Rolex 24 Riley Technologies Targets Ninth Consecutive Rolex 24 Title

Rolex 24 Riley Technologies Targets Ninth Consecutive Rolex 24 Title

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Matt Cleary, Sunday Group Management

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Daytona Beach, Fla. (24 January 2013) – Riley Technologies will seek an unprecedented ninth consecutive Rolex 24 At Daytona victory this weekend as the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series opens the 2013 season with the traditional twice around the clock classic at Daytona International Speedway.

Designs from Riley Technologies have a strong record of success in the 24 stretching back to 1996, and the firm is only bested by Porsche for total wins. Once again, the race has garnered international attention as drivers from the full spectrum of motorsports categories descend on Daytona Beach from all corners of the globe to open the 2013 racing season.

Riley deployed its first DP design in 2004, and had an immediate effect as the Ganassi squad delivered the new design a pole position, with the car driving into Victory Lane in the 2005 edition behind the efforts of the SunTrust Racing team. That breakthrough win has since gone uninterrupted, with the 2012 edition seeing Michael Shank Racing win the 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 with the all-new Riley DPG3 design and taking third with a sister Riley DPG2 entry.

The race has evolved into a flat out sprint event, and the narrow margins of victory underscore the intensity of the competition. Three of the last four races have seen the winner decided by less than 10 seconds. Nearly 50 entries are set to take the green flag for the 51st running of the 24 on Saturday (SPEED, 3:00 PM ET), with Riley Technologies designs set to factor in the final tally when the checkered flag falls on Sunday afternoon.

Riley-based GT Class machines took victory in 2008 and 2010, and will look to add to that count in this year’s race. Will Turner’s squad utilizes a Riley Technologies GT Class design as the platform for the attractive BMW M3 machines.

“Every year, you wonder how the race could get any closer, but every year, the Rolex 24 gets more and more competitive,” said Bill Riley. “The teams are better prepared than ever, and this is an incredible field of drivers. We were happy to win in our debut with the new design last year and there would be nothing better to come back and successfully defend that win this year and we are ready to support all our teams get the best possible result this weekend.”

The 24 Hour will be the second race of the weekend, as the BMW Performance 200 will open the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Challenge season on Friday. The Riley-built Chevrolet Camaro broke through to become a race winner in the category in 2011, and will look to do so again on racing’s biggest stage this weekend.

The 2013 Continental Tire Sports Care Challenge Daytona event will feature four Riley-built Chevrolet Camaros as the No. 00 & 01 CKS Autosport Camaros, the No. 6 Mitchum Motorsports Camaro, and the No. 9 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro will all target a strong finish to start the 2013 GRAND-AM season.

The weekend’s race festivities opened on Wednesday, January 23 with Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge practice. Thursday will feature both CTSCC and Rolex Series practice as well as qualifying sessions for both series. 

The green flag will wave for the GRAND-AM 200 on Friday at 1:45 PM (ET) with the Rolex 24 At Daytona set to begin Saturday at 3:30 PM (ET). SPEED will carry live coverage of the Rolex 24 At Daytona beginning Saturday at 3:30 PM (ET). The BMW Performance 200 will broadcast February 2 at 4:00 PM (ET) on SPEED.

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Riley Technologies 2013 Rolex 24 At Daytona Entry List

No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
BMW/Riley; Telmex, Target
Scott Pruett, Auburn, Calif.
Memo Rojas, Mexico City, Mexico
Juan Pablo Montoya, Miami, Fla.
Charlie Kimball, Indianapolis, IN
Scott Dixon, New Zealand

No. 02 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
BMW/Riley; Telmex Target
Scott Dixon
Dario Franchitti
Joey Hand
Jamie MacMurray
Scott Pruett

No. 2 Starworks Ford/Riley
Ryan Dalziel, Orlando, FL
Alex Popow, Venezuela
Sebastien Bourdais, France
Allan McNish, Scotland

No. 6 Michael Shank Racing
Ford/Riley
Chris Cumming, Vancouver, BC Canada
Michael Valiante, Burnaby, BC Canada
Gustavo Yacaman, Key Biscayne, FL
Jorge Gancalvez, Venezuela

No. 27 BTE Sport
Ford/Riley; DAC Aviation – Pentagon 2000
Emmanuel Anassis, Lasalle, QC Canada
Anthony Massari, Ft Lauderdale, FL
Tonis Kasemets, Mundelein, IL
Doug Peterson, Bonita Springs, FL

No. 42 Team Sahlen
BMW/Riley; Sahlen’s
Simon Pagenaud, France
Dane Cameron, Suwanee, GA
Wayne Nonnamaker, Massillon, OH
Bruno Junqueria, Miami, FL

No. 43 Team Sahlen
BMW/Riley; Sahlen’s
Joe Sahlen, Elma, NY
Tomy Drissi, Los Angeles, CA
Joe Nonnamaker, Massillon, OH
Bruno Junqueria, Miami, FL
Will Nonnamaker, North Canton, OH

No. 50 Highway to Help
BMW/Riley
Carlos de Quesada, Cuba.
Jim Pace, Ridgeland, MS
Byron Defoor, Ooltewah, TN
Frank Beck, Scottsdale, AZ
Ian James, Sunset, SC

No. 60 Michael Shank Racing
Ford/Riley
John Pew, North Palm Beach, FL
Oswaldo Negri Jr, Brazil
AJ Allmendinger, Denver, CO
Justin Wilson, United Kingdom
Marcos Ambrose, Australia

No. 77 Doran Racing
Riley/Dallara
Jim Lowe, Villanova, PA
Jon Bennet, Rock Hill, SC
Colin Braun, Harrisburg, NC
Paul Tracy, Scarborough, ON Canada
David Donohue, Malvem, PA

No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing
Riley/Corvette; GAINSCO Auto Insurance
Jon Fogarty, Bend, OR
Alex Gurney, Irvine, CA
Memo Gidley, Mexico
Darren Law, Phoenix, AZ

No. 93 Turner Motorsport
BMW M3; Turner Motorsport
Michael Marsal, New York, NY
Gunter Schaldach, Aspen, CO
Maxime Martin, Belgium
Andy Priaulx, United Kingdom
Bill Auberlen, Redondo Beach, CA

No. 94 Turner Motorsport
BMW M3; Turner Motorsport
Bill Auberlen, Redondo Beach, CA
Paul Dalla Lana, Toronto, ON Canada
Billy Johnson, Mooresville, NC
Boris Said, Escondido, CA
Maxime Martin, Belgium

CONTINENTAL TIRE SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE
BMW Performance 200

No. 00 CKS Autosport
Camaro GS.R; CareGo/Golden Gate Margarine
Ashley McLamont, Ancaster, ON Canada
Bob Michaelian, Seal Beach, CA

No. 01 CKS Autosport
Camaro GS.R
Eric Curran, Holyoke, MA
Lawson Aschenbach, Gaithersberg, MD

No. 6 Mitchum Motorsports
Camaro GS.R; Sunoco Challenge / Track Pro Advisors
Lawrence Davey, United Kingdom
Mike Skeen, Charlotte, NC

No. 9 Stevenson Motorsports
Camaro GS.R; Stevenson Auto Group
John Edwards, Cincinnati, OH
Matt Bell, Los Altos, CA

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