Braselton, May 21, 2003
Cars of the American Le Mans Series, inactive in the United States since
March, will have two days of testing for the upcoming Atlanta Grand Prix at
Road Atlanta on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 27-28.
The cars that will participate in the testing session will be preparing for the June
27-29 Atlanta Grand Prix, the next race for the American Le Mans Series. Cars
will be on the 2.54-mile, 12-turn road racing circuit from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. both
days, with a one-hour lunch break each day at 1:30 p.m.
Among the cars expected to take part in the testing session are a pair of Lola-MG
Prototypes from Dyson Racing, as well as the Team Olive Garden Ferrari 550
Maranello and two Porsche 911 GT3 RS machines from Orbit Racing.
"Our goal is to continue making progress with our cars, and obviously use the
time to get ready for the next event," said Chris Dyson of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., one
of the drivers for the Dyson Lola-MG machines. "The car was very good when we
raced at Road Atlanta last year and we‚ve made significant progress since then.
And a few days of testing in front of a race is always helpful."
As a gesture of appreciation to the teams that have made a full-season
commitment, and to fans who have supported the series and its events, the
American Le Mans Series is sponsoring the two days of open testing. The test
session at Road Atlanta will be open to the public at no charge and will be free to
all ALMS Championship Incentive Plan entrants.
"For a small team such as ours, free testing time is always welcomed," said
Justin Jackson of Buford, Ga., whose J3 Racing Team will be one of several
Porsche teams taking part in the test. "We‚ve done so much to the car and now
we get to put it in one piece and shake it down on a race track. This is a good
chance to help get ready for the race."
"This testing session gives race fans in the area a free opportunity to get out and
see the cars running," said Mike Swaine, President and General Manager of
Road Atlanta. "They‚ll get a sneak preview of what they can expect when the full
American Le Mans Series field of cars is here for the Atlanta Grand Prix next
month."
The Atlanta Grand Prix is a new event on the Road Atlanta schedule for 2003 and
makes the track the only racing circuit to hold two races for the American Le
Mans Series this season. The series will end its season with the sixth annual
Petit Le Mans Oct. 15-18.
The track is currently offering a special, discounted "Two Event Ticket," as well as
separate tickets to both events. Information is available online at
www.roadatlanta.com or by calling 1-800-849-RACE (7223).
The American Le Mans Series opened its nine-race 2003 season with the Mobil
1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in March. The series traditionally schedules its
season around the 24 Hours of Le Mans, allowing teams from the series to
participate in the French racing classic. Twenty-one ALMS teams will race at Le
Mans June 14-15, then return to the U.S. for the Atlanta Grand Prix to be part of a
field of more than 35 that will compete at Road Atlanta.
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