Tuesday, October 5, 2010

ALMS: 2010 Petit LeMans Postscript


(Doran Ford GT-R; Source: Supercars.net)

Whale it almost seems like an afterthought this year, as in previous year’s there’s been the wonderful influx of Starz from the IndyCars... Or was that CART with the BIG NAME STARZ ‘N Indy Racing League’s got ALL of the Cars; Oh Never Mind!

As it would have been fun to have actually seen the mighty Audi R15’s and Peugeot 908 HDI FAP’s in person, eh? As these two Auto Giants once again went head-to-head for the Overall victory, which would become a Peugeot 1-2 sweep after reading of the most bizarre explanation for losing a race... As suddenly Dindo Capello needed to pit his No. 7 Audi R15 as he reported his Ballaclava was slipping from its helmet insert and blocking his vision; Aye Karumba! As the unexpected Pitstop put the Audi 1-lap behind, eventually having to settle for the Podium’s final step...

Team Peugeot Total takes 1-2 at Petit Le Mans

Who’s ‘Dat?There was some Cat name Rene Villeneuve listed in the Planet LeMans spotter Guide; Huh? As I went to his website and had “Lucy” (My esteemed Screen-reader) read his “Bio,” which didn’t’ seem to shed any light upon any Genealogical links to Jacques ‘N Gilles... As it appears he’s just somebody else flaunting a famous Sir name, eh?

Franchitti DoubleAnd while Elder Brother “REO Speedwagon” (Dario) was garnering all of the press for winning the 2010 IndyCar Championship, the younger Marino was part of the three driver lineup for Highcroft Racing, with David Brabham and Simon Pagenaud who finished fourth Overall and took the LMP2 Class victory along with the P2 Championship. Giving Highcroft its second consecutive Championship with its various guises of Honda ARC chassis, after having defeated De Ferran Motorsports for the LMP1 title last year...

Interestingly, in his taped Speed Freaks interview Sunday night, “Symone” (Pagenaud) divulged that he has been testing an IndyCar and is hopefully going to be able to race in the Indy Car Series in 2011, albeit he wouldn’t say with who or for how many events...

Battle Royale
Yet my interests laid most closely with the ‘Mega Scrum set to occur in GT2, which appeared to be the most fiercely contested class in the ALMS Season Finale... As I was most interested in years past what would have been a proud Ford Flotilla, as there were three Doran Design Ford GT’s entered along with two TaTa Motors Jaguar XKR’s running under the Rocketsports banner.

Doran Ford GT-R

As it would have been fun to see Ye ‘Ol “SaidHead” (Boris Said) mixin’ it up in the GT2 trenches; as Said was entered alongside Brandon Davis and Townsend Bell in the ACS Express Racing No. 10 Doran Design Ford GT which sadly was listed as DNS, (Did Not Start) with no further details given. Going to ACS’s website only revealed that the Team is owned by Mike Davis, who I believe is an ex-Trans Am Piloto? And that the Team was using Petit LeMans as a tune-up for the 2011 ALMS season.

And the other four “Feurd” variants faired little better as Paul Gentilozzi’s Jaguar’s XKR’s both suffered early race maladies and both retired fairly early into the race, whilst the Robertson Racing Ford GT No. 40suffered from accident damage. But the “Privateer” Team was making a bit of it’s own history by entering a pair of the striking Ford GT’s for the very first time ever as the ‘Seester Car, the No. 04 which suffered a starter problem finished as the highest ranking member of this Quintet, finishing 19th Overall and seventh in class.

Meanwhile the Corvette Boyz snatched their debut GT2 victory on the very final lap when the leading Risi Competizione Ferrari of Tony Vilander ran out of fuel, dropping to third-in-class, while Scotty Sharp’s Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferrari F430GT vaulted into the Classes runner-up position.

And Meesh will undoubtedly be pleased to know that her ‘Hero “Booby Ray-X’s” (Bobby Rahal) Rahal Letterman Racing’s BMW Squad won the Manufacturer’s title with a fourth place finish...