PARSIPPANY, N.J. (September 14, 2011) – The No. 48 Chopard/Marquis Jet/TOTAL/IPC Porsche 911 GT3 RSR team from Paul Miller Racing and co-drivers Bryce Miller and Sascha Maassen have been steadily gaining momentum throughout the summer in the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón.
The teammates have earned five straight top-10 results and head into this Saturday’s six-hour ModSpace American Le Mans Monterey presented by Patrón on the heels of a season-best fourth-place result in the GT class at the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix two weeks ago.
Excellent strategy, fantastic driving and steady development on the car and the team’s Yokohama tires have all contributed to the recent run of success. Those elements will be key once again this weekend as the No. 48 Porsche team looks to continue its progress.
“Our team is really thrilled with our five consecutive top-10 performances and we are coming off a high from our fourth place at Baltimore,” said Bryce Miller. “Yokohama has delivered a new iteration tire for us to use this weekend and we should see a good step forward. We’ve shown we can scrap for the positions so we just have to keep doing what we’re doing.”
What will also help is the fact that Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is familiar territory for both Miller and Maassen. Miller finished fifth in the GTC class in last year’s ALMS race at the venue and has also finished third in the 2007 GRAND-AM race at MRLS.
Maassen owns 11 ALMS starts in Monterey, scoring three class victories (GT in 2002 and 2003, LMP2 in 2005), five class poles (GT in 2000 and 2003, LMP2 in 2005, ’06 and ’07) and a second-place overall result just last year.
“Laguna Seca is my favorite racetrack for many reasons,” Maassen said. “I like the layout with almost no straights, and the area is beautiful too. I also like it, of course, because I had so many good memories there. I had my first race and win with the RS Spyder (in 2005), winning the championship there in 2006 and my three consecutive pole positions from 2005 till 2007.”
The 2.238-mile, 11-turn circuit is another one of the world’s most famous racetracks with dramatic elevation changes and legendary features such as the Andretti Hairpin (Turn 2) and The Corkscrew (Turns 8 and 8a). Its location on the Monterey Peninsula also makes it a favorite stop for many racers.
“I really enjoy Laguna Seca,” said Miller. “The scenery of the area and the sensation the track provides with its Corkscrew complex is spectacular. I enjoy the entire experience. Racing history is rich here and I’ve enjoyed some good success at the track but I’d like to find some more this weekend.”
After a promoter test day on Thursday, official on-track activities for Miller, Maassen and the No. 48 Chopard Porsche team get underway on Friday morning with practice from 10:35 to 11:35 a.m. PT. A second practice session is scheduled for Friday afternoon from 2:15 to 3:15 p.m. followed immediately by qualifying, which for the GT class will run from 3:40 to 3:55 p.m. PT.
Saturday’s race day schedule sees the ALMS machines on course for a warm up from 9:50 to 10:10 a.m. PT, followed by an autograph session including Miller and Maassen at the team transporter in the paddock from 11:00 to 11:45 a.m. The six-hour race – which is the penultimate round of the 2011 ALMS season – starts at 1:30 p.m.
ESPN3.com will again offer live broadcasts of qualifying and the race. The qualifying broadcast begins at 6:30 p.m. ET with the race beginning at 4:15 p.m. ET on Saturday. ESPN2 will offer a tape-delayed telecast on Sunday, September 18 at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Live Timing & Scoring data from all on-track sessions is available on www.AmericanLeMans.com and live audio can also be found on www.RadioLeMans.com.
Paul Miller Racing is among the top GT teams competing in North American sports car road racing. In 2011, the team will contest the full American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón, as well as the Daytona 24 Hours. The team enjoys a long-standing relationship with Porsche and competes with the support of four international sponsors in Chopard, Marquis Jet, IPC Information Systems and TOTAL Lubricants.
Follow the team on Twitter @paulmilleracing and @bryceracer and become a Facebook fan at facebook.com/paulmillerracing and Facebook.com/brycemiller.net.
