One of the season’s most technically demanding circuits kicks off a critical run of three races in four weeks that will play a key role in determining the 2010 American Le Mans Series championships for Michelin and its technical partner teams.
“Mid-Ohio is a very challenging track and at this time of the year, every point becomes critical in fighting for championships,” said Karl Koenigstein, Michelin ALMS technical team leader.
Michelin technical partner team highlights in the prototype class:
The Highcroft Racing HPD - driven by David Brabham and Simon Pagenaud currently with three 2010 victories, holds a slim seven-point ALMS Prototype championship lead over the rival Muscle Milk Team CytoSport Porsche RS Spyder.
The Muscle Milk Team CytoSport Porsche RS Spyder of Greg Pickett and Klaus Graf is a strong contender, recently winning the ALMS event at Lime Rock Park.
The Drayson Racing Lola of Paul Drayson and Jonny Cocker, currently fourth in the championship, is making a significant step toward its first victory after leading the last two races.
Championship battles in the GT class:
Desspite three wins in the first five races from the defending champion Flying Lizard Porsche of Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long, the team holds a mere one-point lead over BMW Rahal Letterman Racing BMW/Dunlop in the Team Championship.
The Risi Competizione Ferrari falls to third after leading the championship heading into Lime Rock and is currently trailing by eight points despite two wins in 2010.
Mid-Ohio is a favorite track for Michelin and many of its technical partner teams. “This track throws a lot of different challenges at you with a variety of corners, elevation changes, and grip levels,” said Koenigstein. “Under the current rules, our Prototype teams are much slower in straight-line speed than the competition so we need to really deliver outstanding cornering power and longevity to help our Michelin teams win.”
