Auto Racing David Brabham is in a unique position this year, contracted to drive LMP1 cars for two manufacturers' works teams in the same season.

Already on board for Acura's graduation to the top class in the American Le Mans Series, he was signed up by Peugeot to race one of their 908s in the Le Mans 24 Hours this summer.

Autosport caught up with Brabham to hear how the deal came about, and his reaction to it.

Q. Can you believe you now have two factory LMP1 deals for this year?

David Brabham: When you see all the drivers who are struggling to get rides at the moment, I sit here and can't quite believe what's going on with me. I had a great season last year, we're into the LMP1 programme with Acura, and now I get this opportunity. The chance to race with two manufacturers in one year is not common. I am in privileged situation.

Q. How and when did Peugeot make the approach?

DB: I was interviewed up on the stage at the Autosport International Show and I said that I was free for the Le Mans 24 Hours. I saw (Peugeot driver) Nicolas Minassian at the charity karting event at the show and then flew to America to test the Acura LMP1. The next morning I had two emails in my inbox with offers for Le Mans, one of them from Peugeot.

Q. What was your reaction?

DB: I was surprised to get the call, though last year in the American Le Mans Series with Acura can only have helped. When I saw an email from Peugeot, I couldn't open it fast enough.

Q. What was Acura's response to that offer?

DB: I am contracted to Highcroft Racing for the whole year, so I have to get a yes from them before I can do anything else. I was lucky that everyone was there at the test, Duncan (Dayton, Highcroft team owner) and Erik Berkman (who runs the Acura sportscar programme in his capacity as boss of Honda Performance Development). I forwarded them both emails, told them that Le Mans was something I would like to do this year and asked for their blessing.

Duncan said 'absolutely' straight away. Erik, said that he didn't have a problem, but that he wanted to talk to John Mendel (senior vice-president) at American Honda first. Towards the end of the test, Erik said 'I don't want to stand in your way, go for it'.

Q. Can you compare the Peugeot 908 HDi to the Acura ARX-02a?

DB: I have not spoken about the comparison between the two cars with anyone, no one within either team and no journalists, and I am not going to. I don't want that to come back and haunt me somewhere down the line. I will just be doing my thing as a driver.

Q. You won your class with Aston Martin last year, is this your big chance to win the Le Mans 24 Hours overall?

DB: My last 'best chance' was with Bentley and we finished second behind the other car. This is definitely another good chance and I am going to make the most of it.

Q. Is there any truth to the story that Peugeot contacted your brother Geoff by mistake back in 1993 when the team really wanted you?

DB: It's a nice story, but Peugeot didn't get the wrong Brabham. They knew who they wanted. Remember, he was much more experienced than I was back then.

Auto racing Peugeot have confirmed that they will enter two cars for the Sebring 12-hour race as part of the manufacturers' preparation for the 2009 Le Mans 24 Hours.

The announcement, at their 2009 competition programme launch in Paris on Monday, means the sports car racing team will go head-to-head with Audi's new R15 TDI and the factory Acuras of Highcroft Racing and De Ferran in the American classic on March 12.

The French company will run a pair of heavily-revised 908 HDi FAPs for Nicolas Minassian, Pedro Lamy, Christian Klien, Franck Montagny, Stephane Sarrazin and Peugeot returnee Sebastien Bourdais in the event.

They will then take all three Le Mans contenders to the Spa 1000kms in May, although they have yet to confirm whether they will participate in any more Le Mans Series events after the race at La Sarthe in June.
Peugeot Sport director Olivier Quesnel said: "Our busy test programme notably includes endurance simulation tests at a variety of circuits, and we will take part in two races upstream of Le Mans which will serve as full-scale dress rehearsals for everyone in the team.

"We have consequently chosen to compete in March's 12 Hours of Sebring, which is the opening round of the American Le Mans Series, with two cars and six drivers," he added.

"We will then take three cars in Belgium for the 1,000km of Spa- Francorchamps in May (8-10). We haven't yet decided what our programme after the Le Mans 24 Hours will be.

"We are looking at the different options to ensure the best possible exposure for the brand in promotional and media coverage terms, and also as a function of the level of competition."

The latest evolution, newly-livered 908 was also unveiled at the launch, featuring a eye-catching chrome-canopy and shorter rear-wing in keeping with the strict 2009 aero regulations in the LMP1 class.

"The livery of the 908 HDi FAP has changed," said Quesnel. "All the cars will now be predominantly blue, with the cockpit covered in a reflective chromelike aluminium covering aimed at keeping the temperature inside the car to a minimum."

The team's technical director Bruno Famin explained that the team had also focussed on improving several aspects of the car which set the pace throughout last year, yet failed to capture any of the major sportscar titles in 2008.

"The engine settings have been completely revised to take onboard the new air restrictor dimensions and the lower turbo pressure which has resulted in a fall in power of approximately 10 per cent," said Famin. "Significant work has gone into the 908's aerodynamics, too, in order to re-optimise the car's balance following the notable reduction in the width of rear wings which has been cut from two to 1.60 metres.

"We are also continuing with development work aimed at putting air-conditioning in the cockpit with a view to ensuring that the temperature inside the car stays within the regulatory threshold," he added.

