One event of Le Mans Week is the “Technical Scrutineering,” where fans can get up close and personal with their favorite race cars. Also on hand are the pit crews to answer a myriad of questions about these high-tech wonders. These sessions were held on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday and Thursday, you could take a walk along Pit Row, where lots of action takes place during the race. Qualifying sessions to determine grid positions were also held these two days. On Friday, pit walks were again available, as were press conferences with teams for the attending media. Friday evening brought a very exciting event, the Grande Parade Des Pilotes or Driver’s Parade where fans could see the cars and drivers so closely that they could even get autographs. This multi-hour parade also featured plenty of classic race and road cars, including the latest offerings from small and large auto manufacturers.

On Saturday, all that is Le Mans came together. Fans from around the world took their positions in grandstands or hillsides along the famed 8.5 mile circuit. Want to see flat out speed? Then the Mulsanne Straight, where speeds exceed 200 mph, was for you. Want action and drama? Then the Porsche Curves or the Indianapolis Corner is where you should have been stationed. If you wanted to check out all of Pit Row drama, then a seat along the start/finish straight was in order. A record 258,500 fans attended Le Mans this year. At 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 14, the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans began.

Audi began its tenth year of running in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a lot of history behind it. Considered the world’s most important endurance race, Audi has won Le Mans seven times in the last eight years. Audi first established its dominance at Le Mans with the gasoline powered R8, sweeping the top three spots in the main LM P1 class in 2000, 2001 and 2002.

In an effort to tout its technological superiority, and to bring “green” racing into the Audi Motorsports stable, Audi showcased the R10 TDI turbo diesel-powered racecar at the Paris Auto Show in 2005. It didn’t take long for Audi to show its dominance with diesel, winning Le Mans in 2007.

It’s amazing that a diesel-powered racecar can be so competitive. We often think of diesel powered cars as stinky and slow. With 650 horsepower and 811 pound-feet of torque, these Audi race cars are far from slow. Of the 55 cars in the race, spread over four performance classes, six were diesel powered. Peugeot, the French automaker, also fielded three turbo-diesel entries.

Audi’s head of motorsport, Dr. Wolfgang Ulrich, had high hopes for Audi’s tenth entry: “We enter our anniversary race well-prepared. Nevertheless, like every year, you have to expect the unexpected at Le Mans and react as good as possible to whatever comes up. It shouldn’t be forgotten that we compete against extremely strong competition,” said Ulrich. Overall, the nine factory drivers from Audi share 23 first, second and third place victories.

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And Peugeot was ready too. Their diesel cars qualified on the pole with the fastest lap times in Le Mans history, shattering the record of 3:27.18 (held by Audi) by almost eight seconds. The three French cars propelled from the “flying start” with ferocity. It was stunning to see the effortless way the Peugeots powered away from the field. But endurance races are about endurance, and 24 hours is a long time to race, with the weather (it rained overnight in Le Mans), darkness, driver fatigue, and durability and reliability all coming into play.

This year, Audi was the first team to race at Le Mans with a mix of traditional diesel and biodiesel. Co-developed with Shell Oil, Shell’s V-Power “Power Diesel” uses biofuel made from biowaste which cannot be used for food. The Power Diesel is nearly sulfur free and odorless, and the R10 TDI uses two Dow particulate filters to further clean up the exhaust stream. These cars are super clean and amazingly quiet, producing a humming sound instead of the usual droning noise of a typical high strung racecar.

The final hours of the race were full of drama. Overnight, as the rains came down, Audi’s slower cars had the advantage, and the number 2 car pushed into the lead, with the number 1 and 3 cars fighting with Peugeot for the second and third spots. And it was a battle that would go to the wire. Peugeot misfired on a pit stop, with the car spinning to a stop on the wet tarmac. The number 2 Audi was involved in a crash in the 22nd hour that sent another car to the pits, but the Audi, piloted by then seven time winner Tom Kristensen, powered on.

Before the race, Audi driver (car number 1) Emanuele Pirro called the 24 Hours of Le Mans “the greatest wheeled race since Ben Hur.” In the end, his thoughts were spot on as the number two car, piloted by Kristensen, Dindo Capello and Allan McNish, beat the number 7 Peugeot 908 by four minutes, thirty-one seconds. During the entire race, these two cars were never separated by more than one lap. Kristensen added to his Le Mans trophy total with his record eighth win. At the end, only 35 of the 55 cars that started the race were running at the finish, truly underscoring the beating man and machine take during the race. According to McNish, “You have to beat Le Mans before you beat any of your competitors. And beating Le Mans is the hardest part of it.”

In other classes, LM P2 was won by Porsche, Aston Martin defended its LM GT1 title, and Ferrari swept the LM GT2 Class.

The season opener at Infineon Raceway was a raging success. The series has already grown from the 2 cars last year to 6 competitors on Saturday (March 15th, 2008) and 7 on Sunday (March 16th, 2008). The March event at Thunderhill saw 6 Saturday and 9 the following race. Add to that the 3 or 4 cars in our shop that we’re preparing and we’ll have a full grid of our own by the end of the season. The SpecE30 series is a real testament to BMWs and their durability. The cars are limited to stock engines, transmissions and differentials. Despite the cars being nearly 20 years old they are able to withstand the abuse of the warm up, the qualifying, and 30 minute sprint races with little to no maintenance between rounds! While our fellow racers are busy hammering away repairing or replacing parts we get to stand around and enjoy each others company. This camaraderie has some Spec Miata and RX7 people looking at our series, the Valley Motorwerks / Norcalspece30.com

Saturday’s race at Infineon was pretty trouble free despite half the field was made up of rookies. We took the time to talk to everyone and make sure that they were going to drive a clean race and not damage their car or reputation! The guys did really well and I was proud to watch them in their maiden race. I was not present for Sunday’s race and maybe it was a good thing. All of our good luck from Saturday was gone by Sunday’s race. Brenden Selvig from Carmel managed to overcook turn 11 and total out a Honda Challenge car. Luckily no one was hurt and the parties involved were able to work out an equitable solution. The March Thunderhill race was simply incredible. I thought it would be difficult to outdo ourselves but we did. Having a record number of 9 cars and 2 others at the track going through testing was an incredible feeling. Adam Lazur, Mike Schwartzbart, Ryan Johnson and Brenden Selvig tested for their licenses and passed! Ryan sat out the Sunday race but the others jumped in feet first. The start was a reverse grid that placed 2 rookies on the front of the pack. The races were going to be run with a standing rather than a rolling start adding to the stress. AJ Goldsmith took off early then BACKED UP and got back into place just in time for the green flag. We could have had a real catastrophe on our hands but it all worked out well. There was some really exciting racing but it only lasted a few laps. Unfortunately, the race was red flagged due to a bad accident that involved Brandon Kraus. He took Lifeflight to a Chico area hospital and was released with only bruising a few cuts and a broken arm. His crash was a grim reminder how dangerous our sport can be.

For most of the guys this was their chance to get into racing and live out a lifelong dream. The cost of building and maintaining a SpecE30 is relatively low compared to other forms of auto racing. A set of tires will run 3 race weekends and brake pads will last about half a season.

