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| Road America Preview: VICI Racing |
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Marc Basseng (Germany): It's great to be joining VICI Racing and I'm relishing the chance to actively contribute to the tire development program. The team has impressed me from what I have seen of them in the ALMS this year, they're coming on race by race, and I know that Ron Meixner is very focused on winning. I'm also looking forward to working with Technical Director Roland Wall, he is one of the best guys in the business and very good at getting the most out of a car. Now I can't wait to get on track at Road America and contribute to the team's progress.
Nicky Pastorelli (Holland): I'm really looking forward to Road America. It's regarded as one of America's most prestigious sports car races so it will be great to drive there, and after Utah and Mid-Ohio it will be my first longer distance sports car race in America. It's also another new track for me, but after two races in ALMS now plus some testing time I'm getting used to the RSR much more and from what I've head of Road America the car should suit it very well. The team made a solid step forward at Mid-Ohio a couple of weeks ago and the car's pace noticeably improved right over the weekend; however we still have a long way to go this year, and a lot of effort to put in, but it's great to see that all the hard work is steadily paying off.
Francesco Pastorelli (Holland): I was pleased with how the Mid-Ohio race went. This was only my second time in the car, and with Nicky in the cockpit through most of the practice sessions and qualifying I only had a very brief time on the track before the race proper. However the track was quite easy to learn and I was pleased with my race pace, although my stint was quite affected by the yellows. However I think the team was satisfied with my performance. The new 4-litre engine made a big difference from the unit which we used at Utah and the extra power was noticeable and useable. The team has stepped up since Utah too and I'm happy to be part of this project, so it's not just a learning year for me but for everyone. I've never been to Road America but I'm excited to get onto track, and looking forward to my first long-distance race. I think we can continue to improve and impress and hopefully have a very good race.
Action on track at Road America gets underway on Thursday (7th August) with a 90 minute test session (2:10-3:40PM) with the first hour open being to all classes while the final 30 minutes will be reserved for the teams in the GT1 and GT2 classes. Friday (8th August) sees an hour long late morning practice session (10:00-11:00AM) which is open to all classes, before a second hour long session takes place mid afternoon (1:50-2:50PM), again open to all classes. A brief ten minute break will follow before the 20 minute qualifying session (3:00-3:20PM) reserved for the GT1 and GT2 competitors takes place. Saturday (9th August) kicks off with the late morning Warm-Up session (11:05-11:30PM) before the Generac 500, the 7th round of the 2008 American Le Mans Series goes to green flag at 4:00PM. The 4 hour race is due to see the checkered flag waved at 8:00PM.
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