Bowties at Daytona 24

[MOTV8]

Thanks to Pratt & Miller Engineering [re-engineering, actually] and Chevrolet, the Corvette brand, its BadBoy drivers / technicians, and the Bowtie are poised for some heavy-duty perfomance and exposure. First appearances coming at the 3-day pre-race test that just happened.

Corvette makes its P+M return to the Rolex24 [since the ALMS / Grand Am split and P+M’s winning-ways last visit] via the #07 Godstone Ranch Motorsports / Team MBR Corvette C6R – team-managed by legend Tony Dowe, race-driven by Paul Edwards, Davy Jones, John McCutchen, Scott Russell, and Leighton Reese.

Seems it’s Reese lending his P+M Pontiac GXP from last season to serve as the backbone for this C6R re-tweak. The Godstone website has more details and pics of the Vette.

BTW, Scott Russell used to be known as "Mr. Daytona" for his multiple Superbike wins at Daytona during his two-wheeled racing career.

Then, we have the return to the cockpit of Jan Magnussen in the Pratt+Miller-built #57 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GTR. Mags will share this ride (below) with Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell setting themselves up as real favorites for the GT win. (The Camaro is butt-ugly, IMO)

When Pontiac went ‘big sky’ [sounds Injun for ‘dead’, right?], Chevrolet stepped in as the powerplant for the reigning champs - the #99 GAINSCO / Bob Stallings Racing Riley DP.

Wheeled by Jon Fogarty, Alex Gurney, Jimmy Vasser, and Chevy NASCAR champ - Jimmie Johnson, apparently the deal included Impala headlight decals [just to make Jimmy feel @ home?]!

Good luck to all @ the Rolex on Jan 30-31.

Totally vadered from BBV. Call me slacker, see if I care.

[Desertdawg]

Slacker! And I agree, the maro is

[MOTV8]

Slackin' ain't easy.....

Daytona24: Godstone Ranch Motorsports preview

GODSTONE RANCH MOTORSPORTS DRIVERS READY FOR THE ROLEX 24

Daytona Beach, Florida - January 27th, 2010 - Hot off the heels of announcing Fisk Electric as their title sponsor, the Godstone Ranch Motorsports drivers arrived in Daytona with high hopes and had the chance to see the fresh new livery on their No. 07 Texas Heart Institute Corvette. Scott Russell, John McCutchen II, Davy Jones and Paul Edwards drove the brand new victory red Corvette C6.R for the first time at the Roar Before the 24 and will now put the car through its toughest challenge yet as they contest the historic 24 race this January 30 - 31st at the Daytona International Speedway.

With world renowned engineer Tony Dowe on the pit box, and 2008 Grand-Am GT Champion Paul Edwards, Rolex 24 and Le Mans 24 winner Davy Jones, five time Daytona 200 winner Scott Russell, and Grand-Am newcomer John McCutchen II behind the wheel, the Godstone Ranch Motorsports team will be an immediate contender at the Rolex 24. The team is operated by a joint effort between Michael Baughman Racing and the Leighton Reese Performance Group and will run the Texas Heart Institute colors with the aim of raising funds and awareness for the hospital and help combat cardiovascular disease which is the leading cause of death in the country. To learn more about how you can support the Texas Heart Institute, please visit www.godstoneranchmotorsports.com.

The 48th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona will take place January 30-31 and will be shown LIVE at 3:00 PM Saturday and 7:00 AM Sunday on SPEED, all times are Eastern Standard.

Davy Jones

No. 07 Texas Heart Institute / GRM / Team MBR / LRPG / Corvette "It's been a busy few weeks getting everything ready for this weekend but finally we are here and we are ready to get out there and show everybody what the Texas Heart Institute Corvette can do. The team has done a good job fixing all the problems that we found at the test and I know Tony Dowe will have the right strategy for the race, so I'm very optimistic that once we the race start we'll be able to fight for the top spots."

Paul Edwards

No. 07 Texas Heart Institute / GRM / Team MBR / LRPG / Corvette "We had a good test and found a lot of glitches in the system that are now fixed. After all the work that the team has done we'll have a better car this weekend basically in every category. We should be able to get some good practice time and hopefully find that second that we are looking for. Hopefully John, Davy and Scott will be able to get some more seat time because they barely got any at the test. We need to stay out of trouble during the race, keep the Texas Heart Institute car on the track and with the improvements that we've found we should have a pretty fast pace."

John McCutchen II

No. 07 Godstone Ranch Motorsports / Team MBR / LRPG / Corvette "We first envisioned this effort back in July here at Daytona, 21 sponsors later we are about to roll off this victory red Corvette. It's a stunning car, a really competitive Pratt & Miller Corvette that we believe has the capability of getting on the podium if things go our direction.

We are really pleased that the Texas Heart Institute has partnered with us and allowed us to bring awareness to their program and to heart disease in general. Every other person that dies in the United States dies from heart disease in general, so the opportunity to bring that awareness to the greater public is something we are excited to do."

Scott Russell

No. 07 Texas Heart Institute / GRM / Team MBR / LRPG / Corvette "I'm really looking forward to the race, it's going to be the second time for me at the Rolex 24 and we are all ready to go with our Corvette. We need to get as much practice in as we can to make sure we make the necessary adjustments and get ourselves up to speed. It's a long race and we have a good car so it'll be easy to get comfortable with it. It's a great challenge and a great opportunity and I'm just excited to be part of it."

-source: godstone ranch motorsports

[FNBADAZ06]

Going to "TiVo" this from Speed Channel this weekend GO BOWTIES !!!!!!!!

[MOTV8]

GODSTONE RANCH MOTORSPORTS CORVETTE QUALIFIES FOURTH FOR THE ROLEX 24

Daytona Beach, Florida - January 28th, 2010 - It was an exciting qualifying session for the Godstone Ranch Motorsports team today at the Daytona International Speedway. After a difficult start to the day which saw the No. 07 Texas Heart Institute Corvette sidelined during most of the morning practices due to mechanical gremlins, the team managed to successfully fix the problems and hand an extremely fast car to 2008 Grand-Am GT Champion Paul Edwards who immediately jumped to the top of the charts in qualifying.

Despite having basically no time to make changes to the car during the day, Edwards went out for qualifying and in only his fifth time around turned a lap of 1m49.474s which at the time was the quickest of the day, and eventually was good enough to place him fourth on the grid for the Rolex 24. Scott Russell, John McCutchen II and Davy Jones will now take over driving duties for the victory red "Heart" Corvette during night practice as they continue with their preparations for this weekend's event.

Paul Edwards

No. 07 Texas Heart Institute / GRM / Team MBR / LRPG / Corvette "I'm really happy, it was a great result for us. There were a lot of sad faces this morning after all the problems that we had but it feels good to see everybody smiling and motivated now. The Texas Heart Institute car is really good, Tony Dowe put a great setup on it and I think if we would've had a couple of sessions under our belt we could've gotten pole, that lap was basically with the car the way it came off the trailer. I feel really good for the race, this is my best ever starting position at Daytona, everyone is excited and now we just need to keep working hard and make the most of the track time that we have left before the race."

-source: godstone ranch motorsports

[dewey]

Amateurs, both teams. Team MBR 477 laps down, 23rd place. Tea Black Flag, 362 laps down, 20th place. Time of race 21:45 Both were like 40 laps down 4 hours in.

[MOTV8]

It was wet and ugly, top Chevy was the Camaro in 11th overall....

Barbosa, Action Express Pull Off Rolex 24 Shocker

Jan. 31, 2010 - DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - David took on the Goliaths and won Sunday's 48th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona. In a race marked by unusual weather, heavy attrition and a record number of lead changes, Joao Barbosa held off Scott Pruett by 52.303 seconds to win the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 race in the No. 9 Action Express Racing Porsche Riley (complete race results).

It was the second consecutive runner-up finish in the race for Pruett, a three-time Rolex 24 winner who teamed with Memo Rojas, Max Papis and Justin Wilson in Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates' No. 01 TELMEX/Target BMW Riley, a team that won three of the last five Rolex 24 races.

Scott Tucker, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Richard Westbrook and Lucas Luhr finished third, four laps behind in the No. 95 Crown Royal/NPN BMW Riley. A jammed seat belt early Sunday morning - resulting from a piece of tape - cost the team two laps, taking them out of the fight.

Ricardo Zonta, Tracy Krohn, Nic Jonsson and Colin Braun finished fourth in the No. 75 Krohn Racing Ford Proto-Auto Lola, followed by Ozz Negri, John Pew, Burt Frisselle and Mark Wilkins in the No. 60 Crown Royal XR Ford Riley.

Sylvain Tremblay, Jonathan Bomarito, Nick Ham and David Haskell won the GT race by four laps in SpeedSource's No. 70 Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8.

The race started under caution Saturday due to a deluge that soaked the track during the two hours prior to the start. While the rain quickly let up, conditions remained treacherous for several hours due to damp conditions, particularly off the racing line. Sunday's portion was run under dry but very chilly and windy conditions.

It was Barbosa's second consecutive victory in Rolex Series Daytona Prototype competition; he and Hurley Haywood won the 2009 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway for Brumos Porsche. Barbosa led a race-high 129 laps; the four Action Express Racing drivers combined to lead 316 of the 755 circuits.

"It's just unbelievable," Barbosa said. "For the team to perform under really difficult circumstances like 24 hours, they did an amazing job."

For Borcheller, it was his third class victory in the Rolex 24 and second overall.

"It's really special," Borcheller said. "'04 was amazing, just because the way the race ended up in the last 15 minutes with us winning when Tony Stewart driving the Crawford broke. But that was also the first year I believe that a Daytona Prototype won overall. So the competition was - it's always there, but it was nothing like it is now."

It also marked the second consecutive and 22nd overall victory for Porsche in the event. David Donohue, Darren Law, Buddy Rice and Antonio Garcia won in 2009 in a Brumos Porsche Riley, using a flat-six Porsche engine. A Cayenne-based V-8 engine - built in Germany but highly modified in America by Lozano Brothers - powered Sunday's winning entry.

It was an emotional day for the defending race winners. Moments after five-time Rolex 24 winner Haywood turned a sizzling time of 1:42.2 in his final lap in professional competition, Raphael Matos went to the garage and retired the car they shared with Donohue, Law and three-time Rolex 24 winner Butch Leitzinger with two-and-a-half hours remaining.

Ironically, a false alarm gave the Action Express team some breathing room when Justin Wilson, driving the No. 01 BMW Riley, drove to the paddock as a precaution.

"We just had one hiccup," Wilson said. "I came out of the bus stop and heard a large clunk. I thought I'd blown a tire and I dove into the pits, but they told me it was all okay. Maybe it was just some debris on the track."

The race featured a record 53 lead changes among 29 drivers. All but two of the Daytona Prototypes led in the event, and all but two of them experienced heart-breaking problems that dropped them out of contention.

Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti, Juan Pablo Montoya and Jamie McMurray combined to lead 139 laps in Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates' No. 02 TELMEX/Target BMW Riley. Montoya was leading the race at midnight when his car began smoking. Moments later, he went to the garage and the car was retired with engine failure.

The defending Daytona Prototype champion No. 99 GAINSCO Chevrolet Riley was retired while running fifth. An oil pump failure led to a variety of complications that eventually forced four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson to take the car he shared with Jon Fogarty, Alex Gurney and Jimmy Vasser to the garage.

Michael Shank Racing had both of its cars running at or near the front for most of the race before both broke in the closing hours. Burt Frisselle went out in the team's No. 60 Crown Royal XR Ford Riley co-driven by Ozz Negri, John Pew and Mark Wilkins, while NASCAR regular A.J. Allmendinger's day in the No. 6 Ford Riley co-driven by Michael Valiante, John Pew and Mark Patterson went up in smoke with 75 minutes remaining.

The No. 10 SunTrust Ford Dallara started from the pole by Max Angelelli, but had to recover from an incident early in the race to finish sixth. The car was also driven by team owner Wayne Taylor, his 20-year-old son Ricky Taylor and Pedro Lamy.

A team that experienced problems with cold tires at the pit exit was the new No. 7 Starworks BMW Riley driven by Ian James, Mike Forest, Bill Lester and Dion von Moltke.

Derek Johnston, the 2008-2009 British Radical UK Cup champion, drove in the event after winning the inaugural Sunoco Rolex 24 At Daytona Challenge, and finished 10th in class, sharing the No. 77 McDonald's Ford Dallara with Memo Gidley, Brad Jaeger and Fabrizio Gollin.

Defending race winners Rice and Garcia, sharing the No. 90 Menards Porsche Coyote with Paul Menard and Darren Manning, finished 13th in Daytona Prototypes.

Action Express Racing was formed during the offseason when Brumos cut back to a one-car team. Longtime team associate Bob Johnson leased a Riley chassis and mated it with a Porsche Cayenne-based V-8 engine.

The dawn hours saw terrific racing between Barbosa and Papis, who battled nose to tail for several laps.

"That's why Chip hired me," Papis said. "He hired me to run fast and take chances. I leave my friends at home."

The winners' average speed was 111.930 mph. The race was slowed 16 times by caution for 74 laps.

-source: grand-am

SpeedSource Takes GT Honors in Rolex 24

Jan. 31, 2010 - DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - In the GT class, SpeedSource's "never give up" motto was evident in making up several positions and laps during the latter stages of the race. Once down seven laps to the class leaders, No. 70 Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8 co-drivers Sylvain Tremblay, Nick Ham, David Haskell and Jonathan Bomarito climbed back from a deep deficit to give the team its second Rolex 24 victory in three years. It was the second Rolex 24 class victory for Tremblay, Ham and Haskell, and Bomarito's first. It also marked Mazda's 23rd class victory in the Rolex 24 (complete race results).

"This win is for all the dealers, 900 of them all across North America and Mexico," Tremblay said. "And I think we have over 9,000 members in Mazda Speed Motorsports and club racers, that have the same will to win, the will to never give up. And that's what it was all about."

Tremblay started third in the No. 70, but wasn't able to stay up front early. The car lost two laps between the third and fourth hours and several more when Bomarito radioed to his crew the car was suffering from a vibration. By the 14th hour, the car was sixth in GT, but seven laps off the leader's pace. However, problems - mechanical woes and running out of fuel, among them - plagued SpeedSource's competitors, and by the 20th hour, the Mazda RX-8 led the class. Additional misfortunes by other competitors, coupled with SpeedSource's efforts, put the quartet ahead by four laps over the No. 67 ShoreTel/Openwave Porsche GT3 and co-drivers Seth Neiman, Johannes van Overbeek and 2009 co-winners Jorg Bergmeister and Patrick Long.

The SpeedSource drivers let the race come to them, and then stayed in position to take the victory. For 16 consecutive hours, no car from a team other than TRG or Stevenson Motorsports led the GT class. In fact, the two teams held the top five positions for most of that time as well.

Van Overbeek, Bergmeister and Long all led laps, both Saturday evening and early Sunday morning, and fought No. 71 TRG Porsche GT3 teammates and two Stevenson Camaros for the top spot.

But during the final quarter of the race, that all changed. Stevenson Motorsports driver Andrew Davis in the No. 57 BryanMark Financial/Stevenson Automotive Group Camaro vacated the lead when he brought his car behind the wall with transmission problems; all three drivers led, and combined for a race-high 217 laps. In the next two hours, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Bobby Labonte in the No. 71 TRG machine ran out of fuel on the superstretch. Though it occurred under caution, it was the last time the No. 71 led during the day.

The No. 67 Porsche GT3 also suffered setbacks - in fact, twice - while leading during the race's final six hours. A broken spring and a stuck throttle forced the team from the point both times.

"There were times where I'm sure the Stevenson guys thought they had it in the bag where we thought we had it," Long said. "The 71 and, of course, the Mazda guys, did a great job."

SpeedSource's No. 69 FXDD Mazda RX-8, featuring polesitter Jeff Segal, regulars Emil Assentato and Nick Longhi as well as veteran Anthony Lazzaro, was a solid top-five performer until a water leak did the car in after 17 hours. The No. 69 was relegated to 16th in class.

That left Tremblay's No. 70 up front, and by four laps. Overall, Tremblay, Ham, Haskell and Bomarito finished seventh. They finished with 145 laps led among them. Bomarito crossed the start/finish line under the checkered flag to complete the 707th GT lap.

"Amazing," Bomarito said. "I was fortunate enough to do this race with these same three guys last year. And to be able to come back and have that continuity and that relationship, we just felt so confident in all of each other's ability, the car, and we knew what we had to do. We just had to stay out of trouble and keep the car on the track, and we did that. And here we are. I got a new Rolex. I can't believe it."

Ham, who joined Tremblay and Haskell in the 2008 Rolex 24 victory, said prior to the race's finish he would be relinquishing his role as Tremblay's fulltime co-driver for 2010.

"It just feels really wonderful," Ham said. "And it's been an honor and a pleasure to represent SpeedSource and Sylvain and all these people...thank you very much for the opportunity. And it means a lot to me."

Bergmeister, Long, van Overbeek and Neiman finished second. TRG's Andy Lally, Wolf Henzler, Kelly Collins, Ted Ballou and Pat Flanagan finished third in the No. 66 AXA Porsche GT3 after overcoming a sensor failure before the race's halfway point. The field's only three-driver team - Davis, Robin Liddell and Jan Magnussen - finished fourth in the No. 57 Camaro, the new car's first race in Rolex Series competition. Craig Stanton, John Potter, Jeroen Bleekemolen and Richard Lietz were fifth in the No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche GT3. Fourth through seventh places were separated by only one lap.

The next race for the GRAND-AM Rolex Series will be the Grand Prix of Miami on March 6 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

-source: grand-am

Daytona24: Race results

Pos Num Class CPos Drivers Team Car Laps Gap to 1st

1. 9 DP 1 Borcheller, Barbosa, Rockenfeller, Dalziel Action Express Racing Porsche Riley 755

2. 01 DP 2 Pruett, Rojas, Wilson, Papis Chip Ganassi Racing w/F.Sabate BMW Riley 755 52.303

3. 95 DP 3 Tucker, Hunter-Reay, Bouchut Crown Royal/NPN Racing BMW Riley 751 4 Laps

4. 75 DP 4 Krohn, Jonsson, Zonta, Braun Krohn Racing Ford Lola 735 20 Laps

5. 60 DP 5 Pew, Negri Jr, Frisselle, Wilkins Michael Shank Racing Ford Riley 726 29 Laps

6. 10 DP 6 Taylor, Angelelli, Lamy, Taylor SunTrust Racing Ford Dallara 711 44 Laps

7. 6 DP 7 Patterson, Valiante, Allmendinger, Frisselle Michael Shank Racing Ford Riley 707 48 Laps

8. 70 GT 1 Haskell, Tremblay, Ham, Bomarito SpeedSource Mazda RX-8 707 48 Laps

9. 67 GT 2 Bergmeister, Long, Neiman, van Overbeek TRG/Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche GT3 703 52 Laps

10. 66 GT 3 Ballou, Collins, Flanagan, Henzler, Lally TRG Porsche GT3 691 64 Laps

11. 57 GT 4 Liddell, Davis, Magnussen Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GT.R 683 72 Laps

12. 44 GT 5 Potter, Stanton, Bleekemolen, Lietz Magnus Racing Porsche GT3 683 72 Laps

13. 40 GT 6 Foster, Dempsey, Espenlaub, Maxwell Dempsey Racing Mazda RX-8 682 73 Laps

14. 43 GT 7 Sahlen, Nonnamaker, Nonnamaker, Nonnamaker Team Sahlen Mazda RX-8 682 73 Laps

15. 94 GT 8 Auberlen, Dalla Lana, Said, Hand Turner Motorsport BMW M6 675 80 Laps

16. 71 GT 9 George Jr, Pumpelly, Bernhard, Dumas, Labonte TRG Porsche GT3 668 87 Laps

17. 97 GT 10 Schaldach, Borkowski, Bell, Refenning Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GT.R 661 94 Laps

18. 32 GT 11 Finlay, Westphal, Hyatt, Merrill Corsa Team PR1 BMW M6 657 98 Laps

19. 23 GT 12 Burtin, Baldwin, Pagerey, Ragginger, Farnbacher Alex Job Racing Porsche GT3 656 99 Laps

20. 22 GT 13 Bentley, Nierop, McIntosh, O'Young Bullet Racing Porsche GT3 632 123 Laps

21. 99 DP 8 Johnson, Gurney, Fogarty, Vasser Gainsco/Bob Stallings Racing Chevrolet Riley 630 125 Laps

22. 41 GT 14 Gue, Keen, Kitch Jr, Lacey Dempsey Racing/Team Seattle Mazda RX-8 620 135 Laps

23. 55 DP 9 Tucker, Collard, Bouchut, Maassen, Bourdais Crown Royal/NPN Racing BMW Riley 619 136 Laps

24. 77 DP 10 Gidley, Jaeger, Gollin, Johnston Doran Racing Ford Dallara 612 143 Laps

25. 14 GT 15 Friedman, Thomas, Graeff, Yarab, Gatlin Autometrics Motorsports Porsche GT3 611 144 Laps

26. 59 DP 11 Law, Donohue, Haywood, Leitzinger, Matos Brumos Racing Porsche Riley 582 173 Laps

27. 7 DP 12 Lester, Forest, von Moltke, James Starworks Motorsport BMW Riley 549 206 Laps

28. 69 GT 16 Assentato, Segal, Longhi, Lazzaro SpeedSource Mazda RX-8 488 267 Laps

29. 88 GT 17 Willsey, Papadopoulos, Baker, Cosmo, Mowlem Orbit Racing Porsche GT3 444 311 Laps

