2014 Corvette Stingray to Pace 97th Indianapolis 500

For Immediate Release: Thursday, May 2, 2013

2014 Corvette Stingray to Pace 97th Indianapolis 500

INDIANAPOLIS – The all-new, seventh-generation 2014 Corvette Stingray will serve as the Indianapolis 500 Pace Car, leading the field to green at the start of the 97th running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” on Sunday, May 26, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
It marks a record 12th time the Corvette has served as the Pace Car, starting in 1978.
“It is an honor to help inaugurate the all-new Corvette Stingray at the hallowed Brickyard and further the legacy between Chevrolet and the Indianapolis 500,” said Jim Campbell, GM vice president of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “The 2014 Corvette Stingray’s performance was influenced by racing, making this prestigious assignment even more fitting.”
Along with Chevrolet’s return in 2012 as an engine supplier, the Corvette Stingray Pace Car extends a legacy at the Brickyard that dates to the racetrack’s early days.
“Chevrolet is a great partner of the Speedway,” said Jeff Belskus, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation president and chief executive officer. “That connection is heightened this year with the next-generation Corvette in front of a very talented field of racers.”
Decked out in Laguna Blue Tintcoat with official Indianapolis 500 graphics on the doors, the Corvette Stingray Pace Car differs from production models with only track-mandated safety features and strobe lights. No powertrain upgrades are required to run in front of the IndyCar pack, thanks to its all-new 6.2L LT1 engine, which features advanced technologies including direct fuel injection, continuously variable valve timing and Active Fuel Management (cylinder deactivation). They help produce an estimated 450 horsepower more efficiently.
The 2014 Corvette Stingray coupe goes on sale this fall, with a convertible model – featuring a fully electronic top that can be operated remotely with the key fob – coming a few months later. Vehicle highlights include:
· An interior that offers genuine carbon fiber and aluminum trim, hand-wrapped leather materials, dual eight-inch configurable driver/infotainment screens, and two new seat choices – each featuring a lightweight magnesium frame for exceptional support
· Advanced driver technologies, including a five-position Drive Mode Selector that tailors 12 vehicle attributes to fit the driver’s environment and a new seven-speed manual transmission with Active Rev Matching that anticipates gear selections and matches engine speed for perfect shifts every time
· Lightweight materials, including a carbon fiber hood and removable carbon fiber roof panel on coupes; composite fenders, doors and rear quarter panels; carbon-nano composite underbody panels and a new aluminum frame help shift weight rearward for an optimal 50/50 weight balance that supports a world-class power-to-weight ratio
· A sculpted exterior featuring advanced high-intensity discharge and light-emitting diode lighting and racing-proven aerodynamics that balance low drag for efficiency and performance elements for improved stability and track capability
· Track-oriented Z51 Performance Package, including an electronic limited-slip differential; dry-sump oiling system; integral brake, differential and transmission cooling; as well as a unique aero package that further improves high-speed stability.
The Corvette Pace Car features the track-capable Z51 package.
Chevrolet and the Indianapolis 500
Chevrolet has a long shared history with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indianapolis 500 and the IZOD IndyCar Series. Chevrolet was founded in 1911, the year of the inaugural 500-mile race, and the Chevrolet brothers – company co-founder Louis, Arthur and Gaston – all competed in early Indy 500 races. Arthur Chevrolet competed in the 1911 race and Gaston Chevrolet won it in 1920.
Chevrolet competed in Indy-style competition as an engine manufacturer in 1986-93 and 2002-05 with V-8 engines, and returned in 2012 with the Chevrolet IndyCar twin-turbo V-6 engine with direct injection. In that time, Chevrolet won 118 IndyCar races, powered seven driver series champions and scored seven Indianapolis 500 victories.
2013 marks the 24th time a Chevrolet has served as the official Pace Car of the Indianapolis 500, more than any other brand, dating to 1948 with a Chevrolet Fleetmaster. Camaro has served in the role seven times and, with this year’s running, Corvette has led the way a record 12 times.
Connect with Team Chevy on social media. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TeamChevy, follow us on Twitter @TeamChevy, and add +TeamChevy into your Google+ circles.

Team Chevy racing photos are available at: http://media.gm.com/product/public/us/en/gmracing/photos.html
About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4.5 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design, and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

GRAND-AM Cooldown Lap: Road Atlanta

GRAND-AM Cooldown Lap: Road Atlanta

Visual Studio Ultimate Grand Prix Of Atlanta

Rolex Sports Car Series

Saturday, April 20, 2013

The Recap

Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas combined to score a dominant victory in Saturday’s Visual Studio Ultimate Grand Prix of Atlanta, the first Rolex Series race at Road Atlanta. Meanwhile, John Edwards not only scored his second consecutive victory in the GT class – he scored a milestone second victory of the day in his Stevenson Auto Group Chevrolet Camaro.

Pruett beat Ryan Dalziel to the checkered flag by 17.781 seconds for his 40th career Daytona Prototype victory and 27th for Rojas. The pair opened the season by winning the Rolex 24 At Daytona, and extended their points lead in their quest for a fourth consecutive DP title in the No. 01 TELMEX BMW/Riley.