VMWERKS Racing prepared a car for licensed racers outside the series to drive during a non-race session. Scott and Marcus Miller, Don Bailey, Carlos Suarez, Mark Welch, Tommy Lo and Richard Serafino along with myself took the car out. The common thread between all of us was how drivable the car was. The Miatas owners really liked the stability of the chassis and all the torque. I owned a SpecE30 for 2 years and picked up a second one a year ago but had never driven one. I was excited to get behind the wheel and give it a go. My personal track car is an E30 but is modified to a much greater degree than the Spec cars. I was surprised at how quickly you could pedal around Thunderhill in a stock drivetrain E30. The E30 chassis equipped with the Spec suspension had no bad habits and was “easy” to drive. Needless to say the test drive concept was a good one and allowed other competitors a chance to see what racing “The Ultimate Driving Machine” is all about!

See you at the races!

In addition to offering race courses, FAST LANE Racing School also provides courses for new/teen drivers. Their Defensive Driving Academy, an extension of FAST LANE, is also involved in the “development and management of Toyota Driving Expectations, a free program offered to teens and parents throughout the United States.”

Press release follows for more on FAST LANE Racing School and the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race:

An eclectic roster of stars of film, television and sports will strap into brand new race-ready Scion tCs to vie for the checkered flag in the world’s longest-running, most successful celebrity racing event: the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race on Saturday, April 19, part of the 34th annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

For the 23rd year, Danny McKeever and FAST LANE Racing School, the Official Racing School of Toyota Motorsports, will provide all driver training for this coveted event. Participants are required to attend a four-day high performance course at FAST LANE, where they will prepare for their racing adventure in Long Beach, CA, April 20. Regardless of previous experience, all participants start with the basics such as braking and skid control, and work their way up to advanced racing techniques, such as heel-toe downshifting, passing and simulated race starts.

“It’s the camaraderie that occurs in these four days of training that makes this event special,” said Mckeever, a 40-year teaching veteran and CEO of FAST LANE. “To watch a NASCAR pro like Mike Skinner or Todd Bodine come out along side of someone who barely knows how to drive a manual transmission, and watch each participant meet or exceed their personal limits is exciting and rewarding.”

Based at Willow Springs Raceway (just north of Los Angeles), FAST LANE offers various courses in driver training, from a Teen Defensive Driving School to Advanced Racing Schools and everything in between. Racing school participants can be taught in the same race-prepared Toyota Celicas that were previously used in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race, or have the option of bringing their own high performance car. Either way, these courses are guaranteed to get the adrenaline pumping with high performance driving techniques such as high-speed cornering, extreme braking and ultimate skid control.

The Defensive Driving Academy educates new drivers in advanced behind-the-wheel driving skills. The one-day course explores the dynamics of a vehicle, exploring ultimate cause and effect behind-the-wheel. It’s a safe environment where these young drivers can experience a vehicle out of control as slower speeds and learn how to recover properly.

“Our driver education system does not prepare new drivers as well as it could,” explains McKeever, who opened the doors of Defensive Driving Academy nearly five years ago as an extension of FAST LANE. “We continue to improve the safety and technology of our vehicles, and we need to give that same attention to the new drivers. They can greatly benefit from these additional skills training.”

Defensive Driving Academy is also proud to be involved in the development and management of Toyota Driving Expectations, a free program offered to teens and parents throughout the United States.

2008 Pro/Celebrity Participants

Drew Lachey
Raymond Cruz
Wilmer Valderrama
Eric Dickerson
John Salley
Daniel Goddard
Jamie Little
Nancy Lieberman
Brad Lewis
William Fichtner

Paul Gentilozzi and Kevin Kalkhoven, the men behind Open Wheel Racing Series, or OWRS, have taken over CART and are working out a schedule that will include about 16 races this season.

However, two races that will not appear on the schedule are Fontana, Calif. and Miami. A previously announced race in Las Vegas and a street race in St. Petersburg, Fla. – scheduled for May 16 and Feb. 22, respectively – still might make it onto the schedule.

“We’re committed to racing in Las Vegas,” Gentilozzi said in an article that appeared in the Jan. 5 issue of AutoWeek. The question is not whether to race in Las Vegas, but where to race. There is the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which has had problems in the past promoting some races, and there is also a major casino that is interested in hosting the event in a facility alongside “The Strip.

A full schedule is not necessarily the primary focus of the new ownership. CART had a full schedule in 2003, the season that saw the league post $100 million in losses. Referring to the financial crisis that led to the demise of the former CART ownership, Gentilozzi said, “We know how to make money. We know how they [previous ownership] got there and we know how we won’t get there.”

Supporting these statements is the news that was made available just as we went to press regarding resignations from CART’s board of directors. CART’s website announced the resignations of: James F. Hardymon, James A. Henderson, Rafael A. Sanchez and Frederick T. Tucker, effective January 9, 2004.

Currently, there are 18 cars slated to race this season and both Gentilozzi and Kalkhoven said they aren’t worried about the number of cars in the field for the 2004 season.

Both Kalkhoven and Gentilozzi expect to have two cars representing their respective teams, while Forsyth Racing, Newman-Haas Racing and Herdez Competition also plan to have two cars each for the season. Other team owners are in limbo as they search for new sponsorship. However, the loss of American Spirit, a two-car team owned by Stefan Johansson, does not help matters.

And in the other lane (no pun intended), the Indy Racing League, or IRL has confirmed 18 cars for the 2004 season and is optimistic that there will be between 23 and 26 cars by the time the season begins.

Last season, the IRL recorded its all-time lowest average of 21.7 cars per race throughout the course of the season. Many insiders, fans and enthusiasts speculate that the IRL/CART feud is the primary reason both leagues are suffering.

IRL officials have confirmed there will be several multi-car teams active in 2004, including Andretti Green Racing, which will be fielding four cars on the track. Several other teams will be racing two cars, such as: Ganassi Racing and Team Penske. Only a handful of teams will race a single driver many of which hope to have another car on the track sometime later in the season.

The first IRL race of the 2004 season is scheduled Feb. 29 in Homestead-Miami Speedway and will be broadcast on ESPN. CART’s official television schedule has not yet been published.

Roadfly was fortunate enough to spend 345,600 seconds (4 days) with Team Fernandez during this year’s CART Grand Prix of Monterey (Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California). We were granted full access to the team for these four days – nothing was ever off limits, and for this we extend a huge round of thanks to everyone at Team Fernandez. We were able to talk to anyone and everyone on the team, got to put our hands on some very expensive equipment and were made privy to some extremely sensitive information regarding the car set-ups and performance.

Before we dive into the events, happenings and the behind-the-scenes look into a typical race weekend, we need to address the current state of affairs within CART. A once prominent and dominant racing organization, feuds and other legal battles have taken their toll on America’s open wheel racing leagues. IRL and CART have successfully fought each other into near-extinction; television coverage is at an all-time low, and if the fighting continues, it is inevitable that time will run out for both series.

