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O'Connell Looks Back; Stuck Gets New Ride

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BRIAN GJURGEVICH On Track

The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 17, 2009

SEBRING INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY - As the 100th American Le Mans Series race approaches with Saturday's 57th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida, two Sebring legends are setting their sights on another go-round the legendary track.

SIR record-holder Johnny O'Connell took some time to reflect on racing at Sebring and the evolution of America's greatest sports car race, while Hall of Famer Hans Stuck stepped into a new ride for his first action at Sebring since 2001.

"I go back at Sebring long before the American Le Mans Series, and I have always had really good success there," said O'Connell, the all-time leader in victories at Sebring with seven class wins. "I love every aspect of it, and that it's an endurance race run with a sprint race mentality. If there is one race a sports car driver wants on his resume as a win, to me it's always been Sebring, more than Daytona, more than anything; it's our most special race."

Sebring ranks as O'Connell's favorite event, but he remembers a time when sports car racing in the U.S. lacked leadership and direction. When Dr. Don Panoz formed the American Le Mans Series a decade ago, it marked a true renaissance for the sport.

Since the first Series race on March 20, 1999 at Sebring, the aura of the event has grown annually, and so has the competitive level of the drivers and teams, along with the technology that is the hallmark of the Series' platform.

To O'Connell, Michelin has been the most influential: "The difference in tires we are running now compared to what we were running back then is unbelievable," he said. "It's funny because each year the ACO (Automobile Club de l'Ouest, the governing body for Le Mans) tries to slow us down and yet we go faster and faster. I think a lot of that would lie at the hands of what Michelin has achieved."

STUCK TEAMS WITH SON, VICI RACING

Sebring Hall of Famer Hans Stuck will climb back into the cockpit at Sebring for the first time since 2001.

The addition of Stuck to VICI Racing's lineup for the 12 Hour race brings the count of former winners of America's greatest sports car race to a whopping 29. The collection of competitors have combined for 68 class victories and 19 overall triumphs.

"Racing at Sebring again after wining for the first time in 1975 means a lot to me, especially when it comes to the fact that I can compete in the 2009 race with my son Johannes, and further to that it will be my first race with Porsche since my last race for the factory in Laguna Seca 11 years ago in 1997," said the elder Stuck. "The other highlight is the fact that I'm racing for my old friend Ronny Meixner who I was teammate with in the times with Joest Racing when we raced a Porsche 962."

Stuck was the overall winner in 1975, 1986 and 1988. His first came in a BMW CSL in which he also won pole position and posted the fastest race lap. He drove a Porsche 962 in both '86 and '88 and was the fastest qualifier in 1985, also in a Porsche 962.

Stuck was a class winner in 1993 and 1996 in Porsche GT entries. This weekend he will team with son Johannes and Nicky Pastorelli in one of VICI Racing's Michelin-shod Porsche 911 GT3 RSRs.

LALLY REJOINS DYSON

Andy Lally will be partnering with Chris Dyson and Guy Smith in the No. 16 LMP2 Mazda Lola Coupe for Saturday's 12 Hour race. Lally is a long-term contributor to Dyson Racing, having driven in prior American Le Mans Series races at Sebring and Petit Le Mans for the team. At last year's race, he finished second overall with fellow Dyson drivers Butch Leitzinger and Marino Franchitti.

"The history of the 12 Hours of Sebring is built on classic battles between some of the great names in racing," said Lally. "It is one of my favorite races and to be part of the Dyson Racing effort again is always one of the highlights of my year. Their new Mazda is a driver-friendly car and gives you the feedback you need to be quick for 12 hours. These long races are driven now as long sprint races and you need a car you can lean on with confidence."

Lally is an accomplished sports car driver, having won the GT class in this year's January Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, his second Daytona win. He was the 2006 Grand-Am Rolex Series GT champion and is the only three-time Rolex Champion having also won Grand-Am championships in 2004 and 2001. When not claiming a championship, he was runner-up four times in the past nine years.

"Andy has always been a very natural fit with our team," said Chris Dyson, lead driver and sporting director of Dyson Racing. "He tested with us and the new Mazda Lola Coupe at Sebring in mid-February and he was immediately quick. He is one of the best when it comes to knowing how to get the most out of the car in a long endurance race. He and the team go back to 2003 and we always look forward to his return to our racing family."

The American Le Mans Series will open its 11th season with the 57th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida on Saturday, March 21. SPEED will televise the race live from 10 a.m. to noon and 2-11 p.m. EDT. American Le Mans Radio and Live Timing & Scoring will be available at americanlemans.com.

Brian Gjurgevich can be reached at 863-386-5841 or bgjurgevich@highlandstoday.com. Read his "On Track" race blog at highlandstoday.com.

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