Liz Halliday and Intersport have continued their impressive performance in the 2005 American Le Mans Series (ALMS), winning the LMP2 class of the blue ribbon Petit Le Mans endurance race with flying colours
Liz and regular team-mate Clint Field were joined by Clint’s father and team owner Jon Field and the Halliday/Flint partnership continued its successful path. The Intersport Racing Lola-AER car was the class of the LMP2 field during the week and started the race from class pole position. Jon Field was at the wheel and following a first lap accident involving some of the leading LMP1 cars, the Intersport machine was running an impressive second overall and first in class for most of the first half of the 10-hour/1000 mile race. Clint took over from Jon’s first stint and then Liz was on board for her first stint, the car still lying second overall and first in class.
As Liz was reaching the end of her stint, the GT1 Maserati spun right in front of her in turn ten. Liz Halliday said: “I got in the car after Jon and Clint had done their first stints. It was running well and amazingly we were in second position overall, ahead of most of the LMP1 cars. I had a good first stint despite difficult track conditions with a lot of debris and traffic. The objective was to maintain our second position overall and first in class but at the same time making sure we didn’t make any mistake that would jeopardise the race which was very important for the team and for Clint in the Drivers’ Championship.
“As I was coming to the end of my first stint I was right behind the Maserati, up its bumper and ready to overtake it, when it spun in front of me at the exit of turn ten,” continued Halliday. “Despite quickly yanking the wheel to the right, I could not avoid contact and we collided. There was a big noise and I was worried that my car was damaged. In a split second, I decided to go straight back into the pits and get the boys to check the front end of the car. The front splitter was slightly damaged but nothing major, so I was able to carry on for a while longer before Jon jumped in the car for a double stint as planned.”
Although the final result might have looked like an easy cruise for car number 37, the team had a few engine issues during the race which makes the victory even sweeter. Liz described what happened: “We started to have turbo problems with an over boost – putting the car into safety mode - quite early in the race, but it sorted itself out. Then we had an issue with the engine management system which worsened during my second stint and I was down on power. I had to keep swapping the mapping of the engine around, so that the car kept going and that isn’t easy when you are racing and overtaking other cars at the same time! After Jon took over for his final stint, the team decided to change the coils and plugs, and this seemed to improve the car.”
An ecstatic Liz Halliday said: “This result is fantastic and I am delighted for my team-mates and the team. Petit Le Mans is a major event and to win it on my first attempt in a prototype is pretty special. It was a tough race, really tough, and we were under pressure as we needed a good result for the 2005 Championship. We were running second or third overall for most of the race and we only really dropped to fifth overall when we decided to change the coils and plugs. With this new win, Clint now leads the Drivers’ Championship by 22 points. It’s not over yet however; the title will be decided at Laguna Seca in a fortnight. This win also secures an LMP2 entry to Intersport Racing for the 2006 Le Mans 24 Hours, which is great news for the future.”
Jon Field said after the race: “That was a lot of fun, the car was fast and the problems we had at the end gave us a bit of a fright but I’m really delighted with that.”
Clint Field added: “That was a great race and we had very few problems. The car was fast, all three drivers were fast and the Lola is now looking like a real endurance car.”
Liz Halliday’s busy schedule continues despite her win. No time for celebrations as she flew back to the UK on Sunday and went straight to Holland on Monday for an important three star three-day equestrian event in Boekelo.
Liz concluded: “I will go straight home from Gatwick, swap my bags and then leave again for Holland. This is the first time that I will take my horse ‘Foxy’ to this level of competition and it will be the second time I’ll ride at this level. So it is an important competition for both of us! As soon as I get back from Holland, I will fly to Laguna Seca in California for the last round of the ALMS championship.”
