Bryan Sellers is One Corkscrew Away from a Good Time
Falken Tire Factory Driver Will Be Seeking Heat at one of the Coolest Tracks in ALMS
MONTEREY, Calif., May 6, 2013 – California is well known for its wines but the best-known “corkscrew” in the state is at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (MRLS). Bryan Sellers is looking for that world-renowned three-story drop at the Monterey, Calif.-racetrack to lead the way back to another American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón (ALMS) GT class podium. The Braselton, Ga.-resident will join longtime teammate Wolf Henzler (Germany) behind the wheel of the No. 17 Team Falken Tire Porsche 911 GT3 RSR for the May 11th four-hour American Le Mans Monterey. The pair, which took a podium at the season-opening race and qualified on the front-row of the most recent event, has been the top-performing Porsche customer team this season. Sellers knows to keep the momentum this weekend, it all starts with a trip down “The Corkscrew” and a good time around the 2.238-mile, 11-turn track.
Sellers, the 2012 ALMS Most Popular Driver award-winner, is no different than most professional racecar drivers. He loves racing and the atmosphere of the Monterey Peninsula. However, one of the aspects that makes the track a professional’s joy is also what makes it one of the toughest places to race. With its sandy surroundings and smooth asphalt, MRLS is among the hardest tracks on the schedule to build heat, and thereby traction. The lack of grip forces the drivers, teams engineers and Falken Tire technicians to look for every mechanical and aerodynamic advantage they can to help build temperatures in the Falken Azenis racing slick. The long uphill sweeping turns and the “fall” down the Corkscrew, in combination with the final hairpin turn leading to the uphill main straightaway keeps drivers constantly engaged in balancing cornering speed with traction. The struggle is a love/hate relationship for Sellers as he constantly seeks challenges behind the wheel.
At four-hours in length, the American Le Mans Monterey will not see the checkered flag until 7:30 p.m. Pacific Time on Saturday night. While night has not consumed the circuit at that time, the dusk further removes heat from the racing surface. This loss of temperature further exasperates the loss of grip just at the critical laps leading up to the checkered flag almost ensuring a close finish.
The race distance, one-hour and 15-minutes longer than a typical ALMS “sprint” race, also raises unique pit strategy questions for the team. Determining when to stop, what driver to have in the car when and balancing all the other elements of a race against class and overall competition adds to the special nature of and challenging pleasure brought on by the ALMS Monterey.
On Thursday, the ALMS will have an official test session for the prototypes taking the green flag at 5 p.m. local time, followed immediately by all classes and GT/GTC closing the day at 7 p.m. PT. Practice begins Friday at 11 a.m. local with a second session at 3:25 p.m.
Live coverage of qualifying of all classes can be found at the Series’ web site and ESPN3 opening with the GTC class at 7:45 p.m. ET Friday, May 10. ESPN2 will broadcast the race on tape-delay, Sunday, May 12 beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern. Live, flag-to-flag, race streaming on ESPN3 begins at 6:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 11. The four-hour race will take the green flag at 3:30 local time, 6:30 p.m. ET. Full international coverage as well as live in-car camera footage will be available real time at www.ALMS.com. Live timing and scoring of all sessions, including qualifying and the race, are also found on the official web site.
Quotes
Bryan Sellers:
On maintaining the momentum generated in the first two races of the season: “Team Falken Tire has been very strong as a program including Long Beach. I feel like we have had two great races and have made a big statement thus far. The momentum is something we will not have a problem with moving forward. After two strong races we feel like we can continue to perform. Through the Le Mans break we will try and make the most of our opportunities to learn by continuing to test tires and car setup.”
On racing at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca: “Almost all the corners play a big role in lap time here. Because the track is such a low grip surface it makes getting the car placement and line correct extremely important. If you miss a turn-in point at almost any corner, you then miss your apex and follow that by being late to full power. So it is very important to be precise.
Ironically, considering how famous it is, I would say the Corkscrew is almost inconsequential in terms of lap time because it is such a slow corner. However, it is critical to the layout of the track as well as the race ability. It can be a passing zone, although a very difficult one, and it can really affect traffic throughout the race and how you handle that traffic is key.”
On the race length: “From a driver’s perspective, the preparation does not change too substantially because it is a four-hour race. However, it will change the strategy significantly. Our team was great in Sebring and Long Beach in the pits, and we feel like the more pit stops in a race that we have to make, the more competitive we can and will be.”
For more on Bryan Sellers, please visit him on the web at "> www.BryanSellersRacing.com . Follow Bryan on Twitter ("> www.Twitter.com/BryanSellers ) and LIKE him on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/BryanSellersRacing . Tune-in to Bryan’s YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/BryanSellersRacing.
Visit www.FalkenTire.com for more on Team Falken Tire. Learn more about the American Le Mans Series at www.ALMS.com.
Go R/C racing with Bryan at www.HPIRACING.com.
Stayed charged with Batter Tender at www.BatteryTender.com.
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