Trois-Rivičres,
3rd August 2003
Race
Unlucky
second
Audi Sport UK, 4 August: Johnny Herbert took the chequered
flag placed second in the latest round of the American Le Mans
Series at Trois Rivičres in Quebec, Canada, yesterday (3 Aug)
but cursing his luck.
Herbert’s
Audi co-driver JJ Lehto started the three-hour race from the
front row of the 30-car grid and shadowed the pole-starting
Audi of Marco Werner/Frank Biela until cruel luck gifted the
race to the German pairing.
“The
race went full course yellow moments after JJ had made his
first scheduled fuel stop,” recounted Johnny who remains fourth
in the Driver’s standings. “It meant we lost almost a full
lap and although we tried hard, we just couldn’t claw back
the lost time.”
Herbert
put Biela under intense pressure in the closing stages to get
back on the lead lap which he did with six minutes remaining.
Johnny ultimately finished 55.503-seconds behind Biela after
169 tough laps around the 1.521-mile, 11-turn street circuit
staged in hot and humid conditions.
Qualifying
Front
row on the grid
TROIS-RIVIERES, Que, Aug 2 (CP) - Marco Werner led a
record-shattering qualifying session Saturday to take the pole
for Sunday's Le Mans Grand Prix in Trois-Rivieres, Que.
A
new track qualifying record was set in all four classes of competition.
Werner, driving an Audi R8, completed the 1.521-mile street
racing circuit in a record time of 57.740 seconds, the fastest
lap ever run on the track by any type of car. He earned his
first career ALMS pole and will co-drive with fellow German
Frank Biela in a car that was rebuilt overnight after Werner
crashed it in Friday's testing session.
Johnny Herbert and J.J. Lehto will start second in another Audi
R8.
Practice
Champion
fastest in Friday practice
TROIS-RIVIERES, Que, Aug 1 (CP) - A pair of former Formula
One drivers set the fast time of the day in Friday's opening
practice for Sunday's American Le Mans Series Le Grand Prix
de Trois-Rivieres in Quebec. Johnny Herbert and J.J. Lehto,
who will co-drive an Audi R8 Prototype, led the Friday session
with a lap of 59.741 seconds on the 1.521-mile, 11-turn temporary
street circuit.
Sunday's
three-hour race is the first of two events this year for the
sports car endurance racing series in Canada. Close behind the
Audi in practice was the Lola EX257-MG of James Weaver and Butch
Leitzinger, winner of last week's ALMS event at Sonoma, Calif.,
at 59.895 seconds.
Lehto
was in the Champion Racing Audi when it set the fast time late
in the session. The Finn is making his first appearance in the
historic Trois-Rivieres event, which is being run for the 35th
time.
"I
was quite happy with the circuit," said Lehto, who formerly
raced in both Formula One and CART. "The surface is the same
everywhere, which is not like a lot of other street circuits.
The corners are nice and well-made, and the circuit is not
too bumpy." he
said.
The
team's main competition in the LMP 900 class didn't have such
a smooth day on Friday. The session was red-flagged after only
10 minutes due to a turn 10 crash by Marco Werner in the Team
Joest Audi R8. The car suffered damage to its front suspension,
under tray, front body work and steering, but will be repaired
in time for Saturday's first official practice.
Oliver
Gavin and Kelly Collins set the fast time in the GTS class at
1:01.877 in the factory Chevrolet Corvette C5-R. Corvette's
other car, driven by Ron Fellows of Mississauga, Ont., and Johnny
O'Connell, was second-fastest at 1:02.379. The
GT class was led by 1:04.926 by Timo Bernhard and Jorg Bergmeister
in a Porsche 911 GT3 RS.
Official
practice and qualifying will be held Saturday.
Preview
Johnny
wants a street race win
Champion Racing, 31st July 2003: Johnny Herbert returns
to Quebec this weekend when the American Le Mans Series roar
through the streets of Trois-Rivičres. Monaco-based Herbert
and ADT Champion Racing team-mate JJ Lehto are ‘veterans’ of
over 200 F1 Grands Prix - including 16 in Canada.
Herbert
and Lehto will drive their Audi R8 around the tight and narrow
1.521-mile, 11-turn street course at an average speed of around
90mph in Sunday's (3 Aug) three-hour race. Johnny commented:
“I
raced at Trois Rivieres last year and finished third and thoroughly
enjoyed the experience – the venue offers a lovely atmosphere.
The street circuit is good, not hugely demanding or particularly
narrow but enjoyable. I’ve never won a ‘street’ race – third
is my best placing in the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix –
although I’ve raced at a number including Miami [ALMS], Phoenix
[F1] and Macau [F3].”
Trois
Rivičres is hosting a race in the nine-event ALMS program for
a second consecutive year - Audi having bagged the top-three
places overall in the corresponding 3 hour, two-driver race
exactly 12 months ago (3 Aug).
Herbert’s
best result in the Canadian GP were two fifths (1997/99) while
Lehto scored a sixth place in 1994.
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effort is made to ensure factual accuracy but no
responsibility is accepted for the information on these pages.
News and photos
from Audi Sport © by kind permission.
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