Heck, at this point I don’t even know how to properly describe the CART series – a few years ago, it was referred to as “Indy car racing,” but that title was snatched away when Tony George decided to start his own series. Fair enough. The name then became “CART,” which was catchy, easily remembered and appropriate for the series. But this year, a curve ball was thrown, and the series would officially become known as: “CART: Bridgestone Presents Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford,” I think. I have to leave myself an exit because I couldn’t find anyone who could confirm or deny the official name of the series. Talk about frustrating…let’s just agree that for the sake of this article the series will be referred to as either “CART” or “Champ Car,” ok?

Our race weekend began on Thursday, June 12 with a media lunch event, which was held in one of Laguna Seca’s paddock pit row suites. A posh lunch was provided while drivers, media agents, publicists and reporters swarmed the smallish suite. There were television cameras just about everywhere and the drivers were being pulled in ten different directions throughout the entire hour and a half long event.

After eating lunch while standing alongside and chatting with Jimmy Vasser, Mario Dominguez and Bruno Junqueira, we made our way down to the Team Fernandez hauler where we were introduced to some of the team. We took a quick tour of the haulers and were also shown the team’s garage space.

They say that first impressions are critical, and our first impression with the Team Fernandez organization was one of complete and utter awe. Everything they did, worked on or worked with was spotless – the organization and precision with which everything was executed and organized was mind-boggling. No doubt these guys could double as brain surgeons should they ever tire of the racing scene; it’s that impressive.

The crew was split between the two haulers and the garage space, and while there wassn’t any track time scheduled for the first day, the pace with which the crew worked was anything but lax. In one hauler (massive 18-wheeled tractor/trailer rigs that are filled with office, work and storage space), team engineers worked with computer modeling and simulation software to help determine the proper chassis set-up for the first practice. In the garage space located just across from the haulers, team members prepared one of the team’s two cars.

After familiarizing ourselves with the team’s quarters, we walked down pit lane with assistant race engineer, Dan Grabski. Dan is a native of Rochester, New York, holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering and has been involved with CART racing for three years. As we walk, he gives us an idea of what to expect for the weekend and explains his responsibilities to us.

“I’d say currently my responsibility is to analyze and process aerodynamic information, perform track and race simulations and assist as necessary with other team functions,” he says as we walk toward the Team Fernandez Tecate/Quaker State pit stall. He goes on to say that “All of the team’s engineers are on hand for a race event. We don’t leave anyone back at the shop.”

We arrive at the pit space, where another member of the Fernandez Racing Team is busy setting up the pit box. He’s placing strips of red and green racer’s tape on the pavement, which will later serve as an entry guide to the pit box for Adrian. Grabski leads us over to the main pit cart, on which there are flat-screen computer monitors, laptop computers and a high-speed network system, complete with switch and router.

“We continuously gather information from the car for use with our modeling and simulation software. We track and utilize information about fuel, tires, chassis set-up, ride height, aero packages, and so on,” says Grabski as he clicks away on his laptop. After a few seconds, he looks up and says, “We can run lap after lap of simulation software, make a change here and there, and get pretty close to finding a decent set-up for qualifying and race day. The software is pretty good, but it can’t model everything with total accuracy – it gets us close.”

As we look around the pit stall, we notice another crewmember, Ken Szymanski (”Kenny”) working on a stack of fresh Bridgestone racing slicks. It turns out that Kenny is somewhat of a legend- having been involved with racing since 1978, both in Formula One and CART. We picked Kenny’s brain about tires, and in doing so learned that he has worked with racing greats like Mario Andretti and Ayrton Senna.

Kenny explains that the team uses dried air from Bridgestone rather than nitrogen to air-up the tires. Interestingly, he says the air that Bridgestone supplies is as reliable and consistent if not more so than the nitrogen (nitrogen has been used instead of compressed air in racing tires because compressed air is usually very moist, and the moisture is undesirable). “Roughly speaking, it takes about 3-4 laps for the tires to come up to temperature and pressure, so to account for that increase in pressure, I usually set the cold pressures about 2 or 3-psi lower than what we’re looking for when the tires are hot.”

We asked Kenny for information about how much a set of Bridgestone racing tires was worth, but he wouldn’t comment on that. “The [tire] lease information is kept confidential – each team works out its own deal with Bridgestone, and we’re assigned an engineer from Bridgestone to help us with the tires and set-up,” he said.

Friday would bring us our first taste of on-track excitement – after an early morning press meeting, we received official photographer vests and armbands from CART and were ready to start photographing some racing action. We made our way to the famous corkscrew (turns 7 and 8 ) and staked our claim just at the bottom of the corkscrew. The sound of Ford Cosworth motors turning 11,000 rpm could be heard in the distance, so we readied the cameras.

Several cars scream up the hill that leads to the entry of the corkscrew and we catch our first glimpse of their noses as they negotiate the apex into turn 7. In what is at best two blinks of the eye, the cars are at full throttle again and racing through turn 9. I check my camera, hoping that I’ll have poster quality images awaiting my review.

Nope. I managed to get the nose of one car and a blurry rear wing shot of another. This is going to take some practice…The Champ Cars are lapping the 2.238 mile track in about 1 minute and 10 seconds. After the first practice session, we learn that Team Fernandez is a little off the pace with lap times in the 1:12 range. Two seconds is an eternity in CART racing, so the team has their work cut out for them – the next practice session will start in less than an hour.

The second practice session fares better, but traffic creates headaches for the #51 Team Fernandez Tecate/Quaker State/Telmex car. Adrian pulls into the pits after the practice session, and before he even has his safety belts undone the crew has removed the racing tires and is putting on rain tires. Adrian exits the car and with his helmet still on comments that the car feels a lot better than it did after the first session. He removes his helmet, grabs a drink of water, and hops on his bike. He’s headed back to the hauler for a debriefing session with the engineers.

Somewhat surprised to see the rain tires go on, I ask one of the crew members why they’ve switched to rain tires. Brian Vanetti (outside rear tire changer and mechanic) tells me that they always transport the car on rain tires. CART allots a limited amount of racing tires per event (typically seven or eight sets of 4 tires), so the team can’t afford to have a tire damaged by debris while the car is being rolled around the pits.

Qualifying is scheduled for 2:30pm and there’s a lot of work that needs to be completed in a short amount of time. The crew pushes the red and green #51 car back to the garage where they make a series of adjustments in preparation for qualifying. While the team works on the car, we make our way to the hauler. Adrian is talking about the car’s characteristics with his engineers and the discussion is extremely interesting.

They’re busy trying to determine how to make the car handle well without sacrificing speed, and there’s talk about braking efficiency. Adrian feels that the car isn’t rolling through the corners smoothly – he has to stay off the gas too much at times, and would like to be able to use more throttle, earlier.

As Adrian continues to discuss handling and strategy with the engineers, we decide to make our way over to the team’s hospitality tent. Most of the Champ Car teams have hospitality tents in which guests of the team can kick back and relax with some food and drink.

The Fernandez Racing hospitality tent is decked out in a combination of Tecate red and Quaker State green. A buffet table sits in the far corner; a large “tour bus” serves as one of the area’s walls, a large awning extends from the side of the bus to give some much needed shade. There’s a commercial cooler that’s stocked with water, soda and Tecate beer, and there are about a dozen round tables set-up for people to sit at.

The chefs do a wonderful job of preparing a diverse menu – there’s fresh fruit, two types of salad, seafood, chicken and a beef entree available. There are also vegetables and various pastas and breads, and a wonderful desert table holds chocolate cake and other goodies.

