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CHEVY INDYCAR AT BARBER MEDIA DAY: Helio Castroneves Press Conf. Transcript

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES

BARBER MEDIA DAY

TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

MARCH 11, 2013

HELIO CASTRONEVES, NO. 3 HITACHI/SHELL V-POWER/PENNZOIL ULTRA TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET met with members of the media at Barber Motorsports Park and discussed having AJ Allmendinger join Team Penske, working with two teammates, changes to Team Penske and other topics. FULL TRANSCRIPT:

Q. Allmendinger says you have the second best looking hair.
HELIO CASTRONEVES: Well, you be the judge when we finish the race and we take the helmet off. I think that will be answer.
But it’s cool to have AJ around. Actually, it’s great. Having AJ on the team, it’s pretty fun, it’s pretty cool. He’s coming back. First test he did in Sebring, he was right on the pace. It’s great. It’s great to continue to have a good atmosphere.
Wishing all the best for Ryan, obviously. We create a good foundation since he was on the team in 2006, I believe. So hopefully he can join us whatever he’s going to do.
In the end of the day, we’re here. Another year, 2013. We’re looking very strong again. The DW12 seem to be a little bit better, which I think everybody went through all the phases of learning the car. I’m really, really excited for 2013 to start.

Q. Who is going to talk to Will and you during the race now most of the time?
HELIO CASTRONEVES: Right now (Tim) Cindric going to keep in Will’s car. John Erickson so far is officially the guy on my car. I believe Roger is going to be the consulting. I hope he’ll be consulting more on my side because Cindric has his opinion, his own, which is a good thing for sure.
But right now officially John Erickson is going to be calling my races.

Q. You don’t want Roger?
HELIO CASTRONEVES: I do. What I heard, I think he’s flexible now. He also want to be going to the NASCAR races. I believe he want to be back and forth. In this case of a third car, he also be able to call the race for the third car.
But, yes, it would be an honor to have Roger. So far two races I did with Roger, which was in the Porsche, the Spyder, we finished fourth and won one race. It’s a pretty good record, I have to say. I would enjoy having him in my group.

Q. When you get a new teammate, how do things change? I know AJ won’t be there all the time. How does it change?
HELIO CASTRONEVES: For us, having AJ around, like I said, he’s already understand the Penske work ethic, you know. First test as we had, it was just like he’s being there, even though it was a NASCAR team, but he’s been there.
I don’t think it’s going to change much. Right now Will and I, we understand about third car to be there. It’s important also now, especially because we don’t have much practice to collect data. We feel AJ is going to be really good.
Right now the way he adapt is extremely fast. I think that’s one of his characteristic. He’s able to jump from NASCAR to IndyCar to DP. He doesn’t need time to adapt. So I guess that’s one of his strongest point.
I feel going into the race here and Indy, he’ll be extremely fast as well. It will be good. For sure it will be good to collect a lot more data, like we always have.

Q. (Question regarding foundation with Will.)
HELIO CASTRONEVES: For sure, Will is proving the last three, four years how incredible he is in the road course and street course. I mean, the guy is a super talent. For sure he’s able to do a lot of things that I haven’t seen my other teammates do.
He’s able to adapt quick in certain circumstances, especially in qualifying. Sometimes you’re able to match one or two corners, but the good thing about him, he’s able to put like a good lap in all the corners.
I would say he’s very accurate, especially in qualifying, and he’s able to be smart when you switch to race pace. That’s his strength right now at this point.
I would say for us, we be able to work together well. Him and I use similar setups, especially in ovals. You know, in his case ovals hasn’t been his strongest point, but I guess experience will help. Right now we’re doing everything we can to make sure both cars, not only in ovals or road course, but they be competitive.

Q. Seems that when you’ve worked together with Will Power over the last two, three years, it almost seems to me like you’ve improved.
HELIO CASTRONEVES: Oh, yeah.

Q. I don’t mean just because you have somebody to compete against, but I feel like you’ve stepped it up a little.
HELIO CASTRONEVES: For me, I have to say moving with this new car, I change the way I drove with the left foot brake. Last year was the first year that I did that. Especially when you have two paddles in the car, plus carbon brakes, reaction time got to be faster.
Plus the double-file restarts, you know, it’s one thing in the start of the race, but every yellow you have double-file restart, so we have to be on it all the time, especially when the tires might be cold, not new, things like that.
So, yes, that’s why I change a little bit. I felt very, very comfortable. But still, when you spend most of your life braking with the right foot, you still face some challenge. But right now it’s nothing an issue for me.

Q. Now you’re back, a championship contender again.
HELIO CASTRONEVES: You got to update. I said it before, just like a computer, you got to update. Sometimes the computer’s good, but the technology around you go faster. You got to just keep going.
Right now we have a new group in our team. I have John (indiscernible), I never know his name. As you can see, it’s new for me, too. We work together with the prototype, the Porsche Spyder. He was working with Ryan Briscoe last year. I mean, our group of guys, especially the engineers, are incredible.
The reason when they eliminate a third car, I felt, we all felt, that Ron, who was the top engineer, it would be good for him to look both cars instead of just one car, keep in pace with everything.
I felt great with John because I worked before. Plus John worked with John Ericson on the Porsche Spyder for many years together. So I guess the combination would be great.
Also we have different crew guys. We did a mix, you know. We’re getting all the best guys.
We do have a problem. We have old very good guys. It’s tough for you to select. But internal they have some type of questionnaire of who is going to keep going to the races, that’s the way they select who is going to be on the No. 3 and the No. 12.
We chasing a little change, the No. 3 group. I like what I had in the past. But sometimes little change, details, makes a big thing on the racetrack.

Q. You said that AJ was on pace at Sebring.
HELIO CASTRONEVES: Yes.

Q. What do you think he will bring to you guys that will be a benefit for both of you?
HELIO CASTRONEVES: Just a different style. He seemed to be very aggressive with the car. Sometimes in some of the tracks it’s important for us to find out what’s possible.
I remember when Will came onboard, I mean, we have one style, and all of a sudden a guy comes with a different style and able to make it happen. So it’s great for that. I feel AJ going to bring that, as well.
That’s why, I mean, I’m excited. Plus he’s funny as hell. It’s really nice to have another guy making fun. I’m sure he’s not understanding much, which is funny as well. But right now the three of us are having a good time.

Q. Is AJ a left foot braker also?
HELIO CASTRONEVES: I think he’s always been a left foot braker. Those old guys, me, Dario, I don’t know who else, those old guys, we kept the right foot. I think Dario still right foot, is the only guy.

