PARSIPPANY, N.J. – With victories in two of the world’s most prestigious endurance races already on his résumé, Porsche works driver Richard Lietz joins Paul Miller Racing for his first attempt at a Petit Le Mans victory and will co-drive the No. 48 Dunlop/Chopard/TOTAL Porsche 911 GT3 RSR with Bryce Miller and Sascha Maassen in the October 20 event at Road Atlanta.
Lietz, 28, from Ybbsitz, Austria, has been a Porsche factory driver since 2007. He is a two-time GT2 winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (2007, 2011) and won the GT class in the Daytona 24 Hours earlier this year. He also won the Le Mans Series GT championship in 2009 and 2010.
“We are pleased that Porsche Motorsport has offered Richard to our team for Petit,” said team owner Paul Miller. “His intimate knowledge of the new RSR and the performance of competitive-brand tires will make his input valuable, particularly as we go through pre-race testing early next week.”
Lietz has also made four starts in the Twelve Hours of Sebring, earning a best class result of fifth in GT2 in 2010. He finished sixth this year at Sebring and also teamed with fellow Porsche factory driver Romain Dumas in the groundbreaking Porsche GT3R Hybrid in last year’s American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón endurance race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
“I am happy to come to race in the U.S. again,” Lietz said. “Between the Japan WEC race and the China WEC race, it is busy but OK. I am very interested to see how the Dunlop tires work on the RSR, because this is new for me. For sure I am happy to drive with Sascha and Bryce. It’s a long and hard race. Maybe we can finish on the podium.”
Lietz joins co-drivers Bryce Miller and Maassen as they look for their fourth top-five result of the season in the No. 48 Porsche. The teammates will be looking to add to fifth-place runs at Sebring, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Road America in the 10-hour or 1,000-mile race that serves as the 2012 ALMS season finale.
“I am excited to have Richard in the car,” said Bryce Miller. “He is very experienced and it will be nice for our team to have a fresh perspective. I’m eager to begin working with him and for the week of testing ahead of us.”
The Petit Le Mans is scheduled for Saturday, October 20 at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga. The race will be streamed live on ESPN3.com beginning at 11:15 a.m. ET, and will be televised on a tape delay at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 21 on ABC.
PHOTO: Porsche factory driver Richard Lietz joins the Paul Miller Racing driver lineup for Petit Le Mans. Credit: Porsche AG
