The Porsche RS Spyder is still the benchmark in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS). With the seventh straight overall win, Porsche has further extended its head position in the race series featuring the world’s fastest sportscars. Timo Bernhard (Germany) and Romain Dumas (France) not only beat their opponents in the LMP2 class by 19.576 seconds but also dominated the Audi R10 with its extra 200 horsepower and a superior power-to-weight ratio in the LMP1 class on the Mosport International Raceway.
Sascha Maassen (Germany) and Ryan Briscoe (Australia) put in a strong drive and brought their #6 Porsche RS Spyder home in third overall. Thanks to the double victory in the LMP2 class, the Penske Motorsports team has already claimed the team classification title before the end of the season. Bernhard and Dumas have further extended their lead in the ALMS drivers classification after securing their eighth class victory from nine races. For the German-French duo the overall win in Canada is their fifth this season after Long Beach, Houston, Mid-Ohio and Elkhart Lake.
“To climb to the top of the podium for the third time in a row in the overall classification is a dream,” said a delighted Timo Bernhard. “The key to our success today was again being able to get past traffic and to lose as little time as possible when lapping slower competitors. And again we had the most reliable car out there.” Hartmut Kristen, Porsche’s head of motorsport, also drew a positive conclusion: “Congratulations to Penske Motorsports in winning the team classification. Today our clever race strategy was once again the decisive factor. Moreover, the pit stops ran perfectly. You couldn’t offer spectators better motorsport than this. There were constant overtaking manoeuvres and the race was full of suspense right to the chequered flag.”
The Porsche-supported US privateer team, Dyson Racing, also earned precious points in the fiercely contested LMP2 class. Chris Dyson (USA) and Guy Smith (Great Britain) claimed fifth position in the #20 RS Spyder, with Andy Wallace (Great Britain) and Butch Leitzinger (USA) bringing their # 16 vehicle across the finish line in seventh.
In the GT2 class for modified production sportscars, Ralf Kelleners (Germany) and Tom Milner (USA) secured third position in the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR fielded by Rahal Lettermann Racing. Title defender Joerg Bergmeister (Germany) and Johannes van Overbeek (USA) came fifth at the wheel of a Flying Lizards Motorsports 911 GT3 RSR.
Overall result
1. Bernhard/Dumas (D/F), Porsche RS Spyder (LMP2), 125 laps
2. McNish/Capello (GB/I), Audi R10 (LMP1), 125
3. Maassen/Briscoe (D/AUS), Porsche RS Spyder (LMP2), 125
4. Pirro/Werner (I/D), Audi R10 (LMP1), 125
5. Herta/Franchitti (USA/GB), Acura ARX (LMP2), 125
6. Devlin/Bach (GB/USA), Mazda Lola B07, 124
7. Dyson/Smith (USA/GB), Porsche RS Spyder (LMP2), 124
8. Fernandez/Diaz (MEX/MEX), Acura Lola B06 (LMP2), 124
9. Wallace/Leitzinger (GB/USA), Porsche RS Spyder (LMP2), 124
10. O’Connell/Magnussen (USA/DK), Chevrolet Corvette (GT1), 116
Fastest race lap
Marco Werner, Audi R10, 1:06.371 minutes
Class winners
LMP1: McNish/Capello (GB/I), Audi R10
LMP2: Bernhard/Dumas (D/F), Porsche RS Spyder
GT1: O’Connell/Magnussen (USA/DK), Chevrolet Corvette
GT2: Melo/Salo (BR/FIN), Ferrari 430 GT
Points standings
Drivers LMP2 class
1. Timo Bernhard, Porsche, 170; Romain Dumas, Porsche, 170
3. Sascha Maassen, Porsche, 149; Ryan Briscoe, Porsche, 149
5. David Brabham, Acura , 90; Stefan Johansson, Acura, 90
Manufacturers LMP2 class
1. Porsche, 182
2. Acura, 119
The 10th round of the American Le Mans Series will be contested on the city circuit of Detroit (Michigan) on 1st September 2007.