30. 48 GT 18 Miller, Ludwig, Roush, Hines Miller Barrett Racing Porsche GT3 411 344 Laps

31. 18 GT 19 Ledoux, Quinlan, Sheehan, Doyle, Watkins TRG/Guardian Angel Porsche GT3 386 369 Laps

32. 90 DP 13 Garcia, Manning, Rice, Menard Spirit of Daytona Racing Porsche Coyote 346 409 Laps

33. 63 GT 20 Richard, Brown, Villeneuve, Thomas TRG Porsche GT3 335 420 Laps

34. 2 DP 14 Kapudija, Beyer, Cameron, Lueders, Wagner Beyer Racing Chevrolet Crawfo 319 436 Laps

35. 19 GT 21 Breslin, Paul Breslin, Romanin MCM/Black Flag Racing Corvette 316 439 Laps

36. 20 GT 22 Slingerland, Menten, Palttala, LaPierre Matt Connolly Motorsports Porsche GT3 276 479 Laps

37. 02 DP 15 Dixon, Montoya, Franchitti, McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing w/F.Sabate BMW Riley 249 506 Laps

38. 07 GT 23 Edwards, Jones, Russell, McCutchen Godstone Ranch Motorsports/MBR Corvette 201 554 Laps

39. 21 GT 24 Rosa, Trenery, Steuer, Briody Matt Connolly Motorsports Pontiac GTO.R 153 602 Laps

40. 46 GT 25 Lewis, Zahn, Iannetta, Collins Autohaus Motorsports Pontiac GXP.R 125 630 Laps

41. 52 GT 26 Michaelian, Michaelian, Schmidt, Castellano, Swartzbaugh Wil Mar Racing Ferrari 430 C 112 643 Laps

42. 64 GT 27 Lowe, Pace, Sugden, Lux, Walker JLowe Racing Porsche GT3 100 655 Laps

43. 30 GT 28 Bocchino, Buford, Taylor, Lamb, Edwards Racers Edge Motorsports Mazda RX-8 69 686 Laps

44. 42 GT 29 Sahlen, Nonnamaker, Nonnamaker Team Sahlen Mazda RX-8 27 728 Laps

[Marana Rich]

JJ's debut was less than auspicious. After wrecking the car during practice, he ran past the turn and said "The accelerator is sticking" Oh no, maybe it was my foot! Thanks for the update!

[MOTV8]

Daytona24: Godstone Ranch Motorsports race report Racing series GRANDAM Date 2010-02-03 EARLY RETIREMENT BUT A POSITIVE WEEKEND FOR GODSTONE RANCH MOTORSPORTS AT THE ROLEX 24 Daytona Beach, Florida - February 3rd, 2010 - Despite an early end to the Godstone Ranch Motorsports team's effort at the Rolex 24 this weekend, the Texas Heart Institute was still a big winner. It was overall a positive weekend that introduced the Grand-Am community to the Texas Heart Institute and its work. It also highlighted not only the speed and potential of the team's Corvette, but also the quality and talent of the Leighton Reese Performance Group/Michael Baughman Racing crew who made impressive repairs during the race and kept their car out on track despite of serious mechanical problems and damage. After qualifying fourth and setting the fastest lap time several times during their run, the No. 07 Texas Heart Institute Corvette had to retire due to mechanical woes and was scored in the 23rd position in the GT class. Paul Edwards took the green flag under heavy rain conditions after qualifying the No. 07 Texas Heart Institute Corvette fourth on the grid. During his first stint the 2008 Grand-Am GT Champion fell back due to a problem with his tires which he had to live with until lap 20 when he made his first pit stop for fuel and tires. As the track dried out, engineer Tony Dowe and Edwards decided it was time to switch to slick tires and pitted again on lap 36, at the 1h30m mark. With the new slick Pirelli tires on, Edwards managed to showcase the speed of his victory red "Heart" Corvette and by the time he finished his first turn at the wheel on Lap 70 he had set the quickest lap of the race and had climbed back to the 17th position. John McCutchen II took over the driving duties of the No. 07 car and made his Rolex Grand-Am debut on a damp and slick Daytona track at the 2h40m mark. After a series of consistent laps the Texas native was finding his rhythm but then had to make an unscheduled pit stop to check for right rear damage after having slight contact with the tire wall at the bus stop. After seeing no visible damage the crew sent him out and in the next few laps McCutchen started turning his quickest times, but at the same time noticed a growing vibration and handling problems and was forced to pit after an inspired save when the right rear end let go between NASCAR turns 3 and 4. Five time Daytona 200 winner Scott Russell took over the controls and went out in hopes the rear end would last until a yellow, but immediately reported that it was gone and the crew decided to bring the car into the garage. In an amazing feat of skill and organization the Leighton Reese Performance Group/Michael Baughman Racing crew identified a problem with the transmission and replaced the entire gearbox and half shaft in only 45 minutes. Russell got back out on track and immediately proved how quickly his transition from bikes to cars is happening by turning laps within only a few tenths of the leaders. Russell, a.k.a. Mr. Daytona, drove a flawless double stint until only a few laps before a scheduled driver change when he lost control of his Corvette and had contact with the Turn 1 tire wall. The car suffered only rear bodywork damage and the crew once again were the protagonists of the race and quickly repaired and sent the car back out. 1990 Rolex 24 winner Davy Jones completed the driver rotation as he got in the car at the 7h35m mark. Jones, who still holds the record as the last American to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans (in 1996), quickly got up to speed and managed to complete a long and very consistent double stint under the lights which was fairly uneventful. At the 9h08m mark it was time for Jones to hand back the controls to teammate Paul Edwards to restart the river rotation in a race that was now starting to look more positive for the team. Edwards immediately turned some blistering quick laps and was starting to gain ground when something in his rear suspension broke while going trough the banking and after a great save he brought the car in directly to the garage. After further inspection the crew decided that the damage to the right rear was terminal and it wouldn't be safe to send the car back out. Despite an early end to their race, the Godstone Ranch Motorsports team showed not only the speed and potential of their Corvette, but also showcased the level of talent and perseverance of its crew which worked flawlessly and quickly throughout the race to keep the car out on the track. Paul Edwards No. 07 Texas Heart Institute / GRM / Team MBR / LRPG / Corvette "It's racing, we didn't have the best luck out there, unfortunately we didn't get to finish the race but we learned a lot from it and now we can move on to the next race and keep working. We had a good showing overall though, the car proved it's fast and that it will be a contender all season. It was great being able to be a part of the Texas Heart Institute and the Godstone Ranch Motorsports program, it's amazing what they do and I'm proud to be able to contribute. Now we look ahead to Homestead, we have a lot of things to work on to get the new car back together and reliable but I have no doubt we'll be fighting for the top spots there as well." John McCutchen II No. 07 Godstone Ranch Motorsports / Team MBR / LRPG / Corvette "Every race team knows a day at the track can be a good day or a bad day or somewhere in between. That's racing! Disappointment after a DNF is normal, but a day later it's easier to find some real perspective. The Heart car was quick, popular with the fans and the Godstone team proved their championship character. We will be back. We are from Texas, quitting is never an option. A big thanks to all of our partners and contributors. Because of your generosity, the Texas Heart Institute in the end is the big winner." Scott Russell No. 07 Texas Heart Institute / GRM / Team MBR / LRPG / Corvette "For me it was a great experience regardless of the outcome, getting the chance to meet the new team and the drivers and be a part of the Texas Heart Institute was a very positive way to start the year. And to be able to raise money and help people just makes everything that much better. I'm happy with the way the car drives, the lap times were good for the amount of time I had in the car so that definitely gives me confidence moving down the road. I think the car can still be better, we can still make it faster and easier to drive. But regardless in the end I thought that I can definitely drive this car all year and I think we can win some races and you never know maybe even a championship." Davy Jones No. 07 Texas Heart Institute / GRM / Team MBR / LRPG / Corvette "Godstone Ranch Motorsports assembled an awesome team that was capable of winning. It was just unfortunate that we had that incident in our first practice session when the tow truck basically ripped our whole front end off sent us to the garage for repairs, that really set us back and we were just playing catch up after that. During the race the car was fast and easy to drive, but sometimes in endurance racing you also need luck and we didn't have much this weekend. I really enjoyed working with Leighton Reese, Michel Baughman and my co-drivers. Being back in the car was great, it just felt like I hadn't missed a day, you get back into the groove of things pretty quickly and its just a shame that it was short-lived. I certainly look forward to competing in the Grand Am series in more races this year and will keep working hard at it. The Texas Heart Institute, Fisk Electric, MonaVie and all our sponsors were really well received by the Grand-Am community and I'm honored to be part of a project like this that will raise so much money and will help save lives." -source: godstone ranch motorsports Still can't find anything on the Breslin/Black Flag Racing Corvette entry....no PR hacks on staff apparently.

[MOTV8]

Well, lookie here...Lou has switched the LG Motorsports vette to Grand Am....

Homestead: Series GT pre-event notes

Racing series GRANDAM

Date 2010-03-03

ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA GT-WINNING SPEEDSOURCE ENTRY LEADS EIGHT MAZDAS INTO GRAND PRIX OF MIAMI

Corvette, Camaro, Porsche, BMW Offer Solid Opposition

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 3, 2010) - Mazda will be looking for strength in numbers in Saturday's Grand Prix of Miami, when the Rolex 24 At Daytona winning No. 70 Castrol Syntec entry from SpeedSource is one of eight Mazda RX-8s entered in the GT class at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

In addition to the No. 70 of Sylvain Tremblay and Jonathan Bomarito, South Florida-based SpeedSource has the No. 69 FXDD entry for Emil Assentato and Jeff Segal, and will debut the new No. 68 Nuclear Clean Air Energy Mazda RX-8 for 2009 Formula Atlantic champion John Edwards and Star Mazda champ Adam Christodolou - both rookies in GRAND-AM.

Dempsey Racing has a pair of Mazda RX-8s, the No. 40 for Patrick Dempsey and Joe Foster, and the No. 41 for 2009 GT champion Leh Keen and James Gue. Team Sahlen is fielding a pair of Mazdas for Joe Sahlen, joined by Joe, Will and Wayne Nonnamaker, while Racers Edge Motorsports has the No. 30 Idemitsu RX-8 for Todd Lamb and Jordan Taylor.

While Mazda has strength in numbers - unusual for the Rotary brigade in the GT ranks - they face strong opposition from Chevrolet, Porsche and BMW.

LG Motorsports makes its Rolex Series debut with the No. 28 Wheel Enhancements Corvette for 2009 Grand Prix of Miami GT co-winner Kelly Collins and Eric Lux. Switching to Corvette in 2010 is Banner Racing, which fields the No. 07 Mobil 1 Corvette for 2009 GT co-winner Paul Edwards and Scott Russell.

