No. 71 Tafel/Bell Micro Racing Ferrari F430 GTC

Drivers: Dominik Farnbacher (Ansbach, Germany), Dirk Müller (a native of Germany now living in Monaco)

 Dominik Farnbacher took the green flag from third on the GT2 class grid. The young German phenom slipped to fourth at the start but kept his composure working the No. 71 Tafel/Bell Micro Racing Ferrari F430 GTC back into third-place by lap 15. Composure was hard to find outside of the cockpit of the Tafel Racing machine at the 1.51-mile track. The narrow, twisting course took made duels into brawls throughout the race and Farnbacher found himself entangled with a lapped car during the first half of the event. While attempting a pass around the outside of a fellow GT2 car, Farnbacher treaded onto the dirty portion of the track. While correcting the car from spinning he made contact with the backmarker. The incident would come back to haunt the team three times; first as a drive through penalty for preventable contact and secondly when the driver side door refused to open due to damage resulting from the contact. During the Tony Dowe (Cumming, Ga.) directed team's first pit stop, the door - crushed near the latching mechanism - failed to open for Dirk Müller who was taking over the car for the second half of the race on lap 76, one hour and 23 minutes into the race. The team quickly adapted doing the driver change through the passenger-side door. However, the delay dropped the Bell Micro Ferrari to fifth, one lap down. Müller began his attack and through strategy and driving the worked the two-time 2008 winner through the field and as high as second as others pitted for fuel. The third-time the door resurfaced came in the closing stages. Knowing that race officials would force the team to repair the door if the team stopped, Dowe and engineers Scott Besst and Mike Menapace worked to stretch the fuel. However, on the race's final lap, Müller called in that the car was out of fuel. Müller made it back to pit lane and received a splash of fuel and re-entered the track to take the checkered flag in fourth.

No. 73 Tafel Racing Ferrari F430 GTC

Drivers: Alex Figge (Denver, Col.), Jim Tafel (Alpharetta, Ga.)

The No. 73 Tafel Ferrari F430 GTC made its third start of the 2008 season as a provisional starter, 12th, after failing to take a qualifying time on Friday. The No. 73 had been involved in a significant incident that damaged the nose, driver side headlight assembly and passenger door in the weekend's second practice. Prior to the No. 73's first of three pit stops, Jim Tafel had gone off course while attempting to make way for the overtaking leaders. The car sustained cosmetic damage to the driver's side including the side-view mirror in the excursion. The mirror would need to be replaced before co-driver Alex Figge could take to the course. The team fell from ninth to tenth in the stop. David Fullerton would call for two stops for fuel in an effort to work the No. 73 towards the front of the field. Figge, who was sore from the accident the day before, drove a strong race to place the No. 73 ninth in the final standings; its second-best showing of the year.

LAKEVILLE Conn., July 11, 2008 - Today's first appearance of Tafel Racing and the American Le Mans Series at the newly configured Lime Rock (Conn.) Park was as brutal as advertised. Following the two, one hour-long practice sessions and the 20-minute time trial, the No. 71 Tafel/Bell Micro Racing Ferrari F430 GTC sat third in the GT2 field while the No. 73 Tafel Racing Ferrari F430 GTC sat in the paddock being repaired. Dirk Müller (a native of Germany living in Monaco) turned a lap of 54.824 seconds in qualifying around the 1.51-mile, ten-turn facility to place himself and partner Dominik Farnbacher (Ansbach, Germany) on the inside of the GT2 grid's second row. The No. 73 did not make a qualifying attempt after being damaged just prior to qualifying in the second practice session. Driver Alex Figge (Denver, Col.) and a Le Mans Prototype (LMP1) made contact entering the front straightaway and was forced into the tire barrier. Figge was taken to a local hospital for x-rays on his left foot. The x-rays returned negative and he is expected to compete in the event. The No. 73 Figge shares with Jim Tafel (Alpharetta, Ga.) is expected to have repairs complete in time for tomorrow's 2:05 PM (ET) start.

The new track configuration, which includes a new chicane, new pavement and new concrete curbing, made for a challenging day for the competitors in all classes. For the road car-based GT2 field, their sub- one minute lap times were nearly eight seconds slower than the LMP entries. The narrow track and quick closing rates between cars made for multiple red flags during the practice sessions. The No. 73 was forced off track mid-way through the second practice session with Figge behind the wheel. Figge's passenger side door was cracked in the incident that then pushed him into the tire barrier as the cars led- onto the front straightaway. The tire wall did further damage to the nose and headlight assembly on the driver's side of the car. Figge reported his left side sore from the impact. He also complained of left foot pain. Track and IMSA medical crews examined Figge and recommended he visit the hospital for x-rays. The team is awaiting word of his final prognosis to determine a strategy for tomorrow's two hour and 45- minute event. The No. 71 had the passenger-side mirror torn-away when an LMP2 car went to overtake Müller later in the second session. Few cars left the track without some sort of damage.