Sunday Group Management

Bell on Pole Once Again At Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

Bell on Pole Once Again At Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

MONTEREY, Calif. (8 July 2011) – Following up a run to victory lane in the most recent round of GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge competition, Matt Bell scored the pole position at his home track of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca with a fast lap time of 1:36.049 seconds in the No. 9 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GS.R.

The young Californian, who along with co-driver John Edwards scored the first victory of the season for Stevenson Motorsports two weeks ago at Road America, now gives the team its first pole of the season as well.

The pole position marks Bell’s seventh top-10 starting position in eight races at the controls of the Camaro GS.R as he is set to lead the 54-car combined class grid to the green flag in tomorrow’s 2.5-hour race.

“The team set up a good car and it was a good, solid pole,” said Bell. “This team works very strategically and we save a lot of time. Luckily, on the home race, I’m on pole. This is an awesome feeling. Now, when my friends roll in to the track this weekend and want to know where I am, I can just tell them ‘up front!”

Bell will have many friends and family on hand as he and Edwards look to remain at the front and go for their third straight podium result.

In addition to the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race, Bell will also jump behind the wheel to race the No. 23 Michael Shank Racing Daytona Prototype entry after qualifying the Ford-Riley on the outside of the fourth row with a time of 1:22.342 seconds in his third Daytona Prototype start of the year.

“It’s tough going back and forth between the cars, just from a logistical point of view,” said Bell of his double-duty weekend. “I was putting my helmet on and chasing my Daytona Prototype car to get ready to go in it for practice! But, I’m figuring it out and now that the Daytona Prototype has given me the input that I need, I feel more comfortable. I think during the race, I’ll figure it out more. The team did an awesome job figuring out what the next step is and I’ll try to improve it with my driving, so I am cautiously optimistic for the race tomorrow.”

Bell and Michael Shank Racing co-driver James Davison will look to move forward in tomorrow’s 2.75-hour race as each make their first race start at the California road course behind the wheel of a Daytona Prototype.

The Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race is set to begin at 10:45 AM PDT with the Rolex Series Sports Car race slated for a 2:30 PM PDT start time. Both races can be followed with live timing and scoring at www.grand-am.com.

The Rolex Series race will broadcast on Sunday, July 10 at 4:00 PM (ET) on SPEED. The Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race coverage will be shown on SPEED July 17 at 1:00 PM (ET).

Matt Cleary
Sunday Group Management
media
http://www.sundaymanagement.com
317.908.2975 (m)


Based in Indianapolis, Sunday Group Management is a leading motorsports management and communications consulting firm.

Sunday Group Management works with clients in a variety of motorsports categories, including NASCAR Sprint Cup driver AJ Allmendinger, Riley Technologies, GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series organization Michael Shank Racing, Continental Tire, and several teams and drivers in Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge competition.

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

Starting from 9th, Rum Bum Looks To Be 1st At the End

Starting from 9th, Rum Bum Looks To Be 1st At the End

MONTEREY, Ca., 8 July – The No. 13 Rum Bum Racing BMW M3 piloted by Nick Longhi and Matt Plumb will start from the ninth position on the grid for the Continental Tire Sports Car Festival Powered by Mazda at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. While the blue and yellow Rum Bum machine has been accustomed to starting closer toward the front of the field this year, the spot on the inside of the fifth row didn’t concern the squad much.

Throughout the practice sessions run so far, Rum Bum Racing has focused on setting up the car to run fast at the end of the race, rather than searching for all-out, one lap speed. Having optimized the BMW package to the fullest extent allowed within the current GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge GS Class rules, Rum Bum Racing knows it will have a difficult time competing with the higher horsepower, higher torque producing Camaros and Mustangs. Their advantage lays in the BMW’s superior braking, tire management and cornering speed. So while the Camaros and Mustangs wear down their tires and brakes, the No. 13 will look to come on strong at the end.

