Mazda Raceway

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on email

MONTEREY, CA October 19, 2007 – It was the last qualifying session of the 2007 American Le Mans season for the race that concludes the 50th anniversary season of Mazda Raceway. It could not have been a stronger session. All four classes set qualifying records for Saturday’s Monterey Sports Car Challenge and the top thirteen were under the track’s LMP1 qualifying record. Guy Smith qualified the #20 Porsche RS Spyder sixth in class, two seconds under the LMP2 record and Andy Wallace was four tenths behind in seventh place.

“Today’s qualifying speaks to the strength of the series and the depth of the field,” remarked Chris Dyson. “Everyone runs hard and the team has made substantial progress since our first race with the Porsches at the 12 Hours of Sebring seven months ago. It is an amazing car and having Porsche’s support helps to quicken the learning process.”

“The car is much different from the beginning of the year,” Andy Wallace agreed. “We can attack a corner almost in one whereas at the beginning of the season, the car sent different messages through the corner. So you would always leave a little in reserve, but now you can drive the car harder and closer to the limit more of the time. For me, that has made it a much easier car to drive.”

“We have greatly improved the car over the year, both from how to set up the car and adjusting our driving styles to suit the car,” added Guy Smith. “We found it slightly more of a challenge than we anticipated, but nothing ever comes easy in racing. The competition in LMP2 has been exceptional. We have taken on some of the best teams and best drivers in the world and we should be happy with our performance. We look forward to ending this season on a high note for as of the end of the race tomorrow evening, the next season starts.”

Tomorrow’s four-hour race is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. PT. SPEED Channel will air the race live from 5:30 to 10 p.m. ET. Live coverage from ALMS Radio and IMSA Live Timing and Scoring will be available at www.americanlemans.com.Press Contact: Brian Wagner (760) 215-9086 ([email protected])

MONTEREY, CA October 19, 2007 – It was the last qualifying session of the 2007 American Le Mans season for the race that concludes the 50th anniversary season of Laguna Seca. It could not have been a stronger session. All four classes set qualifying records for Saturday’s Monterey Sports Car Challenge and the top thirteen were under the track’s LMP1 qualifying record. Guy Smith qualified the #20 Porsche RS Spyder sixth in class, two seconds under the LMP2 record and Andy Wallace was four tenths behind in seventh place.

“Today’s qualifying speaks to the strength of the series and the depth of the field,” remarked Chris Dyson. “Everyone runs hard and the team has made substantial progress since our first race with the Porsches at the 12 Hours of Sebring seven months ago. It is an amazing car and having Porsche’s support helps to quicken the learning process.”

“The car is much different from the beginning of the year,” Andy Wallace agreed. “We can attack a corner almost in one whereas at the beginning of the season, the car sent different messages through the corner. So you would always leave a little in reserve, but now you can drive the car harder and closer to the limit more of the time. For me, that has made it a much easier car to drive.”

“We have greatly improved the car over the year, both from how to set up the car and adjusting our driving styles to suit the car,” added Guy Smith. “We found it slightly more of a challenge than we anticipated, but nothing ever comes easy in racing. The competition in LMP2 has been exceptional. We have taken on some of the best teams and best drivers in the world and we should be happy with our performance. We look forward to ending this season on a high note for as of the end of the race tomorrow evening, the next season starts.”

Tomorrow’s four-hour race is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. PT. SPEED Channel will air the race live from 5:30 to 10 p.m. ET. Live coverage from ALMS Radio and IMSA Live Timing and Scoring will be available at www.americanlemans.com.

Pos Car# Class Drivers Time Car Make
1. 6 P2 Maassen/Briscoe 1:10.528 Porsche RS Spyder
2. 7 P2 Dumas/Bernhard/Long 1:10.653 Porsche RS Spyder
3. 26 P2 Herta/Kanaan 1:10.913 Acura ARX
4. 26 P2 Brabham/Johansson 1:11.101 Acura ARX
5. 1 P1 Capello/McNish 1:11.175 Audi R10
6. 15 P2 Fernandez/Diaz 1:11.204 Lola B06
7. 2 P1 Rockenfeller/Werner 1:11.676 Audi R10
8. 20 P2 Dyson/Smith 1:12.091 Porsche RS Spyder
9. 16 P2 Wallace/Leitzinger 1:12.499 Porsche RS Spyder
10. 10 P1 Chilton/Manning 1:12.785 Zytek 07
Scroll to Top