2003 American Le Mans Series
The 2003 American Le Mans Series season was the fifth season for the IMSA American Le Mans Series, and the 33rd overall season of the IMSA GT Championship. It was a series for Le Mans Prototypes (LMP) and Grand Touring (GT) race cars divided into 4 classes: LMP900, LMP675, GTS, and GT. It began March 15, 2003, and ended October 18, 2003, after nine races.
Dyson Racing's overall win at Sonoma Raceway was the first time in ALMS history that the overall win was captured by a vehicle not from the LMP900 class.
Schedule
Little was changed between the 2002 and 2003 schedules; the Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course did not return, but both were instead replaced by the return of the Grand Prix of Atlanta at Road Atlanta. The Grand Prix of Mexico was originally scheduled for April 6 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez but was canceled due to financial issues.[1]
| Rnd | Race | Circuit | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring | Sebring International Raceway | March 15 |
| C | Grand Prix of Mexico | Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez | April 6 |
| 2 | Chevy Grand Prix of Atlanta | Road Atlanta | June 29 |
| 3 | Infineon Grand Prix of Sonoma | Sonoma Raceway | July 27 |
| 4 | Le Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières | Circuit Trois-Rivières | August 3 |
| 5 | Toronto Grand Prix of Mosport | Mosport | August 17 |
| 6 | Road America 500 | Road America | August 24 |
| 7 | Fry's Electronics Sports Car Championships | Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca | September 7 |
| 8 | Grand Prix Americas | Miami street circuit | September 27 |
| 9 | Petit Le Mans | Road Atlanta | October 18 |
| Sources:[2][3] | |||
Entry list
Le Mans Prototype 900 (LMP900)
Le Mans Prototype 675 (LMP675)
| Team | Chassis | Engine | Tyre | No. | Drivers | Rnds. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RN Motorsports | DBA4 03S | Zytek ZG348 3.4 L V8 | D | 15 | Hayanari Shimoda | 1 |
| John Nielsen | 1 | |||||
| Dyson Racing Team | MG-Lola EX257 | MG (AER) XP20 2.0 L Turbo I4 | G | 16 | James Weaver | All |
| Butch Leitzinger | All | |||||
| Andy Wallace | 1, 9 | |||||
| 20 | Chris Dyson | All | ||||
| Didier de Radiguès | 1, 9 | |||||
| Chad Block | 1, 9 | |||||
| Andy Wallace | 2–8 | |||||
| Marshall Cooke Racing | Lola B2K/40 | Ford (Millington) 2.0 L Turbo I4 | P | 18 | Ben Devlin | 1 |
| Jason Workman | 1 | |||||
| Melanie Paterson | 1 | |||||
| Essex Racing | Lola B2K/40 | Nissan (AER) VQL 3.0L V6 | P | 18 | Jason Workman | 2–9 |
| Melanie Paterson | 2, 4–5 | |||||
| David McEntee | 3 | |||||
| James Gue | 6 | |||||
| Scott Bradley | 7–9 | |||||
| Andrew Davis | 9 | |||||
| Intersport Racing | MG-Lola EX257 (1-8)
Lola B01/60 (9) |
MG (AER) XP20 2.0 L Turbo I4 (1-8)
Judd KV675 3.4 L V8 (9) |
G | 37 | Jon Field | All |
| Duncan Dayton | All | |||||
| Mike Durand | 1 | |||||
| Larry Connor | 9 | |||||
