Archangel Motorsport Services to Enter the Petit Le Mans

Archangel Motorsport, two time Grand Am Rolex Series Team Champions, will campaign a Lola B2K/40 powered by a 3.0 liter Nissan V6 in the LMP675 class of the American Le Mans Series season finale, the Petit Le Mans, held at Road Atlanta on October 6th.  

Archangel Motorsport will be entering their Lola B2K/40 Nissan in Grand Am SRPII trim rather than converting it into LMP675 specifications.  One major place where the Grand Am SRPII and ALMS LMP675 rules differ is in the area of carbon fiber. While ALMS LMP675 rules allow for a carbon fiber tub and brakes, the Grand Am SRPII rules do not allow for them.  Without the carbon fiber tub, the Archangel Motorsport Lola won't be able to get down to the 675-kilogram minimum weight limit. 

"Even though our car won't be built to the full extent that the ALMS rules allow, I think we will be able to make up for that with our speed and reliability," said team owner Mike Johnson. "Ben Devlin is our only potential driver at this time. It is likely that he will join on with the team for Petit Le Mans, but it is not yet confirmed. Ben just recently joined the team, winning two of his first three races with us. We are still taking requests to fill the other two seats." 

"I am excited about this opportunity to drive and hope all the final details can be worked out so I can drive for Archangel there," said Devlin. "Archangel's shop is located at Road Atlanta in the Road Atlanta Industrial Park, so this is their home track. Being located less than a mile away from the track, we have had a lot of test miles at Road Atlanta, and we have a really good baseline setup to put on the car to start the weekend." 

Archangel Motorsport has successfully campaigned their Lola B2K/40 Nissan to the 2000 and 2001 Rolex Grand Am Series Sports Racer Prototype II (SRPII) Class Team Championships. In the 2000 season, Archangel Motorsport drivers Larry Oberto and Ryan Hampton shared the SRPII Driver's Championship, while Archangel Motorsport driver Andy Lally holds a narrow two point lead in the Driver's Championship with one race yet to go in the 2001 season. 

Though the team has found a lot success in Grand Am, this will be their first race in the American Le Mans Series.  While victory in the LMP675 class at Petit Le Mans will be a challenge, a first place award at Petit Le Mans would make a nice addition to the teams' trophy collection that already includes a first place in the Rolex 24 Hours, two Grand Am Team Championships, one Grand Am Drivers Championship, and thirteen Grand Am wins. 

Miscellaneous Facts:

** Team Owner Mike Johnson was a cast member on MTV Real World IV series that was shot in London, England.

** Before the Grand Am Series wraps up on September 17^th, Mike Johnson will catch a plane on September 15^th to fly to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico to film the next Real World/Road Rules Challenge. Mike will return to the States just in time for the start of the Petit Le Mans weekend.

** In the nineteen-race history of the Grand Am SRPII class, Archangel Motorsport Services have won thirteen races.

** Even though this will be the team's first ALMS race, Archangel driver Andy Lally competed at the Superflo 12 Hours of Sebring in a GT class Corvette.

** Archangel holds a tie for the longest winning streak in Grand Am Series with five in a row during their 2000 campaign.

** Archangel Motorsport Services, Inc. builds and maintains cars to the highest standard, ensuring reliability, drivability, and speed.  By combining experienced personnel and data acquisition with the driver's feedback, they determine optimum car set-ups for the driver's personal driving style.  Strong relationships between driver and crew are essential in building the confidence a driver needs to get the most out of the car during practice, qualifying, and the race. 

Contact Information:

Press Officer
Wayne Nonnamaker
Phoenix Promotions, Inc.
Cell: (330)  280-0826