As we were eating our lunch, Mario Andretti walked into the tent, grabbed a plate and sat down next to us. It’s not everyday that you have lunch with Mario – we chatted about the weekend and then left him to enjoy his lunch.

We ran back to pit lane just as the Champ Cars were being called out for their provisional qualifying session. Rich Meredith (inside rear tire changer/starter/mechanic) told us that the team felt good about their qualifying chances. “We made some changes that should put us up near the front,” he said.

We walked around the car as it sat on pit lane and watched as the team made last minute adjustments and attached the nose to the car. Adrian arrived on his bike, hopped over the pit wall and put on his helmet and gloves. It’s very interesting to see how a driver enters the cockpit of his racecar – the fit is tight – very tight. Once in the cockpit, the crew straps him in and they set a custom built fan on the cowl so that cold air can be blown on the driver as he sits waiting for the car to be started.

The provisional qualifying session was rather uneventful – we watched Adrian lap the track via the telemetry screens (each car has a GPS unit that sends information about its location on the track back to the pits). In addition to providing information about its location, the car also transmits information about critical items like brake temperature, tire pressure and temperature, throttle position, and various vital engine statistics (oil pressure, oil and water temperature, etc.).

When the qualifying session ended, the team once again removed the racing tires, swapped in rain tires and pushed the car back to the pits. Team Fernandez had earned a sixth-place grid position with a 1:10.846 best lap. Less than 0.95 seconds separated Team Fernandez from fifth place qualifier Mario Haberfield.

When we arrived to the track on Saturday morning, we found the crew hard at work on the car – they were preparing for their next practice session while Adrian was attending a “Breakfast with Champions” promotion with several other CART drivers.

We learned that immediately following the day’s events the team would be replacing the engine on the #51 Team Fernandez racecar. Cosworth Racing supplies each team with a new 2.65-liter, 750 horsepower, Ford Cosworth V8 motor every 1,200 miles. The all aluminum, 32-vlave, turbocharged motor can spin 12,000 rpm and is monitored and maintained by a Cosworth engineer at each event.

Each time the motor is started “cold,” a Cosworth engineer is present – he plugs in a laptop computer to one of the electrical boxes on the motor and monitors oil and water temperature, fuel and oil pressures and various other components. The engineer is also present while the motor is changed and is involved with any and all troubleshooting related to the motor. Any time the car is on the track, there’s a Cosworth engineer sitting with the team, monitoring the engine’s vitals. We would talk with Mathew Leicht of Cosworth Racing later in the day.

During the practice session Adrian made several pitstops for adjustments. Some of these adjustments were minor, while others were significant. Through the team’s radio communications it became evident that the car was loose, so race engineer David Watson requested a shock absorber change. It was amazing to watch six or seven crewmembers replace a pair of shocks – they were able to swap a set of shocks in less than a minute, all without getting in one another’s way.

Again, the practice session came to a close and surprisingly, we learned that the team wasn’t practicing for the qualifying session – they were concentrating on “full tank” runs in preparation for Sunday’s race. In the debriefing session, Adrian commented that he was experiencing a brake vibration – it was taking a toll on his arms and made the car difficult to control in the corners.

Qualifying began at 1:45pm and would last for one hour (remember how important time is?). When the qualifying session came to a close, Adrian found himself in sixth place with a time of 1:10.228. Less than 0.7 seconds separated Adrian from the first place qualifier, Michel Jourdain, Jr.

Back in the garages, the Fernandez crew was hard at work on tearing down the car. They had a full schedule in front of them – the car would be completely disassembled and rebuilt in a matter of hours. Prior to tearing it down, they scaled the car and took a series of complicated measurements so that they could return the car to the same set-up as before it was torn down. They have complex alignment tools, and various other measuring devices that they use to record settings, ride heights, camber, caster, and so on.

We talked with various crewmembers as they removed the bodywork, drained the radiators and fuel bladder, replaced the brake rotors, pads and brake fluid, rebuilt the suspension system (including the steering rack), rebuilt the transaxle/transmission assembly (all gears were replaced), and performed other work on the Lola chassis.

Again, it was utterly amazing to watch a complete racecar transform into nothing more than a bare chassis-shell within a matter of sixty minutes. Each member knew his job exactly, and he worked with surgical precision.

We chatted at length with Brian Vanetti who described himself as a “floater mechanic” that helped out as needed in the garage. Brian is also the outside rear tire changer that we spoke to earlier on pit lane. Brian’s roots are in NHRA drag racing, where he crewed for legends like Don “The Snake” Prudhome. While Brian enjoys CART racing, he commented, “Things were a lot more relaxed in NHRA racing. CART’s much more politically correct.”

While talking with Vanetti, we received word from CART officials that Jourdain Jr.’s car was underweight, and he would be stripped of his pole position. Fernandez just moved up to position 5 (”P5″ as they say) for the start of Sunday’s race.

John Slater, inside tire changer and mechanic was hard at work on the front half of the car. He was replacing all of the braking components and was rebuilding the steering assembly when we stopped to chat with him. “This is what we call the calm before the storm,” he said as he twisted a Snap-On ratchet over a caliper mounting point.

John also explained to us that Team Fernandez uses a system of a “front crew” and a “back crew” – he and a few other crewmembers typically work on the front half of the car while another set of crewmembers typically focus on the back half of the car. While we were talking with John, Barry Scott walked by with a pan full of gears – he was rebuilding the gearbox.

“We’ve done this stuff so much that it’s almost a matter of habit,” said Tony Leith (outside front tire changer and mechanic).

While the crew continued to work on the car, we chatted with Mathew Leicht, who was serving as the Cosworth engineer for Team Fernandez this weekend. “We get shuffled from team to team each weekend, so the teams get a different engineer each weekend. This helps ensure that the playing field is level,” he commented while he watched the crew transfer parts from their old Cosworth V8 to the new one.

Mathew went on to explain that Cosworth tries to be as “transparent” as possible to the sport – the motors have been relatively problem free this year and are making more horsepower with less RPM and less fuel consumption. “Reliability has been tremendous so far,” he says as he reaches for a piece of wood to knock on. “I think the reason for the improved reliability and closer racing this year is due in large part to the deletion of traction control. Traction control made things somewhat difficult for us last year.”

We continued to watch the crew work on the car, while we asked Mr. Leicht about the Cosworth engine lease program. “CART teams lease motors from Cosworth for approximately $1.275 million per year. They run a motor for a maximum of 1,200 miles – that can include practice, testing, racing, anything. Once they hit 1,200 miles, we exchange the motor. Old motors are returned to Cosworth where they are disassembled and evaluated.”

We asked him if teams are allowed to do anything to the motor, and he said, “No, not really. The motors are all ’sealed’ meaning that each team gets an identical motor to its competitor – that way, there aren’t any advantages given to anyone based on motor performance.”
What if a motor has 1,000 miles on it and the next 200+ miles includes a race day? “Then we replace the motor early. If you’ve got 800 miles on your motor and a 500 mile race is tomorrow, we’ll have the motor exchanged so it’s fresh for the race.”

