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Gene/Dominguez in Lime Rock ALMS F430

Discussion in 'Other Racing' started by Gary(SF), Jun 29, 2006.

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  1. Gary(SF)

    Gary(SF) F1 Rookie

    Oct 13, 2003
    3,637
    Los Altos Hills, CA
    Full Name:
    Gary B.
    #1 Gary(SF), Jun 29, 2006
    Giuseppe Risi, Managing Director of Houston-based Risi Competizione has announced that he will pair former F1 driver Marc Gene and current Champ Car driver Mario Dominguez in his team’s Ferrari F430GT in this weekend’s American Le Mans Series (ALMS) New England Grand Prix.

    “We will have two new drivers in the car at Lime Rock,” Risi announced. “Jaime Melo and Mika Salo, who have been, I think, quite a sensational pairing in the 430GT, have other commitments on the July 1st weekend, racing a 430GT in the FIA-GT series in Europe, and so we are pleased to bring two more new drivers into our team for this race. Marc Gene is a highly experienced racer in formula cars, having been first in the FISA Gold Cup Superformula and first in the Formula Open Fortuna by Nissan. He has been “Rookie of the year” on multiple occasions on different circuit, made 36 F1 starts—including filling in for Ralf Schumacher at Williams. Most recently he has been a factory test driver for BMW Williams and Ferrari. What we gain with Marc Gene is a driver with massive experience and a proven ability to get to the podium. It will be a pleasure to have him at Risi Competizione.”



    Continuing, Risi noted that “we will pair Marc Gene with Mario Dominguez, another open-wheel star. Mario was CART’s rookie of the year in 2002, winning his first career victory. In 2003, he was 6th over all in the standings; in 2004, he finished 11 out of 14 races and had six top-ten finishes. Mario was on the pole for the Houston Grand Prix this year and finished third. We know he’s got the speed and believe he will adapt quickly to the challenge of driving a Ferrari race race car in the ALMS Series.”

    Risi Competizione comes into the Lime Rock ALMS race pleased with the performance of the car, tires, and drivers, but still seeking their first ALMS win. The team has posted the fastest lap for each of the first three ALMS races but suffered through a total of four on-course collisions created by other cars. “Racing luck tends to even out over the course of the season,” said Team Manager David Sims. “We’ve had our share of incidents for the season and are looking forward to the remainder of the season. We have seven races to go and the car is getting faster each race.”

    Will Lime Rock be the breakthrough event for Risi Competizione? “We won our first ALMS race at Lime Rock, “Sims remarked, “It’d be extremely nice to repeat it.”

    Risi Competizione is sponsored by Boost/Motorola; Michelin, Forza2Motorsport/Xbox 360, Italy/LP, Putnam Leasing, and AMD. The team, headquartered in Houston, Texas, is racing a Ferrari F430GT in the 2006 American Le Mans Series.
     
  2. jknight

    jknight F1 Veteran

    Oct 30, 2004
    7,821
    Central Texas
    #2 jknight, Jun 30, 2006
    Hi Gary - looks like you and I are the only ones with an interest in Lime Rock tomorrow!!! We had a wonderful time at LeMans and already have tickets for next year.

    I wish now we were at Lime Rock to witness the farwell of the R8 and watch the two 430's run.

    Carol


    I hope that Allan and Dindo take the overall win the the R8:

    Chronicling the R8: Considered the most innovative and productive race cars in sports car racing history, after six-plus years of competition and a Series record 49 victories since its introduction (2000) and five overall Le Mans championships, the New England Grand Prix marks the final race of the Audi R8's three-race ‘farewell tour.' The R8 is unbeaten in its first two visits to Lime Rock Park dating back to the inaugural event in 2004, and is on a three-race win streak in 2006 in the LMP1 class. Allan McNish and Dindo Capello piloted the R8 to an overall win at Houston and another class win at Mid-Ohio.

    Audi considers the R10 TDI a "completely new design" compared to the R8. One major example: the integration of the monocoque and bodywork. On the R10 TDI, the majority of the carbon-fiber parts belonging to the monocoque are suspended directly in the air flow. There are five other areas of significant differences in the R10: 1) a second roll-over structure; 2) a more pointed nose configuration; 3) a stepped front splitter; 4) a longer wheel base; and 5) revised mounting of the rear wing on the car's center line.