“One thing we know is that the No. 13 is consistently fast, even if not over a single lap,” said Plumb. “That’s what we set the car up for is to run fast over a whole race distance. It’s going to be good over the long run. Nick (Longhi) had a little bit of understeer for qualifying that hurt his ability to go faster in qualifying. We will make some changes to the set-up tonight to dial it in for the race, so we’re going to be fine. We’ll just have to be patient and let the other cars wear themselves out. That was the plan at Road America and it was working until that late race yellow put an end to it for us. Hopefully, this weekend the yellows, of which I think there will be several, will fall in our favor.”

Longhi qualified the No.13 machine with a time of 1:36.756 seconds over the 2.238 miles of Laguna Seca that includes the famous “Corkscrew” corner, on his third lap of five attempted during the 15-minute session. His time was seven-tenths of a second off the pole-winning time.

The Continental Tire Sports Car Festival Powered by Mazda goes green at 10:45 AM PDT, Saturday July 9, for two and a half hours of hard-fought, action-packed racing. Follow live timing and scoring on grand-am.com.

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www.rumbumracing.com
You can also follow the team here: www.facebook.com/rumbumracing

A Rolex Series GT Class Lap of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on Continental Tires With Joe Foster

8 July 2011-Following a dramatic accident in the Road America round that saw one car catapult over the catch fencing and forced Joe Foster to be cut from his car, it has been a fast two weeks for the Dempsey Racing crew. The group opened the season on a high note, taking a podium finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona with Foster, Patrick Dempsey, Charlie Espenlaub, and Tom Long.

The team has taken on a substitute Mazda RX-8 for the Continental Tire Sports Car Festival round of GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series action as Foster teams up once again with co-driver Patrick Dempsey for round eight of the 2011 GRAND-AM season.

Despite still being a little bit sore from the impact two weeks ago, Foster took time out to talk his way through a lap of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in his Mazda RX-8 GT Class machine. Foster, who won the 2008 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Championship, will look to ignore the pain as he and Dempsey target success on Mazda’s home track.

“Coming down the front straight at MRLS, keeping our eyes on the mirrors because in a GT car we’ve got DP traffic coming around us. You come to the crest which is also known as turn one, just as we grab sixth gear, and look to the left to make sure there’s no one exiting the pit lane. Then it’s down the hill toward turn 2 which is a nice, long and challenging braking zone that requires a lot of patience. You make hard initial contact with the brake pedal, but you need to release the brake pedal early because the car is going down hill and avoid locking up the brakes. Also, it tends to get very dusty there. Roll off the brake and roll along the inside of the corner, again keeping an eye out for the DP cars, with the goal being to get the Continental Tires to get as much forward bite as possible to get down to turn 3. Read more of this post

Rum Bum Racing Has Productive First Day at Laguna Seca

Rum Bum Racing Has Productive First Day at Laguna Seca

MONTEREY, Ca., 7 July – Rum Bum Racing’s first taste of the storied Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca was a delectable one. While drivers Matt Plumb and Nick Longhi have logged hundreds of laps at the picturesque venue on California’s Central Coast, it was a first for the team and No. 13 BMW M3.

All in all, the results were very satisfactory with the car running comfortably among the top 5 throughout the unofficial test day for the Continental Tire Sports Car Sports Car Festival Powered by Mazda.

“Essentially the car rolled off the transporter this morning fresh off our race at Road America, so the goal today was to shake down the car and learn as much as we could about what it likes and doesn’t like around this track. Overall, today was very productive, and we’re armed with some very good data to attack practice and qualifying with a full head of steam,” said Plumb at the conclusion of the day’s testing.

The team used only one set of Continental Tires throughout the day, so there was no expectation of an uptick in performance as the day, made up of three separate 40-minute test sessions, wore on. Regardless, every lap turned added to the data set that can now be analyzed in full preparation for tomorrow’s activity and Saturday’s 2.5 hour race.

GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge practice gets underway tomorrow, Friday, July 8 at 9:00 AM PDT with a second practice taking place at 1:40 PM PDT before qualifying begins at 3:30 PM PDT. Follow all the action live on grand-am.com.