Feeling comfortable with Mathew, we decided to push him for some “dirt” by asking insider questions like what type of oil do the motors use? “I don’t know, let’s go see,” he said as he walked over to the Team Fernandez supply cabinet. “Looks like they use Quaker State 5w30 synthetic blend,” he said.

We thought he was joking, but as he said that, a Fernandez team member came over and grabbed two sealed cases of Quaker State 5w30 synthetic blend. We watched closely and carefully as he opened the cases, and poured quart after quart of the off-the-shelf Quaker State into the fresh motor’s dry sump oil tank, 11 quarts in all. Leicht went on to explain, “Cosworth doesn’t care what oil you use, as long as it meets our viscosity and performance requirements. We realize that teams have oil deals, so they usually use whatever is available to them.”

By the time we were finished talking with Mathew, the team was already putting the car back together. When we left for the evening, the crew was scaling the car and making various chassis adjustments, and Kenny Szymanski was busy shaving the team’s racing tires to make sure they were completely clean and ready for race day.

The entire team is nothing short of amazing – it was quite an experience to be standing inches from them as they tore down the car and rebuilt it.

Race day started with another early morning press meeting with CART officials. We were instructed on the timeline and schedule for the day’s events. CART runs a tight ship – the schedule was coordinated to the minute. At exactly 12:21pm we would have to leave pit lane and return to the team’s pit box. At 12:26pm the drivers would have to be in their cars. At 12:29pm the command would be given to start the engines and at 12:30pm, the cars would be doing their warm-up laps.

Scheduling aside, the team was preparing the car for the final practice session before the race. Once again, we stood inches from the car and watched as Adrian returned the car to the pits for a differential adjustment, a rear shock change and some modifications to the rear brake ducting. It’s quite amazing that CART (and the teams) allow photographers and journalists to stand an inch from a car as it races into its pit stall. The general sense seems to be, “Don’t get run over, don’t get in our way and everything will be fine.”

While Team Fernandez sorted the minor problems, Michel Jourdain Jr’s problems continued – his team was pitted directly in front of the Fernandez pit stall, and his gearbox was continually malfunctioning. “I hope they can get it figured out,” said a Fernandez crewmember. Not only are these guys incredibly smart and talented, they’re also genuinely nice people. Adrian finished the final practice and then disappeared to the hauler to prepare for the race.

Meanwhile, the team returned to the garage for last minute adjustments (they set the fuel cell capacity and made a few minor changes) and to suit-up for the race. The Fernandez crewmembers wear flame retardant one-piece suits and helmets to help protect them should the unthinkable happen.

When the team returned to pit lane, their demeanor was different – they were ready to work and were serious about their efforts. The joking and kidding subsided and everyone was wearing their game face. By 11:30am, the car was parked on the starting grid, the team was suited and ready to go, and the SpeedTV crew was walking up and down pit-lane, looking for a story.

The final hour before the race seemed to last for an eternity – the time crawled by. We sat on pit wall and watched as the drivers took their parade lap while standing on the back of a pick-up truck. Many of the drivers had their fathers with them as the race was held on Fathers Day.

We finally had to clear pit lane and return to the team’s pit box, where we were given racing headsets so that we could listen to the crew’s conversations. Everyone was in place – the engineers were “in” their pit cart, laptops buzzing, and the rest of the crew was at their respective station. Tire changers lined the wall, the fuel man checked his equipment and we tried to stay out of everyone’s way.

The green flag dropped, followed immediately by a yellow flag – there had been contact between two cars on the start. The green flag would fly on the next lap, and the race was underway.

The pits are eerily calm during a race. The crew is quiet on the radio and not much conversation takes place between Adrian and his engineers. By lap 18 Adrian has moved up to 4th place and is 8 seconds behind the leader. The radio crackles to life, “Raise the rear tire pressure 2-psi for this stop.” Kenny is on it.

I look at the telemetry screen and notice that the rear tire pressures and temperature look normal. Kenny tells me that there’s nothing wrong with the handling, they (the engineers) just want the pressures to be slightly higher). I almost fell over when I saw the brake temperatures from the Fernandez car – 820-degrees Celsius on the front rotors and nearly 500-degrees Celsius on the rears! That is some serious heat!

On lap 23 the radio again came to life. “Pit next lap. Pit next lap.” The crew began to prepare for the pending stop. A fresh right-front tire was placed over the wall, the pneumatic impact guns were double-checked and one crewmember was performing some stretching exercises.

Lap 24 and the pits were suddenly a buzz with action – Adrian raced into the pit box, hit his mark and the tires were changed in a matter of seconds. Air hoses flew and the car dropped from its pneumatic lift. Fueler Mike Gugar, stepped back and Adrian smoked the tires on his way out of the pit.

I was amazed – the pit stop looked flawless, but Fernandez dropped two positions while in the pits. How could this be? It turns out there had been an equipment problem with the fuel man’s helmet and he over-filled the car by about one second.

One second. A one second error cost two racing positions; the error wasn’t anyone’s fault – an electronic “blinker” that is mounted inside of the helmet of the fuel man had failed. The blinker is supposed to flash when the car has received enough fuel – it’s how the fuel man knows when to remove the fuel nozzle from the car.

Meanwhile, Derek Daly of SpeedTV/CBS was walking up and down the pits, looking for a story. He stopped in and asked, “Have you got anything for me?” Tamy Valkosky, Team Fernandez Public Relations Director shook her head to say, “No.” Daly watched the race on one of the Fernandez monitors, then gathered his crew and moved on.

As the race continued, the radio was relatively quiet. Lap 48 brings another pit stop and the pit stop exercise is repeated. Again, the team is upset because they lost two positions by the time Adrian exits pit lane. I managed to catch a glimpse of the fuel gauge and saw that they dumped 29-gallons of methanol into the car in less than eight seconds.

Fuel information is extremely privileged – the teams go to great lengths to keep the information confidential. The fuel valve deadman operator (he stands at the fuel cart and is the emergency fuel shut-off man) hides the fuel meter from view by blocking it with his body. Then, as soon as Dan Grabski can take a reading, the meter is reset to zero – I was lucky to catch a glimpse of it.

The final pit stop took place on lap 71, and the team put in 22 gallons of methanol. After the pit stop was finished I flashed a “thumbs up/thumbs down” sign to John Slater and he returned a “thumbs middle” sign. Adrian left the pit in seventh position and went on to finish the race in the same position.

After the checkered flag flew, the team was informed their car would be tech inspected, so they pushed it to the tech center for an inspection. Various crew members hurriedly packed up the pit space and within an hour, the pit box was nearly vacant.

Back in the garage, the packing continued at a hurried pace as well. The team would have to repeat this weekend’s entire process again in just a few days – Portland, Oregon was the next stop, which Fernandez would go on to win.

Rich Meredith (inside rear tire changer/starter/mechanic) also drives one of the haulers. He explained that he would leave the track by around 6pm and drive straight to Portland. The rest of the team would fly to Portland on Monday. Rich was looking forward to getting to the track early, washing the haulers and then playing a little golf.

While the team packed, Adrian debriefed with his engineers. A long line of fans began to accumulate outside of the haulers – they were looking for autographs and pictures of their favorite driver. While we talked with Adrian, he was busy signing various items for fans – a helmet visor, a CD, a photograph, a poster and so on.

