Petersen/ White Lightning Le Mans Notes- Preparation Mixes With Relaxation For LM GT Team

Petersen/ White Lightning – Preparation Mixes With Relaxation For LM GT
Team

 

LAS VEGAS, April 30, 2004 – On Sunday, April 25th, Petersen Motorsports/
White Lightning Racing set the fastest time in pre-qualifying for this
year’s 24 Heures Du Mans. However, the Las Vegas-based race team is not
sitting on that dominating success waiting for the June 12-13th sports
car racing classic. Each member of the No. 90 Westward Casino/ MMPIE/
PAWS/ Mail2Web.com/ Michelin Porsche 911 GT3 RSR is continuing
preparation in their own way in the weeks leading up to the return to Le
Mans, France. An event of this magnitude demands that nothing is left to
chance and the schedule between now and the start of the race is nearly
as grueling as the 24 hours itself. The effort is all being put forth to
guarantee that the Michael Petersen-owned and White Lightning
Racing-entered team takes the top-step of the podium in the 72nd running
of the race.

 

Preparations for the 24 Heures Du Mans began even before the Petersen/
White Lightning Porsche set a new, unofficial, track record for the LM
GT class (driver Jörg Bergmeister turned a lap of four minutes, 5.975
seconds around the 8.6-mile facility) on Sunday afternoon. The team’s
racing transporter— brought from the United States where the team is a
leading contender in the American Le Mans Series’ (ALMS) GT class— was
immediately packed to be sent the next morning to Porsche’s racing
factory in Weissach, Germany. There, at 9 am Tuesday, several key
members of Petersen/ White Lightning met to begin stripping and
rebuilding the car for the twice around the clock race in June. 

 

Those staying in Europe preparing the car include: team manager and
entrant Dale White (Las Vegas), the team’s administrative assistant and
supplier liaison, Stefan Pfeiffer (Silo, Island Krk, Croatia), lead
technician Kent Moore (Las Vegas), technicians Shawn Steele (Tampa,
Fla.) and Dennis Chizma (Seattle, Wash.) as well as truck driver and
team member Sam Andrus (Santa Clara, Utah). The group will go through
the process of replacing every mechanical and suspension piece,
performing an engine and gearbox change and a complete re-bodying of the
familiar Porsche 911 shape. In fact, every piece that can be removed
will be replaced and brought back to Le Mans to be staged as replacement
parts in the garage in case of need during the race week. The only
pieces that will remain as tested at Le Mans on the 25th will be the
frame, the roof and the rear quarter panels of the bodywork. The car
will remain in Weissach until being returned to garage 17 at the famous
Circuit Des 24 Heures Du Mans on June 3rd. The team members, including
White, will return to the States on May 26th for the Memorial Day
holiday. 

 

Pfeiffer will stay in his native Europe acquiring parts, supplies and
working with Porsche and Michelin up until race week to ensure that
Petersen Motorsports/ White Lightning Racing has everything it needs to
go into battle. This includes everything from major components to
everyday needs of the crew. 

 

Bergmeister, of Langenfield, Germany, and fellow Porsche factory driver
Patrick Long (Oak Park, Calif.) each returned to Germany to continue
their duties with Porsche. Long then flew home to his native California
where he will stay until the race. Sascha Maassen (Raeren, Belgium), who
missed the pre-qualifying session while on business with Porsche in the
States, will join the team the week of the race to get his first taste
of the Petersen/ White Lightning Porsche. All the drivers will continue
their regular, rigorous physical training as well as media and
sponsorship demands in the interim.

 

Due to the pressures associated with being a part of an event like the
24 Heures Du Mans, a key to preparation is relaxation. Each member of
the team will spend at least a portion of the ‘down’ time before the
race relaxing. Team owner and reserve driver Michael Petersen, of Las
Vegas, oversaw the final loading of equipment onto the team’s truck and
then traveled by train to a villa off the coast of Barcelona, Spain.
Petersen will remain in Spain overseeing his business interests in the
United States as well as enjoying the rare opportunity to relax. Once
back in Nevada, White will spend time with his family to help relax
while continuing the organization of the Le Mans program. Pfeiffer will
find his peace of mind on his motorcycle making the 1000 km journey
through the Alps between his home and the Porsche factory. The crew will
relax in a variety of ways from spending time with family to fishing,
camping and working on their passenger cars. Most will also return to
their respective jobs in the States. 

 

The countdown clock to the finish of the 2004 24 Heures Du Mans will
start at 16:00 (4 pm) local time on June 12.