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www.rumbumracing.com
You can also follow the team here: www.facebook.com/rumbumracing

Michael Shank Racing Welcomes Indianapolis Motor Speedway to 2012 GRAND-AM Schedule

Indianapolis, IN (6 July 2011) – Michael Shank Racing looks forward to competing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2012. Wednesday’s announcement that the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series will stage one round of the 2012 championship at the famed facility was welcome news for the Columbus-based organization.

Michael Shank Racing was invited to participate in the test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in September, 2009.

“This is great news for GRAND-AM, our sponsors, drivers, and everyone involved with this effort,” said team owner Mike Shank, who also took the opportunity to strap into a Daytona Prototype and drive during the 2009 test at the Speedway. “I’ve been saying that GRAND-AM needs to put us where the people are. Racing at the Speedway as part of the big NASCAR event weekend is a perfect way to do exactly that, and I know the fans are going to love it. For us to have the opportunity to race on such a historic track, is really special. I’m already very excited about 2012, and this is an incredible addition to our schedule and some great news for the series and our fans.”

“I’m very excited about the addition of Indy to our 2012 schedule, and I couldn’t be more excited to come back to the Speedway and race next year,” said John Pew, who won the 2010 GRAND-AM Pro-Am Championship and tested at the track in 2009. “I think we are going to put on a heck of a show for the fans. Every driver grows up and dreams of racing at places like Daytona and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and for us to have a schedule that opens the year with the 50th Rolex 24 at Daytona and then goes on to the Speedway later in the championship is very exciting. Next year can’t come fast enough!”

Michael Shank Racing will be in GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series action this weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca as Ozz Negri and John Pew partner in the No. 60 Crown Royal XR Ford-Riley, with Matt Bell and James Davison sharing the No. 23 Ford-Riley in Saturday’s Continental Tire Sports Car Festival powered by Mazda (SPEED, 7/10 4:00 PM ET).

Source: www.michaelshankracing.com
www.sundaymanagement.com

Home Race for Tim Bell as GRAND-AM Returns to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

Home Race for Tim Bell as GRAND-AM Returns to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

Salinas, Calif. (6 July 2011) – While most of the races in Tim Bell’s first year of GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge competition have seen him pack his bags and traveling to racetracks all across the country, for this weekend’s Continental Tire Festival, Bell will not even need to board a plane has he races in his own back yard for the first time this season.

Instead, Bell who calls Los Altos, California home, will just jump in the car and make a fun and familiar drive as GRAND-AM heads to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California for Round 8 of the 10-race championship.

As a rookie in the Continental Tire Challenge championship, Bell has had the added challenge of having to learn each new and different track in just a few practice sessions prior to each race. While Bell has proven to be a swift learner and has quickly adapted to each circuit throughout the first seven rounds, this weekend he brings the confidence of racing on a track that is much more familiar. Read more of this post

Home Race Means there a Lot To Do For Matt Bell

Home Race Means there is a Lot To Do For Matt Bell

Salinas, Calif. (6 July 2011) – The to-do list for Matt Bell ahead of this weekend couldn’t be more comprehensive:

Race in both the Rolex Series and Continental Tire Sports Car Series-check. Race in home event-check. Look to defend most recent race victory with another run to the top-check. Score another pole after doing so the most recent time he raced there-check. Have tons of friends and family on hand–check. Return to Daytona Prototype and debut with new team-check.

So, as GRAND-AM returns to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, California racer Matt Bell is thrilled to head to his home track located just over an hour south of where he resides in Los Altos, California. Many family and friends in attendance will have an extra reason to cheer Bell on as he returns to double-duty this weekend racing in both the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series and the prestigious Rolex Series Daytona Prototype class. Read more of this post

Rum Bum Racing Previews the Continental Tire Festival in Monterey

Rum Bum Racing Previews the Continental Tire Festival in Monterey

Salinas, Calif. (5 July 2011) – Rum Bum Racing drivers Matt Plumb and Nick Longhi are eager to return to GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge competition at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca this weekend following a strong performance at Road America when the pair started the No. 13 BMW M3 on the pole and went on to earn a spot on the podium with a third place result.

In Round 8 of the championship, Rum Bum Racing marks its first Continental Tire GS start at the 2.238-mile California road course as GRAND-AM last visited the circuit in 2009. Although Plumb and Longhi have not yet raced the No. 13 BMW at the 11-turn road course, both drivers have years of experience at the track under their belts.

