SEBRING UNVEILS EVENT POSTER FOR 2010 RACE
Plus Atherton at hybrid symposium, Corvette’s 2010 lineup
and Austin Hatcher Foundation news
Sebring International Raceway has unveiled the poster for the 58th running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida. America’s greatest sports car race runs on Saturday, March 20th, kicking-off the 2010 American Le Mans Series season.
Painted by motorsports artist Roger Warrick, the poster features three of the leading teams competing in this year’s American Le Mans Series entering Cunningham Corner (Turn 10): The Drayson Racing Lola, Patrón Highcroft Racing Honda Performance Development ARX-01c and the new JaguarRSR Jaguar XKR GT. Sebring posters have been produced since the first Sebring 12-hour classic in 1952, and many have become valuable collectibles.
Tickets to the 58th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida are available by calling 800-626-7223 or visiting Sebringraceway.com. Gates open at 6 am on Wednesday, March 17, and remain open 24 hours a day through Saturday. The green flag will fall at 10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, March 20 with live coverage on SPEED.
ATHERTON TO TALK HYBRIDS: American Le Mans Series President and CEO Scott Atherton will be the keynote luncheon speaker Wednesday, February 10 at the SAE 2010 Hybrid Vehicle Technologies Symposium in San Diego.
The symposium, which is to be held at San Diego Mission Valley’s Doubletree Hotel, addresses the latest technical innovations in electric drives, motors, energy storage and system engineering from the innovators of hybrid technology. The event includes presentations from leading experts around the globe as well as participation in specialized panel discussions on topics pertinent within the hybrid vehicle industry.
The American Le Mans Series, recognized as the Global Leader in Green Racing, introduced the first modern-day hybrid prototype race car to its circuit last season with Corsa Motorsports’ E10/electric hybrid-powered Ginetta-Zytek. Corsa’s hybrid will be on display at the symposium.
| Johnny Mowlem: “This is ultimately helping road cars and road car technology forward.” |
“This is ultimately helping road cars and road car technology forward,” said Johnny Mowlem, who helped dbut the Corsa hybrid this season. “What we are looking to do is to move the technology forward, and nothing moves technology forward faster than racing. You only have to look back at the things that have come out of racing – seatbelts, disc brakes, ABS, traction control systems and others. Like everything else, this will eventually benefit road cars.”
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CORVETTE’S LINEUP: Corvette Racing announced a revised lineup for its endurance program in 2010, adding former Porsche works driver Emmanuel Collard for Sebring, Le Mans and Petit Le Mans. The Frenchman will drive with Olivier Beretta and Oliver Gavin in one of the team’s Corvette C6.Rs in GT2.
Johnny O’Connell and Jan Magnussen will be in the other car for the full American Le Mans Series season with Antonio Garcia driving with them at the three enduros. The trio won in GT1 at Sebring and Le Mans last season.
“We are pleased and honored that the new GT2 Corvette C6.R has been invited by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest to compete in the world’s most prestigious sports car race,” said GM Racing manager Mark Kent. “Our objective is to carry forward Corvette’s legacy of success as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Corvette’s first participation at Le Mans. This year’s race will certainly be a challenge because of the depth and quality of the competition in the GT2 division. The entries represent the world’s most storied sports car brands and underscore the relevance and value of racing production-based cars.”
AUSTIN HATCHER NEWS: The Austin Hatcher Foundation – the official charity of the American Le Mans Series – recently announced that it is celebrating another banner year. Since its founding in 2006, AHF has seen contributions double each year and tripled the number of donation events it holds annually.
The Foundation, started in 2006, has touched the lives of 750 children and families in 10 cities and seven states around the U.S. The American Le Mans Series has contributed in “writing happy endings”, specifically with driver hospital visits in race cites over the last two years. This will continue in 2010 as 13 affiliate hospitals will support the Foundation.
During the next four years, the American Le Mans Series will raise money and awareness for the Austin Hatcher Foundation through direct donations, Web and trackside merchandise sales, online race memorabilia, auctions, sales of limited-production American Le Mans Series/Austin Hatcher Foundation co-branded gear and through trackside diversionary therapy events centered around selected races.
Click here for more information on the American Le Mans Series’ partnership with the Austin Hatcher Foundation.