Already on a roll, Yokohama-sponsored racers are anticipating a fine performance in this weekend’s Long Beach Grand Prix.
Its Panoz Team PTG is currently in second place regarding overall points in the highly competitive 2009 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) GT2 Class season.
Drivers Ian James and Dominik Farnbacher, who placed third at Sebring in March, drove their Esperante GTLM – equipped with Yokohama’s ADVAN A005 tires – to another third-place finish in St. Petersburg, Fla. earlier this month. The duo battled factory-backed Porsche 911 GT3 RSR and BMW E92 M3 teams, as well as the Riley Corvette C6, to the wire, according to Mark Chung, Yokohama’s director of corporate strategy and planning.
“You can’t beat going two-for-two in podium finishes to start the season,” says Chung. “We’re really on an ALMS streak because we ended the 2008 season with a podium finish at Laguna Seca, so this makes three in row.”
Chung reports that the St. Petersburg race was a thriller. “Team PTG really came through again with some top-notch driving. They were in a dogfight most of the race and it was a great, hard-fought contest. Congratulations on another strong performance by the Panoz team.”
Just as in Sebring, the drivers praised the consistency of the ADVAN racing slicks. “During the battle with the Corvette, our tire was better,” said Farnbacher, 24, of Ansbach, Germany. “Our tires lasted longer, which gave us the advantage. Since we had no problems with the tires, we made it back to the podium.”
Adds co-driver James, 34, of Phoenix, Ariz.: “We are excited to be back on the podium. The tires stayed consistent throughout the race. We are 100-percent focused on improving throughout the year.”
For more information, visit www.yokohamatire.com and www.americanlemans.com.
