Double victory for Porsche 911 GT3 RSR

Stuttgart. With the first double victory of the season, Porsche further extends its lead in the American Le Mans Series. At the fourth round in Miller Motorsports Park on the outskirts of Salt Lake City, the Porsche factory pilots Joerg Bergmeister (Germany) and Patrick Long (USA) won the GT2 class in the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR of Flying Lizard Motorsports. With the Farnbacher Loles Racing 911 GT3 RSR, their works driver colleagues Wolf Henzler (Germany) and Marc Lieb (Germany) secured second place.

“That was a dream weekend. Right from the start we had a super car and were fastest in all sessions. In qualifying, we only needed one lap to set pole position,” Joerg Bergmeister beamed after claiming his third victory in succession. With his pole-setting time, Bergmeister also set a new GT2 track record. “We tested here after the race in Long Beach,” he added, “and that really paid off.”

After already winning in St. Petersburg and Long Beach, and now with this clear flag-to-flag win, the points’ leaders extended their advantage further in the GT2 championship. “Our start wasn’t the best. Three cars got past me but after the first lap I was back at the front again,” said the reigning champion and last year’s winner, Joerg Bergmeister. Even the pit stops with a driver change did not put their lead in jeopardy. Patrick Long said: “Joerg handed me a perfect car in the lead. But with such a strong pursuer like Wolf breathing down your neck, you can’t afford to make any mistakes.”

Wolf Henzler, who last year won in Salt Lake City with Joerg Bergmeister and who this year received support from Marc Lieb, made the double victory for Porsche perfect in the 2002 Olympic city. After taking up two races from pole position so far this season, he now managed to secure his first podium result in second. Crossing the finish line in fifth was Johannes Stuck (Austria) and Nicky Pastorelli (Netherlands) with the 911 GT3 RSR of VICI Racing, one position ahead of Johannes van Overbeek (USA) and Seth Neiman (USA) in the second 911 GT3 RSR of Flying Lizard Motorsports.

The ALMS Challenge ran for the first time as support to the American Le Mans Series. The inaugural win in this new category below the GT2 class went to Martin and Melanie Snow (USA) with their Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

Round 5 of the American Le Mans Series takes place on 18 July in Lime Rock Park in the US state of Connecticut.

Statistics: 4th of 10 races in the American Le Mans Series in Salt Lake City, UT

Result GT2 class
1. Bergmeister/Long (D/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 90 laps
2. Henzler/Lieb (D/D), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 90
3. Melo/Kaffer (BRA/D), Ferrari F430 GT, 89
4. Farnbacher/James (D/USA), Panoz Esperante, 89
5. Pastorelli/Stuck (NL/A), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 88
6. van Overbeek/Neiman (USA/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 87

Points’ standings GT2 class
Drivers
1. Jörg Bergmeister, Patrick Long, Porsche, 80 points
2. Jamie Melo, Pierre Kaffer, Ferrari, 59
3. Dominik Farnbacher, Ian James, Panoz, 52
4. Seth Neiman, Porsche, 40
5. Marc Lieb, Porsche, 36
6. Wolf Henzler, Darren Law, Porsche, 34

Manufacturers
1. Porsche 80 points
2. Ferrari 59
3. Panoz 52

Teams
1. Flying Lizard Motorsports, Porsche, 80 points
2. Risi Competizione, Ferrari, 59
3. Panoz Team PTG, Panoz, 52
4. Farnbacher Loles Racing, Porsche, 34

Facts and Figures

This is the American Le Mans Series

The American Le Mans Series was created in 1999 for sports prototypes and GT vehicles. The regulations correspond to those of the Le Mans 24 hour race. Ten races in the USA and Canada make up this year’s calendar. Traditional highlights are the Sebring 12 hour race and the 1,000 mile “Petit Le Mans” at Road Atlanta. Most races run over 2:45 hours.

The starter field is made up of two different race car categories: Sports prototypes and standard sports cars. These are divided into four classes:
LMP1 class: Sports prototypes with up to 750 hp and a minimum weight of 925 kilograms. Power to weight ratio: ca. 1.2 kg/hp.
LMP2 class: Sports prototypes with around 440 hp (normally aspirated engine) and an 800 kilogram minimum weight. Power to weight ratio: ca. 1.8 kg/hp.
GT1 class: Heavily modified standard sports cars with up to 650 hp and a minimum weight of 1,125 to 1,325 kilograms.
GT2 class: Slightly modified standard sports cars with approx. 450 hp and a minimum weight of 1,125 – 1,325 kilograms (e.g. Porsche 911 GT3 RSR).

All race cars start together but are classified separately. Points are awarded only for placings in each class. After 2006 and 2007, Porsche again won the championship titles in the LMP2 class last year for Drivers (Timo Bernhard/Romain Dumas) as well as for Chassis and Engine Manufacturer and for Teams (Penske Racing) with the RS Spyder. In the GT2 class, Porsche secured the championship titles for Drivers (Joerg Bergmeister/Wolf Henzler) as well as for Manufacturers and Teams (Flying Lizard Motorsports) in 2008 with the 911 GT3 RSR.

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