Edwards and Robin Liddell combined to win in GT in the No. 57 Stevenson Auto Group Chevrolet Camaro. Edwards won the PricewaterhouseCoopers 250 earlier in the day for the team, as he joined Michael Valiante, Bill Auberlen and Paul Dalla Lana as GRAND-AM’s only drivers to win two races in one day. Auberlen and Dalla Lana have achieved the feat twice, most recently sweeping at Circuit of The Americas this season. Patrick Long and Patrick Lindsey finished second, the best showing for the No. 73 Park Place Motorsports Porsche GT3.

Joel Miller and Andrew Carbonell had a day of firsts in GX in the No. 00 Visit Florida/SpeedSource Mazda 6. In addition to scoring their first Rolex Series victories, the pair brought Mazda and the Skyactiv Diesel to victory for the first time in the new class. David Donohue finished second in the No. 38 BGB Motorsports Porsche, looking to give Dr. Jim Norman his fourth consecutive GX victory.
The Stats

DP 1st: Memo Rojas/Scott Pruett, No. 01 TELMEX BMW/Riley
DP 2nd: Alex Popow/Ryan Dalziel, No. 2 Starworks with Alex Popow Ford/Riley
DP 3rd: Jon Fogarty/Alex Gurney, No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Corvette DP

GT 1st: John Edwards/Robin Liddell, No. 57 Stevenson Auto Group Chevrolet Camaro
GT 2nd: Patrick Lindsey/Patrick Long, No. 73 Park Place Motorsports Porsche GT3

GT 3rd: Jeff Westphal/Alessandro Balzan, No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458

GX 1st: Andrew Carbonell/Joel Miller, No. 00 Visit Florida Racing/SpeedSource Mazda 6
GX 2nd: Jim Norman/David Donohue, No. 38 BGB Motorsports Porsche Cayman
GX 3rd: Tom Long/Sylvain Tremblay, No. 70 Mazdaspeed/SpeedSource Mazda 6
Margin of Victory: 17.781 seconds (DP); 2.506 seconds (GT); one minute 4.898 seconds (GX)

Average Speed: 110 mph (DP); 102.819 mph (GT); 94.521 mph (GX)

Cautions: 1 for 5 laps

The Points (Unofficial)

DP: Memo Rojas/Scott Pruett, 128; Alex Gurney/Jon Fogarty, 121; Max Angelelli/Jordan Taylor, 113; Ryan Dalziel/Alex Popow, 111; Ricky Taylor/Richard Westbrook, 102.
GT: Alessandro Balzan, 110; Andy Lally/John Potter, 109; Robin Liddell/John Edwards, 102; Emil Assentato/Anthony Lazzaro, and Paul Dalla Lana, 101; Patrick Lindsey/Patrick Long, 99.
GX: Jim Norman, 173; Sylvain Tremblay/Tom Long, 120; Joel Miller, 90.

Noteworthy

Ø Brumos Racing competed in its final scheduled GT race of 2013. Brumos is the only team to have competed in every Rolex Series race since joining the series in the 2003 Rolex 24 At Daytona. Brumos was the DP winner of the 2009 Rolex 24, and won the 2011 GT title when it joined the class with drivers Leh Keen and Andrew Davis. The team’s future plans are yet to be determined.

Ø Steady rain Friday afternoon forced cancellation of qualifying, setting the lineup for the Visual Studio Ultimate Grand Prix by the point standings. Jon Fogarty took a two-race TOTAL Pole Award streak into the event.

Ø Enzo Potolicchio sat out the event, pairing Stephane Sarrazin with Pedro Lamy in the No. 3 8Star Motorsports Corvette DP. Potolicchio will return to the series with a new Daytona Prototype at Mid-Ohio in June, where he will co-drive with three-time 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner Tom Kimber-Smith. The team will then campaign two Corvette DPs for the remainder of the season.

Ø Josh Hurley and Aaron Povoledo ran for the first time in the Rolex Series. The two long-time competitors in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge ST class co-drove the No. 18 Porsche GT3 for Muehlner Motorsports in a deal that came together at midnight on Wednesday.

Ø GRAND-AM added the position of driver steward to its race control team for the event, giving a driver’s view of incidents being reviewed during the event. Racing great Elliott Forbes-Robinson served in that capacity at Road Atlanta. EFR won the inaugural ALMS championship in 1999 with co-driver Butch Leitzinger, and was a two-time overall winner of the Rolex 24 At Daytona. He won the SRP class in the first GRAND-AM race, the 2000 Rolex 24.