| Team Bucknum Racing | Pilbeam MP91 | Willman (JPX) 3.4 L V6 | D | 56 | Bryan Willman | All |
| Chris McMurry | All | |||||
| Jeff Bucknum | 1–8 | |||||
| Alan Rudolph | 9 | |||||
| Downing-Atlanta Inc. | WR LMP02 | Mazda R26B 2.6L 4-Rotor | D | 64 | Jim Downing | 2, 6, 9 |
| Howard Katz | 2, 6, 9 | |||||
| Yojiro Terada | 9 | |||||
| AB Motorsport | Pilbeam MP84 | Nissan (AER) VQL 3.0L V6 | A | 77 | Joe Blacker | 2 |
| John Burke | 2 |
Grand Touring Sport (GTS)
Grand Touring (GT)
| Team | Chassis | Engine | Tyre | No. | Drivers | Rnds. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyper Sport | Porsche 996 GT3-RS (1)
Panoz Esperante GT-LM (2-9) |
Porsche 3.6 L Flat-6 (1) | P | 03 | Brad Nyberg | 1–4, 7–9 |
| Rick Skelton | 1–4, 7–9 | |||||
| Joe Foster | 1–4, 7, 9 | |||||
| RWS-Yukos Motorsport | Porsche 996 GT3-R | Porsche 3.6 L Flat-6 | P | 07 | Walter Lechner, Jr. | 1 |
| Stéphane Daoudi | 1 | |||||
| Nikolai Fomenko | 1 | |||||
| MCR | Chevrolet Corvette C5-RGT | Chevrolet LS1 7.0 L V8 | ? | 5 | Bob Mazzuoccola | 1* |
| Shane Lewis | 1* | |||||
| Yokohama/ADVAN | BMW M3 E46 | BMW 3.2 L I6 | Y | 6 | Bill Auberlen | 9 |
| Boris Said | 9 | |||||
| Hans-Joachim Stuck | 9 | |||||
| Perspective Racing | Porsche 996 GT3-RS | Porsche 3.6 L Flat-6 | D | 21 | Thierry Perrier | 1* |
| Angelo Barretto | 1* | |||||
| Michel Neugarten | 1* | |||||
| Alex Job Racing | Porsche 996 GT3-RS | Porsche 3.6 L Flat-6 | M | 23 | Sascha Maassen | All |
| Lucas Lühr | All | |||||
| 24 | Timo Bernhard | All | ||||
| Jörg Bergmeister | All | |||||
| Romain Dumas | 9 | |||||
| JMB Racing USA | Ferrari 360 Modena N-GT | Ferrari 3.6 L V8 | P | 28 | Stéphane Grégoire | All |
| Christian Pescatori | 1, 4 | |||||
| Fabio Babini | 1 | |||||
| Eliseo Salazar | 2–3, 5, 7–8 | |||||
| Iradj Alexander | 5–7 | |||||
| Stephen Earle | 9 | |||||
| Philip Shearer | 9 | |||||
| 29 | Andrea Garbagnati | 1, 3 | ||||
| Ludovico Manfredi | 1, 3 | |||||
| Stephen Earle | 1, 7–8 | |||||
| Peter Kutemann | 5–6 | |||||
| Antoine Gosse | 5 | |||||
| Philip Shearer | 6 | |||||
| Mark Neuhaus | 7–8 | |||||
| White Lightning | Porsche 996 GT3-RS | Porsche 3.6 L Flat-6 | M | 31 | Johnny Mowlem | 1, 3, 6–9 |
| Craig Stanton | 1, 3, 6–9 | |||||
| Niclas Jönsson | 1 | |||||
| Michael Petersen | 9 | |||||
| Ferri Competizione | Ferrari 360 Modena GT | Ferrari 3.6 L V8 | P | 32 | Andrea Bertolini | 5 |
| Mauro Baldi | 5 | |||||
| ZIP Racing | Porsche 996 GT3-RS | Porsche 3.6 L Flat-6 | D | 33 | Spencer Pumpelly | 1–4, 6–8 |
| Andy Lally | 1–4, 6–8 | |||||
| Steven Ivankovich | 1 | |||||
| Romeo Kapudija | 8 | |||||
| 39 | Emil Assentato | 1 | ||||
| Nick Longhi | 1 | |||||
| Brent Sherman | 1 | |||||
| Risi Competizione | Ferrari 360 Modena GT | Ferrari 3.6 L V8 | M | 34 | Marino Franchitti | 1 |
| Kevin McGarrity | 1 | |||||
| Phillip Bennett | 1 | |||||
| 35 | Ralf Kelleners | All | ||||
| Anthony Lazzaro | All | |||||
| Terry Borcheller | 1 | |||||
| Alegra Motorsports | BMW M3 E46 | BMW 3.2 L I6 | Y | 40 | Boris Said | 1 |
| Catersby Jones | 1 | |||||