Stevenson Motorsports also switched cars this season, going from Pontiac to Camaro, and has doubled its efforts with a two-car team. Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis - second at Homestead in 2009 - return in the No. 57, and will be joined by the No. 97 of Jan Magnussen and Gunter Schaldach.

Porsche will be represented by five single-car entries. Andy Lally and Ted Ballou will pilot the No. 66 AXA Porsche GT3. Magnus Racing will have the No. 44 entry for John Potter and Craig Stanton, while Miller Barrett Racing has the No. 48 Marquis Jet GT3 for Bryce Miller and Luke Hines.

Autohaus Motorsports has switched to a Porsche for the Grand Prix of Miami, with the No. 46 for Shane Lewis and Richard Zahn. Grant Racing/901 Shop has the No. 72 for Tennessean Milton Grant and his two sons, Carey and Kevin Grant.

Perennial Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge powerhouse Turner Motorsport will also compete in GT this season, fielding the No. 94 BMW M6 for Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand.

Practice for the Grand Prix of Miami begins at 9:30 a.m. ET Friday, with qualifying beginning at 3:45 p.m. The race takes the green flag at 5 p.m. Saturday, following the Homestead 200 for the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge at 1 p.m. Qualifying will be streamed live on SPEEDtv.com beginning at 3:40 p.m. ET Friday.

-source: grand-am

[Desertdawg]

DVR set

[MOTV8]

Homestead: Grand-Am Qualifying Results - Law Captures Record Pole

Darren Law - with some help from Brumos Racing official Hurley Haywood - ran a lap of 1:11.806 (115.311 mph) to capture the pole for Saturday's Grand Prix of Miami, Round 2 of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16.

Law led a nine-driver assault on Jon Fogarty's five-month-old Homestead-Miami Speedway Daytona Prototype track record in preparation for the two-hour, 45-minute race that takes the green flag at 5 p.m. ET Saturday (SPEED, live).

Paul Edwards won the GT pole in the No. 07 Mobil 1 Corvette with a lap of 1:18.123 (106.322 mph). Eight drivers were under Nick Ham's 2009 track mark in the 15-minute session.

Fogarty qualified second in the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Chevrolet, 1:11.839 (114.311 mph), followed by Brian Frisselle in the No. 6 The Pit Stop on Norris Lake Ford Riley, 1:12.079 (114.874 mph); Memo Rojas in the No. 01 TELMEX BMW Riley, 1:12.166 (114.735 mph); and Ricky Taylor in the No. 10 SunTrust Ford Dallara, 1:12.282 (114.551 mph).

Also eclipsing the former track record were Ryan Hunter-Reay in the No. 95 Crown Royal Cask No. 16/US Bank BMW Riley, Mark Wilkins in the No. 61 Pacific Mobile Ford Riley, Buddy Rice in the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Porsche Coyote, and Rolex 24 At Daytona winner Terry Borcheller in the No. 9 Action Express Racing Porsche Riley.

Haywood won last October's Grand Prix as a late substitute in the No. 59 Brumos Racing Porsche Riley, co-driving with Joao Barbosa. One of America's most successful endurance racers, Haywood retired from active competition following the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona - a race he won a record five times. He remains active in the sport as an official with Brumos Racing.

"Prior to going out, Hurley told me to get in the car and visualize the track," said Law, who won his only prior pole position at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2005. "I kind of blew it off, but I did get in the car early and tried to visualize it. Then we went out and won the pole, and Hurley's taking all the credit for it."

Fogarty had a personal streak of winning the pole in his last five qualifying attempts, while he ended 2009 by winning the pole in six of the last seven races, including the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. "We would like to be on the pole, but it's a good starting position," said Fogarty, who shared the 2007 and 2009 Daytona Prototype championships with Alex Gurney. "I'm a little disappointed that we didn't maximize qualifying, but we were also trying to conserve our tires and not put a lot of laps on them. We only ran one quick lap. The Brumos guys are right there and super fast. "

Edwards and Banner Racing won the GT class in three of its last four Homestead races in a Pontiac. Edwards will be joined on Saturday by Scott Russell in the No. 07 Mobil 1 Corvette, with the motorcycle legend missing Friday's Homestead activities to participate in SPEED's coverage of the Daytona 200 By Honda - America's premier motorcycle race. Russell won that event five times.

"We couldn't do three laps in a row at Daytona without it breaking down," said Edwards. "Today, we ran all day without a problem. The car's fast. We're getting the car very well balanced. The team's done a remarkable job to get the car where we didn't have a hiccup in it. That gives me a lot of confidence."

SpeedSource claimed the next three positions and Mazda the next four. Jonathan Bomarito made his qualifying debut as regular co-driver in the Rolex 24 class-winning SpeedSource No. 70 Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8 by winning the outside pole with a lap of 1:18.132 (105.975 mph).

John Edwards qualified third in the debut of the SpeedSource No. 68 Nuclear Clean Air Energy Mazda RX-8, 1:18.137 (105.968 mph), followed by Emil Assentato in the SpeedSource No. 69 FXDD Mazda, 1:18.144 (105.958 mph) and Todd Lamb in the No. 30 Racers Edge Motorsports Mazda RX-8, 1:18.219 (105.857 mph).

Also under Ham's old track record were Andrew Davis in the No. 57 Stevenson Automotive Group/Vin Solutions Camaro, James Gue in Dempsey Racing's No. 41 Global Diving Mazda RX-8 and Luke Hines in the No. 48 Miller Barrett Racing Porsche GT3.

Final practice for the Grand Prix of Miami will be held 9:10 a.m. ET Saturday. The day's activities also includes the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. The Grand Prix of Miami will be broadcast live on radio and internet by the Motor Racing Network.

GRAND-AM Road Racing

Pos No. Class Pic Drivers Team/Car Time Speed Sponsors

1 59 DP 1 Donohue / Law Brumos Racing / Porsche Riley 1:11.806 115.310 Brumos.com

2 99 DP 2 Fogarty / Gurney GAINSCO/ Bob Stallings Racing / Chevrolet Riley 1:11.839 115.257 GAINSCO Auto Insurance

3 6 DP 3 Frisselle / Valiante Michael Shank Racing / Ford Riley 1:12.079 114.873 The Pit Stop on Norris Lake

4 01 DP 4 Pruett / Rojas Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates / BMW Riley 1:12.166 114.735 TELMEX

5 10 DP 5 Angelelli / Taylor SunTrust Racing / Ford Dallara 1:12.282 114.551 SunTrust

6 95 DP 6 Hunter-Reay / Tucker Level 5 Motorsports / BMW Riley 1:12.346 114.450 Crown Royal Cask 16, US Bank, Spirit Jets, Drive Digital Media, SuperCar Life

7 61 DP 7 Frisselle / Wilkins AIM Autosport / Ford Riley 1:12.414 114.342 Pacific Mobile

8 90 DP 8 Garcia / Rice Spirit of Daytona Racing / Porsche Coyote 1:12.505 114.199 Â

9 9 DP 9 Barbosa / Borcheller Action Express Racing / Porsche Riley 1:12.606 114.040 Â

10 8 DP 10 Dalziel / Forest Starworks Motorsport / BMW Riley 1:12.928 113.536 Corsa Car Care Products, Xtreme Indoor Karting

11 77 DP 11 Gidley / von Moltke Doran Racing / Ford Dallara 1:13.058 113.334 McDonalds, South African Airways

12 60 DP 12 Negri / Pew Michael Shank Racing / Ford Riley 1:13.107 113.258 Crown Royal XR

13 7 DP 13 James / Lester Starworks Motorsport / BMW Riley 1:13.392 112.818 IPO Solutions, Xtreme Indoor Karting

14 55 DP 14 Bouchut / Tucker Level 5 Motorsports / BMW Riley 1:13.433 112.755 Crown Royal Cask 16, US Bank, Spirit Jets, Drive Digital Media, SuperCar Life

15 75 DP 15 Jonsson / Krohn Krohn Racing / Ford Lola 1:14.085 111.763 Â

16 07 GT 1 Edwards / Reese / Russell Banner Racing / Corvette 1:17.869 106.332 Mobil 1

17 70 GT 2 Bomarito / Tremblay SpeedSource / Mazda RX-8 1:18.132 105.974 Castrol Syntec, Mazda

18 68 GT 3 Christodoulou / Edwards SpeedSource/Newman Wachs Racing / Mazda RX-8 1:18.137 105.967 Nuclear Clean Air Energy, Entergy, Mazda Speed Motors Sport Development

19 69 GT 4 Assentato / Segal SpeedSource / Mazda RX-8 1:18.144 105.958 FXDD

20 30 GT 5 Lamb / Taylor Racers Edge Motorsports / Mazda RX-8 1:18.219 105.856 Idemitsu, Mazda, 3dimensional.com

21 57 GT 6 Davis / Liddell Stevenson Motorsports / Camaro GT.R 1:18.483 105.500 Stevenson Auto Group, Vin Solutions, Bryan Mark Financial

22 41 GT 7 Gue / Keen Dempsey Racing / Mazda RX-8 1:18.510 105.464 Global Diving

23 48 GT 8 Hines / Miller Miller Barrett Racing / Porsche GT3 1:18.830 105.036 Marquis Jet, Grand Prix Racewear, IPC, Total

24 40 GT 9 Dempsey / Foster Dempsey Racing / Mazda RX-8 1:19.343 104.357 Mazda

25 44 GT 10 Potter / Stanton Magnus Racing / Porsche GT3 1:19.391 104.293 Â

26 66 GT 11 Ballou / Lally TRG / Porsche GT3 1:19.887 103.646 AXA

27 28 GT 12 Collins / Lux LG Motorsports / Corvette 1:20.020 103.474 LG Motorsports, Wheel Enhancements

28 97 GT 13 Magnussen / Schaldach Stevenson Motorsports / Camaro GT.R 1:20.052 103.432 Stevenson Auto Group, LaLa Motorsports, Bryan Mark Financial

29 43 GT 14 Nonnamaker / Nonnamaker Team Sahlen / Mazda RX-8 1:20.285 103.132 Theracesite.com

30 42 GT 15 Nonnamaker / Sahlen Team Sahlen / Mazda RX-8 1:20.861 102.397 Theracesite.com

31 67 GT 16 Pumpelly / Saravia Toriello TRG / Porsche GT3 1:21.864 101.143 Â

32 72 GT 17 Grant / Grant / Grant Grant Racing/901 Shop / Porsche GT3 1:22.038 100.928 Â

33 94 GT 0 Auberlen / Dalla Lana / Hand Turner Motorsport / BMW M6 - - Turner Motorsport

34 46 GT 0 Lewis / Zahn Autohaus Motorsports / Porsche GT3 - - Bank of America, ZMG Construction, Autohaus Motorsports

What's up with Mags? Still shakin' off the injury?

[MOTV8]

Well...it looks like a vette.

