












| Monaco 13 July, 2000 |
| July |
21st |
Sports |
car |
racing |
returns |
to |
Sears |
Point |
Raceway, |
from |
July |
20-23 |
| Sears |
Point |
Raceway |
will |
host |
the |
American |
Le |
Mans |
Series |
Grand |
Prix |
of |
Sonoma. |
| This will mark the fifth event in the |
twelve-race series, which is in its second |
year. |
| The |
Grand |
Prix |
of |
Sonoma, |
a |
two-hour, |
45-minute |
endurance |
race, |
will |
feature |
| racing |
patterned |
after |
the |
famed |
24 |
Hours |
of |
Le |
Mans. |
Top |
marquees |
include: |
Audi, BMW, Dodge Viper, Lola, the Panoz Roadster and Porsche. |
| The 3.14 |
kilometre |
Sears |
Point |
track, |
is |
located |
30 |
minutes |
north |
of |
the |
Golden |
| Gate Bridge in San Francisco and serves as the gateway to the beautiful Sonoma |
| Wine |
Country. |
The |
track |
hosts |
several |
nationally |
televised |
events, |
including |
| NASCAR |
Winston |
Cup, |
National |
Hot |
Rod |
Association |
(NHRA) |
drag |
racing, |
the |
| American |
Le |
Mans |
Series, |
and |
the |
American |
Motorcycle |
Association |
(AMA) |
| Superbike |
Tour. |
Sears |
Point |
is |
a |
year-round |
motorsports |
complex |
with |
events |
| scheduled 340 |
days and |
50 weekends |
a year. |
Alone last |
year, over |
half a |
million |
spectators followed the action on this circuit. |
| Schedule Wednesday, July 19, 2000 10:00 am - 5:00 pm SPORTS CAR Registration 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm Technical Inspection by Appointment for ALMS Competitors |
|
| Thursday, July 20, 2000 8:00 am - 5:35 pm Promoter Test Day open to ALL Competitors ALMS (PROTOTYPE) = 2 - 40 Minute Sessions 1:15 pm - 1:55 pm ALMS (PROTOTYPE) 4:15 pm - 4:55 pm ALMS (PROTOTYPE) Friday, July 21, 2000 10:15 am - 11:15 am Combined Practice - PROTOTYPE/GTS/GT 2:35 pm - 2:55 pm Qualifying - PROTOTYPE Saturday, July 22, 2000 10:20 am - 11:20 am Combined Practice - PROTOTYPE/GTS/GT 2:20 pm - 2:40 pm Qualifying - PROTOTYPE Sunday, July 23, 2000 8:20 am - 8:45 am Combined Warm up - PROTOTYPE/GTS/GT 12:00 pm - 2:45 pm American Le Mans Championship - 2 Hour 45 Minute Race Q&A What is the maximum driving time of a driver A Driver may not drive more than 75% (123.75 minutes) of the scheduled race time (2.45h). Can the team decide who starts the race The rules say, the entrant shall nominate the driver to start the race 30 minutes after the end of the final qualifying session. |
Attack and go for the lead |
| For |
the |
Audi |
works |
pilots, |
who |
secured |
a |
triple |
victory |
at |
the |
Le |
Mans |
24 |
Hour |
| race |
in |
June, |
the |
goal |
is |
clear: |
During |
the |
remaining |
two-thirds |
of |
the |
championship their plan is to attack and take over the lead. |
| “The race |
on |
the Nurburgring |
confirmed |
that Audi's |
custom-made |
Le Mans |
car |
is |
| also |
quick |
on |
other |
race |
tracks,” |
declares |
Reinhold |
Joest, |
who |
has |
already |
| arrived |
in |
America |
with |
his |
Team |
Audi |
Sport |
North |
America |
and |
the |
Audi |
R8 |
| racing sportscars. However, the task |
will not be easy for |
the team. “We are not |
at |
| all familiar with the US |
circuits. Sears Point will |
be particularly tough because |
the |
| track characteristics differ greatly from Le Mans,” explains Head of Audi Sport, |
Dr |
Wolfgang Ullrich. |
| Prepared to |
face |
the challenge |
is |
the Audi |
driver |
line-up of |
Frank |
Biela/Emanuele |
| Pirro |
and |
Rinaldo |
Capello/Allan |
McNish. |
Apart |
from |
Allan |
McNish, |
none |
of |
the |
| other |
Audi |
drivers |
has |
competed |
on |
the |
Sears |
Point |
circuit |
- |
in |
contrast |
to |
the |
| other competitors. Last |
year the teams |
from BMW and |
Panoz shared the |
podium |
at the Californian race. |
| “After |
having |
competed |
two |
rounds |
with |
last |
year´s |
model |
it |
is |
now |
imperative |
to |
| collect points. |
Time is |
running |
out for |
us |
in the |
fight |
for the |
championship,” |
says |
| Le |
Mans |
winner |
Frank |
Biela. |
However, |
the |
points |
system |
of |
the |
ALMS |
makes |
it |
| difficult |
to |
catch |
up |
to |
the |
rivals |
ahead. |
Even |
when |
a |
car |
does |
not |
manage |
a |
placing, a driver is able to collect points for the fastest lap or for leading the race. |