Insight Racing to Debut at GRAND-AM Continental Sports Car Challenge Opener in Daytona

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Insight Racing to Debut at GRAND-AM Continental Sports Car Challenge
Opener in Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., 26 January – Fittingly at the “World Center of Racing,” Insight Racing makes their debut in the GRAND-AM Continental Sports Car Challenge at Daytona International Speedway. The new squad will field one BMW M3 in the Grand Sport (GS) Class with drivers Martin Jensen and Paul Gerrard, and one BMW 328i in the Street Tuner (ST) Class with drivers Nico Rondet and Tyler McQuarrie. World renowned BMW tuning guru Steve Dinan will engineer both of the team’s cars.

Insight Racing intends to contest the entire 2011 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. Founder and principal Gilbert Lynagh says he is optimistic they will prove to be contenders.

“We have put together a highly talented and experienced group of people to pull this program together and, while we fully expect to face very stiff competition to start, we also expect to become very competitive this season,” says Lynagh. “We’re focused on building a foundation for success.”

Insight Racing has been in development since the middle of 2010. Lynagh, along with co-founder, Chris Dillon, and team manager/principal, Michael Dayton, plan to hit the ground running at the first event of the year. The team recently undertook a successful series of shakedown tests at Thunderhill Raceway in Northern California before heading to Florida.

“We’ve already seen after just one test that the team is gelling quickly,” says Lynagh. “Success won’t come without hard work and commitment but, if we match what has already been shown in putting this team together, then I have no doubt we’ll attain our goals.”

English born Paul Gerrard and Martin Jensen of Denmark take the reigns of the No.19 GS Class M3, which was built by Fall Line Motorsports, the same team that won the series championship in 2010. Both drivers have experience in a broad array of national and international competition, ranging from the fast and fickle open wheel ranks of British Formula 3, to the incredibly competitive Danish Touring Car Championship, with scores of starts in other domestic sports car and single seater series to boot.

The pair co-drove in five races during 2010 at the wheel of an RRT Racing BMW 328i in ST class competition, finishing in the Top-10 on three of those occasions, including a season-best third place at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

“I’m very excited to be a part of Insight Racing. It’s a new team, but a very professional one from the start. They have all the right people, especially the management, and the tools for success,” says Jensen. “The organization has high expectations, which is very motivating for me personally.”

“I’m really looking forward to the 2011 season. Martin Jensen and myself will use what we learned last year, and hopefully, successfully apply it to the top category in our brand new M3,” adds Gerrard.

The ST Class No.18 BMW 328i is piloted by series rookies Nico Rondet of Brazil and American Tyler McQuarrie, who are, by no means, strangers to competition.

Rondet was the 2001 Barber Dodge Pro Series champion and has also raced in Toyota Atlantic and British Formula Ford.

“Not only are we a bunch of true professionals, but we are also a bunch of friends. The chemistry among all the team members is only going to get better and more contagious as the whole team grows,” says Rondet.

American Tyler McQuarrie is one of the top drifters in the country, but before that, he amassed a diverse experience racing everything from Formula Vauxhall in the U.K. to USAC sprint cars and the NASCAR West regional series.

“The team might be new, but the amount of experience runs very deep on all levels at Insight Racing,” McQuarrie keenly emphasizes. “Because of that, I’m even more excited by the potential we have for the 2011 season and beyond.”

The 2011 GRAND-AM Continental Sports Car Challenge gets underway at Daytona International Speedway for the GRAND-AM 200, Friday, January 28 at 1:30 EST. Follow the action live on grand-am.com. Televised coverage airs on SPEED, February 5 at 3:00 PM EST.

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About Insight Racing:

Insight Racing is entering two cars in the 2011 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. The No. 19 Insight Racing BMW M3 will compete in the top “Grand Sport” (GS) class while the No. 18 Insight Racing BMW 328i competes in the “Street Tuner” (ST) class. Both classes race at the same time to make up the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge field. All races are timed duration events lasting 2 hours and 45 minutes. Each driver must take the wheel for a minimum of 30 minutes during the race in order to score points toward the season championship. The team is based in Dulles, Virginia.

About Dinan Engineering:

Founded in 1979, Dinan is well established as North America’s premiere BMW tuner. Dinan develops, manufactures and markets a comprehensive line of high performance products and systems, distributed through a nationwide network of Authorized Dinan BMW Performance Centers that includes select BMW Dealerships and Independent BMW Service/High Performance facilities.

About Grand-Am

GRAND-AM Road Racing, which was founded in 1999, revolutionized major league sports car road racing in North America. As the organization begins its 12th season of competition in 2011, GRAND-AM is universally regarded as one of the world’s most competitive road racing organizations. GRAND-AM is located in Daytona Beach, Fla. on the same corporate campus that is also home to NASCAR, International Speedway Corporation (ISC) and Daytona International Speedway.