Alex Job Racing Taking Podium Momentum to Road America

Tavares, FL, (Aug. 17, 2010), Alex Job Racing (AJR) is taking the momentum from their third podium finish of the season to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin's Road America. Romeo Kapudija and Bill Sweedler will be looking to take two more steps up the podium in round seven of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) presented by Tequila Patron race to be run Sunday, August 22.

Kapudija and Sweedler added another podium finish in the last round at Mid-Ohio, a third place, to go along with their second place at Sebring and third at Long Beach.  The duo is still looking for their first win in the competitive ALMS GTC class.  Road America's 4.05-mile and 14-turns will offer just that opportunity.  The track located just off the shore of Elkhart Lake is a favorite of many drivers, including Sweedler and Kapudija.

Sweedler has a big appreciation for Road America, and a lot of respect.

"Road America is the longest road course in the U.S.," Sweedler said.  "It is the only facility that we reach sixth gear three different times in one lap!  It has a combination of elevation changes and sweeping turns that keep the average lap speed very high.  One of the more famous Road America high speed sections is the Kink.  This is the turn that most every GT driver thinks they can do flat-out, but some little voice deep down screams as you are approaching, "I don't think so!"  Romeo and I need to keep the momentum from Mid-Ohio and focus on an error free race.  The AJR team has been flawless on race strategy, car set-up, and pit stops.  We need to collectively be flawless this weekend."   

Kapudija drove a Porsche RSR at Road America a month ago at a vintage event.

"The older RSR and newer Cup car should be somewhat different as far as the grip levels go," Kapudija said.  "The RSR has more mechanical grip than our current Cup car.  I am sure I will notice the power difference right away as the RSR had a wicked fast motor in it and it was a lot of fun to drive on the long straight-aways at Road America.  It's hard to say what my favorite part of the track is because I love all the sections. The long straights are great for drafting and passing, Turn One is awesome because it's a fast flowing turn.  Turn Five is a great corner for executing a late braking pass.  The Carousel is challenging because you have to be on the limit and carry as much speed coming out which could translate into a loss of mph all the way down into Canada Corner if you are not quick through that fast and long section.  Finally Turn 14 is crucial because you have to flow through the corner and carry as much speed as possible onto the front straight. So as you can see, I guess I just love the entire track! 

Chicago resident Kapudija marks Road America as his home track.

"Road America is my home track and I literally have thousands of miles logged there dating back to my karting days. I can't wait to see how the new Cup car will behave, I am sure it's going to be very quick there.  I am definitely going to try and go flat in the kink and I think the new Cup car will handle well enough to be able to go flat. TBD!  I have so many great memories there, I recall racing there in late October one year and it snowed right before our session. We had to shovel snow in our pit box and it was ultra slick on track to say the least.  We couldn't build up any heat in the tires. But one of my most memorable times at the track was actually not in a race.  I was lucky enough when I first began racing to have some private coaching time with Vic Elford.  We drove around the track in a sedan for over an hour. To this day I still recall everything he taught me and I still utilize all of his advice about how to go fast at Road America.  I really look forward to driving in front of all my family and friends and I am hopeful Bill and I will have a good result here.  The AJR team has worked so hard all season long and we deserve a win. It would be magical if it came at my home town track!"

Alex Job, team owner, is getting the 23 guys back on track.

"We had a rebound in performance at Mid-Ohio and we need to carry through this weekend," Job said.  "With two more races left we have to focus on every practice and every race lap.  The points are tight and we can still make a run at the driver's championship.  Road America has always been a good track for us we have posted wins there in 2002 and 2004.  We were on the pole last year in the GT3 Cup Series, so we have a good baseline to draw from when we unload on Friday."

Round seven of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron will be run at Road America on August 22 and will be televised live the SPEED Channel starting at  3:00 p.m. ET.

AJR 2010 GTC Season

Alex Job Racing is one of the most successful teams in ALMS history with 39 wins.  This record is supported by 46 pole positions and 80 podium finishes.   The team has won three championships (GT in 2002, 2003 and 2004) complimented by their two GT class wins at Le Mans.  The team also boasts seven Sebring 12 hour wins. 

The ALMS GTC category is specific to one of the most popular factory produced racing cars in the world, the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.  Developed for Porsche's one-make series around the world, the new version of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is based on the road-going 911 GT3 RS. The power unit featured in the new 911 GT3 Cup is largely identical to the production engine of the 911 GT3 RS with the same output of 450 bhp and the same maximum engine speed of 8,500 rpm.