Despite having just run 87 grueling laps in a cramped racecar, Adrian looked like a million bucks. He took time to answer all of our questions (see side bar), posed for a photo and wished us well.

As we exited the hauler, we said thanks to all of the Fernandez crewmembers and wished them luck with the upcoming race in Portland. As we were walking back to the rental car, I turned and saw the car being loaded into the hauler – they were almost ready to leave the track.

So there you have it. 345,600 seconds in the life of a CART racing team brought to you compliments of the Fernandez Racing team. We have to say thank you to many people for making this story possible, including: Adrian Fernandez, Tammy Valkosky, Mathew Leicht, Ed Grabski, Ed Nichols and of course each and every member of the Team Fernandez racing crew.

Click here for Roadfly’s interview with Adrian Fernandez.

And every Sunday, while watching the action you see hundreds, maybe thousands of people in the garage area before, during, and after the race just hanging out, enjoying the scene, getting autographs from their favorite drivers and the occasional celebrity, and sometimes making a fool of themselves on live TV when the cameras are focused on interviewing a driver (I’m talking about those people you see in the background waving into the camera or talking on their cell phones, “Dude, do you see me? I’m on TV with Dale Junior!!!”). And I’m sure you’ve said to yourself, “Look at all those people. How can THEY get into the pits and I can’t? Man, if I could get access like that, it would be an awesome experience being right in the middle of the action”. Well friends, I’m here to tell ya, being in the pits during a big race ain’t all that it’s cracked up to be.

Yeah, it’s fun (sort of) to be at Ground Zero during one of the biggest sporting events on the planet, but in many ways you are better off in the grandstands or even at home, watching from the comfort of your living room. Because believe me, if there is one thing missing from being in the pit area, it’s comfort. And a good view. And instant replay. And good food. And being able to see all the action on the track.

I know, I know. I can hear you saying, “What are you whining about? I would walk across hot coals barefooted if it meant I could have pit access for the Daytona 500″. But access to the pits and garage area isn’t as great as it may seem. And when the weather, new rules, and poor visibility work against you, it’s not as much fun as you would think. Don’t get me wrong – it’s wonderful to have the opportunity to be in the one place that thousands of die-hard race fans would love to be in. It’s very cool to see the sport from a true inside view. For a hard core racing fan it can be the ultimate experience. But it’s not always like that at every event, and the 2003 Daytona 500 was one event I would have rather stayed home to watch.

Before I describe what my day in the pits was like, let me tell you that I have been to hundreds of auto races of many types. I’ve been to races all over the country during all four seasons. From dirt tracks to frozen lakes to the fastest superspeedways anywhere, I’ve attended many racing events. But few races were as disappointing as the 2003 Daytona 500.

This was for a few reasons: (1) NASCAR made some significant rule changes for the 2003 season regarding access to the garage and pit area. The biggest change was the separation of pit passes into “cold” and “hot” passes. In the past teams, sponsors, track promoters, and race officials had access to a seemingly unlimited supply of pit passes. This created a problem for drivers and teams due to the massive number of people in the garage area. To address complaints from teams NASCAR split the pit passes into two groups. People holding a “hot” pass had access to the garage and pit area at all times with no restrictions. Those holding a “cold” pass were required to leave the garage and pit area 30 minutes before an event (practice, qualifying, or race) and would not be allowed back in until 10 minutes after an event ended. It may not sound like a major restriction, but it does keep you from places like Victory Lane the moment a winning driver pulls in or from the pit stalls while pit stops are occurring. In other words a “cold” pass keeps you from the excitement that makes racing so much fun.

(2) The weather was terrible. If you watched the race you know what I mean. From the infield it was cool, hot, wet, windy, and super humid. Yes, all 250,000 fans had to deal with the weather too but in the infield there aren’t too many places to hide out and stay dry.

(3) The view of the racing action from the infield of a super-speedway like Daytona is extremely limited. It’s not like a short track or drag strip where you can see almost the entire track from anywhere.

At Daytona, if you stand in or near pit lane, your view of the track is only of a portion of the tri-oval, about 4-5 seconds of racing action. Unless you can see one of the jumbo video screens from where you are standing you miss most of what’s happening on the track. By comparison, if you are in the grandstands sitting in the tri-oval you can see from Turn 3 all the way to Turn 1, over a lap.

OK, OK, so how crummy was my day at Daytona? Here’s a timeline to give you an idea:

6:00AM- Kissimmee,FL. Alarm clock goes off. Temperature is 68 degrees and humidity is 150% and rising. On race day, the sooner you hit the road, the better, if only to avoid the traffic mess caused by 250,000 people all going to the same place you are.

7:30AM- Interstate 4 inOrlando. The first “big one” of the day completely shuts down I-4 East, which is the main route to Daytona Beach. I guess some NASCAR fans love wrecks so much they’ve got to start their own. We waste over an hour in this jam up.

9:10AM- 18 miles from the track. Traffic is dead stopped. We crawl along for over an hour – I could have walked to Daytona quicker. While we sit there, a short phone call confirms it – no “Hot Passes” for us today.

10:30AM- Somewhere near the track. All the parking areas that are somewhat close to the track want $20 and more for parking. I’m sorry but for $20 I’d better get a free car wash or half-off pizza and beer along with a parking spot. I decide to park in the city’s Park & Ride lot and get bussed to the track. It was free and the smartest thing I did all day.

11:15AM- Roaming around the Fan Fair. After seeing the traveling circus that is the mass of corporate displays, sound stages, demonstrations, and souvenir sales we decide to head into the pits. We had been hearing about hard-core security checks due to the fact the nation was on Level Orange terror alert. I’ve learned over the years that if you make the security staff’s job easier, you get past them quicker. I expect they will search me and my backpack thoroughly. Instead, the six security guards at the Turn 4 tunnel entrance look at my ID and my pit pass and let me go. I could have had 20 lbs of plastic explosives in that backpack for all they knew. So much for our national terror alert system.

As we walk in, a very attractive blonde girl is walking in with her friend. She’s tall, tan, and wearing a black halter top with very low cut black pants. In years past, she would have been accosted by the drunk and crazed infield inhabitants. But in 2003, the only thing she gets pestered with is an offer of a ride by a couple of dorky rednecks in a beat up Ford truck with Lynard Skynard playing on the stereo. To me this scene is the perfect juxtaposition of the modern world of NASCAR: Beautiful women attracted to the same scene that was once the sole domain of stereotypical American beer-drinking redneck. Social anthropologists would have a field day here.

11:30AM- In the garage area. The hour or so before the start of a race is social time for NASCAR people. All the teams have cooks who create gourmet meals for their crews, team members, sponsors, and whoever else is hanging out with them. I don’t see too many hot dogs and chips being eaten. The fans in the stands might be chowing on $6.00 hamburgers, but the teams eat very well. I have a BBQ chicken sandwich ($6.50) and a sports drink ($3.00). I need a better hook up with a team if only to get a decent meal.