With laps in some very impressive machinery at the track, Longhi has also competed in Rolex Sports Car Series GT competition in everything from a Porsche GT3 Cup machine to the SpeedSource Mazda RX-8, most recently netting a top-10 result with a ninth place finish at the track in 2008. Read more of this post

Brian Frisselle Heads West for Rolex Series Race after Week at Boggy Creek

Brian Frisselle Heads West for Rolex Sports Car Series Race after Week at Boggy Creek

http://community.grand-am.com/blogs/blogpost/658abea3-3b72-4d3a-ad26-4181a20aa8d4

Salinas, Calif. (5 July 2011) – The GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series took a two-week break following the last round at Road America and Brian Frisselle took advantage of the time off to head to Orlando, Florida and Camp Boggy Creek – the official charity of GRAND-AM.

Frisselle and brother Burt Frisselle spent the week volunteering as camp counselors with children who have immune deficiency disorders. The Frisselles took part in activities such as swimming lessons, dances, high-energy meals, skits and the “Silly Olympics.”

“Camp Boggy Creek is such a special place,” said Frisselle of his weeklong session. “There are kids challenging themselves in new ways every day and accomplishing things that before camp they never thought they would. There is this magic that happens at camp because the kids are in an environment where they feel safe, respected and loved. It was a great week and I was honored to spend time with such amazing kids.”

As Frisselle ends his week at Camp Boggy Creek, he returns to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca this weekend for the Continental Tire Sports Car Festival Powered by Mazda and Round 8 of the championship with years of experience at the 2.238-mile California road course.

Frisselle follows up a strong performance at the circuit when GRAND-AM last visited Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in 2009. The Colorado driver set a blistering fast lap time in qualifying to start the race on the outside of the front row and stood on the podium when he and SunTrust Racing co-driver Max Angelelli drove to a third place finish in the No. 10 Daytona Prototype.

Frisselle and Doran Racing co-driver Henri Richard have not had the season they had hoped for throughout the first seven races with a season-best finish of fifth in the Bosch Engineering 250 at Virginia International Raceway, but the duo hopes to turn their luck around as they return to a track that they both enjoy.

“Laguna Seca is one of my favorite tracks,” said Frisselle. “It’s also Henri’s (Richard) home track so we’re really looking forward to going back. Hopefully a little luck comes our way and we can get the Office Depot machine back up front.”

Frisselle and Richard will participate in a promoter test day on Thursday, July 7 followed by official practice and qualifying on Friday. The 2.75-hour race is set to begin on Saturday, July 9 at 2:30 PM local time.

The race will broadcast on Sunday, July 10 at 4:00 PM (ET) on SPEED.

Matt Cleary
Sunday Group Management
media
http://www.sundaymanagement.com
317.908.2975 (m)


Based in Indianapolis, Sunday Group Management is a leading motorsports management and communications consulting firm.

Sunday Group Management works with clients in a variety of motorsports categories, including NASCAR Sprint Cup driver AJ Allmendinger, Riley Technologies, GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series organization Michael Shank Racing, Continental Tire, and several teams and drivers in Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge competition.

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

Burrows and Hopwood Set for 50th GRAND-AM Start together

Burrows and Hopwood Set for 50th GRAND-AM Start together

Burrows+Hopwood: GRAND-AM
2007: Turner Motorsport BMW 328i Championship/Rookie season
2008: Compass 360R Acura P2, Championship; 2 Wins
2009: RSR Motorsports Mini Development season
2010: Kia Forte Koup/Kinetic Motorsports 98% race laps complete for Kia Forte Koup
2011: Kia Forte Koup/Kinetic Motorsports 50th race start together

Gallery of Wes Duenkel Images through the years available here:

Monterey, Calif (5 July, 2011)– 2007 GRAND-AM Champions Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood will make their 50th start as co-drivers this weekend as the series stages round 8 of the 2011 championship at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

The duo will arrive at the famed circuit fresh from their season-best finish to date after making a run to sixth at Road America in the No. 12 Infinity Audio Kia Forte Koup.