Q. I thought he changed last year.
HELIO CASTRONEVES: He’s left? I know the Dallara end up making a new pedal. Suits the right foot brakes. I decided trying the new challenge with the left. But I don’t know who else works on the right foot brake.

Q. If Mr. Penske wants to field a sports car, would you be interested in racing at Daytona and Sebring?
HELIO CASTRONEVES: Would love to. I think I did twice. With Team Penske I did once and we finish in the top three. It would be great. In Sebring I race with the Spyder and we finish third, as well.
I would love to. It’s a great series. I believe the series is growing, as well. But right now I’m not focused on that. Just starting the IndyCar Series. Can’t wait to be in the racecar. Can’t wait to be racing again.

Q. Is the off-season too long for you?
HELIO CASTRONEVES: Yes. I think for everybody. Especially when we don’t have testing. I would strongly suggest – I don’t know the financial part of it – but when you have that kind of a long off-break, it’s difficult to everyone, for the drivers especially. Especially for rookies, they need to understand how it works.
All of a sudden you have June, July and August a race every weekend. It’s becoming rushed to everyone, including the mechanics. They have to turn over cars from street course to ovals. I think that’s the most tough of it.
Sometimes mistakes end up happening because you don’t have enough time and probably spending more money. So I wish we would have at least started much early. If it can’t be in February, at least early March, so you could break it up with the times and dates.
But that’s outside of my control. I don’t know. I just want to wish that that would happen.

Q. What would an ideal season look like? How long and how many races?
HELIO CASTRONEVES: I think 19, the way we have it, with the doubleheader, is good. 17 race weekends, it’s not bad for the combination that we have.
But I would rather start in February, have a bigger space in some of the areas, especially in the middle of the season, give a break for the mechanics. Drivers it’s actually not a problem. For the mechanics it would be great. And coming back with those double-headers in those places that you have a break, that probably would make everybody fresh for those type of conditions.
And finish, I would say, about November. Used to be in the past, long, long time ago when we used to run CART, we used to have even more races, 22. But I feel if you don’t want to test, you save money, at least you have those spread-out races, you probably would have an opportunity for, you know, okay, what’s next, keep the ball rolling.

That’s just my humble opinion (laughter).
Q. Will you go to Indy when Allmendinger does his orientation?
HELIO CASTRONEVES: Texas, isn’t it?

Q. April 11th, I guess. Right after this test.
HELIO CASTRONEVES: I know I have an appearance with Hitachi and Shell, but it’s right after Barber. They didn’t request my presence yet. I would love to actually. Trust me, he doesn’t need much of a help.

Q. What are the chances of getting a second race in Brazil? Still interest down there?
HELIO CASTRONEVES: They are. Brazil, economic situation is very strong. Certainly it would be great. I heard now Formula One might moving from Sao Paulo to the south of Brazil. Obviously it’s all about how much the promoters are willing to spend. I think it’s more than actually interest.
At this point I feel that America has a lot of other places, which we should have a little more 50/50 in terms of challenge if it’s a street course, oval, short oval, speedway. At this point I think we just got to take the pace the right way and see what happens.

Q. How was T.K.’s wedding?
HELIO CASTRONEVES: It was actually very funny. Lauren was really, really happy. That for me was incredible to see her having a great time, smiling. I was very happy for both.
I did not drink. Actually, much of us were having a good time and have fun because we knew we had a test this week. But it was great. Very happy for them. We show the best for the couple.

Q. Did you like doing the Harlem Shake?
HELIO CASTRONEVES: You’re asking me what to do? I don’t even know what to do. But it was funny. We all prepare and I was the only one that (didn’t?) have my helmet on. C’mon. It was great. Everybody got into it. It was great. We had a good time.

Q. You said she was having fun. Was T.K. not having fun?
HELIO CASTRONEVES: You know T.K. I don’t need to talk about much. Sometimes people ask about him. Normally in the wedding it’s not his time, it’s her.

Q. When are you getting married?
HELIO CASTRONEVES: Very good. Hopefully very soon (laughter).
I’ve been thinking a long time, but just thinking the right time. It’s tough. You trying to think about all the details, it’s worse than a race team, let me tell you. But you will hear me.
With that, I’m done. Thank you (laughter).

FastScripts by ASAP Sports

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CHEVY INDYCAR AT BARBER MEDIA DAY: AJ Allmendinger Press Conf. Transcript

Begin forwarded message:

From: “Team Chevy Racing News (DET-JMW)” <racingnews>

Subject: CHEVY INDYCAR AT BARBER MEDIA DAY: AJ Allmendinger Press Conf. Transcript

Date: March 11, 2013 1:27:56 PM EDT

To: “jkdracer” <jkdracer>, “nmwager” <nmwager>

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES

MEDIA DAY

BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK

TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

MARCH 11, 2013

AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 2 IZOD TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at Barber Motorsports Park and discussed being with Team Penske for two races, having Helio Castroneves and Will Power as teammates, driving both a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chevrolet SS race car and an IZOD IndyCar Series Chevrolet-powered race car during the season and other topics. Full transcript:

HOW DIFFERENT IS THIS CAR FROM THE LAST INDYCAR THAT YOU DROVE? IS THERE LESS POWER AND MORE DOWNFORCE?: “Well, it’s a lot different than what I’ve been driving for the last seven years, I can tell you that. After I drove it at Sebring I was like, ‘Maybe it will all come back natural to me.’ It felt like I was riding a unicycle. I almost forget what it feels like to drive a Champ car — it’s been so long. The cars, they’re definitely fun to drive. They have a ton of grip. I think the biggest thing for me is just the braking force of these cars and just everything in general. The G-force, trying to get used to that again. Stock car racing, training, you’re working on just that mental aspect of being in a car for four hours in the heat, especially during the summer and that wearing on you and being able to be strong enough for that. There’s a not a lot of race tracks physically where you get worn out, at least for me. Bristol maybe a little bit, Dover, but physically overall you’re not just drained after a race. In IndyCar obviously, it’s physically demanding. I think for me, that’s the biggest thing is trying to get back into that and that kind of mentality of how to train for that and just to get used to that in general again. The car overall once I got up to speed with it, it felt good. The biggest thing is it felt a little heavier in the back so when the thing kind of starts to sway you get in the corner and it gets loose, it almost feels like a little bit of a pendulum kind of swinging behind you. That was kind of the biggest thing that I noticed.”