| Carlos DeQuesada | 1 | |||||
| Bill Auberlen | 8 | |||||
| Niclas Jönsson | 8 | |||||
| 41 | Ross Bluestein | 8 | ||||
| Carlos DeQuesada | 8 | |||||
| DeWALT Racesport Salisbury | TVR Tuscan T400R | TVR Speed Six 4.0 L I6 | D | 41 | Rob Barff | 1 |
| Richard Hay | 1 | |||||
| Richard Stanton | 1 | |||||
| Orbit | Porsche 996 GT3-RS | Porsche 3.6 L Flat-6 | M | 42 | Joe Policastro, Sr. | 1–3, 6–9 |
| Joe Policastro, Jr. | 1–3, 6–9 | |||||
| Mike Fitzgerald | 1 | |||||
| Leo Hindery | 6 | |||||
| Randy Pobst | 9 | |||||
| 43 | Peter Baron | All | ||||
| Leo Hindery | 1-3, 7, 9 | |||||
| Marc Lieb | 1, 4–6, 8 | |||||
| Mike Rockenfeller | 9 | |||||
| Spyker Squadron | Spyker C8 Double-12R | BMW (Mader) 4.0 L V8 | D | 48 | Norman Simon | 1 |
| Hans Hugenholtz | 1 | |||||
| Patrick van Schoote | 1 | |||||
| Seikel Motorsport | Porsche 996 GT3-RS | Porsche 3.6 L Flat-6 | Y | 52 | Philip Collin | 1–2, 6, 9 |
| John Lloyd | 1, 6 | |||||
| David Shep | 1, 5 | |||||
| Tony Burgess | 2, 5 | |||||
| Andrew Bagnall | 9 | |||||
| 53 | Alex Caffi | 1 | ||||
| Gabrio Rosa | 1 | |||||
| Andrea Chiesa | 1 | |||||
| P.K. Sport | Porsche 996 GT3-R | Porsche 3.6 L Flat-6 | P | 60 | Robin Liddell | All |
| David Warnock | 1, 9 | |||||
| Piers Masarati | 1 | |||||
| Jean-Philippe Belloc | 2 | |||||
| Alex Davison | 3–4, 6 | |||||
| Vic Rice | 5 | |||||
| Alex Caffi | 7–9 | |||||
| 61 | Ian Donaldson | 1 | ||||
| Bart Hayden | 1 | |||||
| Gregor Fisken | 1 | |||||
| Vic Rice | 2–4, 6–7, 9 | |||||
| Piers Masarati | 2, 5–6 | |||||
| Keith Alexander | 3 | |||||
| Spencer Trenery | 4 | |||||
| John Graham | 5 | |||||
| David Warnock | 7–8 | |||||
| Ron Atapattu | 8 | |||||
| Romeo Kapudija | 9 | |||||
| Jon Groom | 9 | |||||
| ACEMCO Motorsports | Ferrari 360 Modena GT | Ferrari 3.6 L V8 | Y | 63 | Shane Lewis | All |
| Andrew Davis | 1–2 | |||||
| B. J. Zacharias | 1 | |||||
| Terry Borcheller | 3–9 | |||||
| Darren Law | 9 | |||||
| The Racer's Group | Porsche 996 GT3-RS | Porsche 3.6 L Flat-6 | M | 66 | Kevin Buckler | All |
| Jim Pace | 1 | |||||
| Eliseo Salazar | 1 | |||||
| Cort Wagner | 2–9 | |||||
| Patrick Long | 9 | |||||
| 67 | Michael Schrom | 1–7 | ||||
| Pierre Ehret | 1–3, 6–8 | |||||
| Vic Rice | 1 | |||||
| Marc Bunting | 2 | |||||
| Jean-Francois Dumoulin | 4 | |||||
| Jeffrey Pabst | 5 | |||||
| Jeff Zwart | 8–9 | |||||
| Tom Nastasi | 9 | |||||
| David Donner | 9 | |||||
| 68 | Marc Bunting | All | ||||
| Chris Gleason | All | |||||
| Cort Wagner | 1 | |||||
| Pierre Ehret | 9 | |||||
| T2M Motorsport | Porsche 996 GT3-R | Porsche 3.6 L Flat-6 | D | 78 | Georges Forgeois | 1 |
| Derek Clark | 1 | |||||
| Chip Vance | 1 | |||||
| J-3 Racing | Porsche 996 GT3-RS | Porsche 3.6 L Flat-6 | M | 79 | David Murry | All |
| Brian Cunningham | All | |||||
| Justin Jackson | 1, 9 | |||||
| Inline Cunningham Racing | Porsche 996 GT3-RS | Porsche 3.6 L Flat-6 | Y | 89 | Oswaldo Negri, Jr. | 3–4, 7, 9 |
| Scott Bader | 3–4 | |||||
| Burt Frisselle | 7, 9 | |||||
