Laguna Seca: Johnny Mowlem preview

Mowlem, ACEMCO Team Head For Final ALMS Race of 2004

Battered but unbowed, Johnny Mowlem and his ACEMCO Motorsports teammates will prepare this week for the Oct. 14-16 Monterey Sports Car Championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif.

The Mazda Raceway event is the final race of the 2004 American Le Mans Series season. It caps a season in which Mowlem and co-driver Terry Borcheller gave the most consistent competition to the factory-backed Chevrolet Corvettes that have clinched the GTS class championship.

Driving a backup Saleen S7-R because the team's primary car crashed during a testing session, Mowlem, Borcheller and third driver Joao Barbosa overcame a rash of unusual problems to finish fourth in class in the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.

"We're looking forward to racing at Mazda Raceway," Mowlem said. "The Saleen S7-R made its racing debut there and we feel it is a track that suits the car well. The race is four hours long and may will opefully suit us as a team as well."

Cooler box and fuel feed problems plagued the ACEMCO Motorsports team during portions of the 10-hour race at Road Atlanta. Still, the car was running very quickly at the end and nearly finished on the GTS podium.

With only the Laguna Seca race to go, Mowlem and Borcheller are third in the GTS driver standings and first among GTS drivers racing for non-factory teams. Their 4th place at the Petit Le Mans also clinched the ACEMCO team the IMSA cup as independent team champions.

One of Britain's most successful and personable sports car drivers, Mowlem started his career behind the wheel at age 19. In 2003, he finished fourth in the British Racing Drivers Club Gold Star Award, a ranking of all British racers competing in international series, including Formula One. A married father of two, Mowlem was raised in Majorca, Spain. He has earned university degrees in economics and Spanish.

-www.johnnymowlem.com.