Monterey, September 3, 2001
Suspense is guaranteed in the final spurt of the American Le Mans
Series (ALMS). Prior to the last two rounds of the season in Laguna
Seca and Road Atlanta, the four front-running Audi works drivers
Rinaldo Capello, Tom Kristensen, Emanuele Pirro and Frank Biela
are separated by just a few points in the overall championship.
However, after securing victory in Mid-Ohio, Panoz drivers Jan
Magnussen and David Brabham still have a good chance to take
the title.
Team Audi Sport North America faces a difficult task in Laguna
Seca on 9 September: On the one hand, all drivers of the team
have delivered an open and mighty duel against each other with
their two Infineon Audi R8 sportscars. On the other hand, the strong
opposition from the Panoz team prevents the Audi squad from
taking any unnecessary risks.
Moreover, the 2.24 mile circuit near Monterey on the Californian
coast is regarded as unpredictable, with fine sand blowing over the
track from the nearby ocean. “If you leave the racing line it gets
extremely slippery,“ remembers Head of Audi Sport Dr Wolfgang
Ullrich from last year. “Apart from that, in the early morning hours it
can be very cold before turning really hot around midday.“ Changing
temperatures and grip conditions make finding a suitable set up
difficult.
For this reason, Team Audi Sport North America are pleased to
have experience at hand from last year, when, after a sensational
fight, Audi secured not only a double win but also took the ALMS
manufacturer´s title before the season had even finished. “In the
meantime we´ve become familiar with the Laguna Seca track and
have managed to gain a great deal of experience with the Audi R8
last year,“ explains team director Reinhold Joest. “We know exactly
where we stand, and for this reason I´m convinced that we can
reach our goal and win the race.“
The Audi works drivers are particularly looking forward to the race in
California. “Laguna is situated in one of the most beautiful regions
of the USA,“ enthuses Tom Kristensen, who travels through
California with his family since the previous ALMS round in
Mid-Ohio. “Again the track is new for me, but I´ve heard a lot about it
– mostly of course about the famous Cork Screw corners.“
The “Cork Screw“ curve combination, which drops away sharply
after a crest, is regarded as one of the most fascinating passages
in the world. “It´ll be fantastic to drive the R8 through this section,“
believes Andy Wallace, who competes for the Audi customer team
Champion Racing and is a dedicated fan of this race track. “I like
this circuit a lot. The right set up will be decisive there.“
“Laguna Seca is without doubt one of the most beautiful race tracks
on the ALMS calendar,“ agrees Rinaldo Capello. “But it is also one
of the most difficult circuits,“ adds Frank Biela. “At first glance it
seems quite easy, because you have already memorised it after a
couple of laps. But it is not easy to find the perfect line. There are a
couple of corners that are much quicker than you think at first.“
The main objective for Biela and his partner Emanuele Pirro is to
make up as much ground as possible to their team mates Rinaldo
Capello and Tom Kristensen. “The championship now enters a
critical phase,“ says Pirro. “A lot depends on this race. I´m
motivated and I´m looking forward to another tough fight.“
Eager to join the fight again are Johnny Herbert and Andy Wallace
with their Champion Audi R8. “Lately we have been able to show
that we are capable of winning,“ believes Herbert. “Now we just
need that little bit of elusive luck.“
Stefan Johansson and his team return to the ALMS for the Laguna
Seca round. Driving a 2000-spec Audi R8, Johansson already
clinched the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) title and now
focuses on the last two rounds of the ALMS together with his team
mate Patrick Lemarie.
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