12:15PM- Sitting on the pit lane wall during driver introduction. In many ways this is the best part of pit access at a NASCAR race. You are totally immersed in the scene. Everyone who is anyone in the world of NASCAR is milling around near you. Drivers, crew chiefs, celebrities, team owners, live TV cameras- it’s all here. The guys from the country band Brooks & Dunn are a few feet away. John Travolta, the Grand Marshal of the race, is nearby, as are all your favorite and not-so-favorite drivers. We miss seeing Mariah Carey, though. Must have been getting coiffed prior to her singing of the national anthem.

12:30PM- Getting the boot from pit lane. It’s 30 minutes to race time and we get kicked out of the pit lane. Time to find someplace to watch the race.

After the race starts, we find a place along the front straight where we can see the cars enter Turn One. Our view includes about 20% of the track. Good thing we have scanners so we can listen to play-by-play of the race and team communications. As the rain starts for the first time we run over to infield bathrooms and take cover under the eaves. We were hot and sweaty before the rain, now we’re wet too. But the rain stops, the sun and ten jet driers come out, and we find an abandoned picnic bench to rest on while we wait for the restart. A little more scouting finds us a better viewing spot at the exit of pit road close to one of those massive TV monitors in the infield. Yeah, it’s also a parking area for tour buses and we’ve got to snort diesel fumes, but at least the scanner’s headphones drown out most of the idling engine clatter. And now we can watch the race on TV and catch a glimpse of the cars on the track for a few seconds.

It’s not too long until it begins to rain again, and this time it seems permanent. As we wander around the infield (we’re soaked by now so threre’s no sense in running for cover) we see a few drivers have changed into street clothes. When we see pole sitter Jeff Green driving out of the track in his Chevy Tahoe, we know the day is over.

We schlep it back to the bus drop-off area for the ride back to the parking lot. Getting out of Daytona and onto I-95 South – no way I was going to take I-4 back – was quick and painless. Two hours later we’re sitting at the bar at Chili’s having fajitas and beer. Although the 2003 Daytona 500 was a big disappointment in my book it won’t sway me from going again if I have the chance. I love racing, especially NASCAR, and I realize it’s a privilege to have the opportunity to experience racing from such a unique perspective.

In a perfect world every race would run the full distance and be held in perfect weather. You would be able to see all the action from an ideal position. Alas, that’s not a realistic scenario. So in many ways watching a race from home, complete with your favorite chair and good food in the fridge, is a better choice for race fans. And if you attend an event the view from the grandstands is always superior. So don’t be too envious of the people you see in the garage area. Chances are you will enjoy the race more than they will.

Four Porsches finished in the top ten, with GT3 RS cars finishing first and third. The Risi Competizione Ferrari finished in second place, and in its second win ever in the Rolex Series, a Mosler MT900R won the GTS Class. With less than an hour to go, the #24 Mosler took the lead after the #46 Morgan-Dollar Motorsports Corvette suffered transmission troubles. The two would finish 9th and 10th, respectively, overall.

The Daytona Prototype cars that dominated qualifying and practice sessions suffered early and semi-regular mechanical problems, which was a disappointment for many. Despite the troubles, two DP cars finished in the top ten – the Multimatic Motorsports Ford Multimatic finished with an overall 4th place (679 laps) and the Brumos Racing Porsche Fabcar finished with an overall 5th (661 laps).

Team Seattle won the SportsRacing Prototype II class with its seventh-place overall finish. This victory netted the team four Rolexes, and was a nice touch for the group that has (for seven years) raised money for the Seattle Children’s Hospital – this year they were able to raise more than $100,000 for the hospital.

The Rolex Sports Car Series travels to Homstead-Miami Speedway for the Nextel Grand Prix of Miami. The race will be held from February 28 through March 1, and tickets are still available by calling 305-230-RACE.

Race Stats – time of race: 24:01:07.001, distance: 695 laps, 2,474 miles, average speed: 103.012 mph, victory margin: nine laps.

1. (66) Kevin Buckler, Sonoma, Calif.; Michael Schrom, Ghent, N.Y.; Timo Bernhard, Germany; Jorg Bergmeister, Germany, GT, The Racers Group Porsche GT3 RS, 695.

2. (35) Ralf Kelleners, Germany; Anthony Lazzaro, Hickory, N.C.; Johnny Mowlem, England, GT, Risi Competizione Ferrari 360GT, 686.

3. (83) Johannes Van Overbeck, Danville, Calif.; Richard Steranka, Los Gatos, Calif.; Dave Standridge, Bel Air, Calif.; David Murry, Cumming, Ga., GT, Rennwerks Motorsports Porsche GT3 RS, 684.

4. (88) Scott Maxwell, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; David Brabham, Ft. Lauderale, Fla.; David Empringham, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, DP, Multimatic Motorsports Ford Multimatic, 679.

5. (59) Hurley Haywood, Ponte Vedra, Fla.; JC France, Daytona Beach, Fla.; Scott Goodyear, Carmel, Ind.; Scott Sharp, Jupiter, Fla., DP, Brumos Racing Porsche Fabcar, 661.

6. (43) Marc Lieb, Germany; Leo Hindery, New York, N.Y.; Kyle Petty, Trinity, N.C.; Peter Baron, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., GT, Orbit Racing Porsche GT3 RS, 656.

7. (5) Ross Bentley, White Rock, B.C., Canada; Don Kitch, Bellevue, Wash.; Joe Pruskowski, Woodinville, Wash.; Justin Pruskowski, Woodinville, Wash., SRPII, Team Seattle/ Essex Racing Nissan Lola, 652.

8. (15) Wade Gaughran, Auburn, Wash.; Peter Macleod, Bellevue, Wash.; David Gaylord, Graham, Wash.; Steven Gorriaran, Providence, R.I., SRPII, Team Seattle/ Essex Racing Nissan Lola, 648.

9. (24) Jerome Policand, France; Michel Neugarten, Monaco; Andy Wallace, England; Joao Barbosa, Portugal, GTS, Perspective Racing Mosler MT900R, 641.

10. (46) Charles Morgan, Little Rock, Ark.; Rob Morgan, Little Rock, Ark.; Lance Norick, Oklahoma City, Okla.; Jim Pace, Monticello, Miss., GTS, Morgan Dollar Motorsports Corvette, 639.

11. (34) Mauro Baldi, Monaco; Justin Keen, England; Ryan Hampton, Chandler, Ariz.; Eric Van de Poele, Belgium, GT, Ferri Competizione Ferrari 360GT, 638.

12. (31) Rob Barff, England; Andy Britnell, England; Richard Stanton, England; Richard Sutherland, Los Gatos, Calif., GTS, Rollcentre Racing Mosler MT900R, 635.

13. (69) Brian Cunningham, Danville, Ky.; Craig Stanton, Long Beach, Calif.; Hugh Plumb, Chadds Ford, Pa.; Cory Friedman, Charleston, S.C., GT, Marcus Motorsports BMW M3, 633.

14. (20) Augusto Farfus, Brazil; Max Papis, Miami Beach, Fla.; Andrea Garbagnati, Monaco; Emmanuel Collard, England, GT, JMB Racing USA Team Ferrari Ferrari 360GT, 621.

15. (30) Martin Short, England; John Burton, England; Tom Herridge, England; David Shep, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, GTS, Rollcentre Racing Mosler MT900R, 601.

