BAM! chassis change for Sebring

BAM! (British American Racing) will have a special chassis for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, replacing its new Porsche 911 GT3 RSR with the No. 43 YES Network Porsche 911 GT3 RS that finished second in GT in the 24 Heures du Mans last year. A crash during testing on March 12 damaged the RSR beyond repair.

The test, on the 3.7-mile Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway, was the third outing for the new car. Peter Baron of Deerfield Beach, Fla. crashed on his third test lap.

"I messed up in the braking zone of [turn] 15," he said. "The car moved over into the grass - not spinning, it just slid over - and as soon as the car was in the grass, I had a bad three-second ride straight into a wall. It was a minor mistake in the wrong spot that resulted in a major mishap.

"I was fortunate to be in a Porsche. It was remarkable that I was able to walk away from the shunt with only strained neck muscles, truly a testament to the safety and design of the Porsche."

The BAM! crew retrieved the 2003 chassis from the team shop in nearby Stuart, Fla. and updated it to 2004 specifications. The team will be back on track at Sebring on March 15 to prepare for the 12-hour race on March 20. Baron, Leo Hindery, Jr. of New York and Mike Rockenfeller of Neuwied, Germany will drive.

-sp-