Ferrari Rides Momentum To TUDOR Championship GTLM Pole At VIR, Kaffer Becomes Ninth Different Pole Winner In Nine Races

Ferrari Rides Momentum To TUDOR Championship GTLM Pole At VIR,

Kaffer Becomes Ninth Different Pole Winner In Nine Races

TRG-AMR Recovers From Road America Incident For Second Consecutive GTD TOTAL Pole Award

DANVILLE, Va. (August 23, 2014) – Riding a wave of momentum that began by winning the pole position at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the GT Le Mans (GTLM) race in the most recent TUDOR United SportsCar Championship round at Road America, Ferrari and Risi Competizione earned the pole position for Sunday’s Oak Tree Grand Prix at Virginia International Raceway.

Pierre Kaffer became the ninth different pole winner in nine races this season, lapping the 3.27-mile circuit in one minute, 43.797 seconds (113.414 mph) in the No. 62 Ferrari F458 Italia. Teammate Giancarlo Fisichella took the top GTLM starting spot at Indianapolis.

The Risi Competizione team recovered from an incident in morning practice to earn the top spot in the 15-minute session. The car was damaged less than three hours before qualifying when Fisichella made contact after going off in Turn 11. The team replaced or repaired the driver’s door, front fender, splitter, radiator and undertray to have the car ready for qualifying.

“It’s not so easy to just step in the car, like at a track here at VIR, where it is important to drive really on the right line,” said Kaffer. “The guys did a fantastic job after this morning’s incident, and this was one of the best cars I’ve ever had.”

Bill Auberlen seemed poised to earn his first pole of the season in BMW Team RLL’s No. 55 Crowne Plaza BMW Z4 GTE with a lap of 1:44.053 (113.135 mph) before Kaffer jumped to the top of the leaderboard with four minutes remaining in the session. Kaffer bettered that time on his next lap to grab the pole by 0.256 seconds. Marc Goossens qualified third in the No. 93 SRT Motorsports Dodge Viper SRT GTS-R co-driven by Kuno Wittmer with a lap of 1:44.072 (113.114 mph).

Following a morning practice accident during which the points-leading No. 3 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C7.R driven by Jan Magnussen sustained heavy damage, the team repaired the car and Antonio Garcia got behind the wheel to qualify sixth. That incident also caused heavy damage to the No. 911 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR and sent driver Richard Lietz to an area hospital. Lietz was treated for a fractured arm and released from the hospital.

“What we witnessed today in the two hours and 20 minutes from when the Corvette Racing team got back a car that seemed unraceable to bringing it out for qualifying, and turn laps consistent with those that qualified on top, is one of the most amazing and proud moments I can remember,” said Corvette Racing Program Manager Doug Fehan, “There are moments in life that make you immensely proud. These guys are simply unbelievable.”

DAVISON CAPTURES SECOND CONSECUTIVE TOTAL POLE AWARD IN GTD

James Davison snared his second consecutive TOTAL Pole Award in GT Daytona (GTD) qualifying, running a lap of 1:47.660 (109.344 mph) in the No. 007 TRG-AMR Aston Martin Vantage.

Now, the 27-year-old Australian is looking forward to starting Sunday’s Oak Tree Grand Prix out front.

Although he won the pole for the most recent event at Road America, his car was badly damaged in the warm-up session on the morning of that race. That forced him to miss the event and sent his crew scrambling to get the car ready for VIR.

“We went through hell and back after last weekend,” said Davison, who now shares the class lead in poles with Spencer Pumpelly with two each. “We’ve been working non-stop, and we even missed the first practice yesterday. The team really did a great job and we finally got out halfway through yesterday’s second practice. I feel comfortable with the way it’s setup. It’s nice to win the pole, but it’s more important to have a good day tomorrow.”

Leh Keen qualified second with a lap of 1:47.957 (109.043 mph) in Alex Job Racing’s No. 22 WeatherTech Porsche 911 GT America.

“We’re a little concerned, because the pole car put a ton of time on the field (.297 seconds),” Keen said. “But we’re really happy with qualifying. We’ve had a bunch of front-row starts this year, and a key point in the championship will be continuing to stay near the front of the field.”

Different manufacturers took the top four positions. Dane Cameron was third with a lap of 1:48.043 (108.957 mph) in the No. 94 Turner Motorsport BMW Z4 co-driven by Markus Palttala.

The two-hour, 45-minute Oak Tree Grand Prix GTLM/GTD event begins Sunday at 4:05 p.m. (live, FOX Sports 1).

Contact:

Nate Siebens

Senior Manager, IMSA Communications

(386) 310-6568

nsiebens

imsa-vir-gt-qual.pdf

Matt Cleary
Sunday Group Management
media

@sundaygroup
317.908.2975 (m)
www.sundaymanagement.com

For additional information: www.sundaymanagement.com, www.facebook.com/sundaygroup, www.twitter.com/Sundaygroup

IMSA News And Notes: Virginia International Raceway

Please see attached News And Notes, below is a text-only version.