| Spencer Pumpelly | 9* | |||||
| Vici Racing | Lamborghini Diablo GTR | Lamborghini 6.0 L V12 | P | 90 | Ronny Meixner | 1* |
| Joseph Safina | 1* | |||||
| Cristiano Piquet | 1* |
* Was on the entry list but did not participate in the event.
Season results
Overall winner in bold.
Teams Championship
Points are awarded to the top 10 finishers in the following order:[5]
- 20-16-13-10-8-6-4-3-2-1
Exceptions being for the 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans which award the top 10 finishers in the following order:[5]
- 26-22-19-16-14-12-10-9-8-7
Cars failing to complete 70% of the winner's distance are not awarded points. Teams only score the points of their highest finishing entry in each race.
LMP900 Standings
| Pos | Team | Chassis | Engine | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Rd 6 | Rd 7 | Rd 8 | Rd 9 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Infineon Team Joest | Audi R8 | Audi 3.6L Turbo V8 | 26 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 13 | 20 | 16 | 19 | 170 |
| 2 | ADT Champion Racing | Audi R8 | Audi 3.6L Turbo V8 | 22 | 20 | 16 | 16 | 10 | 20 | 13 | 20 | 26 | 163 |
| 3 | JML Team Panoz | Panoz LMP01 Evo | Élan 6L8 6.0L V8 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 22 | 130 |
| 4 | American Spirit Racing | Riley & Scott Mk III C | Lincoln 5.0L V8 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 14 | 60 | ||
| 5 | Intersport Racing | Lola B2K/10 Riley & Scott Mk III C |
Judd GV4 4.0L V10 Élan 6L8 6.0L V8 |
8 | 6 | 6 | 8 |
8 |
10 |
46 | |||
| 6 | Doran Lista Racing | Dallara SP1 | Judd GV5 5.0L V10 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 36 | ||||||
| 7 | Team Bentley | Bentley Speed 8 | Bentley 4.0L Turbo V8 | 19 | 19 | ||||||||
| 8 | Audi Sport UK | Audi R8 | Audi 3.6L Turbo V8 | 12 | 12 | ||||||||
| 9 | Taurus Sports Racing | Lola B2K/10 | Judd GV4 4.0L V10 | 7 | 7 |
LMP675 Standings
| Pos | Team | Chassis | Engine | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Rd 6 | Rd 7 | Rd 8 | Rd 9 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dyson Racing Team | MG-Lola EX257 | MG (AER) XP20 2.0L Turbo I4 | 26 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 164 | |
| 2 | Intersport Racing | MG-Lola EX257 Lola B01/60 |
MG (AER) XP20 2.0L Turbo I4 Judd KV675 3.4L V8 |
22 | 20 | 20 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 26 |
121 | ||
| 3 | Essex Racing | Lola B2K/40 | Nissan (AER) VQL 3.0L V6 | 8 | 13 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 16 | 108 | |
| 4 | Downing-Atlanta Inc. | WR LMP-02 | Mazda 2.6L 4-Rotor | 10 | 13 | 19 | 42 | ||||||
| 5 | Jeff Bucknum Racing | Pilbeam MP91 | Willman 6 3.4L V6 | 16 | 8 | 24 |
GTS Standings
| Pos | Team | Chassis | Engine | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Rd 6 | Rd 7 | Rd 8 | Rd 9 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corvette Racing | Chevrolet Corvette C5-R | Chevrolet 7.0L V8 | 26 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 16 | 10 | 19 | 167 |
