Laguna Seca - 09/09/2001   Quick Race Report   © Tom Kjos Monterey, California, USA—Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro brought the #2 Audi Sport North America Audi R8 home in round seven of the American Le Mans Series. In a race in which a list of contenders did not come home at all, that was enough for the top step of the podium. Both Panoz Roadster S cars failed to complete the two hour forty-five minute race due to accidents, while the Champion Racing Audi, closing at the finish in the hands of Andy Wallace, saw its chances evaporate with a 20 second penalty to Johnny Herbert for rough driving related to an incident in which Jan Magnussen’s day ended in the turn 10 tires. A late charge by Wallace, after Pirro seemed to be scrubbing speed to ensure a finish on worn rubber, left the Champion car only 1.6 seconds down at the flag. All three LMP675 cars were retired within an hour or so of the start, but not officially so. Dick Barbour Racing rebuilt a damaged right rear suspension to return to the track and take the points for the win. On this race day, finally, everything did not go wrong for Franz Konrad’s Saleen S7R. Terry Borcheller ran out out a comfortable 30 plus second lead in his two lead-off stints over Ron Fellows’ Corvette, and Franz brought the car home for a flag to flag win, their first since Sebring in ALMS. GT had the look of quarter-mile dirt oval racing in the rural Midwestern US. For those of you to whom that is foreign, we’re referring to Friday night racing of modified stock cars by the kid down the block. Bashing and bumping, the winner is often the last car left in one piece. The last cars left in this race were the BMW Motorsport M3s, the win going to Jörg Müller and JJ Lehto after teammates Fredrik Ekblom and Dirk Müller yielded on the last lap to preserve the formers' points lead going into the 10 hour PLM at Road Atlanta in four weeks’ time. Lucas Luhr and Sascha Maassen took third in the Alex Job Racing Porsche GT3-RS. Full report on Monday morning, BST. Copyright ©2000-©2023 TotalMotorSport