San Diego, CA --- There is precious little time to relax after the American Le Man Series visit to Houston last weekend where the Autocon Motorsports team scored their best qualifying effort ever (3rd in P1 Class, 5th overall) and ran as high as 4th before suffering a mechanical DNF. Just seven days later, at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, comes round three of the season.

For the first time in 2006, the JeanRichard-sponsored team will be able to let the AER-powered Lola EX257 run on a smooth and traditional permanent road course that includes elements that play to the low-profile car's design. In addition, the team plans to roll out, for the first time, a package that includes the greater turbo boost and additional horsepower recently allowed by the series sanctioning body IMSA.

"It will be a definite change to be on a proper road course after the Sebring runways and the Houston streets," stated Lewis, who says it will be nice to end a race weekend with a few less bruises, for both drivers and the car. "We are looking forward to seeing what the Lola can do on the type of track for which it was developed."

Ever the humble one, Lewis gets along quite well with Mid-Ohio, having won several SCCA National Championships there, and having run up front in several TransAm events. Lewis will be paired with Chris McMurry for the race.

"We have high expectations for this event, very high in fact," said McMurry. "The car will be in its element, and Mike is a master at this track. I got my first ALMS prototype win at Mid-Ohio with Team Bucknum in 2002. It is time to put the little glitches behind us and get an overall podium result. Anything less will be a disappointment."

Mid-Ohio has 13 turns and a number of tricky elevation changes. Most drivers say the circuit is enjoyable from a driving standpoint. Two long straights provide a breather in between the 13 turns that take a little more than a minute to circumnavigate. The track is nestled in a primarily farming community in central Ohio, just 60 miles from Columbus and 90 miles from Cleveland, and has a rich history dating back to 1962. Virtually every major racing series has competed at the well-manicured facility that received a multi-million dollar repaving upgrade during the off-season.

This weekend's event returns to a more traditional schedule with cars on the track on Friday for practice, qualifying on Saturday afternoon and a race start at noon EDT on Sunday, May 21. It will be broadcast on CBS Sports at 1 p.m. EDT May 21, the second of five straight races on the major network. As always, live timing and scoring will be available, as well as ALMS Radio, at www.americanlemans.com.