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| Pit Notes | ||
| Thursday, March 15, 2001 -- Page 9 | ||
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SUPERFLO 12 HOURS AT SEBRING PIT NOTES: Page 9 PRESENTED BY DODGE THURSDAY MARCH 15, 2001 Correction: (too many Mullers); the names of the BMW drivers was incorrectly swapped on the page 8 notes. Correct drivers: #42-GT BMW M3 GTR (Jorg Muller), #43-GT BMW M3 GTR (Dirk Muller). The #72-P Courage C60/Peugeot is new to the ALMS. According to the team manager, "the car is two days behind due to engine trouble on Monday and Tuesday. This is especially bad because the team and drivers have never been at Sebring before. However, the car is going better and better and the progress is not too bad for the first time here. The bumpy track has presented a major suspension problem as the team is chasing the correct front end setup." Oliver Gavin (#26-GTS Saleen S7R) "I really enjoyed the session. It turned out to be a frought and frantic session for us because we were waiting and they black flagged the session. I did have to slow down a lot to cool the tires, then push again. It's not about getting the pole, it's about making the twelve hours. Corvette has a lot of endurance and experience, and (this) Saleen doesn't. Franz (Konrad) is running the car and he wanted to get two (other) drivers in the car. The works program has been postponed until Le Mans because the demand for private cars is so high. I haven't driven Sebring before so its another circuit that I've learned and (gotten) more experience in sports cars." Emanuele Pirro (#2-P Audi R8) "I'm very happy. As you know we're very satisfied with our car and the championship. I was reminded that I never had made the pole. It doesn't count for this kind of race, but it is a confirmation of certain potential." (driver rotation for the race) "We're going to do it differently for this race. We've decided to split it in threes - one qualifies, one starts and one takes the checkered flag. I am happy to deliver the car to my team mate (Frank Biela) in a good position." (on the competition) "We're in a good but difficult situation. I wish the Panoz team well, they'll be tough in the race. Our main competition are the two privateer Audis. If we win the race, we've done our job. In theory it should work. They'll be waiting for us to have a little problem, hopefully that won't happen." Rinaldo Capello (#1-P Audi R8) "Its an improvement over yesterday. The car is running well." Claudia Huertgen (#11-P675 Lola B2K/40/Nissan) "I've been to Sebring before, but this will be the first time driving at night. The car was OK, my second lap was better." Co-driver Steven Knight (about Claudia) "On Thursday qualifying, the tires got too hot, too fast. Friday she warmed up the tires gradually, and then took a breather to allow the car to cool down before hot laps. During the pits stops, she just looks straight ahead - eyes intense!". Ron Fellows (#3-GTS Chevrolet Corvette C5-R) "The car is OK but we just didn't go fast enough. The track is slicker today than yesterday." Andy Pilgrim (#4-GTS Chevrolet Corvette C5-R) "The car has good balance. It's a good car for the race. The slow time is because of the slick track." Butch Leitzinger (#16-P R&S MKIII C/Lincoln) "The car has good balance but a lack of grip. We need to schedule a long test so we can work on that. It's hard to figure it out on a slick track." Andy Wallace (#38-P Audi R8) "The track is much more slippery than yesterday. The car is close, we don't need much." |
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