Round 10 – Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey, California

After her Petit le Mans victory last week, American sportswoman Liz Halliday is aiming for another victory at the wheel of her Lola-AER LMP2 prototype with Intersport Racing, to end the season on a high and clinch the Drivers’ title for  team-mate Clint Field.

Heading into the final round of the American Le Mans series season, Liz Halliday comments: “I’ve had a great time in the ALMS this year and taken three wins.  I really hope that Clint and I can win our fourth race of the season together which will make sure Clint wins the Drivers’ Championship. He leads by 22 points but it’s not over yet and anything can happen.”

Remembering the last race, the 26-year-old Liz said: “Petit Le Mans was a great achievement for Jon Field, Clint Field and I so we want to continue the good work and finish the season on a high.  As it is a four hour race Jon will be back with us and he is a great asset to the team.  We know each other well and we work well together.” 

“The Lola AER car is very fast, as we proved again at Petit Le Mans, and we should be fighting at the front,” Halliday added.  “The great news is that the Porsche LMP2 works team will be there for their first race and it will be interesting to see how we compare to them as they prepare for their assault on the 2006 championship.  They’ll be our biggest competition I think and it will be ideal if we can beat them.”

Looking forward to heading back to home ground, the Californian said: “I have been to Laguna Seca before as I raced there last year in the GT2 class with the Porsche of the PK Racing team.  It was a good race even though the differential failed with an hour still to go, but on such a difficult race the two stints I drove were useful experience to take back there this year.”

“I can’t wait to discover the circuit again but this time at the wheel of a competitive prototype,” said Liz.  “The main difference is that the LMP2 is a much quicker car with a lot more down force.   It should be awesome with the Lola AER, especially on corners like the cork screw!”

For a sportsperson who lives in the UK and spends the lion’s share of her time competing in Europe, Liz is looking forward to being able to race in front of a home crowd: “I’m excited to be racing in front of my family who will be there this year.  Most of my family lives in San Francisco but they will make the trip south.  I love Monterey, it is a great town and it’s always a pleasure to go back there.  I’m travelling to California from the UK early as I have some press commitments the week before but it is a great track that I really enjoy going back to each year.  With the added bonus of racing in front of my family, it will be a great atmosphere and a very special moment for me.”

Liz was back in action this weekend with her other passion, three-day eventing, for an important three-star equestrian event in Boekelo, Holland.  As the only American competitor of 120 from 24 nations, she and her horse ‘Foxy’ were happy to be among the 84 riders who completed the event.  “It was a great event considering my horse is young and relatively inexperienced and quite daunting considering it’s a selection trial for the World Games,” said Liz.  “We arrived back from Holland at four o’clock this morning and I’m now about to jump on a plane to California for this weekend’s race.”

Laguna Seca is the most spectacular permanent racing circuit on the West Coast of America. It is 3.602 kilometers long with eleven turns running anti-clockwise and is hidden away in a natural bowl in the hills which overlook Monterey Bay.  It is two hours drive south of San Francisco but the beautiful and rugged Monterey Peninsular provides a wonderful place to spend some time in quaint Carmel, along Cannery Row or in among the cypress trees at Pebble Beach and along Seventeen Mile Drive.  Laguna Seca is conveniently located halfway between Monterey and Salinas on Highway 68.

Laguna Seca - Programme of events:  (Time difference:  BST-8 hours):

 Friday 14th October

9.50am – 10.50am:             Practice (all classes)

1.00pm – 2.00pm:              Practice (all classes)

2.40pm – 3.00pm:              Qualifying (LM P1 and LM P2)

 Saturday 15th October

11.05am – 11.30am:           Warm-up (all classes)

3.15pm – 7.15pm:              Race

 For TV coverage, motorstv.com   speedtv.com