American Le Mans Series

Brabs set for 100th ALMS race

Patrón Highcroft Racing will be looking to return to victory lane to celebrate David Brabham’s 100th American Le Mans Series race this weekend as the championship heads north of the border to Mosport International Raceway near Toronto.

The Canadian leg of the ALMS features the highest average speed for any track in the championship and the competition is again expected to be fierce with only two races remaining.

Brabham enters this weekend’s milestone race holding a 20-point advantage in the combined LMP1/LMP2 championship – a repeat victory here would be the perfect way for the Australian veteran to mark the 100th race.

Brabham and Highcroft won overall with Scott Sharp in 2009 and also took the 2008 LMP2 class victory here.

The team’s decision to run the Le Mans-spec aero kit at Road America significantly helped the car’s top-end speed, but at the expense of downforce.

With the LMP1 spec cars of Road America winner Drayson Racing, Intersport Racing and Autocon Racing holding a significant power advantage, Muscle Milk Team CytoSport afforded a 25kg weight break and Dyson Racing enjoying improved power through the use through isobutanol fuel – Highcroft is aware of the challenges ahead.

With no performance breaks afforded to the Honda Performance Development HPD ARX-01c, Highcroft has left no stone unturned to find the vital seconds needed to keep them in the mix.

Season 2010 has become the most fiercely contested championship in history. In seven races so far, five different teams and manufacturers have won including four different combinations in the past four races.

Highcroft is the only team to have won multiple races – taking a hat-trick of wins from Long Beach through Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and Salt Lake City.

At Mosport, Brabham will become only the second driver to reach 100 ALMS race starts – joining former Panoz teammate Johnny O’Connell who reached the magic number last year (also at Mosport).

Brabham is the only man in the history of the series to have won and set the pole in GT2, GT1, LMP2 and LMP1.

He made his debut at the inaugural race of the American Le Mans Series in 1999 – sharing a Panoz GTR-1 with Eric Bernard.

Brabham narrowly missed out on clinching the 1999 drivers’ championship and remarkably it would take another 10 years before he could clinch a title win – this time with Patrón Highcroft Racing.

At that first Sebring ALMS event, Brabham wore the #1 on his Panoz – 100 races later, the son of three-time Formula 1 World Champion Sir Jack Brabham still has the #1 on the side of his car.

Mosport becomes a fitting place for Brabham to celebrate the milestone. Sir Jack won the first Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport in 1967.

In preparation for the penultimate round of the 2010 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón, the Highcroft squad will test at Mosport tomorrow (Wednesday, August 25).

Additional testing is scheduled for Friday (August 27) with practice and qualifying scheduled for Saturday, August 28.

Sunday’s Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport goes green at 3:05pm with SPEED TV carrying the race on a one hour tap-delayed basis.

DAVID BRABHAM
“It’s pretty cool to get to 100 races. I’ve been a part of the Series since the beginning and I’ve done the majority of races in its history. I’ve had the privilege of working with a lot of great teams and a lot of great teammates across the years.
“I’ve enjoyed some fantastic on-track battles and off-track companionships. That’s what makes this Series unique. Racing my 100th event with Patrón Highcroft Racing, with who I took my first title last year, makes this occasion even more significant. It’s a special time in my career.
“Celebrating this milestone at Mosport, where Dad took the first Canadian GP victory over 40 years ago, means a lot as well. There’s definitely a family connection with this circuit and the Canadians are always a wonderful crowd.
“We have two races left in the championship and Mosport will be one of the fastest tracks we go to.
“We ran the new Le Mans aero package at Road America and we now certainly have a lot more information about it and we have a test on Wednesday leading up to the race which will be very important because we really haven’t been able to test since Sebring.
“It will be important to figure out the quickest and best set-up in terms of the aero package and the Michelin tires.
“Last weekend at Road America we came out of there with good points and this week in Mosport we just have to concentrate on doing the same thing again.
“We’re stretched a little bit in terms of performance at the moment, but we just have to do the best we can with what we have.”

SIMON PAGENAUD
“I think we should have a very good package in the race at Mosport and fuel efficiency should be very important as well.
“Qualifying should be a bit of a challenge but I am quite confident from what from I saw in Road America.
“We have to work hard to get the car to work well with the Michelin tire package and we have some good testing scheduled before the race weekend.
“Mosport is certainly the most frightening place on the calendar and that is what I love it.
“There is only a few corners where you can make time and you really have to be committed.
“That is a great feeling to have as a driver in the racecar. It is very challenging for the driver which I really love.
“If we can win at Mosport it could make it very interesting for the championship, but the regulations are really helping the LMP1 cars at the moment.
“Regardless of the end result, we just have to finish ahead of the Porsche or very close to them and then we can go Road Atlanta in full attack mode.
“I’m really looking forward to this weekend and really delighted to be sharing the car with David in his 100th race.”