Series notes on O'Connell's memorable races

COUNTING DOWN THE HITS WITH JOHNNY O!

Barring something unforeseen this weekend, Corvette Racing's Johnny O'Connell will make his 100th career American Le Mans Series start on Sunday at Mosport International Raceway. It's a place where he has won six times and thrice with teammate Jan Magnussen include the last two seasons for Corvette.

We asked Johnny O - who holds a variety of Series records including starts, podiums and top-five finishes among others - to list his most memorable races in the Series.

1. The first win for Corvette at Sebring in 2002. We had been so strong but always had some bad luck. It meant a lot to the team.

2. The 2003 GTS race at Road America. Jan (driving a Prodrive Ferrari) passed me on the last lap. It wasn't my greatest moment but it was a really good duel. We were on struggling Goodyears and Jan was on Michelins.

3. The last win for the C5-R at Laguna Seca. It also gave Ron and I another championship.

4. The first race for the C6.R at Sebring (2005) and have the rotor explode. That was my greatest piece of driving ... having that accident and not having a major wreck. You ask most guys what it would be like to lose their brakes at T17 and it's not a good thought.

5. Any start with Ron Fellows and building a new (old!) partnership with Jan. The latter was the fulfillment of something we didn't get to do at Panoz. To get to build that and realize the potential is a cool thing. And winning Ron's last race at Petit Le Mans in 2008 was a cool way to go out.

Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 30. The race will air live on SPEED. American Le Mans Radio presented by Porsche and Living Timing & Scoring will be available on Racehub at americanlemans.com. Live coverage also can be heard on Sirius 126 in the US and XM 242. You can follow the Series on Twitter (almsnotes).

The race will also mark the eighth round of the 2009 MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge. Tickets are available at americanlemans.com and mosport.com.

-credit: alms