 Prototype, one of the most successful
sports cars ever built. Their separate cars spent the entire event
at Sonoma chasing and then ultimately being beaten by James Weaver
and Butch Leitzinger in the Dyson Racing Lola-MG. The win ranks as
one of the greatest upsets in sports car racing history and was the
first time that a car from the second Prototype class had taken an
overall race win in the ALMS.
 This
year, Lehto and Werner are teammates with ADT Champion Racing, again
driving an Audi R8. They finished second in the season-opening Mobil
1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and then scored back-to-back wins in the
two most recent ALMS events at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and Lime
Rock Park. They are now racing head-to-head for overall race wins
with the Dyson team as off-season rule changes moved the Lola into
the top LMP1 class
Infineon Raceway's 2.52-mile, twisting
circuit suits the smaller Lola very well, but after last week's win
at a similar track [Lime Rock Park] the team and drivers feel they
can win again. In addition to the regular #38 Audi R8 being run on
the track, the team will also test an additional Audi R8. The #2 R8
is the car Team ADT Champion Racing competed with during the 24
Hours of Le Mans. The goal of testing this car is to make sure it's
ready for competition if and when needed.
 Also
different this weekend will be a new form of qualifying,
"single-car" qualifying versus cars in similar classes qualifying
during twenty-minute sessions.
The new qualifying format, which is in a
one-race trial at Sonoma, is designed to increase the drama of
competition for the New Century Mortgage FastQual Award by giving
drivers more of an opportunity to post their best lap times on a
track clear of traffic.
However, unlike single-car qualifying
formats used in many other racing series, the format for the
American Le Mans Series will have multiple cars on the track at the
same time, dispatched individually at specific intervals timed to
maximize the opportunity for each car to have clear track.
 The
cars will be lined up for qualifying in reverse order of the fastest
lap achieved by each car in the practice session immediately prior
to qualifying. The fastest cars will therefore be placed at the end
of the line, building drama during the qualifying session while
drivers compete for the overall pole as well as individual class
poles. Each car will get a total of four laps on the track during
the qualifying session, including its out lap, two flying laps and
its in lap.
The Infineon Grand Prix of Sonoma will get
the green flag at 11:00 a.m. (PDT) on Sunday, July 18, and will be
televised live in North America by CBS Sports from 3-5 (EDT). In
Europe, MotorsTV will have live coverage as well. The American Le
Mans Series Radio Web will have live coverage online at
www.americanlemans.com.
 Marco
Werner (Germany). "This is another Dyson track and they had the win
there last year. It's going to be another tough track for us but
since we are testing two cars this weekend, I hope we are more
prepared for the race. We saw that teamwork was important to us [at
Lime Rock] so I'm happy to be part of a team like Champion because
they have such excellent teamwork."
JJ Lehto (Finland). "This weekend will be
just like the one at Lime Rock-the Dyson cars have the advantage
because they are lighter and therefore better in the corners.
Infineon Raceway is very windy and hilly which is better for them
than for us. But we prevailed at Lime Rock so I think we can do it
again." |
