Frank Biela and
Emanuele Pirro used pit stop strategy and survived a race of attrition
Sunday to win the American Le Mans Series GT3 Grand Prix at Mosport
International Raceway.
The win was the first of the year on the series for the Audi R8
drivers, who finished two laps ahead of the runner-up Panoz LMP1-R of Jan
Magnussen and David Brabham. The Panoz dominated the first half of the race,
but lost the lead and a lap during a slow pit stop and driver change with
one hour left in the two-hour, 45-minute race.
After the demise of the Panoz, the race lead fell to former Formula
One winner Johnny Herbert, co-driving with Andy Wallace in an Audi R8.
Herbert lost the lead a few minutes later when he pitted for fuel and tires
and Pirro then took over, holding a lap on both Brabham and Herbert.
The Audi team then brought Pirro in for a fuel-only stop, keeping
the car in the lead but giving up the one-lap cushion. Over the next 25
minutes, Herbert cut 10 seconds off of Pirro's 12-second lead, but his race
ended when he slid off the track and crashed into a tire barrier in turn two
of the 2.2459-mile circuit. He was unhurt.
"We needed this win," said Pirro, who teamed with Biela and Tom
Kristensen to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June for the second straight
year. "Our car was good and the team made the right call in the pits to get
us the win."
The second factory Audi, driven by series point leader Rinaldo
Capello, started on the pole but crashed on the opening lap of the race when
it slid off the track and into a tire barrier. The race was started under
rainy conditions. After repairs, the car returned to the track, but Capello
crashed again shortly after and finished 24th.
Canada's Ron Fellows cruised to victory in the GTS class with
co-driver Johnny O'Connell, despite having to start near the back of the
field due to having clutch problems in Saturday's qualifying. Winning for
the fourth time in five ALMS races this year, their Chevrolet Corvette C5-R
finished a lap ahead of the second-place Saleen S7R of Franz Konrad and
Terry Borcheller.
"We knew the car was good," said Fellows, who survived an off-track
excursion and brush against a tire barrier that damaged the rear of the
Corvette. "When I hit the grass, I thought I was done. The most damage was
to the left rear, and I was afraid the deck might come off. But we still had
enough speed to win."
Belgians Didier de Radigues and Bruno Lambert won in the LMP 675
class for smaller Prototypes, driving a Reynard 01Q-Judd. Coming from the
rear of the field at the start, de Radigues raced with Claudia Huertgen in
another LMP 675 car until the engine in her car failed just past halfway.
Lambert, racing in the Dick Barbour machines with de Radigues for the first
time, then brought the car home. The win was the third straight in the LMP
675 class for de Radigues, who leads the series point standings.
The GT class was won by JJ Lehto and Jorg Muller in a BMW M3 GTR,
who also started at the rear due to a technical violation in qualifying. "It
was a good race," said Lehto. "We knew the weather would be bad so we set up
the car for that. The crew and Jorg did a good job."
The race attracted one of the largest crowds in recent years at
Mosport, despite a steady rain that fell in the morning before the race.
"Sports car racing is on the upswing and we're a part of it," said Fellows.
"The last time I saw so many people here, I was probably a spectator."
The next race for the ALMS will be its debut event at Mid-Ohio
Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, on Saturday, August 25.
1. (2) Frank Biela, Germany; Emanuele Pirro, Italy; Audi R8, 115,
2:46:03.805; 2 laps.
2. (3) Jan Magnussen, Denmark; David Brabham, Australia; Panoz LMP1-R, 113.
3. (6) Emmanuel Collard, England; Christophe Tinseau, France; Cadillac LMP
01, 112.
4. (5) Wayne Taylor, Altamonte Springs, Fla.; Max Angelelli, Italy; Cadillac
LMP 01, 112.
5. (23) Butch Leitzinger, State College, Penn.; James Weaver, England; Riley
& Scott MkIIIC-Lincoln, 112.
6. (24) Didier de Radigues, Balgium; Bruno Lambert, Belgium; Reynard
01Q-Judd, 111.
7. (21) Ron Fellows, Canada; Johnny O'Connell, Flowery Branch, Ga.;
Chevrolet Corvette C5-R, 109.
8. (10) Franz Konrad, Germany; Terry Borcheller, Phoenix; Saleen S7R, 108.
9. (11) Andy Pilgrim, Aventura, Fla.; Kelly Collins, Corona del Mar, Calif.;
Chevrolet Corvette C5-R, 107.
10. (25) JJ Lehto, Finland; Jorg Muller, Germany; BMW M3 GTR, 107.
11. (12) Dirk Muller, Germany; Fredrik Ekblom, Sweden; BMW M3 GTR, 107.
12. (13) Boris Said, Carlsbad, Calif.; Hans Stuck, Austria; BMW M3 GTR, 107.
13. (16) Lucas Luhr, Germany; Sascha Maassen, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RS,
106.
14. (4) Johnny Herbert, England; Andy Wallace, England; Audi R8, 104,
accident.
15. (14) Shane Lewis, Jupiter, Fla.; David Donohue, Malvern, Penn.; Dodge
Viper GTS-R, 103.
16. (17) Tony Burgess, Canada; Magnus Wallinder, Sweden; Porsche 911 GT3 R,
102.
17. (19) Kye Wankum, Canada; Jeff Pabst, Canada; Porsche 911 GT3 R, 96.
18. (20) Randy Wars, Mexico; Grady Willingham, Birmingham, Ala.; Porsche P11
GT3 R, 95.
19. (9) John Graham, Canada; Milka Duno, Venezuela; Reynard 01Q-Judd, 95.
20. (15) Randy Pobst, Melbourne, Fla.; Christian Menzel, Germany; Porsche
911 GT3 RS, 92.
21. (18) Tom Weickardt, Whitefish Bay, Wis.; Kevin Allen, Orlando, Fla.;
Dodge Viper GTS-R, 88.
22. (8) Claudia Huertgen, Germany; Steven Knight, Castle Rock, Col.; Lola
B2K-Nissan, 56, engine.
23. (22) Joe Foster, Atlanta; Niclas Jonsson, Sweden; BMW M3 GTR, 27,
accident.
24. (1) Rinaldo Capello, Italy; Tom Kristensen, Denmark; Audi R8, 24,
accident.
25. (26) Johnny Mowlem, England; Timo Bernhard, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RS,
21, accident.
26. (7) Franck Lagorce, France; Klaus Graf, Germany; Panoz LMP1-R, 1,
accident.
Created and Designed by John Favata
