The American Le Mans Series begins its season March 18 with a very special 54th running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The storylines are as exciting as they have ever been in the history of this storied race:
• The world debut of Audi’s new R10 turbo diesel is expected to lead the pack. Among its team of LMP1 drivers will be Tom Kristensen who has won more titles (7) in the history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world’s greatest sports car race. Kristensen also holds a record six consecutive Le Mans titles going into this summer’s classic.
While Kristensen, Alan McNish and Dindo Capello pilot one Audi, defending Series’ champions Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro along with Marco Werner drive the other. Should Kristensen or Biela win at Sebring, they would become Sebring’s all-time champion with four victories.
Audi’s R10 replaces its R8 which won 47 of the 56 races it ran in the American Le Mans Series from 2000-2005 – an incredible achievement - including wins last year at the endurance classics of Sebring, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Petit Le Mans. The entire racing world awaits Audi’s newest rendition deemed by some to be the greatest sports car ever built! Time will tell. But it all begins at Sebring.
• Roger Penske, one of the most revered names in motorsports, returns to his roots at Sebring, where he first raced as a driver in 1961 and last raced as an owner in 1971. Penske Racing brings a two-car effort to the American Le Mans Series grid this year in the form of Porsche’s latest racing achievement – the RS Spyder, which dominated the LMP2 class in its debut last year at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in the Series’ finale. Sasha Maassen and Lucas Luhr return while Patrick Long, winner of the Series’ GT2 championship a year ago, gets his first taste in a prototype.Meanwhile, Clint Field and Liz Halliday return in LMP2 to battle with Penske Racing and defend Intersports class championship.
• Corvette, led by the team of Ron Fellows and Johnny O’Connell, has dominated GT1 class since the series inception with 40 career Corvette wins. Fellows leads the Series in career wins along with teammate Johnny O’Connell and reigning champion Oliver Beretta with 24 – all Corvette drivers! O’Connell leads in career starts with 53. They will be challenged in ’06 by a formidable team of Aston Martins, headed by Prodrive. A year ago, an Aston Martin beat the Corvettes at Sebring.
• More than a dozen manufacturers and 37 cars will be on the American Le Mans Series Sebring grid, including the return of BMW and Ferrari. Newcomer Lexus joins the class in Round 2 at Houston.
