For more information:
Linda Mansfield, Restart Communications
E-mail: LindaKMansfield@cs.com
Cell: 317-201-0729
 
 
 
Horag Racing Gets Top-Five Finish in LMP2
In Saturday's Twelve Hours of Sebring
 
SEBRING, Fla., March 15 - The Horag Racing team got valuable experience with 
its brand-new Porsche RS Spyder Saturday at Sebring International Raceway, 
running in the top 10 overall throughout the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring 
presented by Fresh from Florida and finishing fifth in the very competitive LMP2 
class and seventh overall. 
 
The beautiful red-and-white No. 27, which is sponsored by Lista, Making 
Workspace Work and Lista Office LO, ran in seventh place in the very competitive 
LMP2 class most of the day.  After the Andretti Green Acura overheated and 
dropped out the Horag team advanced to sixth in class and eighth overall at the 
checkered.  About two hours after the race it moved up one more spot in class and 
overall when the second-place Acura of Lowe's Fernandez Racing didn't pass 
the post-race technical inspection. 
 
Didier Theys of Scottsdale, Ariz.; Fredy Lienhard of Niederteufen, 
Switzerland and Jan Lammers of Katwyk, the Netherlands, handled the driving duties for 
the Horag Racing team, which is based in Sulgen, Switzerland. Lammers started 
eighth in class and 12th overall with the Michelin-shod car.
 
The team really only had 17 difficult minutes in the 720-minute race, 
completing 333 laps in the 12-hour time span.  That was the same number of laps 
recorded by the big-buck Audi No. 2 LMP1 car of Lucas Luhr, Mike Rockenfeller and 
Marco Werner, which finished just one position ahead of the privateer Lista 
team overall.
 
The Horag team suffered a dash of bad luck about four hours and 33 minutes 
into the race when Theys spun in Turn 4, most likely due to oil on the 3.7-mile 
road course, and backed into a tire wall.  He was able to return to the pits 
on his own and the Horag Racing pit crew did a great job to get him back 
underway quickly, replacing the Porsche's rear wing and rear bodywork assembly and 
looking the suspension over very carefully before allowing him to rejoin the 
field.
 
Theys then had a close call on the restart when Jaime Melo's Ferrari and Dirk 
Werner's Porsche collided while he was running with them in Turn 7. Only 
Theys' fast reaction time saved him from getting involved. 
 
"We were lucky on that one," Theys said afterwards.
 
Theys was able to record laps after his accident that were just as fast as he 
had been running before it. The only thing really lost was the laps the car 
would have completed in those 17 minutes, as the No. 27's position was seventh 
in class before the contact and seventh in class after it.
 
The team received a couple of minor penalties but preserved to finish the 
race, always the first goal in racing. Lammers had a quick spin late in the race, 
but no contact all day. The air-intake vents on the left-front wheel well 
were torn out by tire debris while Lienhard was behind the wheel, but those 
things were really inconsequential. 
 
The car was even faster at the end of the race than it was in the beginning. 
For most of the race the No. 27's fastest lap was the 1:50.316 Lammers ran on 
lap 44, but he topped that on lap 328 of the 333 laps the car completed with a 
1:50.119 for an average speed of 120.96 miles per hour.
 
The event, the season opener for the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), was 
covered live on SPEED.
 
More information is available on horag-racing.com, americanlemans.com and 
imsaracing.net. 
 
Horag Racing will now focus on the Le Mans Series' season opener, which is 
scheduled for April 4-6 in Catalunya, Spain.  More information on that series 
can be found at lemans-series.com.
 
Post-race quotes follow:
 
Didier Theys: "We knew going into this race that it would be the toughest 
race of the season for us.  We have a good car and good support.  We're missing a 
little speed to play with the big boys, but really, even if we had been able 
to afford more testing I don't think it would have made a difference with the 
results with this level of competition and the way things went for us today.
 
"The team did a great job.  We learned a lot for the next race. It was very 
good practice for a full season of racing in Europe."
 
Fredy Lienhard: "It was a good race for us.  I had two very good stints with 
consistent laps and no problems.  We had a good race, and I'm happy.
 
"My last stint was as the sun was setting, and the glare made it hard to see. 
 You couldn't see the braking zones very well. 
 
"I did about two hours and 50 minutes in the car, so I did what I planned to 
do.  I was in better shape than ever because I've been training. 
 
"I think we have a terrific team.  The support from Porsche was also 
excellent. 
 
"Spain will be easier.  The bumps here really hurt my neck. But it was good 
experience for us.  We didn't do badly for a private team."
 
Jan Lammers: "I think it was extremely educational. 
 
"I had one embarrassing double stint. I wasn't buckled in comfortably, I had 
problems with the windscreen and my helmet and a few other things, and it just 
didn't go well.  However, everything was fine for my last stint, so I'm glad 
I was able to do that one and end on a better note. 
 
"I did have a spin in Turn 13 during that last stint, but it was a short deal 
with no contact.  I didn't have any contact with anyone all day.
 
"It was very good to do this race and get the chance to work with the car and 
the guys and discuss some things we can try to do better. It was good 
preparation for the rest of the season.  Barcelona is never easy, but we learned a 
lot here that will help us there.
 
"I really want to thank Fredy and Didier for giving me this opportunity."