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.
Patrick to race Prodrive 550 Ferrari
Toyota Atlantic driver Danica Patrick will race a Prodrive-run Ferrari 550
Maranello for the remainder of this year's American Le Mans Series.
The young American will partner Briton Anthony Davidson in the car, and
will make her series debut in the race at Road Atlanta on June 29.
Davidson and Patrick should already be familiar to each other, having
finished first and second respectively in the 2000 Formula Ford Festival.
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