TUDOR UNITED SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP
The Race: Oak Tree Grand Prix

The Place: Virginia International Raceway

The Date: Sunday, Aug. 24
The Track: 3.27-mile, 17-turn road course
Qualifying (IMSA.com) – Saturday: PC – 10:50 a.m., GTLM/GTD – 12:30 p.m. (ET)
Races:

Saturday: PC/Lites #1 – 5:15 p.m. (IMSA.com)
Sunday: PC/Lites #2 – 10:45 a.m. (IMSA.com)
Sunday: GTLM/GTD – Sunday: 4 p.m. ET (FOX Sports 1, live)

CONTINENTAL TIRE SPORTSCAR CHALLENGE

The Race: Oak Tree Grand Prix

The Place: Virginia International Raceway

The Date: Sunday, Aug. 24
The Track: 3.27-mile, 17-turn road course
The Race Length: Two hours, 30 minutes
Race (IMSA.com) – Saturday, 2:05 p.m. (ET) – LIVE
Race (FOX Sports 1) – Aug. 31, 10 a.m. (ET)

Oak Tree Grand Prix Spotlights GT Classes

Virginia International Raceway returns to its heritage of IMSA GT racing with this weekend’s Oak Tree Grand Prix. The two-hour, 45-minute race on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET (live, FOX Sports 1) will showcase the GT Le Mans (GTLM) and GT Daytona (GTD) classes of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.
VIR hosted the debut event for the IMSA GT Series in 1971, and returned the following year with the IMSA Camel GT Series. Hall of Famers Hurley Haywood and Peter Gregg won both events in Porsches.
Fittingly, VIR will host the first standalone race for GT classes in the TUDOR Championship, the result of the merger between the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón (which raced at VIR from 2012-13) and the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series (which competed at the circuit from 2002-2011).
Recognized as the world’s premier GT class, GTLM typically features 10 factory-backed sports cars from Porsche, Ferrari, Corvette, Dodge Viper SRT and BMW practicing and qualifying within one-tenth of a second. GTD features Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin, BMW, Audi and Dodge Viper SRT.
The weekend also includes two 45-minute races for the TUDOR Championship Prototype Challenge (PC) class, set for 5:15 p.m. on Saturday and 10:45 a.m. on Sunday. The sprints will include the IMSA Cooper Tires Prototype Lites powered by Mazda, and will recognize the top finishers from both individual segments in addition to overall winners.

Overall Win An Added Incentive For GTLM Competitors

GTLM drivers in Sunday’s Oak Tree Grand Prix have an added incentive. In addition to chasing a class victory in the highly competitive class, they will also be racing for an overall triumph for the first time this season.
“It will be quite a new feeling to race for overall victory at VIR this weekend, but of course it’s something we are all looking forward to,” said Giancarlo Fisichella, GTLM winner at the most recent race at Road America in the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia. “We don’t get this opportunity very often. It’s still going to be very competitive in GTLM and there are 19 GTD cars which could help us…or not.”
Bill Auberlen took an overall victory at VIR in a six-hour Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race in 2007, in addition to taking three Rolex Series GT class victories at the circuit.
“It’s great to be able to race for the overall win,” Auberlen said. “I’m always motivated, but running as the lead class means there will be a little less traffic and a little more glory. When you win this race, all eyes are on you. It’s real exciting, and it’s great to be able to do it at VIR. It’s one of the most fun tracks we race on, and I love going there.”
While Bryan Sellers is looking forward to going for the overall victory, the driver of the No. 17 Team Falken Tire Porsche 911 RSR feels winning the class is an incentive in itself.
“In today’s racing all the classes have so much competition that a win for us is just as valuable as an overall win,” Sellers said. “It will be different to race as the fastest class and to see how that affects strategy and how the race plays out. When you are racing for the overall victory it changes how you must ‘race’ the race. It will be fun to see only a GT race and to see how it is received by the fans.”

Tech Corner: Track Walks Provide Key Insight Into Mastering A Circuit

Auto racing has been a dynamic force throughout the years, regularly changing rules, regulations, pace and form. As the sport progresses, the competitors constantly have to update their driving styles to keep pace.
Arguably, though, the most important part of driver development involves mastering a discipline that takes place outside of the car, one that has been in place since the sport began: the track walk.
Before any practice sessions take place during a race weekend, time is set aside for the drivers and teams to walk the course. The track walk serves two purposes. The first is to provide a first on-track glimpse for drivers who are new to the facility before they head out in a car. The second, more important purpose is to allow the drivers to analyze the track.
Touring a track by vehicle is beneficial, but inspecting the track surface on foot is crucial. The texture of a track can provide a driver insight as to how much grip it will provide. Certain contours of a track, which could appear as a surprise in a car, will be easily spotted on foot. Every bump and crack, every off-camber corner, every subtle elevation change will be seen.
Each track is different in both layout and environment. This weekend, competitors will compete on a completely repaved – and partially widened – layout at VIR. Sand will blow onto the course at Laguna Seca. The sun will beat down on certain corners at Road America while others are protected by foliage. A constant, stiff breeze will blow down the backstretch at Sebring. All of these factors will come into play once the cars take the course, and a driver needs to be as prepared for them as possible.
A track walk is essential even for a driver who has been to the course on prior occasions. Track surfaces can naturally develop minor changes over time due to weathering and usage. If repairs or improvements were made to a section of the track, it might drive completely differently than before. The ambient airflow through a corner will be easily detected while on foot, and can be different if the landscape has changed since the last race.
To quickly navigate a course, a professional racing driver simply needs to have practice in the seat of the car he will be driving. To master a course, to push the car to its limits, to best every competitor and win championships, a driver needs to truly know the course, one step at a time.