IS IT DIFFICULT TO GO BETWEEN THE STOCK CAR TO THE INDY CAR AND EVEN SPORTS CAR RACING?: “I was a little nervous getting back in the Cup car at Phoenix because I hadn’t even drove one of the new cars and I hadn’t been in a stock car for over four months. Phoenix, obviously being a short track, it’s not as critical to get up to speed, you kind of ease your way into it. I kind of got up to speed pretty quick. I think it’s going to be more of a transition getting back to the Indy car every time than going from the Indy car back to the stock car. That’s what makes it fun. That’s what makes being a part of this just a challenge for me because I’m challenging myself every week just to adapt to something new. If I didn’t think I could do it, I wouldn’t be here. I’m excited about that and those chances to adapt back and forth. There’s not a lot of drivers out there that can get to say that they’ve raced a sports car, they are going to race a stock car and they are going to go race an Indy car during the year. I’m excited about that.”

DID YOU EVER THINK YOU WOULD BE BACK IN INDYCAR?: “I’ve learned quickly in life that you just take everything as it comes. You take one day at a time and you don’t say no to anything and you expect everything to happen. Did I think it would happen like this? No, but I love the IndyCar Series. It’s not like I left and stopped watching. I’ve still got a lot of friends in this series and I think this series has a lot of great things to offer. If it can just get put together the right way and go in the right direction, there’s a lot of great things. The racing last year, I watched as many races as I could. It’s some of the best IndyCar racing I’ve ever seen and to have the championship come down to the end like it did. It’s fun to watch and to be a part of and there’s so many great drivers in it. For myself, putting myself against some of the best in the world and I know that’s going to be a lot of hard work. I don’t expect to just come in and dominate. It’s going to be a lot of hard work. These guys are the best for a reason. I love the challenge and I’m excited to have this opportunity. I feel honored to have this opportunity. I’m going to do everything I can to make it right.”

WHY DO YOU THINK THE NASCAR FAN DOESN’T SEE WHAT A GREAT PRODUCT INDYCAR IS?: “I think it’s just got to be marketed better. Honestly, I don’t know if they see it and then they don’t see it, I just don’t know if they see it honestly. That’s part of the problem. If it’s able to be marketed better, that’s what over the last several years NASCAR has done, they made sure that they marketed their drivers and told their stories — good or bad. Especially in life now, that’s what people are drawn to. This series has got a great American champion with RHR (Ryan Hunter-Reay) and to see what he did last year to win the championship and have that, that story needs to be told. A guy like Will Power that has probably been the fastest man in the series the last couple of years and for whatever reason it hasn’t happened as a championship, but those types of stories are what need to be told and I think it’s not that people see it and they’re just not attracted to it. I just don’t think they see it. If we can market it better, the series can be strong. It’s not that in the U.S. or North America that there’s only room for one racing series, there’s plenty of room for a lot of racing series. It needs to be a strong open wheel series and I just think it needs to be marketed better and if the series is able to do that then people are going to watch. There’s so many great venues to go to. There’s so many different types of venues. If you’re an oval fan, you’re going to see oval racing. If you love street course, there’s a lot of great street course races. We’re at one of the best pure open wheel, motorcycle, whatever type of road course you want to call it — we’re here. There’s something for everybody. It just needs to be marketed and shown better.”

IN MAKING THE TRANSITION BACK TO INDYCAR FROM STOCK CAR RACING, DID YOU USE THE SIMULATOR IN ITALY?: “No. No, this is all just happening one day at a time. The most help I’ve gotten is from Helio (Castroneves) and from Will (Power) honestly and from the race team. I’m just piecing it together as it comes.”

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WERE ON AN OVAL IN AN OPEN WHEEL CAR?: “Milwaukee 2006.”

DID YOU RACE THREE TIMES IN MILWAUKEE AND IN LAS VEGAS?: “Three times in Milwaukee and two in Vegas. One or two in Vegas. Plenty of oval experience. I got this. Plenty. I’m not going to lie, I roll out onto pit lane in Indy, there’s going to be some nerves there. I’m going to be a little nervous because I’ve been told that I’m not allowed to brake at the end of the straightaway. Actually they told me I could, they just said I would be really slow if I did that. There’s definitely some nerves, there’s some unknown there. Road course racing, I’ll adapt to it pretty quick and hopefully get up to speed. It’s going to take a little bit at Indy. Fortunately enough it’s Indy so we have plenty of time to get rolling. I’m with the best team so I think there’s a couple of people that know how to get around there pretty well at the Penske organization. There is a guy named Rick Mears, he’s not bad I heard. There’s a lot of banners up inside the Penske garage and in the shop, it seems pretty good. There is a guy named Helio (Castroneves), he seems pretty good. Will (Power) is a big help to me because he was in Champ Car when I raced so he can kind of describe to me what it was like coming to Indy for the first time from the old cars and what to expect. There’s a lot of people that are going to help me and I feel fortunate for that.”

HOW MUCH DO YOU SEE DRIVERS THAT YOU STARTED WITH BEING SUCCESSFUL IN INDYCAR NOW AS THE EVOLUTION OF THE SERIES?: “I think it just shows that the talent’s there. There are some of the best that are there. It’s fun at least because when I left there was still all the best there and unfortunately they were split between two series. You can sit there and argue all the time, ‘Okay, who’s better?’ It was a terrible argument because you couldn’t compare it. To have it back to one series and to have all these guys, it’s fun to watch because you have to show up with your ‘A’ game. If you don’t, it’s not like your fifth or sixth, you’re going to be 20th. That’s what makes it fun. It’s good to see the guys that I raced against and I think you have a good mix of both. You have the guys like Dario (Franchitti) and Helio (Castroneves) and those types of guys that have been in the series for a long time that are still really fast. Then you have the young guys like Will (Power) and (James) Hinchcliffe and RHR (Ryan Hunter-Reay) and all these guys that were really fast as young guys that have come in and they’re stars of the series. It’s a fun series and I’m looking forward to being a part of it.”

DID THE FACT THAT OPEN WHEEL WAS SPLIT IN 2006 INCREASE YOUR DESIRE TO WANT TO GO TO NASCAR AND TRY THAT OUT?: “Yeah, it was no secret that being in Champ Car at that point you didn’t know what was going to happen. It was tough. I took a lot of heat for leaving, but at that point being sponsored by Red Bull and they had a Cup team starting, it wasn’t like I was like, ‘Okay, I’m just going to ditch one series and go to another.’ I didn’t know if the series I was going to be in was even going to be around next year and if I was even going to have a job. I didn’t know if Jerry (Gerald) Forsythe was going to the IRL, he hated it. It wasn’t like I was guaranteed a job the next year so I took a lot of heat for leaving because people though I just left one job to go to another. No I left something that I didn’t know if I was going to have a job the next year to a job that at least I knew was there. When I went into NASCAR I didn’t want to go into it like I did. I didn’t think I was ready to go right to Cup, but at that point you can’t turn it down. It’s how it happened.”

