The Vehicles Earth

APR Motorsport Press Release

September 26, 2012 (Opelika, Ala.) – At 1.5-miles in length, Lime Rock Park – the site of this weekend’s Championship Weekend at Lime Rock Park – is the shortest, tightest track on the GRAND-AM schedule.



With the circuit offering few opportunities to pass, a narrow layout, and one scary-fast, high-speed, downhill corner, spectators will be in for plenty of action as the Daytona Prototypes and GT cars of the Rolex Sports Car Series battle for the final time this season. For the GT cars, simply surviving the two-hour and forty-five minute race without contact will be the key to a strong result.

The race will mark the end of the first season of North American competition for the no. 51 APR Audi R8 Grand-Am. The car, which debuted at this season’s Rolex 24 at Daytona and has been driven by Dr. Jim Norman and Dion von Moltke, has been developed throughout the year and has shown increased pace and competitiveness. With only the race at Lime Rock left, both drivers are looking for a breakthrough performance. Von Moltke knows how to win at Lime Rock, having won last season in the ALMS’ GT-C class.


“With so many championships on the line, ending the season at Lime Rock Park will be a very difficult task,” said von Moltke. “Because Lime Rock is by far the shortest and the tightest race track we race on all year the traffic becomes very difficult to navigate during a race but now with the added pressure of the last race of the year it will be more difficult than ever. Because it is so difficult to overtake around Lime Rock we will really have to focus on track position on our strategy. With that on the minds of all the teams we will be seeing quite a few different race strategies which will make for quite an exciting season finale. Lime Rock is a very demanding circuit on the driver, with no rest and the intense traffic around this short track making sure Jim and I bring our “A” games will be vital to finishing our season off strong!”

For his part, Norman also sees the need to balance his race with keeping an eye out for the Daytona Prototypes who will be lapping the GT field quickly on the short circuit.

“I love racing at Lime Rock,” said Norman.” It is quick with a few technical sections that are tremendous fun. The biggest challenge here is putting the prototypes and the GT cars together without getting them together!”

ABOUT APR
APR LLC is an automotive engineering firm operating a 36,000 sq. ft. performance campus in Opelika, Ala. APR was founded in 1997 with a corporate philosophy of Integrity, Excellence and Innovation. APR’s sole mission is to provide the highest quality and most highly engineered aftermarket performance parts available for Audi, Volkswagen, SEAT and Skoda vehicles. Learn more at www.goapr.com, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/APRMotorsport, and on twitter (@GoAPR).