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Following In His Dad’s Tire Tracks, Alex Gurney Takes First Laps At Indy

Following In His Dad’s Tire Tracks, Alex Gurney Takes First Laps At Indy
GRAND-AM Teams Test Continental Tires In Preparation For 2012 Races

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Sept. 7, 2011) – Times have changed, but the Gurney name remains magical at hallowed racing ground such as Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Alex Gurney, son of legendary driver/owner Dan Gurney, took center stage Wednesday at IMS, site of the first day of GRAND-AM tire testing in preparation for races next season during the 2012 Super Weekend at the Brickyard. Continental Tire testing continues Thursday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
The GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 and the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge will participate in a pair of races (July 27) during the July 26-29 event, joined by the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series.
“It’s very special to be taking my first laps at Indianapolis, 41 years since my dad last drove here in a race,” said Alex Gurney, part of one of six teams participating in the two-day session. “I’m very happy that GRAND-AM made the move to come here.”
Gurney drove the No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Chevrolet/Riley that he shared with Jon Fogarty in winning the 2007 and 2009 Daytona Prototype championships. Fogarty tested that car in GRAND-AM’s only prior outing at Indy, in 2009.
Also testing Wednesday were Ricky Taylor and Max Angelelli in the No. 10 SunTrust Chevrolet/Dallara, Craig Stanton and John Potter in the No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche GT3 and Ronnie Bremer in the No. 57 Stevenson Auto Group Chevrolet Camaro. The test also included a pair of Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge teams, with John Edwards driving the No. 9 Stevenson Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro (Grand Sport class) and Eric Foss driving the No. 27 Freedom Autosport Mazda Speed 3 (Street Tuner).
Gurney enjoyed the feeling driving through Turn One of the famed 2.5-mile oval – running in a different direction on the sports car layout – although he found the front straight a lot different than he envisioned.
“Watching Indy on TV all through the years I thought the front straight was really wide,” Gurney said. “It doesn’t feel that way in a race car. It’s a lot narrower than I expected, and feels closed in and tight. That’s something I didn’t expect.”

Audi To Build R8 LMS Race Car For GRAND-AM Rolex Series GT Class

New Car To Debut At 50th Rolex 24 At Daytona In January

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 7, 2011) – Audi has announced its commitment to build a version of its successful R8 LMS race car for the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, adding another major manufacturer to its highly competitive production-based GT class.

GRAND-AM has worked with Audi on the project since August 2009, making several visits to Germany to meet with the manufacturer. The car is expected to begin testing in the fall, with its competition debut expected at the 50th anniversary running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 28-29, 2012.

The announcement follows the successful first test of the Ferrari F458 as GRAND-AM seeks to bring new cars and manufacturers into the Rolex Series’ GT class while bringing passionate fans to the tracks and continuing to enhance the standard of competition.

“This is another important step forward for the Rolex Series and the GT class,” said GRAND-AM Vice President of Competition Dave Spitzer. “We know there is incredible support for Audi among our race fans, and we look forward to hearing and seeing the beautiful R8 racing with the rest of our GT class.

“With Audi, we have developed a template for modifying GT cars to our performance level that can be applied elsewhere to further enhance the variety on our grid.”

The Rolex Series Audi R8 will use the 5.0-liter V10 engine and Audi’s production-based aluminum chassis. Engine power and aerodynamic performance will be modified slightly to match current Rolex Series GT performance levels. Work is underway to test the engine on GRAND-AM’s dyno. Cars may be delivered to customers this fall.

“We are proud to join the Rolex Series in 2012 with the R8,” said Romolo Liebchen, Audi Project Manager Customer Sports GT. “We know the GRAND-AM team will provide a great platform for GT racing for years to come. We look forward to meeting many new customers.”

Liebchen is expected to attend the Rolex Series’ season-ending race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in September to meet with GRAND-AM officials, teams and prospective customers.

Teams will have the opportunity to test the new Audi at open tests at Daytona International Speedway in November and December. The 2012 Rolex Series season opens with the annual Roar Before the Rolex 24 At Daytona test in early January, leading up to the 50th Rolex 24 on Jan. 28-29.

Burt Frisselle In-Car Mid-Ohio with Continental Tire rider

In-Car…

A Lap of Baltimore with M. DiLeo

Insight Racing Sets the Stage for Mid-Ohio Comeback With Successful Test Program

Insight Racing Sets the Stage for Mid-Ohio Comeback With Successful Test Program

Return to Grand Sport set for Home Race

Columbus, OH (6 September 2011) – Insight Racing is returning to GRAND-AM race action in the season-finale EMCO Gears Classic presented by Key Bank at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course September 17. The event is the home race for the Hilliard-based organization, which is staging its debut season of competition in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.