IF THIS WORKS OUT FOR YOU DO YOU THINK IT WILL ENTICE OTHER NASCAR DRIVERS TO TRY INDYCAR RACING?: “Honestly I don’t care. It doesn’t matter to me if it does or it doesn’t. For me, it’s just focusing on myself and looking for the best opportunity, being happy in life and in general and then at a race track with whatever I’m driving. I think it’s pretty simple. You make the series strong, you’re going to entice a lot of people because it’s a fun series to be a part of. You go to a lot of great venues and you drive a really cool race car. I think it’s pretty simple. I’m not going to entice people to come over. It’s all about the series enticing them. If it’s strong people will come. It’s like the field of dreams — if you build it, they will come.”

HAVE YOU HAD A CHANCE TO SEE THIS TRACK?: “I’ve played it in a lot of video games and I’ve watched a lot of video. It’s almost the same, but not quite. It’s a fun looking race track. Just talking to Helio (Castroneves) and Will (Power) and they really enjoy this race track. It’s a good flow it looks like. It’s a track that you can really attack, it’s got a lot of speed in it. I’m looking forward to getting out there. There’s also a lot of little nuances around this place that just to get within a half-second or six or seven tenths, it looks like there’s not a lot, but if you get that last little half-second, there’s a lot of little nuances around this place that it will only take laps to figure out. Hopefully, for two days it goes smooth and I think the biggest thing for me is obviously speed is important. You don’t want to leave here at the bottom of the time charts a second off and think I’m okay. The good thing is the Penske race cars have been dominant around here since they’ve come here so I know I’m going to have a good race car so for me it’s about being comfortable. If I can leave this test being comfortable and feeling good in the race car and kind of understand pit stops and how all that is going to work and things like that and still have decent speed, then I’ll be happy leaving this test and be ready to come back for the race weekend and know it’s about the race weekend and not about learning the track more or learning these cars more. It’s just about focusing on how the race weekend flows. That’s what I’m going to try to do for two days.”

HOW CLOSELY DO YOUR DRIVING STYLES MATCH WITH WILL POWER AND HELIO CASTRONEVES?: “I made it simple and said to start with their setups. I didn’t care which one, they are both fast. I’ll figure it out as it comes. I would say initially just looking at it, I’m more of a closer to Will (Power), he brakes really late and really hard on the brake pedal. I feel like in open wheel racing that is more how I was. Helio (Castroneves) is more of a flow kind of let it roll through the corner, but at the same point in these cars I don’t have a driving style yet so if I can kind of mix both and try to get the best of both worlds then that’s what I’m going to try to do. As I get comfortable with the race car, then we’ll start making changes and see what I feel like I need. The first half is all about just getting comfortable and just trying to stare at their data over and over again and figure out what makes them so good around this place.”

WHAT WOULD YOU THINK ABOUT A SECOND RACE AT INDIANAPOLIS?: “You have to be careful running a race at a place like Indy twice. Then you start losing all the prestige of it. What makes Indy, Indy is you go there for what used to be a month and is a couple weeks now and it’s down to that one race. The series would really have to look at would that be beneficial and would people come out for it or does it just lose the luster? To me, especially around a place like Indy, in my opinion the way I look at it, there is no reason to run a second race there. I think what it looks like is you need to go to places that don’t have a race. Whether it’s an oval or a street race or a road course — get that city excited about that race. Go to more venues and get those fans excited because maybe you go to a venue where nobody has ever seen what an IndyCar race is all about and all it takes is going out there one time and then they’re hooked. Indy is going to get the crowd so I think it just needs to go to places, new places. I don’t care what kind of venue it is, just go to new places. You have to keep the places that are strong and bring in new cities that can just love Indy car racing and know what it’s all about. Me, I wouldn’t want to go to Indy twice, whether it’s a road course or another oval race. You win the Indy 500, you’re in victory lane there and one person gets to say that every year. No reason for a second opportunity.”

IS DRIVING IN THE INDY 500 SOMETHING YOU HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO?: “Of course. Being an open wheel guy, I miss not being able to do that when I was in Champ Car. I felt like when they split a little bit of the Indy luster kind of got lost. As the series has come back together, you’ve had a lot of great races there the last couple years. I’ve never really even been to Indy up until I rolled out in a stock car for the first time and thought, ‘Okay, this is what Indy is all about, I get it, but it’s still not the Indy 500.’ Honestly, when I sit here and talk about it right now, I’m excited and I’ve got a lot of emotions, but they will be nothing close to what it’s actually like for the first time when I roll out there April 11 for rookie orientation and it definitely won’t be the same until I get introduced and you walk down to the yard of bricks and they introduce you and you get those 200,000 people cheering or booing whatever. At least it’s a reaction.”
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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

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CHEVY INDYCAR AT BARBER MEDIA DAY: James Hinchcliffe Press Conf. Transcript

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES

BARBER MEDIA DAY

TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

MARCH 11, 2013

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE, NO. 27 GODADDY.COM ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at Barber Motorsports Park and discussed the new tracks that were added to this year’s schedule, the important of being with the same team and other topics. FULL TRANSCRIPT:

WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL OPINION ON SOME OF THE NEW TRACKS THAT HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE SCHEDULE FOR THIS SEASON?
“I’m very excited about some of the new tracks especially Pocono because it’s just so different. It’s such a unique track. Indy cars haven’t been there in a long time so it will be a new thing for everybody. A bit of an even playing ground, I think it’s going to be very good for our cars. I think the racing has got a lot of potential. Houston is new to this calendar, but some of us have driven it before in its previous life as a Champ Car track. That will be interesting to see how that one turns out. It was a little bit rough the last time we were there, so hopefully they have made some improvements. Certainly, Pocono I think is the new event on the calendar that everybody is really excited about.”

YOU HAVE SOME CONTINUITY THIS YEAR BEING WITH THE SAME TEAM FOR ANOTHER YEAR HOW DO YOU THINK THAT IS TO HELP YOU?
“I think if you ask any driver continuity is a huge asset. It’s a huge thing to move forward and progress as a driver and as a team. For me it’s coming back to the same team for the second year for the first time in my career. It’s the first time I’ve been able to do that. The kind of unfortunate thing is in January my race engineer left and that is sort the most important relationship on the team is the driver’s relationship with his engineer. The good news is the guy that we got was my engineer from the previous season and a very accomplished guy in that respect as well. I’m glad that we don’t have to go through the whole getting to know you, first day phase and we can sort of just get on with our jobs. The only down side is that because he wasn’t there last year I can’t say ‘oh well remember last year in Detroit when we did this.’ There is still going to be a little bit of learning and it’s still not 100 percent ideal because we are going to have a little bit of a communication gap to begin with, but the relationship is there and I’ve got a lot of faith in Craig (Hampson) so hopefully we can have some success.”

