The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) returned to the US last weekend to beautiful Sonoma California's Sears Point Raceway with optimal weather conditions for great racing. Filling out the weekend was a very busy schedule that included Trans Am, Speedvision World Challenge Touring and GT, a Historic IMSA GTP Series event, and two formula car open wheel support events (Jim Russell and Star Mazda).

The first race of the weekend was Trans Am. Trans Am is the oldest continuously running road-racing series in the US and it is steeped in tradition and history. The latest Trans Am formula offers very exciting racing in purpose built racecars with silhouette bodies that resemble road cars such as Corvettes, Mustangs, Jaguars, Panoz GTRs, and even Mangustas. This race was full of the usual excitement Trans Am is known for but up at the front Brian Simo won a very clean race in a flag-to-flag victory at his home track. This was Brian's first win of the season, which placed him second in points behind race runner-up Paul Gentilozzi in a Jaguar. Boris Said rounded out the top three with the first podium finish for the Panoz.

"It was a fantastic day for us," said Simo. "I feel like this race was a turning point. We are going to give Paul (Gentilozzi) a run for his money and start getting points. This is a great racetrack, but you really have to be on your toes. It's a challenging track to set up the car for. You miss a little bit; you miss a ton here. You've got to get the car perfect and really be on your toes."

Gentilozzi, who started third, battled Simo early on in the race. "Brian had a look in his eye today," he said. "The only real chance we had at Brian today was early on in the first two laps. I seemed to have a better car at that point. Then we all established a rhythm and everyone was leaving space between each other. But then the yellow really hurt us. A lapped car got in between us which allowed Brian to pull away."

Boris Said (#33 Applied Computer Solutions-Panoz Esperante) came in third, the highest finish so far this season for the Panoz Esperante racecar. He also had the fastest race lap of the day with a time of 1:36.937. "It was good, clean fun out there today," he said. "We struggled the first couple of races with this car but I'm really excited now. I think it's going to be a winning car. It's as good as any car I've driven."

Next up was the Speedvision World Challenge Touring race. Neal Sapp, of Ellicott City, led for only a couple of feet, but they were the most important couple of feet of Sears Point Raceway pavement. He took the SCCA Pro Racing Speedvision World Challenge Touring Car portion of the X-Factor Grand Prix of Sonoma in the closest finish in World Challenge history - a scant 0.059 seconds over Steve Pfeffer. Sapp moved from eighth to fourth at the start in his No. 55 duPont Motorsport/ERT BMW 325is, slotting in behind second starting Pfeffer, of Scottsdale, Arizona, polesitter Ken Dobson and Terry McCarthy. Pfeffer's No. 26 John Hancock/JJ's Snacks BMW 328is led the first seven laps before succumbing to Dobson's attacks. Sapp moved past McCarthy, and was up behind Pfeffer by the 22-lap, 55.44 mile event's midpoint. The two ran nose-to-tail as Dobson pulled out a four-second advantage in the No. 7 Westek Electronics/SSF Import Parts BMW 328Ci.

With two laps remaining, Dobson began to slow and was passed by the duo going into the esses, trying to hang on with a deflating tire. Pfeffer took the white flag with a lead of less than a car length, but held the point for the majority of the 2.52 mile lap. As the two cars entered the turn 11 hairpin, Sapp looked to the inside, which Pfeffer defended. Sapp then swung wide to get a better run on to the front straight. The two exited side-by-side in a BMW drag race to the chequered flag, with Sapp edging Pfeffer on the outside to win the event. "We ran side-by-side down the stretch and I wasn't sure who won," said Sapp, who averaged 73.653 mph. "I kept asking my crew on the radio 'who won, who won?' They just kept telling me that the margin was 0.059 second, but not who was first or second. "That's still enough to win, right?"

In the ALMS race, pit stop strategy helped Rinaldo Capello and Tom Kristensen score a victory Sunday at Sears Point Raceway in the American Le Mans Series (The X-Factor Grand Prix of Sonoma). The drivers benefited from a team decision to stretch time between pit stops in the 2 hour, 45 minute sports car endurance race. The decision allowed the team to make its final pit stop into a 20-second fuel splash that kept the Audi R8 in the race lead. Capello, from Italy, and Denmark's Kristensen scored a 6.674-second win over Audi teammates Emanuele Pirro and Frank Biela. Capello, the ALMS points leader, won for the third time in three races this season.

