Monterey Sports Car Championships Presented by Mazda

The top three in class:
#1-P900 Audi R8 – 1:16.188, #2-P900 Audi R8 – 1:16.563, #50-P900 Panoz LMP1 Roadster S – 1:16.593;
#5-P675 Reynard 01Q/Judd – 1:20.157, #57-P675 Reynard 01Q/Judd – 1:23.155, #11-P675 Lola B2K/40/Judd – 1:24.078;
#3-GTS Chevrolet Corvette C5-R – 1:23.896, #26-GTS Saleen S7R – 1:23.987, #4-GTS Chevrolet Corvette C5-R – 1:25.370;
#10-GT BMW M3 GTR – 1:25.829, #43-GT BMW M3 GTR – 1:26.309, #42-GT BMW M3 GTR – 1:26.418.

Monterey Sports Car Championships
THE AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES
PIT NOTES: Page 2
SATURDAY SEPT 8, 2001

California natives Bill Auberlen and Boris Said have been reunited as driving partners for this race by BMW Team PTG. The two have enjoyed success together in the past, winning the 1997 24 Hours of Daytona and the 1998 12 Hours at Sebring. BMW Team PTG's other BMW M3 GTR pairs Europeans Niclas Jonsson and Hans Stuck for the first time. "I'm really happy to be back," said Auberlen, who missed the last two ALMS races because of a concussion suffered in a practice accident at Mosport last month. "Driving with Boris feels just like old times. We have won together before and we can win together again."

"The M3 feels great," said Said. "I haven't driven with Bill in a few years and we will have a good race. I miss my brother Hans - we have not been separated like this before. Everyone knows how much I like to drive with Boris, but now we have the European connection in the #6 M3. Nic and I have a common understanding and will match our settings and away we go. We understand we are racing for a championship and support every effort toward it." "It is an honor to drive with Hans and I will use this opportunity to learn from him," said Jonsson.

Michelin will be seeking a milestone victory in this weekend's ALMS event. If a Michelin-shod car wins the LMP 900 class, Michelin will have won its 25th consecutive ALMS race, dating back to June, 1999, at Mosport. Michelin has won all but one race in the series' three-year history, and chances are strong that the streak will continue this weekend. Only one of the nine LMP 900 machines is running without Michelins, with the #37 Intersport Racing/Banana Joe's Lola B2K 10B-Judd running Goodyears.

A tire that has been in space is on display this weekend here at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. One of the Michelin tires that was fitted on a space shuttle that flew on a mission is in the display, which is located on the "island" at the Michelin trailers.

ALMS Combined Practice (1-hour session):
At 12:40, green flag. Michelin tire engineers report the track temperature is 93 degrees. The skies are now clear and current temperature is 65 degrees.
At 12:47, car #51-P900 Panoz LMP1 Roadster S spun and stopped at turn 6 and continued.
At 12:47, car #15-GT Porsche 911 GT3-R off and on at turn 10.
At 12:51, car #11-P675 Lola B2K/40/Judd spun and continued at turn 3.
At 12:55, car #22-GT Porsche 911 GT3-RS off and on at turn 2.
At 12:55, car #11-P675 Lola B2K/40/Judd reported with side-to-side contact with #4-GTS Chevrolet Corvette C5-R at turn 11.
At 12:58, car #1-P900 Audi R8 off and on at turn 1.
At 1:03, car #67-GT Porsche 911 GT3 R spun and continued at turn 2.
At 1:04, car #15-GT Porsche 911 GT3-R spun and continued at turn 2.
At 1:06, car #51-P900 Panoz LMP1 Roadster S spun and continued at turn 2.
At 1:08, car #7-P900 Cadillac LMP 01 spun and continued at turn 2.
At 1:09, car #11-P675 Lola B2K/40/Judd spun, stopped, then continued at turn 3.
At 1:28, car #10-GT BMW M3 GTR drove straight off at turn 10 and continued.
At 1:33, car #67-GT Porsche 911 GT3 R spun and continued at turn 5.
At 1:39, car #2-P900 Audi R8 reported with side-to-side contact with car #26-GTS Saleen S7R at turn 2. Car #26-GTS Saleen S7R returned slowly to the pits. Car #2-P900 Audi R8 has an 8-inch round hole on the driver’s side of the car.

At 1:40, checkered flag.
Top three in class: #50-P900 Jan Magnussen 1:16.064, #1-P900 Rinaldo Capello 1:16.814, #18-P900 Stephan Johansson 1:17.325; #5-P675 Didier de Radigues 1:21.198, #57-P675 J.Graham/S.Maxwell 1:22.568, #11-P675 Claudia Huertgen 1:23.396; #26-GTS Franz Konrad 1:23.998, #3-GTS Ron Fellows 1:24.613, #4-GTS Kelly Collins 1:25.187; #42-GT JJ Lehto 1:26.614, #10-GT Bill Auberlen 1:26.626, #43-GT Dirk Muller 1:26.830

Monterey Sports Car Championships
THE AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES
PIT NOTES: Page 3
SATURDAY SEPT 8, 2001

As a result of the earlier practice accident, car #26-GTS Saleen S7R is replacing the entire rear end of the car. Franz Konrad (#26-GTS Saleen S7R) "I was holding my line and he (#2) just cut me off."