The Numbers:

Ø 11 – DP lead changes among nine drivers in five cars
Ø 40 – DP victories for Scott Pruett
Ø 45 – GX laps led by Sylvain Tremblay
Ø 65 – GT laps led by Jeff Westphal
Ø 94 – Laps led by Scott Pruett (62) and Memo Rojas (32)
Ø 118.704 – Speed in MPH of Scott Pruett’s fastest race lap

Quoteboard:

Ø “We were struggling a little the first day we were here. We obviously improved, so I’m happy with that. The tries went off a little towards the end of my stint. It was hard to drive, but it was still fast.” Memo Rojas, No. 01 TELMEX BMW/Riley

Ø “We were hooked up from the start. We were fastest in the opening test on Thursday, and fastest in Friday’s practice. I’m glad I was out front. I heard it was pretty crazy behind me near the end, and glad I wasn’t part of it.” Scott Pruett, No. 01 TELMEX BMW/Riley

Ø “This is a tremendous road course – one of the greatest courses in North America. Our car was quick in the areas where it’s important to make passes. I caught Memo at one point on a clear track, but then I lost time in traffic. This track really suits our car with its quick, flowing corners.” Jordan Taylor, No. 10 Velocity Worldwide Corvette DP

Ø “I’m elated (to win two races in one day). But as Robin Liddell noted, it wasn’t based on pace – it was the whole package: strategy, perfect pit stops, team work and consistent laps. We couldn’t drive away from anyone.” John Edwards, No. 57 Stevenson Auto Group Chevrolet Camaro

Ø “Road Atlanta is the only track on the GRAND-AM schedule where I’ve raced before prior to this year. I raced here in last year’s Petit Le Mans. It’s a pretty cool track, and I enjoy coming here.” Brendon Hartley, No. 8 Starworks Motorsport Ford/Riley

Ø “Thursday’s promoter test day was my first time in a Daytona Prototype since 2007, when I ran the Rolex 24 At Daytona with 74 Ranch and the Dallenbachs. Also, I’ve never driven at Road Atlanta before, so I was learning both the car and the race track at the same time. This is a great car and fun to drive, and I’m hugely grateful to Peter Baron and the entire Starworks team for giving me this opportunity. I’m evaluating my options at the moment. The sports car world is new to me.” Katherine Legge, open-wheel veteran who tested for Starworks Motorsport during Thursday’s promoter’s test day.

Coming Up:

Round 5 of the 2013 Rolex Sports Car Series season will be Chevrolet GRAND-AM 200 at the Raceway at Belle Isle Park in Detroit on Saturday, June 1 (5 p.m. ET on SPEED).

Pole, Podium, and Points Mark Record-Setting Weekend At Long Beach for Riley SRT Viper

Pole, Podium, and Points Mark Record-Setting Weekend At Long Beach for Riley SRT Viper

Media Contact: 
Matt Cleary, Sunday Group Management

(317) 908-2975 (m)

media

Mooresville, NC (26 April 2013) – Less than one year after joining one of the most competitive categories in motorsport, the SRT Viper program demonstrated the remarkable progress that the Riley Technologies-led effort has made in American Le Mans Series competition as the team set two new significant benchmarks this weekend at the Tequila Patron American Le Mans Series at Long Beach with a pole position and a maiden appearance on the ALMS podium.

It was also another banner day for the firm in GRAND-AM competition as Riley scored victories in both the Rolex Sports Car Series and Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge races at Road Atlanta.

Round four of the 2013 Rolex championship saw Riley’s customer cars score the second 1-2-3 Riley Technologies result of the season in the Visual Studios Ultimate Grand Prix of Atlanta as Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas controlled the race from the green to checkered flag in their BMW-powered Riley. The win marked the 92nd Daytona Prototype GRAND-AM victory for Riley Technologies.

Stevenson Motorsports scored the team’s second consecutive podium finish and moved closer to the championship lead after John Edwards and Matt Bell took a convincing victory with the Riley Technologies-designed No. 9 Stevenson Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro.

On Friday at Long Beach, the No. 91 Fast & Furious 6 SRT Viper GTS-R of pilot Dominik Farnbacher paced the pack to score the first-ever pole position for the SRT Viper with a fast lap time of 1:18.845-seconds on the challenging street circuit. The race weekend marked just the sixth start for the SRT Viper.

The lap time broke the GT Class track record. Showing the depth of the talent behind the effort, the sister No. 93 Fast & Furious 6 SRT Viper GTS-R driven by Jonathan Bomarito was less than a tenth behind with his best time of 1:18.984-seconds locking the car in to third on the grid.

“One year ago, the car didn’t exist; it was still on paper and in the minds of the CEOs,” said Dominik Farnbacher. “Last year, we tried to get the baseline setup so that everything is reliable. At Sebring, for the first time, we drove really hard. The car showed to be really strong there. Now, at Long Beach, the second race, we are on top of the grid. If you look at the field, the top-five lap times are within a tenth-of-a-second. That shows the world-class of ALMS."

On Saturday, Farnbacher and his co-driver Marc Goossens led the race before coming home with a strong third place result. The sister No. 93 of Bomarito and Kuno Wittmer fell victim from a pair of hits late in the race, but recovered to take a top-10 finish with their run to eighth place.

“We’re still learning but we couldn’t be happier with our result, a podium and third- place,” said Farnbacher. “All in all, it was a great race for us and I think we can all be proud of it.”

The acceleration of the program has been clear: the Bill Riley-led group scored the same number of points in the opening round race at Sebring as the group did in its first four American Le Mans Series events in 2012.

“I just want to congratulate all the team members from SRT Motorsports,” said Gary Johnson, SRT Motorsports Racing Manager. “Over the winter we did a lot of work on the SRT Viper GTS-Rs. I couldn’t be more proud of the team. This pole was huge for the team and especially the SRT Motorsports group back in Detroit.”

The SRT Viper will look to continue it’s ascendancy with new accomplishments in round four of the 2013 championship when the ALMS visits Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca May 9-11.

