Muscle Milk Team CytoSport has made such an impression on Porsche that when a new driver was required to replace the injured Greg Pickett for the upcoming rounds of the American Le Mans Series, the German automobile manufacturer offered them two of their big guns. Two-time LMP2 champions and current 24 Hours of Le Mans winners Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas will join Muscle Milk Team CytoSport for the upcoming rounds of the ALMS at Road America and Mosport International Raceway respectively.The duo will step in for Muscle Milk's Greg Pickett who was injured in a testing crash recently at Mid-Ohio, suffering back and rib injuries, which have forced him out of the Muscle Milk car.Both Bernhard and Dumas won the ALMS LMP2 championship aboard the Porsche RS Spyder in 2007 and 2008. Additionally, in 2007, both drivers finished all 12 races on the podium, capturing eight class victories including six overall victories over the faster LMP1 cars. While on loan to Audi for this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, the duo formed part of the winning team along with Mike Rockenfeller.Entering the American Le Mans Series - powered by eStar race at Road America sitting in second place in the points standings, Muscle Milk Team CytoSport will be counting on Bernhard's expertise aboard the Porsche RS Spyder to help them close the gap to Highcroft Racing who have taken a 23-point lead following the team's absence at Mid-Ohio.The Muscle Milk squad will also be searching for a tenth podium finish in as many starts since returning to the ALMS in 2009. Last season at Road America the team finished third in-class after starting fourth on the LMP2 grid and serving a one minute and 30 second stop-and-hold penalty. The team knows that maintaining its streak won't be an easy task as the Road America layout is better suited to the former 'P1' cars but it certainly is up to challenge and more motivated than ever after being forced to watch from the sidelines at Mid-Ohio.Bernhard and the team's regular driver Klaus Graf will get to reacquaint themselves with the 4.048-mile, 14-turn road course on Friday, August 20, during a promoter test session (3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET), before official practice gets underway on Saturday at 11:15 a.m. ET with a one hour session.The Muscle Milk drivers will get another hour practice from 3:00 p.m. ET ahead of the 4:40 p.m. ET 20-minute qualifying.The American Le Mans Series - powered by eStar race at Road America goes green on Sunday, August 22 at 3:05 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on SPEED starting at 3:00 p.m. ET.
What they have to say:Geoffrey Carter, Team Manager, Muscle Milk Team CytoSport"We wish Greg a speedy recovery and can't wait to have him back in the car. Until then, we have been very fortunate for the amazing support from our partners at Porsche."Not only have they been instrumental in helping us get back on track, they have given us access to Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas for the next two races."These guys have championship pedigree in the Porsche and should make a stellar combination with Klaus."It is not every day you get to call on two guys who won this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans as your replacement drivers."
Timo Bernhard, driver (Road America) #6 Muscle Milk Porsche RS Spyder"I'm thrilled to be joining Muscle Milk Team CytoSport, and it's great to come back to the ALMS, especially with the RS Spyder, the car that I had so much success with."It's especially nice to be making my return at one of my absolute favorite racetracks, not only in the US, but in the world."Road America has all you can ask for as a race car driver. Quick corners, long and short, elevation changes, technical corners and flat out ones. I have good memories of that track since I won there two times in the GT class and two times in LMP2. The best memory though was the overall victory against the LMP1 cars with the Porsche RS Spyder and Team Penske."At Road America, the setup is important since it is a challenging racetrack with all the elevations and heavy braking zones. But I'm very confident for the race. Klaus and the entire Muscle Milk Team CytoSport have had great performances this year. And with the Porsche RS Spyder we have the right tool to be successful."
Klaus Graf, Qualifying Driver #6 Muscle Milk Porsche RS Spyder
"Coming to Road America this year will be very, very emotional and with mixed feelings. I'll miss my co-pilot Greg (Pickett) a lot, especially since he's sidelined due to injury."Greg has such a passion for the sport and despite our setback at Mid-Ohio he didn't hesitate one second to continue full steam ahead with our program. "The guys have done a great job in rebuilding the car and I'm very proud of everyone involved at Muscle Milk Team CytoSport."I also want to thank our partner Porsche who jumped in right away and supported us in the best of ways. That fantastic support has led us to the addition of Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas for the upcoming races and I couldn't have asked for better co-drivers. Their performances in the Porsche RS Spyder have been outstanding in the past and together we will try to push as hard as we can to stay in the Championship battle. "Our Porsche RS Spyder should work really well around the long sweeping corners of Road America and together with our stellar fuel efficiency we should have a very competitive package. "With all this being very exciting, the most important thing though is 'Greg, get well soon!'"