Car #37-P900 B2K/10/Judd only recorded one lap in the morning session, and reports the engine was bad. The team decided to roll out their backup car instead of replacing engines, and practiced with a time of 1:19.932.

ALMS GTS/GT Qualifying (20-minute sesssion):
Track records in class: GTS - Olivier Beretta, Dodge Viper GTS-R - 1:23.432 (October 1999); GT - Sascha Maassen, Porsche 911 GT3 R - 1:27.411 (October 2000)
At 5:01, green flag. Michelin tire engineers report the track temperature is 97 degrees.
At 5:05, car #6-GT BMW M3 GTR (Jönsson) sets the fastest lap in class with a 1:26.951 (new class record).
At 5:05, car #26-GTS Saleen S7R (Borcheller) sets the fastest lap in class with a 1:26.968.
At 5:07, car #26-GTS Saleen S7R (Borcheller) sets the fastest lap in class with a 1:24.432.
At 5:09, car #26-GTS Saleen S7R (Borcheller) sets the fastest lap in class with a 1:23.939.

At 5:10, full course yellow, #6-GT BMW M3 GTR (Jönsson) stopped off course at turn 9 in an unsafe position. The driver is out of the car working on it.
At 5:17, green flag.
At 5:20, car #43-GT BMW M3 GTR (Müller) sets the fastest lap in class with a 1:26.691 (new class record).
At 5:20, car #3-GTS Chevrolet Corvette C5-R (Fellows) sets the fastest lap in class with a 1:23.674.
At 5:22, car #42-GT BMW M3 GTR (Lehto) sets the fastest lap in class with a 1:26.430 (ncr).
At 5:24, car #42-GT BMW M3 GTR (Lehto) sets the fastest lap in class with a 1:26.265 (ncr).
At 5:25, car #26-GTS Saleen S7R (Borcheller) lowers his time to 1:23.713, still second in class (0.039 seconds behind).
At 5:26, checkered flag.
At 5:26, car #26-GTS Saleen S7R (Borcheller) sets the fastest lap in class with a 1:22.986, new class record.

This is the first GT pole for driver Dirk Müller, fifth of his career in the ALMS. For Terry Borcheller, this is his third straight GTS pole, fourth pole of the season, and the fifth pole for the #26-GTS Saleen S7R this season.

ALMS LMP900/LMP675 Qualifying (20-minute session):
Track records in class: LMP900 - Rinaldo Capello, Audi R8 - 1:15.028 (October 2000); LMP675 - To be established
At 5:32, green flag.
At 5:35, car #51-P900 Panoz LMP1 Roadster S (Lagorce) sets the fastest lap in class with a 1:16.680.
At 5:36, car #57-P675 Reynard 01Q/Judd (Maxwell) sets the fastest lap in class with a 1:20.836.
At 5:36, car #51-P900 Panoz LMP1 Roadster S (Lagorce) sets the fastest lap in class with a 1:16.544.
At 5:37, car #57-P675 Reynard 01Q/Judd (Maxwell) sets the fastest lap in class with a 1:20.201.
At 5:38, car #38-P900 Audi R8 (Wallace) sets the fastest lap in class with a 1:16.497.
At 5:38, car #51-P900 Panoz LMP1 Roadster S (Lagorce) sets the fastest lap in class with a 1:16.205.
At 5:39, car #51-P900 Panoz LMP1 Roadster S (Lagorce) sets the fastest lap in class with a 1:16.156.
At 5:39, car #57-P675 Reynard 01Q/Judd (Maxwell) sets the fastest lap in class with a 1:19.736.
At 5:40, car #5-P675 Reynard 01Q/Judd (de Radigues) sets the fastest lap in class with a 1:19.706.
At 5:43, car #2-P900 Audi R8 (Biela) sets the fastest lap in class with a 1:16.029.
At 5:44, car #1-P900 Audi R8 (Capello) sets the fastest lap in class with a 1:15.894.
At 5:46, car #18-P900 Audi R8 (Johansson) sets the second fastest lap in class with a 1:15.953.
At 5:46, car #1-P900 Audi R8 (Capello) sets the fastest lap in class with a 1:15.238.

Monterey Sports Car Championships
THE AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES
PIT NOTES: Page 3
SATURDAY SEPT 8, 2001

Monterey Sports Car Championships
THE AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES
PIT NOTES: Page 4
SATURDAY SEPT 8, 2001

At 5:52, checkered flag.