WHERE DO YOU SEE HAVING AS MANY TEAMMATES AS YOU DO LOOKING AT YOUR DATA WHAT ARE YOU SPECIFICALLY WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU CAN IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS?
“I’m going to have to get better at reading data faster because there is going to be so much to go through this season with four cars. I think that we are still learning this car in a lot of respects and the more information you can get the better. For me one of the big areas that I felt like I could improve last year was in Q-3. We made it to the fast six quite a few times with the exception of here and Barber it was sort of a fourth, fifth, sixth-place effort. We really struggled to sort of get on the front row there. It was a little bit team wide, but I think Ryan (Hunter-Reay) had a little bit more success than I did. We have been trying to figure out over the off season what we are doing wrong in Q-3 cycling on a set of tires. Then on the street circuits in general Ryan (Hunter-Reay) is the king. He is very good at certain elements of corner entry and this car suits his style very well. I have had to look at that a little bit. Marco (Andretti) teaches us a lot at speedway. That kid just has such a feel there it is unbelievable. So there are always areas to improve. I’m anxious to see what EJ (Viso) has got, the data that he comes back with, what his driving style is. Ryan (Hunter-Reay) and I have a very similar style. We could really rely on each other on set-up. It will be interesting to see where EJ fits into that whole mix as well. I think information wise the more you have the better.”

WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU LAST YEAR? STARTED SO GOOD THEN KIND OF TAILED OFF.
“It’s no secret that six, eight races in whatever it was we were in the top five and I didn’t think genuine title contender, but certainly in a position to be in the top four, top five in the championship. What happened at the end of the season I think was twofold. One was the competition got a lot tighter. As everybody figured out the cars a bit more those gaps got a lot smaller and some guys that maybe were outside the top-10 guys at the beginning were inside the top-10 guys by half-way then top-five guys by the end of the season. Then the other thing is I hate to say it but we made some mistakes. I made a mistake in Iowa we made some strategy calls that put us in bad positions. I think Baltimore Ryan (Hunter-Reay) and I restarted one-two on one restart and then a caution came out. He opted to pit, we were on a different strategy, he goes on to win the race we got caught in a mess back in the back of the field and had a bunch of problems. I think that a lot of the races that my teammates did well we were right there. Either I made a mistake or we made a mistake on the box or we made a mistake in the pits. I think Detroit and Toronto were the only two that were just sort of bad luck. We had failures and a track issue. I think all the elements are there and the pieces are there. The team is obviously very capable and I think if we can just hit all our points on any given Sunday we will be as competitive as anybody.”

DOES THE LACK OF TESTING THIS WINTER ARE WE JUST STARTING FROM WHERE WE WERE AT THE END OF LAST YEAR OR HAS A LOT BEEN LEARNED OFF THE RACE TRACK?
“The problem with such a long off season and very little time to test is it gives engineers like six months to sit in a box and come up with crazy ideas. Then you only have like three days to try and get through all these things that they have dreamed up. I think what you are going to see is last year everybody had so much testing we all arrived to St. Pete, we knew what our cars were going to be like. The rust had been blown off if you will. We were all almost basically race fit. There were very few silly accidents. There were very few start and restart problems. I don’t think we are going to see that this year. I think we are going to get to St. Pete everyone is going to be so anxious to finally be back in the car you are going to see guys making more mistakes in practice, hitting the wall in practice and more mistakes in the races because we just haven’t been in the car. It’s like telling a quarter back ‘hey you’ve got to practice with your team for three days before the start of the season.’ It’s crazy. It actually makes ours the hardest profession sport to be in because you cannot practice your craft. You are not allowed to practice your craft. That is a very difficult situation. I just think that this year with so many fewer miles in the off season we are going to run into more problems in the first two races.”

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No. 2 Team In GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series Fined, Penalized

No. 2 Team In GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series Fined, Penalized

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 11, 2013) – GRAND-AM Road Racing has issued monetary and point penalties to the No. 2 Ford/Riley Daytona Prototype entry that competes in the Rolex Sports Car Series, as a result of a rule infraction discovered following the GRAND-AM of The Americas at Circuit of The Americas on March 2.

Unauthorized modifications were found to the team’s fueling probe, a violation of Section 7.1.4 (“Dry-Break. The dry-break must be … unmodified”) of the GRAND-AM Rule Book.

As a result:

· The team, Starworks Motorsport, has been penalized with the loss of three team championship points;

· Drivers Alex Popow and Ryan Dalziel have each been penalized three driver championship points;

· Ford has been penalized three manufacturer championship points;

· The team has been fined $5,000, payable to Camp Boggy Creek, the official charity of GRAND-AM.

—

Contact:

GRAND-AM Communications

Herb Branham

(386) 310-6050

hbranham

Austin Penalty_031113.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

World-Class DJs Afrojack, Diplo To Perform In Indy 500 Snake Pit Presented By Miller Lite

