|
After competing with Andretti Green Racing
in 2007, Marino Franchitti will return to
LMP2 competition this season with American
Le Mans Series mainstay Dyson Racing.
He
will co-pilot the No. 20 Porsche RS Spyder
with Butch Leitzinger.
Recorded eight
starts in 2007 claiming two podiums with AGR
co-driver Bryan Herta.
A veteran of 29
Series starts in multiple classes since
2001, posted a career best finish in second
place overall at last years Lone Star Grand
Prix.
Instrumental in development of Acura
ARX-01a chassis.
2008: At Sebring, finished race in
third place overall and in class at debut
with Dyson Racing but due to excluded second
place car, the No. 20 Porsche RS Spyder
earned second place points in LMP2 and
second place overall. ...At St. Petersburg,
contact with fellow competitor ended the No.
20 Porsche RS Spyder's run 10 laps before
race end. Franchitti/Leitzinger duo finished
in ninth place in LMP2. ...At Long Beach,
started the No. 20 Porsche RS Spyder from
the seventh place position in LMP2 in a
tight prototype battle. With Leitzinger, the
duo progressed two positions from the start
to end the race in fifth position in class.
2007: Started eight races in first
season for Andretti Green Racing in Acura
ARX-01a LMP2 entry.
At Houston, drove
impressive first stint and held sixth place
overall before handing over to Herta.
Teammate drove car to second place overall.
At Utah, led in class, second overall
early in race but car retired early due to a
faulty gearbox.
At Lime Rock, ran second
overall in stint but team fell back to sixth
in P2 after Hertas late spin.
At
Mid-Ohio, started from seventh position on
grid and ended race seventh in P2.
At Road
America, ran as high as third in class but
weather played a key factor in the seventh
place class finish.
At Mosport, had solid
run in claiming third place in P2.
At
Detroit, after battling mechanical issues on
pit lane and finished eighth in P2.
2006: Made only Series appearance at
Petit Le Mans. Posted second-place GT2
finish with Anthony Lazzaro/Maurizio Mediani
in Risi Competizione Ferrari F430 GT.
2005: Competed eight times for Panoz
factory squad in GT2.
Fourth at Mid- Ohio
with Robin Liddell in season debut.
Eighth
in class at Lime Rock with Bryan Sellers,
and duo retired after 39 laps at Infineon.
Fifth in class at Portland with Christophe
Tinseau and struggled again at Road America;
mechanical woes meant seventh-place finish
in class.
Seventh at Mosport and Petit Le
Mans as Franchitti/Sellers added Gunnar
Jeannette for the latter.
Ended the year
at Laguna Seca with same results seventh
in class.
2004: Drove three times, highlighted
by LMP2 pole at Sebring for Rand Racing.
Left race after 12 laps (mechanical).
Returned at Petit Le Mans with Jeannette/
Tinseau in Panoz Esperante and completed
just 254 laps for 13th in GT.
Drove with
Jeannette to seventh place GT finish at
day-night Laguna Seca.
2003: Finished fifth in GT at Sebring
driving a Ferrari 360 Modena for Risi
Competizione.
2002: Made seven starts, six in Dodge
Viper GTS-R for American Viperacing.
In
the Viper, best finish was fourth at
Trois-Rivieres, Mosport and Laguna Seca.
Co-drove to GT class runner-up finish with
Kevin Buckler in The Racers Group Porsche
911 GT3 RS at Infineon.
2001: Made Series debut in Petit Le
Mans but the Ferrari 360 he was driving was
excluded from the race after receiving
unauthorized assistance on the circuit. |
|
DRIVER NOTES |
|
Began racing career in go-karts at
age eight (1987).
Prior to sports
car debut in 2001, his previous
experience had been in single-seaters
.
After emerging from Jim Russell
school, contested selected rounds of
Formula Vauxhall for several years.
Won 2001 British GTO Championship
driving for Porsche Cars Great
Britain in a Porsche GT3 RS. Took 11
podiums with eight class wins and
two fastest laps.
Drove in one
round of the FIA N-GT Series in 2001
and finished seventh at Spa.
Placed 10th among 220 starters at
Nurburgring 24 Hours.
Earned a
podium finish at the Spa 24 Hours
race in 2006.
Two other podium
finishes in 2006 FIA GT championship
included GT2 win in Ferrari F430 GT
at Adrian.
Brother Dario won 2007
Indy 500 and IRL Championship.
Lists 2000 Series champion Allan
McNish and his brother as biggest
influences on him.
Celtic football
club in Glasgow, Scotland is his
favorite professional sports team.
Considers Jim Clark the greatest
racing driver of all-time because he
was fast in everything, a
gentleman, and also Scottish.
Does not wish to list best active
driver because my goal is to beat
them all, although he says his
brother Dario and McNish have had
the biggest influence on his racing
life. |
|
