Laguna Seca : Aston Martin win but Dyson champions

As well as the victory of Aston Martin Racing, there were some American Le Mans Series series titles decided at the end of this six-hour race, the penultimate round of the 2011 ALMS.

After all the difficulties with the AMR-One, Aston Martin Racing needed a win at end the 2011 season.  2011 Lola coupe, and they did that with the Lola coupe. For the first time in its history, a British team won an ALMS race with Stefan Mücke, Harold Primat and Adrian Fernandez driving. After another poor performance for the other Lola-Aston Martin of AMR Muscle Milk,  Dyson Racing claimed their first ALMS title. Drivers Guy Smith and Chris Dyson (joined at Laguna Seca by Jay Cochran) are also rewarded, as too their engine partner Mazda. They finished ahead of the Lola-Mazda team-mates Steven Kane, Humaid Al Masaood and Butch Leitzinger.

In GT, Porsche has had their third win in four races. After the first of the Team Falken Tire at Mid-Ohio and Baltimore, Flying Lizard Motorsports are back to winning ways thanks to Jörg Bergmeister and Patrick Long, in the driver line up. Porsche are back in second place standings in the category, they can still hope to beat rivals BMW for the manufacturers' title, now the drivers and teams titles have gone to BMW with the second place of Dirk Müller and Joey Hand (BMW Team RLL).

For the race with the HPD ARX-01g prototype , Level 5 Motorsports won in LM P2, and took fourth place overall for Christophe Bouchut, Scott Tucker and Luis Diaz. Results bode well for Petit Le Mans, where the American team will face opponents of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup on the 1st October.

Jean-Philippe Doret

Photo: MONTEREY, California (United States), LAGUNA SECA RACE, September 17, 2011. First win for Aston Martin Racing in 2011, who have not raced in the ALMS since Long Beach in April 2010.