“We put in a huge amount of work in the off-season, so it is gratifying to have this kind of weekend,” offered Bill Riley. “A big thanks to everyone at SRT for their support and to all the guys putting in the effort that they have to get us to this point. The qualifying results showed how incredibly close it is in the ALMS, and we know we have to keep pushing.”

www.sundaymanagement.com

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Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix Announces Canadian Partnership and Ticket Package

CHEVROLET DETROIT BELLE ISLE GRAND PRIX ANNOUNCES CANADIAN PARTNERSHIP AND TICKET PACKAGE

DETROIT, Mich. (April, 23, 2013) – Opening its arms to all of the great Canadian race fans located across the Detroit River from Belle Isle, the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix is proud to announce a renewed partnership with the City of Windsor. Through the relationship, fans across the border will have the opportunity enjoy a weekend full of world class auto racing, family fun and on-stage entertainment, May 31-June 2 at the Grand Prix.

As part of this unique partnership Canadian fans will enjoy a special ticket and transportation package through the City of Windsor. In addition, the Belle Isle Casino building, which hosts members of the working press throughout race weekend at the official event Media Center, will be sponsored by the City of Windsor, as it was during the 2008 Grand Prix.

The special ticket package includes a seat in the “Canadian Grandstand.” This features a reserved seat ticket in Grandstand 2, located at the start/finish line, which gives fans one of the best views of the on-track action. Also included in the package is a round-trip Transit Windsor ticket to and from Belle Isle, access to the Meijer Family Fun Zone and concerts on the MotorCity Casino Hotel Entertainment Stage. Single-day tickets start at $55 per person (HST included) and two-day tickets start at $105.

“We welcomed fans to the Canadian Grandstand at our event back in 2008 and we enjoyed tremendous support with a strong turnout,” said Bud Denker, Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix Event Chairman. “We appreciate the partnership with the City of Windsor and Mayor Francis. We are excited to offer this special package once again to all of the great Canadian fans and we look forward to providing an exciting weekend at the Grand Prix.”

Fans can visit www.cityofwindsor.ca for more information or call 311 in the City of Windsor to purchase tickets. Fans can also visit the Windsor International Transit Terminal and Customer Care Centres throughout Windsor starting Friday, April 26 to purchase the Canadian Grandstand ticket packages. Cash, debit, Visa and MasterCard are all accepted for the Canadian Grandstand package.

“The Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix is one of the many exciting events going on this summer and the City of Windsor is proud to lend its support,” said City of Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis. “We want to make sure that the Canadian Grandstand is packed with fans all weekend long so we urge everyone to get their tickets and enjoy a great weekend on Belle Isle.”

Media members from around the world will provide their coverage throughout race weekend from the City of Windsor International Media Center. Services and amenities at the media center will be hosted by the staffs of the Convention & Visitors Bureau of Windsor, Essex County & Pelee Island and the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau.

ABOUT THE CHEVROLET DETROIT BELLE ISLE GRAND PRIX;
The Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix is a 501(c)3 organization and a subsidiary of the Downtown Detroit Partnership. Held May 31-June 2, 2013, the event will include the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit presented by Quicken Loans featuring the cars of the IZOD IndyCar Series, the Chevrolet GRAND-AM 200 at Belle Isle presented by the Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers with the sports cars of the GRAND-AM Rolex Series and the Cadillac V-Series Challenge presented by the Metro Detroit Cadillac Dealers featuring the cars of the Pirelli World Challenge Championship Series. Partners for the 2013 Grand Prix include General Motors, Quicken Loans and MotorCity Casino Hotel. For more information and to purchase tickets, visitwww.DetroitGP.com and follow our social media pages at www.facebook.com/detroitgp and www.twitter.com/detroitgp.

Pruett, Rojas Win Visual Studio Ultimate Grand Prix Of Atlanta

Pruett, Rojas Win Visual Studio Ultimate Grand Prix Of Atlanta

Edwards, Liddell Take Second Straight GT Triumph In Stevenson Camaro

BRASELTON, Ga. (April 20, 2013) – Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas put their experience to work Saturday, scoring a dominant victory in the Visual Studio Ultimate Grand Prix of Atlanta, the first GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series race at Road Atlanta.

Pruett recorded one of the first victories of his storied career at the circuit in 1986 – winning an IMSA Camel GTO race – in addition to winning in SCCA Trans-Am.

The pair combined to lead 94 of the 120 circuits on the 2.54-mile circuit in the No. 01 TELMEX BMW/Riley. It was their second victory of the season – and extended their lead in the Daytona Prototype standings to seven points over Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty.

“We were hooked up from the start,” said Pruett, winner for the 40th time in DP. “We were fastest in the opening test on Thursday, and fastest in Friday’s practice. I’m glad I was out front. I heard it was pretty crazy behind me near the end, and glad I wasn’t part of it.”

Ryan Dalziel finished second in the No. 8 Starworks Motorsport Ford/Riley started by Alex Popow, 17.781 seconds back, followed by Gurney and Fogarty in the No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Corvette DP. Gustavo Yacaman and Antonio Pizzonia finished third in the No. 6 Michael Shank Racing Ford/Riley, followed by Richard Westbrook and Ricky Taylor in the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Corvette DP, and Max Angelelli and Jordan Taylor in the No. 10 Velocity Worldwide Corvette DP.