GRAND-AM: Homestead-Miami Notebook

Written by: Marshall Pruett

03/06/2010

Homestead, FL

One of the feel good stories of the weekend has been the pace and Rolex GT pole position scored by Leighton Reese’s Banner Racing/Godstone Ranch Corvette.

After leading GM’s Pontiac program for the past few seasons, the championship-winning team found its funding cut for 2010 when the auto giant filed for bankruptcy.

But Reese, one of the most dogged competitors in any paddock, refused to let the demise of his factory GXP.R effort spell the end of his GRAND-AM team.

With new partners in Godstone Ranch, Reese and his Wisconsin-based team had a busy winter, transforming the bulbous GXP.R into a more svelte and sleek Corvette.

“This is the chassis won the 2008 Rolex GT championship,” Reese said, “it’s hard to imagine, isn’t it? The car is 6.6 inches shorter than the Pontiac. If you put the Corvette right next to the Pontiac GXP the size difference is enormous. We actually used the same roll cage but we lowered it about 4 inches and moved it back about 6 inches and we moved the driver’s seat back 2 inches and we shortened the whole chassis 6.6 inches. But like everything you do, one change creates 50 more changes so the process was a lot more complicated than just shortening the drive shaft and all that sort of stuff.”

Poor weight distribution was always a shortcoming with the Pontiac, as its nose-heavy nature created understeer and punished the front tires as a result. With so much weight moved rearwards on the Reese’s re-bodied chassis, the car is much friendlier to drive.

“It really didn't change but just by getting the car shorter it changed the center of mass. We've got the polar moment [of inertia] fairly reduced on the car. So all our stuff is compressed into the middle. Like the oil tank had to move forward while the driver also had to move backwards. The hood is so much lower, everything is 6 inches lower. The aerodynamic footprint, is better, it's just a slipperier car…a lot sexier too!”

Reese’s Corvette hasn’t seen a wind tunnel yet, but he and the team have been able to draw from data and experience from wind tunnel data they gained with their Corvette during their World Challenge program. Banner Racing still has a lot to learn about their revised Rolex GT car, but with driver Paul Edwards grabbing pole position for today’s race, Reese was his usual gregarious self.

"We were P1 in practice and didn’t do too bad in qualifying here. Adding Tony Dowe in an engineering capacity has been great, and we've got Paul Edwards who… hopefully you’re going to be hearing some good stuff about him in the future,” he said with a laugh. “He’s our star driver, we love him!”

and double postage:

Spoiler ALERT, GT results posted below!

Segal, Assentato Take GT Victory in SpeedSource Mazda RX-8

Mar. 6, 2010

HOMESTEAD, Fla. - Jeff Segal passed SpeedSource teammate Sylvain Tremblay on the race's lone restart with 13 minutes remaining and went on to win GT class honors in Saturday's Grand Prix of Miami at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the No. 69 FXDD Mazda RX-8.

It was the third GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 triumph in the last six races for Segal and Emil Assentato. It was also the second victory of the year for SpeedSource, with Tremblay's No. 70 Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8 winning the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Assentato was also the top Pro-Am driver in GT.

Tremblay and new regular SpeedSource co-driver Jonathan Bomarito led a GT class leading 44 laps, although Tremblay - who led 27 laps - fell back to fourth in the closing laps.

Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis finished second in the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro, followed by Leh Keen and James Gue in the No. 41 Dempsey Racing Mazda RX-8.

Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand finished a solid fifth in the No. 94 Turner Motorsport BMW M6. The car ran only three laps in practice prior to the race and did not run in qualifying due to problems with the power steering. Team owner Will Turner installed a power steering unit from a Daytona Prototype prior to the race, and Auberlen and Hand ran in contention throughout the event, with Hand leading four laps.

Paul Edwards started from the GT pole in the Banner Racing No. 07 Mobil 1 Corvette and led the opening 31 laps before turning the car over to motorcycle legend Scott Russell. Edwards returned to the car for the closing shift, finishing sixth - one position ahead of Patrick Dempsey and Joe Foster in the No. 40 Dempsey Racing Mazda RX-8.

Ted Ballou and Andy Lally had the highest-finishing Porsche, placing eighth in the No. 66 AXA Porsche GT3.

A turning point came on lap 81 of the two-hour, 45-minute race. The cockpit of the No. 30 Racers Edge Motorsports Mazda RX-8 exploded into flames, and Jordan Taylor came to a stop in the middle of pit road. The blaze was quickly extinguished and the race remained under green.

Taylor was uninjured in the incident, but the Mazda started by Todd Lamb was eliminated after having a strong run.

"It wasn't as big a fire as it looked," said Taylor, an 18-year-old college student. "It ended up being some of the insulation in the exhaust catching fire."

Rounding out the top 10 were John Edwards and Adam Christodoulou, where were ninth in the debut of the SpeedSource No. 68 Nuclear Clean Air Energy Mazda RX-8, and Joe and Wayne Nonnamaker in the No. 43 Team Sahlen Mazda RX-8.

The next race for the GRAND-AM Rolex Series will be the April 10 Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala.

[MOTV8]

Lou's Vette and the mock-vette will get some company in Grand Am....

New Team: Marsh Racing Enters Corvette for Porsche 250

Mar. 18, 2010

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Marsh Racing, a veteran of the NASCAR Nationwide Series and SCCA World Challenge competition, will make its GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 debut in the Porsche 250 on April 10 at Barber Motorsports Park.

The Old Lyme, Conn.-based team will field the No. 31 Corvette for Eric Curran and Sonny Whelen in the Rolex Series GT class, with plans to contest the remainder of the schedule.

The team took a Corvette that Curran drove to four victories in World Challenge competition and rebuilt it to Rolex Series specifications. The team is also building a brand new Corvette from the ground up.

"We're working as fast as we can to get ready for Barber," team owner Ted Marsh said. "We're totally rebuilding this car. We went right down to the bare frame and started over. Even the Rolex Series roll cage requirements are slightly different, and we had to make a lot of changes. Coming to GRAND-AM, it's NASCAR, so we're headed in the right direction, and we're looking forward to racing in the Rolex Series."

March Racing began competing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series with driver Ted Christopher in 1998. Over the next two seasons, Christopher posted a pair of top-10 finishes at Nazareth Raceway. Steve Park became driver of the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Chevrolet in 2000, with Park posting a fourth-place finish at Bristol the following year.

Other drivers for Marsh Racing in the series included Andy Santerre, David Green, Tim Fedewa, Dave Blaney, Todd Bodine and Peyton Sellers. The team also competed in NASCAR Whelen Modified and K&N Pro Series East prior to joining the Nationwide Series.

Marsh Racing branched out to sports cars in late 2006, running four races with Whelen. Curran joined the team the following year, winning four races in the same Corvette he will be co-driving at Barber. Curran also finished sixth in a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Lime Rock Park for Marsh Racing.

Curran won three Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge races in 2008 in a Cobalt, helping Jamie Holtom capture the driver's championship and Georgian Bay Motorsports win the team title. He has 13 career victories in Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge competition. Curran also raced in all of the Rolex Series classes, finishing second in GTS in the 2003 season finale at Daytona. Throughout his career, the Easthampton, Mass., driver won 24 races and 20 poles. He also won the SCCA National Championship in American Sedan in 1999, the year before he turned pro.

Whelen began racing in 2000, racing a Dodge Viper prepared by Marsh Racing for several years, winning rookie of the year and several championships. He then began racing in the World Challenge, winning rookie of the year. The team added Curran as a teammate the following season.

"We decided that GRAND-AM was the place we wanted to be," said Whelen, a resident of Oldsaybrook, Conn. "We're happy to be coming on board, and we look forward to racing at tracks like Lime Rock Park - my home track - and Watkins Glen International."

Marsh Racing is the second Corvette team to transition to the Rolex Series this season. Lou Gigliotti's LG Motorsports made its GRAND-AM debut in the Grand Prix of Miami at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and will return in the Porsche 250 with Kelly Collins and Eric Lux sharing the No. 28 Wheel Enhancements Corvette.

Practice for the Porsche 250 begins at 2:55 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 8. Qualifying begins at 11:40 a.m. ET Saturday (SPEEDtv.com, live). The race will air live at 1:30 p.m. ET on Sunday (SPEED).

[MOTV8]

GRAND-AM: Ganassi; Mazda Win Two In A Row

Memo Rojas and Scott Pruett rolled to a dominating victory in Saturday's Porsche 250 before an estimated crowd of 25,000 at Barber Motorsports Park, while problems hit two of their traditional rivals in the battle for the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 Daytona Prototype championship.

Pruett took the checkered flag 6.870 seconds ahead of Ozz Negri, giving the No. 01 TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates BMW Riley its second consecutive victory.

In GT competition, Jeff Segal and Emil Assentato scored their second consecutive victory in the No. 69 SpeedSource FXDD Mazda RX-8, with Mazdas sweeping the podium.

The Ganassi team lost its regular tire changer when Trevor Montgomery twisted his knee prior to the race. Blair Julian - who changes tires for Scott Dixon on Ganassi's IndyCar Series team - stepped in for the race.

"We were really fortunate to be running the same weekend as the IndyCar Series, because our IRL team was able to jump in and help us out," Pruett said. "It also meant a lot of great racing for the fans."

Negri finished second in the No. 60 Michael Shank Racing Crown Royal XR Ford Riley started by John Pew. Ryan Dalziel - part of the winning lineup in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona - finished third with Mike Forest in the No. 8 Starworks Motorsport BMW Riley. Forest led six laps early in the race.

After three of the 12 races, Pruett and Rojas lead Dalziel by 11 points (102-91).

A major development occurred at the 30-minute mark when the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Chevrolet Riley went up in smoke. Starting driver Jon Fogarty was running third prior to the opening caution period, with the car going out moments after the restart. The team that won both the Porsche 250 and Daytona Prototype championship in 2007 and 2009 retired from the race before Alex Gurney even got behind the wheel. It marked the first retirement at a sprint race for the team since Barber in 2008, when the team lost the clutch while leading.

Also experiencing problems was the No. 10 SunTrust Racing Ford Dallara that started on the pole with Ricky Taylor at the wheel. Taylor led the opening 15 laps before turning the car over to Max Angelelli, who had contact with another car, leading to an extended pit stop.

Memo Gidley and Dion von Moltke finished fourth in the No. 77 Doran Racing McDonald's Ford Dallara, followed by David Donohue and Darren Law in the No. 59 Brumos Racing Porsche Riley.

Ricky Taylor led the opening 15 laps after scoring his first career pole in the No. 10 SunTrust Racing Ford Dallara. Co-driver Max Angelelli went to the garage in the final 30 minutes after contact with Dalziel, resulting in a 12th-place finish in the Daytona Prototype class, one position ahead of Fogarty.

The No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Porsche Coyote ran in the top five throughout the early portion of the race before Antonio Garcia cut a tire and spun. Buddy Rice took over and went on to finish sixth.

