gaijin
04-08-2005, 08:32 AM
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS FOR GEORGIA DRIVERS
Braselton, Ga. - Is there any place like home? A group of American Le Mans Series drivers may be able to give an answer following the Sportsbook.com Grand Prix of Atlanta, set for April 15-17 at Road Atlanta. Johnny O'Connell, Randy Pobst, Terry Borcheller and Justin Jackson all live within a few minutes of Road Atlanta, site of Round 2 of the ALMS' 2005 schedule.
From nearby Flowery Branch, Ga., O'Connell has the closest drive to the track. Last year's GT1 co-champion (he shared the title with teammate Ron Fellows) has been bombarded with requests for public appearances and tickets. But those are things he looks forward to when the ALMS races at Road Atlanta, one of his favorite stops on the circuit.
"That is the difficult part of racing in your backyard. There are more demands on your time. But that's part of the job," O'Connell said. "That we do it twice in a year is great. It's great sleeping in your own bed and all that stuff. There are a lot of plusses."
Just because he lives nearby doesn't mean Borcheller and the other drivers are able to get to Road Atlanta whenever they want. The last time the Gainesville, Ga., resident drove at Road Atlanta was last year's Petit Le Mans. But after more than 20 years of racing at Road Atlanta, he probably knows just about every inch of the 2.54-mile course by heart. But he may need more for the privateer Saleen to match up with the factory Corvettes.
"I've always considered it a great track," Borcheller said. "It's a proper road course, and I like it because of the elevation changes. If you know the track, you can definitely gain an advantage.
"You can't ever count (the Corvettes) out," he added. "They have so much development in those cars. Going against a factory is harder than it looks. But we're going to try hard. You can count on that."
In GT2, Pobst and Jackson both are driving Porsches albeit on different teams. Pobst, racing the No. 24 Alex Job Racing entry, lives about 15 minutes from the track. He hopes the familiarity of home will help he and Ian Baas rebound from a 14th-place finish in class at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
"I've lived in the area for three years but travel so much that I'm not here very often," Pobst said. "The best part about racing at Road Atlanta is that I'm going home every night. It gives me a more solid foundation. Although I've been racing for many years and have been traveling, there is no place like home."
Jackson, from Buford, Ga., will start his 2005 ALMS season one event later than he planned. Sick during Sebring, he missed J3 Racing's second-place finish in GT2. It was the team's best finish ever in an ALMS event. Now coming home to Road Atlanta, Jackson said there isn't a better place to keep J3's momentum going.
"We know it very well," he said. "We'll be at home during the week. That makes it much easier."
The Sportsbook.com Grand Prix of Atlanta is scheduled to start at noon April 17. It will be broadcast on CBS from 1-3 p.m., and American Le Mans Series Radio will have live flag-to-flag coverage at www.americanlemans.com. Tickets can be purchased by calling (800) 849-RACE or logging on to www.roadatlanta.com.
Braselton, Ga. - Is there any place like home? A group of American Le Mans Series drivers may be able to give an answer following the Sportsbook.com Grand Prix of Atlanta, set for April 15-17 at Road Atlanta. Johnny O'Connell, Randy Pobst, Terry Borcheller and Justin Jackson all live within a few minutes of Road Atlanta, site of Round 2 of the ALMS' 2005 schedule.
From nearby Flowery Branch, Ga., O'Connell has the closest drive to the track. Last year's GT1 co-champion (he shared the title with teammate Ron Fellows) has been bombarded with requests for public appearances and tickets. But those are things he looks forward to when the ALMS races at Road Atlanta, one of his favorite stops on the circuit.
"That is the difficult part of racing in your backyard. There are more demands on your time. But that's part of the job," O'Connell said. "That we do it twice in a year is great. It's great sleeping in your own bed and all that stuff. There are a lot of plusses."
Just because he lives nearby doesn't mean Borcheller and the other drivers are able to get to Road Atlanta whenever they want. The last time the Gainesville, Ga., resident drove at Road Atlanta was last year's Petit Le Mans. But after more than 20 years of racing at Road Atlanta, he probably knows just about every inch of the 2.54-mile course by heart. But he may need more for the privateer Saleen to match up with the factory Corvettes.
"I've always considered it a great track," Borcheller said. "It's a proper road course, and I like it because of the elevation changes. If you know the track, you can definitely gain an advantage.
"You can't ever count (the Corvettes) out," he added. "They have so much development in those cars. Going against a factory is harder than it looks. But we're going to try hard. You can count on that."
In GT2, Pobst and Jackson both are driving Porsches albeit on different teams. Pobst, racing the No. 24 Alex Job Racing entry, lives about 15 minutes from the track. He hopes the familiarity of home will help he and Ian Baas rebound from a 14th-place finish in class at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
"I've lived in the area for three years but travel so much that I'm not here very often," Pobst said. "The best part about racing at Road Atlanta is that I'm going home every night. It gives me a more solid foundation. Although I've been racing for many years and have been traveling, there is no place like home."
Jackson, from Buford, Ga., will start his 2005 ALMS season one event later than he planned. Sick during Sebring, he missed J3 Racing's second-place finish in GT2. It was the team's best finish ever in an ALMS event. Now coming home to Road Atlanta, Jackson said there isn't a better place to keep J3's momentum going.
"We know it very well," he said. "We'll be at home during the week. That makes it much easier."
The Sportsbook.com Grand Prix of Atlanta is scheduled to start at noon April 17. It will be broadcast on CBS from 1-3 p.m., and American Le Mans Series Radio will have live flag-to-flag coverage at www.americanlemans.com. Tickets can be purchased by calling (800) 849-RACE or logging on to www.roadatlanta.com.