The run at Mid-Ohio marks a considerable comeback for the rookie organization after having seen the program set back with a pair of significant accidents not of the team’s own making. A competitor’s failed brakes saw the No. 19 GS BMW M3 entry heavily damaged in practice at VIR, and the No. 18 BMW written off in a major shunt at Road America.

While driver Nico Rondet demonstrated the strength of the Insight Racing-prepared machine by walking away from the race-stopping accident at Road America, the incident thwarted the championship aspirations of the team, just seven rounds into the season.

Electing to focus on delivering podium-capable entries to the races rather than hastily devising a compromised competitive effort, Insight Racing elected to use the break between events to stage a comprehensive testing effort centered on the No. 19 BMW M3 Grand Sports Class machine.

Danish hotshoe Martin Jensen and American racer Tyler McQuarrie will share the driving duties in the 2.5-hour EMCO Gears Classic (SPEED, September 25/ 12:00 PM ET).

“We are very much looking forward to returning to GRAND-AM again at Mid-Ohio,” said Insight Racing Principal and Director Gilbert Lynagh. “After Road America, we took a deep breath and focused on what we needed to do. Our ambition is not to just be part of the field, we are here to compete and to win. We’ve shown this season that even though this is a young team, it is also an experienced and capable group. So we have focused our efforts on the GS program, and we’ve been encouraged with the progress that we’ve made in testing. Our competition has been racing with this M3 for several seasons so we know how strong and close this field is. You never know until you go racing where you will sort out, but we are optimistic about the progress we’ve made and are looking forward to continuing to do so at Mid-Ohio.”

With Steve Dinan and new race engineer J. Cooper King, providing the engineering oversight needed to bring a strong effort to the highly competitive top class of Continental Tire competition, Insight Racing is ready to pick up where the team left off with a run to a podium at Mid-Ohio as preparations are fully moving forward already for the 2012 season.

Additional information is available at: www.insightracing.com
You can also follow the team on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Insight-Racing/183845971652252

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RUM BUM RACING SETS NEW RECORD WITH HIGH SPEED RUN AT KENNEDY SPACE CENTER

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RUM BUM RACING SETS NEW RECORD WITH HIGH SPEED RUN AT KENNEDY SPACE CENTER

You can follow Rum Bum Racing on Facebook:

6 September, 2011–From a dramatic debut victory at Daytona International Speedway to the team’s iconic livery for the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing BMW to an incredible run of results for the second-year team, Rum Bum Racing has separated itself from the pack at every turn.

And so it came as little surprise to fans of the team that the squad took advantage of the multi-week break between GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge races not by slowing down, but rather by going flat out. What originally started as a way to test the aerodynamics on the No. 13 BMW M3 quickly became a record setting run.

When Rum Bum Racing team owner Luis Bacardi decided to take the No. 13 Rum Bum BMW to a completely new venue with a record-setting high-speed run on the wide open spaces of Kennedy Space Center’s huge runways, it was a break from everything the team had ever done before. But with the crew led by canny veteran Joe Varde and the car pushed all the way past the top of the speedometer by Matt Plumb, Rum Bum Racing showed once again that the team is capable of success, no matter what the challenge.

Running as a guest of Performance Power Racing, with the International Mile Racing Association (IMRA) monitoring the test activites, Rum Bum Racing visited the hallowed but huge grounds where so many NASA Space Shuttles called home between visits to the skies. Performance Power Racing has a deep reserve of experience with this kind of top-speed tour, and was tapped to generate and capture the aerodynamic data that the runs were producing.

Rum Bum Racing found positive aerodynamic changes to be made, gathering new data that would not have been discovered or corrected without the straight line testing that was possible on the shuttle landing facilities. The setting was ideal, as the wide open spaces and warm temperatures gave the team the room it needed for the BMW to stretch its legs and go for a new record.

There were two tests to be had as the No. 13 M3 first ran the “Standing Mile,” which saw the clock start to click with the BMW sitting at a stand still before taking off at full speed. Just one mile later, the V8 had powered Plumb forward to 173.711 mph-setting a new mark for the BMW M3.

The second category saw Plumb get a 300 foot head start to the proceedings as he crossed the timing line with some momentum already building. That brought an even more impressive result as his clocked another new M3 record with a mark of 185.804 miles per hour through the “Flying Mile” markers.

