ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (August 9, 2013) – Paul Miller Racing, Bryce Miller and Marco Holzer, and the No. 48 Chopard/TOTAL Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, head to historic Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. this weekend seeking a repeat of the team’s 2012 top-five finish in Sunday’s Orion Energy Systems 245.
Round six of this year’s 10-race ALMS schedule, the Orion Energy Systems 245 timed two hour and 45 minute race airs live on ABC this Sunday, August 11 at 3 p.m. EDT/12 p.m. PDT.
Despite challenges, the No. 48 Chopard/TOTAL Porsche team has raced competitively throughout the 2013 season and has not finished outside the top-10 in the GT class. A repeat of the 2012 result at Road America or better would eclipse the prior best mark of sixth place this season, set on three prior occasions.
Bryce Miller is a former GT class winner at Road America, as he co-drove a Farnbacher Loles-entered Porsche 911 GT3 RSR with Richard Westbrook and Dirk Werner to victory in the then-GT2 class in 2008.
“This is a special place because this was where I had my first GT victory in ALMS,” he said. “That’s always a special moment to have your first win in any category. I just really enjoy this circuit. It is really high speed and one of the longer circuits we travel to in this championship. I just really enjoy coming here.”
Holzer, the 2012 Road America GT class polesitter, admires the challenge that the daunting 4.048-mile track presents. He was seventh fastest in Friday morning’s opening practice session at Road America and the No. 48 Chopard/TOTAL 911 GT3 RSR was the fastest GT-class Porsche at 2:06.678.
“Road America is my favorite track in the U.S.,” Holzer said. “It is like, I would say, more Europe style than U.S. style. You have everything like long straights, short straights, fast corners, everything that you need as a driver. It is a big challenge with the Kink and stuff like that.”
Miller and Holzer got in some laps at Road America earlier this week, as part of a small group test.
“We made some changes and we are exploring some different setups on the car as well,” Bryce Miller said. “We were able to find some pace in the test that we had Monday and that was really encouraging, to get back to where we were earlier this year at Laguna Seca and Long Beach. That’s where we belong and that’s what our crew guys have earned. We are finding our stride again.”
“I have a good memory of last year because I had the pole in GT last year,” Holzer added. “We had the front row with the Flying Lizard team last year so I am really looking forward to this year in the Paul Miller Porsche. We were testing here on Monday and found some really good things on the car. The car felt really strong so I think we are in great shape for the weekend.”
This year’s Road America race has been reduced from four hours to two hours and 45 minutes, but the race will still largely come down to strategic moves and avoiding the gravel traps that pepper the circuit.
“I think it makes no difference because even a four hour is a sprint race in the GT class,” Holzer said. “I think it will be important in the strategy to take into account the yellows because you have the gravel beds but it will be a two hour and 45 minute sprint race for sure.”
Miller and Holzer enter the race tied for seventh in the GT points standings on 32 points, while the No. 48 Chopard/TOTAL Porsche team is ranked fourth in the team standings, also with 32, and still highest of the single-car entries in the GT class, ahead of four other teams. Paul Miller Racing currently trails only the two-car teams of Corvette Racing, BMW Team RLL and SRT Motorsports.
The Orion Energy Systems 245 at Road America, August 9-11 begins with first practice Friday, August 9 at 12:50 a.m. EDT and second practice at 5 p.m. EDT. GT qualifying is Saturday, August 10, at 11:00 a.m. EDT, with live online coverage beginning on ESPN3 at 10:30 a.m. EDT.
Paul Miller Racing: Paul Miller Racing is among the top GT teams competing in North American sports car road racing. In 2013, the team will contest the full American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón with lead driver Bryce Miller and season-long teammate Marco Holzer. The team enjoys a long-standing relationship with Porsche and competes with the support of Chopard, TOTAL Lubricants, Search Marketing Group and Motegi Racing and competes exclusively on Michelin tires. The team is affiliated with Paul Miller Porsche, a 2013 Porsche Premier Dealer Award recipient.
Follow the team on Twitter @paulmilleracing @bryceracer @marcoholzer and become a Facebook fan at Facebook.com/paulmillerracing and Facebook.com/brycemiller.net. Learn more about the team at www.paulmillerracing.com.
Paul Miller Racing Partners: Chopard is a world-renowned Swiss luxury watchmaker and jewelry manufacturer with a long history in international motorsport. Michelin is a leading international manufacturer of high and ultra-high performance tires with an impressive record of race wins and championships around the globe. TOTAL Lubricants is the world’s fourth-largest publicly traded integrated international oil and gas company.
