Ken
Gone but not forgotten
From Motorsport.com:
Road Atlanta: Terry Borcheller preview
Racing series ALMS
Date 2005-04-13[font=verdana,arial,helvetica]
home faith
Terry Borcheller has good reason to enjoy racing at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga., the site of the next American Le Mans Series race. The 2001 ALMS GTS champion likes the track and the area so much, he moved his family from Phoenix to nearby Gainesville, Ga.
In 1983, Borcheller was one race from the World Karting Association national championship, but he needed both a win for himself and a DNF for the series points leader. Road Atlanta was the lucky charm and it happened, giving him his first championship. He followed with a major win at Road Atlanta in the 1990 Skip Barber Invitational race, against the best drivers from all of the series divisions.
In 2001, he found himself in a similar situation, this time in the ALMS. When misfortune befell the powerful Corvette team, Borcheller came from behind to win the GTS championship, his fourth professional title in as many years. He has since added two more championships.
"Road Atlanta has really been a pivotal track for championships for me," he acknowledged. "I believe in luck, but I think sometimes it's more divine intervention!"
pro and con
With its challenging elevation changes and turns, the 2.54-mile Road Atlanta road course can be a driver's dream or a nightmare.
"I enjoy the race track. It has a good rhythm to it if you're fortunate to get in a car with a lot of power and good downforce in it. It's a really fun track," Borcheller said. "It depends on how well the car is working. If the car is working well, there are a lot of fun spots. But if the car is not working well, those same spots are the worst parts of the track."
new and improved
Borcheller will drive the No. 63 ACEMCO Motorsports Saleen S7R in the April 17 race at Road Atlanta, sharing the wheel with Johnny Mowlem of London, England. The pair have reason for optimism, with extensive development work on the car since the season-opening race at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway last month.
"The team has just worked really hard to try to better the car and the effort from Sebring. I think we learned a lot," Borcheller said. "The team has been working on a new rear wing and a new shock package, and the engine management system is new."
team time
"It's pretty cool that we're having two races at Road Atlanta this year. I know the spring race is a lot different from the Petit Le Mans, but it's great to be so close to my house," Borcheller said. "We'll have the team over one evening for dinner. It's always hard on a race weekend -- something always seems to come up, but we'll try to get them there. Every time we've planned it, it's never worked, so I'll just wait 'til we get to the track and tell them, 'Tonight, you're coming over!'"
welcome
Borcheller will enjoy the support of friends and fans from his home town of Crystal River, Fla.; Destin, Fla.; Phoenix and several cities in Georgia, including Gainesville, during the Road Atlanta race weekend. He extends a warm welcome to all of them.
details (ET)
The Road Atlanta ALMS race is scheduled for Sunday, April 17 from noon to 2:45 pm on the 2.54-mile Road Atlanta road course in Braselton, Ga. The race will be telecast live on CBS Sports from 1 pm to 3 pm. The ALMS Radio Web and live timing/scoring will be available through the weekend at americanlemans.com.
online
tborcheller.com
[/font]Discuss this article in the Motorsport.com Forums channel: ALMS
Road Atlanta: Terry Borcheller preview
Racing series ALMS
Date 2005-04-13[font=verdana,arial,helvetica]
home faith
Terry Borcheller has good reason to enjoy racing at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga., the site of the next American Le Mans Series race. The 2001 ALMS GTS champion likes the track and the area so much, he moved his family from Phoenix to nearby Gainesville, Ga.
In 1983, Borcheller was one race from the World Karting Association national championship, but he needed both a win for himself and a DNF for the series points leader. Road Atlanta was the lucky charm and it happened, giving him his first championship. He followed with a major win at Road Atlanta in the 1990 Skip Barber Invitational race, against the best drivers from all of the series divisions.
In 2001, he found himself in a similar situation, this time in the ALMS. When misfortune befell the powerful Corvette team, Borcheller came from behind to win the GTS championship, his fourth professional title in as many years. He has since added two more championships.
"Road Atlanta has really been a pivotal track for championships for me," he acknowledged. "I believe in luck, but I think sometimes it's more divine intervention!"
pro and con
With its challenging elevation changes and turns, the 2.54-mile Road Atlanta road course can be a driver's dream or a nightmare.
"I enjoy the race track. It has a good rhythm to it if you're fortunate to get in a car with a lot of power and good downforce in it. It's a really fun track," Borcheller said. "It depends on how well the car is working. If the car is working well, there are a lot of fun spots. But if the car is not working well, those same spots are the worst parts of the track."
new and improved
Borcheller will drive the No. 63 ACEMCO Motorsports Saleen S7R in the April 17 race at Road Atlanta, sharing the wheel with Johnny Mowlem of London, England. The pair have reason for optimism, with extensive development work on the car since the season-opening race at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway last month.
"The team has just worked really hard to try to better the car and the effort from Sebring. I think we learned a lot," Borcheller said. "The team has been working on a new rear wing and a new shock package, and the engine management system is new."
team time
"It's pretty cool that we're having two races at Road Atlanta this year. I know the spring race is a lot different from the Petit Le Mans, but it's great to be so close to my house," Borcheller said. "We'll have the team over one evening for dinner. It's always hard on a race weekend -- something always seems to come up, but we'll try to get them there. Every time we've planned it, it's never worked, so I'll just wait 'til we get to the track and tell them, 'Tonight, you're coming over!'"
welcome
Borcheller will enjoy the support of friends and fans from his home town of Crystal River, Fla.; Destin, Fla.; Phoenix and several cities in Georgia, including Gainesville, during the Road Atlanta race weekend. He extends a warm welcome to all of them.
details (ET)
The Road Atlanta ALMS race is scheduled for Sunday, April 17 from noon to 2:45 pm on the 2.54-mile Road Atlanta road course in Braselton, Ga. The race will be telecast live on CBS Sports from 1 pm to 3 pm. The ALMS Radio Web and live timing/scoring will be available through the weekend at americanlemans.com.
online
tborcheller.com
[/font]Discuss this article in the Motorsport.com Forums channel: ALMS