This is the fourth straight LMP675 pole for Didier de Radigues (#5-P675 Reynard 01Q/Judd) and the fifth in a row for Dick Barbour Racing. For team Audi, this is the third straight pole for the #1 car, fourth for driver Rinaldo Capello on the season.

Top three qualifiers in class:
#1-P900 Rinaldo Capello 1:15.238, #18-P900 Stephan Johansson 1:15.953, #2-P900 Frank Biela 1:16.029
#5-P675 Didier de Radigues 1:19.706, #57-P675 Scott Maxwell 1:19.736, #11-P675 Claudia Huertgen 1:22.581
#26-GTS Terry Borcheller 1:22.986, #3-GTS Ron Fellows 1:23.674, #4-GTS Andy Pilgrim 1:24.756
#42-GT JJ Lehto 1:26.265, #43-GT Dirk Muller 1:26.402, #23-GT Sascha Maassen 1:26.444

Terry Borcheller (#26-GTS Saleen S7R) "The Corvette is stepping up every race. They have a great program. Ron (Fellows) put a great lap down, I knew I had more in the car, then when Ron went faster I thought ‘here we go’. It was unique and very exciting, almost like winning a race. There’s no ‘game’ between the Corvette and the Saleens. Laguna has a lot faster corners that favor the Saleens, a good car to be in. We’re learning more, developing, our engineers are learning every time the cars go out. I’m learing the aerodynamics, I don’t have a lot of experience with a downforce car so the learning curve has been stiff. But we’re accumulating data, and its going in the right direction."

JJ Lehto (#42-GT BMW M3 GTR) "It was one of those laps and it worked out. There were a lot of cars doing a lot of laps before they got their times (down). It was a good time for me because of the black flag. When they started the session again I was first out. I pushed a little and it was good enough. I didn’t run that many laps, so we have good tires for the race. Laguna Seca is not a power circuit, except just before the corkscrew, but handling is very important and you need a good setup for the race. It (the lap) felt really good. We struggled yesterday with the setup. The team did some hard work since then and it paid off." (about the difference between driving the Protoype and the GT-Class cars) "I’ve always felt it was an advantage, both to Jörg (Müller) and me. We’ve been on both sides, fast and slow. This is a difficult place to let them by. They come so fast, especially at the corkscrew. It feels scary, but I know where to be careful. We just need to keep the race clean."

Jörg Müller (#42-GT BMW M3 GTR) "We were guessing on the setup. The track was tricky (this afternoon) but we should be ready for the race tomorrow."

Rinaldo Capello (#1-P900 Audi R8) (why didn’t the track record get broken) "I don’t know why. This year it seems you need many laps to warm the tires up. We needed the 20-minute session just to get the grip in the tires. That’s the biggest difference between this year and last year. My last lap was the only time I felt I could beat the track record. But I got really close to another car and decided to slow down a little, and it was my only chance I had to beat the last year time. We have to win again, for the team, for the drivers, we have to come back in a good way."

Didier de Radigues (#5-P675 Reynard 01Q/Judd) (about the closeness between the two team Barbour cars) "I wasn’t expecting him (Maxwell) to be so close. Its good to have two cars competitive. We run two different setups, I was on a more conventional setup. We hope to copy it tomorrow, even though I made some mistakes today. My last lap was the best, then Frank (Biela) spun (and slowed him down). But we’re just two seconds off the Cadillacs, and that’s the best we’ve done so far."

Scott Maxwell (#57-P675 Reynard 01Q/Judd) "We’ve been plugging away and fighting a lot of understeer. It’s a new experience with this team, and we’re glad to be where we are."

Monterey Sports Car Championships
THE AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES
PIT NOTES: Page 5
SATURDAY SEPT 8, 2001

Stefan Johansson (#18-P900 Audi R8) "We got a little bit lost this morning so we kinda lost a little bit of the setup. I think that we got it back at least where it was before now, repeating the fast time of yesterday. But I was hoping we’d be able to improve on that. But it’s still the front row!"

Sascha Maassen (#23-GT Porsche 911 GT3-RS) "The car had good balance, but we still were pushing hard. I was doing the best I can (to get third in qualifying). This is my favorite track outside of Germany."

IMSA GTP Historic Notes:
Bruce Canepa, driving a Nissan R90C, was the second-fastest qualifier for the Historic IMSA GTP race and may lead the field if the car of fastest qualifier Jim Adams can't be fixed. Adams slid off the track into a tire barrier in turn six right at the end of the Historic qualifying session Saturday afternoon. The 1990 Spice GTP suffered damage to the rear of the car.