"At the same time, we are working on enhancing the car's performance potential. This includes ongoing work on weight reduction in a bid to get close to the minimum limit, even with air conditioning, as well as optimisation of the diesel engine's combustion, particulate filters (in association with Dow) and fuel injection (with Bosch), plus research into defining best possible chassis/tyre package (with Michelin)."

Auto racing Corvette Racing GT1 will have a new driver lineup for the 2009 American Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Antonio Garcia will join defending ALMS GT1 champions Johnny O'Connell and Jan Magnussen in the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R for the Sebring 12-hour, Le Mans 24-hour, and 1000-mile Petit Le Mans endurance races. Marcel Fassler will be teamed with 2005-07 GT1 champions Oliver Gavin and Olivier Beretta in the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R in the three long-distance races. Canadian Ron Fellows, a member of Corvette Racing since its inception, will continue with the team in an advisory and ambassadorial role.

The new additions to Corvette Racing's driver roster have extensive experience in world-class GT competition. Garcia, 28, of Barcelona, Spain, has raced with distinction in the European Touring Car Championship, the World Touring Car Championship, and the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series. He was part of the winning GT1 team in the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, and recently shared in an overall victory in the 2009 Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Fassler, 32, of Einsiedeln, Switzerland, has competed in the DTM, the European Le Mans Series, A1 Grand Prix, and the FIA GT championship. Driving

Auto racing Rolex Grand-Am, I'm hearing rumors that the Infiniti G35 GT team is looking to run an all female driver team for a limited program this season with the eye to a full season in 2010. This car attracted a lot of interested when it ran the Daytona 24 hour race in 07 with Joey Hand and Brian Sellars at the wheel. The Crawford built car showed promise in its first outing but engine problems plagued the program.

Let's hope they get this car back on track it would make a nice addition to the GT field and to have an all female driver lineup that couldn't be bad. 

     

Auto racing Dixon keeps de Ferran team on top Scott Dixon kept de Ferran Motorsports on top of the time sheets at Sebring International Raceway on Wednesday morning. The reigning Indy 500 and IndyCar champion turned a lap of 1:45.671 (126.052 mph) on the third and final day of the American Le Mans Series’ annual Winter Test at Sebring.

Two more sessions are scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. The Series will be back at Sebring in less than two months for the season-opening 57th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida, the 100th race in Series history.

The new Acura ARX-02a that Dixon drove Wednesday morning has been fastest in all but one of the six sessions so far. Teammate Simon Pagenaud has the week’s quickest time, a 1:44.814 (127.082 mph) from Tuesday morning. His time bettered Marco Werner’s standing qualifying record around the famed 17-turn, 3.7-mile layout, set in 2007 in an Audi R10 TDI. Pagenaud, Dixon and team owner Gil de Ferran will team for the 12 Hours.

Acura’s other P1 entry from Patr¢n Highcroft Racing was second quickest Wednesday morning despite turning just eight laps. The car of David Brabham, Scott Sharp and Dario Franchitti posted a quick time of 1:46.157 (125.475 mph) before an electrical issue arose during the session.

Dyson Racing’s Mazda-powered Lola B08/86 coupe hit the circuit for the first time this week. Chris Dyson did all the work in the morning with a best lap of 1:49.462 (121.686 mph).

Richard Lietz went fastest in GT2 for Farnbacher Loles Racing and its new 2009-spec Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. A Porsche factory driver, Lietz set a time of 2:02.960 (108.328 mph) in the car that he is driving with full-season partners Dirk Werner and Wolf Henzler.

Lietz outpaced the Flying Lizard Motorsports duo of Jörg Bergmeister and Patrick Long, also driving a Porsche 911, by less than 0.7 seconds. A second Flying Lizard Porsche, driven by Johannes van Overbeek, Darren Law and Seth Neiman, was third in class at 2:04.536 (106.957 mph).

Auto racing David Donohue passed Juan Pablo Montoya with 39 minutes remaining and held on to win the 47th Rolex 24 At Daytona - on the 40th anniversary of his father, Mark Donohue's, victory in the 1969 event.

Donohue joined Darren Law, Buddy Rice and Antonio Garcia to give Brumos Racing its first Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 victory since 2003, denying TELMEX/Target Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates its fourth consecutive victory in America's premier sports car event.

"These guys have put a lot of effort into this," Donohue said. "I'm glad to be able to carry the flag."

Montoya pressured Donohue throughout the final 39 minutes, but the No. 01 Lexus Riley could not overcome the strong of the Brumos Porsche on the Daytona banking.

Joao Barbosa finished third in the No. 59 Brumos Racing Porsche Riley shared by JC France, Hurley Haywood and Terry Borcheller, while Max Angelelli took fourth in the No. 10 SunTrust Racing Ford Dallara co-driven by Wayne Taylor, Pedro Lamy and Brian Frisselle.

The record-breaking event had the closest margin of victory, most finishers on the lead lap and most cautions. The top four finishers covered 735 laps - most in the Daytona Prototype era.

The GT race came down to a one-two finish for TRG Porsche, with Andy Lally and Justin Marks joined by Jorg Bergmeister, Patrick Long and RJ Valentine in the winning No. 67 Porsche GT3. Second, one lap behind, was the TRG No. 66 of Spencer Pumpelly, Tim George Jr., Richard Leitz and Emmanuel Collard.