Mark Wilkins led 16 laps in the No. 61 AIM Autosport Ford Riley also driven by Burt Frisselle, going on to finish eighth.

Pruett and Rojas competed 108 laps on the 2.3-mile, 17-turn circuit in the two-hour, 45-minute event. The race was slowed three times for 12 laps under caution, with no major incidents.

SpeedSource recorded its third consecutive victory in the Rolex Series GT class. Segal and Assentato have now won four of the last seven races dating back to last season.

"The racing was pretty intense among the GT cars when I got in, so I kind of bowed out of that - I wasn't interested in rubbing fenders that early in the race," said Segal, who led 35 laps, including the final 32. "We had a fantastic pit stop near the end that got us the lead. It wasn't easy, because I knew Jordan and Sylvain were coming, so I pushed all the way to the end."

Jordan Taylor and Todd Lamb took second in the No. 30 Racers Edge Motorsports Mazda RX-8, followed by Rolex 24 At Daytona class winners Sylvain Tremblay and pole winner Jonathan Bomarito in the No. 70 SpeedSource Castrol Syntec Mazda.

Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis placed fourth in the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro, followed by Adam Christodoulou and John Edwards in the No. 68 SpeedSource Mazda.

The car in the best position to break the Mazda domination was the No. 07 Banner Racing Corvette. Scott Russell started and led 10 laps before on-course contact with a Daytona Prototype led to a long pit stop and a 14th-place finish.

Racer/actor Patrick Dempsey did a double-stint at the start before turning the No. 40 Dempsey Racing Mazda RX-8 over to Joe Foster, who finished 10th.

"We got caught when the yellow came out right after our pit stop, that put us a lap down," Dempsey said. "I felt good out there and I was able to keep up, time-wise, with the leaders. It was great to see so many people turn out for a GRAND-AM event here this weekend. Everybody at Barber did a great job putting on the event and they had a great crowd."

The Rolex Series will next visit Virginia International Raceway in Danville for Round 4, the Bosch Engineering 250 on April 24.

Pos No. Class Pic Drivers Team/Car Laps Best Lap (#) Avg MPH Sponsors

1 01 DP 1 Pruett / Rojas Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates / BMW Riley 108 1:21.094 79 90.229 TELMEX

2 60 DP 2 Negri / Pew Michael Shank Racing / Ford Riley 108 1:21.386 75 90.167 Crown Royal XR

3 8 DP 3 Dalziel / Forest Starworks Motorsport / BMW Riley 108 1:21.492 79 90.074 Corsa Car Care

4 77 DP 4 Gidley / von Moltke Doran Racing / Ford Dallara 108 1:21.530 77 90.049 McDonalds

5 59 DP 5 Donohue / Law Brumos Racing / Porsche Riley 108 1:21.825 29 90.033 Brumos.com

6 90 DP 6 Garcia / Rice Spirit of Daytona Racing / Porsche Coyote 108 1:21.626 13 90.022

7 6 DP 7 Frisselle / Valiante Michael Shank Racing / Ford Riley 108 1:21.986 75 89.858 The Pit Stop on Norris Lake

8 61 DP 8 Frisselle / Wilkins AIM Autosport / Ford Riley 108 1:21.496 78 89.738 Pacific Mobile

9 7 DP 9 Andersen / Lester Starworks Motorsport / BMW Riley 106 1:22.545 79 88.357 Xtreme Indoor Karting

10 9 DP 10 Barbosa / Borcheller Action Express Racing / Porsche Riley 106 1:22.569 60 88.184

11 75 DP 11 Jonsson / Krohn Krohn Racing / Ford Lola 104 1:21.966 70 86.684

12 69 GT 1 Assentato / Segal SpeedSource / Mazda RX-8 103 1:28.265 4 85.404 FXDD

13 30 GT 2 Lamb / Taylor Racers Edge Motorsports / Mazda RX-8 103 1:27.346 4 85.372 3-Dimensional.com, IDEMITSU, Mazda

14 70 GT 3 Bomarito / Tremblay SpeedSource / Mazda RX-8 103 1:27.215 26 85.370 Castrol Syntec, Mazda

15 57 GT 4 Davis / Liddell Stevenson Motorsports / Camaro GT.R 102 1:28.293 71 84.971 Stevenson Auto Group, Vin Solutions, Bryan Mark

16 68 GT 5 Christodoulou / Edwards SpeedSource / Mazda RX-8 102 1:28.204 58 84.876 Mazdaspeed Motorsports Development

17 94 GT 6 Auberlen / Dalla Lana / Hand Turner Motorsport / BMW M6 102 1:27.716 59 84.710

18 41 GT 7 Gue / Keen Dempsey Racing / Mazda RX-8 101 1:28.378 71 84.356 Global Diving & Salvage, Team Seattle

19 97 GT 8 Magnussen / Schaldach Stevenson Motorsports / Camaro GT.R 101 1:28.850 31 84.214 Stevenson Auto Group, Lala Motorsports, Bryan Mark

20 43 GT 9 Nonnamaker / Nonnamaker Team Sahlen / Mazda RX-8 101 1:28.745 75 84.211 Theracesite.com

21 40 GT 10 Dempsey / Foster Dempsey Racing / Mazda RX-8 101 1:28.868 73 84.198 Mazda USA

22 44 GT 11 Potter / Stanton Magnus Racing / Porsche GT3 101 1:28.897 71 84.192

23 42 GT 12 Nonnamaker / Sahlen Team Sahlen / Mazda RX-8 101 1:29.657 71 83.932 Theracesite.com

24 28 GT 13 Collins / Lux LG Motorsports / Corvette 100 1:28.429 4 83.440 LG Motorsports, Wheel Enhancements

25 07 GT 14 Edwards / Russell Banner Racing / Corvette 88 1:28.242 32 74.307 Las Vegas Bikefest, Mobil 1

26 10 DP 12 Angelelli / Taylor SunTrust Racing / Ford Dallara 80 1:20.483 65 79.906 SunTrust

27 19 GT 15 Eversley / Lally Matt Connolly Motorsports / Corvette 61 1:29.861 60 83.652 A2ZRacegear.com, Maxwell Paper Products

28 31 GT 16 Curran / Whelen Marsh Racing / Corvette 54 1:31.617 24 74.423 Whelen Engineering

29 99 DP 13 Fogarty / Gurney GAINSCO/ Bob Stallings Racing / Chevrolet Riley 20 1:21.861 4 87.782 GAINSCO Auto Insurance

30* 46 GT 0 Lewis / Zahn Autohaus Motorsports / Porsche GT3 0 0 0.000 Autohaus Motorsports, Bank of America, ZMG Construction

[MOTV8]

Pruett, Rojas romp at VIRginia for the win

Racing series GRANDAM

Date 2010-04-24 (Alton, VA)

By Joe Jennings - Motorsport.com

Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas were once again invincible in GRAND-AM Rolex Series action as they raced to victory in the Bosch Engineering 250 at the pristine Virginia International Raceway road course on Saturday afternoon.

For Pruett and Rojas, they won their third consecutive race, each time driving the meticulously prepared Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates BMW Riley. Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty were the last drivers to win three in a row, doing so three seasons ago. In winning for the 26th time in Rolex Series action, Pruett broke a tie with Terry Borcheller for all-time class victories. All but one of his wins came in a Daytona Prototype.

Leading 75 of the 84 laps, the victors also extended their point lead to 21 over Ryan Dalziel.

"The car was quick out of the box and while it was difficult to drive at times, it was fast," Rojas said.

Added Pruett, "It was a very tough race, but this is also our best track. We have been very fortunate at VIR. Whatever we do with our set-up it seems to work. The team thought we had a good car, and we managed to come away with the victory."

Throughout the first two-thirds of the race, Pruett and Rojas were peerless and had opened up leads of 15 seconds over the other Daytona Prototypes. But the scenario changed on the 71st lap when leader Pruett made contact with a slower GT car, damaging the spoiler of the lead vehicle. Two laps later the rear spoiler fell off his car, littering the course with debris and causing the second caution period of the race. When the green flag dropped, four cars rammed into each other, including the third-place GAINSCO and the Brumos cars. Although each car was damaged, they all continued. After the slowdown, the field was tightly bunched with Pruett barely able to hold off Burt Frisselle and the fast-moving car of Max Angelelli. At the end, Pruett wrestled his ill-handling car to a narrow .293 advantage over Frisselle, who gained his first podium finish since 2004.

Discussing the incident with the slower Mazda, Pruett said, "It was light contact and I don't even know how it happened. After that the car was wicked to drive; actually, it was scary. I was just holding on to the car. The car was sideways everywhere as we had lost down force, but our straight-line speed was great."

Frisselle pressed the leader hard but couldn't quite make the pass. "Scott (Pruett) had a winning car," he said. "He was quicker in a straight line, and I couldn't catch him. Also, I had to run most of my stint in a fuel-economy mode as we had short-filled the car. It is great to be on the podium.

Angelelli and Ricky Taylor steered their SunTrust Racing Ford Dallara to third place. "The car was not as strong as it had been at Barber, but we expected that," the youthful Taylor said.

Stated Angelelli, "I tried everything I could at the end. I was missing a little in top speed due to the car set-up. Scott drove an unbelievable race at the end, and I was very impressed with him. And he did it without a spoiler."

Darren Law and David Donohue drove their Brumos Porsche to fourth place just ahead of Gurney and Fogarty in the GAINSCO Chevrolet.

Ryan Dalziel and Mike Forest put the Star works BMW into sixth with Michael Valiant and Brian Frisselle seventh on the Michael Shank Ford.

In GT action, Andy Lally and Ted Ballou took advantage of precise pit strategy to take the honors in the TRG Porsche GT3 Cup car. For Lally, he gained his 21st Rolex Series victory in his 100th race.

"We out-foxed everyone in the pits," Lally said. "And we had a great restart after that. This win was all about pit strategy, and I was fortunate to be the driver's seat at the end."

Lally was challenged by Bill Auberlen in the closing laps. The two touched with Auberlen spinning off the track in his Turner BMW.

"Bill's (Auberlen) one of the toughest drivers to deal with and I raced him as clean as I could," Lally said. "I held my ground and he came out on the wrong side of it."

Jeff Segal and Emil Assentato took second in the SpeedSource Mazda RX-8 with Paul Edwards and Scott Russell third in the Banner Racing Corvette.

First podium for Corvette in Grand Am series in a looong time. WTG Banner! Who knew Scott Russell could drive anything other than a Kawasaki?

[MOTV8]

I don't even know if Lou still has a horse in this race, but Boris Said is jumping into a vette (without flames this time hopefully) for Grand Am's second visit to Daytona. Skip on down past the DP yadayada...

Daytona II: Series round eight preview

Racing series GRANDAM

Date 2010-06-30

DAYTONA, BEACH, Fla. - The running of the Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona International Speedway will be the 100th race for the Daytona Prototypes, the premier class of the GRAND-AM Rolex Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16.