Canepa, who raced IMSA cars from 1979 to 1982, and then came back and raced a Porsche 962 in 1989 and 1990, is driving the Nissan for the first time this weekend. After being out of racing for several years, he started doing vintage racing and driving in the Pikes Peak Hill Climb approximately two years ago.

"I'm on a steep learning curve with just a few days to do it in," Canepa said. "This is the last evolution of the Nissan. It takes a lot of work to drive it. Geoff Brabham said it was the hardest car he drove for Nissan, but it was also the fastest.

"Traffic was a problem in qualifying. I ran a few laps nose to tail with Jim, but he did a better job of finding holes in traffic than I did. By the second lap, we were already in traffic. It was hard to get good laps. The race is an hour and the key is going to be running consistent laps rather than trying to be fast."

Monterey Sports Car Championships
THE AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES
PIT NOTES: Page 6
SUNDAY SEPT 9, 2001

ALMS Combined Morning Warmup (20-minute session):
Current conditions: overcast and foggy skies with a slight mist in the air. The temperature is 58 degrees with no wind.
At 8:25, green flag.
At 8:30, car #67-GT Porsche 911 GT3 R reported smoking on course. The crew tightened the oil filter and solved the problem.
At 8:35, car #8-P900 Cadillac LMP 01 reported driving slowly on course. Returned to track at speed at 8:38.
At 8:43, Michelin tire engineers report the track temperature is 60 degrees.
At 8:35, car #69-GT Porsche 911 GT3-R was reported by turn 11 as carrying debris from one of the prototype cars, possibly the #11-P675 Lola B2K/40/Judd.
At 8:45, checkered flag.
All 29 cars practiced.

Top three in class:
? Andy Wallace (#38-P900 Audi R8) – 1:17.289, Tom Kristensen (#1-P900 Audi R8) – 1:18.329, Stefan Johansson (#18-P900 Audi R8) - 1:18.364
? John Graham (#57-P675 Reynard 01Q/Judd) - 1:23.359, Claudia Huertgen (#11-P675 Lola B2K/40/Judd) - 1:23.908, Milka Duno (#5-P675 Reynard 01Q/Judd)
? Johnny O’Connell (#3-GTS Chevrolet Corvette C5-R) - 1:23.864, Terry Borcheller (#26-GTS Saleen S7R) - 1:25.726, Kelly Collins (#4-GTS Chevrolet Corvette C5-R) - 1:26.131
? Lucas Luhr (#23-GT Porsche 911 GT3-RS) - 1:26.919, Fredrik Ekblom (#43-GT BMW M3 GTR) - 1:26.947, JJ Lehto (#42-GT BMW M3 GTR) - 1:27.308

ALMS Race Running:
At 11:54, engines start. All cars started.
At 12:00, the sky is still overcast and the temperature is 63 degrees.
At 12:01, green flag.
At 12:01, car #18-P900 Audi R8 spun and continued at turn in the middle of turn 2 after going in three wide with one of the #51-P900. Car #1-P900 Audi R8 also spun and continued coming out of turn 2.
At 12:03, at the end of the first lap, Jan Magnussen (#50-P900 Panoz LMP1 Roadster S) leads, with Rinaldo Capello (#1-P900 Audi R8) dropping to 17th and Patrick Lemarie (#18-P900 Audi R8) dropping to 26th after their spins.
At 12:05, at the end of three laps, car #1 as moved up to 10th and car #18 is up to 17th. The Audi team reports there is no damage on the #1-P900 Audi R8. The crew for the #18-P900 Audi R8 also reports no damage on that car.
At 12:10, Jon Field (#37-P900 B2K/10/Judd) into the pits and drove right through. The car had received a closed black flag, which is a warning, but the driver thought it was a penalty and came in only to be told by the crew it was OK to continue.
At 12:12, Niclas Jönsson (#6-GT BMW M3 GTR) spun and continued at turn 3 after being tapped by Jan Magnussen (#50-P900 Panoz LMP1 Roadster S) (overall leader).
At 12:12, Michelin tire engineers report the track temperature is 69 degrees (still overcast skies).
At 12:21, Frank Biela (#2-P900 Audi R8) has taken the overall lead.
At 12:25, Rinaldo Capello (#1-P900 Audi R8) has moved around the two Cadillac prototypes into fifth place overall.
At 12:31, Claudia Huertgen (#11-P675 Lola B2K/40/Judd) has pulled off a turn 9 and parked the car. The team says the engine let go.

At 12:32, top three in class: #2-P900 (24 laps), #50-P900, #38-P900; #57-P675 (22 laps), #5-P675, #11-P675 (retired); #26-GTS (22 laps), #3-GTS, #4-GTS; #42-GT (22 laps), #43-GT, #10-GT.