Darren Law, David Donohue, Buddy Rice and Antonio Garcia manage to hold on to David Donohue's pole position. The race lead changed hands a decent number of times, but never leaving the 58 Brumos Porsche Riley out of the top 3 positions.

David took over for Antonio Garcia with roughly an hour and a half to go. He managed to pass race leader Juan Pablo Montoya within his first few laps back in the car. JPM is a 3-time in a row winner of the 24 Hours at Daytona and going for his 4th in a row. Montoya is a veteran Formula pole sitter and Grand Prix winner, NASCAR star, Indy 500 winner and a true competitor in Daytona Prototypes. But, at the end of the day, it was the Brumos Porsche number 58 team that really worked harder to become champions, again. It has been since 2003 that Brumos has won a race. They end their bad streak with a set of Rolex Daytona watches to take home.

Driving with Juan Pablo Montoya was the usual 01 Chip Ganassi team with Memo Rojas and Scott Pruett as the main drivers.

More coverage to come in a bit. But for now, let's send our support and rounds of applause to the Brumos Porsche team! Both the 58 and 59 cars did a fantastic job!

-Josh Lewis
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Last year I got my first oppurtunity to speak with and get a nice interview with Darren Law, driver for #58 Brumos Racing Porsche Riley in Grand-Am Rolex Series and Flying Lizard Motorsports in American Le Mans Series. With his 2008 season over, and the 2009 season about to get underway with the start of the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, I sat down and talked to Darren on the phone for a few minutes just to get caught up with him. First, I'll share with you 2008 season information.

Darren, together with Brumos Porsche, finished their best season yet in the Daytona Prototype Class of Grand-Am. Law and his teammate, David Donohue, finished a very respectable 4th in team points for the finale of the 2008 season.

In American Le Mans, Darren, together with his teammates of Flying Lizard Motorsports, finished 1st in team points with 213. Well ahead of Tafel Racing, with 185 points. Darren Law himself finished 7th in drivers' points with 76.

I'm always greatful to speak with Darren. This was my second time I've really sat down to talk to him, and I must say that each time I've done so, he has a great and open personality. He isn't timid of talking to you and answering you with a hearty laugh about something. He takes nothing personal and feels that his job is the greatest in the world. When you get to fly around a closed circuit at the edge of life, what else could be better? We talked a bit about his performance this past season, at this years' practice sessions for the 24 Hours at Daytona, and what this year has in store for him.

Darren said that he was very impressed with this past season, especially with how much more competition was in it this season. This past season has been labeled the most competitive in Daytona Prototype history.

Darren finished as the fastest man at the "Roar Before the Rolex 24" with a lap time of 1:41.733 with an average speed of 125.977 mph. Damn, Darren. Go get em' tiger! When talking with Darren about this, he said that he was very happy with the performance of his race car. He's excited to get the season underway. I could hear the relaxed nature in his voice. Almost like a free flowing form was in him. I have no doubt he'll be flying at tomorrow at the Rolex 24 Hours.

The number 58 Brumos Porsche Riley will be rolling off with Darren Law, David Donohue, Buddy Rice and Antonio Garcia. Buddy Rice may be a familiar name to most of you with his 2004 winning of the Indy 500. I asked Darren about how he felt about sharing his and David's car with someone like Buddy Rice. He said, "It's always good to have other drivers in with you. They are cool guys." Darren Law is looking forward to the upcoming season, but a little nervous about Roger Penske entering DP (Daytona Prototype). "Roger Penske is the ultimate to look up to, he has the ultimate guys working for him. But, it's tough because they can potentially get priority and political happiness over the rest of the teams." It's understandable. Roger Penske has a hand in almost every major racing series. He is a guy that most people look up to and envy, but he's one of the big dogs. You can't tell Penske he does anything wrong. But, even with that hanging over Grand-Am Prototypes, Darren still says it's some of the best racing in the world and that it's some of the most fun he's ever had.

One big theme in the American Le Mans Series for 2009 is Audi and Porsche ending their prototype efforts in LMP1 and LMP2, to which Darren said, "The prototype cars are dropping out due to signs of the times." I guess Audi realized they could only win so many races before it got tiring... But, the good news, at least according to Law, is, "The GT cars aren't really getting any pressure from the factory." Otherwise, they're not feeling the heat of budget cuts and employee layoffs. Porsche, though, has recorded record worldwide sales for 2008.

Another big thing for 2009 ALMS racing is the introduction of Corvette Racing into GT2, and the reintroduction of BMW into GT2. They have long dominated GT1, with not too many teams/cars in the series, now they move up to racing that should give them a true fight! BMW already dominated GT2 back a few years ago. Now Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand are back to show the guys what's up. Darren, along with the rest of the guys, just want it to be fair. A season where no one gets advantage in the rules over anyone else. He also said that he's looking forward to having BMW and Corvette race against him. "It's always good to have a full series full of good cars. It makes the racing that much better." His only concerns are the rules and fairness being policed properly. With that being said, there have been major modifications done to the 2009 911 racecar. Huge suspension and aerodynamic pieces added and changed, says Darren. He is a little disappointed that the Detroit Grand Prix has been cancelled. But, he's still looking forward to racing at Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio and Mosport.

