Marshall Cooke Racing Adds Two LM P2 Entry to Petit Le Mans - ZR-1 Net Registry Forums

gaijin · 09-19-2004

Marshall Cooke Racing Adds Two Prototypes to Petit Le Mans Field; Driver Lineup Includes Four Georgians

Andy Hall 9-17-2004

Braselton, GA - A driver lineup heavy with Georgia residents will steer a pair of Prototypes that have been entered in next week's Chevy presents Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta by Marshall Cooke Racing.

Marshall Cooke Racing, owned by Dennis Marshall and James Cooke, will field the two cars in the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class in the 1,000-mile or 10-hour American Le Mans Series sports car endurance race that will get the green flag at noon on Saturday, Sept. 25. The cars will be Lola B2K/40 chassis with two-liter Millington engines and each will have three drivers.

Jason Workman of Flowery Branch, Ga., and Rich Grupp of Decatur, Ga., will team with English driver Ben Devlin in the #7 Marshall-Cooke entry, while Ryan Eversley of Winder, Ga., will team with Dacula, Ga., resident Andy Lally and Spencer Pumpelly of Mason Neck, Va., in the team's #13 car.

Devlin scored two LMP2 class wins in ALMS competition in 2002 while associated with Marshall Cooke Racing, which ran most of the season in a partnership with Archangel Racing Services. Each of the other five drivers will be seeking his first win in the series.

"We're at a disadvantage on outright speed, but endurance racing is not always about speed," said Cooke. "We feel comfortable with the reliability of this car, and the little engine is very robust. It didn't miss a beat in 2002. We tend to not rely on ultimate speed but we usually pull off a good result if we can keep the car running."

The LMP2 class features Prototype race cars that are smaller and less-powerful than the cars of the LMP1 class, the fastest class of cars that competes in the American Le Mans Series. The cars are open-cockpit, rear-engine machines capable of speeds exceeding 175 mph on Road Atlanta's fastest sections.

The team has moved into a new shop in Buford, Ga., owned by Dennis Spencer, a former competitor in the ALMS. Cooke said that many of the people who are helping prepare the cars also worked with him in 2002.

"We intend to contest the 2005 championship," said Cooke. "We need the experience of running two cars because that's what we're going to do next year. Whether we run the last race of 2004 (Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif.) will depend on our results at Petit. But if both cars cross the finish line in good shape, we'll do Laguna, too."

EVENT INFORMATION

Chevy presents Petit Le Mans will get the green flag at 12 noon (Eastern) on Saturday, September 25. The race will cover 1,000 miles, or 10 hours, whichever comes first on the 2.54-mile, 12-turn Road Atlanta circuit. Qualifying will be held on Friday, Sept. 24, along with an ALMS Fan Forum and an open paddock autograph session featuring all ALMS drivers. ALMS cars will also practice on Wednesday and Thursday of race week.

The race will be televised live in North America by the SPEED Channel and in Europe by MotorsTV. American Le Mans Series Radio will have live coverage of qualifying and the race that can be heard online at www.americanlemans.com.

Ticket information for the event is available online at www.americanlemans.com or by calling the Road Atlanta ticket office at (800) 849-RACE.

09-19-2004	#1
gaijin Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Road Atlanta Posts: 371	Marshall Cooke Racing Adds Two LM P2 Entry to Petit Le Mans Marshall Cooke Racing Adds Two Prototypes to Petit Le Mans Field; Driver Lineup Includes Four Georgians Andy Hall 9-17-2004 Braselton, GA - A driver lineup heavy with Georgia residents will steer a pair of Prototypes that have been entered in next week's Chevy presents Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta by Marshall Cooke Racing. Marshall Cooke Racing, owned by Dennis Marshall and James Cooke, will field the two cars in the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class in the 1,000-mile or 10-hour American Le Mans Series sports car endurance race that will get the green flag at noon on Saturday, Sept. 25. The cars will be Lola B2K/40 chassis with two-liter Millington engines and each will have three drivers. Jason Workman of Flowery Branch, Ga., and Rich Grupp of Decatur, Ga., will team with English driver Ben Devlin in the #7 Marshall-Cooke entry, while Ryan Eversley of Winder, Ga., will team with Dacula, Ga., resident Andy Lally and Spencer Pumpelly of Mason Neck, Va., in the team's #13 car. Devlin scored two LMP2 class wins in ALMS competition in 2002 while associated with Marshall Cooke Racing, which ran most of the season in a partnership with Archangel Racing Services. Each of the other five drivers will be seeking his first win in the series. "We're at a disadvantage on outright speed, but endurance racing is not always about speed," said Cooke. "We feel comfortable with the reliability of this car, and the little engine is very robust. It didn't miss a beat in 2002. We tend to not rely on ultimate speed but we usually pull off a good result if we can keep the car running." The LMP2 class features Prototype race cars that are smaller and less-powerful than the cars of the LMP1 class, the fastest class of cars that competes in the American Le Mans Series. The cars are open-cockpit, rear-engine machines capable of speeds exceeding 175 mph on Road Atlanta's fastest sections. The team has moved into a new shop in Buford, Ga., owned by Dennis Spencer, a former competitor in the ALMS. Cooke said that many of the people who are helping prepare the cars also worked with him in 2002. "We intend to contest the 2005 championship," said Cooke. "We need the experience of running two cars because that's what we're going to do next year. Whether we run the last race of 2004 (Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif.) will depend on our results at Petit. But if both cars cross the finish line in good shape, we'll do Laguna, too." EVENT INFORMATION Chevy presents Petit Le Mans will get the green flag at 12 noon (Eastern) on Saturday, September 25. The race will cover 1,000 miles, or 10 hours, whichever comes first on the 2.54-mile, 12-turn Road Atlanta circuit. Qualifying will be held on Friday, Sept. 24, along with an ALMS Fan Forum and an open paddock autograph session featuring all ALMS drivers. ALMS cars will also practice on Wednesday and Thursday of race week. The race will be televised live in North America by the SPEED Channel and in Europe by MotorsTV. American Le Mans Series Radio will have live coverage of qualifying and the race that can be heard online at www.americanlemans.com. Ticket information for the event is available online at www.americanlemans.com or by calling the Road Atlanta ticket office at (800) 849-RACE.