    For Lime Rock, Audi Sport North America has created a unique design for the R8 for its farewell race. The names of all 18 drivers who won a race in the R8 will be visible and the names of the 23 race tracks worldwide on which the R8 won – from its debut at Sebring (March, 2000) to the its 62nd overall win at Houston (May 12).
     
  3. jknight

    jknight F1 Veteran

    Oct 30, 2004
    7,821
    Central Texas
    #3 jknight, Jun 30, 2006
    In GT2, Toni Vilander put the No. 61 Ferrari F430GT from Risi Competizione on the class pole in his first Series race and first time in the F430GT. The Finn, who has driven the Ferrari 360 and is teaming with Ralf Kelleners, set a class record with a lap of 53.322, which bested Patrick Long's time from 2005 by 0.426 seconds.

    No doubt Vilander is a quick study, which bodes well for Risi's chances for a second class win at Lime Rock in three years. In 2004, Kelleners and Anthony Lazzaro piloted a Ferrari 360 to a GT2 win, snapping Porsche's 21-race winning streak in class.

    "Overall the 430 is similar to drive," Vilander said. "It is easy to adapt with experience in single-seaters. The biggest difference is the traffic. The P1 and P2 cars are so quick, when you look in the mirror it is a fraction of a second before they overtake you. It's not the size of the track that's difficult; it's the difference in surface, the asphalt and the cement. This is a lot bumpier than the tracks I'm used to in Europe."

    The New England Grand Prix, Round 4 of the American Le Mans Series, is set for Saturday at Lime Rock Park. The race is scheduled for a 3 p.m. EDT start. CBS Sports will televise the event from 4 to 6 p.m. EDT on Sunday. MotorsTV will air the race from 2:30-5:30 p.m. CET on Sunday. Live coverage will be available at americanlemans.com with American Le Mans Radio and IMSA Live Timing & Scoring.



    New England Grand Prix
    Lakeville, Conn.
    Saturday's lineup
    1. Romain Dumas, France; Timo Bernhard, Germany; Porsche RS Spyder (P2), 45.588, 121.611
    2. Lucas Luhr, Germany; Sascha Maassen, Germany; Porsche RS Spyder (P2), 45.878, 120.842
    3. James Weaver, England; Butch Leitzinger, State College, PA; Lola B06/10 AER (P1), 46.306, 119.725
    4. Rinaldo Capello, Italy; Allan McNish, Scotland; Audi R8 (P1), 46.965, 118.045
    5. Duncan Dayton, Danbury, Conn.; Andy Wallace, United Kingdom; Lola EX257-AER (P1), 47.765, 116.068
    6. Liz Halliday, Rancho Santa Fe, CA; Clint Field, Dublin, OH; Jon Field, Dublin, OH; Lola B05/40 AER (P2), 48.004, 115.490
    7. Chris McMurry, Phoenix, AZ; Michael Lewis, San Diego, CA; Lola EX257 AER (P1), 48.554, 114.182
    8. Darren Turner, England; Tomas Enge, Czech Republic; Aston Martin DBR9 (GT1), 50.272, 110.280
    9. Ron Fellows, Canada; Johnny OConnell, Flowery Branch, GA; Corvette C6.R (GT1), 50.491, 109.802
    10. Olivier Beretta, Monaco; Oliver Gavin, England; Corvette C6.R (GT1), 50.873
    11. Pedro Lamy, Lisbon Portugal; Stephane Sarrazin, France; Aston Martin DBR9 (GT1), 50.905, 108.909
    12. Jamie Bach, Saukville, Wis.; Guy Cosmo, Port Jefferson, NY; Courage C65-Mazda (P2), 51.079 108.538
    13. Ben Devlin, England; Gunnar Van der Steur, Chesapeake City, MD; Lola B2K/40 AER (P2), 51.361, 107.942
    14. Ralf Kelleners, Germany; Toni Vilander, Finland; Ferrari F430GT Berlinetta (GT2), 53.322, 103.972
    15. Bill Auberlen, Hermosa Beach, CA; Joey Hand, Sacramento, CA; BMW E46 M3 (GT2), 53.713, 103.215
    16. Seth Neiman, Burlingame, CA; Lonnie Pechnik, Pacific Grove, CA; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT2), 53.886, 102.884
    17. Jorg Bergmeister, Germany; Patrick Long, Oak Park, CA; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT2), 53.920, 102.819
    18. Mike Rockenfeller, Germany; Klaus Graf, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT2), 54.127, 102.426
    19. Tom Milner, Leesburg, VA; Gunnar Jeannette, Palm Beach Gardens, FL; Panoz Esperante GTLM (GT2), 54.138, 102.405
    20. Scott Maxwell, Canada; David Brabham, Australia; Panoz Esperante GTLM (GT2), 54.286, 102.126
    21. Justin Marks, Sacramento, CA; Bryan Sellers, Centerville, OH; BMW E46 M3 (GT2), 54.486, 101.751
    22. Guy Smith, England; Chris Dyson, Pleasant Valley, NY; Lola B06/10 AER (P1), No Time, 0
    23. Marc Gene, Spain; Mario Dominguez, Mexico; Ferrari 430 GT Berlinetta (GT2), No Time
    24. Johannes van Overbeek, San Francisco, CA; Wolf Henzler, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT2), 53.660, 103.317
     
