Falken Factory Driver To Focus on Sunday GT Race During Historic Double-Header
Look up the definition of "Old School" and you'll could find a picture of the track map for Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin's Road America. At 4.048-miles and 14-turns, Road America is among the longest and fastest road courses on the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) presented by Tequila Patrn schedule. It benefits the driver who enjoys balancing the challenge of expert driving with courage. Bryan Sellers can't wait to go "old school" in the No. 17 Team Falken Tire Porsche 911 GT3 RSR he co-drives with Germany's Wolf Henzler at the August 11 Orion Energy Systems 245. Road America's tree lined circuit is on the short list of the Braselton, Ga.-resident's favorite tracks making it tough to focus on only Sunday's ALMS GT race and not run Saturday's GRAND-AM support series event also.
Dating back to 1955, Road America has a history as deep as sports car racing's own long tradition in the United States. In that time the track has created a mystique with certain corners becoming internationally recognized. "The Kink" is a fast right-hander that demands precision on entry through apex. "The Carousel" is a long right-hander that requires the engineer and the driver to find a balancing act to maximize performance. The medium speed final turn leads the cars up the long, uphill straightaway to the start-finish line and hard right-hander first turn that calls the driver's bluff on who is going to go deeper before braking. Like the most recent ALMS round at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, the entire circuit demands a balance of courage and technical accuracy.
The weekend marks history as the first, and only, time that the ALMS and GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series will share a race weekend. The ALMS runs its two-hour and 45-minute race on Sunday, beginning at 2 p.m. Central Time. The Rolex Series will run it's three-class race of two-hour and 45-minute at 4 p.m. CT on Saturday, August 10. Due to heavy commitments with Team Falken Tire, Sellers will not race in Saturday's Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC) race. Sellers and Mark Boden (Winnetka, Ill.) have won the last two CTSCC events held, first at Watkins Glen International and then the Brickyard Sports Car Challenge at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Live coverage of qualifying of all ALMS classes can be found at the Series' web site and ESPN3 beginning with the GTC class on Saturday, August 10 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time (ET). ABC will begin its live television broadcast at 3 p.m. Full international coverage as well as live in-car camera footage will be available real time at www.ALMS.com. Live timing and scoring of all sessions, including qualifying and the race, are also found on the Series' official web site.
Bryan Sellers:
On Road America: "Road America is a one of a kind track. It is old school and has a lot of history, however when you are there is has new feel. I get excited to drive at Road America every year. The track is timeless and always feels relevant. It's not a particularly physical track, but it does certainly demand a lot of you mentally. There are a lot of big brake zones and high-speed corners that you have to remain focused on at all times."
On his favorite corners at Road America: "The Kink is fast and dangerous, there is very little run-off and that makes it stand out from many other corners in motorsports. It is impossible to forget. Road America has many unforgettable corners that are all very different and offer their own challenge. Turns like the Kink, Canada Corner and the Billy Mitchell Bridge are what make it such a great track. Memorable corners to me are corners that are difficult and require some extra attention and there are a lot of those in Elkhart Lake."
On car setup at Road America: "There is no way to balance a car perfectly at Road America. There is a mix of long straightaways which would warrant low downforce, but heavy brake zones and fast corners which would warrant a high downforce setup. It is a game of chess trying to find a good balance in the corners, but not being too slow in a straight line. We have a great engineering team at Team Falken Tire so I am confident we will strike the right balance."
On the significance of the ALMS-GRAND-AM Double Weekend: "Having both the ALMS and GRAND-AM series at Road America on the same weekend is significant because we will have increased crowds. As drivers, we all like being able to put on a show for the fans. We love racing and, more importantly, we love having people there to watch!"
On missing the CTSCC event at Road America: "I will miss being in the Trim-Tex/ Fall-Line car significantly. But, I will thoroughly love being in the Falken Tire Porsche. I will try and keep myself readily available for both programs and work as hard as I possibly can to make a difference in both."
