Mosport
ALMS, 19th August 2001
Johnny's
view
So
near and yet so far...
E-mail
from Johnny, 21st August:
To
you all,
Another
new track but a great one at that! It was Andy's turn to qualify
and fourth was OK. We had a problem that held back Andy's charge,
but things still looked good.
A
wet start and on the first lap Capello, Andy, and the no2 Panoz
spun at turn two due to cold tyres and a slippery turn 5. Andy
then charged back through the pack and led briefly before his
first stop. Then a full course yellow: Andy pitted and I stepped
in, still in 3rd directly behind Pirro in the works Audi.
On
the restart I jumped ahead of Pirro into 2nd and raced after
the leading Panoz. He pitted for his stop some 10 laps or so
later after the track went green and into the lead we went.
Trying to get a gap between Pirro and myself was hard but fun
work, passing back-markers all through the lap and some putting
more space between us. Sometimes Pirro getting closing the gap,
but as my stop approached I had around a 4 sec advantage and
into the pits I came.
We decided to change the front left tyre and fuel which would
get us to the end of the race. With the works Audi only taking
the fuel and, with better consumption, less fuel than we did,
this gave them a faster stop and put them 13 secs ahead. I still
thought that my change of tyre would help me towards the end
of the race but it also made the car handle better, so I then
pushed hard in cutting down the gap.
 The
gap was coming down at a good rate and at 6 secs I thought that
it could be done, but on the next lap Pirro got into some traffic
and I gained 3.5 secs in one lap and so it became 2.5. I was
also coming into the same traffic and as I came into turn 1
I had a good run at a Viper & Cadillac on the exit. As I came
behind the Cadillac, he started to pass the Viper and I started
to pass him on the outside on to the racing line for turn 2.
But
as we approached turn 2, it became very tight and I went close
to the grass. There were tyre marbles on the edge of the track
and this made the car start to slide, and I slid wide and off
the track into the tyre wall.
It
was a shame but we gave the works Audis a good run for their
money and as myself, Andy and Dave Maraj (Champion Owner) said
after the race, we will beat them next time. Dave is happy with
our progress and also that I was giving it my all so that we
could beat the works car as this is what we all want to do.
Johnny
Race
So
near and yet so far...
Audi
UK Sport Press Release, 19th August: Britain's Johnny Herbert
and Andy Wallace were cruelly robbed of a certain second place
-and possible victory - when the former crashed his Audi in
the closing stages of a dramatic American Le Mans Series race
at Mosport today (Sunday). Herbert's
Audi was a mere 2.6secs behind leader Emanuele Pirro with just
15 minutes of the 165-minute, hunting the Italian down in what
had been a dramatic race from start to finish.
"I
needed to get past two back-markers so that I could keep the
pressure on Emanuele who was only 2.6secs ahead," confirmed
Johnny. "But we went into Turn 2 three abreast and I got on
to the rubber 'marbles', lost grip, slid on to the grass and
almost caught the slide but it got away from me again and
I hit the tyre wall hard.
"A
great shame, Andy had driven very well and the Audi was running
superbly and I felt confident I could have beaten Pirro."
Wallace
began the 165-minute race from fifth place on the 26-car grid,
heavy rain having eased for the start although the 2.46-mile
track near Toronto in Canada remained wet and treacherously
slippery. Indeed drama erupted halfway around the opening lap
when the pole-starting Infineon Audi of Rinaldo Capello spun
into the tyre barriers, Wallace lost control and spun out of
fourth place while the Graf/Lagorce Panoz also skated off at
the same corner.
Wallace
resumed at the tail of the field in his undamaged Audi and by
lap 17 had sliced his way in to third place behind Jan Magnussen
(Panoz) and the "factory" Audi of Frank Biela in a frenzy of
pit action as cars stopped for intermediate and then ultimately
"slick", treadless tyres as the track completely dried.
After
an hour, second placed Wallace handed over to co-driver Herbert
during another full course yellow caused when Capello's co-driver
Tom Kristensen crashed off the track - their Audi already seven
laps down following its first lap accident necessitating a lengthy
pit stop.