Pizzonia passed Angelelli with contact to take fourth with three laps remaining in what was deemed a racing incident. The two drivers also traded paint on the cool down lap.

John Edwards and Stevenson Motorsports were winners for the second time on Saturday, with Edwards and Robin Liddell scoring their second consecutive GT victory in the No. 57 Stevenson Auto Group Chevrolet Camaro. Earlier in the day, Edwards and Matt Bell won for the team in the PricewaterhouseCoopers 250 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race. Edwards became the fourth GRAND-AM driver to win two races in the same day.

Liddell took the checkered flag 2.506 seconds ahead of Patrick Long, who joined Patrick Lindsey in the No. 73 Park Place Motorsports Porsche GT3. It was the best finish for the second-year team, with Long taking second from Alessandro Balzan in the closing minutes after a strong run for the No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 started by Jeff Westphal.

Joel Miller and Andrew Carbonell had a day of firsts in the GX class in the No. 00 Visit Florida/SpeedSource Mazda 6. In addition to scoring their first Rolex Series victories, the pair brought Mazda and the Skyactiv Diesel to victory for the first time in the new class. David Donohue finished second in the No. 38 BGB Motorsports Porsche, narrowly missing a fourth consecutive victory for co-driver Dr. Jim Norman.

The next Rolex Series race will be the Chevrolet GRAND-AM Detroit 200 at Belle Isle Park on Saturday, June 1.

Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach race results

Toyota GP of Long Beach Box Score.xls
Toyota GP of Long Beach Box Score.pdf

CHEVY INDYCAR AT LONG BEACH: Andretti Autosport Driver Press Conf. Transcript

ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET INDYCAR V6 DRIVERS met with members of the media at the Streets of Long Beach. Full transcript of the press conference:

MARCO ANDRETTI, NO. 25 RC COLA ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET:

ON SEASON SO FAR: “I really worked on consistency in the off season so it’s a decent start to that. But when I look at two of my teammates who have won the first two races , I need to be consistently better. I think if we keep knocking on the door like we have been…like even last weekend, we had another good shot at another podium, but we lost a lot of time coming out behind another car. We’ve been driving good, so we have to keep doing that.”

ON HISTORICAL SIGNIFGANCE OF LONG BEACH RACE: “To echo my teammates. It’s just the history and the tradition. It is the same reason why Indy (Indianapolis 500) is so important to us as drivers as well. My family alone has a lot of history here. A lot of wins between them (Michael, his Dad, and Mario, his grandfather). I think my dad won his first and last race here if I’m not mistaken. For the family it means a lot as well.”

RYAN HUNTER-REAY, NO 1 DHL ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET:

ON RETURNING TO LONG BEACH: “This race has been fantastic in the past. There are a lot of positives here for me. This week I am really looking forward to continuing that roll that Andretti Autosport has had for the good part of the last half a year. There is no atmosphere like Long Beach. It is going to be incredibly tough again.

“It is sort of a home race for me having lived here for 8 years in Southern California My wife’s whole family is from here. I have family out here so this feels like the second home race of the season for me. Long Beach is a race I have been watching for a long time. Came here as a kid and as an INDYCAR fan. The whole Southern California really embraces this race which is what makes a difference. Everybody wants to come to this race. It’s an event; it’s a happening every year. We’re just honored to be here putting on the show.”

ON DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW CAR: “We are constantly tweaking it; we are constantly developing it. For instance, last year at Barber for myself at least – our team, we struggled there. And, we developed the car to be a lot better there (this year). We are constantly making it better. We are pushing the aero side of it; the mechanical grip side of it. In those areas, you give engineers a lot of time, and we’ll find some speed.”

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE, NHO. 27 GODADDY.COM ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET:

ON LONG BEACH RACE: “This race is so awesome. The atmosphere, I think It is the second longest running race we have next to the [Indy] 500. There is a reason it has gone on for 40 years. It is a hell of an event. Great city. They do a great job. It’s always treated me pretty well. Had some success here in Indy Lights. My first IZOD IndyCar top-five; first IndyCar podium. It would be nice to keep that streak alive.

“The fact that the race has been around for so long. There is one thing you can’t buy, and that is history. You can build the biggest, fanciest, most expensive race track in the world if you want; but year one is still year one. And there is not history to it. This place used to host a Formula One race. It has hosted IndyCar for years and year. All the legends have raced here. All the legends have won here. You add that on to the atmosphere, the environment, the fans, it being right here near the boats, the setting. The combination is what makes it so special.”

E.J. VISO, NO. 5 TEAM VENEZUELA ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT HVM CHEVROLET:

ON LONG BEACH RACE: “This is an amazing track to come to already and I keep having great performances here on qualifying days. I think I have been two or three times in the top-six. This year I’m not thinking too much about qualifying but thinking of the race. Hopefully we can make it happen this weekend.

“As Marco said with two teammates who have very proudly won the first two races and the championship which I feel like gives me a lot of confidence that we have a very strong and stable platform that is going to allow us to do the same. We really work hard as a team, and I really like the energy that is always put into the team. Not only the racing aspect, but in every other single department, which is important. Hopefully Long Beach is going to be the one for me.

