ALMS: Sebring Friday Notebook

Olivier Quesnel, who is also team boss for Citroen's WRC program, estimates it costs $650,000 in logistics to travel to Sebring, compared to $150,000 for a European-based Le Mans Series race at Spa-Francorhamps. (John Dagys)
With Audi not here this weekend, Peugeot was faced with an interesting scenario. Some had speculated that the team’s decision to put some of its lesser experienced drivers in the cars for Sebring was a direct affect from Audi’s non participation, but Quesnel says this is not the case. It in fact falls back to Peugeot’s primary objective for this weekend, and that’s to gain miles for its cars, and drivers, ahead of Le Mans in June.

“All the drivers have to be at the start of the race at Le Mans with the same kilometers [of experience],” he said. “In my mind, they are all fast enough for Audi, so we didn’t need Stephane Sarrazin or Franck Montagny for one race. For me, there’s no problem. I would have liked Audi to be here, but they’re not. If Audi was here, we would have had the same drivers.”

Quesnel has not completely ruled out a return Stateside for the Petit Le Mans later this year, but the clear focus post-Le Mans is on their 2011 challenger. After two years in the planning stages, the car, currently dubbed the ‘90X’, is nearing the final stages of development. Work began on the car four months ago and the design is now complete. Whether it’s diesel or gasoline-powered, or open or closed-top, Quesnel would not confirm at this time.

“Our objective this year is to try to win Le Mans and to make the new car,” Quesnel said. “After Le Mans, the priority will be for the new car... I can’t say absolutely no [to competing at Petit Le Mans], but it’s not my target. If we got the money and have time and don’t break any 908’s before. If everything is going on very well, why not?”

Full-Season TRG GTC Entry Expected By: Sylvia Proudfoot

TRG is poised to announce a full-season program in the ALMS GT Challenge class. The team is running one car at Sebring this week – the No. 63 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – a 2009 car built to GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series specifications. Team owner Kevin Buckler said the car has less horsepower than the 2010 ALMS-spec Cup car, but he believes IMSA will equalize the field. That's the encouragement he needs to run more cars.

"It's nice to be back with ALMS after a five-year absence for us. I always liked running in the series and the cars are competitive here for us, so it's nice to see the guys with a spring in their step because we have a chance to come here and win. Parity is super-super-important to us; usually wherever TRG goes in a situation like that, we do well," he said. "We're working towards a whole-season effort and I'm looking at trying to put a second car on the grid at Long Beach.
 
"We're still a little bit behind the ultimate lap times right now. They haven't quite got the balance right yet, but I have a pretty good feeling that they will seek a good balance. We're about a second and a half apart between the Rolex car and the [ALMS] car right now. It's a long race here at Sebring, but once we get to Long Beach, they're going to have to iron that out or it will be real hard to be bringing guys in that want to run in the series if they know going in they'll be in a deficit like that. I'm optimistic that they'll make the corrections they need to."

Double-Duty Pagenaud

Peugeot will be joining Audi on Monday and Tuesday for private testing at Sebring. The French automaker will be using the time on the 3.7-mile airfield circuit in preparation for Le Mans in June. In doing so, Simon Pagenaud, one of their nine Le Mans pilots, will be on hand to put the two 908’s through its paces.