I did ask Darren what his position on all of the new F1/paddle shift transmissions was. He, like I, thinks it's great fun, great technology and obviously much faster than we could ever be at shifting. But when it comes down to driving or racing, for that matter, give him an old fashioned manual transmission. That's true skill, right there. Darren also said he would rather have rules against having traction control. He says that it's good for some guys, and it helps them to be better, but he enjoys being able to move his car in the direction he wants. If he wants the rearend to slide out a little bit, he wants to control it and facilitate it.

For more information on Darren and his upcoming season, visit DarrenLaw.com.

To watch the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona live, start out with Fox at 3:00 PM for the start of the race, then move over to SPEED Channel at 4:30 PM, and finish the coverage January 25th at 7 AM on SPEED.

Auto racing David Donohue edged Timo Bernhard by a scant .001 seconds Thursday to capture the pole position for the 47th Rolex 24 At Daytona, breaking the Daytona Prototype track record in the process.
Donohue turned in a lap of 1:40.540 (127.472 mph) in the No. 58 Brumos Porsche Riley he will share with Darren Law, Buddy Rice and Antonio Garcia. The race will take the green flag at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. FOX will open live network coverage at 3 p.m. Saturday. SPEED will resume coverage at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, continuing until 10 p.m. Sunday coverage on SPEED will run from 7 a.m. - 4 p.m.

One of Sports car racing best Bernhard was at the wheel of Penske Racing's No. 16 Crown Royal Cask No. 16 Porsche Riley, turning a lap of 1:50.541 (127.470 mph) in the Daytona Prototype he shares with Romain Dumas and Ryan Briscoe.

"Actually, winning the pole was a bit of a surprise," said Donohue. "We had a bit of a problem with traffic on what I thought was my fastest lap. We were having an electrical gremlin, so I didn't know how quick I was running. The team told me I was P-1, but I didn't know by how much and what to do with the tires. But I said it before, all that counts is where you are at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday."

Donohue joins his father, the late Mark Donohue, as a pole winner of the event. The elder Donohue won the pole for Penske Racing in 1971. The pair join Dan and Alex Gurney as father-son pole winners for America's most prestigious sports car race.

While Donohue wasn't sure of his position in qualifying, Bernhard thought he was atop the charts.

"I knew I put down a pretty good lap, and when they give me the time I thought it would be good enough for the pole," said Bernhard, overall winner of the 2003 Rolex 24. "Then they told me it was very close, but I was second, but by that time my tires were done. It was a great result for Penske Racing. It's a new series for us in Grand-Am, and we're already very competitive. Looking at it that way, P-2 is a very good result."

Starting from the second row will be Michael Valiante, posting a time of 1:40.651 (127.331 mph) in the No. 6 Michael Shank Racing Ford Riley, and Richard Zonta, with a time of 1:40.892 (127.027 mph) in the No. 76 Krohn Racing Ford Lola.

Grand-Am racing champion Scott Pruett, seeking a third consecutive victory in the Rolex 24 and fourth in a row for TELMEX/Target Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, will start sixth after running a lap of 1:41.016 (126.495 mph) in the No. 01 Lexus Riley.

"That's about what we expected to run in qualifying," said Pruett. "For 24 hours, it's not going to make a difference. The Ganassi guys have done a great job, as always, and we've got a great car for the race. With a little bit of luck, the TELMEX No. 01 car will be fighting for the victory at the end."

Alex Gurney, the 2007 Rolex 24 pole winner, will start 11th in the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Pontiac Riley DP co-driven by three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, Jon Fogarty and Jimmy Vasser.

The No. 2 Childress-Howard Motorsports Pontiac Crawford of Danica Patrick, Casey Mears, Rob Finlay and three-time Rolex 24 winner Andy Wallace lost an engine during Friday's practice and failed to qualify. They will start the race 18th, at the back of the Daytona Prototype grid.

In GT, Sylvain Tremblay captured the Rolex 24 pole for the second consecutive year in dramatic fashion, waiting until near the end of the session to turn a track record lap of 1:49.455 (117.100) in the No.70 SpeedSource Castrol Syntec Mazda RX. Tremblay and Nick Ham will be seeking their second consecutive GT victory in the Rolex 24, and fourth consecutive triumph at Daytona - all from the pole position. David Haskell and Jonathan Bomarito will co-drive in the Rolex 24.

"We were short by about three- or four-tenths, and I had to do quite a bit of work to make it happen," Tremblay said. "I could see that that last lap had potential. I kept my head down and drove as hard as I've ever driven here to try to get that lap. I know it doesn't mean much for a 24-hour race, but it means a lot to the team, it means a lot to my boys and it means a lot to me."

Tremblay knocked Andy Lally off the pole, after the driver of the No. 67 TRG Porsche GT3 turned in a lap of 1:49.450 (116.998 mph) early in the session.

Martin Ragginger, Jeff Segal and Wolf Henzler rounded out the top five GT qualifiers.

Thursday's qualifying locked in the top 40 positions for the Rolex 24. Final qualifying will be held Friday at 11 a.m., followed by the Fresh From Florida 200 Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge race.

Auto racing ALMS Winter Test Preview A group of the most anticipated new entries to the American Le Mans Series will make their public debuts next week at the annual Winter Test at Sebring International Raceway. It’s one of many reasons to look forward to the 57th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida, the start of the Series’ second decade of sports car racing.

The highlights? There are plenty:

• Three brand new prototypes grace the entry list. The pair that fans are perhaps the most eager to see are Acura’s two ARX-02a sports cars in LMP1. De Ferran Motorsports and Patr¢n Highcroft Racing, which finished second in last year’s LMP2 championship and won four times in class, each will field one of the new cars.

All four drivers return with their teams from last season – Simon Pagenaud with team owner Gil de Ferran, and David Brabham and Scott Sharp in the Patr¢n Highcroft Acura.

Adrian Fernandez, Luis Diaz and Michel Jourdain Jr. will drive Lowe’s Fernandez Racing’s Acura in LMP2. The ARX-01b received a few updates and improvements over the offseason.

• Dyson Racing and Mazda will trot out a Mazda-powered Lola coupe in LMP2. America’s premier independent team, Dyson Racing is back with longtime partner Lola after two years with Porsche’s RS Spyder. Chris Dyson, Ben Devlin, Butch Leitzinger, Guy Smith all will see time in the sleek Lola coupe, which debuted in the Series last year at Petit Le Mans.

• GT2 sees the world debut of Porsche’s new 911 GT3 RSR. Fresh on the heels of regaining the class manufacturer championship from Ferrari in 2008, Porsche has made several improvements to an already legendary machine.

Redesigned radiator air ducting, which became necessary with installation of the new air conditioning unit, was added to comply with the ACO 2009 regulations. The aerodynamics under the rear also underwent further fine-tuning. The rear wing now features a wider adjustment range. The weight-optimized brake system and the lighter wiring harness contribute to further improved handling for 2009.

There are six Porsches entered at the Winter Test: three for defending team champion Flying Lizard Motorsports (Jörg Bergmeister, Patrick Long, Johannes van Overbeek, Seth Neiman and Darren Law), and one each for Farnbacher Loles Racing (Wolf Henzler and Dirk Werner), VICI Racing and Team Falken Tire.

• BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team also will bring one of its fourth-generation BMW M3s to the Winter Test. Full-season drivers Bill Auberlen, Joey Hand, Tommy Milner and Dirk Müller will split time. The 2009 season marks BMW’s return to the American Le Mans Series, having last competed in 2006.

• Entries from Robertson Racing (Doran-Ford GT-R), Panoz Team PTG (Panoz Esperante GTLM) and LG Motorsports (Riley-Corvette C6) fill out the entry. All together there are a near-record 14 cars representing eight different manufacturers.

Auto racing K-PAX/3R Racing has announced they will enter the 2009 SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT Championship with two-time defending Champion Randy Pobst and 2005 Champion Andy Pilgrim driving a pair of Volvo S60s.

Though the team has won the SPEED GT Drivers' Championship the past two years with Pobst behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT3 and helped the German marque earn its seventh World Challenge Manufacturers' Championship in 2007, the team could not resist the challenge of a new car. K-PAX owner Jim Haughey has long been enthusiastic about the Volvo brand and 3R has proven to be especially adept at building a car from the frame up.

That's exactly what the team has done with the all-wheel drive 2.5 liter turbo 2009 Volvo S60. The chassis arrived at the 3R shop straight off the assembly line. The crew got to work designing their own components, while working with Mahle USA on motors and Weismann on gearboxes.

"We here at 3R are very excited at the opportunity we have been given to engineer and build all-new cars and bring a new manufacturer back to the series," 3R Racing owner Bob Raub said. "We know that this is not an easy task or one that will not be without its share of problems and failings, but through those problems and failings we will work hard to have success for Jim, Volvo, Randy and Andy."

The change in cars goes hand-in-hand with a driver change. Three-time series Champion (2005, 2007-8) Pobst will be partnered with 2005 SPEED GT Champion Pilgrim in 2009. Pilgrim steps into the cockpit of the Volvo S60 after five seasons driving a Cadillac CTS-V. Pobst starts his third season with K-PAX, searching for his third-consecutive Drivers' Title. Together, Pobst and Pilgrim have combined for 27 poles, 77 top-three finishes and 28 wins.

"Happy New Year, and what a new year it will be," Pobst said. "Fabulous new 3R Racing-built Volvo S60R all-wheel drive turbo race cars, and a new teammate who is someone for whom I have great respect, Andy Pilgrim. The new Volvo will be a very interesting development project. I am excited about being part of a new challenge; the testing, the learning and being part of a new creation. I will miss Michael Galati's effervescent personality, and I wish him the best in his new endeavors."

"I'm very excited to be working with K-PAX," Pilgrim said. "I have a ton of respect for them, having run against them in several cars, from the original Corvette they were running to the Porsches the last two years.



"At this point in my career I'm looking forward to having a big learning curve with an all-wheel drive race car. That's something I've never driven before and it's been a long time since I've driven a turbo. I'm always up for a challenge. I'm also looking forward to running with Randy. We've run as car-mates and competitors, but we've never run as teammates."



With so much work to be done and parts to fit, the team doesn't anticipate any testing before Sebring. Pobst and Pilgrim will be valuable assets in developing the car throughout the season.

Auto racing DP driver Darren Law and GT driver Dominik Farnbacher waited until the final day to set the fastest laps of the "Roar Before the Rolex 24" Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 at Daytona International Speedway.