Magnussen
led Herbert by five seconds at mid-distance with Emanuele Pirro,
now in the Biela Audi, under a second behind the Briton and
pushing the "privateer" Champion Racing Audi hard. Herbert swept
in to the lead when the Panoz pitted for tyres and fuel and
for Magnussen to hand over to David Brabham, Johnny's 2000-specification
"customer" Audi leading Pirro's latest "works" Audi by just
three seconds.
Herbert
and then Pirro soon after made their final schedule stops, both
cars taking on fuel although the Italian saved precious seconds
when the Briton's Audi had its front left wheel changed leaving
Pirro 13secs ahead of Herbert with 35 minutes remaining.
Undeterred
Johnny reduced the arrears to eight seconds with 20 minutes
remaining as third-placed Brabham lost time with a spin - and
subsequent pit-stop - and then to a little over two seconds
before Herbert, amongst heavy back-marker traffic, left the
road leaving the Biela/Pirro Audi to cruise the final miles
to a two-lap victory over Brabham. Wallace added:
"Both Johnny and I drove as hard as we could and we should
be proud of what we achieved despite what ultimately occurred.
The Champion Audi will win a ALM race one day rest assured."
The
Canadian race marked only Herbert's third race in the eight
round ALMS series which continues at Mid-Ohio next Saturday
(25 Aug) having previously finished fourth (Sears Point) and
third (Portland) in the last four weeks.
Saturday
qualifying
Fourth
on the grid
Audi
UK Sport Press Release, 18th August: British duo Johnny
Herbert and Andy Wallace start the fifth round of the American
Le Mans Series at Mosport from a disappointing fourth place
on the 25-car grid today (Sunday).
Having
consistently been inside the top-three in time trials over the
past two days around the narrow, undulating 2.46-mile circuit
near Toronto, a front tyre problem delayed the "privateer" Audi
R8. Wallace set a fastest time of 1min 9.729secs (126.954mph)
- almost four tenth's of a second slower than the Oxford driver
had achieved earlier in the day. Andy
remarked:
"From
the outset in qualifying, the Audi suffered from a handling
problem. We had massive understeer which caused us to be around
four-tenths us slower than we went earlier in the day. It's
a mystery. At the moment we think it could be tyres but we'll
strip things down overnight at check it out for the race."
Close
examination of the Champion Audi team's data after the session
revealed the likely cause of the handling problem to be a faulty
front tyre. Herbert added:
"It's
disappointing to qualify only fourth having been inside the
top-three until then but it's what happens in the race that
counts. We'd a good set-up earlier in the day and we'll be
looking to find that again. I believe we'll be in good shape
for the race."
The
latest specification Infineon Audi R8s Rinaldo Capello (1:8.222)
and Frank Biela (1:8.408) start from the front row with the
last round winning Panoz of David Brabham/Jan Magnussen third
quickest (1:9.671) in the 20-minute session staged in warm sunshine.
Friday
Practice
Third
in first day's practice
Audi
UK Sport Press Release, 17th August: Johnny Herbert contests
the latest round of the American Le Mans Series at Mosport in
Canada on Sunday (19 Aug) aiming to emulate fellow Englishman
Stirling Moss. Moss helped to design the Canadian circuit near
Toronto and then won its first international sportscar race
exactly 40 years ago.
Herbert,
having steered his Audi R8 home to third and fourth placings
his maiden ALMS races recently, is gunning for victory. Herbert
(37) set the third fastest time in warm-up trials today - over
a second under the existing lap record - in readiness for Sunday's
165-minute race and the Essex ace believes a win is just around
the corner.
"The
Audi feels really good here," confirmed Herbert who shares
his "privateer" Audi with fellow former Le Mans winner Andy
Wallace. "I think we've a great chance of victory and it would
be something to repeat Stirling's victory."
