All-American Team Wins Lmp2 Class

Victory at 24 Hours of Le Mans on Pirelli Tires Clint Field Leads His Intersport Team to Second-Straight Podium of Season Le Mans, France, June 13, 2004 - He legally cant celebrate with champagne for another three days when he turns 21, but Clint Field of Dublin, Ohio gave himself a memorable birthday present with his LMP2 class victory at the 72 nd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans today. Field could also win the Rookie of the Year award as this was his inaugural race at the classic 8.5-mile circuit de la Sarthe. Field was joined in his Lola B2K/40 Judd-powered baby prototype by William Binnie of Portsmouth, N.H. and Rick Sutherland of Los Gatos, Calif. - only the second race for this new car. This same All-American trio led much of this years 12 Hours of Sebring before soldiering on to finish third, leaving the Pirelli-shod Miracle Motorsports to savor a hard fought victory. Although Pirelli won World Sports Car (WSC) championships in the mid-1990s with Team Scandias Ferrari 333SP (95) and Riley & Scotts Oldsmobile (96), their focus has been more on the GTS and GT classes in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) as of late. In fact, the last prototype-class win for Pirelli at Le Mans was in 1998 when two-time WSC Champion, Wayne Taylor, drove the Doyle Risi Racing Ferrari 333SP to victory with 1995 WSC Champion, Fermin Velez, and Eric Van de Poele. Fortunately, the new baby prototypes use the same tires as the Saleens of the GTS class and a chance meeting of Intersport Racings owner and Clints father, Jon Field, and this writer on an American Airlines 777 returning from Le Mans last year led to this new partnership. Didnt hurt that Sutherland is a former Pirelli tire dealer either! Field will have only moments to savor his victory as he returns home tomorrow to host Mid-Ohios media day on Tuesday, June 15. After a brief birthday bash on Wednesday, June 16, Field and the Intersport crew will begin preparations for the second round of the ALMS calendar set for Sunday, June 27, at his home track. Fans can talk with Field live on Thursday, June 24, at 5 p.m. (EDT) on americanlemans.com or at Saturdays Fan Forum at the Mid-Ohio circuit. The race will be nationally televised on CBS Sports from 2-4 p.m. (EDT) on Sunday, June 27. Race fans can also listen to live coverage of the race on the ALMS radio web at www.americanlemans.com.