Monterey Sports Car Championships
THE AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES
PIT NOTES: Page 7
SUNDAY SEPT 9, 2001

At 12:35, Kye Wankum (#69-GT Porsche 911 GT3-R) spun and continued at turn six.
At 12:40, Jan Magnussen (#50-P900 Panoz LMP1 Roadster S) takes the overall lead passing Frank Biela (#2-P900 Audi R8) going into the corkscrew.
At 12:40, Scott Maxwell (#57-P675 Reynard 01Q/Judd) laps the second place in class Milka Duno (#5-P675 Reynard 01Q/Judd).
At 12:41, Max Angelelli (#8-P900 Cadillac LMP 01) and Terry Borcheller, GTS class leader, (#26-GTS Saleen S7R) make contact and both spin and continue at turn 9. #26-GTS retains the lead in class.
At 12:45, car #52-GT Porsche 911 GT3 RS into the pits. Tires and fuel, driver change: Andrew Bagnall.
At 12:48, car #5-P675 Reynard 01Q/Judd into the pits. Tires and fuel, driver change: Didier de Radigues.
At 12:49, Shane Lewis (#45-GTS Dodge Viper GTS-R) off and on at turn 6.
At 12:49, car #37-P900 B2K/10/Judd into the pits. Fuel only, driver change: Rick Sutherland. There will be a 20-second penalty for pit lane violation.
At 12:50, car #50-P900 Panoz LMP1 Roadster S (overall leader) into the pits. Fuel only, no driver change. Frank Biela (#2-P900 Audi R8) takes the overall lead.
At 12:52, car #51-P900 Panoz LMP1 Roadster S into the pits. Fuel only, no driver change.
At 12:54, car #7-P900 Cadillac LMP 01 into the pits. Fuel only, driver change: Christophe Tinseau.
At 12:54, car #8-P900 Cadillac LMP 01 into the pits. Tires and fuel, driver change: Wayne Taylor. 20-second penalty for fueler visor infraction.
At 12:55, car #18-P900 Audi R8 into the pits. Tires and fuel, driver change: Stefan Johansson.
At 12:56, car #45-GTS Dodge Viper GTS-R into the pits. Tires and fuel, driver change: Darren Law.
At 12:56, car #38-P900 Audi R8 into the pits. Front tires only, no driver change.
At 12:57, car #1-P900 Audi R8 into the pits. Tires and fuel, driver change: Tom Kristensen.

At 12:59, car #57-P675 Reynard 01Q/Judd (leader in class) has spun at turn 9, hitting the wall hard and damaging the right rear end of the car. The car makes it to the pits.

At 1:03, car #2-P900 Audi R8 (overall leader) into the pits. Fuel only, no driver change. Retains the overall lead.
At 1:03, car #26-GTS Saleen S7R (leader in class) into the pits. Fuel only, no driver change. Car #3-GTS Chevrolet Corvette C5-R takes the lead in class.
At 1:04, car #44-GTS Dodge Viper GTS-R into the pits. Tires and fuel, driver change: Mike Silcox.
At 1:05, car #4-GTS Chevrolet Corvette C5-R into the pits. Tires and fuel, driver change: Kelly Collins.
At 1:07, car #52-GT Porsche 911 GT3 RS into the pits and behind the wall with coolant problems.

At 1:08, top three in class: #2-P900 (50 laps), #50-P900, #38-P900; #57-P675 (41 laps), #5-P675 (40 laps), #11-P675 (retired); #3-GTS (45 laps), #26-GTS, #4-GTS; #42-GT (45 laps), #10-GT, #43-GT.

At 1:08, car #3-GTS Chevrolet Corvette C5-R (leader in class) into the pits. Tires and fuel, driver change: Johnny O’Connell. Car #26-GTS Saleen S7R takes the lead in class.
At 1:10, car #44-GTS Dodge Viper GTS-R spun and continued at turn 6.
At 1:10, car #69-GT Porsche 911 GT3-R contacts the #4-GTS Chevrolet Corvette C5-R forcing the #4-GTS off and on at turn 4.
At 1:10, car #5-P675 Reynard 01Q/Judd is reported out of the race with broken right rear suspension components. Team car #57-P675 Reynard 01Q/Judd reports a broken half-shaft, but the team is trying to repair the car and return to the track. In all three cars are retired at this point.
At 1:12, car #10-GT BMW M3 GTR spun and continued at turn 8.
At 1:15, Michelin tire engineers report the track temperature is 80 degrees. The skies are partly sunny.

At 1:19, car #38-P900 Audi R8 and #50-P900 Panoz LMP1 Roadster S make contact in the last corner, sending the #50 into the pits and into the tirewall backward and sideways. Driver Magnussen is out of the car walking back to the paddock.

Monterey Sports Car Championships
THE AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES
PIT NOTES: Page 8
SUNDAY SEPT 9, 2001

At 1:19, car #22-GT Porsche 911 GT3-RS into the pits. Tires and fuel, driver change: Randy Pobst.

