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Ende aims to repeat 2011 victory at Mid-Ohio this weekend
Edited: Aug 2, 2012, 4:48 PM
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The Corners, Straightaways, and Hills of Ohio Make up One of the most Difficult Circuits in the American Le Mans Series
#51 APR Motorsport Motul Audi R8 GRAND-AM: Jim Norman, Dion von Moltke
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The 2011 American Le Mans Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course was one of the strongest for Duncan Ende. Driving a Porsche in the GTC class, Ende drove away from the field in dominant fashion en route to his second victory of the season. He hopes to score his first this season when he gets behind the wheel of the no. 25 Dempsey / Silicon Tech Racing PC car this weekend at Mid-Ohio.
The two hour and forty-five minute race will no doubt be another action-filled race as the five classes in the ALMS do battle on the hilly 2.4 mile Mid-Ohio circuit. The challenging layout has limited opportunities for passing, and Ende, driving a Prototype Challenge car, will be passing slower GTE and GTC cars while trying to not be run over by the faster Prototype 1 and Prototype 2 cars. However, the circuit presents one of the biggest challenges in the ALMS season.
"Mid-Ohio is one of the great American circuits and I really enjoy driving there," said Ende. "It is at the same time technical, but it flows well and has a bit of everything - mid and slow speed corners, elevation changes, pavement changes, long straightaways and heavy braking. It's a very unique circuit, it's not scary-fast like Mosport, for example. You always need to think a few turns ahead there. It's a real challenge for the drivers."
However, Ende thinks that the improved form shown by the no. 25 Dempsey/Silicon Tech Racing PC over the past couple of rounds is a good sign for this weekend's Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge.
"We've definitely stepped up our game in the last couple of races at Lime Rock and Mosport," said Ende. "We've made big improvements with the car, and I think Henri and I are driving better and better. I'm really feeling comfortable in the car now and even though we had some bad luck and the car was damaged at Mosport, we almost got on the podium. Mid-Ohio is a setup compromise - it's a challenge for the drivers but a headache for the engineers. Our guys definitely have a handle on things now and we're excited about this weekend. We're expecting a great race and the fans at Mid-Ohio are some of the biggest sports car fans in the country."
Ende and his teammate Henri Richard will hit the track on Thursday for practice ahead of Friday's qualifying session and Saturday's two hour and forty-five minute race. The duo will also be joined this weekend by their P2 class teammates, Joe Foster and Patrick Dempsey.
Source: Duncan Ende media
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