“It is just a great track for a street course. It is very fast; probably faster than any other street course. It has a great combination of different kinds of surfaces which gives you different grip levels. So you really need to understand the car in every part of the track which behaves completely different. There are curbs you normally don’t take in during the first part of the weekend, but you end up eating them during the race. It is a track that really makes you think hard, and I love it.”
Connect with Team Chevy on social media. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TeamChevy, follow us on Twitter@TeamChevy, and add +TeamChevy into your Google+ circles.

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About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4.5 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design, and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

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

GRAND-AM News and Notes

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

Fast Facts

GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series

The Race: Visual Studio Ultimate Grand Prix of Atlanta

The Place: Road Atlanta

The Date/Time: Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET

TV: SPEED, 4:30 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN Radio, 4:30 p.m. ET

Race Length: 2 hours, 45 minutes

GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge

The Race: PricewaterhouseCoopers 250

The Place: Road Atlanta

The Date/Time: Saturday, 11:30 a.m. ET

TV: SPEED – April 20, 4:30 p.m. ET

Race Length: 2 hours, 30 minutes

GRAND-AM Makes Maiden Visit to Road Atlanta This Weekend

GRAND-AM visits the historic Road Atlanta circuit for the first time on Saturday, April 20, with a pair of races featuring the Rolex Sports Car Series and Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.
The Rolex Series will compete in a two-hour, 45-minute race, at 4:30 p.m. ET (SPEED, live). The Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge will hold a two-hour, 30-minute race, starting at 11:30 a.m. (SPEED, April 27, 2 p.m. ET).
Many GRAND-AM drivers are familiar with the ultra-quick 2.54-mile Road Atlanta circuit and the unique challenges it presents for drivers and teams.
“It’s difficult, it’s tough,” said Daytona Prototype points co-leader Scott Pruett, who drives the No. 01 TELMEX BMW/Riley and is returning to race at Road Atlanta for the first time in several years. “It’s one of those places where it’s going to take a good balance of the race car to kind of get down through the esses and then obviously trying to blend how much downforce you run for drag down the back straight.
“I’m excited to get there, and it’s been a lot of years, but we can hardly wait to get on track on Thursday.”
“It’s going to be very challenging because of the racetrack layout,” added No. 10 Velocity Worldwide Corvette DP driver Max Angelelli, who also has considerable previous experience at Road Atlanta. “You have slow speed corners and a very long straight. It’s going to be a little bit like Circuit of The Americas where teams will take different paths; more downforce, then you have to pay consequences on the long straight, or less downforce and you pay consequences on the slow corners.”

DP Title Fight Brewing Among Three Leading Rolex Series Winners

Through the first three rounds of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series season, three Daytona Prototype teams have established themselves as early championship favorites. Each with one win this season, these three teams – separated by a mere five points – represent the three winningest organizations in DP class history.

In one corner, the defending champions – TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. With a win from the pole in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona, Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas established themselves early on as title favorites. Winners of the last three DP championships, Pruett (39 wins) and Rojas (26 wins) are also the leading winners in class history. Pruett is the lone five-time Rolex Series champion while Rojas’ four titles are second on the all-time list. Chip Ganassi Racing has won six of the 10 total DP class championships.
In the other corner, the challengers – GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing. Wayne Taylor Racing and GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing finished 1-2 last weekend at Barber Motorsports Park and are second and third all-time, respectively, in DP team victories points behind series-leading Chip Ganassi Racing (93-91), while Wayne Taylor Racing sits five points out of the top spot (93-88).
Combined, these three teams have accounted for 78 victories, 192 podiums, 85 poles and nine of the 10 championships in DP history.

Cameron Promotes This Weekend’s Race At Road Atlanta With Special Lap at Braves Game

Major League Baseball celebrated Jackie Robinson Day earlier this week by having all of its players wear the No. 42 to salute the man who broke the sport’s color barrier 66 years ago.
GRAND-AM joined in the festivities at Atlanta’s Turner Field Tuesday night, with Team Sahlen driver Dane Cameron taking the No. 42 BMW/Riley Daytona Prototype for a lap around the field in the seventh inning of the Braves’ game against the Kansas City Royals.
Prior to the game, Cameron signed autographs at a Road Atlanta display outside the ballpark, while the red, yellow and black DP was staged in the parking lot.
“It was really neat and must have made for some awesome photos,” Cameron said. “It was pretty wild being in front of the gate waiting to go on the field. I’ve never been that close on a Major League Baseball field like that before. Just having the car sitting there waiting to go out was very special, that doesn’t happen every day.”
Cameron did a slow parade lap around the field, revving the engine repeatedly for the enthusiastic crowd.
“Everyone seemed to be on their feet and everyone seemed to like it,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll see them out at Road Atlanta this weekend.”

Rolex Series, Etc.
Rolex 24 Winner Donohue Returns To BGB For Road Altanta: David Donohue earned a victory in with Napleton Racing in the Rolex Series GX class debut in the 2013 Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Donohue will return to the class this weekend at Road Atlanta, co-driving the No. 38 BGB Motorsports Porsche Cayman with GX points leader Dr. Jim Norman. Norman is undefeated in three GX races, winning the Rolex 24 with Napleton and taking victories at Circuit of The Americas and Barber Motorsports Park with BGB.

