Site of Teams Best 2012 Finish
Lally, Dempsey Near Top of GTC Field in No. 27 Tullys Coffee Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in Friday Practice Sessions
Patrick Dempsey, Andy Lally and Dempsey Del Piero Racing in the No. 27 Tullys Coffee Porsche 911 GT3 Cup return to historic Road America this weekend in the GTC class, seeking a repeat or better result of Dempseys best 2012 finish.
Round six of this years 10-race ALMS schedule, the Orion Energy Systems 245 timed two hour and 45 minute race airs live on ABC this Sunday, August 11 at 3 p.m. EDT/12 p.m. PDT.
While driving a P2 class Lola Judd coupe a year ago, Dempsey and Joe Foster finished second in class at Road America. Now, Dempsey and Lally look to go one spot better in what would beat their best result of 2013second at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Mayat the 4.048-mile road course.
Really, everythings different about it, Dempsey said. From downforce to braking, you cant really compare the two. Theres a lot more movement in the GT car, but I really love driving the Porsche. I liked doing the LMP2 car, but I never had enough seat time to feel really comfortable. Now were able to get the most out of the car, with Andys coaching and Joes coaching in the corners.
Dempsey arrived at Elkhart Lake early Friday morning off of a red-eye flight after getting off a shoot on Thursday.
I was just trying to stay calm really, Dempsey said. Yesterday was a really long day on a shoot. Greys Anatomy worked really hard to get me out. We went to Chicago this morning, drove up to Milwaukee, and were back here in plenty of time.
Lally set the pace in Fridays first one-hour practice session, at a best lap of 2:13.750. In the afternoon, Lally improved his time to a 2:13.629, which ranked fifth in class. Lally is expected to qualify the No. 27 Tullys Coffee Porsche on Saturday.
Yeah, I cant complain, Lally said. Its a very good start to the weekend for the Dempsey Del Piero team. We came out of the box with a very good setup straightaway. The guys made two changes; the first one helped to improve grip and the second one really helped stabilize the platform on the third heat cycle on those tires. Were very happy with that, because usually our fastest lap is right out of the box on our first set of tires.
Dempsey, Lally and the No. 27 team are looking for a rebound at Road America after a pair of challenging races in July. They finished seventh at Lime Rock Park after a string of issues and saw a likely podium result at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park slip to a fourth-place finish after a problem on a pit stop.
Entering the weekend, Dempsey ranks fifth in the GTC class driver points standings with 48, just three behind a pair ahead of him in fourth place.
Next up for Dempsey Del Piero Racing is GTC qualifying Saturday morning at 9:40 a.m. CDT, with live online coverage beginning on ESPN3 at 10:30 a.m. EDT.
NOTEWORTHY
- Lally, who is pulling double duty this weekend between the No. 27 Tullys Coffee Porsche 911 GT3 Cup and the No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche GT3 Cup in the GRAND-AM Rolex Series, has had ample opportunity to set up both cars and gain valuable track time. Its not too hectic because theres no two sessions that intertwine, Lally said. GRAND-AM and ALMS were smart enough to divide the days up. I can kind of just completely focus on one car, then get my head out of that, and focus on the rest of the day after that. It really helps with the handful of us that are double dipping.
About Dempsey Del Piero Racing: A fulltime and year-round enterprise, Dempsey/Del Piero Racing is a professional international sports car auto racing team with operational bases in both Los Angeles and Atlanta in the United States. Follow Dempsey Del Piero Racing on Twitter @DempseyDelPiero.
