Silverstone: Horag Racing's Lienhard to retire as driver

Horag Racing's Lienhard to Retire as Driver Following Sunday's LMS Season Finale At Silverstone

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, England -- Sunday's 1,000 Kilometers of Silverstone will not only bring the 2008 Le Mans Series (LMS) to an end, but it will also mark the last race for Horag Racing driver Fredy Lienhard.

Lienhard, of Niederteufen, Switzerland, has told his fellow teammates that he will retire from the cockpit of the Lista Office LO Porsche RS Spyder following Sunday's race, which falls on his actual 61st birthday.

"It's simply a matter of my age, which I think that everyone understands," Lienhard said. "Some drivers say that they decide to retire due to health reasons, but I'm in better shape now than I was a few years ago. I wanted to go out at the top of my game, and I'm happy to say that our team is one of the top LMP2 teams around."

Horag Racing is fourth in the LMP2 class going into Sunday's race.

"Although it was not an easy decision to make, I know the time is right," Lienhard added. "I want to end my driving career on this top level, and be thankful for all the good times and special moments that I was privileged to live over all these years."

In addition to sharing the cockpit with drivers Didier Theys and Jan Lammers, Lienhard owns the Porsche RS Spyder that the team campaigns. He has agreed to allow Horag Racing team owner Markus Hotz to use the car during the 2009 Le Mans Series season, after which the car will also retire and take up residence at the state-of-the- art racing museum that Lienhard is building in Romanshorn, Switzerland. Details about the museum, which is slated to open early in 2009, can be found on its Web site at autobau.ch.

Hotz is looking for primary sponsorship for the 2009 season. Lista Office, a state-of-the-art office furniture company that Lienhard also owns, will take an associate sponsorship position on the team next year.

"The chemistry of the Horag Racing team is incredible," Lienhard noted. "It's an international team with a great deal of spirit. No matter what their nationalities, everyone comes in on the racing weekend and works well together. This is all due to the fine direction we have from Markus Hotz. It is an excellent team that delivers results to all of its sponsors."

-credit: horag-racing.com