Best of the Best on Petit Le Mans Entry List
09-23-2006, 07:49 PM
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Best of the Best on Petit Le Mans Entry List
BEST OF THE BEST ON PETIT LE MANS ENTRY LIST
Braselton, Ga. - The cars are the stars in the American Le Mans Series, but the driver lineup for the ninth annual Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda CX-7 also is ripe with the best from various forms of motorsport.
The entry list is full of competitors who have tasted success in nearly every major form of racing, although that is nothing new. Throughout its eight-year history, the American Le Mans Series has seen a countless collection of the world's most elite drivers grace its grids. The names of those currently on the Series' roster, and those from the past, prove that the American Le Mans Series is the ultimate test of road racing in North America and the world. Of the 108 drivers who have won at least one Series race, 14 have raced in F1. Eleven drivers with Formula One experience are entered at Road Atlanta.
Stefan Johansson, driving the factory Zytek LMP1, is a veteran of 79 Formula One starts dating back to 1983. The Swedish native scored a fifth-place finish in the World Championship in 1986 for Ferrari, sandwiched by sixth- and seventh-place showings in 1985 and '87, respectively. In addition, now two-time Series champion Allan McNish competed for Toyota after winning the 2000 prototype title, and Corvette Racing's Olivier Beretta frequently conducts tests for tire manufacturer Michelin.
Other Petit entries who have F1 experience include Audi's Emanuele Pirro, Aston Martin Racing's Stephane Sarrazin, Pedro Lamy and Darren Turner, Risi Competizione's Stephane Ortelli, Corvette Racing's Jan Magnussen, David Brabham of Multimatic Motorsports Team Panoz and Horag Racing's Eric van de Poele.
The Petit Le Mans roster also features some of the top open-wheel talent from North America. Reigning Champ Car titleholder Sebastien Bourdais will reprise his role with Multimatic Motorsports Team Panoz regulars Brabham and Scott Maxwell, the same trio that won in GT2 at Sebring. IRL regular Vitor Meira and Memo Gidley, who has raced in both Champ Car and IRL, will drive with Duncan Dayton for Highcroft Racing in LMP1.
Then there is the stable of world-class competitors that make up the regular American Le Mans Series lineup. Fifteen of the 16 winningest drivers in Series history are entered for the 1,000-mile/10-hour endurance classic. All totaled, the competitors on the entry list as of Saturday have combined for 62 Series victories at Road Atlanta - 48 in Petit Le Mans.
Braselton, Ga. - The cars are the stars in the American Le Mans Series, but the driver lineup for the ninth annual Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda CX-7 also is ripe with the best from various forms of motorsport.
The entry list is full of competitors who have tasted success in nearly every major form of racing, although that is nothing new. Throughout its eight-year history, the American Le Mans Series has seen a countless collection of the world's most elite drivers grace its grids. The names of those currently on the Series' roster, and those from the past, prove that the American Le Mans Series is the ultimate test of road racing in North America and the world. Of the 108 drivers who have won at least one Series race, 14 have raced in F1. Eleven drivers with Formula One experience are entered at Road Atlanta.
Stefan Johansson, driving the factory Zytek LMP1, is a veteran of 79 Formula One starts dating back to 1983. The Swedish native scored a fifth-place finish in the World Championship in 1986 for Ferrari, sandwiched by sixth- and seventh-place showings in 1985 and '87, respectively. In addition, now two-time Series champion Allan McNish competed for Toyota after winning the 2000 prototype title, and Corvette Racing's Olivier Beretta frequently conducts tests for tire manufacturer Michelin.
Other Petit entries who have F1 experience include Audi's Emanuele Pirro, Aston Martin Racing's Stephane Sarrazin, Pedro Lamy and Darren Turner, Risi Competizione's Stephane Ortelli, Corvette Racing's Jan Magnussen, David Brabham of Multimatic Motorsports Team Panoz and Horag Racing's Eric van de Poele.
The Petit Le Mans roster also features some of the top open-wheel talent from North America. Reigning Champ Car titleholder Sebastien Bourdais will reprise his role with Multimatic Motorsports Team Panoz regulars Brabham and Scott Maxwell, the same trio that won in GT2 at Sebring. IRL regular Vitor Meira and Memo Gidley, who has raced in both Champ Car and IRL, will drive with Duncan Dayton for Highcroft Racing in LMP1.
Then there is the stable of world-class competitors that make up the regular American Le Mans Series lineup. Fifteen of the 16 winningest drivers in Series history are entered for the 1,000-mile/10-hour endurance classic. All totaled, the competitors on the entry list as of Saturday have combined for 62 Series victories at Road Atlanta - 48 in Petit Le Mans.