For Immediate Release WORLD-CLASS DJ’S AFROJACK, DIPLO TO PERFORM IN INDY 500 SNAKE PIT Indianapolis native Topher Jones also on decks at Race Day party presented by Miller Lite INDIANAPOLIS, Wednesday, March 6, 2013 – World-renowned electronic DJs Afrojack and Diplo will headline the party in the Snake Pit presented by Miller Lite during the 97th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 26 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Rising star DJ Topher Jones, an Indianapolis native, also will perform in the Snake Pit. Located inside Turn 3 in the massive IMS infield, the Snake Pit features world-class DJ’s and other festivities that will open at 7 a.m. on Race Day and will rock IMS until the checkered flag waves. Any fan with a Race Day ticket and free Snake Pit wristband will be admitted. Music starts at 7 a.m. Wristbands can be obtained either at www.indy500snakepit.com or at one of the Snake Pit Tour stops around Indiana. Check www.indy500snakepit.com for more details. Besides the live music, activities in the Snake Pit will include one of the world’s largest water slides, a zipline, volleyball, corn hole, body painting, food trucks, darts, hula hoops, breakdancers, go-go dancers and more. "The Snake Pit presented by Miller Lite has grown into a major attraction on Race Day in just two years," said Jeff Belskus, Indianapolis Motor Speedway president and chief executive officer. "The fun party has helped attract electronic superstars such as Afrojack and Diplo, who will provide the perfect exciting, energetic soundtrack for our fans in the Snake Pit on Race Day." Two-time Grammy Award winner Afrojack has become a world icon in electronic dance music. Known by his more familiar stage name, Nick van de Wall started his career as a DJ in his hometown of Spijkenisse, Netherlands, where he created some hard-hitting underground releases. Afrojack’s career exploded in 2010 when he unveiled "Take Over Control," which became a worldwide club and chart hit that went platinum in the U.S. Afrojack produced a series of club hits before his collaboration with David Guetta that created the worldwide smash "Titanium." In 2011, he co-wrote and produced "Give Me Everything" with Pitbull, Ne-Yo and Nayer, which has sold more than 5 million copies. He took home his first Grammy in 2011 for Best Remix (Madonna, "Revolver"), worked with Beyonce on "Run the World (Girls)," and his partnership with Leona Lewis delivered the 2012 Grammy-nominated remix "Collide." Afrojack is a dance music artist whose skills as a high-energy concert performer are coveted around the world. His North America "Jacked" tour in 2012 featured many sold-out shows, and he performed seven days a week during his European summer tour at major festivals throughout the continent. He solidified his own imprint, Wall Recordings, as a pioneering club music brand – a value he holds dear as label boss and ensures with every release. Afrojack released his brand-new single, "As Your Friend" featuring Chris Brown, which has quickly climbed the charts. The track marks the first release off of his highly anticipated debut album, set to release this summer. Wesley Pentz, better known as Diplo, is one of the most dynamic forces in music today. He is as much as an international brand (tastemaker, spokesman, curator) as he is a musician/DJ/producer. Year after year, he’s proven himself to be an ubiquitous cultural figure, consistently bridging high and low, mainstream and underground, with remarkable tact and reverence. In 2004, after studying film at Temple University, throwing influential parties in South Philadelphia and releasing multiple mixtapes promoting the aesthetic of his party, Hollertronix, Pentz cemented himself as a full-fledged artist through his debut album, "Florida." Receiving praise within the underground community, "Florida" caught the attention of XL Recording’s newest act at the time – M.I.A. – who partnered with Pentz to release mixtape "Piracy Funds Terrorism Vol. 1." This pivotal mixtape (listed by the New York Times and Pitchfork Media as "Album of the Year") helped build buzz for M.I.A.’s debut and boosted Diplo’s reputation as a scene-spotter, championing the mongrel pop of the global underclass to the speakers of American clubs. Diplo would continue to work with M.I.A. on her first and second albums, eventually creating the Grammy-nominated track "Paper Planes" in 2007, which hit No. 4 in the U.S. Hot 100 Charts and sold more than 3 million copies. In 2005, Diplo founded label/culture lab Mad Decent to serve as a showcasing platform for the myriad of fascinating sounds Pentz encounters while touring the world. Diplo has also utilized the label to produce the annual and infamous Mad Decent block parties – a series of free outdoor dance party/concerts in Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, Toronto, and Los Angeles. Diplo continued to be a steadfast pioneer in 2012. Following up on his 2011 Grammy nomination for his production on Chris Brown’s "Look At Me Now," Diplo kept plowing through the pop music landscape – gracing the cover of Billboard magazine and securing placements with Justin Bieber, Shakira, Lil Wayne, No Doubt, Bruno Mars, Santigold, Azealia Banks, Robyn while also producing singles for Usher ("Climax") and Beyonce ("Run the World"). Additional collaboration and remix credits include Tiesto, Skrillex, Beck, Radiohead, Laidback Luke, La Roux, Kelly Rowland, Britney Spears, Sleigh Bells, T.I., Lil Jon, Dillon Francis, Sia, Die Antwoord, and Das Racist. Indianapolis native Jones will perform on the decks at the Snake Pit presented by Miller Lite. Jones, who lives in Chicago, is a breakout house DJ and producer signed to Ultra Records. Jones’ latest single, "Brohammer," was called a "beast of a track" by EDM legend Gareth Emery, hit the top 10 overall on Beatport and has received support from DJs across the globe. Featuring a Nari & Milani remix, Brohammer smashed festival sets and became a 2012 anthem. His music has been played by DJs across musical genres, from Tiesto to Skrillex, Armin van Buuren to Knife Party, Emery to Deadmau5, Above and Beyond to Pendulum. *** 2013 Indianapolis 500 tickets: Tickets are on sale for the 97th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on Sunday, May 26 at IMS. Race Day ticket prices start at just $30. Fans can buy tickets online at www.ims.com/tickets, by calling the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700, or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area, or by visiting the ticket office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday-Friday. Children 12 and under will be receive free general admission to any IMS event in 2013 when accompanied by an adult general admission ticket holder. Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are on sale. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information. …I5002013-004…

GRAND-AM/ALMS Media Alert: Save The Date – March 14 Major Sports Car Announcement

Media Alert: Save The Date – March 14

Major Sports Car Announcement

By GRAND-AM Road Racing & The American Le Mans Series Presented By Tequila Patrón

Regarding 2014 Unified Sports Car Series

DATE: Thursday, March 14

SITE: Chateau Élan Hotel at Sebring International Raceway

TIME: 2:30 p.m. ET

ANNOUNCEMENT TOPICS:

· Unveiling of name, branding and logo for the new unified sports car series
· Unified series’ competitive class names for 2014

SPEAKERS:

· GRAND-AM President and CEO Ed Bennett
· American Le Mans Series President and CEO Scott Atherton
· SME Branding Managing Partner Paul Sewards

ONLINE STREAMING:
A live stream of the announcement can be found online at: www.grand-am.com, www.alms.com and www.speedtv.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Join the conversation on Twitter by using #TheReveal. You may also follow @RolexSeries and @almsnotes for live updates throughout the event.

MEDIA NOTES:

Media unable to attend can participate via international teleconference capability. Teleconference specifics will be announced at a later date. A full transcript of the announcement will be available to media following the event. Media work stations will be provided on-site.

For more information, contact:

Herb Branham, NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications, at (386) 310-6050 or hbranham.

SAVETHEDATE031413.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

Riley Technologies Take 1-2-3 in Texas

Riley Technologies Take 1-2-3 in Texas

Record-setting pole ahead of history-making win with podium sweep; Riley also takes GT Class Victory with Turner Motorsport

Media Contact: 
Matt Cleary, Sunday Group Management

(317) 908-2975 (m)

media

(Photo courtesy GRAND-AM Communications)

Austin, Texas (3 March 2013) – After taking the firm’s record ninth consecutive Rolex 24 At Daytona victory to open the 2013 GRAND-AM season, the switch to Rolex Series sprint racing saw a similar outcome as teams competing with Daytona Prototypes from Riley Technologies finished 1-2-3 in the inaugural GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series event at the Circuit of the Americas this weekend.