Law, driving the No. 58 Brumos Racing Porsche Riley, led the Daytona Prototypes in the Monday's conclusion of the three-day session with a lap of 1:31.733 (125.977 mph). He will co-drive with David Donohue, Buddy Rice and Antonio Garcia in the 47th Rolex 24 At Daytona, which takes the green flag at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 24.

Farnbacher waited until the final 30 minutes of the closing session before running a lap of 1:50.881 (115.853 mph) in a simulated qualifying run in the No. 86 Farnbacher Loles Racing Porsche GT3.

Christophe Bouchut, who was quickest in Sunday's combined testing, had the fastest lap for much of Monday morning in the No. 55 Edata Solutions/Supercar Life Racing LevelFive Motorsports BMW Riley prior to Law's fastest lap.

"We've spent a lot of time with this car, and the team has done a good job with setup," Law said. "We've been inching up on it and it's getting there. We're pretty happy with the car. We're close to going racing now. Right now, we're running in race equipment, making sure that everything is working properly.

Michael Valiante had held the quickest lap of the test, set Saturday when he ran a lap of 1:41.760 (125.943 mph) in the No. 6 Michael Shank Racing Ford Riley he shares with John Pew, AJ Allmendinger and Ian James.

Bouchut placed third overall with his Sunday lap of 1:41.859 (125.821 mph), followed by Tomas Enge, who led Monday's closing session with a lap of 1:41.916 (125.751 mph). Enge drives the No. 22 Alegra Motorsports Gatorade/Today MD BMW Riley with Carlos de Quesada, Jean-Francois Dumoulin and Ryan Dalziel.

"We had a few problems during this test, but it looks like at the end of the test it looks like we've sorted out the small issues and we've set up the car quite well," Enge said. "We've still got a ways to go before the race, but the car looks good and we feel very positive. I still need a few more laps to be comfortable, but it's working well. It's not perfect yet, but I know we will work hard and we will be ready before the race and we will be strong."

Farnbacher led Sunday's sessions before his late Monday lap eclipsed the fastest GT lap, set Saturday by defending Rolex 24 GT winner Sylvain Tremblay, who ran 1:51.205 (115.247 mph) in the No. 70 Castrol Syntec SpeedSource Mazda RX-8.

"We had a good performance, and everything worked very well," Farnbacher said. "On our fastest lap, our setup was like what it would be for qualifying, and it worked pretty good. Also, we put new tires on and we wanted to see what the difference would be between old and new tires. It was not really a big gain. The Pirelli tires are very good and very consistent. I also did a long run to see how the tires would perform through the stint, and the Pirelli tires were very consistent. We are quite happy to have such good lap times."

Monday's final session produced the three fastest GT laps of the weekend. Andy Lally ran a lap of 1:51.169 (115.284 mph) in the No. 67 TRG Porsche GT3 he co-drives with Justin Marks, Pat Long, Jorg Bergmeister and RJ Valentine. Third in the GT class was the No. 65 TRG Porsche GT3 of Craig Stanton, who ran 1:51.176 (115.277 mph) in the car shared by John Potter, Bryce Miller, and Marco Holzer.

Jimmie Johnson, who won his third consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in 2008, spent Monday testing the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Pontiac Riley he co-drives with Alex Gurney, Jon Fogarty and Jimmie Vasser.

"It's nice to get back in a race car, but more than anything, this race is something special to me and something I admired as a kid growing up," Johnson said. "I like being involved in it, with the racers and teams that are all involved in the Rolex 24.

"This is different for me," Johnson added. "This car and the way we use the brakes are very different from what I'm used to, so I'm working very hard to be more committed in the braking zones. Practicing driver changes is very different, and I certainly improved from my first stop to the fourth time I tried it."

Earlier Monday Penske Racing announced its driver lineup and sponsorship for the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Romain Dumas, Timo Bernhard and Ryan Briscoe will co-drive the No. 16 Crown Royal Cask No. 16, with Dumas and Bernhard continuing in the car for the remainder of the Grand-Am Rolex Series season.

"Going into the Rolex 24, we have two goals as a team," said Bernhard, who won the GT class in the 2002 Rolex 24 and then captured overall honors for TRG the following year. "Sure, we want to win the race because it's an outstanding race. But on the other hand we are looking for a good start to the season for the whole year, so we can fight for the championship."

Practice for the Rolex 24 gets underway at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 22, with qualifying that afternoon beginning at 3:45 p.m. For additional information, please visit www.grand-am.com

Auto racing Tom Kristensen says he is looking forward to the debut of Audi's new R15 TDi prototype next season and is confident that the new car will be able to challenge for victory at Le Mans in its first year.

The eight-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner has tasted success at La Sarthe in both the Audi R8 and R10 and believes the first new Audi LMP1 car in three years can continue the German manufacturer's winning tradition.

"For sure I have seen it, it looks stunning and it will be very good, there's no doubt," Kristensen told autosport.com. "It's not running yet, but like all Audi projects it was started before the last car finished racing.

"The potential of what we've got here is very good. Audi is very good and they have not made a new sportscar in three years, so there's no doubt that it's going to be interesting for all of us."

Auto racing Allan McNish says Audi can repeat their Le Mans 24 Hours victory with the new R15 TDI diesel-powered prototype next year, despite only having one build-up race to prepare the car for sportscar racing's blue riband event in June.

