Coming Off Close Road America Finish, Acura Squads Ready For Another Shootout

BOWMANVILLE, August 21, 2009: Off the track, veteran drivers David Brabham and Gil de Ferran are very good friends. Their families even vacation together during the year.

But, on the track, the two sports car stars battle wheel-to-wheel and nose-to-tail in a sensational American Le Mans Series point chase that could come right down to the final race of the 2009 season at Monterey, Calif., in October.

Last week at Road America, Brabham was able to hold off a charging de Ferran by just a mere.461 seconds after the two-hour, 45-minute main event on the famed four-mile road circuit.

The win for Brabham and co-driver Scott Sharp halted the four-race winning streak of de Ferran and partner Simon Pagenaud on the ALMS tour, and the victory extended the Patrón Highcroft Acura team’s LMP1 class point lead to 13 with three races remaining.

The next Acura shootout will be on Sunday, August 30, on the fast 2.45-mile Mosport International Raceway, one of Canada’s most legendary racing facilities.

Brabham, winner of this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, and Sharp, former pole winner at the Indianapolis 500, used some great pit strategy at Road America to win their second overall race this year against lightening fast pair of de Ferran and Pagenaud, who have five pole positions along with their four overall victories.

A non-finish in the 12 Hours of Sebring has hurt the de Ferran Motorsports team’s chances in the quest for the ALMS LMP1 class point title.

Brabham and Sharp won the LMP2 class race last year at Mosport after de Ferran’s Acura ran out of fuel on the last lap, just a few turns from the finish line.

Now, at the wheel of the potent No. 66 XM Radio de Ferran Acura ARX-02a prototype, de Ferran and young French star Pagenaud set their sights on returning to victory lane after wins at Long Beach, Utah, Lime Rock and Mid-Ohio. The team has six poles in seven races, and the team’s speed has been impressive through the 2009 campaign.

But, de Ferran, who announced he will step away from the cockpit at the end of the 2009 racing season, looks more determined than ever to finish his career with a series championship. And Pagenaud has shown potential to be one of the world’s brightest young talents. Veteran Brabham and Sharp will have their hands full when action starts this Friday, Aug. 28, at Mosport.

Acura’s most dominant team this year has been the Mexican pair of Luis Diaz and Adrian Fernandez, who have driven their No. 15 Lowe’s Fernandez Acura to six LMP2 class wins in seven races.

Diaz and Fernandez finished second last year at Mosport and hope to improve that spot this year against the two Dyson Racing Mazda car and Greg Pickett’s Porsche in LMP2.