GAINSCO Racing led the charge as Jon Fogarty and Alex Gurney combined to bring the Texas-based team a huge victory on home soil with the team’s Corvette DP, which is built on the Riley Chassis.

“This is by far the biggest win we have ever had in the United States, right here at home in Texas, and ranks right up there with our first ever win in Mexico City back in 2007, said GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Team Owner Bob Stallings. “But in terms of degree of difficulty this was by far the sweetest win, and just how magical is this? We had hundreds of agents and guests out here, we had the pole, we were the race’s lead presenting sponsor, we are in Texas, we are a Texas team and it has been a long time since we won. What a perfect race to make a comeback!”

Riley Technologies designs were also a competitive force in Rolex Series GT Class competition, with the Turner Motorsport BMW M3 of Bill Auberlen and Paul Dalla Lana winning their first race of the year as the GT Class also staged a thrilling final laps to the first-ever race on the Formula 1-grade facility.

After nearly three hours of hard-fought Rolex Sports Car Series competition that saw five lead changes and drama right through the closing moments of the race, Gurney took the checkered flag by less than half a second over the No. 2 Ford-Riley of Ryan Dalziel, with the No. 01 Telmex BMW-Riley of Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas finishing third after leading the opening stages of the race.

Rolex fans have become accustomed to seeing frequent side-to-side contact in the field, and Riley DP machines have a long history of standing up to those impacts and racing to the finish.

But everything is bigger in Texas, and the Austin round produced a dramatic new highlight reel for that established Riley toughness. After Memo Rojas led 33 laps, he turned the car over to teammate Pruett, who was forced into a curb on his out lap as he fought for the lead of the race. The contact with the curb launched the Telmex machine airborne for a moment at top speed before slamming back down to the ground.

Many expected that the huge impact with the ground, would end the race for the defending series champions. But Pruett instead made a quick stop for a new nose, and continued on. The car was not only strong enough to rejoin the fray, but also threatened to take the win until the final corners of the race.

Rolex Series Daytona Prototypes:
1st Jon Fogarty, Alex Gurney, Corvette DP, 71 laps/ 2h 45.422m
2nd Ryan Dalziel, Alex Popow, Ford-Riley DP -0.427 seconds
3rd Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas, BMW-Riley DP

Rolex Series GT Class:
1st Bill Auberlen, Paul Dalla Lana BMW M3/Turner Motorsport
2nd Andy Lally, John Potter, Magnus Racing Porsche

The next event on the 12-race GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series calendar for 2013 is the annual Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala., Saturday, April 6. The two-hour race begins at 1:45 p.m. EDT with SPEED’s next-day-delay television broadcast set for Sunday, April 7, at 5:30 p.m.
www.sundaymanagement.com

@sundaygroup

-30-

RIleyWinsCOTA-2013.pdf

Brabham Dominates Round 2 as Ferreira Retains Points Lead with Second

Podium2.JPG

Brabham Dominates Round 2 as Ferreira Retains Points Lead with Second.pdf
2013 Pro Mazda COTA R2 Race Unofficial.pdf

GRAND-AM of The Americas’ Two-Day Attendance

Begin forwarded message:

From: Julie Loignon <julie.loignon>

Subject: GRAND-AM of The Americas’ Two-Day Attendance

Date: March 2, 2013 8:03:38 PM EST

Cc: Ali Putnam <ali.putnam>, Harrison Lindsey <harrison.lindsey>, Taylor Kelley <taylor.kelley>, Regan Holley <Regan.Holley>

Good evening,

The two-day attendance (March 1-2) for the inaugural GRAND-AM of The Americas was 26,648.

Congratulations to this weekend’s winners—and to all of our competitors!

Thanks for coming out to cover the event. Hope to you see you at MotoGP, April 19-21.

Julie Loignon

Vice President of Public & Media Relations
Circuit of The Americas
301 Congress Avenue
Suite 220
Austin, TX 78701
O: 512.536.1457
M: 512.800.5181
Julie.Loignon
www.circuitoftheamericas.com

This electronic mail message and any files transmitted are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential, or proprietary. If you are not the intended recipient, you are not authorized to disclose this information. We request that you please notify us by reply email or telephone at +1 512-301-6600 immediately, and delete the original message from your mail system in its entirety. Please be advised that any review or dissemination of, or the taking of any action in reliance on, the information contained in or attached to this message is prohibited.

This electronic mail message and attachments have been swept for known computer viruses.

Matt Cleary
Sunday Group Management
media

@sundaygroup
317.908.2975 (m)
www.sundaymanagement.com

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GRAND-AM Cooldown Lap: Circuit Of The Americas

GRAND-AM Cooldown Lap: Circuit Of The Americas

GRAND-AM Of The Americas Presented By GAINSCO And TOTAL

Rolex Sports Car Series

Saturday, March 2, 2013

The Recap

It had been a long time since Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty last won a Rolex Sports Car Series race – Montreal in 2011 to be exact. Saturday, all the stars aligned for the two-time DP champs, who scored a popular home-state victory for GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing in the inaugural GRAND-AM race at Circuit of The Americas.

Driving for the Dallas-based team, Gurney took over the lead with 14 minutes remaining when Brendon Hartley’s upset bid ended with a broken suspension. Gurney then held off valiant attempts by both Scott Pruett and Ryan Dalziel to take the 16th Daytona Prototype victory for both drivers.

Dalziel finished second, .427 seconds behind, in the No. 2 Popow Starworks Motorsport Ford/Riley started by Alex Popow. Pruett took third in the Rolex 24 At Daytona-winning No. 01 TELMEX BMW/Riley, coming back from a late-race miscue that saw the five-time champion fall to 10th after contact with Max Angelelli. Co-driver Memo Rojas dominated the opening two-thirds of the event, leading a race-high 33 circuits.

Running his second Rolex Series race, Hartley led by four seconds in the No. 8 Starworks Motorsport Ford/Riley started by Scott Mayer. Contact with the GT Audi R8 of Ian Baas sent him spinning to the sidelines with a broken right-rear suspension, ending his upset bid.