Audi has decided not to continue with its Le Mans Series and ALMS programmes in 2009 and will instead only enter the Sebring 12 Hours in March and the 24 Hours at La Sarthe.

And while rivals Peugeot enjoyed a performance advantage over Audi at Le Mans in 2008, and will be even more determined to win their home event after being defeated by the German manufacturer this year, McNish is convinced that the R15 TDI will be fast and reliable enough to compete.

"I haven't driven the car, but the reason I think we can win is because Audi have never, in my experience, done anything by half," said McNish.

"When they compete, they race with a car that is already proven in reliability and performance gain. And as much as we have got some regulation changes which are going to make it very difficult, with regards to the petrol engines and things like that, we are going to make a step forward.

"Looking at Peugeot we are going to have to make a big step forward because they had an advantage.

"But we beat them on the human terms this year and we will have to beat them on the car terms as well because they won't make that same mistake twice."

McNish, who scored his second Le Mans 24 Hours victory last summer, admitted that he was naturally disappointed not to be racing more in 2009, but added that he didn't think it would have any impact on Audi's competitiveness at Sebring and Le Mans.

"At the moment it's just two races," said McNish. "We unfortunately confirmed that the Le Mans Series and the American Le Mans Series were not going to happen which was a surprise.

"But the one thing I would say is that there is still a very strong motorsport bloodline at Audi and that commitment and support is still there, it's just that it's on a leaner level than it has been lately.

"We'll still be at the two biggest sportscar races though and it's with the new car, so we'll come out fighting."

Auto racing Dane Cameron To Race Rolex GT in 2009  Continuing his climb up the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development Ladder, rising racing star Dane Cameron has signed to co-drive the #30 Racer's Edge Mazda RX-8 in the full 2009 Rolex Series GT season.  Sonoma, California native Cameron and his co-driver, veteran competitor Doug Petersen, will make their series debut in the 2009 Rolex 24 at Daytona, January 22 – 24.

Cameron arrives at this major step in his career via an accomplished climb up the open-wheel ladder.  Driving for Genoa Racing in the ultra-competitive 2008 Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda, Cameron started from the pole once and scored two podium and five top-5 finishes to finish seventh in the championship during his rookie season.

In 2007, he was both series champion and Rookie of the Year in the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear with three wins, six pole positions, five podium finishes and two top-5s.  He won the championship in Round 11 at Road Atlanta, one race ahead of the season-ending event at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.  Cameron was the 2006 F2000 Rookie of the Year and finished second in the championship.  As a Team USA Scholarship driver, he won the 2006 Palmer Audi Winter Championship in Europe.  In 2005, he was the SCCA Formula Jim Russell Series champion and Rookie of the Year.  His karting career, beginning in 2000, was similarly successful, including the 2003 Jim Russell Karting 80cc Junior Shifter Championship and a 2004 finalist in the Red Bull Driver Search.

Auto racing Flying Lizard Motorsports announced a two-car GT2 program for the 2009 American Le Mans Series season, adding American Porsche factory driver Patrick Long to its lineup. Long will reunite with Jörg Bergmeister in the team’s No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, a combination that netted the 2005 GT2 championship.

In the No. 44, Seth Neiman will return with co-drivers Darren Law and Johannes van Overbeek. All are American drivers.

Bergmeister will return to Flying Lizard in 2009 for his third consecutive season to defend his and the team’s 2008 championships. The coming season will be the third that Bergmeister and Long have competed together as a team. Two of the top Porsche drivers in the world, together they teamed for a total of eight Series GT2 races, and won in GT2 at the 2004 24 Hours of Le Mans (with Sascha Maassen). While the two shared the 2005 class championship, Bergmeister claimed the 2006 championship although Long was his co-driver for all but one season.

Flying Lizard team management for 2009 includes: Neiman, team principal; Tommy Sadler, crew chief and co-technical director; Craig Watkins, chief engineer; Stefan Pfeiffer engineer, No. 45 Porsche and co-technical director; Thomas Blam, chief strategist; Eric Ingraham, team manager and No. 44 Porsche strategist; Jennifer Hart, team marketing; and Paul Pillitteri, team merchandising.

“Flying Lizard is excited and energized to be back with the series for our sixth consecutive year,” Neiman said. “Our goal this year is to defend our team and drivers’ championships. Everything we’ve done since the day after celebrating at Laguna Seca has been focused on that goal. With 2009 likely to be a step up from the already intense competition of last season, it is going to be a very tough and challenging effort. The fans should be in for a real treat.”

Flying Lizard expects to receive its two new 2009 Porsche 911 GT3 RSRs in early January and plans to attend the American Le Mans Series Winter Test in Sebring, Fla., in late January. Flying Lizard will announce additional program details in early 2009.

Auto racing Dyson Racing and MAZDASPEED Motorsports have joined forces for a long-term partnership in the top echelon of American sports car racing. Sponsored by the BP energy company, the team will campaign two Lola LMP2 coupes in the 11-race American Le Mans Series for the 2009 season. The BP Dyson Racing Mazda coupes will be powered by the 2.0 liter turbo Mazda MZR- engines prepared by Advanced Engine Research (AER) Ltd.

