Team Lexus Alms Driver Lineup

gaijin · February 22, 2006

TEAM LEXUS ADDS BORCHELLER, BELL, DUMOULIN TO AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES DRIVER LINEUP

Torrance, Calif. - A pair of sports car champions and an open-wheel ace will join team owner Chuck Goldsborough behind the wheel for Team Lexus in the 2006 American Le Mans Series. Terry Borcheller, Jean-Francois Dumoulin and Townsend Bell have joined the operation for the team's first season of Series competition, it was announced today.

Team Lexus has served as Lexus' factory team since 1999. After a successful run in various other sports car series with two championships and numerous wins, pole positions and podium finishes, the team makes the move into the American Le Mans Series GT2S class in 2006 with a two-car IS 350 team.

"We're extremely pleased to be able to add drivers the caliber of Terry Borcheller, Townsend Bell and Jean-Francois Dumoulin to our new American Le Mans Series program," said Philip Gaviola, Lexus motorsports manager. "They bring a tremendous combination of speed and experience. Most importantly, they're all proven champions."

Borcheller and Dumoulin each have won multiple sports car championships. Borcheller is the veteran of the group having registered six sports car titles since 1998 including the 2001 American Le Mans Series GTS title. He has two Series victories, 26 podium finishes, eight class pole positions and eight class fast laps. He also earned and overall victory in the 2004 Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Dumoulin holds the distinction of having won Lexus' first championship in 2002 while driving a Lexus IS 300 for Team Lexus. He has made one start in the American Le Mans Series, a fifth-place GT class showing at Trois-Rivieres in 2002 in a Porsche 911 GT3 R.

Bell will be making the transition from open-wheel racing to sports cars in 2006, but there's no doubting his speed. The 2001 Indy Lights champion has raced in both CART and IRL, and tested with both the BAR and Jaguar Formula One teams.

"We have a huge challenge in front of us with a first-year program," said Gaviola. "But we're confident that we have a group of drivers that are more than up to the task."

As it enters American Le Mans Series competition, Team Lexus will be debuting the new Lexus IS 350 racer that is based upon the all-new 2006 IS 350 luxury sport sedan introduced last fall. The second-generation IS marks the third different Lexus model prepared for road racing competition in the U.S. following the GS 400 and the IS 300.

The American Le Mans Series begins its 2006 season with the 54th annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The 12-hour endurance classic is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. EST on March 18 at Sebring International Raceway. It will be televised live on SPEED Channel in North America and MotorsTV in Europe. In addition, Greenlight-Television will distribute the race worldwide to more than 510 million households. American Le Mans Series Radio will have flag-to-flag coverage available at www.americanlemans.com, along with IMSA Live Timing & Scoring.