VIR Improvements Include Widened Circuit, Paved Paddock

Virginia International Raceway went a long way to level the playing field for this weekend’s Oak Tree Grand Prix.
While the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series raced at the Danville, Va., circuit from 2002 through 2011, and the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón competed there in 2012 and 2013, the 3.27-mile circuit was completed repaved and partially widened since last year’s race – among an extensive improvements program.
Circuit officials took care to retain the original racing line of the 3.27-mile circuit that opened in 1971, widening the circuit by six feet at several locations to allow more passing opportunities.
“I loved the way the track was before, but now it’s even better,” said Patrick Long, driver of the No. 912 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR and a DP winner at the circuit in 2006. “In the past there were a few sections that were a little too narrow for side-by-side battles. Now, they’ve widened the track in certain sections and changed the curb layout. I think it’s going to bring a whole new flow to the track.”
Tommy Milner, the lone Virginia driver in the TUDOR Championship, is looking forward to experiences the repaved track.
“They’ve made a bunch of changes this year to a number of places,” said Milner, who co-drives the No. 4 Corvette Racing Corvette C7.R with Oliver Gavin. “They’ve repaved the surface and have added some runoff curbing and some room for runoff in some important corners. It was always a challenge there to be on the right line or you risked having some big moments. I don’t think they’ve taken any of the challenge away; they’ve made it a little nicer for us on the track for us drivers with multiple classes where you need that extra six inches of road to keep close to your competitors. I’m excited to see how that works.”

GTD Points Race Tightens, MacNeil And Keen Take Momentum To VIR

Cooper MacNeil and Leh Keen finished second in the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase two weeks ago at Road America, tightening up the GT Daytona (GTD) points race with only three races remaining.
It was the fifth top-five finish for the drivers of Alex Job Racing’s No. 22 WeatherTech Porsche 911 GT America, who now trail season-long leaders Townsend Bell and Bill Sweedler in the No. 555 AIM Autosport Ferrari 458 Italia by three points, 220-217.
Keen and MacNeil won the GTC class in the inaugural ALMS race at VIR in 2012, while MacNeil and Jeroen Bleekemolen finished second in GTC in last year’s event, running both times in the WeatherTech Porsche.
“Our championship situation is really exciting leading up to the last couple of races,” Keen said. “With just three races left and three points out, we are in a good position. We come to VIR with a lot of momentum from Road America. Cooper and I won there in 2012 and he was on the podium last year. VIR has just repaved the entire track and made it wider so everyone is excited to get there and go faster.”
GTD is more than a two-car race. Co-driving with Markus Palttala, Dane Cameron is coming off his third victory of the season in the No. 94 Turner Motorsport BMW Z4, and is now only 12 points behind the leaders with 208 points.

Prototype Challenge Event Spotlights Starting Drivers In Unique Two-Race Format

The starting drivers will be in the spotlight in the Prototype Challenge (PC) race this weekend at Virginia International Raceway. The class will run a pair of 45-minute sprints for the second time this season – although the procedures will be modified from the rules used for the race at Kansas Speedway.
Back in June, each team’s bronze– or silver-rated (amateur) driver qualified and raced in the opening 45-minute sprint. That race set the field for the second 45-minute heat that determined the official order of finish.
For VIR, the bronze or silver driver qualifies on Saturday at 11:15 a.m. ET, and then starts the opening round that evening at 5:15 p.m. Points will awarded for each position in the opening race, as well as podium ceremonies.
The team has the option of running the starting driver or a gold– or platinum-rated (pro) driver for the second round at 10:45 a.m. on Sunday. Points from both races will be combined, which will determine the official order of finish and the official points allocation. Ties will be broken by the best result from the first race.
“It’s going to be an improvement the format from Kansas,” said Duncan Ende, who will start RSR Racing’s No. 08 Linospresso USA ORECA FLM09 co-driven by Bruno Junqueira. “Where the starting driver finished at Kansas had little influence on the final result. As long as you finished on the lead lap, you were still on the lead lap for the second race. This format will be interesting. I think VIR will be a better showcase for our cars – it’s one of the best places to go racing in this country.”

TUDOR Championship, Etc.
Corvette Racing won the GT class in the inaugural ALMS race at VIR in 2012, with Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner winning in the No. 4 Corvette C6.R.
The pair return this weekend in the new No. 4 Corvette C7.R. While still seeking their first victory of 2014, teammates Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen rolled off four straight triumphs earlier this year in the No. 3 Corvette C7.R.
“The track itself is different from anywhere else we go,” Magnussen said. “It’s very interesting and very old school. To me, it’s incredible driving there and a very huge challenge. It’s a technical race track and super quick. The Corvette does well there because in the past – and we still do – because the car performs well with good mechanical grip and with aero.”
After missing two races, Alex Tagliani is set to make his TUDOR Championship return when he joins Chris Cumming in RSR Racing’s No. 08 AutomaxUSA ORECA FLM09.
Jack Hawksworth filled in for both races, winning at Indianapolis and finishing fourth at Road America.
Veteran Tony Ave will sub for Jeroen Bleekemolen this weekend in the No. 33 Viper Exchange Dodge Viper SRT GT3-R. Ave won Trans-Am championships in 2010 and 2011. Bleekemolen, who joined Ben Keating in giving the team its first GTD victory at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, will be racing in Europe.

Continental Tire Challenge Has Long History At VIR

Virginia International Raceway welcomes back the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge this weekend, with a two-hour, 30-minute race beginning at 2:15 p.m. ET on Saturday.
While the Continental Tire Challenge has not competed at the circuit since 2011, this will mark the 14th race for the series at the historic 3.27-mile circuit. The Continental Tire Challenge competed at VIR in its 2001 inaugural season, and raced there twice in 2002 and 2006. The series held an annual season-ending six-hour event at VIR from 2005 through 2009.
Eric Curran is the leading Continental Tire Challenge winner at VIR with four victories. The winner of the most recent race at Road America, Curran will be joined this weekend by TUDOR Championship Prototype contender Jordan Taylor in the No. 01 CKS Autosport Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R.

