| Date/Time: | 2008-05-20 09:11 |
| Race: | 24 Hours of Le Mans |
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San Diego, CA --- It is easily the most celebrated, festive, and important sports car race on the planet. In literally every facet of the 24 Hours of Le Mans – from the complexity of preparation, to the endurance required by the car and drivers, to the massive global fan base, to circuit’s length, to the history, to the rewards that go to the winners – nothing in sports car racing compares. “And that explains why we’ve been preparing for this race since October of 2007. A full eight months ago. Not only does Le Mans and all its grandeur and significance deserve your greatest effort, it is something that won’t work for a team that doesn’t put all its resources behind competing in it. On average, half of the 55-car field will not finish,” said Michael Lewis, owner and driver for Autocon Motorsports. The twice-around-the-clock race itself isn’t until Saturday, June 14, but next week members of Autocon’s 30-person entourage will start making their way to the Sarthe region of France. The first on-track team test is June 1, followed by a small break, with testing, qualifying, related events such as the driver’s parade in the city of Le Mans and race preparation resuming June 11. “This is the only race I have ever attended that gives me goose-pimples,” said driver Chris McMurry, who drove in the by-invitation race in 2003 with Bryan Willman, who will team with Lewis and McMurry this year. “It is a very special place, and you sense it the moment you arrive. It’s on the scale of the Indianapolis 500 or Daytona 500.” To put the 76th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans into perspective, consider that more than 2,500 journalist credentials will be issued for the race, which will be broadcast around the globe by Eurosport and live for 16 of the 24 hours in the US. Some 300,000 spectators will converge for the race classic, making Le Mans a bigger draw than the Indianapolis 500. The 2008 edition of Le Mans promises not to disappoint, especially for prototype lovers. Some 32 of the exotic cars will make the starting grid, the largest field of its kind in recent memory. Autocon is the sole US prototype entry that features teams from France (10), Great Britain (6), Germany (4), Japan (3), Czech Republic (2), Switzerland (2), Spain (1), Italy (1), Denmark (1), Netherlands (1), and Portugal (1) “This is the greatest test in racing, drawing powerful teams and drivers from all over the world, some 14 counties altogether. Just to finish here is a great deed, to place is the success of a lifetime,” added Willman. Three other America Le Mans Series team will join Autocon in the endurance test, all GT teams including Corvette Racing, Risi Competizione and Flying Lizard Motorsports. The team will be partnering the England-based Creation factory team throughout, and will use its blue CAH08 chassis rather than the grey and orange CAH06 chassis that Autocon campaigns in the American Le Mans Series. The front suspension and rear assembly of the car will be from Autocon’s US-based racer, including the gearbox and Le Mans-proven Judd power plant. The Creation car that Autocon will campaign around the amazing 8-mile circuit recently finished 4th overall at Monza in Le Mans Endurance Series events. And while the team colors will be different for the event, the sponsors will be the same in JEANRICHARD, and Cyclo and its familiar product brands. Interestingly, and completely coincidently, Autocon will be car #23, which is the same number McMurry and Willman ran under in 2003. An omen of good luck, the team hopes. Television Broadcast Information Saturday, June 14, 8:30am to Noon EDT on SPEED Radio and Live Timing & Scoring Facts and Figures Car Number: 23 More on Le Mans http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24_hours_of_Le_Mans
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