Donohue was a regular in the Daytona Prototype ranks from 2003 through 2012 with Brumos Racing and Action Express Racing, winning four races – including the 2009 Rolex 24 – and eight poles.

Action Express Lineup Change: Action Express Racing has shuffled its driver lineup for the Grand Prix of Atlanta. Joao Barbosamoves from the team’s No. 9 Corvette DP to join Christian Fittipaldi, while Brian Frisselle moves from the No. 5 to join his brother,Burt Frisselle.

Action Express Racing also shuffled its lineup prior to last year’s race at Detroit Belle Isle, and the team responded with a 1-2 finish.

Notes: John McCutchen returns to GT competition, driving with Park Place Motorsports in conjunction with Godstone Ranch and the American Heart Association. Jason Hart will co-drive the No. 71 Porsche GT3. … With team regular and Austin winner Bill Auberlen competing in Saturday’s American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron race at Long Beach, Calif., Billy Johnson will co-drive the No. 94 Turner Motorsport BMW M3 with Paul Dalla Lana. … Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge regular Andrew Carbonell will co-drive the No. 00 Visit Florida Racing/Speedsource Mazda6 with Joel Miller. Carbonell made his GX class debut with Freedom Autosport at the Rolex 24, finishing fifth.

Corporate Corner

· Pacing the field during this weekend’s inaugural GRAND-AM races at Road Atlanta will be the 580-horsepower Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The same Camaro will also pace the Chevrolet GRAND-AM Detroit 200 in June.

· Microsoft Visual Studio has signed on to sponsor the inaugural GRAND-AM race weekend at Road Atlanta. Saturday’s headlining race for the Rolex Series is the Visual Studio Ultimate Grand Prix of Atlanta. The Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race on Saturday morning is the PricewaterhouseCoopers 250. PwC joins the weekend activities through Visual Studios “Team to Win” themed activation.

‘Real Deal’ Holyfield To Back Berg Racing Porsche; Smith To Debut

Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield will have a rooting interest when he attends Saturday’s PricewaterhouseCoopers 250.
Holyfield’s Real Deal BBQ Sauce will co-sponsor the No. 40 Berg Racing Porsche Boxster co-driven by John Weisberg and Jonathan Smith.
Holyfield was boxing’s lone five-time world heavyweight champion, with his record including victories over George Foreman, Larry Holmes and two triumphs over Mike Tyson. Accompanying him to the race will be Henry Tillman, who won the gold medal in the heavyweight division in the 1984 Olympics.
Smith, who will be making his GRAND-AM debut in the event, is a graduate of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program and a competitor in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. The 26-year-old native of Beacon Falls, Conn., scored a fifth-place finish at Iowa Speedway in his second K&N Pro Series East race in 2007, and finished 11th in the 2009 championship.
Weisberg is the owner and team principal of Berg Racing, based in Webster, N.Y. The two-time IMSA Lites champion (2009-10) is in his second year of Continental Sports Car Challenge competition, occasionally co-driving with his wife, Dinah Weisberg.

Road Atlanta 2013 NN.PDF

Matt Cleary
Sunday Group Management
media

@sundaygroup
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Heavyweight Title Fight Brewing In Daytona Prototype Class

Heavyweight Title Fight Brewing In Daytona Prototype Class

Three Winningest Teams In DP History Separated By Only Five Points

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 10, 2013) – Through the first three rounds of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series season, three Daytona Prototype teams have established themselves as early championship favorites. Each with one win this season, these three teams – separated by a mere five points – represent the three winningest organizations in DP class history.

In one corner, the defending champions – TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. With a win from the pole in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona, Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas established themselves early on as title favorites. Winners of the last three DP championships, Pruett (39 wins) and Rojas (26 wins) are also the winningest drivers in class history. Pruett is the lone five-time Rolex Series champion while Rojas’ four titles are second on the all-time list. Chip Ganassi Racing has won six of the 10 total DP class championships.

In the other corner, the challengers – GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing. Wayne Taylor Racing and GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing finished 1-2 last weekend at Barber Motorsports Park and are second and third all-time, respectively, in DP team victories and DP team podium finishes. Through three races GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing is two points behind series-leading Chip Ganassi Racing (93-91), while Wayne Taylor Racing sits five points out of the top spot (93-88).

Combined, these three teams have accounted for 78 victories, 192 podiums, 85 poles and nine of the 10 championships in DP history.

“It’s been an incredible fight the last nine years and it looks to be the same again this year,” Pruett said. “You really have to run good, smart races every single race. It’s a serious battle and we’re working really hard to get every single point that we can.”

Coming off of a down year in 2012, GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing broke through for victory in the second race of the season at Circuit of The Americas and followed that up with a second-place finish last weekend at Barber. Drivers Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty sit fourth all-time in the DP career wins list with 16 wins apiece, while GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing is third on the DP teams win list (16 wins).

GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing’s last championship came under similar circumstances with a tight points battle down to the wire against their rivals and the team is anticipating another tight battle this season.

