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Audi Shines In Sebring Debut

Highlands Today photo by JASMINA MEYER

Audi Sport Team Joest drivers Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish and Rinaldo Capello celebrate on the grid after winning the 12 Hours of Sebring.

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By BRIAN GJURGEVICH

Highlands Today

Published: March 22, 2009

SEBRING INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY - The old, bumpy landing strip amid the orange groves takes its toll on any car, but it's especially unforgiving toward new entries.

The BMW Rahal-Letterman team learned very quickly how tough Sebring can be on an unseasoned car, while Dyson Racing and de Ferran Motorsports had their high hopes dashed before the sun set on SIR Saturday night.

The No. 90 BMW E93 M3 had issues before the green flag even made its appearance: It stalled before the start and was taken off the track less than two hours in, officially retiring for mechanical reasons at 12:53 p.m.

"It's a shame: The car was running really well and the drivers were doing a great job," said team owner Bobby Rahal. "It's a heck of a race to come to for our first race. Sebring is a tough race to start at."

The No. 92, however, appeared to be up to the job of carrying the BMW flag, holding the lead in the GT2 class for a time before also bowing at 3:43 p.m., with only a large puddle of oil left behind in the pit to remember their day by.

"I'm not sure what it was," said driver Tom Milner. "The car ran great and on the in-lap it sounded like a broken header then I felt a vibration. The car has been extremely reliable all weekend, but we're still not up to speed."

Dyson Finds Double Trouble

After putting in more than 100 hours of work in to prepare for their debut, Dyson Racing's two new P2 Lola B09 86 Mazdas couldn't avoid SIR's wrath: Both cars officially retired simultaneously at 4:21 p.m., after the No. 16 car lost its rear wing and the No. 20 faced mechanical issues.

Chris Dyson admitted his frustration, but the team owner was philosophical about the result.

"This week has been a very productive time for us," he said. "There is no tougher environment to sort out a new car than the runways of Sebring.

Brabham, Acura Have Dizzy Day

It's rare enough for David Brabham to make one mistake on race day, but two?

The Patron Highcroft racer spun and stalled the No. 9 Acura ARX-02a twice, both on unforced errors.

A frustrating day for Acura continued when the pole-sitting de Ferran Motorsports entry retired early after 246 laps, while the No. 9 Patron Highcroft Acura lasted 302 laps before shutting it down.

Press Box Scare

Longtime PR director for Goodyear Tires and media representative Bill King was taken from the press box to Highlands Regional Medical Center after he became disoriented and experienced short-term memory loss and a blood pressure spike just prior to the start of the race.

No evidence of a medical problem was found, but King underwent a CT scan and blood tests and was held at HRMC overnight.

"I was a little confused," said King, who joked with paramedics as they drove him to the hospital. "But I'm feeling much better now."

Brian Gjurgevich can be reached at 863-386-5841 or bgjurgevich@highlandstoday.com.

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