16. (7) Franz Konrad, Austria; Airton Dare, Brazil; Jean Francois Yvon, France; Tony Seiler, Switzerland, GTS, Konrad Motorsport Saleen S7R, 600.

17. (49) Bebo Orlandi, Italy; Michele Merendino, Italy; Derek Clark, Corona Del Mar, Calif.; Ron Atapattu, Delray Beach, Fla., GT, Pit Bull/ MAC Racing Porsche GT3 RS, 595.

18. (21) Larry Oberto, Seattle, Wash.; Derrike Cope, Huntersville, N.C.; Chris Bingham, Bellevue, Wash.; Brian DeVries, Grand Rapids, Mich., SRPII, Archangel Motorsport Services Nissan Lola, 589.

19. (44) Mike Fitzgerald, Fountain Hills, Ariz.; Joseph Policastro Sr., Greensburg, Pa.; Joseph Policastro Jr., Greensburg, Pa.; Manuel Matos, Puerto Rico, GT, Orbit Racing Porsche GT3 RS, 566.

20. (97) Mirco Savoldi, Italy; Filippo Francioni, Italy; Piergiuseppe Peroni, Italy, SRPII, Lucchini Engineering Nissan Lucchini, 548.

21. (09) Paul Menard, Eau Claire, Wis.; Doug Goad, Farmington Hills, Mich.; Paul Mears Jr., Orlando, Fla.; James Briody, Cherry Hill, N.J., GTS, Flis Motorsports Corvette, 542.

22. (68) Jim Michaelian, Seal Beach, Calif.; Richard Valentine, Braintree, Mass.; Tom Hessert III, Cherry Hill, N.J.; Tom Hessert Jr., Cherry Hill, N.J., GT, The Racers Group Porsche GT3 RS, 501.

23. (03) Cor Euser, Netherlands; Peter Van Der Kolk, Netherlands; Rob Knook, Netherlands, GT, Marcos Racing USA Marcos Mantis, 465.

24. (8) Boris Said, San Marcos, Calif.; Darren Law, Phoenix, Ariz.; Dieter Quester, Austria; Luca Riccitelli, Italy, DP, G&W Motorsports BMW Picchio DP2, 451.

25. (3) Darius Grala, Weston, Mass.; Joshua Rehm, Plymouth, Mass.; Oswaldo Negri Jr., Aventura, Fla.; Guy Cosmo, S Setauret, N.Y., DP, Cegwa Sport Toyota Fabcar, 403.

26. (19) Anthony Puleo, St Augustine, Fla.; Kerry Hitt, Camp Hill, Pa.; Robert Dubler, Switzerland; Mark Kennedy, Daytona, Fla., GTS, ACP Motorsports/ Xtreme Racing Group Corvette, 391.

27. (05) Craig Conway, Edgewater, Fla.; Rick Carelli, Arvada, Colo.; Davy Liniger, Castle Rock, Colo.; John Metcalf, Aurora, Colo., GTS, Team Re/Max Racing Corvette, 378.

28. (77) Alexey Vasiliev, Russia; Nikolay Fomenko, Russia; Walter Lechner Jr., Austria; Tetsuya Tanaka, Japan, GTS, RWS Motorsport Porsche 996, 361.

29. (99) Jim Hamblin, Franconia, N.H.; Jim Nelson, Pasadena, Calif.; Barry Brensinger, Manchester, N.H.; Mark Greenberg, Boston, Mass., GT, NETTTS Racing Porsche GT3 RS, 316.

30. (40) Justin Bell, Delray Beach, Fla.; Derek Bell, Boca Raton, Fla.; Simon Gregg, Jacksonville, Fla.; Kenny Wilden, Oakville, Ontario, Canada, GTS, Derhaag Motorsports Corvette, 260.

31. (33) Cort Wagner, Los Angeles, Calif.; Brent Martini, Laguna Beach, Calif.; Sylvain Tremblay, Sunrise, Fla.; Selby Wellman, St Petersburg, Fla., GT, Scuderia Ferrari of Washington Ferrari 360GT, 214.

32. (73) Rob Wilson, England; Mike Newton, England; Martin Konig, England; David Gooding, England, GT, Graham Nash Motorsport Porsche GT3 RS, 211.

33. (10) David Terrien, France; Didier Moinel Delalande, France; Marco Saviozzi, France; Gianluca De Lorenzi, Italy, GT, MAC Racing Porsche GT3 RS, 206.

34. (58) David Donohue, Westchester, Pa.; Mike Borkowski, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Chris Bye, St Catharines, Ontario, Canada; Randy Pobst, Gainesville, Ga., DP, Brumos Racing Porsche Fabcar, 160.

35. (67) Andrew Davis, Lilburn, Ga.; Robert Julien, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Dave Lacey, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Tom Nastasi, Stamford, Conn., GT, The Racers Group Porsche GT3 RS, 151.

36. (98) Sascha Maassen, Belgium; Martin Snow, Pleasant Grove, Utah; Lucas Luhr, Monaco; Larry Schumacher, West Chester, Ohio, GT, Schumacher Racing/ Champion Porsche Porsche GT3 RS, 135.

37. (80) Shawn Bayliff, Alton, Va.; Andy Lally, Northport, N.Y.; Steve Marshall, Christiansburg, Va.; Robert Prilika, Lakewood, Colo., SRPII, G&W Motorsports BMW Picchio, 121.

38. (57) Alex Caffi, Italy; Fabio Rosa, Italy; Gabrio Rosa, Italy; Andrea Chiesa, Italy, GT, Seikel Motorsport Porsche GT3 RS, 101.

39. (54) Didier Theys, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Christian Fittipaldi, Key Biscayne, Fla.; Terry Borcheller, Phoenix, Ariz.; Forest Barber, Fort Worth, Texas, DP, Bell Motorsports Chevrolet Doran, 67.

40. (22) Stephen Earle, Garden Ridge, Texas; Philip Shearer, New York, N.Y.; Ludovico Manfredi, Key Biscayne, Fla.; Stephan Gregoire, Indianapolis, Ind., GT, JMB Racing USA Team Ferrari Ferrari 360GT, 54.

41. (48) Tommy Riggins, Jacksonville, Fla.; David Machavern, Charlotte, Vermont; Kevin Lepage, Shelburne, Vermont; Scott Lagasse, St Augustine, Fla., GTS, Heritage Motorsports Mustang, 49.

42. (18) Ken Stiver, Avon, Ind.; Scott Deware, Easton, Mass.; Don Bell, Woodside, Calif.; Jeff Kline, Topanga, Calif., GTS, Boston Motorsports Group Mosler MT900R, 14.

43. (6) Gunnar Jeannette, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; Duncan Dayton, North Salem, N.Y.; Peter Kitchak, Minneapolis, Minn.; Ron Zitza, Maitland, Fla., GTS, Gunnar Racing Gunnar Porsche GT1, 9.

44. (51) Mauro Casadei, Italy; Christian Ried, Germany; Manfred Juraz, Austria; Gerold Ried, Germany, GTS, Proton Competition Porsche GT2, 2.

(Thanks to Christine Hyde of the Grand American Road Racing Association for the race standings list)