“No other car company can match Mazda’s breadth of motorsports involvement,” stated Team Principal Rob Dyson. “They are an ascendant car company and while other car companies are cutting back their on-track programs, Mazda is strengthening theirs which highlights the depth of their commitment and dedication. Throughout all of our discussions, it has impressed us how closely their passion for the sport matches ours.”

Robert T. Davis, Senior Vice-President Quality, Research and Development, said, “We are excited that the Dyson team is coming onboard. It was clear in the preparations they are making leading up to the announcement that they have a family mindset that will fit in well with the Mazda family of racers and teams. We’re expecting big successes together.”

“We have enjoyed great success in the past with the Lola-AER combination,” said Vice President and Sporting Director Chris Dyson. “We know how to get race-winning speed from this package and our valued partner, Michelin, will be adding their competitive expertise. When you combine this experience with the enthused support of our new partners BP and Mazda, Dyson Racing has a very promising future. This is a long-term commitment and we look forward to utilizing Mazda’s breadth of involvement in racing to build programs of driver training and team development. Our new facility is about to come on line shortly and will lend itself well to developing additional platforms in partnership with Mazda. It will be a good new year for Dyson Racing.”

The team will begin testing before the end of the year and will be announcing the driver line-up in the near future.

Auto racing Grand-Am Road Racing unveiled a new set of logos today that will be used to identify America's premier sports car competition series, reflecting NASCAR Holdings new ownership of the Daytona Beach, Fla.-based organization.

The distinctive new design features the words "GRAND-AM" in bold italicized script, and a red and blue background image representing the twists and turns of a road course. Also unveiled at the annual Performance Racing Industry show at the Orange County Convention Center were new logos for the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 and the KONI Sports Car Challenge, both incorporating the new design.

"We decided to come up with a fresh look to reflect our change in ownership," said Grand-Am President Roger Edmondson. "The new logo reflects our new look as we move forward in our relationship with NASCAR as we work together to enhance both forms of motorsports."

"NASCAR is proud to offer so many forms of racing to its fans," said NASCAR Vice Chairman Jim France. "NASCAR has long provided its fans with the best stock car, truck, late model and modified racing. NASCAR is proud to add the best sports car racing, for its fans."

In September, NASCAR Holdings announced that it had acquired Grand-Am Road Racing. Operating now as one organization, resources such as marketing, research and public relations are being fully integrated.

The season begins with the January test days known as the "Roar Before the 24" on Jan. 3-5 at Daytona International Speedway. Grand-Am Road Racing opens its 2009 season with the 47th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 24-25. The Rolex 24 will have a new starting time, 3:30 p.m., marking the opening of the international motorsports calendar featuring America's premier endurance motorsports event, with drivers from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the IndyCar Series and international sports car competition challenging the Rolex Series regulars.

National network television coverage of the event begins at 3 p.m. on FOX, which will have a 90-minute show. Coverage of the Rolex 24 then continues on SPEED, which will again cover all of the Rolex Series races in 2009. SPEED will carry all 12 Rolex Series races on same-day coverage, most of them live. SPEED will also cover selected KONI Challenge races on a

Auto racing Grand-Am Road Racing unveiled a new set of logos today that will be used to identify America's premier sports car competition series, reflecting NASCAR Holdings new ownership of the Daytona Beach, Fla.-based organization.

The distinctive new design features the words "GRAND-AM" in bold italicized script, and a red and blue background image representing the twists and turns of a road course. Also unveiled at the annual Performance Racing Industry show at the Orange County Convention Center were new logos for the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 and the KONI Sports Car Challenge, both incorporating the new design.

"We decided to come up with a fresh look to reflect our change in ownership," said Grand-Am President Roger Edmondson. "The new logo reflects our new look as we move forward in our relationship with NASCAR as we work together to enhance both forms of motorsports."

"NASCAR is proud to offer so many forms of racing to its fans," said NASCAR Vice Chairman Jim France. "NASCAR has long provided its fans with the best stock car, truck, late model and modified racing. NASCAR is proud to add the best sports car racing, for its fans."

In September, NASCAR Holdings announced that it had acquired Grand-Am Road Racing. Operating now as one organization, resources such as marketing, research and public relations are being fully integrated.

The season begins with the January test days known as the "Roar Before the 24" on Jan. 3-5 at Daytona International Speedway. Grand-Am Road Racing opens its 2009 season with the 47th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 24-25. The Rolex 24 will have a new starting time, 3:30 p.m., marking the opening of the international motorsports calendar featuring America's premier endurance motorsports event, with drivers from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the IndyCar Series and international sports car competition challenging the Rolex Series regulars.

National network television coverage of the event begins at 3 p.m. on FOX, which will have a 90-minute show. Coverage of the Rolex 24 then continues on SPEED, which will again cover all of the Rolex Series races in 2009. SPEED will carry all 12 Rolex Series races on same-day coverage, most of them live. SPEED will also cover selected KONI Challenge races on a

Auto racing Honda to announce withdrawal at midnight AutoRacing1.com has learned that Honda will officially announce their withdrawal from F1 at midnight and they will not be selling the team. It will just be wound down. This causes a big problem for Bernie because some of his contracts require a 20 car grid. We also hear other manufacturers may pull the plug on their F1 program. The big budgets in F1 are now coming out to haunt them. Max Mosley was right all along.