DETROIT, Mi — Acura sports car racers David Brabham and Scott Sharp have collected four wins
in the last six American Le Mans Series races and they seek another victory when they hit the streets of
Belle Isle on August 29-30 in the Detroit Sports Car Challenge.
The Patrón Highcroft Racing pair collected their fourth LMP2 class victory last Sunday at the
lightening-fast Mosport International Raceway near Toronto in a great battle against the Penske and
Dyson Porsches and three other Acura contenders.
Coming to the Belle Isle circuit for the Aug. 30 ALMS event, many of the Acura drivers including
Sharp are no strangers to the 2.09-mile, 14-turn road course on the island near downtown Detroit. The
Florida veteran was a two-time Trans-Am winner on the old downtown street course and took second at
Belle Isle in 1993. Sharp finished 11th in last year’s IndyCar Series race at Belle Isle. This year, Sharp,
with his partner Brabham, has wins at prestigious events such as the streets of Long Beach, the legendary
Road America and Mosport. In addition, Sharp and Brabham collected Acura’s first overall victory
with a sensational late-race pass at Lime Rock Park last month. Brabham has an overall pole this year.
Sharp and Brabham currently rank second in the LMP2 point standings (by ten points) as they
look to close on leaders Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas, last year’s Belle Isle overall winners.
Joining Sharp and Brabham in the Acura contingent at Belle Isle are three strong efforts from
Andretti Green Racing, Lowe’s Fernandez Racing and de Ferran Motorsports.
Former Indy 500 winner Gil de Ferran comes back to the Detroit for the first time since the 2001
CART event. The two-time CART champion brings his new team and No. 66 Panasonic ELS Surround
Acura ARX-01b prototype sports car to Detroit. Last Sunday at Mosport, De Ferran, the 1999 Belle Isle
CART pole winner, teamed with young French star Simon Pagenaud to hold the LMP2 lead with one lap
remaining when de Ferran’s car ran out of fuel. De Ferran also won the overall pole at Mid-Ohio.
The No. 15 Lowe’s Acura duo of Mexican driving stars
Adrian Fernandez and Luis Diaz have been very competitive all
season including a wheel-to-wheel duel with the winning Porsche
throughout the 12 Hours of Sebring. A podium finishes at Mid-Ohio
and Mosport makes Fernandez and Diaz contenders at Detroit.
Fernandez is no stranger to the Detroit area with a victory in the
Indy Lights race in 1992 and second in the CART race in 1998.
The Andretti Green Racing features 24 Hours of Le Mans
star Franck Montagny as the new primary driver of the No. 26 XM
Satellite Radio Acura ARX-01b at Mid-Ohio. Montagny, who placed
second in the Champ Car race at Long Beach, will team with
Honda F-1 test driver James Rossiter at Belle Isle.
PHOTOS: Scott Sharp and David Brabham (right) are on a hot
streak in the American Le Mans Series with four LMP2 wins in
the last six races. Driving the Patrón Highcroft Acura ARX-01b,
they are favorites again this weekend .
ACURA LMP2 LINEUP AT MOSPORT
* No. 9 Patrón Highcroft Acura ARX-01b
Drivers: David Brabham, Scott Sharp
* No. 15 Lowe’s Fernandez Acura ARX-01b
Drivers: Adrian Fernandez, Luis Diaz
* No. 26 XM Satellite Radio Acura ARX-01b
Drivers: Franck Montagny, James Rossiter
* No. 66 Panasonic ELS de Ferran Acura
Drivers: Gil de Ferran (left), Simon Pagenaud
ACURA QUOTES:
DAVID BRABHAM (#9 Patrón Highcroft Racing Acura
ARX-0ba): “Our Patrón Highcroft Acura team did a great job
with strategy this year. Winning four races this year has been
a great thrill and we would like to continue the trend at Belle
Isle. What a phenomenal race at Mosport! The wheel-towheel
action was as good as it gets. There was really worldclass
competition. The racing with Romain [Dumas] was incredible
as we passed back and forth. I feel bad for my mate
Gil’s team. They were so close to winning. We are closing in
on the point lead. That’s very exciting for us!””