"Our cars were very even," said Capello of the two Audi factory machines. "It was only the traffic that separated us on the track. But they made the wrong strategy and you can see the result." David Brabham and Jan Magnussen, driving a Panoz LMP-1, finished third, on the lead lap with the two Audis. The race was the first for the ALMS in four months, and six remain in the series championship schedule.

Corvette drivers Ron Fellows of Canada and Johnny O'Connell of Flowery Branch, finished fifth overall and took honours in the GTS class for the second time in three races. They beat Corvette teammates Andy Pilgrim and Kelly Collins by 5.3 seconds.

The GT class victory went to former Formula One and CART driver JJ Lehto of Finland, who teamed with Jörg Müller of Germany to finish seventh overall. Driving a BMW M3 GTR, Lehto and Müller led a BMW sweep of the top four spots in GT, the first loss in the series this year for Porsche.

The GT cars of Fredrik Ekblom and Hans Stuck collided on the last lap while battling for second place in class, with Stuck spinning and losing the position to Ekblom. After the race, officials of Professional Sports Car Racing, the sanctioning body for the ALMS, announced that Ekblom was penalised 35 seconds, which placed him behind Stuck in the final finish order. In addition, Ekblom was placed on probation for one race.

Officials of SPORTS CAR also announced that Magnussen would be fined $5,000 for attempting to perform a "donut" manoeuvre in the pit lane following the race.

The next race for the American Le Mans Series will be the Grand Prix of Portland on August 5 at Portland (Ore.) International Raceway.

SONOMA, California - Finish of Sunday's American Le Mans Series The X-Factor Grand Prix of Sonoma sports car endurance race at 2.52-mile Sears Point Raceway with starting position in parentheses, drivers, hometown or country, car, laps completed, reason out, if any:

1. (1) Rinaldo Capello, Italy; Tom Kristensen, Denmark; Audi R8, 107.
2. (2) Emanuele Pirro, Italy; Frank Biela, Germany; Audi R8, 107.
3. (4) David Brabham, Australia; Jan Magnussen, Denmark; Panoz LMP-1, 106.
4. (3) Andy Wallace, England; Johnny Herbert, England; Audi R8, 106.
5. (10) Ron Fellows, Canada; Johnny O'Connell, Flowery Branch, Ga.; Corvette C5-R, 97.
6. (11) Kelly Collins, Corona del Mar, Cal.; Andy Pilgrim, Aventura, Fla.; Corvette C5-R, 97.
7. (15) Jörg Müller, Germany; JJ Lehto, Finland; BMW M3 GTR, 96.
8. (14) Boris Said, Carlsbad, Calif.; Hans Stuck, Austria, BMW M3 GTR, 96.
9. (12) Dirk Müller, Germany; Fredrik Ekblom, Sweden; BMW M3 GTR, 96.
10. (13) Niclas Jonsson, Sweden; Bill Auberlen, Hermosa Beach, Cal.; BMW M3 GTR, 95.
11. (18) Sascha Maassen, Germany; Lucas Luhr, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RS, 95.
12. (5) Emmanuel Collard, England; Christophe Tinseau, France; Cadillac LMP 01, 95.
13. (9) Didier de Radigues, Belgium; Milka Duno, Venezuela; John Graham, Canada; Reynard 01Q-Judd, 95.
14. (20) Johnny Mowlem, England; Timo Bernhard, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RS, 95.
15. (25) Jon Field, Dublin, Ohio; Rick Sutherland, Los Gatos, Calif.; Lola B2K-Judd, 95.
16. (8) Terry Borcheller, Phoenix; Franz Konrad, Germany; Saleen S7R, 95.
17. (19) Kevin Buckler, Sonoma, Cal.; Tyler McQuarrie, Walnut Creek, Cal.; Porsche 911 GT3 RS, 94.
18. (17) Shane Lewis, Jupiter, Fla.; Jeff Altenburg, Cantonsville, Md.; Mike Silcox, Indianapolis; Dodge Viper GTS-R, 94.
19. (23) Robert Orcutt, Santa Cruz, Cal.; Vic Rice, San Rafael, Cal.; Porsche 911 GT3 R, 91.
20. (22) Phillip Colin, Lincolnshire, Ill.; Tony Burgess, Canada; Porsche 911 GT3 R, 88.
21. (26) Gene Martindale, Vincennes, Ind.; Tom Weickardt, Whitefish Bay, Wis.; Dana Brewer, San Diego; Dodge Viper GTS-R, 86.
22. (24) Randy Wars, Mexico; Grady Willingham, Birmingham, Ala.; David McEntee, Novato, Calif.; Porsche 911 GT3 R, 83.
23. (16) Randy Pobst, Melbourne, Fla.; Christian Menzel, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RS, 82, drive shaft.
24. (6) Wayne Taylor, Altamonte Springs, Fla.; Max Angelelli, Italy; Cadillac LMP 01, 52, lost wheel.
25. (21) Jeff Pabst, Canada; Kye Wankum, Canada; Joe Foster, Atlanta; Porsche 911 GT3 R, 31, accident.
26. (7) Franck Lagorce, France; Klaus Graf, Germany; Panoz LMP-1, 18, mechanical.