At 1:20, car #7-P900 Cadillac LMP 01 has spun and high-sided at turn 8, requiring a tow.
At 1:20, full course yellow.

At 1:20, car #1-P900 Audi R8 has stopped on course at turn 7, the team reports a clutch problem. Driver Kristensen is out of the car, walking back to the paddock. The car has been retired.

At 1:22, car #7-P900 Cadillac LMP 01 into the pits. Tires and fuel, driver change: Emmanuel Collard. One lap penalty for working on the car in a closed pit.
At 1:23, car #2-P900 Audi R8 (overall leader) into the pits. Tires and fuel, driver change: Emanuele Pirro. Johnny Herbert (#38-P900 Audi R8) takes the overall lead.
At 1:23, car #10-GT BMW M3 GTR into the pits. Tires and fuel, driver change: Bill Auberlen.
At 1:23, car #42-GT BMW M3 GTR into the pits. Tires and fuel, driver change: Jörg Müller.
At 1:23, car #15-GT Porsche 911 GT3-R into the pits. Tires and fuel, driver change: Randy Wars.
At 1:23, car #43-GT BMW M3 GTR into the pits. Tires and fuel, driver change: Dirk Müller.
At 1:23, car #23-GT Porsche 911 GT3-RS into the pits. Tires and fuel, driver change: Lucas Luhr.
At 1:24, car #51-P900 Panoz LMP1 Roadster S into the pits. Tires and fuel, driver change: Klaus Graf.
At 1:24, car #69-GT Porsche 911 GT3-R into the pits. Tires and fuel, driver change: Joe Foster.
At 1:26, car #30-GT Porsche 911 GT3-RS into the pits. Tires and fuel, driver change: Johnny Mowlem.
At 1:26, car #66-GT Porsche 911 GT3 RS into the pits. Tires and fuel, driver change: Tyler McQuarrie.
At 1:28, car #67-GT Porsche 911 GT3 R into the pits. Tires and fuel, driver change: Tony Colicchio.

At 1:31, top three in class: #38-P900 (64 laps), #2-P900, #51-P900; #26-GTS (60 laps), #3-GTS (59 laps), #4-GTS; #42-GT (59 laps), #43-GT, #23-GT.

At 1:38, car #18-P900 Audi R8 is moving slowly down the hill through turns 9 and 10, apparently without power and continues into the pits.

At 1:39, car #38-P900 Audi R8 will be assessed a stop and go penalty for the incident involving the #50-P900 car. Also, car #8-P900 Cadillac LMP 01 will be assessed a stop and go for an avoidable contat with the #10-GT car.

At 1:41, car #8-P900 Cadillac LMP 01 into the pits for the stop and go penalty.

At 1:42, Dirk Müller (#43-GT BMW M3 GTR) takes the lead in class going into turn 2 passing team mate Jörg Müller (#42-GT BMW M3 GTR).

At 1:45, car #38-P900 Audi R8 has refused the black flag and the team manager has requested an audience with the race stewards to discuss the stop and go penalty. The car is still being scored. Six cars are behind the wall, with five retired to this point.

At 1:49, car #51-P900 Panoz LMP1 Roadster S into the pits smoking from the rear end. Returned to the track, but smoke was still coming out of the right rear. Returns to the pits, driver out, and the car is going behind the wall (apparently out of the race).

At 1:50, cars out of the race: #11-P675 (engine), #52-GT (engine/coolant), #5-P675 (suspension), #50-P900 (accident), #1-P900 (clutch).

At 1:52, Jörg Müller (#42-GT BMW M3 GTR) is being shown the closed black flag (warning) for contact with the #22-GT car in turn 2.

Monterey Sports Car Championships
THE AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES
PIT NOTES: Page 9
SUNDAY SEPT 9, 2001

At 1:52, car #38-P900 Audi R8 into the pits, goes behind the wall with a broken axle.
At 1:56, car #26-GTS Saleen S7R (class leader) into the pits. Tires and fuel, driver change: Franz Konrad. Retains the lead in class.
At 1:56, Hans Stuck (#6-GT BMW M3 GTR) into the tire wall hard coming out of the cork scew after contact with car #23-GT. The driver is out of the car and OK, the car will not continue. Car #23-GT Porsche 911 GT3-RS is being shown the closed black flag.

At 1:56, car #38-P900 Audi R8 (overall leader) into the pits. Tires and fuel, driver change: Andy Wallace. The car takes the 20-second penalty, and car #2-P900 Audi R8 takes the overall lead.
At 1:57, car #45-GTS Dodge Viper GTS-R into the pits. Tires and fuel, driver change: Shane Lewis.
At 2:03, car #44-GTS Dodge Viper GTS-R into the pits. Tires and fuel, driver change: Tom Weickardt.
At 2:03, car #8-P900 Cadillac LMP 01 into the pits. Fuel only, no driver change.

