Audi's McNish: A Tribute To Jon Field

Braselton, June 5, 2009: Intersport Racing's Jon Field has a huge fan in Audi's Allan McNish.

Allan McNish has a worldwide popularity that few drivers in the American Le Mans Series – and endurance racing as a whole – can match. But the wee Scot offered a tribute during his Le Mans preparation to one of his foremost competitors over the years in the American Le Mans Series: Intersport Racing’s Jon Field.

“What he can do with that car is a bit worrying!” exclaimed McNish, who has competed head-to-head against Field in the American Le Mans Series for more than a decade. “Jon, I have to say, is the only man I know who can dive down to the inside of Turn 1 at Salt Lake City and lead the race for so long. He’s the only man I know who can break his neck a week before Sebring and still turn up. He’s the only man who can be as fast or as quicker than an Audi and absolutely keep us on our toes on lap one, two three or four. I have a lot of fun with Jon and it’s great to see that he’s still fighting in there.”

Audi Sport's Allan McNish: I have a lot of fun with Jon and it’s great to see that he’s still fighting in there. McNish said he became the No. 1 member of Field’s fan club at the start of the 2008 Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix at Salt Lake City. Field went from eighth at the green flag to second at Turn 1 in Intersport’s AER-powered Lola prototype. He led after the second lap, passing two diesel-powered Audi R10 TDIs in the process and held the point for several laps.

“For him, it’s fun and entertainment and he does it really well,” McNish marveled. “Dindo (Capello) and I watched him at Laguna Seca years and years … and Jon was by far the quickest through the Corkscrew through the old bridge for about half the session. It was quite daunting.”

So what was Field’s response?

“That’s the kind of guy Allan is,” Field said. “Factory drivers understand we as independents are a bit of a handicap; we don’t necessarily have the budget to do a lot of testing and things like that. Allan is one of the ones who acknowledges you if you’re a good driver overall, no matter what car you’re in. It’s nice when you hear something like this. I hope they come back to our series soon.”

Field is a former Series champion (2002 in LMP675) and owns 11 class victories. He ranks sixth in career starts with 80. He is one of a handful of drivers to participate in all 11 American Le Mans Series seasons to date.

The 77th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is scheduled for 3 p.m. CET (9 a.m. EDT) on Saturday, June 13 to 3 p.m. CET (9 a.m. EDT) on Sunday, June 14. SPEED will provide live television coverage. Flag-to-flag coverage of the race, qualifying and practice will be available at radiolemans.com. To learn more about the American Le Mans Series at Le Mans, click here.

The next round of the American Le Mans Series is the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn. The race is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. EDT on Saturday, July 18. The race will air live on SPEED. American Le Mans Radio and Live Timing & Scoring will be available at Racehub on americanlemans.com. You also can follow the Series on Twitter.