  4. ProCoach

    ProCoach F1 Veteran
    Owner

    Sep 15, 2004
    5,465
    VIR Raceway
    Full Name:
    Peter Krause
    #4 ProCoach, Jun 30, 2006
    Yep, Gene crashed the second car and will start at the back... Best laid plans.
     
  5. Gary(SF)

    Gary(SF) F1 Rookie

    Oct 13, 2003
    3,637
    Los Altos Hills, CA
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    Gary B.
    #5 Gary(SF), Jun 30, 2006
    LeMans definitely sounds like a must-do.

    Gary
     
  6. ylshih

    ylshih Shogun Assassin
    Honorary Owner

    Mar 21, 2004
    20,455
    Northern CA
    Full Name:
    Yin
    #6 ylshih, Jul 1, 2006
    What are the differences between a 430GT and a 430 Challenge?
     
  7. Gary(SF)

    Gary(SF) F1 Rookie

    Oct 13, 2003
    3,637
    Los Altos Hills, CA
    Full Name:
    Gary B.
    #7 Gary(SF), Jul 1, 2006
    430 Challenge car is essentially a street 430 with gutted interior, roll cage, slicks, but essentially stock motor and gearbox. I think they weigh about 2700 lbs. The GT car runs even lighter (2400 lbs approx), some engine mods (reduced to 4.0 liters to stay in GT2), more aero (big wings), and a sequential gearbox.

    Gary
     
  8. jknight

    jknight F1 Veteran

    Oct 30, 2004
    7,821
    Central Texas
    #8 jknight, Jul 1, 2006
    I was absolutely elated when we got home and went to the ALMS site and saw that Allan took the overall win on the final run of the "grand old gal".

    Sorry to see one of Risi's cars got into some oil and ended up crashing. At least the other one placed either 4 or 5 in class.

    Gary, LeMans is definitely a must do. FYI, Paul and Deborah are meeting up with us again in Imola (actually in Maranello) for the F1 race this coming April - you ought to come too!

    Can't wait to see the re-broadcast of Lime Rock tomorrow afternoon.

    Caol
     
  9. ferrarifixer

    ferrarifixer F1 Veteran
    BANNED

    Jul 22, 2003
    8,520
    Melbourne
    Full Name:
    Phil Hughes
    #9 ferrarifixer, Jul 2, 2006
    430 C is f1 shift road car gearbox and ratios (with e diff removed). Uses 19" wheels (poor tyre choice) and carbon ceramic road car brakes .. No aero mods.

    430 GT2 has Hewland sequential race box with race ratios, uses 18" wheels and huge steel brakes. front splitter and diffuser, rear wing and diffuser.

    oh... and about US$300k difference too!?
     
  10. yzee

    yzee F1 Veteran
    Silver Subscribed

    Apr 16, 2005
    9,131
    Bodegata
    Full Name:
    Michael
    #10 yzee, Jul 2, 2006
    The tape delay is on CBS now.
     
  11. BigTex

    BigTex Seven Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Dec 6, 2002
    79,386
    Houston, Texas
    Full Name:
    Bubba
    #11 BigTex, Jul 2, 2006
    Thanks for that...tuned in just in time to see the end of a 430GT2.......



    *smash*

    Ouch, that hurt!!!!
     

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