LOOKING BACK ON 2008

2008 has proved to be a positive turning point in Ryan Lewis' racing career. After the many successes of his single-seater years Ryan took a risk and moved over to the world of sportscar racing in 2008 and, in the American Le Mans Series, he has found an environment that suits him perfectly.

It was announced in June that Ryan had secured a drive with Intersport Racing, one of the top privateer teams in the American Le Mans Series, racing in the LMP1 class.  The sister car, in the hands of Jon Field, had recently taken the fight to Audi at the Utah race in May so the team looked to be very competitive. 

Ryan's season kicked off at Mid-Ohio in July where he was clearly the underdog, having not raced for almost eight months. His plan was to go out there and race the works teams but try to stay out of trouble.

He really couldn't have done a better job at Mid-Ohio as he took a third place podium finish. His times were consistently in the top ten and even a spin didn't put him off. He gathered it all up and continued, later discovering the spin was caused by a slow puncture. Ryan had a lot to learn at Mid-Ohio. This was his first sportscar race so he had to get used to the track also being full of GT cars that lap a lot slower than the prototypes but are also fighting hard in their own races. He also had to learn to share his car for the first time in his career but he quickly built up a great relationship with John Faulkner, who joined Ryan on the podium at the end of the race.

Next up for Ryan was a four-hour race at Road America in Wisconsin, one of Ryan's favourite tracks. His mission here was to use what he had learned racing Formula Atlantics at Road America and “take the fight to the rest of the guys and show that the underdogs do have teeth”!

Ryan qualified in fourth place behind the works Audis and the more powerful sister Intersport car. He took the race start and was running incredibly well before handing over to Faulkner after one hour and 20 minutes.  Finishing fourth was another great result and Ryan was also pleased with the performance of the Kumho tyres that he was trying out for the first time.

The next leg of the American Le Mans Series is one of the toughest stages of the season with a race at the unforgiving Mosport track in Canada on a Sunday, before the entire ALMS circus heads to Detroit for the next race the following Saturday.

The weekend got off to a bad start as the Intersport Lola-AER had some engine problems, putting the team on the back foot when it came to setting the car up for qualifying and the race. Once the race got underway Ryan was able to quickly get into a rhythm and he drove a good opening stint before handing over to Faulkner. Unfortunately Faulkner then had a huge accident that destroyed the car, as Ryan explains:

“About thirty minutes into John's stint he ran wide at Turn 1,” said Ryan. “He got loose in the dirt on the exit and was catapulted across the track into the inside wall. The minimum speed at Turn 1 is over 120mph so it's safe to say the impact was pretty big. The front of the car was completely ripped off so that was our day done. Luckily John was okay; a little shaken up and bruised but okay. It's a shame as things were looking promising. We were in with a chance of beating our sister car to third place in the P1 field, but it wasn't to be.”

The damage sustained by the car meant that Ryan would have to sit out the Detroit round as there was no time to find a replacement chassis.

The American Le Mans teams have a month off in September so Ryan took the opportunity to head home to the UK and joined the Creation team for the Le Mans Series race at Silverstone. Partnering South African racer, Stephen Simpson, Ryan enjoyed the opportunity to drive another prototype and learn from seasoned professionals like Jamie Campbell-Walter, even though there were clutch problems during the race that curtailed their efforts.

The next race on the American Le Mans schedule was one of the biggest events of the year: Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. The 1,000 mile/10 hour race draws massive crowds to the track just outside Atlanta and Ryan wanted to get out there and put on a great show for them all. As well as a new car, Ryan also had two new team-mates for this race. British sportscar racer Luke Hines joined the team along with George Forgeois.  The pressure was on as this event always draws an influx of famous names that boosts the grid and makes for a very busy race track.

Ryan couldn't believe it when his new car ground to a halt just three laps into the race. He certainly kept the crowds entertained as he single-handedly fought to get it running again up on Spectator Hill.  After losing a lot of time Ryan knew a podium finish was going to be impossible but as all three drivers love the Atlanta track they carried on and had a fantastic race with many great battles. Just as the race was entering its final hours and darkness had fallen, Forgeois had a spin coming down the hill into the last turn. Stuck in the middle of the track, just over the brow of the hill, the oncoming racers did well to avoid the stricken car but then the inevitable happened and George was hit by a Porsche. It was a nasty race-ending collision that George will remember for the rest of his life. He was lucky to escape unharmed but again the car wasn't so lucky so Ryan found himself looking for another new car for the season finale at Laguna Seca.

The solution came from Clint Field who graciously gave up his seat in the no.37 Intersport car for Ryan, who would now race with Jon Field and Richard Berry.  The trio secured a fifth place finish in California and Ryan is now working hard to put together a deal for the 2009 American Le Mans Series. The series has welcomed Ryan with open arms; he loves it there and intends to stay!

“This year has certainly had its ups and downs but just being able to compete at the level of the American Le Mans Series has been an incredible experience,” said Ryan. “I've had the privilege to  drive at some of the all-time great sportscar events, drive a few different examples of one of the world's fastest race cars and shared the same track with world class drivers, so I couldn't ask for much more.

“Of course it's tough when you can't be as competitive as you would like,” he continued. “But I think that myself and all the guys at Intersport did an exceptional job with the resources available to us. Sportscars is where I want to be for sure in 2009. The ALMS is on the up and up all the time and seems to have such a strong following, I would be foolish not to want to be involved in such a series. Right now its early days but I think that during the ‘08 season I proved my pace and maturity as a sportscar driver. Hopefully this will aid my cause in finding a ride for 2009."

ENDS

For further information on Ryan Lewis please contact Lindsay Morle on M. +44 (0) 7971 481078 or E. lindsay@morle.com