The class debuted at the 2003 Rolex 24 At Daytona, when six DPs from four manufacturers led the field to the green flag for America's premier endurance race.

The DP concept was announced on the eve of the 2002 Rolex 24. The concept called for an affordable class using stable rules and employing a platform designed for close and safe competition. The revolutionary car has redefined prototype sports car racing, applying sensible and affordable rules with a firm commitment to a level playing field.

Seven chassis, using a variety of engines, were originally approved for the class - Fabcar, Picchio, Doran, Multimatic, Riley, Crawford and Chase. Manufacturers were allowed to transfer their license or submit upgrades for their chassis for the 2008 season, with Dallara, Proto-Auto Lola and Coyote joining the DP competition.

To date, 79 DPs have been built. As a testament of the car's reliability, the original Riley chassis that debuted in the 2004 Rolex 24 remains active, finishing third for AIM Autosport in the race at Mid-Ohio. In terms of competition, only three drivers have won multiple championships, and 336 drivers have competed in at least one race.

DP Championship Lead Tight Heading To Daytona

Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas (No. 01 BMW/Riley) have come back from adversity once this season - rebounding from a last-place finish at Lime Rock to win back-to-back races at Watkins Glen and Mid-Ohio that increased their lead in the Daytona Prototype standings to 32 points.

Now, after a technical infraction discovered in post-race inspection at Mid-Ohio and a subsequent penalty, they enter Saturday's Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona with a seven-point lead (200-193) in the championship with five races remaining in the GRAND-AM Rolex Series season.

After opening the season with a second-place finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates drivers won five of the next six races - with Rojas' first-lap off-track excursion the lone blemish on their record.

Burt Frisselle and Mark Wilkins (No. 61 AIM Autosport Ford/Riley) are second in the Daytona Prototype standings. Ryan Dalziel (No. 8 Corsa Car Care BMW/Riley) is third with 190 points, while Max Angelelli and Ricky Taylor (No. 10 SunTrust Ford/Dallara) are fourth with 188 points; SunTrust Racing is second in the team championship (200-188). The Mid-Ohio penalty moved Ford to the lead of the Daytona Prototype manufacturer championship, leading BMW by five points (219-214).

Assentato, Segal Boost GT Lead To 10 Points Entering Brumos Porsche 250

Emil Assentato and Jeff Segal (No. 69 FXDD Mazda RX-8) hold a 10-point lead (204-194) in the production-based GT division of the Rolex Series. The pair have finished in the top four in the last six races, placing fourth at both the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen and Mid-Ohio.

The pair has had bad luck at Daytona, though. They opened the 2010 season with a 16th-place finish in the Rolex 24, and had a mechanical problem early in that event in 2009. Segal flipped late in the 2008 Brumos Porsche 250. Segal and Assentato entered the Mid-Ohio race with only a one-point lead in the standings over SpeedSource teammates Sylvain Tremblay and Jonathan Bomarito (No. 70 Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8). However, Tremblay was involved at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and finished 12th. While Tremblay remains second in points, Bomarito scored no points at Mid-Ohio.

Andy Lally (No. 66 TRG Porsche GT3) remains third in points. He has driven with three different teams in events that his regular team, TRG, did not compete. TRG will be back at Daytona with two cars, with Lally co-driving with RJ Valentine.

Perennial title contenders Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell (No. 57 BryanMark Financial/Vin Solutions Camaro) are fourth in points. Their only podium finish was second at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Rice, Garcia Bring Spirit Back To Daytona

Buddy Rice and Antonio Garcia (No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Racing Porsche/Coyote) celebrate their first anniversary driving for Spirit of Daytona Racing this weekend in the Brumos Porsche 250.

The pair were part of Brumos Racing's winning lineup at the 2009 Rolex 24 At Daytona, and team owner Troy Flis brought them back together midway through last season.

Rice, the 2004 Indianapolis 500 winner, and Garcia, a two-time class winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, currently are enjoying a six-race streak of top-10 finishes that have brought them to 10th in the Daytona Prototype points standings. That includes the team's first podium finish since joining the DP ranks, third in the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen.

Rice is impressed with the team's progress developing the Coyote chassis in the DP ranks.

"I think the main thing we wanted to do this year was work on the car, and keep improving with every round so we can stay competitive with the top five cars," Rice said. "We've been doing a good job with that and we're getting much more consistent. Once we put all the pieces together there's no reason we can't be competing for wins, week in and week out. It just takes time to put all the right pieces in the puzzle and have the entire team gel."

While they finished 18th in their debut with Spirit of Daytona Racing after a hard crash at Daytona last year, Rice and Garcia placed fourth in the next event at Barber Motorsports Park. The car continues to improve each event. "I'm very happy for the Spirit of Daytona team," Garcia said. "We have been progressing in the right direction and the podium (at Watkins Glen) is another good step."

Donohue Looks Back At 99 Races

David Donohue (No. 59 Brumos Porsche/Riley) is one of two drivers to compete in every DP race; his co-driver Darren Law being the other. Donohue looked back

"It's funny to look back and see that, really, everybody thought we were crazy. Back in the day, there weren't a lot of cars because the formula was untried. A lot of series - and cars - had come and gone. We see now that it wasn't such a crazy idea after all. It is amazing the way the cars have evolved for the way the formula has stayed the same. They drive better, they look better, are a lot more solidly built. The competition is incredibly tight, more so than in any other road racing series I have been involved with in my career. We've gone from finishes [margins of victory] of several seconds to under one second - it gets so close we may have to add a fourth digit in terms of timing finishes and poles."

Boris Said Joins Marsh Racing, Teams With Curran For Remainder Of 2010 Season

Veteran Boris Said (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Corvette) has entered the Brumos Porsche 250, and is expected to co-drive with and co-driver Eric Curran for the remainder of 2010.

"It's a new car, and they're developing it at the race track," Said explained. "They're getting better and better with each race, and qualified fifth in the most recent race at Mid-Ohio. I talk with Eric a lot, and I feel they are overcoming the problems they've had earlier this year. I'm real excited to be getting in that car."

Marsh Racing, a veteran of NASCAR Nationwide Series and Camping World East competition, first raced in the Rolex Series at Barber Motorsports Park in April. The team ran the next five races, with a best finish of 10th at Watkins Glen, with Curran co-driving with Brandon Davis.

Said drove a Picchio to a third-place finish in the 2003 Rolex 24, the debut of the DP class.

"I was in the first one and I really believed in the idea and the concept and it's become one of the most competitive series in the world," Said recalled. "You look at other series and you know which prototype is going to win because it has a competitive advantage. But not with GRAND-AM, where it's all about the driver, team and manufacturer. It isn't about just having the best car."

* SpeedSource Adds Fourth Mazda: SpeedSource will add a fourth Mazda RX-8 to its lineup at Daytona for Columbian brothers Julian and Sebastian Martinez (No. 65 M2 Autosport Mazda RX-8). Their father, Oscar Martinez, will serve as crew chief for his sons.

"We're very excited, because this is the first time we're bringing four cars to a GT race," said team owner Sylvain Tremblay (No. 70 Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8), who won the 2008 and 2010 Rolex 24 in addition to winning the Brumos Porsche 250 in 2007 and 2008.

Rookie Jonathan Bomarito joins Tremblay in the No. 70. In addition to points co-leaders Emil Assentato and Jeff Segal (No. 69 FXDD Mazda RX-8), John Edwards and Adam Christodoulou (No. 65 Mazdaspeed Motorsports Development Mazda RX-8) will compete for the first time at Daytona.

* TRG Enters Two Porsches: TRG, winners of the past two GT races it entered, will have a pair of Porsches in the Brumos Porsche 250 for drivers Andy Lally and RJ Valentine (No. 66 Advanced Aerosol Acquisitions Porsche GT3), and Spencer Pumpelly and Peter Bassett (No. 67 Fisher Industrial Porsche GT3).

Lally is also planning to run in the U.S. Streetluge World Cup in Maryhill, Wash., this week.

* Andy Wallace Joins Team Sahlen: Veteran endurance racer Andy Wallace (No. 42 Team Sahlen's Mazda RX-8) will make his Rolex Series GT debut at the Brumos Porsche 250. The three-time overall winner of the Rolex 24 At Daytona will co-drive with Will Nonnamaker.

"I'm excited to co-drive with Andy," Will Nonnamaker said. "He brings a wealth of knowledge that will be valuable for the team and will be valuable for me to learn from."

-source: grand-am

[MOTV8]

Boris qualified the vette 4th....with Mazdas all around.

GRAND-AM: Taylor Grabs Daytona Pole For SunTrust

Two weeks ago at Mid-Ohio, SunTrust Dallara-Ford driver Ricky Taylor lost the pole with just seconds to go in the session, while his younger brother, Jordan, took pole for Mazda in the GT class.

Today, at Daytona International Speedway, the roles were reversed as the elder Taylor held onto the DP pole as he watched Jordan lose his GT pole just as time trials concluded.

"We try to keep things positive between us," Ricky Taylor said, "he consoled me after I lost the pole at Mid-Ohio so I guess now it's my turn to lift his spirits up. We're both really competitive, so losing pole really hurts."

Taylor's DP pole lap of 1:42.341 was just ahead of a resurgent GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Riley-Chevrolet, piloted by 2009 series co-champion Jon Fogarty. Fogarty's 1:42.454 was almost a half-second clear of third-place qualifier, Brumos Porsche driver Darren Law, who set a best lap of 1:42.904.

Fourth-place went to Michael Shank Racing's Brian Frisselle in his Dallara-Ford, and Memo Rojas, carrying a 75-pound weight penalty in his TELMEX Riley-BMW, took fifth, more than a second adrift from Taylor's DP pole.

GT qualifying honors went to SpeedSource owner/driver Sylvain Tremblay, who pipped Jordan Taylor just as the checkered flag waved. Tremblay's 1:50.495 was just .019 faster than Taylor's Racer's Edge Mazda RX-8. The second SpeedSource Mazda entry, driven by 2009 Star Mazda champion Adam Christodoulou, took third, followed by Boris Said in the Marsha Racing Corvette. James Gue made it four Mazdas in the top-5, posting a lap of 1:51.835 in his No. 41 RX-8.

[MOTV8]

At least the LG vette lead at one point and the Camaro did pretty well....

Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series-Brumos Porsche 250 Results

At Daytona International Speedway

Daytona Beach, Fla.

Starting position in parentheses with car and laps completed

1. (4) Scott Pruett/Memo Rojas, BMW Riley, 83.

2. (12) Mike Forest/Ryan Dalziel, BMW Riley, 83.

3. (9) John Pew/Ozz Negri, Ford Riley, 83.

4. (3) Darren Law/David Donohue, Porsche Riley, 83.

5. (7) Memo Gidley/Dion von Moltke, Ford Dallara, 83.

6. (10) Tracy Krohn/Nic Jonsson, Ford Lola, 82.