GT also went down to the wire. Alessandro Balzan and Alessandro Pier Guidi dominated the event, leading 47 laps. Andy Lally, driving the No. 44 Magnus Racing Flex-Box Porsche GT3 started by John Potter, took over on pit stops and was able to hold on for 12 laps before Pier Guidi made the pass with 3:30 remaining. Bill Auberlen, driving the No. 94 Turner Motorsport BMW M3 started by Paul Dalla Lana, also managed to get by Lally. GRAND-AM officials penalized Pier Guidi for avoidable contact, and assessed a one-lap, plus 90-second penalty after the checkered flag.

That gave the victory to Auberlen and Dalla Lana. It was their first victory since Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2011. Ironically, they also combined to win the accompanying Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race for the team on both occasions.

In GX, Rolex 24 winner Dr. Jim Norman combined with Austin driver Jeff Mosing and Spencer Pumpelly to win in the No. 38 BGB Motorsports Porsche Cayman.

The Stats

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

GT 1st: Paul Dalla Lana/Bill Auberlen, No. 94 Turner Motorsport BMW M3
GT 2nd: John Potter/Andy Lally, No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche GT3

GT 3rd: Andrew Davis/Leh Keen, No. 59 Brumos Racing Porsche GT3
GX 1st: Dr. Jim Norman/Jeff Mosing/Spencer Pumpelly, No. 38 BGB Motorsports Porsche Cayman
GX 2nd: Tom Long/Sylvain Tremblay, No. 70 Mazdaspeed/SpeedSource Mazda 6
GX 3rd: Tristan Nunez/Joel Miller, No. 00 Visit Florida Racing/SpeedSource Mazda 6

Margin of Victory: .427 seconds (DP); 2.388 seconds (GT); 4 laps (GX)

Average Speed: 87.743 mph (DP); 82.757 mph (GT); 75.734 mph (GX)

Cautions: 2 for 10 laps

The Points (Unofficial)

DP: Memo Rojas/Scott Pruett, 65; Alex Gurney/Jon Fogarty, 59; Ryan Dalziel/Alex Popow, 53; Max Angelelli/Jordan Taylor, 49
GT: Andy Lally/John Potter, 58; Dion von Moltke, 57; Emil Assentato/Anthony Lazzaro, 56; Paul Dalla Lana/Bill Auberlen, 51.
GX: Jim Norman, 70; Jeff Mosing, 65; Sylvain Tremblay/Tom Long, 60

Noteworthy

Ø The No. 57 Stevenson Auto Group Chevrolet Camaro was qualified fourth by John Edwards, but started at the back of the GT grid. Following qualifying, the team found debris and decided to change engines. Edwards – battling back from a bout with the flu – worked his way back into contention before being hit in the left-rear wheel by another competitor, causing a long pit stop that dropped them from contention.

Ø The event marked the first GRAND-AM Rolex Series event without Darren Law in the field. Law has competed in 161 races, dating from GRAND-AM’s debut in the 2000 Rolex 24 At Daytona through the 2013 Daytona event, where he finished seventh for GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing.

Ø Enzo Potolicchio confirmed that Stephane Sarrazin will drive in all but one of the remaining Rolex Series races. He will sit out the Mid-Ohio round to prepare for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with his drive in the Diamond Cellar Classic taken by Tom Kimber-Smith. The team scored the best finish of its young history at Austin, taking fourth.

Ø A pair of Rolex 24 class winners had new rides for the event. GT winner Dion von Moltke joined Muehlner Motorsports’ No. 18 Porsche GT3 after winning Daytona in an Alex Job Racing Audi R8. Dr. Jim Norman – part of Napleton Racing’s winning GX effort in the Rolex 24 – moved to BGB for Austin, joining Jeff Mosing and Spencer Pumpelly.

The Numbers:

Ø 9 – GT lead changes among five cars and six drivers
Ø 10 – Laps led by Brendon Hartley
Ø 15 – Winless streak in races for Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty since winning at Montreal in 2011
Ø 25 – Rolex Series victories for Bill Auberlen
Ø 80 – Career Rolex Series podiums for Scott Pruett
Ø 101.978 – Speed in MPH of Joao Barbosa’s fastest DP race lap

Quoteboard:

Ø “It’s great to be back. We finished second quite a few times last year, and man, what a day! We pushed it so hard the whole way. It was an incredible battle at the end with Dalziel and Pruett, and it feels amazing to hold them off. We had 500 GAINSCO guests today, and we created 500 new racing fans. They were all going crazy.” – Alex Gurney, No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Corvette DP

Ø “It’s great to win, obviously, but today couldn’t have been a better time with all the people here from GAINSCO. Victories are always great, and beyond that, we just put ourselves in a great position for the points championship. Now we have to keep it going.” – Jon Fogarty, No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Corvette DP

Ø “The Ferrari and Andy were battling out up front. We made two laps back, and put our head down and raced. I didn’t see what happened with Andy and the Ferrari, but it slowed Lally down and he came back to me. I had a move ready and I put it into action. It got tight, we bumped a few times and ran out a few times. Andy got mad, and I apologize if he felt I did him wrong, but I don’t race dirty. It was a great win for Turner. This team is good enough to win races, so there’s no reason we shouldn’t try to win everything we get our hands on.” – Bill Auberlen, No. 94 Turner Motorsport BMW M3

Ø “The car was really consistent, and BGB did a great job setting it up. I just tried to stay out of traffic, and as the sun was setting, it made it tough battling with the other cars. Winning my first Rolex Series race in my home town is very exciting.” – Jeff Mosing, No. 38 BGB Motorsports Porsche Cayman, GX winner

Ø “The team worked really hard on our setup for today, and they really nailed it. We were having a great race, leading most of the time we were out there. Then Scott had contact with the 10 car and tore off the front of the car. I’m not sure exactly what happened, but it’s a shame for the team and the fans.” – Memo Rojas, No. 01 TELMEX/Target BMW/Riley

Ø “Our start was a little messy, and I fell back to sixth. But the car was great, so we took our time and worked up to second. We had the quickest car on the track, and Max was flying once he got in. Racing Ricky was exciting – a lot more action than I expected. I’m sure we’ll be talking about it later.” – Jordan Taylor, No. 10 Velocity Worldwide Corvette DP

Ø “I was right behind two incidents but missed both of them, thanks to the work of my spotter. Barry Waddell has saved me a lot of money over the years. This is a great place for GRAND-AM to be. It’s one of the best tracks in North America, for both fans and racers.” John Pew, No. 60 Michael Shank Racing Ford/Riley

Coming Up:

Round 3 of the 2013 Rolex Sports Car Series season will be the Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala. (SPEED, April 7, 5:30 p.m.).

Cooldown Lap Austin Rolex.pdf

Matt Cleary
Sunday Group Management
media

@sundaygroup
317.908.2975 (m)
www.sundaymanagement.com

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