Mid-Ohio: Driver diversity - ALMS Spotlight

LIDDELL: WE'RE PASSIONATE ABOUT OUR MOTORSPORT

Featuring the world's best talent, American Le Mans Series drivers hail from around the globe including three Scots who are skilled sports car competitors. With 44 podium finishes between them, Allan McNish, Robin Liddell and Marino Franchitti each bring their own driving style and international flair to the diverse body of drivers, manufacturers, and fans that comprise the American Le Mans Series.

All three are entered in this weekend's Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid- Ohio Sports Car Course, the seventh round of the 12-race season.

"We're certainly all pretty passionate about our motorsport," Tafel Racing's Liddell said of the Scottish contingent. "I actually remember back at St. Petersburg - it was a race that we lead early on - where at one point we had Scots leading three of the four classes. So it was kind of an ironic situation."

Fans find a personal way to relate to their favorite drivers based on nationality. Liddell is thankful for the other Scotsmen who race in the Series and enjoys the global scale of the events.

"It's fortunate that some of the other guys are here and we've got a little bit of a following. It's quite good fun," said Liddell.

Furthering diversity and sports car racing skill in the Series this year is Lowe's Fernandez Racing, a new team owned and operated by famous Mexican racer Adrian Fernandez. Fernandez and co-driver Luis Diaz shook things up when they became the most prominent all-Mexican team to enter in American Le Mans Series competition in their new Acura-powered Lola LMP2 this season. Fernandez was also recently named one of the 300 most influential people in his homeland of Mexico by a national magazine.

From the beginning of the American Le Mans Series in 1999, when Don Panoz's dream for revival of international sports car racing became reality, diversity has played a key role in making the Series what it is today. Below is a list of current Series drivers and the many countries they represent. <pre> Australia: David Brabham Ryan Briscoe

Brazil: Jaime Melo

Canada: Ron Fellows Scott Maxwell

Czech Republic: Tomas Enge

Denmark: Jan Magnussen Tom Kristensen Gunnar van der Steur

England/UK: Ben Devlin Oliver Gavin Johnny Herbert Guy Smith Darren Turner Andy Wallace

Finland: Mika Salo JJ Lehto

France: Romain Dumas Eric Helary

Germany: Jorg Bergmeister Timo Bernhard Frank Biela Dominik Farnbacher Klaus Graf Wolf Henzler Ralf Kelleners Dirk Muller Sascha Maassen Marco Werner

Italy: Gianmaria Bruni Dindo Capello Maurizio Mediani Emanuele Pirro

Mexico: Luis Diaz Adrian Fernandez

Monaco: Olivier Beretta Jarek Janis

Scotland: Dario Franchitti Marino Franchitti Robin Liddell Allan McNish

Sweden: Stefan Johansson Nic Jonsson

USA: Bill Auberlen Jamie Bach Richard Berry Terry Borcheller Duncan Dayton Chris Dyson Clint Field Jon Field Joey Hand Bryan Herta Tracy Krohn Darren Law Anthony Lazarro Michael Lewis Patrick Long Butch Leitzinger Michael Lewis Cindy Lux Chris McMurry Tom Milner Seth Neiman Johnny O'Connell Tim Pappas Lonnie Pechnik Adam Pecorari Michael Petersen Greg Pickett Jim Tafel Johannes van Overbeek Bryan Willman Stan Wilson </pre> -credit: alms