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30.06.2003 PETER KOX AND THOMAS ENGE BRING THE PRODRIVE FERRARI 550 HOME A CLOSE SECOND IN GTS AT ROAD ATLANTA
| The factory Chevrolet Corvette
of Oliver Gavin and Kelly Collins pipped the Prodrive Ferrari 550 Maranello
of Thomas Enge and Peter Kox to GTS class victory at the Chevrolet Grand
Prix of Atlanta by just 11.8 seconds after two and three quarter hours
of close racing.
In the GT category, Porsche 911's swept up the first four places before a delighted Shane Lewis led the ACEMCO Motorsports Ferrari 360 GT Modena to its first top-five finish in the American Le Mans Series. Having started seventh in GT class, Lewis and co-driver Andrew Davis, drove the silver and yellow ACEMCO Automotive Ferrari under the grueling temperatures and immense competition as high as fourth before a late race fuel stop dropped the team to fifth. Lewis, who drove the car for the last hour and forty-five minutes of the two hour and forty-five minute timed-event, was closing on fourth place runner David Murry when the checkered flag flew. Lewis closed the 30-second margin to Murry’s Porsche to under ten seconds in less than 15 laps at the finish. “This is great,” enthused Lewis after the race. “The ACEMCO guys did an awesome job and this Ferrari didn’t miss a beat all day. Andrew did a terrific job and handed me a great car. To have led at Le Mans, then to come here and get a top-five for the team, yeah, we’ll take that. The Porsches were strong all day, and we knew they would be, but the crew had awesome pit stops and the car was prepared so well we just kept at it. We had the highest finishing Ferrari in GT and that isn’t easy with the competition out there. I honestly believe this is the best competition in sports car racing and to be able to run in the top-five and to leave with a fifth; I am thrilled to death. I can’t wait to get this car to Sonoma and see what we can do out there. After the fifth here, I am definitely California dreamin’ Round two of the American Le Mans Series at the 2.54-mile 12-turn Road Atlanta circuit had seen the two Corvettes qualify first and second in GTS ahead of three Ferrari 550's: the Emanuele Naspetti/Domenico Schiattarella car, followed by the British-built Prodrive cars of Thomas Enge/Peter Kox and Jerome Policand/Dancia Patrick. Quickest of the GT class Ferrari 360 Modenas was the Ralf Kelleners/Anthony Lazzaro JMB Racing version which lined up third behind two Porsche 911 GT3-RS's. |
| RESULT
1.
(3) JJ Lehto, Finland; Johnny Herbert, England; Audi R8 (P900), 128, 2:45:30.731,
30.407 seconds.
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| GRID
1 16 LMP675 Weaver* / Leitzinger
1:13.748 Practice 2 Lola EX257/AER MG
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