Race Facts:American Le Mans Series - powered by eStarRoad America, 4.048-mile, 14-turn Road Course, Elkhart Lake, WIAugust 21 - 22, 2010, Round #7 of 9Race Duration: 2 hours and 45 minutesBroadcast: USA: SPEED - Broadcast live, Sunday, August 22, 2010, starting at 3:00 p.m. ETInternational: MotorsTV - tape delayed on Sunday, August 29, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. (UK) and 6:00 p.m. CETSchedule (All times Eastern):Friday, August 20, 2010:Test Session: 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. (All Classes)Test Session: 4:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. (LMP/LMC)Saturday, August 21, 2010:Practice: 11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. (All Classes)Practice: 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. (All Classes)Qualifying: 4:40 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. (LMP/LMC)Sunday, August 22, 2010:Warm-up: 10:25 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. Race: 3:05 p.m. - 5:50 p.m. (2 hours and 45 minutes)
DAVID BRABHAM"We're going to a race track next week that I rate very highly. Most drivers enjoy racing at Road America because it is such a great circuit."The Patrón Highcroft team has had some fantastic races throughout the year and we expect this race will be the same."We're looking forward to welcoming back the CytoSport Porsche guys but we have a championship to win and that is where our full focus will be."The boys have done an outstanding job so far this year and our plan will be to go out there to win. "We've had two consecutive wins here - in LMP2 in 2008 and overall last year - we'd love to come and make it a third at Elkhart Lake."As far as the championship is concerned we really have to forget about the points and go to Road America to win. That will ensure we stay competitive and have a really sharp focus on what we are doing."Simon is driving well, the chemistry within the team is great and we are all pushing each other really hard."We have to keep that going and try to extend our points gap before we get to Petit Le Mans."
SIMON PAGENAUD"Road America is a great place with a lot of brilliant memories for me."This is where I clinched my Formula Atlantic championship win in 2006 and went on to become a professional driver from that point on."I really love the track because it is one of the most challenging circuits in the world. It is very fast and you have to be extremely precise. It is all about putting a complete lap together here."It is such a long track that corner entry and exit are so vital because you normally have such a long straight following every turn."There is a lot of time to be gained if you get it right, but also a lot to lose if you don't, so that is a great challenge."There is not a lot of track time on the schedule so it is vital to get it right straight away."I think we should have a pretty good race car there. I'm looking forward to driving the ARX-01c there as the car has always been very good at Road America."It will be great to do battle with the CytoSport guys again and we're looking forward to seeing them back on track this week."
MALARIA NO MOREWhile the team continues the race to retain its ALMS title crown in 2010, the team will also continue its race to defeat an even bigger rival - malaria deaths in Africa.Patrón Highcroft Racing has again teamed up with Malaria No More to raise funds and awareness for this disease which kills a child every 30 seconds in Africa. The team also ran a special Malaria No More livery at the 24 Hours of Le Mans to promote the cause.With the purchase of a simple $10 mosquito bed net, fans can help combat this disease - either by visiting http://www.milestoendmalaria.org or just texting the word "MILES" to 85944 on their cell phone.Fans can also bid for exclusive autographed souvenirs and unique at-track experiences at http://www.milestoendmalaria.org/auction.
ROAD AMERICA TIMETABLE
Friday, August 20, 2010
2:00 pm - 2:30 pm Test Session - ALMS (GT / GTC)2:30 pm - 3:30 pm Test Session - ALMS (All Classes)3:30 pm - 4:00 pm Test Session - ALMS (LMP / LMPC)
Saturday, August 21, 2010
10:15 am - 11:15 am Practice - ALMS (All Classes)2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Practice - ALMS (All Classes)3:10 pm - 3:30 pm Qualifying - ALMS (GT / GTC)3:40 pm - 4:00 pm Qualifying - ALMS (LMP / LMPC)
Sunday, August 22, 2010
9:25 am - 9:45 am Warm Up - ALMS (All Classes)11:00 am - 12:00 pm ALMS Autograph Session2:05 pm - 4:50 pm ALMS - powered by eStar (Round 7) - 2 Hours 45 Minutes
HIGHCROFT RACING AT ROAD AMERICA
2009 Acura ARX-02a Brabham/SharpQual: 2nd 1:49.039Race: 1st 71 laps
2008 Acura ARX-01b Brabham/SharpQual: 6th 1:47.774Race: 3rd (1st in P2) 102 laps2007 Acura ARX-01a Brabham/JohanssonQual: 5th 1:49.767Race: 5th (3rd in P2) 94 laps 2006 Lola EX257/AER Dayton/WallaceQual: 5th 1:51.315Race: 6th (4th in P1) 76 laps
ROAD AMERICA TRACK FACTS
