American Le Mans Series
Porsche confirms 2009 ALMS factory drivers
© American Le Mans Series
In the 2009 season, three Porsche factory drivers will support the GT teams in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS). With this, Porsche underlines its ongoing involvement in the racing series with the world’s fastest sports cars. Joerg Bergmeister (Germany) and Patrick Long (USA) share the cockpit of a Flying Lizard Motorsports GT3 RSR. Wolf Henzler (Germany) backs up the Farnbacher Loles team with its GT3 RSR.
“For Porsche, the American Le Mans Series continues to be very important,” emphasized Porsche head of motorsport Hartmut Kristen. “For this reason we are providing our Flying Lizard Motorsports and Farnbacher Loles teams with three of our best GT drivers. Moreover, we will continue to support the teams with Porsche engineers at the track.”
With three championship titles to his credit, Joerg Bergmeister (32) is one of the most successful pilots in the American Le Mans Series. His new team mate, Patrick Long (27), is no stranger to him and the GT3 RSR. In 2005 the pair claimed the ALMS title in the GT2 class. Recently, Long drove a Porsche RS Spyder for the Penske Racing team and claimed third in the fiercely-contested LMP2 class. “I’m looking forward to having such a world class pilot like Patrick as a team mate in 2009. We will do our best to defend the ALMS title for Porsche,” said Bergmeister.
Wolf Henzler (33), who secured his first title victory in the ALMS with Bergmeister in 2008, will drive for the Farnbacher Loles squad in 2009, after having already raced for the team in the 2005 season. “I’m absolutely thrilled to have extended my contract as a works driver and that Porsche has again put me with a top team,” said Henzler. “It’ll be strange in the beginning to race against Joerg. In 2008 we got really close as a team. But when I was faster than Joerg, I was surely very close to the maximum.”
Porsche has contested the American Le Mans Series with the racing versions of the Porsche 911 without a break since its inaugural year of 1999 and in this time won nine drivers’ and nine manufacturers’ championships. Furthermore, Porsche claimed three drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles in the years 2006 to 2008 with the Porsche RS Spyder in the LMP2 class. With this, Porsche is by far the most successful manufacturer in the ALMS.
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All I can tell from this is that it seems Porsche is finally deciding to help its european teams now. Since so far they’ve only committed 3 drivers to the ALMS
They must have seen it as a sign since all the top teams in Europe are buying up brand new ferraris to race and Porsches are the minority. Even Farnbacher has an F430. and they even took it to LeMans instead of the Porsche. Though they’re a porsche powerhouse.
If they had decided to dispatch Patrick long to Farnbacherloles, and team director Gregory Loles decided to run him with Dirk Werner that would be an unbeatable match up.
If Porsche would have put Patrick Long and Dirk Werner together it would be a unbeatable match in the ALMS, but how about Andy Lally he to would be a awesome in the line-up as well. At least I think so
Andy Lally is trying to make it in nascar. Why isn’t Dirk Werner at Farnbacher Loles? Why does Vici Racing not have any factory drivers despite plans for a 3 car team for 2009?
You think Zuffenhausen would send factory drivers to a team without Michelins?
They sent Collard to BMS last year in the FIA GT and they were on Pirelli’s.
Vici racing’s budget per car isn’t that high. So stuttgart doesn’t think they would make that high an impact with factory drivers.
Michelin also picks and chooses its teams. The only reason for 3 cars is because almost all their drivers will be pay drivers.
Remember the Pastorelli brothers in 2008? They were some wealthy folks. The team eventually started using the second car (which had professional drivers)for spare parts for their car.
Here’s how I think Porshe factory drivers rank
Romain Dumas
Timo Bernhard
Patrick Long
Sascha Maassen
Jorg Bergmeister
Emannuel Collard
Wolf Henzler
Marc Lieb
Richard Westbrook
Richard Lietz
Patrick Pilet
Patrick Pilet is very fast but he’s still unproven compared to the other guys and he’s the newest guy. Porsche wanted its best talent in the RS Spyder program. But Sascha Maasen and Emanuel Collard are getting up in age.
Dirk Werner would have been right below patrick long but he prefers to stick it out at Farnbacher than to have a Porsche contract. Though he’s the factory tester for the GT2 911 GT3 RSR. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM.
If you think you have a better order put it up as well and give reasons why.
I added one driver because he is by far a better driver than the factory drivers on the list. I saw him drive, and he broke a track record back in the day. He is a crazy driver when he is in a porsche race car.
Here’s how I think Porshe factory drivers should be.
Romain Dumas
Timo Bernhard
Patrick Long
Sascha Maassen
Jorg Bergmeister
Emannuel Collard
Wolf Henzler
Marc Lieb
Richard Westbrook
Richard Lietz
Patrick Pilet
Tao Mora
Where does Tao Mora race?
Romain Dumas
Timo Bernhard
Patrick Long
Sascha Maassen
Jorg Bergmeister
Emannuel Collard
Wolf Henzler
Marc Lieb
Richard Westbrook
Richard Lietz
Sean Edwards
why isnt dirk werner on this list !!!
Dirk werner is not a factory driver. He s a tester for porsche. But racing wise he`s employed by farnbacher loles.
If you have Edwards, who’s of course not a factory driver, then where’s Bleekemolen who is the quickest in Supercup?
i think he is just as worthy as half of these drivers to be a factory driver.
Bleekemolen is a Spyker driver.
not bleekemolen werner i think should be factory same with andy lally
Hey Rick- Tao Mora is a professional test driver, sometimes he shows up at the races for the teams as a backup or workes in the pitcrew when the team needs help. In fact you can read a little bit about him.
http://www.pe.com/sports/motorsports/stories/PE_Sports_Local_D_m_notebook_28.3dbd939.html
He has been one of the top drivers in the business with no sponsor. That’s why he still works as a test driver it’s the only thing he has that keeps him driving. Some team have tryed to help him with sponsorship, Because he is not a known driver to sponsers it becomes hard to race. Many good drivers have been through the same thing with sponsors
I think you should include Andy Lally on the list along with Spencer Pumpelly. I would have my list like this:
Romain Dumas
Timo Bernhard
Patrick Long
Andy Lally
Sascha Maassen
Jorg Bergmeister
Emannuel Collard
Wolf Henzler
Spencer Pumpelly
Marc Lieb
Richard Westbrook
Richard Lietz
Patrick Pilet
you also could almost include Bryce Miller, Johannas van Overbreek and Lee Keen on the list too. i know they arent factory, but they always drive porsches with factory teams.
Except Van Overbeek will be driving a Ferrari in 2010…
yes, but he is running in the Daytona 24 with TRG, which is a Porsche Factory Team. Anyone know who will be with what teams at Daytona. I know about Lally, Pumpelly, and i think Lieb, but what about the other factory drivers?
@Dan: You can go to the Grand-Am website, and look at the Schedule, then look at the entry list. And keep up to date with that.