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POMPANO BEACH,
FL. (August 15, 2005)
– The points battle in the American Le Mans Series LMP1 prototype
category is tightening up with only four races left in the 2005
schedule. This weekend’s Generac 500 at Road America in
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, August 19-21, will play a pivotal role for
Team ADT Champion Racing as the two car Audi R8 team continues their
quest for the Driver’s, Team and Manufacturer’s Championship.
In addition to victories in the last two ALMS rounds (Infineon and
Portland), Pirro and Biela have finished on every podium this
season. On the flip side is Lehto and Werner who have a
class-high three victories but also posted a DNF at Portland while
finishing off the podium at Mid-Ohio.
"Initially being behind
the lead car and trying to catch up, we felt some pressure but not
now," said Biela, who won the drivers title with Werner in 2002.
"Emanuele and I have been in this situation before so we know to
handle the pressure. We had pressure earlier in the year when
we first returned and now it is not so much."
As the season has progressed, the entire crew of the No. 2 Champion
Audi has grown in confidence. It ranges from the drivers to
team managers and crewmen. Pirro is a strong believer in
momentum, and it'd be tough to find a team that has more of it than
Pirro and Biela's.
"Our target and aim this year was trying to win the Championship,
and I know that you only win it by leading after the last race,"
Pirro said. "There are four races to go so we have to do a
good job like we have been doing so far. I know by experience
that the win only comes at the end of the season, not the beginning.
So I feel we are in a more comfortable position as compared to when
we were behind."
The performance of the No. 2 car has kept Team ADT Champion Racing
first in the Team standings. Currently Champion Racing and
Audi are 19 points ahead of Dyson Racing in the chassis and engine
manufacturer Championship.
Nevertheless, Biela and
Pirro still see the No. 1 car as the main challengers for the
Drivers Championship lead. Pirro said it boils down to the
experience Lehto and Werner possess, along with an Audi R8 that
generally is considered the best sports car produced in the past 30
years.
"I do think at the end of the day, it's the No. 1 car that we have
to ultimately fight against," Biela said. "We should never
underestimate the Dyson cars. The team and drivers are very
competitive but I still feel the threat is greater from the No. 1
car."
The
Generac 500 at Road America, Round 7 of the 2005 American Le Mans
Series, is set for 3:00 p.m. EDT Aug. 21 at Road America in Elkhart
Lake, Wisconsin. The race will be broadcast on SPEED Channel.
Qualifying is scheduled for 2:55 p.m. EDT Aug. 20. American Le
Mans Radio, and Live Timing and Scoring will be available at
www.americanlemans.com.
DRIVER QUOTES:
TEAM ADT CHAMPION RACING AUDI R8 #1
JJ Lehto (Fin). Age: 39. Born: Espoo, Finland.
Lives: Monte Carlo, Monaco:
“Road America is the
best track in North America. It’s always enjoyable to go there
because it’s a great atmosphere and there are lots of fans. It
is a challenge to set up the car so we need to be good at that.
The team has been working very hard since Portland. The car
was re-built quite a lot so we will need to make sure it is running
100% at Road America. It’s going to be a very challenging and
hard race. Overtaking is hard there because it is such a fast
track. Tactics will be very important at Road America.”
Marco Werner (D). Age: 38.
Born: Dortmund, Germany. Lives: Ermatingen,
Switzerland:
“Normally Road America is a good track for us. I got the pole
there two years ago. We won the race and we won the
Championship there last year. I like the track a lot,
especially the kink and the carousel. I hope we have good luck
and we finish in front of everybody.”
TEAM ADT CHAMPION RACING AUDI R8 #2
Frank Biela (D). Age: 40. Born: Neuss, Germany.
Lives: Monte Carlo, Monaco:
“I have very good memories of Road America. It’s a very nice
circuit, very fast. We had a good race last time we were
there. I enjoy racing there and am looking forward to
returning. A lot of things can happen so even though we are
leading now, we still have to try very hard. Points are very
important right now.”
Emanuele Pirro (It). Age: 43. Born: Rome, Italy. Lives: Monte Carlo,
Monaco:
“Road America is my favorite race track in North America. I’ve
been waiting for this race all year. I hope we can continue
our winning way and not be disappointed this weekend.”
LMP1 Drivers
1) Emanuele Pirro 104
Frank Biela 104
2) Andy Wallace
93
3) Chris Dyson
90
4) Marco Werner
87
JJ Lehto
87
5) James Weaver
85
Butch Leitzinger 85
LMP1 Chassis
Manufacturer
1) Audi
119
2) Lola
100
3) Zytek
10
LMP1 Engine
Manufacturer
1) Audi
119
2) AER
100
3) Zytek
10
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