DUMAS' FLYER MAKES AUDI FASTEST IN MONDAY TESTING
 Audi Sports Romain Dumas waited until the second-to-last lap Monday to set the fastest time in the second day of testing for the 14th annual Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda a 1:08.394 (133.696 mph) lap at Road Atlanta. The Frenchman set the time in the diesel-powered Audi R18 TDI that he will share in Saturdays 1,000-mile/10-hour race with Timo Bernhard and Marcel Fassler.
Dumas time ended what had been a day of dominance for Peugeot Sport Total, which sat 1-2 for most the afternoon. The No. 7 entry of Sebastien Bourdais, Anthony Davidson and Simon Pagenaud ended Monday second at 1:08.569 (133.355 mph). The second Peugeot of Franck Montagny, Stephane Sarrazin and Alexander Wurz sat third at 1:09.311 (131.927 mph).
Petit Le Mans, the final round of the 2011 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron, marks the resumption of a Road Atlanta battle between the two diesel powers that dates back to 2008. Peugeot won the last two years, and both factory teams are back with first-year prototype coupes. The Audi bested Peugeot in June at the 24 Hours of the Le Mans and the French manufacturer is looking for retribution this weekend. The 908 was fastest at Road Atlanta on Sunday with a 1:08.291 (133.898 mph).
In LMP2, Level 5 Motorsports' Luis Diaz set the quickest lap at 1:13.291 (124.763 mph) in the team's new HPD ARX-01g. The Mexican star - who is teaming with Scott Tucker and Marino Franchitti - also posted his time two laps from the end of the session.
Level 5 was 1-2 in the class with the second HPD prototype of Tucker, Christophe Bouchut and Joao Barbosa only 0.438 seconds back. Signatech Nissan's ORECA 03 prototype of Franck Mailleux, Lucas Ordonez and Jean-Karl Vernay was third in class at 1:14.003 (123.563 mph).
Flying Lizard Motorsports, winner of the most recent ALMS round at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, was the quickest GTE Pro car at 1:20.251 (113.943 mph). The car of Joerg Bergmeister, Patrick Long and Marc Lieb led a pack of four class cars that were within 0.586 seconds.
Risi Competizione's Ferrari F458 Italia of Raphael Matos, Jaime Melo and Toni Vilander was next at 1:20.669 (113.352 mph). It was 0.107 seconds ahead of Corvette Racing's Corvette C6.R of Olivier Beretta, Antonio Garcia and Tommy Milner.
AF Corse's Ferrari F430 GT of Rui Aguas, Justin Bell and Rob Kauffman was the quickest of the GTE Am cars at 1:21.217 (112.587 mph). It was more than a second clear of Larbre Racing's Corvette C6.R of Patrick Bornhauser, Gabriele Gardel and Julien Canal.
In LMP Challenge, Genoa Racing's ORECA FLM09 posted the class-leading time of 1:18.563 (116.391 mph) in the morning session. Jordan Gregor, Bassam Kronfli and Aldous Mitchell are teaming in the car.
TRG's Porsche 911 GT3 Cup entry of Ben Keating, Jim Norman and Dion von Moltke went quickest in GT Challenge with a lap of 1:25.446 (107.015 mph). Magnus Racing's Porsche of John Potter and Craig Stanton was second at 1:26.224 (106.049 mph).
The next test session for ALMS cars is set for 2:45 to 4:45 p.m. Wednesday.
The 14th annual Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda is set for 11:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 1 from Road Atlanta. The race will air on ABC at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 2. Live coverage will be available in the U.S. on ESPN3 or outside the U.S. on americanlemans.com. Ticket and schedule information is available on the ALMS schedule page.
Franck Mailleux, Signatech Nissan
ORECA 03-Nissan (LMP2)
"We are going quite well so far. We did not know the track before today so we went out very early when the track was still wet. It was a good chance to learn the setup and the circuit. Our car is still new so every time we arrive to a track there may still be issues. We hope that running many laps will prevent these closer to the race. I really do love this track already. It is quite fast around many sections."
Johnny Mowlem, Lotus Jetalliance
Lotus Evora (GTE Pro)
"We're going OK. I turned low 1:23s without going for new tires. That sounds like a lot (from the GTE Pro leaders) but compared to where we've been it's quite good. It's not just the traffic that we will face that will be the key but how you use the traffic. We don't have as much horsepower as the rest of the GTE cars but if we can be reliable, we might end up in the top-six like we did at Le Mans. I think I've only missed two Petit Le Mans so I have a reasonable amount of experience around here to bring to the team. I know what it's like to go around here."
Raphael Matos, Risi Competizione
Ferrari F458 Italia (GTE Pro)
"It went very well and I'm quite pleased. Today was a chance for me to get used to the car and get to know the Risi team. I'm very impressed and how they have prepared the car for such a huge race. Track knowledge definitely helps me. I know what to expect from the circuit for direction and traffic. But the car of course is entirely different from the Star Mazda and LMP2 car that I drove here before. But I wanted the traffic today so I could get used to it for the race."
Marino Franchitti, Level 5 Motorsports
HPD ARX-01g (LMP2)
"It was very good today. We didn't put new tires at all on the car and still were able to go really quick. It's a testament to the boys at Honda Performance Development, Wirth Research and Level 5. I'm really thankful for all their work and that's why we've exceeded expectations so far. It will be really busy for the race Saturday but I think we are off to a great start. HPD has made good strides on the engine to make it more drivable and the chassis is solid. To win this race, you have to be perfect; you can't have a cover come off the car or make any contact."
Stephane Sarrazin, Peugeot Sport Total
Peugeot 908 (LMP1)
"At first we had a problem finding the best setup on the car for the race. But in the afternoon I was very happy with the progress and balance. It felt really good. Yes the car is new but the track and the job are still the same. My last three years here have been very good with a runner-up in 2008 and wins in 2009 and 2010. Physically the race should not be too difficult because it is a shorter track. But you have to be extremely careful with traffic as it could quickly end your race."
Guy Cosmo, Extreme Speed Motorsports
Ferrari F458 Italia (GTE Pro)
"It's been all about (teammate) Ed Brown today. We've been doing a lot of work on simulators and working one-on-one and already it is paying off. He is closer to my best times than at any point this year. But you can't simulate race conditions and traffic. That's why it's good to get as many laps as you can on a day like today."
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