Sebring: Terry Borcheller race report

Terry Borcheller had a rewarding week at the 12 Hours of Sebring, despite on-track difficulties. The Phoenix driver joined Risi Competizione for the American Le Mans Series season-opener on the demanding 3.7-mile Sebring International Raceway road course in Sebring, Fla. He shared driving duty in the No. 35 Ferrari 360 Modena GT with Ralf Kelleners of Germany and Anthony Lazzaro of Acworth, Ga.

tough track

The car started fourth on the GT grid, with Kelleners and Lazzaro taking the first two stints. A wheel problem during Lazzaro's stint put the Ferrari out of the race after two hours of the 12-hour race, so Borcheller did not drive.

"I really didn't get a lot of time in the car in the practice and obviously none in the race," he noted. "But I'm just very happy to be with the team and drive with Anthony and Ralf. We have some issues to check before the next race, but I know this team will get them sorted. [Team owner] Giuseppe Risi isn't the kind of guy who will settle for second."

highlights

Earlier in the week, Borcheller addressed an assembly in the Sebring high school and spoke to a youth rally at the Sebring Baptist Church.

"The highlight of the week was all the stuff with the kids," he said. "I went in my driver suit and took all my safety equipment, and it was a big hit. It was fun to be a Ferrari driver - at the high-school assembly, the kids just went berserk!"

next

Borcheller's next race will be at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla. He and Forest Barber of Fort Worth, Tex., will drive the No. 54 Bell Motorsports BMW M3 in the Grand-Am Cup race on April 13.

sponsors

Terry Borcheller's 2003 sponsors include K&N Performance Filters, Infinity2 Nutrition, Dark Dog, Alpinestars, Bell Helmets, Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, Gatorz Eyewear and Goodyear. He will also present corporate programs for Pirelli Tires and Saleen.

-tb/sp-