SCOTT SHARP (#9 Patrón Highcroft Racing Acura ARX-
01b): “Winning four races this year is a tremendous feat for this young team. I think we have a chance to win another one before
the end of the year. To get the first overall win this year for Acura and Patrón [at Lime Rock], that was a big accomplishment. This
Acura prototype is one of the best cars I have ever driven. I am anxious to get back to Belle Isle. The last two races have been
about fuel, and our staff, led by Duncan [Dayton] and Rob Hill, did another great job of calling the right shot at the end.”
LUIS DIAZ (#15 Lowe’s Fernandez Acura ARX-01b): “Our Lowe’s Acura team had a great strategy and my car felt good at
Mosport. We had some great racing in the P2 class. Each race, we'll continue to learn about the Acura chassis on these fast
tracks. We had the Lola last year, and the new chassis is very good. We think we can get better with each race. I think we have
shown that we can race for the win and that is goal at Detroit.”
ADRIAN FERNANDEZ (#15 Lowe’s Fernandez Acura ARX-01b): “We had a good race at Mosport. We had to play the fuel
game but taking second is good for us. We should have had three straight podium finishes. It was a tough day at Road America
because we were looking good. I think we had a faster car than [David] Brabham but then the left rear suspension. I think we
are making a lot of gains right now with our Acura engine and chassis. Now I want to get the Lowe’s Acura in victory lane at Detroit.
We’ll be competitive. I won in Indy Lights there and almost [second] in Champ Car at Belle Isle.”
FRANCK MONTAGNY (#26 XM Satellite Radio AGR Acura ARX-01b): “We had a fast car at Mosport. But we juts missed on
our strategy there. I'm still very disappointed with our finish at Road America, but the past is the past and I can't change anything.
Now I will have to focus on my training and on Detroit. I have watched the video the team provided to me and I think I am going to
love this circuit. We will be ready to take the XM Acura to a win.”
JAMES ROSSITER (#26 XM Satellite Radio AGR Acura ARX-01b): “I
have enjoyed my time with Andretti Green in the XM Acura and feel that
Franck and I have been a compliment to each other. We’ve shown the
type of speed that it takes to win races. We just need some luck.”
GIL de FERRAN (#66 Panasonic ELS Sound de Ferran Motosports
Acura ARX-01b): “It was particularly cruel when you consider that we
missed the checkered flag by just about a second at Mosport. That
made us take another lap and we ran out of fuel. It was always going to
be tight for us on fuel. But the team did a very good job working the
numbers. We thought the race would end one lap sooner. Unfortunately,
that didn’t happen today. Our guys did great in calling all the right
moves, including getting us back on the lead lap in the early portion of
the race. We have been struggling all weekend with the car, but, in the
race, it felt good. And our lap times were very good. I was feeling very
comfortable in the lead and I had a good rhythm in the cockpit. It felt
good to run up front again. I think we can do more of that in the future.
It is a tough way to lose. We are ready for Belle Isle now.”
SIMON PAGENAUD (#66 Panasonic ELS Sound de Ferran Motorsports
Acura ARX-01b): “It shows how much racing can get you
sometimes. We will take a lot from the Mosport weekend. We learned a
lot the whole week. We had some problems, but team had a great strategy
and the car was very good in the race. I’m anxious for Detroit.”
UPCOMING ALMS RACE
RACE: DETROIT SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE
DATE: August 29-30, 2008
TRACK: BELLE ISLE, Detroit, Michigan
DISTANCE: 2 Hours, 45 Minutes
ROUND: 9 of 11 Races
TV: SPEED-TV, Aug. 30, 2:30 p.m. (EDT) LIVE