| 2 | Prodrive | Ferrari 550-GTS Maranello | Ferrari 6.0L V12 | 22 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 26 | 163 |
| 3 | Team Olive Garden | Ferrari 550 Maranello | Ferrari 6.0L V12 | 8 | 8 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 72 | ||
| 4 | Carsport America | Dodge Viper GTS-R Pagani Zonda GR |
Dodge 8.0L V10 Mercedes-AMG 6.3L V12 |
16 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 42 | ||||
| 5 | Konrad Motorsport | Saleen S7-R | Ford 7.0L V8 | 6 | 6 |
GT Standings
| Pos | Team | Chassis | Engine | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Rd 6 | Rd 7 | Rd 8 | Rd 9 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Job Racing | Porsche 911 GT3-RS | Porsche 3.6L Flat-6 | 26 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 10 | 20 | 20 | 26 | 182 |
| 2 | Risi Competizione | Ferrari 360GT Modena | Ferrari 3.6L V8 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 96 | |||
| 3 | The Racer's Group | Porsche 911 GT3-RS | Porsche 3.6L Flat-6 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 2 | 16 | 8 | 2 | 16 | 79 | |
| 4 | Petersen/White Lightning | Porsche 911 GT3-RS | Porsche 3.6L Flat-6 | 22 | 8 | 20 | 13 | 10 | 73 | ||||
| 5 | J-3 Racing | Porsche 911 GT3-RS | Porsche 3.6L Flat-6 | 10 | 6 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 14 | 51 | |||
| 6 | P.K. Sport | Porsche 911 GT3-RS | Porsche 3.6L Flat-6 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 10 | 13 | 9 | 47 | |||
| 7 | ACEMCO Motorsports | Ferrari 360GT Modena | Ferrari 3.6L V8 | 8 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 41 | ||
| 8 | Orbit Racing | Porsche 911 GT3-RS | Porsche 3.6L Flat-6 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 40 | ||
| 9 | JMB Racing USA | Ferrari 360GT Modena | Ferrari 3.6L V8 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 34 | ||||
| 10 | ZIP Racing | Porsche 911 GT3-RS | Porsche 3.6L Flat-6 | 7 | 8 | 13 | 4 | 32 | |||||
| 11 | Seikel Motorsport | Porsche 911 GT3-RS | Porsche 3.6L Flat-6 | 19 | 6 | 25 | |||||||
| 12 | Yokohama Advan | BMW M3 GTR | BMW 3.2L I6 | 12 | 12 | ||||||||
| 13 | DeWALT Racesport Salisbury | TVR Tuscan T400R | TVR Speed Six 4.0L I6 | 10 | 10 | ||||||||
| 14 | Inline Cunningham Racing | Porsche 911 GT3-RS | Porsche 3.6L Flat-6 | 1 | 6 | 7 | |||||||
| 15 | Ferri Competizione | Ferrari 360GT Modena | Ferrari 3.6L V8 | 4 | 4 |
References
- ^ "American Le Mans Series Cancels Races In Mexico And Washington, DC". Autoweek. March 9, 2003. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
- ^ "American LeMans Series - 2003: Racing Calendar". Speedsport Magazine. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
- ^ "2003 schedule finalized". Motorsport.com. December 18, 2002. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
- ^ "American LeMans Series - Season 2003: Results". Speedsport Magazine. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
- ^ a b "American LeMans Series - 2003: Point standings". Speedsport Magazine. Retrieved January 21, 2024.