With the American Le Mans Series' season nearing its climax and having lost the lead of the LMP2 drivers' championship, Liz Halliday looks ahead of the final few races of the year with an eye on claiming the championship lead back...
Q:
The LMP2 drivers championship is still up for grabs. . . .
Liz Halliday:
True, and Clint and I are still in the thick of things. Both Petit Le Mans and Laguna Seca are multiple point events, so we absolutely have to take advantage. The Porsche cars have been strong lately, no question about that. But the Intersport Lola has been ultra dependable each race, and we have to continue in that vein. The Porsches did not race at the distance event at Sebring, so you have to wonder if either or both will have the staying power at Petit. Petit is a very, very important race for us. The crew is really working hard getting all of us ready for a challenging event.
Aside from Petit's length [1000 miles or 10 hours, whichever comes first], what are some of the other challenges the teams will encounter?
LH:
Well, the fact that you begin the race in what's often very warm weather and busy traffic, then you get to late afternoon and the setting sun becomes a factor, then you're finally running in the darkness and the only lights you have to work with are the ancillary ones around the track and those on the car. Petit is really America’s Le Mans, and in many ways it is quite similar to the famous 24 hours in France. The race may not be as long, but Road Atlanta is an equally difficult track to do well on, and you have to push hard if you want to win.
Q:
You have been on the podium a lot this year. Describe those feelings.
LH:
Well, it is always fun to be able to be on any of those steps, but we'd all like to have been on the top step more frequently. That's all in the past now though, and we have to do the best we can in the final two races.
Q:
What have you been up to away from the track?
LH:
Working my horses has taken up most of my time, and I've done a few equestrian events here in England with some good results. I am also happy to announce that I have recently partnered with iZon Eyewear who have come on board as a personal sponsor. They are a specialty eyeglass manufacturer and I could not be happier to be representing a product that I believe in, and to be associated with such a great group of people.
Q:
Has this season unfolded in the way you thought, or hoped, it would?
LH:
I'm not sure I can give a definitive answer to that actually. Going in, I felt my biggest challenge was to improve my overall driving skills. For the most part, I have accomplished that, and I feel that I have made some big steps forward in the last two races especially. Now the real challenge for me is to keep improving on the pace that I have found, at both Petit Le Mans and Laguna Seca, and the challenge for all of us in the team is to get back into the lead in the points championship.
