Media Release: Brabham Ready To Extend ALMS Championship Lead At Salt Lake

Wednesday 13 May, 2009; David Brabham will be hunting for win number two as the American Le Mans Series heads for Salt Lake City and round four this weekend, 15-17 May 2009. Barely a week after racing the Spa 1000 kilometres for Peugeot Sport, Brabham will take up his usual duties at the wheel of the Patrón Highcroft Racing Acura ARX-02a aiming to extend his current LMP1 class lead at the Miller Motorsports Park.

Victory in round two at St Petersburg set the tone for a positive start to the ALMS season, with Brabham and team mate Scott Sharp adding Acura’s first LMP1 class win to their list of achievements for the Patrón Highcroft team. That performance coupled with second at Long Beach in round three sees the pair top the LMP1 class standings by 21 points from Gil de Ferran and Simon Pagenaud in the sister de Ferran Acura.

Perhaps the biggest test of the season so far looms at Salt Lake City this weekend where the circuit is notorious for pushing the cars to the limit. Brabham commented; “Miller Motorsports Park will be a challenge because it’s the most demanding track on the ALMS calendar for the car. Sebring is tough because it’s bumpy and harsh on the driver but this track inflicts a high load on the car and particularly the transmission. The turbo powered cars will have an advantage in Utah due to the high altitude, so it’s going to be a tough race but it will be a good test for us all.

“We head to Salt Lake City with the aim of taking our second win and maintaining the LMP1 class lead. It’s been good for the team to have a break and catch our breath after Long Beach. We’ve used that time to make sure we are fully prepared and we’re feeling pretty positive for this weekend.”

As well as setting his sights on race victory, Brabham and the Patrón Highcroft team will be continuing their endeavours in the Michelin Green X Challenge, a scheme unique to the ALMS that rewards a prototype and a GT team each race for overall performance, fuel efficiency and the least impact on the environment.

For an Australian living in Henley-on-Thames, England, competing in the ALMS and across world class endurance racing events, Brabham is well positioned to have a unique insight into the environmental challenges facing the planet.

The father of three, who is an ambassador for Energy Efficiency in Motorsport (EEMS), first highlighted his concerns to ALMS founder, Don Panoz, and President, Scott Atherton, in an email back in 2004.

"I am writing to you guys to see if we can make a shift in our thinking about the way we go about our racing and the way we impact our environment," Brabham wrote.

"I would like to see a committee set up to look at what can be done to cut the emissions down and then out completely. We could set up a way of calculating the carbons that go into the atmosphere and give gold, silver or bronze to the manufactures who have the best fuel economy and the least amount of carbons. I also believe that the series could attract different sponsorship from companies that shy away from racing because it is not green.”

"When I wrote the email to Don and Scott I believed the series could be much more proactive in the fight against global warming,” Brabham said. “I poured my heart out at the time and sent it off to them and it has been great to see the way the series has embraced that way of thinking – that's not to say I was the one who made that happen, but certainly it has been nice to see it evolve into a championship that is fully behind the green movement.”

Brabham is proud to have the image of the earth on the back of his helmet and also on the belt strap of his Patrón racesuit. “It is nice to be part of a country and feel like you are part of something, but I feel we should be bigger than that," Brabham said.

"We are all part of a global community that is far more important than pushing one country against another. We are all here living together, breathing the same air, enjoying the same sunshine – we are all part of one race and that is why I predominantly have the globe on my suit instead of or alongside the Australian flag."

"For Patrón Highcroft Racing, we will be very excited to not only challenge for outright wins in the P1 class – but also do our best to work with Acura to fight for the Michelin Green X Challenge award as well.”

For further information on the American Le Mans Series, including the provisional schedule for round four at Salt Lake City, visit www.americanlemans.com

For photography, please click on the thumbnails at the bottom of this press release to download images.

-Ends-

For further information on David Brabham, including his career history and biography, visit www.davidbrabham.com

For further information on David’s father, Sir Jack Brabham, and the celebrations surrounding the 50th anniversary of his first Formula One World Championship title, visit the new website www.jackbrabham.co.uk

Media Contact (including hi-res images):
Emma Spearing, Hazel PR:
Tel: +44 (0)1202 862410 Mobile: +44 (0)7736 341828
E-mail: emma.spearing@hazelpr.com

Tags: