Bill Auberlen and two great cars

Bill Auberlen heads to France this week for the prestigious 24 Hours of Le 
Mans, with the comfort of knowing he is exactly where he wants to be - in the 
driver's seats of two great race cars.  

The Hermosa Beach, Calif., driver wasn't idle for long after his BMW team 
withdrew from sports-car competition in January.  Ferrari of Washington 
quickly signed him for the 24 Hours of Daytona race in February, then 
extended the contract for the 2002 Rolex Sports Car Series sanctioned by the 
Grand American Road Racing Association.  A month later, Auberlen was at the 
wheel of a Panoz Motor Sports prototype car in the 12 Hours of Sebring, first 
race in the 2002 American Le Mans Series, and signed to drive for Panoz at Le 
Mans.

He capped the season in mid-May, extending his agreement to drive the No. 51 
Panoz with fellow Californian Bryan Herta for the rest of the ALMS season.  
"Once they put me in the car, we all knew it was a good match," Auberlen said.

The pair raced in the top three for most of this year's Sebring classic 
before a mechanical problem in the final hour derailed hopes of a podium 
finish.  But they returned with a strong performance and third place at Sears 
Point Raceway in May.  Auberlen credits his team owner, Don Panoz, with the 
vision to make it happen.

"My ideal is to have a prototype ride with a person sitting on top who has a 
vision of winning, who immediately goes after that vision with whatever it 
takes, and that is Don Panoz," Auberlen said.  "You look at the car - just 
weeks after I drove it at Sebring, it had a new paddle-shift system and after 
that it had completely new bodywork, front and rear.  This is a guy who wants 
to win races, this is who you want to be with."

Auberlen knows how to win, too.  He has a long history of success in 
sports-car racing, including dozens of race wins in North America, South 
America, Europe and Asia.  He has won championships on two continents and set 
numerous qualifying and race records.

His resume includes two top-five finishes in as many starts at the 24 Hours 
of Le Mans, two wins in the 24 Hours of Daytona and three in the 12 Hours of 
Sebring.  He has competed in three classes during the same race at Sebring 
and scored wins in two classes in the same race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Teamwork is critical, and Auberlen said the Panoz organization knows how to 
max results.

"What a team to come into - a group of drivers that accepts you right away 
and a great feeling on the team; everybody has smiles on their faces," he 
said.  "It's a fantastic atmosphere to go and do your best in.  These guys 
are so professional and so efficient at their job, they know the exact 
direction with the minimal amount of going the wrong way.  They know exactly 
how to get from A to Z the fastest way."

The Ferrari team is also strong, giving Auberlen the opportunity to add more 
victories to his resume.  And the race cars?  "The Panoz car is a joy to 
drive," Auberlen enthused.  "And the Ferrari ... it's a Ferrari!"

The 24 Hours of Le Mans starts on Saturday, June 15.

(Bill Auberlen's career profile is attached.)

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Sylvia Proudfoot
403 287 3945
spur07@cs.com