“That was a lot of fun! It is pretty remarkable that we just unloaded from a race with the same Continental Tires and same BMW M3 that we normally use to race in GRAND-AM, and just hit the runway and set some records this week,” said Plumb. “I want to thank Mr. Bacardi for making this possible. This was a really cool experience. It’s way different from anything we’ve done before and we learned a lot. And now we have a car that has not only won races in GRAND-AM, it has gone off and set new records at Kennedy as well. Hopefully we can add one more win this year at Mid-Ohio.”

Rum Bum Racing will target yet more trophies as the 2011 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge season finale closes out the season at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course September 16-17.

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$57,750 Continental Tire Bonus Money on Line in Finale at Mid-Ohio

Sept. 6, 2011

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In addition to claiming the “Bounty,” Action Express Racing won a $18,750 Continental Tire HORSEPOWER bonus at Virginia International Raceway.

LEXINGTON, Ohio – After thousands of miles of racing, just a handful of points are all that stand between some teams and their championship aspirations as the 2011 GRAND-AM Championships are set to be decided at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course September 16-17 in the EMCO Gears Classic presented by KeyBank.

In the Rolex Sports Car Series Daytona Prototype ranks, only two points separate the battle for Engine Manufacturer honors, with just one point separating the GT Class Manufacturer battle. In a highly competitive season that has seen seven different cars pull into victory lane, the Team and Driver GT Class championships are nearly as close, with a scant five points splitting the three top teams.

And even with so much on the line, the stakes were raised even further with the announcement that the Continental Tire HORSEPOWER Bonus will see $43,750 in cash awards up for grabs in the final Rolex Sports Car Series race of the year, with a further $14,000 bonus on tap for the last Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race of the season.

Established as part of the comprehensive partnership between Continental Tire and GRAND-AM, the HORSEPOWER Program creates additional cash rewards for select GRAND-AM teams. To be eligible, teams must have participated in every race meeting the previous year, finished the season with an entry in the top ten final season standings, and participated in the season-long fan engagement programs that GRAND-AM stages at every race weekend including Fan Walks and Autograph Sessions.

The race award goes to any eligible team for scoring it first win of the season. If a team wins a second race or an event is won by a non-eligible squad, the stakes are raised in the following round as the rewards are rolled forward, growing the bonus every time out until one lucky team breaks through and collects. The award is open to entrants in both the GT and DP classes in Rolex Series competition.

Topping the charts this year was a $25,000 bonus for Stevenson Motorsports’ GT Class victory at Lime Rock Park. The largest DP Class pay out to date was the $18,750 collected by the No. 9 Action Express machine at VIR as part of its remarkable $83,750 pay off for the victory when teamed with GRAND-AM’s “Ganassi Beating-Bounty” and other prize awards.

The race-to-race Continental Tire HORSEPOWER awards are further bolstered by year-end bonus, with a combined $25,000 going to the DP and GT winners and a total of $15,000 in year end awards set for GS and ST entries

GRAND-AM Road Racing Sets Two-Day Test At Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Six Teams Begin Preparation For 2012 Super Weekend At The Brickyard
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Sept. 6, 2012) – GRAND-AM Road Racing will hold a two-day Continental Tire test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday and Thursday, continuing preparation for the Super Weekend at the Brickyard on July 26-29, 2012.
Six teams representing both the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 and the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge are scheduled to test on both days from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
This will be GRAND-AM’s second test on Indy’s 2.605- mile, 13-turn Grand Prix road course. The Rolex Series held a popular and successful feasibility test there on Sept. 2-3, 2009.
“We’re confident this will be another great step as we prepare to race at Indianapolis in 2012,” said Mark Raffauf, GRAND-AM managing director of competition. “The anticipation and excitement is building, like it was for our 2009 test. It’s an honor to have our cars at the famed Brickyard this week.”
Two Daytona Prototypes will test. Alex Gurney will drive the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Chevrolet/Riley, while Max Angelelli and Ricky Taylor will share the No. 10 SunTrust Chevrolet/Dallara. The GT class will be represented by Ronnie Bremer in the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro and the No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT3 of John Potter and Craig Stanton.
The Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge will test at Indy for the first time, with John Edwards in the Stevenson Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro in the Grand Sport class and Eric Foss and Tom Long in the Freedom Autosport Mazda Speed 3 in the Street Tuner class.
The GRAND-AM Rolex Series and Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge will join the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series during the Super Weekend at the Brickyard. Both of the GRAND-AM races will be held on Friday, July 27.
GRAND-AM closes the 2011 season at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the EMCO Gears Classic presented by KeyBank on Sept. 16-17.

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