TotalMotorSport All the latest Motorsport news, race reports and photographs from around the world. Alms, Touring Cars, Formula One & Le Mans 24 Hours

Sebring

Exxon Superflo

17/03/2001

Friday

Race Prospects

© Janos Wimpffen

Before I begin my official 2001 coverage of Sebring, let me begin with a word of heartfelt appreciation to the many, many of you who expressed good wishes to me in my period of trial. Some of you I know well, some barely, some I’ve never met—but all of you are dear and I convey to you the best as well. I will endeavor to answer all of you individually in the coming days and weeks. It’s good to be back in action.

Here are a few comments, observations, rumors, etc. while browsing through the paddock in the early going.

LMP 900

#1 and #2 Audi. There is little to choose between the obvious frontrunners. If one had to handicap them, then the edge would go to the Biela / Pirro / Kristensen #2 car. This is less so because of their superior grid position, but is a reflection of perhaps a bit more youthful enthusiasm.

#16, The new Riley & Scott Mk III C has been fairly quick for not having any testing behind it whatsoever. Both EF-R and Butch Leitzinger are pleased with it, but the practice sessions saw a bit of back pedaling after a good pre-race test period. They’ve been making slight ride height adjustments and other tweaks, but each move seems to make them slower, not faster. Rob’s son, Chris Dyson, is generally pleased with the package. He notes that the principal difference from the original Mk III is along the higher planes of the aerodynamic setup. Expect the non-Audi class to be fought hard between them, the Field Lola, and the Courage.

#18, Audi, looks simply resplendent in its Gulf colors. It makes the car look like the mid-70s Mirage. The presence of the Johansson and Champion Audis has turned the ALMS into a version of the IMSA GTP series of the mid-1960s when it was fought between the works and private Porsche 962s. This car seems to be a bit more of the stock 2000 Audi, than the more modified Champion car. Its cowlings have also been off the car more than the other private Audi. The team’s relative inexperience with the marque may prove its undoing, although both teams are getting plenty of works advice. On the other hand, two-time Sebring winner Stefan Johansson has been doing well with the car, while co-driver Guy Smith has only put in a few laps. Look for fourth overall or a DNF.

#37, Intersport Lola. It has been a typical Field family pre-race, with bursts of speed and some minor problems along the way. It is noteworthy that this one year old car is the dean of the private LMPs—very much the opposite of Grand-Am. Jon Field’s aggressiveness is both the team’s strength and weakness. Expect them to take the battle to the end against the Dyson group for fifth overall.

#38, Champion Audi. Dave Maraj’s team has been keeping a hushed-up profile even though the works team has little to fear. It appears that they have modified the suspension slightly from the works’ 2000 configuration. Look for third overall.

#50 and #51, Panoz. It does not look good after the fine race-long run of one of the new models in Texas. Vibration problems are dogging the cars, beginning with the wheel assembly and spreading back towards the gearbox. This is not a good omen at the notoriously bumpy airfield circuit. In addition, the no. 51 car has struggled with brake problems. It will be moved to the back of the grid for failing to make the grid’s 110 percent rule. Expect early retirements for both.

#72, Courage-Peugeot. The only European privateer in the mix has been surprisingly slow. But then so was their earlier car at Le Mans last year. It went on to win the non-Audi class with a sterling effort. Look for the wily veteran, Henri Pescarolo, to guide his young drivers similarly here. Expect a fifth or sixth overall.

LMP 900 summary. No one other than Audi has a snowball’s chance. Finishing order will be 2-1-38-18-72-16

LMP 675

#11, Lola-Nissan. The rejection of the Gunnar Lola has once more decimated the potential for this much-touted class. Team manager Fabian Roock has every hope that the fiasco-filled early retirement of Ft. Worth will not be repeated. The overheating problem has reportedly been cured. Expect lots of delays, but a mid-teens overall finish.

LMP 675. I will go out on a limb and predict that no. 11 will win the class.

GTS

#3 and #4 Corvette. Ron Fellows did his best at qualifying; blipping the Saleen on the last lap of the first session, only to lose the class pole in the post-session exam (underweight). He tried to at least to demoralize the Saleen during the second session, but the opposite took place. Otherwise, it’s been trouble-free for no. 3, while the crew has focused on setting up no. 4 after having largely rebuilt following its Texas crash. While there is excitement at Saleen, there is reliability and Ron Fellows at Chevrolet. Look for a solid 1-2 class finish.

#26 Saleen. This has definitely been the talk of the town and the team is out celebrating their class pole. The car’s structure is amazingly simple for it being a new breed of supercar. The driver lineup is strong, particularly with Borcheller and Gavin. However, it has yet to complete a race of any appreciable length. This is the same chassis as the 2000 Laguna Seca and 2001 Daytona entries. It is unlike the customer car that ran at Homestead. That one was delayed by faulty lug nuts, of all things. Barring such silly errors, the Saleen will finish third in class—or not at all.

#44 and #45, Vipers; The American Viperacing team has been disappointing so far. The no. 44 car had a significant “off” on Wednesday, and the group is somewhat disorganized. Although they are wholly different than last year’s Patriot Motorsport at Petit Le Mans, they still suffer from some discipline problems. Expect mid-race retirements.

