Elton Julian preview

Sebring Kicks Off Julian’s 2011 Program with Genoa Racing

#063 Genoa Racing Oreca FLM09: Eric Lux, Elton Julian, Christian Zugel

Photo by: Eric Gilbert

17 March 2011 – Following his successful return to the cockpit in last season – four wins and seven podiums in eight races with Gunnar Racing in the Le Mans Prototype Challenge (LMPC) class of the American Le Mans Series – 36-year-old sportscar standout Elton Julian will enjoy an expanded program of up to 11 races with the Genoa Racing team in 2011.

Alongside co-drivers Christian Zugel and Eric Lux, Julian is confirmed in the number 63 Genoa LMPC entry for the ALMS rounds at Sebring, Long Beach, Lime Rock, Baltimore, Laguna Seca, and Road Atlanta. He is also scheduled to contest the equivalent Formula Le Mans (FLM) class of the Le Mans Series at Le Castellet, Spa, and Imola for the Indiana-based team. With this year’s FLM class champion earning a Le Mans 24 Hours entry for 2012, strong results in those early races could see Genoa add the remaining LMS rounds at Silverstone and Estoril to its calendar.

After directing his DragonSpeed team’s impressive run at the Rolex 24 at Daytona with a GT-class Ferrari F430 Challenge, Elton moves from behind the wall to behind the wheel for next week’s ALMS season opener, the Sebring 12 Hours endurance classic on 19 March. The California-based Ecuadorean’s preparations began at last month’s ALMS Winter Test, when he was the fastest LMPC runner around the famed former World War II air base on the first day before wrapping up early on the second day.

“Having run Le Mans, Daytona, and Sebring, I find Sebring the toughest,” said Julian. “After finishing second here in 2010, the only thing left to go for is the win. I feel well prepared for it, returning with Christian in the same car as last year, and joining up with Eric and the Genoa team gives us what we need to challenge for the top step of the podium. The way to get there is with a set-up that‘s easy on the car and works well in varying conditions and traffic, so that’s what we’ll be aiming for in practice.”

With the ALMS having become the ‘go-to’ motorsport platform for green technologies, co-driver Christian Zugel is introducing another eco-friendly brand to the series in 2011, Green Dot bioplastics, along with their ‘Promoting Use of Renewable Energy’ (P.U.R.E.) campaign theme. “I’m looking forward to driving with Elton this season,” said Zugel. “We had some really great experiences together last year and 2011 promises to be even better. Elton is one of the absolute top professionals in this sport and it’s a pleasure for me to have the honor of driving with him.”

-source: dragon speed