Bryce Miller Kicks Off Four-Race European Schedule This Weekend
American Sharing No. 88 Felbermayr-Proton Porsche for Four ILMC Races Starting at Spa-Francorchamps
With a solid start to his North American program already in hand, American racer Bryce Miller will run his first of four European rounds of the 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC) this weekend with Team Felbermayr-Proton at the 1000 km of Spa-Francorchamps on Saturday, May 7.
The 28-year-old racer from Summit, N.J. will co-drive the No. 88 Porsche 911 RSR in the GTE-AM class this weekend in Belgium with Horst Felbermayr Jr. and Horst Felbermayr Sr. He will also join the team for three other European ILMC events this season, the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 11-12 in France, the 6 Hours of Imola in Italy on July 3 and the 6 Hours of Silverstone on September 11.
"I am very excited to be back competing at Spa.
Last month, Miller participated in the 24 Hours of Le Mans official test day at the famed Circuit de la Sarthe, sharing the No. 88 Porsche with fellow American Spencer Pumpelly, British racer Nick Tandy and Saudi Arabian driver Abdulaziz Al Faisal in the GTE-Pro category.
Miller goes into this weekend's event at Spa with fond memories of endurance racing at the world-renowned Belgian racing facility, as he finished second in the FIA GT TOTAL 24 Hours of Spa in 2009. Like many others racers from all over the world, Miller enjoys the challenging 15-turn, 4.35-mile circuit.
"I am very excited to be back competing at Spa," said Miller. "It is one of my favorite racetracks. Felbermayr-Proton is a proven team and it is an honor to be a part of their effort. The environment is really friendly and open from my experience at the official Le Mans test. I'm also looking forward to working with my co-drivers, the Felbermayrs, who are both experienced and accomplished."
Practice got underway at Spa today. Miller used the first of the day's two sessions to reacquaint himself with the course layout, but a lengthy red flag ended the second session before Miller got the chance to drive.
"Practice this morning was just warming up for me and getting back into the swing," Miller said. "We have understeer on all three cars. The conditions are dry, but the track is really green and we are searching for traction. I'm still really happy because my last time here, the conditions were changing all the time. This last session was unfortunate for us. They red flagged the session because of a huge accident with 20 minutes on the board which prevented me from getting any laps at all."
Friday's schedule includes another practice session followed by qualifying. The 1000 km of Spa-Francorchamps will take the green flag at 2:05 p.m. local time on Saturday with Live Audio available on www.radiolemans.com and Live Timing on www.lemans-series.com for all pre-race practice and qualifying sessions in addition to the race itself. Race highlights will be televised in the U.S. on SPEED at a later date.
Saturday's 1000 km of Spa-Francorchamps is the second round of the seven-race 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC), which opened in March with the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh From Florida. At Sebring -- which was also the season-opening race for the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) presented by Tequila Patrón -- Miller co-drove the Paul Miller Racing No. 048 Marquis Jet/TOTAL/IPC Porsche 911 GT3 RSR in the GT class with Sascha Maassen and René Rast. The trio finished 14th in class.
In addition to Sebring and the four aforementioned European rounds, the ILMC also includes the ALMS Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta on October 1 and the 6 Hours of China on November 1. Miller is not currently planning to race in China.
Miller's next three ILMC rounds with Team Felbermayr-Proton will all be run prior to the third race of the 2011 ALMS season, the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn. on Saturday, July 9. Miller is racing the full 2011 ALMS season in GT class aboard the No. 48 Marquis Jet/TOTAL/IPC Porsche 911 GTS RSR on Yokohama tires for Paul Miller Racing.
-source: paul miller racing
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