VIR To Play Key Role In GS, ST Championship Battles

With only three races remaining in 2014 Continental Tire Challenge competition, Saturday’s race at Virginia International Raceway could play a key role in determining the champions in both the Grand Sport (GS) and Street Tuner (ST) championships.
Trent Hindman enters the race with an 11-point lead over Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell in GS (242-231). Hindman and John Edwards are coming off a fourth-place finish at Road America in the No. 46 Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3, while Davis and Liddell – three-time winners this season – finished second in the No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R.
Wayne Nonnamaker took over the ST lead on the strength of four runner-up finishes in the last five races in the No. 42 Team Sahlen’s Porsche Cayman he co-drives with his brother Will. Former leader Eric Foss switched to a Porsche Cayman, finishing 13th at Road America with Jeff Mosing in the No. 56 Murillo Racing entry. Nonnamaker now leads Foss by eight points, 232-244, with Tyler Cooke and Greg Liefooghe – drivers of the No. 81 BimmerWorld BMW 328i – in striking distance with 214 points. Defending ST champs Terry Borcheller and Mike LaMarra won their first race of the year at Road America in the No. 23 Burton Racing BMW 128i and 23 points behind Nonnamaker with 209 points.

Staff Sgt. Dwyer Returns To Freedom Autosport Lineup

In his last outing in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, USMC Staff Sgt. Liam Dwyer celebrated Memorial Day weekend by joining Tom Long in winning the ST class at Lime Rock Park.
Dwyer returns this weekend in the No. 27 Freedom Autosport Mazda MX-5, co-driving with Randy Pobst in his third and final scheduled appearance of the season. Pobst won two races earlier this season at Sebring and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca co-driving the team’s No. 26 Mazda MX-5 with Andrew Carbonell, who will be paired with Long this week.
Dwyer lost his mobility, but not his dreams, when he stepped on an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) and lost his left leg in Afghanistan in 2011. He uses a prosthetic leg to operate the clutch, needing no modifications to the race car. Dwyer began racing at an amateur level shortly after being wounded in Iraq in 2007. He made his professional debut earlier this year with Freedom Autosport at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif.

IMSA Contact:

Nate Siebens
386.216.9884
nsiebens

VIR Contact:

Lindsay Priester
919.802.4304
lindsay

VIR News-Notes.pdf

Matt Cleary
Sunday Group Management
media

@sundaygroup
317.908.2975 (m)
www.sundaymanagement.com

For additional information: www.sundaymanagement.com, www.facebook.com/sundaygroup, www.twitter.com/Sundaygroup

Verizon IndyCar Series Championship Battle Heads to Sonoma Raceway

Begin forwarded message:

From: Diana Brennan <DBrennan>

Subject: Verizon IndyCar Series Championship Battle Heads to Sonoma Raceway

Date: August 18, 2014 at 2:42:56 PM EDT

To: Diana Brennan <DBrennan>

Cc: Jessica Schaffer <JSchaffer>, Laurence Lea <LLea>

Verizon IndyCar Series Championship Battle Heads to Sonoma Raceway GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma This Weekend SONOMA, Calif. (Aug. 18, 2014) – The Verizon IndyCar® Series returns to Sonoma Raceway for the 10thconsecutive year this weekend for the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma, Aug. 22-24. The event marks the penultimate race on the series’ 2014 schedule, and will play a key role in the championship battle. Six drivers remain mathematically eligible to win the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series title, as the series heads to its final road-course event of the year. Team Penske’s Will Power claimed a dominating win at the Milwaukee Mile last weekend and heads to Sonoma Raceway with a 39-point lead over teammate Helio Castroneves in the point standings (602 to 563). Power earned the points lead by virtue of three race wins, three poles and eight top-five finishes, while Castroneves has one win (Detroit) and two pole positions. Simon Pagenaud (Schmidt Peterson Motorsports) sits third with two victories. Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay, currently fourth in points, has three wins so far this season. Juan Pablo Montoya (Team Penske) and Scott Dixon (Target Chip Ganassi Racing) have earned one victory apiece and sit fifth and sixth in points, respectively. Power, Castroneves and Dixon have each tasted victory at Sonoma Raceway, with Team Penske posting five of the last six race wins in wine country. Power has the most wins of any driver in Sonoma with three (2013, ’11 and ’10), while Montoya took the checkers in Sonoma during his rookie year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2007. “I think you have to turn up to every track, doesn’t matter what it is, and know that you have a chance to win,” said Power after his Milwaukee victory. “I just think that’s how you become a champion. I’m very determined for that to happen this year.” Team Penske has won 12 Indy car championships, but the last was in 2006 with Sam Hornish Jr. Power was the championship runner-up in 2010, ’11 and 12. Castroneves finished second in 2013. “The ultimate goal is for (team owner) Roger (Penske) to win one,” Power said. “We’ve just let too many get away. Too many times second, so we’ve got to keep that in mind.” With only two races left in the battle for the Verizon IndyCar Series championship, every lap on the 12-turn, 2.38-mile Sonoma Raceway road course is sure to impact the points chance. For more information or to purchase tickets for this weekend’s GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma, visitwww.racesonoma.com/indycar or call 800-870-RACE. ### GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma WHEN: Aug. 22-24 CIRCUIT: 12-turn, 2.38-mile road course 2013 POLE WINNER: Dario Franchitti (Target Chip Ganassi Racing) 2013 WINNER: Will Power (Team Penske) INFORMATION: 800-870-RACE (7223),racesonoma.com/indycar, ticketmaster.com

2014 Major Events Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival May 17-18 Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Weekend June 20-22 NHRA Division 7 drag races, presented by Korbel July 18-20 NHRA Sonoma Nationals July 25-27 GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma Aug. 22-24 Classic Sports Racing Group Charity Challenge Oct. 4-5

Ferrari F458 Italia Wins First TUDOR Championship Race In GTLM Class, Fisichella, Kaffer Co-Drive To Victory At Road America

Please see attached press release, below is a text-only version.

