The American Le Mans Series takes to the streets of Long Beach this weekend.

Penske’s No. 6 RS Spyder fastest after Thursday testing

The streets of Long Beach came alive Thursday afternoon during the first afternoon test in the history of the Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Penske Racing’s No. 6 Porsche RS Spyder topped the timing charts after two hours of testing. Porsche Works drivers Sascha Maassen and Patrick Long led all LMP2 cars wtih a time of 1:12.986 at 97.071 mph.

So far this season, the RS Spyders have won both races of the young 2008 ALMS season with Long Beach up next this weekend. With Hollywood’s influence, the Grand Prix of Long Beach has at times been compared to the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Monaco. Formula 1 may not like the comparison, but the sun, sand and surf of California does hold some influence.

Porsche dominated the podium at last year's Long Beach race by finishing 1-2-3.

“This race is the highlight of the year, it’s a fascinating mix of sport and show,” said Timo Bernhard. Bernhard won last year with teammate Romain. “The demanding track and the whole atmosphere with its many attractions for the fans make it a one-of-a-kind experience.”

Long Beach is be the shortest race of the season where pit stops may prove critical. An unexpected stop or one that doesn’t go smoothly could smash your shot at victory. Hartmut Kristen, head of Porsche motorsports explains.

“One of the reasons for our success last year was our perfect pit stop strategies and secondly that we managed to find an optimal set-up for the RS Spyder in the short practice time. This has to be our main focus this year too,” he said.

Saturday’s race is scheduled for a 4:10 p.m. PT start but won’t be broadcast by ABC until Sunday from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. ET. American Le Mans Radio will have live coverage of the race at americanlemans.com, which also feature’s IMSA's Live Timing & Scoring.

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One person has commented on this article.

1. Untitled
Robert Eberhard, Unregistered

Very interessting article! Good written!

Regards
Robert

\n This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ' title='Click to send email'>Posted 2008-04-29 12:05:34

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