PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Scores Podium Finish at Lime Rock Park: Result secures back-to-back podium finishes for the California based team.
July 24, 2010 Lakeville, CT -

PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports went to Lime Rock Park with podium momentum from the team's third place finish at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah. With a second place finish in today's American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix, the team has now earned back-to-back top-3 honors.

After qualifying the #52 Corsa Car Care/ Autosport Design/ The Motorsports Gallery Oreca FLM09 in third position, Alex Figge, of Boulder, CO, handed the wheel over to his co-driver, Tom Papadopoulos to take the green flag in today's two hour and forty-five minute main event. During the early morning warm up session, the pole sitting #55 suffered an irreparable accident and was unable to start the race. That promoted the #52 into the second place starting position, a spot that Papadopoulos would only have for a few laps before the LMPC class leading #89 car suffered an accident as well. Papadopoulos, of Long Island, NY, took the lead and proved his Lime Rock Park expertise by maintaining P1 for over half of the race.

Papadopoulos pitted the #52 on lap 102 for fuel and tires and handed the controls over to Figge. By the time Figge rejoined the race in P2, it was apparent that the race leader, Gunnar Jeannette in the #99, would either have to relinquish the lead to pit for fuel one more time or would have to attempt to finish the race utilizing a one stop strategy. For the next 60 laps Figge chased down the #99, setting the LMPC class fastest lap record with 54.048 on lap 162 in the process. Ultimately the #99 made the mileage and Figge brought the #52 home in second place despite his outstanding effort. For Figge, today's second place finish shows the progress the team has made over the past few months.

"This race was the most fun I've had in quite a while," Figge exclaimed. "PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports did an amazing job getting the car switched over from the rain setup to the dry settings. Our engineers really know what they're doing. Tom kept us up front and handed me a fast car so we could challenge for the win. The #99 ran out of fuel on their last lap after we got caught at the line, so we just missed it by that much. But with a P3 in Utah and a P2 here in Connecticut, it's clear that the team's first victory of the season will come sooner rather than later."

Papadopoulos is thrilled to be on the podium at his home track.

"I love driving the #52, and it's an incredible feeling to be on the podium at my home track," Papadopoulos said. "It was tough out there for a while. The track was really green after all of the rain and by running Lime Rock's optional layout, the braking points were all new to me. But once again, PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports had the car perfect, the balance was excellent, Alex was very impressive behind the wheel, and the crew performed flawlessly. I really can't say enough about all of them."

Bobby Oergel, PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Team Principal, knows the podium's top step is in his team's near future.

“With our back-to-back podiums, all the hard work that we've put into this program is being rewarded,” Oergel explained. “Every race the team tackles countless challenges and both Tom and Alex delivered flawlessly. Third and second place finishes are great, but we're here to win. So we'll keep pushing and developing every aspect to ensure that these podium finishes lead to the victories the whole team deserves.”

"We'd like to dedicate today's accomplishment to the memory of Donna Rey," Oergel continued. "She lost her battle with breast cancer this week. She was a beloved family member and one of the team's biggest fans. She will be dearly missed by all of us."

LMPC qualifying for next round of the 2010 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón, the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge, begins on Friday, August 6, 2010 at 11:25am PT. The two hour and forty-five minute main event starts on Saturday, August 7, 2010 at 12:00pm PT with tape-delayed coverage on CBS Sports on Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:30am PT.

Drivers and potential partners interested in the PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón LMPC program can contact the team directly at pr1motorsports@aol.com or at (559) 277-1300.