Ferrari F458 Italia Wins First TUDOR Championship Race In GTLM Class,

Fisichella, Kaffer Co-Drive To Victory At Road America

· Turner Motorsport BMW Z4 Claims Top Spot In GTD

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (Aug. 10, 2014) – One race after Giancarlo Fisichella picked up the first TUDOR United SportsCar Championship pole for the Ferrari F458 Italia in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class, his co-driver Pierre Kaffer survived a pair of restarts to give Risi Competizione its first TUDOR Championship win in the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase at Road America.

It was the first visit to Victory Lane in the TUDOR Championship for Fisichella and Kaffer after scoring podiums at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and Indianapolis. It certainly wasn’t easy, however, with Kaffer going head-to-head with the No. 56 BMW Team RLL BMW Z4 of Dirk Mueller throughout the final 20 minutes.

On the first of two late-race restarts with 20 minutes remaining, Mueller briefly got alongside the No. 62 Ferrari before Kaffer was able to inch away. Mueller had one last shot on a final restart with 11 minutes remaining, but Kaffer was able to beat the BMW Z4 to the stripe by 1.588 seconds. Mueller and co-driver John Edwards settled for second, the fifth podium finish in eight GTLM races for BMW Team RLL this season.

“It’s great for the team and especially the 60th Anniversary of Ferrari,” said Fisichella, whose stellar season includes a win in GTE Pro at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. “I was fifth when we pitted, the guys did a fantastic job. We were able to come out in first. That was the key to the race. Pierre was able to keep the same position to the end of the race.”

With the lead out of site in the final few laps, Mueller went into defense mode in a tight battle with Jonathan Bomarito. The two raced side-by-side for several turns with Bomarito settling for third in the No. 93 SRT Motorsports Dodge Viper SRT GTS-R started by Kuno Wittmer.

With the podium finish, Bomarito and Wittmer unofficially close to within eight points of the championship-leading No. 3 Corvette Racing Corvette C7.R shared by Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen in the GTLM standings.

The next race for the GTLM class will be the Oak Tree Grand Prix at Virginia International Raceway on Sunday, Aug. 24 at 4:05 p.m. ET (FOX Sports 1, live)

BMW Z4 GETS THIRD WIN OF SEASON WITH CAMERON, PALTTALA
The No. 94 Turner Motorsport BMW Z4 of Markus Palttala and Dane Cameron inherited the GT Daytona (GTD) pole position for Sunday’s Continental Tire Road Race Showcase when the pole-winning No. 007 TRG-AMR Aston Martin Vantage suffered an incident in a morning warm-up session.

Determined to make up for a 15th-place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Palttala and Cameron took advantage of the situation, combining to win their third race of the season.

“We want to be on the pole because we are quickest, but this time we were a bit lucky,” said Palttala, who started the BMW Z4. “I got away first and pulled a one or two second gap. We are down on power with straight-line speed and it was always tight so it took a little bit of juggling, but it also took a little bit of everything.”

It’s been an up-and-down season for the Turner Motorsport duo. The team has a class-leading three victories, but a pair of finishes outside of the top-15 relegated the team to seventh in points heading into Road America.

“We thought we’d come in here and do some damage control,” said Cameron. “It might have looked easy because we were up front for most of the day, but we were under fire. We tried to maintain some sort of space and keep the Porsches behind us. It was unfortunate what happened to the Aston (Martin) this morning. We could have had some fun with them today.”

Leh Keen had a couple of opportunities on late-race restarts to get by Cameron, but the No. 22 WeatherTech Porsche 911 GT America started by Cooper MacNeil settled for second, 2.169 seconds back. Rounding out the top three was the No. 58 Discount Tire/Universal Industrial Services Porsche 911 GT America of Madison Snow and Jan Heylen.

The GTD class returns to the track for the Oak Tree Grand Prix at Virginia International Raceway in a GTLM/GTD race on Sunday, Aug. 24 at 4:05 p.m. ET (FOX Sports 1, live)

Contact:

Nate Siebens

Senior Manager, IMSA Communications

(386) 310-6568

nsiebens

imsa-tudor-roadam-g-rls.pdf

Matt Cleary
Sunday Group Management
media

@sundaygroup
317.908.2975 (m)
www.sundaymanagement.com

For additional information: www.sundaymanagement.com, www.facebook.com/sundaygroup, www.twitter.com/Sundaygroup

Corvette DP of Barbosa, Fittipaldi Prevail In Wild Road America Race, Extend TUDOR Championship Points Lead With Third Victory

Please see attached press release, below is a text-only version.

Corvette DP of Barbosa, Fittipaldi Prevail In Wild Road America Race,

Extend TUDOR Championship Points Lead With Third Victory

· Van Der Zande, Schultis Take Second PC Win For Starworks Motorsport

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (August 10, 2014) – Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi prevailed in Sunday’s
Continental Tire Road Race Showcase at Road America. The drivers of the No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP recovered from an early spin and brake problems, dodged six cautions and made a timely pit stop to score their third TUDOR United SportsCar Championship victory of the season – padding their lead in the Prototype point standings in the process.

Barbosa took the checkered flag 2.240 seconds ahead of Ozz Negri, who had his best finish of the season in the No. 60 Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian Ford EcoBoost/Riley started by John Pew. Scott Sharp and Ryan Dalziel completed the podium in the No. 1 Extreme Speed Motorsports TequilaPatrón HPD ARX-03b/Honda.