“It seems like this is always the case with GAINSCO battling with the Ganassi and Wayne Taylor guys,” said Fogarty, who is also the top qualifier in GRAND-AM history with 25 TOTAL Pole Awards. When we won our first title in 2007 we even went into the finale pretty much tied for first in the championship. We know how close we can be. It’s really what everybody at GAINSCO races for, and we thrive on the close competition with our most intense rivals.”

Wayne Taylor Racing is coming off a three-win season one year ago and is second all-time on the DP wins list with 22 victories. With a win in last weekend’s Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park, the drivers of the No. 10 Velocity Worldwide Corvette DP pulled to within five points of Pruett and Rojas. DP newcomer Jordan Taylor picked up his first DP class win in the event, while co-driver Max Angelelli picked up his 22nd career victory, good enough for third all-time in DP. Wayne Taylor Racing is second on the DP team victories list, with 22 victories.

Car owner Wayne Taylor knows to win a championship he will have to beat his longtime rivals, but he also admits that the competition is closer than ever. Other teams in the championship hunt include Starworks Motorsport and Spirit of Daytona, both of which are in the top five in points and have earned podium finishes this season.

“The (No.) 01 has sort of dominated over the years, GAINSCO has been strong, and we’ve been strong. Those are the same teams it’ll come down to this year, if you bank on recent history,” said Taylor. “From our standpoint, we’ve just got to try to be perfect in everything we do, and so far that’s been the case. The cars are so competitive now that it’s really, really difficult to make any huge gains.

“Ultimately, the reason we’re up there at the moment is we’ve gotten more things right than everybody else, in terms of the things we are in total control of. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t other cars out there that can beat us on any given weekend.”

The next race of the Rolex Series season will be at Road Atlanta on April 20 at 4:30 p.m. ET (LIVE, SPEED).

—

Contact:

GRAND-AM Communications

Mike Lovecchio

(386) 310-6584

mlovecchio

GRAND-AM Points Battle_FINAL.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

JOHN AND ROBIN PRESS CONF TRANSCRIPT

JOHN EDWARDS AND ROBIN LIDDELL, NO. 57 STEVENSON CAMARO GT.R – WINNERS

IN REGARDS TO HOW THE RACE UNFOLDED:

JOHN EDWARDS: “I had the first stint, then we pitted and took tires and a lot of people didn’t so I had to try to work my way through the field and I think that was still the right call because we saw Boris (Said) struggling on his tires at the end of his stint and lost a lot of track time. I think that was the right call, but it did put us back in traffic and I had to work hard to make that up. Made a pretty opportunistic move with some traffic when I caught Jim Norman was trying to go around the outside of (Jeff) Westphal while he was inside Jim Norman and went sailing off at the exit of turn four. That was maybe not my wisest decision, but in a two hour race we are flat out the whole time and you know that those positions are really going to matter. In the end I didn’t get by him and pitted from P2 (position 2) and the crew did an awesome stop. We were a bit concerned that driver changes it’s tough to do within the tires and the driver change went perfectly and got done before the tires. The crew did a great job on the tire change. Dropped the car and beat the No. 63 out of pit lane and that was really the key to the race. After that Robin (Liddell) with two maybe dry laps in practice went out and did a 27.7 on his first lap and then held off (Balzan ) Alessandro the whole time. Excellent job by him as well.”

ROBIN LIDDELL: “Although it was a short race and reasonable uneventful from my point of view I felt under quite a lot of pressure. Obviously, same sort of deal for everybody this weekend. It was a wet weekend up until qualifying. Although I did a couple of laps at the end of that final practice it really wasn’t completely dry. Obviously, the track has changed quite a bit. I think the testing that we did here in November helped us quite a lot. Or helped me at least just being able to go out and get into the groove straight away. I knew that was important plus with only fourteen minutes or so to go, fifteen minutes I guess maybe. I felt the pressure of being able to go out and basically stay in front of those guys, but got into a good rhythm pretty quickly. The car felt good. The track has improved quite a lot from our point of view although there is some fall off in the tire degradation it’s not as bad as it used to be so it’s definitely a step forward. That is a credit to the team here at the track for dealing with that and the Continental guys. Obviously, John (Edwards) as usual did a good job, got the car on pole, drove a really good stint and really I think it came down to the guys in the pits. We had a pretty good second pit stop and I came down pit lane and the Ferrari had dropped and started to go. He came out at quite an angle, but of course by that time I was doing 45 (mph) and I just literally thought to myself ‘if he comes out I am just going to crash into him.’ There was no way I was lifting I just had to stay on the outside lane. I wasn’t willing to lift. I figured at that point if he got ahead of us in the pit that probably was going to be the game changer. We managed to stay ahead and we were pretty strong on new tires actually compared to them. I think in the traffic as well we were able to keep them at bay quite effectively. I think in some respects they have proven themselves to be pretty strong competitors already. We have had a few tight races with them so far in the short time they have been in the series, but also in terms of our experience here at this race track and on fading tires with traffic, etc. I think that did play out a little bit to my advantage and was able to choose my moments better and keep the advantage in the traffic situation. All in all very happy, I must say I wasn’t expecting to come out of here with a win. I really thought we were going to have a tough time this weekend. Very happy for all the team and everybody else at Stevenson and Chevrolet.”