Racing fans who also love pro football need not fret: Saturday features three fantastic auto races, and Sunday is left for the NFL.
The weekend begins with the Sao Paulo round of the World Endurance Championship from Brazil’s Interlagos circuit. The green flag waves for this event at Noon, Saturday, Sept. 15 (all times EDT.)
This six-hour race will once again pit a pair Audi R18s against a lone Toyota TS030 Hybrid. Some think that the altitude will favor the turbocharged Audis, which were slower that Toyota at Silverstone. Others believe the thinner air might mean the Toyota burns less fuel and thus might save the Japanese prototype a pit stop.
Silverstone was a close race; whatever Toyota learned there might make Sao Paulo even closer. This race might be hard to watch for U.S. viewers, but the official WEC Internet stream at http://www.fiawec.com is usually pretty reliable.
The only downside to this race being Internet only is that at 2:15, ESPN3 begins streaming the American Le Mans Series VIR 240, a four-hour endurance race which might decide some of the class championships.
There are a number of close points races in ALMS, starting with the top class where Muscle Milk Pickett Racing’s Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr lead Dyson Racing’s Chris Dyson and Guy Smith by nine points in the driver championship and five points in the team battle. Muscle Milk has been stricken with mechanical problems at its last several races, but runs fast when the car runs. With 22 points available at VIR and 24 at the season finale Petit Le Mans, Muscle Milk cannot clinch either title until the final race of the season unless complete disaster befalls Dyson.
In P2 Level 5’s Scott Tucker and Christophe Bouchut lead Conquest’s David Heinemeier Hansson and Martin Plowman by 12 in the drivers’ and 19 in the team races. This battle will also likely be resolved at Petit.