Rounding out the weekend was the exciting Speedvision World Challenge GT race. Johannes van Overbeek, from nearby Danville, California, earned his first SCCA Pro Racing Speedvision World Challenge GT win in four years, taking Round Six at the Sears Point Raceway. Jeff McMillin, of Erie, Pa., and Phil McClure, of Floris, Iowa, completed the top three.

Driving the No. 81 Flextronics/Intel Porsche 911 GT3 Cup from the pole, van Overbeek dropped to second on the standing start, but passed Peter Cunningham in the final turn of the first lap to regain the point. From then on, he held off first Cunningham and then McMillin to take a 1.092-second victory - his first in the series since Reno in 1997 in what is now the Speedvision Touring Car category. Van Overbeek averaged 81.536 mph in the caution-free event. "This is definitely one of the longest races I've ever driven," said van Overbeek. "We had a funny little engine stumble at the start, but managed to get back up to speed. Jeff [McMillin] and Phil [McClure] were closing on me and I was lucky to hold on.

"It's taken us a while to get the Porsche sorted out, but this win definitely helps us. If there was a race to win for us, it was this one. It's great to do it in front of all the hometown friends and fans."

Van Overbeek's win moved Porsche into the Manufacturers' Championship point lead, 40 to 36 over Audi.

McMillin started his brand new No. 1 JJ's Snacks/John Hancock BMW M3 E46 fourth on the grid, but moved into third at the start. He hounded Cunningham until moving past on lap eight, at which point, he began to close on the leader. While closing the gap to a half-second at times, he was unable to make an attempt at the lead, but came home a solid second, equalling his career-best finish.

"My hat is off to Johannes, he drove a hell of a race," said McMillin. "Our new car was just great. It's fantastic. It's going to do nothing but get better for the remainder of the season."

McClure drove a spirited race in the No. 73 Aggregate Industries/McClure Concrete Chevrolet Corvette C5, moving steadily up from sixth to third by the race's end, setting the race's fast lap in the process of 1:49.441 (82.894 mph). The podium finish was the first of McClure's Speedvision GT career, and the first for Corvette in 2001. For his effort, he earned the Borla Performance Award. "It's been a lot of fun getting here," said McClure. "We gained a little knowledge at the wind tunnel with Chevrolet after the last race. The downforce we've found helped out tremendously in putting the power on the track through the tires, which we have struggled with. I think that everyone will be happy with these results, and I think it'll be easier to move up the podium now that we've gotten on the podium."

Point leader Michael Galati, of N. Olmstead, Ohio, finished fourth, and padded his point lead over Cunningham, who fell back to eighth on the day due to a suspected bad fuel injector. Mike Fitzgerald, of Phoenix, Arizona, finished fifth. Galati heads to round seven in Portland two weeks from now with a 16-point lead (170 to 154) over Cunningham. Fitzgerald is third, with 141, followed by van Overbeek (131) and McMillin (125).