AMERICAN LE MANS ENDURANCE SERIES

COMPETITIVE RUN AT LAGUNA SECA

The final round of the American Le Mans Series at Laguna Seca in California saw Tim Sugden really able to push the best in the world in GT2 racing after a change to Yokohama tyres following the problems at the Petit le Mans race two weeks ago.  In all the practice sessions the J3 racing Porsche was close on time and in the Friday morning session Tim topped the list for the first time in America.    Sadly fate conspired to prevent this good progress being translated into a podium finish which looked on the cards at one time in the race and they had to be content with another 6th place.

Sugden started the J3 Porsche from the fourth row in GT2 for the beginning of the four-hour race.   He was able to get the car up into third position on lap 47 during his first stint then toward the end of his first run, Sugden was pushing to get by the Rockenfeller Porsche when he made a miscalculation and spun at the top of the famed Cork Screw turn.   The circuit is surrounded by dry sandy soil and extensive run off areas of gravel and any car that goes over the kerbs throws dirt and dust onto the racing line.

"I had a good first stint and was locked in a battle around lap 53, when I got over anxious up in the Cork Screw and spun," said Sugden. "The tyres have great initial bite and then seem to send us into snap oversteer. On my last stint I basically had the same thing happen going into turn one. We got unlucky with a few of the caution periods and the pace car, but all in all it was one of our more competitive weekends."

After the driver change on lap 59 they lost a lap in a pace car period and dropped to 8th, Justin Jackson got the car back to 7th and Tim was able to take 6th in his final stint.    The works Panoz driven by Scotsman Robin Liddell and American Bill Auberlain finished second and the extra points lift Robin to 4th in the championship above Tim who finishes equal 5th.