Document from Doran Racing
Doran-Llsta Racing Returns ta VIR
With a New C3r and the Same 8tandards of Excelllence
LEBANON, Ohio, Sept. 30 - Doran-Lista Racing, the same team that was so
impressive in the inaugural Grand Am Rolex Series race at Virginia International
Raceway, will return to the 3.27-mile, 17-turn road course in Alton, Va. for the second
running of the VIR 400 this weekend with a totally different car,
Last year the team?s lead driver, Didier Theys of Scottsdale, Ariz,, set the
fastest race lap in the event in the Doran-Lista Dallara enroute to a second-place fin-
ish. This year he has a different car -the Doran-List8 DORAN JE4 Toyota #27,
which was designed and built by Kevin Doran at the team?s headquarters in Lebanon,
Ohio - and a different co-driver, Bill Auberlen of Herrnosa Beach, Calif. Aubarlen
was the co-champion of the series? GT class last year, while Theys won the driving
championship for Grand Am?3 Sports Racing Prototype class in 2002.
Last September Theys? fastest lap of the race was run in 139.61 8 for an aver-
age speed of 118.l71 mph. He started second after qualifying was rained out for his
car?s class.
That race took five hours to run. This year?s event will be much shorter, as it
carries a time limit of two hours and 45 minutes. It is scheduled to start at 1230 p.m.
Eastern time on Sunday.
This is only the Doran-Lista DORAN JE4 Toyota?s third race ever, although a
Chevrolet-powered DORAN JE4 fielded by Bell Motorsports has been competing
since the season opener, the Rolex 24 Hours of Dayton& in February. Doran
Enterprises is currently second in the car manufacturer poht standings in the
Daytom Prototype class with 311 points to Fabcar?s 335. The Doran-Lista DORAN
JE4 Toyota #27 is for sale, as are similar cars just like it that are being produced at
the team headquatters.
The bright red Doran-Lista DORAN JE4 Tayota finished third both in class and
overall in its first race ever, which was held at Watkins Glen, N,Y. in August. It suf-
fered some teelhing problems in September at Mont-Tremblant, Quebec in its sec-
ond race, but still placed fifth in the Daytona Prototype class.
?1 believe our chassis will be very good at VIR,? said Theys. ?Every time we
go out WB make improvements on our set-ups.
?It?s the same on the engine side,? he continued. ?At Mont-Tremblant we had
a different Toyota engine configuration than we had at the Glen, and it was a better
package. The engine had more driveability and better mapping.
?VIR is a race track where we were very competitive last year,? he added. ?We
were the fastest, but we had a problem. It?s a very challenging track because there
are both slow areas and fast areas. It is not easy to pass there, so qualifying well will
be important, especially now with the sprint race ctsnflguration.?
The VIR 400 will be broadcast on a same-day, tape-delayed basis on SPEED
Channel from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday.
A promoter?s test: day is scheduled for Thursday. Practice will be held from 10
a.m. until 11 a.m. and from 2 p.m. until 3 p.m. on Friday.
Another one-hour practice sesslon will start at 10 a.m. on Saturday prior to
qualifying for the Daytona Prototype class from 1 :25 p.m. until 1 :40p,m, that after-
noon.
There will be a half-hour warm-up session at 915 a.m. the following day prior
to the 400-kilometerI 77-lap race getting the green flag at 1230 p.m. Eastern time on
S u nd ay.
For more information see www.lista,com,www.doranraeing.com,
www.grandamerican,com, www.virclub.com, www,dAversroad.com and www.restart-
communications.com.