Fittipaldi spun while leading early in the race after contact with Ricky Taylor, driving the No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette DP. Fittipaldi pitted under caution on lap 22, turning the car over to Barbosa, with most of the leading teams using that stop to change drivers.

“It was a pretty wild race, but we can’t be happier,” Fittipaldi said. “At one point during my stint, I thought it was all over. I was having huge brake problems. But we managed to fix it on our first stop, and we had a solid car the rest of the race.”

The turning point of the race came on lap 38, when the Action Express team pitted under caution while a number of contenders elected to stay out. That allowed the three eventual podium finishers to maintain their track position while the remaining contenders pitted during a later caution with 45 minutes remaining, effectively splitting the Prototype field.

Jordan Taylor was leading the race in the car started by his brother Ricky when the fifth caution waved for an incident involving Olivier Pla in the No. 42 OAK Racing Morgan/Nissan in Turn 3.

Before the caution ended, Taylor hit a barrier in Turn 9, and his race was ended with a steering failure. That incident extended the caution. When racing resumed with 20 minutes remaining, the cars that pitted were mired in traffic with Prototype Challenge (PC) and GT Le Mans (GTLM) cars, with not enough time remaining to get back into contention. Barbosa led the remainder of the race, while Negri managed to pass Dalziel on the final restart to take second.

“The car was really perfect today,” Barbosa said. “The team did unbelievable strategy. We pitted at just the right time, and the last few yellows really made us good to go all the way to the end. I didn’t have to worry about conserving fuel – I could push as hard as I could. I think we would have been good to go regardless, but the extended caution really helped us.”

Entering the race with a two-point lead, Action Express Racing unofficially increased its lead to 16 points over the Taylors with two Prototype races remaining, withVisitFlorida.com Racing co-drivers Richard Westbrook and Michael Valiante another two points back after a fourth-place finish.

VAN DER ZANDE, SCHULTIS TAKE SECOND PC VICTORY FOR STARWORKS

Renger van der Zande held off Sean Rayhall by 0.415 seconds to give the No. 8 Starworks Motorsport Martini ORECA FLM09 its second Prototype Challenge (PC) victory of the season.

Mirco Schultis started the winning car, which ran in contention throughout the race while problems eliminated many of their top contenders. Van der Zande took the lead on his second and final pit stop, fighting off Rayhall throughout the stretch run to back up the team’s earlier victory at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

“I went in third and came out with the lead on my final pit stop,” van der Zande said. “The team did an amazing pit stop. From there on, it was all a matter of controlling the race. Every restart was a challenge to stay in front. I don’t think we had the fastest car out there, but we still won.”

Rayhall finished second in the No. 25 8Star Motorsports Takis/Speedsters ORECA FLM09 started by Luis Diaz – matching their best result of the season at Mazda Raceway. Chris Miller and Stephen Simpson rounded out the podium in the No. 85 JDC/Miller Motorsports entry.

Four-time 2014 winners Colin Braun and Jon Bennett were knocked out of contention when Braun was hit from behind while running third in Turn 12, bringing out the fourth of six caution periods. The resulting eighth-place finish saw the drivers of the No. 54 CORE autosport entry’s lead unofficially trimmed from 44 to 35 points (224-189 points), with van der Zande taking over second with three PC races remaining

Both of RSR Racing cars had problems after the team finished 1-2 in the class at Indianapolis. Jack Hawksworth spun in Turn 2 late in the race while running in podium contention in the No. 08 RSR Racing entry started by Chris Cumming, which eventually finished fourth. RSR’s No. 09 entry was eliminated on the third lap, when race leader Duncan Ende was involved in a crash in the car qualified on the PC pole by Bruno Junqueira after contact with a Prototype.

Next up for the TUDOR Championship will be the Oak Tree Grand Prix at Virginia International Raceway for the PC, GT Le Mans (GTLM) and GT Daytona (GTD) classes on Sunday, Aug. 24. The next event for all four classes will be the Lone Star Le Mans at Austin’s Circuit of The Americas on Saturday, Sept. 20.

Contact:

Nate Siebens

Senior Manager, IMSA Communications

(386) 310-6568

nsiebens

imsa-tudor-roadam-p-rls.pdf

Matt Cleary
Sunday Group Management
media

@sundaygroup
317.908.2975 (m)
www.sundaymanagement.com

For additional information: www.sundaymanagement.com, www.facebook.com/sundaygroup, www.twitter.com/Sundaygroup

No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP Team Uses Strategy To Extend Lead In Patrón Endurance Cup Standings With One Race Remaining

No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP Team Uses Strategy To Extend Lead

In Patrón Endurance Cup Standings With One Race Remaining

· Corvette Racing, SRT Motorsports, Porsche North America In GTLM Contention
· GTD, PC Leaders Looking At Clinch Scenarios After Strong Performances At WGI

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA (July 2, 2014) – If you were to poll teams and drivers before the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona about what it would take to win the inaugural Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup you would have heard some common themes: speed, skill, luck.

Through three races and 42 hours of intense TUDOR United SportsCar Championship competition, teams are adding an additional variable to get a leg up in the grueling four-race competition: strategy.

The No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP team did just that in Sunday’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, short-pitting in order to lead at the three-hour segment (earning the maximum five bonus points) in a race that saw the team and its drivers Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi extend their lead to five points, 31-26, over the No. 9 Action Express Racing team and brothers Burt and Brian Frisselle, despite finishing the race in third position.

Scoring the minimum of two points in each of the two segments at Watkins Glen, the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP – six points back – and No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Ford EcoBoost/Riley – seven points back – fell to third and fourth in the Patrón Endurance Cup standings, while the race-winning Spirit of Daytona Racing Corvette DP team moved up to fifth, 31-23.