At 2:04, car #5-P675 Reynard 01Q/Judd is back on track after replacing the entire rear end of the car (running second in class).

Correction on retirements: Car #57-P675 Reynard 01Q/Judd has been retired with damage from their accident, car #5-P675 was listed incorrectly.

At 2:10, Michelin tire engineers report the track temperature is now 90 degrees, under mostly clear skies and a temperature of 68 degrees.

At 2:11, car #15-GT Porsche 911 GT3-R off and on at turn 8.
At 2:13, car #45-GTS Dodge Viper GTS-R off and on at turn 2.
At 2:14, car #45-GTS Dodge Viper GTS-R into the pits (40 second penalty for too many men over the wall).

At 2:14, with just over one-half our remaining, top three in class: #2-P900 (96 laps), #38-P900 (95 laps), #18-P900 (94 laps); #26-GTS (88 laps), #3-GTS, #4-GTS; #43-GT (88 laps), #42-GT, #23-GT (87 laps).

At 2:15, car #2-P900 Audi R8 (overall leader) into the pits. Fuel only, no driver change. Retains the overall lead at just over 35 seconds.
At 2:17, car #5-P675 Reynard 01Q/Judd returns to the pits after taking the lead in class completing 43 laps.

At 2:19, car #4-GTS Chevrolet Corvette C5-R into the pits. Tires and fuel, driver change: Andy Pilgrim.
At 2:21, car #7-P900 Cadillac LMP 01 into the pits. Fuel only, no driver change.
At 2:23, car #3-GTS Chevrolet Corvette C5-R into the pits. Tires and fuel, no driver change.
At 2:25, car #18-P900 Audi R8 into the pits. Fuel only, no driver change.
At 2:41, with 5 minutes remaining, the gap from first (#2-P900) to second (#38-P900) has shrunk from 30 plus seconds to just over 9 seconds. With one lap to go the gap is only 3.4 seconds.
At 2:46, checkered flag. Car #2-P900 wins over #38-P900 by 1.682 seconds. Car #26-GTS Saleen wins over the #3-GTS Corvette, and #42-GT BMW M3 passes #43-GT BMW M3 on the last lap for the win.

This is the 25th LMP900 win for Michelin in the ALMS. For drivers Pirro and Biela, this is their second wind of the season, and fifth of their careers. This puts Pirro unofficially in the lead in points in LMP900. For Borcheller and Konrad, this is their second GTS win in 2001 and second in their careers. De Radigues wins his fifth of the season and fifth career LMP675, and Duno gets her third win of 2001, third career. Lehto and Müller win for the fourth time in 2001 in the GT class; Müller wins his seventh and Lehto wins for 10th time in ALMS.

Monterey Sports Car Championships
THE AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES
PIT NOTES: Page 10
SUNDAY SEPT 9, 2001

Correction, at 1:52, should read: car #37-P900 B2K/10/Judd into the pits, goes behind the wall with a broken axle. {The #38-P900 Audi never went behind the wall}. Also the margin of victory was 1.602 seconds, not 1.682.

Johnny Herbert (#38-P900 Audi R8) (after the stop and go penalty) “It was all going well, I was able to just about keep pace with the #2 (Audi) and the Panoz and then the Audi pitted. It was just, I think, Jan (Magnussen) in front of me. So we made a couple of mistakes out in the back, sort of a bit unfortunate with the instance, but he made a couple of mistakes (also). (at the last turn) he started to go to the right which is the normal line, and I saw him go and I knew my momentum would pull me though on the inside. And then he decided that he’d try and block – I just saw him start to turn the car left, but I was already going that way, so if they look at the data they’ll see a left turn. I believe that’s what the stop and go penalty is all about, which is silly when it’s not your fault – that’s what’s annoying.”

Terry Borcheller (#26-GTS Saleen S7R) “The car handled really great. The season has been a real struggle. It seems that a lot of little details have been hurting us and causing us to loose races. This victory is a big boost for the team and for Saleen since this track is kinda where we started. Since this is in a sense our home track, we’re thrilled to win here. It was also a big boost for our sponsors since we brought prospects for next year, and they’ve had a life experience like no other. I’m really thrilled to be part of the Saleen program. I started as the factory test driver, and I know this has had a positive affect on my career.”

Franz Konrad (#26-GTS Saleen S7R) “We’ve had problems but it was great to win without errors. The tires were absolutely wonderful, we need to give credit to Dunlop. And our gave us fast stops.” (about the next Petit) “We’d like to put the same team together that won Sebring.”