7. (2) Jon Fogarty/Alex Gurney, Chevrolet Riley, 82.

8. (6) Antonio Garcia/Buddy Rice, Porsche Coyote, 82.

9. (1) Max Angelelli/Ricky Taylor, Ford Dallara, 81.

10. (8) Terry Borcheller/Joao Barbosa, Porsche Riley, 81.

11. (25) RJ Valentine/Andy Lally, Porsche GT3, 79.

12. (29) Bill Auberlen/Paul Dalla Lana/Joey Hand, BMW M6, 79.

13. (30) Robin Liddell/Andrew Davis, Camaro GT.R, 78.

14. (20) Emil Assentato/Jeff Segal, Mazda RX-8, 78.

15. (16) John Edwards/Adam Christodoulou, Mazda RX-8, 78.

16. (14) Sylvain Tremblay/Jonathan Bomarito, Mazda RX-8, 78.

17. (17) James Gue/Leh Keen, Mazda RX-8, 78.

18. (15) Todd Lamb/Jordan Taylor, Mazda RX-8, 78.

19. (22) Gunter Schaldach/Jan Magnussen, Camaro GT.R, 78.

20. (27) Wayne Nonnamaker/Joe Nonnamaker, Mazda RX-8, 78.

21. (23) Eric Lux/Kelly Collins, Corvette, 77.

22. (26) Will Nonnamaker/Andy Wallace, Mazda RX-8, 77.

23. (28) Peter Bassett/Spencer Pumpelly, Porsche GT3, 76.

24. (5) Burt Frisselle/Mark Wilkins, Ford Riley, 76.

25. (13) Michael Valiante/Brian Frisselle, Ford Dallara, 58.

26. (21) Joe Foster/Charles Espenlaub, Mazda RX-8, 55.

27. (24) Julian Martinez/Sebastien Martinez, Mazda RX-8, 45.

28. (19) John Potter/Craig Stanton, Porsche GT3, 38.

29. (11) Bill Lester/Nelson Philippe, BMW Riley, 34.

30. (18) Paul Edwards/Scott Russell, Corvette, 26.

31. (31) Boris Said, Corvette, 0.

[Desertdawg]

Watched the race today on Speed, Lou even got a little face time on camera, to bad his plan (and drivers) didn't work as well as he wanted...

[MOTV8]

New Jersey Motorsports Park news 2010-07-15

Racing series GRANDAM

Date 2010-07-15

Who Said? Boris Said!!

Boris Said scheduled to race at New Jersey Motorsports Park this weekend with the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series.

MILLVILLE, NJ July 15, 2010 Popular road track veteran Boris Said is on the entry list for this weekend's race in New Jersey, co-driving Marsh Racing's No. 31 Whelen Engineering Corvette with Eric Curran.

Said who is known for his wild head of curly hair, has a following of fan's called "Said Heads".

The team competes in the production-based GT class of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16. The race takes the green flag on Sunday, July18th at 1:00 ET. (SPEED, live).

Marsh Racing, a veteran of NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East competition, first raced in the Rolex Series at Barber Motorsports Park in April. Team owner Ted Marsh said he hopes to have Said in the car for the remainder of the Rolex Series season, as Curran's co-driver.

Said drove to a third-place finish in the 2003 Rolex 24 At Daytona, the debuting race for the DPs. "I was in the first one and I really believed in the idea and the concept and it's become one of the most competitive series in the world," Said recalled. "You look at other series and you know which prototype is going to win because it has a competitive advantage, but not with GRAND-AM, where it's all about the driver, team and manufacturer. It isn't about just having the best car."

Said raced with Turner Motorsport in the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona, finishing eighth. He ran in one full Rolex Series season, losing a tiebreaker for the GT championship to teammate Bill Auberlen in 2004. He scored five of his seven career Rolex Series class victories that year. Said also has one overall victory, winning at Watkins Glen in 2006 as a replacement for Krohn Racing.

You may also remember Said was the one that crawled out of Lou's GT2 vette last year as it burned like a sea turtle in the Gulf.

[P51tj]

You may also remember Said was the one that crawled out of Lou's GT2 vette last year as it burned like a sea turtle in the Gulf.

That's how he keeps those locks of his....sea turtle..nice!!!

[MOTV8]

GRAND-AM: Fogarty On Pole For GAINSCO

Jon Fogarty grabs his 15th career DP pole in the "Red Dragon" Riley-Chevy as Paul Edwards scores the GT pole for Corvette.

Marshall Pruett | Posted July 17, 2010

The GAINSCO/bob Stallings Racing team had been blanked in the first eight rounds of the 2010 GRAND-AM Rolex Series season, suffering through an unfamiliar streak of no poles and no wins from the Rolex 24 to the last round a Daytona International Speedway. At New Jersey Motorsports Park, the team's resident pole master, Jon Fogarty, delivered the 2009 DP champions the first glimmer of hope that their season might be turning around.

In another impressive performance, Fogarty scored his 15th career Rolex Series pole position in the "Red Dragon," but as the car danced and slid around the 2.25-mile circuit, it was clear the diminutive driver had to stay on top of the steering wheel.

"I was worried about the car that we'd be plagued with understeer," said Fogarty, "but the car nailed it for qualifying. We might have to tone the car down for the race. The car is fast, but it's a handful right now."

Qualifying heated up as identical times of 1:15.541 were set within moments of each other, with AIM Autosport's Mark Wilkins crossing the start/finish line just before SunTrust's Ricky Taylor posted his lap. Wilkins then moved the pole to a 1:15.518, which was soon topped by Taylor's 1:15.416. The Aim/SunTrust battle battle dominated the first 11 minutes of qualifying, but behind them, Jon Fogarty in the GAINSCO Riley-Chevrolet put in a few ragged laps to move pole position beyond anyone's reach, setting a 1:15.148, just over a quarter-second up on Taylor's Dallara-Ford.

Wilkins held onto third, followed by Memo Rojas in the TELMEX/Ganassi Riley-BMW in fourth and Nic Jonsson, winner of the New Jersey race in 2009, took fifth in the ProtoAuto Lola-Ford. Brian Frisselle was sixth with the Michael Shank Racing Dallara-Ford, Darren Law went seventh in the Brumos Porsche Riley -- a disappointment for the team, and DP rookie Matt Bell posted an impressive eighth-place performance in the Doran McDonald's Dallara-Ford.

An early spin cost Buddy Rice, and he had to settle for ninth in the Spirit of Daytona Coyote-Porsche V8, and John Pew rounded out the top-10 for Shank in the Crown Royal XR Riley-Ford. Dark skies continue to follow Action Express Racing, winners of the 2010 Rolex 24, as Terry Borcheller qualified 11th, and Starworks Motorsports, usually much stronger in time trials, took the final two spots on the grid with Mike Forest in 12th and bill Lester in 13th.

The Rolex GT pole also went to Chevrolet, as Paul Edwards put his Leighton Reese-owned Chevrolet Corvette on top of a 1-2-3 for American Iron. Edwards' lap of 1:21.360 eclipsed the 1:21.565 set by Jan Magnussen in the No. 97 Stevenson Camaro. After making heavy contact in the morning practice session, the Dane rewarded his crew's hard work by earning a front row start. Stevenson's Robin Liddell earned third for the team, followed by the first Mazda, driven by Rolex 24 winner Jonathan Bomarito in fourth. John Edwards put his Mazda in fifth, followed by Eric Curran in the Marsh Racing Corvette in sixth.

The GM onslaught was rounded out by Eric Lux in the LG Motorsports Corvette in seventh, making it five Chevrolets in the top-7. Other notables were Joey Hand in ninth in the Turner Motorsports BMW, Johannes van Overbeek in the JLowe Porsche in 12th, the first of the German cars in the GT class, and Lawson Aschenbach in 13th, driving the Autohaus Camaro after recovering from his own single-car crash this morning.

Chevy's RULE! Check out the vid of GT qualifying.

[MOTV8]

Gurney, Fogarty break Ganassi streak at Millville Racing series GRANDAM Date 2010-07-18 (Millville, NJ) By Pat Jennings - Motorsport.com Alex Gurney passed Scott Pruett with two minutes remaining in Sunday's Rolex Sports Car Series race at New Jersey Motorsports Park to hand Gainsco Bob Stallings Racing its first win of 2010 and break Ganassi Racing's three-race winning streak. After leading 55 of 114 laps on a sweltering day that saw ambient temperatures reach the mid 90s, Pruett appeared to be headed for a fourth consecutive win. However, he was hit by Oswaldo Negri's Ford Riley while negotiating GT traffic near the end of the race. The incident bent one of the front tire rims on Pruett's BMW Riley and left him with a slow tire leak. He had to slow down to make sure the car would make it to the finish without blowing a tire and this allowed Gurney to slip by for the win. Pruett ended up finishing 3.674 seconds behind Gurney. "The Ganassi team always seems to do everything right, so it's really tough to beat those guys," said Gurney. "The last 10 laps I liked it because was Scott was getting into GT traffic. So I thought with some luck I would have a shot at him. He had really good pace the whole time. I thought he had an edge on us. So it was lucky for us . . . that he had a flat (tire). We will take it. We've thrown away a few. So it feels really good to finally put one on the board in 2010." In addition to being the team's first win of the season, the victory also prevented Pruett and his teammate Memo Rojas from tying the record for most Daytona Prototype wins in a single season, which, coincidentally, is held by the Gainsco team. "I don't know if Oz was hot or just not paying attention," explained Pruett. "But he was down quite a ways. We came up the inside of him and he got into the side of us. We were able to hold on for second but a disappointing day without question." Pruett and Rojas have a 19-point lead over Dalziel in the Daytona Prototype drivers' championship with three races remaining. Max Angelelli and Ricky Taylor ended up third in the SunTrust Racing Ford Dallara. The AIM Autosport Ford Riley and the Starworks Motorsport BMW Riley rounded out the top-five in the Daytona Prototype class. "It's about time," said Angelelli, referring to his first podium finish since Watkins Glen in June. "Finally we are back. And we like to finish the championship on a high note with some more wins." SpeedSource Mazda RX-8's swept the top-three spots in the GT class, with Jonathan Bomarito and Sylvain Tremblay finished .170 seconds ahead of John Edwards and Adam Christodoulou to take the win. Jeff Segal and Emil Assentato finished third. "We weren't the fastest car out there," said Bomarito. "We just had a really good car in the race, managed our tires and had good pit strategy." Christodoulou ran into Scott Russell's Banner Racing Corvette for the third time this year and Russell confronted the Englishman in the pits near the end of the race. "He came up to me afterward and spoke his mind," explained Christodoulou after the race. "I think we need to sort it out. No one wants to cause any damage or break anything. As long as the next three races are clear, everything should be okay." The next Rolex Series race is Saturday evening, August 7 at Watkins Glen.

[Desertdawg]

Sheesh, one little nap in the middle of the race and all the chevy's are no longer leading... or What the hell did I miss???