Chevrolet has finished in the top two in seven of the nine segments to date to lead the manufacturer standings, 38-34, over Ford. The No. 5 Corvette DP won the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona and the Sahlen’s Six Hours, while the No. 01 Ford EcoBoost won the second leg of the Patrón Endurance Cup, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida.

At the season-ending Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda at Road Atlanta on Oct. 4, competitors will earn points at four hours, eight hours and the finish. Points are awarded on a 5-4-3-2 basis with each finisher fourth on back receiving the minimum two points.

Six Teams Separated By Three Points In GTLM

The No. 3 Corvette Racing team and drivers Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen needed to do something at Watkins Glen to recover from early problems in both the Rolex 24 and Twelve Hours of Sebring. They did just that leading both segments in GT Le Mans (GTLM) to move within one point, 28-27, of the team’s No. 4 Corvette C7.R entry.

That entry – driven by Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner – was second at the end of the first segment, taking the Patrón Endurance Cup lead in both the team and driver standings despite earning the minimum two points at the finish. The No. 4 Corvette Racing duo took advantage of struggles from the No. 911 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR team and co-drivers Richard Lietz, Patrick Pilet and Nick Tandy who entered the race with a one-point lead and exited in a tie for second, one point back.

SRT Motorsports’ No. 91 Dodge Viper SRT GTS-R entry is well within striking distance in fourth two points back, 28-26, while the team’s No. 93 entry is tied with Porsche North America’s No. 912 entry in fifth three points back, 28-25.

Porsche maintains a one point lead over Chevrolet in the GTLM manufacturer standings, 36-35, with one race remaining. Porsche dominated the first two Patrón Endurance Cup events winning at both Daytona and Sebring to start the season.

AIM Autosport Ferrari 458 Continues Success In GTD

For the first time this season, the No. 555 AIM Autosport Ferrari 458 Italia team did not lead at the checkered flag in a Patrón Endurance Cup event. Regardless, running third at the end of the first segment and second at the finish, the team and co-drivers Bill Sweedler and Townsend Bell now hold a 14-point lead, 37-23, over the No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT America team and co-drivers Andy Lally and John Potter.

The No. 45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Audi R8 LMS of Nelson Canache Jr. is third, 37-22, but AIM Autosport and its co-drivers can clinch the Patrón Endurance Cup simply by starting the Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda and earning the minimum six points. The maximum number of points a team and driver can earn at Road Atlanta is 15 points.

AIM Autosport’s success has Ferrari at the top of the GTD manufacturer standings, 39-30, over Porsche. Between AIM Autosport and the No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia, a Ferrari has finished in the top two in all but one segment this season.

CORE autosport Stays Perfect In Prototype Challenge

The trio of Colin Braun, Jon Bennett and James Gue has been dominant in the three Patrón Endurance Cup events to date, leading at the finish in all three races and in six of the nine segments. That gives the drivers of the No. 54 CORE autosport ORECA FLM09 and the team a healthy 10-point lead, 38-28, over the No. 25 8Star Motorsports entry and driver Tom Kimber-Smith.

If CORE autosport starts the Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda and scores the minimum six points, they too will clinch the Patrón Endurance Cup. A win, however, would give the team what would amount to as a “grand slam” with victories in the TUDOR Championship’s four endurance races.

Drivers of the four class-winning teams at Watkins Glen earned a limited edition bottle of Gran Patrón Platinum, while the team owners took home a custom Paul Reed Smith guitar.

The Patrón Endurance Cup is worth $100,000 to the winners of the P and GT Le Mans (GTLM) classes, and $50,000 to the Prototype Challenge (PC) and GT Daytona (GTD) teams.

Matt Cleary
Sunday Group Management
media

@sundaygroup
317.908.2975 (m)
www.sundaymanagement.com

For additional information: www.sundaymanagement.com, www.facebook.com/sundaygroup, www.twitter.com/Sundaygroup

Westbrook, Spirit Of Daytona Corvette DP Prevails On Late-Race Restarts, Wins Sahlen’s S ix Hours Of The Glen At Watkins Glen International

Westbrook, Spirit Of Daytona Corvette DP Prevails On Late-Race Restarts,

Wins Sahlen’s Six Hours Of The Glen At Watkins Glen International

· Spirit of Daytona Racing Wins Patrón Endurance Cup Round 3

· CORE autosport Continues Patrón Endurance Cup Success

WATKINS GLEN, NEW YORK (June 29, 2014) – In a six-hour TUDOR United SportsCar Championship race that came down to the wire, Richard Westbrook was in the right place at the right time.

Westbrook drove his No. 90 VISITFLORIDA.COM/GoPro Corvette DP past Alex Brundle in Turn 4 at Watkins Glen International after a late-race caution wiped out Brundle’s sizable lead. He then led the final five laps for a 0.877-second victory in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. The race was the third round in the four-race Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup.

“Richard and my approach for the last couple of races was to keep the car safe and be in a position that would allow us to take a podium or possibly the win,” said Spirit of Daytona co-driver Michael Valiante. “It’s worked for us the last two races.”

The team was coming off a second-place finish in the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic presented by the Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers at the Belle Isle Street Circuit, its first podium of the season.

The win was the fourth for Daytona Beach-based Spirit of Daytona, and the first since Sept. 9, 2012 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. All three of the team’s previous wins came that season.

“It’s a massive relief for us to get a victory,” Westbrook said. “It’s been a bit of a dry spell for us, especially on the back of a successful 2012. We’ll take that win for sure.”