Herbert
and Wallace together with the "factory" Audis of series leader
Rinaldo Capello and co-driver Tom Kristensen plus the "sister"
Infineon Audi of Frank Biela/Emanuele Pirro will be aiming to
get back to winning ways after the Panoz of David Brabham/Jan
Magnussen brought and end to Audi's 14-race, 13-month winning
sequence at Portland two weeks ago.
Test
Times (Friday):
1
Frank Biela (D)/Emanuele Pirro (I). Infineon Audi R8. 1min 9.404secs
2 David Brabham (AUS)/Jan Magnussen (Den). Panoz. 1:10.084
3 Johnny Herbert (GB)/Andy Wallace (GB). Audi R8. 1:10.319
5 Rinaldo Capello (I)/Tom Kristensen (Den). Infineon Audi R8.
1:10.534.
Preview
Herbert
looks for further improvement
Audi
UK Sport Press Release, 13th August: Johnny Herbert faces
a hectic two-race programme in the space of six days in which
the former Formula One ace bids to claim his maiden American
Le Mans Series victory for Audi. The
37-year-old from Brentwood, Essex, contests round five of the
nine-race series at Mosport on Sunday (19 Aug) and then round
six at Mid-Ohio the following Saturday (25 Aug).
Monaco-based
Herbert has netted a fourth (Sears Point, 22 Jul) and a third
place (Portland, 5 Aug) in his first ALMS events for the Florida-based
Champion Racing team that competes with a 2000-specification
Audi R8 sportscar and is keen to keep up the momentum despite
the fact that all of the North American circuits are new to
the three-time Grand Prix winner.
Johnny,
who shares the 220mph Audi with fellow British former Le Mans
24 Hour race winner, Andy Wallace, of Oxford, will first focus
on getting to grips with the 2.46-mile Mosport circuit near
Toronto in Canada for Sunday's 165-minute race.
"I'm
enjoying the challenge of learning new tracks, something I
haven't had to do for a number of years," confirmed Herbert.
"So far, I like what I've seen of the American circuits with
certain corners reminding me of those I've raced on in Europe."
In
last year's corresponding race at Mosport, Audi's former British
Touring Car Champion Frank Biela secured pole-position and set
the fastest race lap although it was eventual ALMS champion
Allan McNish and co-driver Rinaldo Capello who won. Capello
(I) and Tom Kristensen (Den) plus Emanuele Pirro (I) and Biela
(D), who head the championship standings, drive the "factory"
entered Infineon Audi R8s which, unlike Herbert's Audi, feature
revised aerodynamics and engine.
"The
new aerodynamics package is an asset especially at the faster
circuits while the new petrol direction injection on the twin-turbo
V8 engine gives better fuel economy which means that the two
'works' cars can go for longer before making a pit-stop,"
added Johnny.
"All
of the Audis need to make two scheduled pit-stops in a 165-minute
race for fuel and sometimes tyres, normally around the one
hour mark depending on race strategies but obviously the 'works'
Audis have an advantage in that they know they can always
run a longer distance before their fuel tanks begin to run
dry.
"In
the last race at Portland, I made a clean pass on the Biela/Pirro
Audi during the race which shows that we can compete against
them and although that car eventually finished second, the
other 'factory' Audi was behind me at the chequered flag."
The
Portland race saw Audi's phenomenal run of success brought to
an end by the American manufacturer Panoz. Not since July last
year (13-races) had the German manufacturer been beaten in an
American Le Mans Series race and Herbert, already ninth in the
championship standings, is eager to claim his maiden win.
"After
Mosport we then head down to Mid-Ohio near Lexington for another
race the following Saturday and although Mid-Ohio will once
again be a new venue for me, I'm looking to continue improving
on my results. We've had a fourth and a third so there's only
two other positions we're aiming for at Mosport and Mid-Ohio
in the sequence."
Mid-Ohio is a new addition to the ALMS calendar which should
favour the Herbert/Wallace combo as none of the drivers, many
of whom are Europeans, have much, if any, previous ALMS experience
of the track although Wallace has raced there.
Every
effort is made to ensure factual accuracy but no
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from Audi Sport © and from
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