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Porsche drivers start second half of the season with confidence

When the American Le Mans Series launches into the second half of the season on August 4 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, the key drivers to watch in the traditionally hard-contested GT class will be Porsche factory driver Wolf Henzler (Nürtingen) and his American teammate Bryan Sellers. Last year, they celebrated a memorable victory at this traditional racetrack in the Midwest of the USA with a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, winning after a remarkable chase to catch up with the leaders in the pouring rain. For their team, Falken Tire, it was the first success in the race series with the fastest sports cars in the world.

The race

The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge was first held in 2001 as an event of the American Le Mans Series. Once again, a double-header of appealing events awaits fans: Besides viewing a race with fascinating sports cars and sports prototypes, they can also experience a race of the Indycar Series which is also very popular in the USA.

The circuit

The 3.621 km long Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with its 13 curves is one of the most beautiful racetracks in the USA and is steeped in tradition. The challenging circuit is located north of Cincinnati in the vicinity of Lexington in the US state of Ohio.

The Porsche drivers

Porsche factory driver Wolf Henzler and his teammate Bryan Sellers with Team Falken Tire - last year's victors in the GT Class - will be driving a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR against strong competition from BMW, Chevrolet and Ferrari. In the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR entered by Flying Lizard Motorsports, Porsche factory drivers Jörg Bergmeister (Germany) and Patrick Long (USA) - victors at Lime Rock - will alternate driving duties. The second 911 car of this successful customer team will be shared by Porsche factory driver Marco Holzer (Germany) and American team owner Seth Neiman. Sascha Maassen (Germany) and Bryce Miller (USA) will start in the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR of Paul Miller Racing.

The Porsche 911 GT3 RSR

The most successful GT race car of past years in the American Le Mans Series is the top customer sports car model from Porsche Motorsport. The Porsche 911 GT3 RSR won the "Michelin Green X Challenge" as the GT car with the best overall efficiency in 2010. It started the new season with extensive modifications. Ever since the race in Laguna Seca, it now sports a new front splitter and a modified rear wing.

Porsche's successes

Porsche has celebrated many important successes at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Porsche factory driver Wolf Henzler earned two victories in the GT Class with a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR - with Bryan Sellers in 2011 and with Johannes van Overbeek in 2006. Jörg Bergmeister also has two successes to his credit: The Porsche factory driver won with Patrick Long in 2009 and with Johannes van Overbeek in 2007, who had already won with Darren Law in 2004. In 2005, the class victory went to Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas, and in 2002 to Kevin Buckler and B. J. Zacharias. Above all, however, this circuit represents an important milestone in Porsche motorsport history, because Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas drove the sports prototype Porsche RS Spyder that was developed and built in Weissach to its first overall victory here in 2006.

The schedule

The Mid-Ohio round takes off on Saturday, August 4, at 1:05 pm local time (7:05 pm CEST) and runs over 2 hours 45 minutes. It is broadcast live on the Internet at www.americanlemans.com. The GT qualifying can be viewed at www.porsche.com/alms-live on Friday starting at 6:40 pm CEST.

Comments before the race

Hartmut Kristen, Head of Porsche Motorsport: "Last year in Mid-Ohio, we saw an exciting race that gave Team Falken Tire its first of two season victories. When I look back on recent races this year, it seems to me that excitement is guaranteed. All that is lacking are results comparable to those of 2011."

Jörg Bergmeister: "On this classic racetrack with its long straightaways and tight curves, it is not only the drivers who are challenged. A difficult job also awaits the technical people. The grip level is constantly changing on the circuit, because of the Indycars that leave a lot of rubber on the asphalt. In these conditions, finding the perfect setup is just as important to success as a good starting position."

Patrick Long: "To optimally set up the car at Mid-Ohio, not only is a lot of experience required, but also skilled hands. Our team has proven that it has both of these. It would be nice if we could extend our long history of Porsche successes on this wonderful racetrack."

Wolf Henzler: "Naturally, Mid-Ohio is a very special race for our team, since last year we earned a remarkable victory under extreme conditions. In Mosport, we were able to drive fast lap times consistently. We took another step forward there. Now, we must try to implement everything we know as well as we can in Mid-Ohio."

Marco Holzer: "After I had to miss the last race in Mosport, now I am looking forward to driving in the USA again, especially on such a fantastic race course."

The American Le Mans Series

The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) was created in 1999 for sports prototypes and GT vehicles. The field is divided into five classes that start together but are classified separately:
GT class: This most popular class amongst car manufacturers traditionally receives the most support: Slightly modified standard sports cars with 440 to 500 hp and a minimum weight of 1,245 kilograms (e.g. Porsche 911 GT3 RSR).
GTC class: This class is reserved for vehicles from one-make race series like the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.
LMP1 class: Sports prototypes with up to 550 hp and a minimum weight of 900 kilograms.
LMP2 class: Sports prototypes with ca. 440 hp and a 900 kg minimum weight.
LMPC class: Prototype brand trophy series for the ORECA FLM 09.