Despite taking a runner-up finish after leading late, Brundle and his No. 42 OAK Racing Morgan/Nissan co-drivers Gustavo Yacaman and Ho-Pin Tung were able to take positives away from their first visit to the historic 3.4-mile track.

“It’s been a tremendous effort from my team and both teammates,” Brundle said. “We made a step forward in pace, understanding the car and understanding the tire. I think we can go away happy but we did kind of snatch defeat from the jaws of victory a little bit.”

Brundle, who started the race from the pole position, grabbed the lead on Lap 170 after Valiante brought the No. 90 to pit road for tires, fuel and a driver change with 48 minutes remaining in the race. An accident between Alex Tagliani and Ian James brought out a full-course caution, giving Westbrook the opportunity to catch Brundle.

Brundle had one last chance to track down Westbrook when Scott Pruett was spun by Renger van der Zande with 10 minutes remaining. Safety officials hurried to ready the race track, and Westbrook prevailed in a one-lap dash to the checkered flag.

Momentum is on the side of OAK Racing, however, having placed on the podium two consecutive races.

“I’m really proud of the team, the guys worked really hard on the car last night,” Yacaman said. “They stayed up until 1 a.m. making some updates to the car and getting it ready for the race.

“Every race we’ve started we’ve been consistent. We keep moving up the ladder on the podium. We really need that win, we’re looking for that win. We’ll keep working, working hard until we can get the win.”

Westbrook and Valiante earned eight points in the Patrón Endurance Cup, matching leaders Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi of Action Express Racing, who led at the race’s halfway point.

Wayne Taylor Racing teammates Ricky Taylor and Jordan Taylor finished fifth, but were able to maintain their TUDOR Championship Prototype lead in the standings.

CORE autosport Win Fourth Race, Extend Lead In Points Standings And Patron Endurance Cup

Colin Braun, Jon Bennett and James Gue displayed the resiliency needed to win a championship, overcoming an early mistake for their fourth victory in five races.

Despite winning the TOTAL Pole Award, the team wasn’t in front of the Prototype Challenge (PC) class until the 40-minute mark in the race. That was short-lived, however, lasting only three laps. From there, the team was in trouble, falling a lap down.

“I was in a pretty good dogfight with some GT Le Mans cars,” Bennett said. “I had some momentum and I popped out to make a pass in the bus stop (chicane). I was between corner worker stations and I realized I was going really fast and everyone else was going really slow. I was hoping no one noticed but they did. So we had a drive-through penalty for that. That got us a little bit behind.”

Braun and Gue were able to make up the difference, with Braun grabbing the lead for good midway through the fourth hour. The victory extends the PC points lead for the No. 54 CORE autosport ORECA FLM09.

“The result we wanted here was getting the win,” Braun said. “It’s really cool to be able to win these and it helps us for our quest for the championship as well. We’re just trying to get better and improve and keep going on for the next one.”

They team has won all three Patrón Endurance Cup events and lead those standings as well.

“It’s quite an honor to have done well in those races that are a part of the Patron Endurance (Cup),” Bennett said. “It’s the most important endurance races in North America this year, and to kind of highlight them and put them on a pedestal of the championship themselves, it’s a testament to doing so well.”

Contact:

First Gear Project Launches Innovative Motorsports Crowdfunding Program

First Gear Project Launches Innovative Motorsports Crowdfunding Program

Watkins Glen, NY (27 June 2014) In motorsports, funding is often the critical bridge between opportunity and execution.

First Gear Project, a crowdfunding platform dedicated to the automotive & motorsports industries, will help build that bridge by establishing a platform to connect opportunity and funding via www.firstgearproject.com.

The site, which recently expanded from a successful beta phase to being open to the public, will foster projects from users that will allow them to establish new racing endeavors, create a new product or creative arts project, or stage a special event. The site will build a community and encourage new ideas and projects as the open marketplace of motorsports ideas meets with the support of the public, friends, family, and sponsors to turn an idea into a reality.

The program has been built to facilitate programs across the spectrum of the sport, from off road racing to karting to drifting to drag racing.

Those seeking to create a project simply visit the site, register, and then create a project on the site with program descriptions, goals, and funding targets. Users set a timetable for the fundraising program and for the project itself. In order to secure the pledged funds, the project must reach 60% of the funding target.

With a financial base built on upon the 20 year success of Vital Enterprises, an Oregon technology firm with revenues approaching $40 million, First Gear Project has been spearheaded by racing driver Guy Cosmo and his wife Louisa.

“The opportunity to partner Vital Enterprises’ vast array of engineering capabilities with Guy Cosmo’s racing and Motorsport industry experience was a great opportunity,” said Ryan Hoppes, President, Vital Enterprises. “Being able to bring a new method of financing to influence further creativity, ability to self advocate, as well as provide personal connections between fan and driver within the Motorsport’s realm will be exciting to witness. We are thrilled to be a part of this shift.”

First Gear Project will give participants the opportunity to influence the future and make a tangible contribution to a favorite driver or team, or even help convert a compelling new product idea into a publicly available product with a built-in support system in the form of the First Gear Project community.

“This is a project of a lifetime for me, because being in the sport for so many years I’ve seen first hand how critical funding is,” said Cosmo. “We have designed First Gear Project to not only be an opportunity for someone to, for example, get a racing film funded or generate support for a driver to move into a new category, but it is also a chance for anyone to play a critical role to help make those ideas a reality. It is also a compelling place for those who aren’t actually participating by building programs or supporting them, because it will be an open marketplace of ideas, all focused on possibilities in motorsport. We are trying to change the industry, and we and our investors believe that this is the best way to do exactly that.”

For additional information, please visit:

www.firstgearproject.com

www.twitter.com/FirstGearProjec

FGPlaunch14.pdf