San Diego, CA --- Autocon Motorsports, headed by owner/driver Mike Lewis, will turn some heads on arrival in FL for the 2006 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring March 14-18. Autocon has acquired a P1 class winning AER-powered Lola EX257, which went to two victories in 2005 while being fielded by Dyson Racing. The have also introduced a new transporter, a bold new livery, and added some new faces.

Joining Lewis in the cockpit will be the popular, prototype-winning Bryan Willman, with whom Lewis shared seat-time last season in team’s former Riley & Scott MkIIIc. Completing the Sebring lineup is defending Sebring P2 Champion Chris McMurry.

“This is a major step up for our team and I am really excited about our debut at Sebring,” stated Lewis, who says the team will begin its pre-race test on Tuesday of the race week. “Our team has finished this race two out of the last three years in the top 10 overall, so we know how to get to the end, which is 80 percent of the battle at Sebring. The key for us is to absolutely focus on keeping our heads down and hitting our marks both as drivers and as a team in the pits. I think a podium might well be a possibility.”

“We face terrific competition from Audi and the new Dyson cars, but don’t count us out,” continued Lewis. “One other aspect to this season will be the competition with our good friends at Highcroft Racing. Duncan Dayton also acquired a Lola from Dyson so there will be a battle within a battle that will last all season long. It is going to be fun for sure.”

What's on the Line

When asked if Lewis would be willing to put up the vintage Indy car he owns in a beat with Dayton in something of  a winner-takes-all PINKs competition, he laughed and said, “Sure, I’d consider it because I’ve heard Duncan has some pretty nice vehicles!”

Autocon did not participate in the Wheels Down Winter Test at Sebring, electing instead to remain on the west coast and test more locally. The team tested for two days at Buttonwillow, CA in February to familiarize the team and drivers with the car. It was a nearly flawless test and left drivers and crew enthusiastic about the coming season.

“My four-plus years in prototypes have been a constant move upward. Each year the cars were better and the competition tougher,” added McMurry. “This Lola is far and away the best and was a blast to drive at Buttonwillow. I can’t wait for my first laps in it at Sebring. Last year was a thrill to take the checker and I’d love to visit the podium again.”

Willman, also a past multi-event winner in the LMP2 class (the forerunner class to today’s P2 class) is enthusiastic, too. “Sebring is special because it is the longest, roughest race that matters in the Western hemisphere. As we have seen so many times, you never know what will happen until the checker falls," he said. “I think about this race every night.”

Autocon is introducing several new partners for the 2006 campaign and will feature JeanRichard Swiss Watches for the Sebring event. There is added significance as JeanRichard will be awarding commemorative editions of their world class watches to podium finishers of the 2006 Sebring event.

Race Information

The American Le Mans Series begins its 2006 season with the 54th annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The 12-hour endurance classic is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. EST on March 18 at Sebring International Raceway. It will be televised live on SPEED Channel in North America and MotorsTV in Europe. In addition, Greenlight-Television will distribute the race worldwide to more than 510 million households. American Le Mans Series Radio will have flag-to-flag coverage available at www.americanlemans.com, along with IMSA Live Timing & Scoring.