Ten of 12 Porsches Entered Finish Tough 10 Hours of Petit Le Mans; Alex Job Racing McKenna Porsches Battle BMW V8s to the End

-Despite .5 - 1.5 second lap differences and a 30 hp. handicap, the 12 Porsche 911 GT3 RS racers at Petit Le Mans show heart in Road Atlanta finale-

FLOWERY BRANCH, GA - October 6, 2001 -  Taking seven of the top ten positions in the increasingly-competitive American Le Mans Series GT class, the Porsche 911 GT3 RS race car teams ended the season on a high note, finishing just behind the factory BMW M3 V8 concept cars in the ALMS finale - the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.

"We are very proud of our customer teams who have purchased and prepared our Porsche 911 GT3 RS race cars.  As the only car manufacturer to produce race cars for sale, we have now built more than 100 of these race-ready racers since 1999, and are pleased that customers have been successful competing in these production-based vehicles," said Alwin Springer, president of Porsche Motorsport North America.

The Porsche 911 GT3 R(S) has won the American Le Mans Series GT championship both in 1999 and 2000, and is leading the Grand American series championship with one race to go.

In the Petit Le Mans, the #23 Sascha Maassen/Lucas Luhr Alex Job Racing McKenna Porsche 911 GT3 RS finished fourth overall in the GT class, giving Sascha third place in the overall GT drivers points championship with Lucas fourth.  Fifth overall in the race was the team #22 Alex Job team Porsche with Randy Pobst/Christian Menzel, which took over that position after the #30 Petersen Motorsports White Lightning Porsche  - with Fitzgerald/Boullion/Mowlem at the helm - spent a long time in the pits to replace a control arm.  They came back to finish sixth.

The only two Porsche starters that did not finish were the #15 Dick Barbour Racing entry of Willingham/Harvey/Higgins, which broke an axle after an off-road excursion into the gravel, and the #34 Orbit Racing Porsche of Hindery/Baron/Kester, which lost a transmission.

Other Porsche 911 GT3 R(S) finishers included the #52 Seikel Motorsports entry of Burgess/Buttiero/Plumb (7th); the #69 Kyser Racing Porsche of Wankum/Foster/Bundy (8th); the #29 Sebah Automotive Porsche of Earle/Hayden/Hayden (9th); the Orbit Racing entry of Schultheis/Gable (10h), and the #75 Gunnar Racing Porsche  of Jeannette/Policastro, Jr., and Policastro, Sr. (11h).

The 2002 American Le Mans Series opens March 16, 2002, with the 12 Hours of Sebring in Florida.

# # #

ALMS PETIT LE MANS FINALE - FINAL GT STANDINGS

GT Finish,Pos-car #, driver, hometown; co-driver, hometown, team, car, Laps completed

1-6, Hans Stuck, Ellmau, Austria; Hans Stuck, Ellmau, Austria,
     Bill Auberlen, Hermosa Beach, CA, PTG BMW M3 V-8, 359 laps

2-43, Fredrik Eckblom, Orebro, Sweden; Dirk Muller, Monte Carlo,
      Monaco, BMW Motorsport M3 V-8, 358  laps

3-23, Lucas Luhr, Monte Carlo, Monaco; Sascha Maassen, Aachen,
      Germany
      McKenna Porsche Alex Job Racing 911 GT3 RS, 354 laps

4-42, J.J. Lehto, Monte Carlo, Monaco; Jorg Muller, Monte Carlo,
      Monaco, Karl Wendlinger, Monte Carlo, Monaco, BMW Motorsport
      M3 V-8, 354 laps

5-22, Randy Pobst, Melbourne, FL; Christian Menzel, Kelberg, Germany,
      McKenna Porsche Alex Job Racing 911 GT3 RS, 352 laps

6-30, Jean-Christophe Boullion, Plaisir, France; Johnny Mowlem, London,
      England
      White Lightning/Petersen Motorsports Westward Ho! Porsche 911 GT3
      RS
       343 laps

7-52, Tom Burgess, Toronto, Canada; Stefano Buttiero, Monte Carlso,
      Monaco, Hugh Plumb, Chaddsford, PA, Seikel Motorsports
      Porsche 911 GT3 RS, 340 laps

8-69, Kye Wankum, Toronto, Canada; Joe Foster, Atlanta, GA,
      Doc Bundy, Gainsville, GA, Kyser Racing Porsche 911 GT3
      RS, 328 laps

9-29, Dr. Stephen Earle, San Antonio, TX, Bart Hayden, Market
      Basworth, England, Hugh Hayden, Long Eaton, England,
      Sebath Automotive Porsche 911 GT3 R
      324 laps

10-32, Gary Schultheis, Boca Raton, Scooter Gable, Tampa, FL,
       Orbit Racing Porsche 911 GT3 RS, 323 laps

11-75, Gunnar Jeannette, West Palm Beach, FL, Joe Policastro,
       Jr., Latrobe, PA, Joe Policastro, Sr., Latrobe, PA,
       Gunnar Racing Porsche 911 GT3 RS, 252 laps

12-12, Shane Lewis/Bob Mazzuoccola/Cort Wagner
      Aspen Knolls Callaway C-12R, 221 laps

13-34, Leo Hindry, Hillsborough, CA, Peter Baron, San Mateo, CA,
       Tony Kester, Michigan City, IN, Orbit Racing Porsche 911 GT3 RS,
       183 laps (DNF)

14-15, Grady Willingham, Birmingham, AL, Taz Harvey, Danville, CA,
       Derek Higgins, Indianapolis, IN, Dick Barbour Racing
       Porsche 911 GT3 R, 137 laps
      (DNF)

15-10, Niclas Jonsson, Aliso Viejo, CA, Brian Cunningham,
       Danville, KY, David Murry, Atlanta, GA, PTG BMW M3 V-8,
       136 laps (DNF)

16-33, Ralf Kelleners, Dusseldorf, Germany, Marino Franchitti,
       Broxburn, Scotland, Kevin Burt, Elford, United Kingdon,
       MSB Motorsports Ferrari 360 Modena
       26 laps (DNF)