Pagenaud and de Ferran Snag an ALMS Win in Long Beach
Today’s Tequila Patron American Le Mans Series race at Long Beach was won by Simon Pagenaud and Gil de Ferran – the drivers of the No. 66 XM Radio/Panasonic Acura ARX-02a. Though the pair had lead for a good portion of the race, the margin of victory remained only 1.016 seconds ahead of fellow Acura drivers, Scott Sharp and David Brabham in the No. 9 Patrón Spirits Company machine.
P2 honors went to the third Acura entry – the No. 15 Lowe’s sponsored car piloted by Luis Diaz and Adrian Fernandez. This strong finish secured all three steps of the overall winner’s podium for Acura.
In GT1, the Compuware Corvettes returned for mixed results. The No. 4 of Olivier Beretta and Oliver Gavin took the class victory and finished 6th overall. The No. 3 sister entry driven by Johnny O’Connell faced mechanical issues and was forced to drop out of the race after only 42 of the total 76 laps.
A wide range of manufacturers made the podium in GT2, with Porsche taking over the top step with the No. 45 entry of Patrick Long and Jörg Bergmeister. Second in class went to the No. 62 Ferrari’s Pierre Kaffer and Jaime Melo, with the No. 92 BMW’s Tommy Milner and Dirk Müller gracing the third step.
The top finishers included:
Pos No Class Car Drivers
1 #66 P1 Acura ARX-02a Simon Pagenaud
Gil de Ferran
2 #9 P1 Acura ARX-02a Scott Sharp
David Brabham
3 #15 P2 Acura ARX-01B Luis Diaz
Adrian Fernandez
4 #16 P2 Mazda / Lola B09 Guy Smith
Chris Dyson
5 #20 P2 Mazda / Lola B09 Butch Leitzinger
Marino Franchitti
6 #4 GT1 Chev Corvette C6-R Olivier Beretta
Oliver Gavin
7 #37 P1 Lola B06 Jon Field
Chapman Ducote
Clint Field
8 #45 GT2 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR Patrick Long
Jörg Bergmeister
9 #62 GT2 Ferrari 430 GT Pierre Kaffer
Jaime Melo
10 #92 GT2 BMW E92 M3 Tommy Milner
Dirk Müller
Related Links:
American Le Mans Series: Schedule, Standings, Latest News, Videos
