Petersen/ White Lightning Enters Porsche's Strongest Le Mans Driver Line-up

Petersen/ White Lightning Enters Porsche’s Strongest Le Mans Driver
Line-Up

 

LE MANS, France, April 23, 2004 – Petersen Motorsports/ White Lightning
Racing announced today that three of Porsche’s most successful and
skilled drivers will pilot the No. 90 Westward Ho Casino/ MMPIE/ PAWS/
Mail2Web.com/ Michelin Porsche 911 GT3 RSR at the 72nd Annual 24 Heures
Du Mans. The June 12-13 event will feature Porsche factory drivers Jörg
Bergmeister (Langenfield, Germany), Patrick Long, (Oak Park, Calif.) and
Sascha Maassen (Raeren, Belgium) behind the wheel of the familiar
lightning bolt-festooned Porsche. The Michael Petersen-owned and Dale
White-managed race team joined with American Le Mans Series (ALMS) rival
Alex Job Racing (AJR) to win the LM GT class here last season but
returns in 2004 with its own effort. The team and drivers will get their
first combined taste of Le Mans Sunday, April 26, at the 24 Hours’ “Test
Day”. They will then return in June to pursue Porsche’s 18th Le Mans
manufacturer’s title. 

 

Maassen, the veteran leader of the driving squad, won the LM GT class at
Le Mans in 2003 with the Petersen-owned Porsche. A native of Germany,
Maassen has won the last two ALMS GT championships and holds the record
for most ALMS wins by a driver in any class of the series. Bergmeister,
who will be contesting his third 24 Heures Du Mans in 2004, has four
ALMS wins in his career. The two German factory pilots will be joined at
Le Mans by Porsche’s new prodigy, American Patrick Long. Long will be
making his debut here at La Sarthe in Sunday’s test day. The trio has
been handpicked to be the perfect blend of experience, speed and
consistency for the team’s all-out assault on Le Mans. 

 

While the No. 90 Petersen Motorsports/ White Lightning Racing 911 RSR
was shaken-down prior to the 12 Hours of Sebring, the 2004 Porsche will
be driven with the intent to race for the first time Sunday. Owner and
driver Michael Petersen (Las Vegas, Nev.) will sub for Maassen who is at
the Porsche Rennsport Reunion II in Daytona this weekend. Petersen,
Bergmeister and Long will trade driving duties in Sunday’s two, four
hour practice sessions.

 

Mike Petersen, car owner: “I’m excited to be back at Le Mans with our
team. Our driver lineup is a very powerful one. We are very excited to
bring Sascha, Jörg and Patrick into the Petersen Motorsports/ White
Lightning Racing family. We’ve got all the same sponsors from last year
and we are hoping, with that in mind, the good luck will continue. We’re
ready to set the standard on Sunday and, with some good luck and the
talent of all the guys, we can get a good result in the race as well.”

 

Jörg Bergmeister: “This is the best thing that can happen for me to be
with the winning team from last year. So I will do my best and it will
be nice to do it [win] again. This is my first time with the Petersen/
White Lightning team but I know all of the guys from the ALMS so I think
it should be good fun for me. And, it will be interesting to race
against my ALMS teammate.”

 

Patrick Long: “I didn’t expect to be at Le Mans and to be invited to be
with the most potent driver and team combination is quite an honor. I
look at my first opportunity at Le Mans as a very solid chance to win. I
can’t tell you in words what that would mean.”

 

Petersen Motorsports/ White Lightning Racing began operation as an
off-road team in the 1980s winning over 50 truck victories, including
three-consecutive overall wins at the Baja 1000, and multiple
championships. Since beginning sports car racing, the effort has scored
victories in the ALMS, the Trans-Am Series, Speed Challenge Series and
endurance sports car wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Alex Job
Racing, Watkins Glen and at the Rolex 24 of Daytona. 

 

For more, please visit www.petersenmotorsports.com.