American Le Mans Series

Multiple Setbacks Leave Petersen/White Lighting in Eighth

Petersen Motorsports/ White Lightning Racing started second in today’s Grand Prix of Portland American Le Mans Series event here at Portland International Raceway. However, the No. 31 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR would end the day eighth in class, 19th overall, 11 laps down to the GT2 class winner. Despite a valiant effort which saw Patrick Long and Jörg Bergmeister turn laps significantly quicker than the leaders, the team suffered multiple disappointments to finish off the GT2 podium for the first time this season.

Long started second, the team’s sixth-straight GT2 class front row of the season, but by lap four he had to pit to tighten a left rear wheel which had worked itself loose in the opening laps of the event. The young, Porsche “works? driver returned to the track in ninth-place. He would hand over the wheel of the Porsche to teammate Bergmeister on lap 48. The left rear again played a role in harming the team’s chances when it took an extended period of time to remove it. Bergmeister continued the team’s fight but made contact with a competitor damaging the nose of the No. 31. The contact was severe enough to put a hole in the middle of three radiators that the 911 utilize to cool the six-cylinder engine. The Michael Petersen-owned team performed a stellar job and returned Bergmeister to the track within 14 minutes of his entering the pits. However, now 11 laps down to the eventual winner, the team was never able to regain the lost ground. It marked the first time this season that the Las Vegas-based operation has finished outside of the top-three in class. It also marked the first time since winning the season-opening Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring that the drivers and team fell from the top-spot in the championship chase. Petersen/ White Lightning now sits six points behind the lead in both the team and driver points battle with 90 markers and four races remaining in the season.

After a string of six events in 11 weeks, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans and its Test Day, the Petersen/ White Lightning team will now have a three week break to ready for the Road America 500 on August 21st.