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\u00a0<\/p>\nBraselton, GA, (Oct. 1, 2010), Alex Job Racing’s (AJR) Bill Sweedler qualified the No. 23 Battery Tender\/Tequila Patron Porsche 997 fifth in GTC for tomorrow’s running of the\u00a0 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron Petit Le Mans presented by Mazda.\u00a0 Sweedler is joined by teammates Romeo Kapudija and Jan-Dirk Lueders.\u00a0 The AJR trio has a lot to play for in tomorrow’s 10-hour\/1,000-mile race.<\/p>\n
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–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 AJR driver Bill Sweedler remains in the GTC championship picture.\u00a0 He needs to have Pappas\/Bleekemolen (54 car) not be classified and Lewis (88 car) to finish fourth or worse.<\/p>\n
–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Sweedler and Romeo Kapudija are battling for the GTC Founders Cup trophy, awarded to the top driver that does not derive his primary income from racing.<\/p>\n
–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 AJR is still in contention for the team championship with 113 points.\u00a0 The team would have to win and have Black Swan (120 points) score a fourth place or worse.<\/p>\n
Sweedler posted a lap time of 1:26.300 around the tough 2.54-mile, 12- turn Road Atlanta circuit.\u00a0 The black, green and yellow AJR Porsche will come to the green from the third row on the GTC grid.\u00a0 The field for this year’s Petit Le Mans will see 45-cars take the start, the largest field of the year.\u00a0 The top LMP cars from Audi and Peugeot are lapping the circuit nearly twenty-seconds faster than the GTC field.\u00a0 This will create an added challenge for the AJR drivers when the green flies at 11:15 a.m. tomorrow morning.<\/p>\n
“The Alex Job team has done amazing work with the set-up of the car,” Sweedler said.\u00a0 “Right off of the trailer we were fast.\u00a0 The weather was difficult for Jan, Romeo and I, we had very little track time.\u00a0 Last night we had to cut the session short.\u00a0 What matters is consistency.\u00a0 With our drivers and this team we should be one of the most consistent tomorrow.\u00a0 Our strategy will be to stay out of trouble.\u00a0 There are almost 50-cars on the track.\u00a0 The GTC competitors are the slowest out there, so there is a lot of watching out for P1, P2s and especially the GT2 cars.\u00a0 The GT2 guys are fairly close in speed to us, making them the most troublesome.”<\/p>\n
Romeo Kapudija has spent the practice time reacquainting himself with the Road Atlanta circuit.<\/p>\n
“We had limited track time in the dry this week,” Kapudija said.\u00a0 “I haven’t been here in about six years, so I have had to relearn the track and the line.\u00a0 I thought my memory would have been better.\u00a0 The car has been phenomenal and the guys have done a flawless job with the car.\u00a0 I think Bill, Jan and I will be consistent in the race and I am looking for a podium finish.\u00a0 Our strategy will be to run a clean race.\u00a0 The prototypes are very aggressive.\u00a0 As we go through the esses they are on us instantly and they have been overly aggressive.”<\/p>\n
First time Road Atlanta racer Jan Dirk-Lueders is ready for tomorrow’s race.<\/p>\n
“Road Atlanta is a challenging circuit, but one I am finding to be very fun,” Lueders said.\u00a0 “I am starting to get the line down and find the rhythm of the track.\u00a0 I like the esses and Turn Five, the more flowing parts of the track.\u00a0 Turn 12 and One are really fun.\u00a0 The car has been really good and the handling is very balanced.\u00a0 The brakes have a lot of feedback to them.\u00a0 We will need to stay out of trouble as it is a long race.”<\/p>\n
Alex Job, team owner, has his team ready for the second longest race of the year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“We have had an interesting week of practice,” Job said.\u00a0 “We have a combination of first time Road Atlanta drivers and those who have been here before, but in the old configuration. \u00a0The guys have done a great job on the car and it is ready to go.\u00a0 Bill, Romeo and Jan have shown good speed, but the element we won’t be able to control is that of the faster cars.\u00a0 Those Audis and Peugeots go around here very fast and that can create havoc for the other cars.\u00a0 Our first goal is to finish and we can refine that as we get into the night tomorrow.”<\/p>\n
The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron Petit Le Mans will be televised live on the SPEED Channel starting at 11:00 a.m. ET, tomorrow, Saturday, October 2.\u00a0 The racing network will provide flag-to-flag coverage for the entire event from 11:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
Alex Job Racing is one of the most successful teams in ALMS history with 39 wins.\u00a0 This record is supported by 46 pole positions and 80 podium finishes.\u00a0\u00a0 The team has won three championships (GT in 2002, 2003 and 2004) complimented by their two GT class wins at Le Mans.\u00a0 The team also boasts seven Sebring 12 hour wins.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The ALMS GTC category is specific to one of the most popular factory produced racing cars in the world, the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.\u00a0 Developed for Porsche’s one-make series around the world, the new version of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is based on the road-going 911 GT3 RS. The power unit featured in the new 911 GT3 Cup is largely identical to the production engine of the 911 GT3 RS with the same output of 450 bhp and the same maximum engine speed of 8,500 rpm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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