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Audi Presents Petit Le Mans

06/10/2001

Eric Burch

American Viper Racing Team Manager

“Jeroen Bleekemolen was supposed to go in the 45 Viper with Mike Hezemans and Anthony Kumpen. He is Hezemans' co-driver in the Carsport Holland car; he was scheduled to come over, but his flight was cancelled when Swiss Air filed bankruptcy this past week and the alternate airline went on strike shortly thereafter. But his co-drivers are doing a fantastic job and we are going to go with just the two of them in the race.

“Both of them are young and in great shape and as far as the temperatures are concerned they have the stamina to keep up with the cars and do well.

“Mike qualified the car and at one point in the rain, we actually had the pole in GTS. Everybody came in and changed tires once it dried up and I think we finished fourth or fifth in class

“I think we are pretty well ready to go. We went through the cars and put in an older differential model in the 45 car because the newer model was getting hot. We decided to put the old one in the lead car just because it was getting up there in temperature and we just wanted to be sure.

“The 45 car has so many new bits on it. New sway bars and a new intake system from Caldwell that is fantastic and is really working well for us. Anthony Kumpen has driven about seven GTS-R Vipers in the past and he said this is by far the strongest motor he has ever driven in a Viper. It is just a new intake system Caldwell has developed based on a restrictor size that we run. It recirculates the air once it is drawn through the restrictors and creates more torque. We are the first to have this new system.

“We are doing well so far. We qualified well. We think both cars are going to do well. And if the Corvettes and Saleens can last we think it is going to be a good fight.”

Mike Hezemans felt the fourth place in qualifying was ‘very good.’ “The engine is much quicker than in Europe because we have smaller restrictors in Europe. We have a better handling car in Europe to be honest, but we modified the car a lot. I reckon it is about a 1 to 1 ½ seconds quicker. We both use Michelins so that is good.

“Road Atlanta was a little bit of a shock in the first few laps with a lot of blind corners and bumps. I was able to take two laps in a car but you need 15 laps to get used to it. No circuits in Europe compare to the American circuits. In Europe if you go off you end up in the gravel trap, but over here you end up in a wall. They have all these concrete walls in America. Maybe it is safer for the driver but it is not safer for the car.

A Special Wish For A Special Son

Tom Weickardt is the power behind the AVR team and he has a great love for the joy of racing. Life’s ups and downs can give you an appreciation for the joys that a life lived to the full can bring. But sometimes the life you desire is not always yours to choose. Such is the case for Weickardt’s son Justin.

Eric Burch explains:
“We would like to wish Justin a get well. Before the Texas race we had “Get Well Justin” on the front of our cars. Just before the race, Tom’s 21 year old son Justin had a double lung transplant. This was the first time he was able to watch his dad race live, outside the hospital. He was here all week and he got sick two nights ago and we had to rush him back to Alabama. The emergency crews met us at the state line and took him back to the hospital in Alabama.

“This was the first time he would have watched his dad race live but now it will be from the hospital again. He is doing OK. He is stable. He also has Cystic Fibrosis and it is jus touch and go all the time.

“He really wanted to see his dad race. He was really enjoying himself and having fun. We couldn’t have him do too much but he was helping us wipe down the cars. He was having fun but unfortunately he got ill again."