GTS summary; Finish will be 3-4, there are no more.

GT

#6 and #10 PTG BMWs; This has been one of the strongest performances for the PTG E46s in many a race meeting. They have either been quicker than all the Porsches, or behind only the top two or three. The two lead drivers have been as animate as ever. Bill Auberlen habitually hops out of his car and high-fives the crew, while Hans Stuck has been happily strutting around with his beautiful new bride. Will this carry over to a grand race performance? It does appear that the straight-sixes will not go quietly. The PTG cars will necessarily play a backup role to the Schnitzer cars. Discounting the new V-8 for the moment, expect one of the PTG cars and one of the German entries to survive and battle the Porsches in what should be the closest contest of the race.

#12 Callaway. After a disappointing debut in Texas, no one expected much from the new model. But it has steadily improved each session. Look for some minor teething problems during the race, but also expect them to periodically scramble for the last podium spot before dropping back.

#15, Barbour team Porsche. It has been a fairly poor meeting so far for the mighty GT team of 2000. They are but a shell of their former selves and are more focused on the planned Prototype effort at forthcoming races. They will be lucky to finish.

#17, Trinkler Corvette. Their progress has been almost identical to the Callaway and are gridded next to them. It is not inconceivable that either of the Chevrolet power cars will finish just off a class podium spot.

#22 and #23 Job team Porsches. They are a strong 1-2 on the GT and are displaying all the signs of being specially blessed by the factory. The combination of Alex Job, the factory (represented here by Norbert Singer and Roland Kussmahl), and drivers such as Maassen, Luhr, Collard, and Pobst may be too formidable for the other Porsches and the BMWs. Expect one of them to win GT.

#30, Petersen team Porsche. Car withdrawn after the terrible events of Friday afternoon.

#34 and #35, Orbit team Porsches. One of the six drivers among this group could be in line for Porsche Cup honors in 2001, as the team has been active in both ALMS and Grand-Am. But they are doing this through a good attendance record and not sheer speed. Look for a mid-field finish.

#36, Alzen Porsche. The German entrant had run a converted Supercup car at Daytona, alongside their true 911 GT3R. Here they retreated to a one-car entry for Sebring (the GT3R). Although they have taken a very relaxed attitude to practice and qualifying, a mid-class grid spot speaks to a good run during the race. Expect fourth-fifth in GT.

#42 and #43 Schnitzer team BMW. These cars are as different as night and day. The #42 car uses an all-new four liter V-8 and is designate as a M3 GTR. It is the motor ultimately intended for the M3, not the M5 power plant used by Bell Motorsports at Daytona. They have been plagued by minor problems such as a bad pulley, which limited them to very few laps during practice and qualifying. They are still third on the grid. Some pundits claim they will sandbag all the way to Le Mans. But Albert Beermann of the car’s design group doesn’t even want to stretch their luck with a Le Mans effort. The question is whether the usual BMW maladies of drive train problems will haunt them. No. 43 lost its engine during the second qualifying session, but as this was a different motor than used during the first (and faster) session, it will keep its assigned starting spot. By the way, the two cars look superficially similar, except for a different front splitter design on the GTR. Expect retirement for the new car and a podium spot for the ex-PTG no. 43.

#47, Broadfoot team Porsche. This was a late entry that is not being campaigned with particular seriousness. They will be allowed to start despite being two seconds slower than the next car ahead of them. Expect retirement.

#52 and #53 Seikel team Porsches. The no. 53 car could be the sleeper in the class. They have gone well the past two days and are crewed by a lineup with both Daytona and FIA GT successes. Expect third-fourth in class. The no. 52 has enthusiastic gentleman drivers in it who will finish better than their lowly grid spot.

#57 and #58 Freisinger team Porsches. The usually efficient team has had uncharacteristic problems during practice, culminating with a prang to the Kaufmann / Ortelli car on the out lap of a session. The other car only had its driver lineup confirmed today. Look for midfield runs for both.

#66 Buckler team Porsche. Racer’s Group is noted at most races for running a batch of turnkey rental cars, but have decided to concentrate on a single entry for Sebring. This has already paid off with a trouble-free and quick practice period. Expect a strong fourth-fifth in class.

#69 Kyser team Porsche. The Canadian enthusiasts had little to show in the way of results, but much in enjoyment, during 2000. It looks like much the same in 2001, although they are not quite the tail-end Charlies anymore.

#98 and 99 Kelly-Moss team Porsches. Their stars and stripes livery looks impressive. With Tony Dowe’s management and drivers such as Cort Wagner and David Murry, the team must be taken seriously.

#00 Larbre team Porsche. This vastly experienced team has been extremely quick. But they will learn respect for Sebring’s bumps and bruises.

#07 RWS team Porsche. The perennial FIA GT N-GT class contenders are one of the few ELMS candidates looking for points in that series (Sebring counts for both sides of the Atlantic). They have been uncharacteristically slow in practice.

#09 Cirtek team Porsche. They barely made it through the pre-race period with various gearbox related woes. Chris Gleason is a familiar sight on the team, but Keith Alexander and Gavin Pickering are unknowns.

GT summary. This contest should be a delight and the order is harder to pick than lottery numbers; I’ll go with 22-30-43-99-07-00.