Track Distance: 6.51 km / 4.045 milesPole Time: 108.22 secondsAverage Speed: 217 km/h / 135 mphFastest Corner: Turn 11Max Corner Speed: 270 km/h / 168 mphMax Lat G's: 3.0 GMax Lat G's Corner: Turn 10Slowest Corner: Turn 5Min Corner Speed: 95 km/h / 59 mphTop Speed (ARX-02a): 295 km/h / 183 mphTop Speed (ARX-01c Est): 285 km/h / 177 mphFull Throttle: 75%Max Braking G's: 3.3 GNo. of Braking Zones: 7Gear Changes: 34Left Turns: 5Right Turns: 9No. of Turns: 14- Longest track on the ALMS schedule- Third fastest track but with the fastest corner speed- Circuit where drivers face the most G's under braking- Also where the drivers make the most number of gear changes per lap- Ranked second in number of right turns and third for total number of turns- Tied for second for number of braking zones- With Mosport is second in Full Throttle percentage column
HIGHCROFT DRIVER FACTS
DAVID BRABHAMStarts: 98Wins: 23Top 3: 57Top 5: 74Top 10: 95Poles: 13Fastest Lap: 7
SIMON PAGENAUDStarts: 24Wins: 8Top 3: 17Top 5: 18Top 10: 23Poles: 4Fastest Lap: 9
ALMS LMP POINTS STANDINGS
123 - David Brabham 123 - Simon Pagenaud 100 - Klaus Graf 80 - Chris Dyson79 - Greg Pickett 74 - Guy Smith 54 - Jonny Cocker 51 - Sascha Maassen51 - Marino Franchitti 46 - Emanuele Pirro 41 - Andy Meyrick 39 - Clint Field 38 - Paul Drayson 29 - Jon Field 23 - Tommy Drissi
DRIVER'S EYE - ROAD AMERICA
Q. Road America, what is your favorite corner and why? DAVID BRABHAM: I love this track. It is the best track in America for me by far. I love the carousel. I think that's such a wonderful challenge. Road America is certainly one of my favorites. SIMON PAGENAUD: Road America, that's a beautiful track. I would say the kink is very special. You go into that corner, you have to trust the car. You have to trust everything with your life. You're going into that corner flat out in sixth gear, the fastest you can go all year. And you turn in and all you can hope is everything is going to be okay. And that's the same every lap.
Q. What's the most challenging aspect to the Road America race? DAVID BRABHAM: The most challenging for us is to get the downforce levels right. You've got to be really quick on the straights, but you've still got to be able to get around the corner. So the car is always on the edge all the way around that track because we try to run as little downforce as possible. SIMON PAGENAUD: It's very long track and it is challenging to remain focused between every corner. Those straights are very long, and it is important to remain focused and keep the tires really warm. So you have to attack. There's few corners and long straights, so your tires have a tendency to cool down. It's important to attack to keep some temperature in your tires and your brakes.
Q. What's the secret of a good lap at Road America? DAVID BRABHAM: Because the downforce levels are low there, you've got to be really precise to get a really good lap time there. SIMON PAGENAUD: I would say it is very important to get the setup right on the car. You obviously need to go fast in the straight because there's a lot of long straights, so you need to have a good understanding with your crew on what you need on the car. You need the car to be very precise into the corner and fast in the straights.
Q. How do you expect the Patrón Highcroft car to go against the opposition? DAVID BRABHAM: I think we will be quite strong here. Even though the straights a longer, our new aero package will give us a little bit more on the straights and still be good in the corner. SIMON PAGENAUD: I think it's probably going to be one of the toughest races all year for us. We obviously have a very good ending car in the corners, so we're going to be blindingly fast through the turns. But the straights are a little bit of a challenge for us. But we never know. With the yellow flags and everything, with our good strategies, we could probably end up at the front.
Q. If you could make a change to the circuit, what would it be? DAVID BRABHAM: Nothing. Leave it. Fantastic. SIMON PAGENAUD: I wouldn't change it. It's just a beautiful track the way it is. It's a very similar track to Spa in Europe. It's fluent, it's very fast, it's very challenging for the driver.
Q. What's your favorite Road America memory? DAVID BRABHAM: My favorite memory for Road America is probably a couple of years ago when we won the class and we had a great battle at the front. The AGR car got in front of me with a couple laps to go and then hit a back marker, and we came through to win the race.It was a really important time in the championship to win a race to be able to move on. SIMON PAGENAUD: Clinching the championship in Atlantic was a good memory. I didn't get to finish the race. I got pushed off track. But it's a very good memory. It's probably the beginning of my career in America, so it's something special for me, so it's something special for me.
ROAD AMERICA ON TV
USASPEEDSunday, August 223:00pm- 6:00pm (eastern) - Road America ALMS - powered by eStar
EUROPEMotors TVSunday, August 292:00pm - 3:30pm - Road America ALMS - powered by eStar
UNITED KINGDOMMotors TVSunday, August 292:00pm - 3:30pm - Road America ALMS - powered by eStar
RADIO LE MANS
Live radio coverage will also be available on American Le Mans Radio presented by Porsche radiolemans.com as well as Sirius Channel 127 and XM Channel 242l
