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VICI RACING TO SKIP LIME ROCK AND HEAD FOR MID OHIO
photo by: John Thawley VICI Racing and development partner Kumho Tires will skip the next round of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock, Connecticut, next weekend (July 10-12) and instead will return to the series for the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid Ohio one week later (July 17-19).
It’s been a fast moving debut season in ALMS for VICI Racing, with a year-long racing programme which is centred on developing Kumho Tires for the GT2 category. Pre-season, the decision was taken to run the programme in the full glare of the ALMS series and a promising start was immediately made when the team’s new Porsche 911 GT3 RSR ran in the podium positions for over four hours during the opening race, the 12 Hours of Sebring.
MURRY TURNING BACK THE CLOCK AT LIME ROCK
photo by John Thawley Ahhh, 1985. It was the year of “We Are the World”, Windows 1.0, “Back to the Future” and New Coke. For David Murry, it marked the beginning of a professional racing career that produced drives for some of the biggest names in sports car racing - Lotus, Porsche and BMW for example. But two race victories at Lime Rock Park in SCCA Sports Renault 23 years ago helped launch the Atlanta resident’s career.
Murry will return to Lime Park with Robertson Racing and its Ford GT-R next week for the Northeast Grand Prix. He will team with the husband-wife pairing of Andrea and David Robertson for the July 11 race. It will be a different circuit with the new 1.51-mile, 10-turn layout but still will maintain some of the old familiarity.
“It’s I had heard a lot about the track; that it was really fast but only a mile and a half long,” Murry said. “I wondered how that was possible given how short it was. Then I got there and realized that it was really that fast.
SCCA Pro, WCVision Finalize World Challenge Licensing Agreement
photo by John Thawley TOPEKA, Kan. (July 2, 2008) – SCCA Pro Racing Ltd. and WC Vision LLC announced today an agreement in which WCVision has secured the long term marketing and licensing rights for the SPEED World Challenge® racing series.
The SCCA SPEED World Challenge series has been one of the best-kept secrets in professional road racing. With a nearly 20-year history including some of the biggest names in racing, the series is one of the most exciting and competitive sports car championships worldwide.
In 2006, the World Challenge Participants Committee was formed, and what followed was the development of a group of competitors to partner with SCCA on a strategic level to place the series at the forefront of North American motorsports. Believing that SCCA Pro Racing has done an outstanding job of administering and running races over the years, the group identified that the sanctioning body needed resources for elevated marketing, promotions and sponsor acquisition efforts.
FROM LE MANS TO LIME ROCK: FLYING LIZARD
photo by John Thawley It hasn’t been completely relaxing and carefree, but Eric Ingraham says Flying Lizard Motorsports has had its easiest year yet coming back from the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The American Le Mans Series’ GT2 championship-leading squad is now squarely focused on continuing its early season success and put the disappointment from Le Mans in the rear-view mirror.
An early crash robbed the California-based team of any chance at Le Mans glory although the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR came home sixth in class. While disappointing at the time, the Lizards carry momentum from class victories at Sebring and Miller Motorsports Park to Lime Rock and the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix. Ingraham takes us on the road from Le Mans.
“The benefit of experience of the return, unpacking and reloading process helps of course, but the four-week turnaround between the race start at Le Mans and the race start at Lime Rock is the biggest help,” he said. “In 2007 that was a three-week period, and in 2005 and 2006 it was only two weeks.