Watkins Glen: Doran-Lista Racing preview

24 Hours of Le Mans Class Winner Now Shifts Focus to Watkins Glen and Doran-Lista DORAN JE4 Lexus

LEBANON, Ohio, June 13 - Jan Magnussen will have very little time to relax following his GTS class victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France Sunday afternoon with fellow Corvette drivers Oliver Gavin of England and Olivier Beretta of Monaco.

Now the popular driver from Denmark will fly to the United States in order to compete in the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen in Watkins Glen, N.Y. this coming weekend.

Along with Didier Theys, a native of Belgium, and Fredy Lienhard Sr. of Niederteufen, Switzerland, Magnussen is scheduled to drive the Doran-Lista Racing DORAN JE4 Lexus #27 at the upstate New York road course for one of the most successful team owners in that event's storied history, Kevin Doran of Lebanon, Ohio. Practice begins on Friday, June 18; qualifying is on Saturday afternoon, June 19 and the race itself is slated to begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, June 20.

It will be the bread in a SPEED Channel road racing sandwich that day, as the first portion of the race will be broadcast live from 11 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. and then additional coverage will air from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The U.S. Grand Prix from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be the meat in that sandwich. All times are Eastern.

Magnussen and Theys finished second in the bright red Doran-Lista DORAN JE4 Lexus at the last Grand American Rolex Series race. Held in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec last month, it was at the same six-hour distance that the teams will face this coming weekend at the Glen.

They'll be in the marque that leads the Daytona Prototype manufacturer point standings, the extremely successful DORAN JE4 designed and built by Doran Designs, a sister company to Doran Racing. Both are based in Lebanon, Ohio.

In the 22 previous runnings of the Six Hours of the Glen, Kevin Doran-led teams won three times: 2001,1998 and 1996. Theys, Lienhard and Mauro Baldi were in the Doran-Lista Ferrari Judd that qualified second and won in 2001. Theys, Gianpiero Moretti and Baldi were the drivers of the Doran Racing-prepared MOMO Ferrari that qualified third and went on to victory in this race in 1998. Doran was also in charge of the Moretti/Max Papis victory in this event in 1996 from the pole.

Theys almost won this race last year too. He was part of the driving squad of the Bell Motorsports DORAN JE4 Chevy #54 along with co-drivers Forest Barber and Terry Borcheller that year, since the Doran-Lista DORAN JE4 wasn't quite ready to compete yet. Theys was leading the race with just two laps to go when Scott Goodyear made a controversial pass and went on to win. Theys' car suffered a cut Goodyear tire in the melee, but he still finished second.

That second-place finish plus the one at Mont-Tremblant, Quebec were certainly stellar showings, but Theys, Lienhard, Magnussen and team owner Kevin Doran would like nothing more than to better that by one position at the Glen this coming weekend. The track's 3.4-mile long course suits their car and the event is very prestigious given its distance and the circuit's long and storied history.

Prior to that the Doran-Lista DORAN JE4 Lexus #27 is slated to be on display at the third annual PrixView Party in downtown Elmira, N.Y. this Thursday from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. The following day there are practice sessions from 10 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. and 2:10 p.m. until 2:50 p.m. at the track. Another one-hour practice session is slated for Saturday at 10 a.m. prior to the Daytona Prototype class' 15-minute qualifying session at 1:25 p.m. On race day the pre-race festivities begin at 10:30 a.m. and the six-hour enduro is slated to get the green flag at 11 a.m.

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