by Liz Halliday press release
March 19, 2007

Liz Halliday

Liz Halliday enjoyed a second successive podium at the Mobil 1 12-hours of Sebring at the weekend as Team Modena’s American Le Mans Series debut resulted in a strong run in the legendary endurance race. Halliday, Antonio Garcia and Darren Turner brought the team’s Aston Martin DBR9 home in third position in the GT1 class, behind the two factory-run Corvette C6.Rs, and secured 11^th place overall in the 34-car field.

Race day did not start well as a gearbox problem forced a change of the unit after the warm up session, causing the Aston Martin to start the race from the pit lane. Yet despite this early set-back, and a later stop and go penalty, the team and drivers showed their potential to finish on the Sebring podium and learn valuable lessons ahead of the opening round of the European-based Le Mans Series, which starts next month in Monza, Italy

"We are delighted to finish the race, it is a great test of the car, great test of the team and we came through it well," said team co-owner Rik Bryan. "Unfortunately we started the day badly, having to change the gearbox after warm up, so we missed the chance to get onto the grid. "We then got a stop-and-go because the pit lane speed limiter wasn't working properly so it was a difficult start, but I think we were on the pace with the Corvettes. I am not sure how hard they were pushing, but we are delighted to have come here, it is perfect for our preparations for the Le Mans 24-hour race, and we have thoroughly enjoyed taking part in this fantastic race in the American Le Mans Series. And we may be back!"

Halliday meanwhile was satisfied with the result, especially as she only stepped into the car for the first time just days before the race: “It was obviously a very steep learning curve for me in terms of getting used to the car, but I think I learned a lot because I got a lot of seat time. It was great to be back in the US and racing at Sebring. The place holds some fond memories for me and it was nice to catch up with all my friends from the ALMS. Hopefully I’ll be racing in the championship again before the end of the season.

Liz also paid tribute to Team Modena on a virtually trouble free ALMS debut. “I was really impressed with the team. To come to Sebring for the first time and have no real faults with the car at all during the race is really good. We all worked well together and I think it bodes well for the future and the upcoming Le Mans Series.

Turner and Garcia were also pleased with a podium finish in the Florida-based event: Turner said: "The hardest thing was the communication within the team because the radios weren't working properly and that made our lives stressful. It is all good for the team, there is a big list that they can learn from and it puts them in good stead for the LMS." Garcia added: "It was the first time we had come here, and we had to take the car as it was. The level we got we had for the whole race, but we were able to run a good pace from the beginning to the end. It was a good test for the team, the season is coming in one month, and we learned a lot today."

More information on Liz Halliday: www.lizhalliday.com

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