Johnny O’Connell (#3-GTS Chevrolet Corvette C5-R) “We had a difficult time with the car. The brakes were not reacting the way we wanted. Once the sun came out, it made it difficult and we couldn’t brake when we wanted. We tried using a soft tire but they weren’t working when the sun came out either.”

Andy Pilgrim (#4-GTS Chevrolet Corvette C5-R) “Our car was too tight. With the marine layer (foggy clouds) in, we couldn’t get the car to handle. Once the sun came out, the car came to us. By then, it was too late. Our hat’s off to the 26 (Saleen) car.”

JJ Lehto (#42-GT BMW M3 GTR) (about the close competition in GT) “It started well. My stint was good. I built a good gap, then we got the yellow and I lost the lead. We need to pull all the points we could for the championship. This (win) should be good for BMW. This team has intense spirit.” (about the restrictions place on the BMW for this race) “Fortunately this is a handling and performance circuit. We were loosing some on the straights, but everyone knows this.”

Jörg Müller (#42-GT BMW M3 GTR) (about team orders at the end) “To say it was a team order would be quite stupid. We want to win the championship and it is very close. The big thing is the championship which won’t be decided until the last race.” (about the race) “I had some problems with my stint. I had some problems with Hans Stuck and Randy Pobst, but I didn’t want to risk anything. I waited for my chances and didn’t push too hard. At the end of my stint I got a little bit of a vibration. I saw I could pull away from the #23 (Porsche 911 GT3-RS) and the BMW (#10) and I didn’t have to push anymore. I was cruising around for half of my stint. Hans (Stuck) didn’t want to give me free space, and I didn’t want to risk my car. The vibration was probably from all the stuff that’s on the circuit.”

Monterey Sports Car Championships
THE AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES
PIT NOTES: Page 11
SUNDAY SEPT 9, 2001

Frank Biela (#2-P900 Audi R8) "We started the race from the third position where we qualified. The aim was to follow Dindo (Cappello) and make sure that we stayed behind him in the early laps. But then coming down to turn one, Dindo was very early on the brakes and I was quite surprised to be in the lead. The only problem was, and I expected this problem, the front tires were still a little cold and I ran a little wide and this opened up for Jan (Magnussen) to move in (for the lead)."

Emanuele Pirro (#2-P900 Audi R8) (about the close finish) "I was actually quite concerned because we didn’t really have a very good race up to that point. I spent quite a bit of time behind Stephan Johannson. I had picked up a big push and the car continued to pick up more understeer. At one stage my team called me on the radio to say be very careful because Frank’s (Biela) tires were very worn out. I started to be careful but it was too late, the tires were already worn and the car became very pushy, especially in the slow corners. It was a little difficult. The team did a very good job calling me in early for the last fuel stop. The team made the calculations and brought me in for a splash and dash. This was a very good decision. It’s a very good feeling to win." (about the championship) "You all follow the championship very closely. Early in the year would you have put money on us to win the championship? If yes, how much? Really, motor racing never stops teaching you things, even things can use in every day life. Which is, ‘you should never give up’. Until it’s actually over, there’s always a chance to make it and this is one more example."

Didier de Radigues (#5-P675 Reynard 01Q/Judd) "I was very pleased with the quick fix on the broken suspension. There was no apparent warning, it just broke. It’s the first time its ever happened. It broke under braking in the last corner, then suddenly it didn’t ‘brake’ anymore. The team did a very good job, it was a lot of work. But like Emanuele said, they never gave up."

Milka Duno (#5-P675 Reynard 01Q/Judd) (about her stint) "The other Dick Barbour car hit me, and I lost my place." (about the Petit) "We have not decided what our driver combinations will be at Road Atlanta. Mr. Barbour will make that decision."

Lucas Luhr (#23-GT Porsche 911 GT3-RS) "We did our best, we tried hard as we possibly can. We really squeezed our car out like a lion today. It shows how strong the competition is in the GT class because I know for sure the strength we fire off in our car - you see how much potential is in the BMW - that is really a tough battle. But I am happy. The championship is still open for Atlanta which is a longer race and with a total of ten hours for fuel consumption and tire wear, I think we should be a little better than our competitors."

Stefan Johansson (#18-P900 Audi R8) "Its great to be back on the podium but I honestly hoped we’d get better than that today. But we had a little bit of mishap on the first corner which put us back almost a lap at the beginning, so it was hard to catch up after that."

Fredrik Ekblom (#43-GT BMW M3 GTR) "We had a good car and it was a very good team effort today, to finish one-two. I'm happy I got the fastest lap, which gives us a point. I had a problem with pick-up of rubber inside the wheels, which gave me a big vibration in braking. In the end of the day, Dirk was very quick as usual."

Dirk Müller (#43-GT BMW M3 GTR) "I'm very happy, finishing one-two like in qualifying. It was a good race, Fredrik did a good job and our car was great. We were able to win this race."