Driver Database News

Local team Comprent Motor Sports, based just 1 hour from the Road Atlanta circuit in Athens Georgia, might have a home track advantage this weekend. And they’re once again looking to be hometown heroes.

Team owner Kevin Kloepfer and Comprent have much experience and knowledge to draw upon for this weekend.

“For over 20 years we have existed and spent more time at Road Atlanta than any other circuit. Last year we were the hometown heroes; all but clinching the 2008 IMSA Lites 1 Championship when Jonathan Goring took out both races from pole. After that we only needed 1 point for the Championship in Monterey.”

Comprent’s Australian driver Tom Drewer is somewhat a ‘local’ too. He has made Georgia his US base for the past two years, this season staying near the Comprent team in downtown Athens.

He also shared success last year taking out the IMSA Lites 2 Championship at Road Atlanta, scoring his seventh and eighth wins of the season.

Charlie Shears will be another one to look out for this week. He missed earlier rounds due to illness and the birth of a child but returned in style at Lime Rock to score Comprent’s maiden 2nd place of the season.

Teammate Jonathan Gore is expected to make his return after missing Canada due to illness. Last year Jonathan scored one of his best finishes of the season at Road Atlanta with 2nd place in race 2. Furthermore, he leads Comprent’s 2009 podium tally with 3 third places and recently showed he had what it takes when he took the fastest lap of race one at Lime Rock to qualify on pole for race two.

The father and son due of Wayne and David Ducote will also make their return after missing Canada. Son David has just completed a two day test with Comprent at Road Atlanta and set impressive times in the sweltering heat. He feels “extremely positive coming into this round with a few laps” under his belt.

This week however, it may not be sweltering heat that the drivers feel here in Braselton. Rain still looms over the fast undulating 2.54mile (4km) circuit after Atlanta experienced record downpours over the previous six days.

Comprent Motor Sports and the IMSA Lites are scheduled to hit the track Thursday for Qualifying and Race 1 at 5:20pm and Friday for Race 2 at 12:10pm.

With Charlie Shears, Jonathan Gore and Tom Drewer all hovering around the front of the IMSA Lites 1 field in prior rounds, Comprent Motor Sport is looking to finally convert its pace into race wins at Road America for this weekend’s Time Warner Road Race Showcase featuring the American Le Mans Series.

The Athens, Georgia based team will field five cars for Rounds 7 & 8 of the IMSA Lites Championship presented by Frisby Performance Tire with season regulars Charlie Shears (Houston, TX), Jonathan Gore (Franklin, TN) and Tom Drewer (Adelaide, AUS) once again being joined by father and son duo David (Houston, TX) and Wayne (New Orleans, LA) Ducote in their Park One / Waskey Bridges sponsored cars.

“We all have a single focus this weekend, to win,” said team owner Kevin Kloepfer.

“Over the last two events we have proven we have the speed. Tom Drewer set the fastest time of the weekend in New Jersey to claim pole and led half of Sunday’s race.

Then we went to Lime Rock where Jonathan Gore (Foretravel Motorcoach car) was fastest in the wet session, and followed that up with a podium and fastest lap in Race 1, putting him on pole for Race 2. Unfortunately he tangled with David but regardless he proved the point.

Charlie Shears (US Builders car) came back with vengeance at Lime Rock after missing Utah and Jersey to claim his first podium with a strong second position. The Ducote’s are improving their pace all the time.

Sure Jonathan and Tom have to think about Championship points given they’re sitting 4th and 5th (consecutively) but we’re all going for the win. Everyone has equal equipment and equal resources. We know we can win. We won the Championship last year. I want all of them fighting for the win. Hopefully that’s what we’ll see this weekend.”

Comprent Motor Sports won both the 2008 IMSA Lites 1 Teams’ and Drivers’ Championships with driver Jonathan Goring (Torrington, CT).

Australian Tom Drewer, the 2008 IMSA Lites 2 Champion, will sport new livery for Road America. Replacing the Daily Planet (an iconic Gentleman’s club located in Melbourne, Australia) is a new venture called Ubantu Resort.

Ubantu Resort is a fully integrated residential and hotel development in South East Asia on a subtropical Indonesian island that has had minimal western influence, with a climate similar to Bali and Phuket. The self-sustaining, socially and environmentally responsible facility will work with, and benefit, the local community and will feature 5 international hotels, a super-yacht harbour and unique motor racing circuit.