The positive result came with a touch of frustration though as a caution period eliminated the final 20 minutes of racing, costing a chance to make the most of a very fast race car. But after surprising even themselves with the race pace at Road America, the duo are anxious to get back in the car and see what it might be capable of at the legendary Monterey facility.

Before teaming up as co-drivers, the duo had a background in some high-horsepower machinery as Burrows had gained experience in Rolex Sports Car Series GT class competition, while Hopwood devastated the pavement in a GT-1 Corvette. Despite the high-power background, it was in fact in the more momentum-centric Spec Racing ranks where the duo first met, competing as teammates at Motion Dynamics, run by Shawn Morrison.

That friendship saw the duo move full time into the pro ranks, making an instant impression with a championship run with Turner Motorsport in 2007, an impressive feat for rookie runners.

“I am happy to have been a part of BurHops race career,” offered team owner Will Turner. “As the most recent drivers to win a championship for us, they play an important part of the Turner Motorsport legacy.”

That championship performance earned them a spot on the Compass 360R squad for 2008 as Burrows and Hopwood got their first taste of racing in front-wheel drive machinery. Once again showing some quick learning to go with their quick pace, the duo netted two race wins and a run to second in the championship in their first season of front-wheel drive pilotage.

“There’s an old adage that “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em,” and I took this to heart by asking Adam and Trevor to drive for C360R after they edged out my co-driver Billy Johnson and I to win the 2007 Street Tuner Championship for Turner,” said Compass 360R team owner Karl Thomson. “They didn’t disappoint, bringing us a couple of wins and another second place championship. They’re talented drivers, wonderful with the crew, and although they’ve moved on to become part of the Kia factory team, it still feels like they’re a part of our squad. Happy 50th boys!”

2009 saw the duo take up the development charge for the diminutive Mini as drivers for Randy Smalley’s RSR Motorsports as they continued to flourish in front-wheel drive machines through a season that saw some ups and downs.

“Congratulations to Adam and Trevor on this accomplishment in making 50 GRAND-AM starts together. They are great guys, both in and out of the cars, and we not only enjoyed having them on our team, but they also helped us develop this Mini into the podium-capable machine that it is now. It is great to see them continue to do well, especially when it’s behind one of the RSR cars!” said Randy with a smile.

That skill in development and proof of speed no matter front or rear wheel drive got them the nod to represent Kia for Kinetic Motorsports. The duo scored the first-ever race finish for the Kia Forte Koup in the debut at Daytona International Speedway and went on to complete a remarkable 98% of all race laps in the 2010 season. That hard work and developmental progress has paid off as Kia now boasts two race wins this season and now sits third in the Manufacturer Championship.

“Clearly we value the contribution that the Burrhop “brand” has made to the development of the program,” said Kinetic Motorsports team principal Russell Smith. “They have been professional brand-ambassadors for Kia for last season and this and are recognized in the paddock when fans come to the races, and the raised profile that Kia has created for the boys has also benefitted them. We feel that the boys are part of the Kinetic family and they have grown as we have grown and we look forward to them continuing to contribute to the success of the program going forward.”

Burrows and Hopwood will look to make the 50th start a special one.

Continental Tire Sports Car Festival, Round 8/10, 2011 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
TV Information: SPEED, July 17th, 1:00 PM ET

Laguna Seca At-Track Schedule – ST

Friday, July 8
8:00 AM CTSCC Driver Meeting Toshiba Trailer
9:00 AM – 9:45 AM CTSCC Practice
1:40 PM – 2:10 PM CTSCC Practice
3:55 PM – 4:10 PM CTSCC Qualifying – ST

Saturday, July 9
8:30 AM – 8:45 AM CTSCC Practice
9:00 AM CTSCC Driver Meeting Toshiba Trailer
10:10 AM CTSCC Pre-Race
10:45 AM START – CTSCC Race (2.5 hrs)

BurHop-50th Start-PDF.pdf

PR inquiries about Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood should be directed to Matt Cleary at Sunday Group Management; 317.908.2975 (mobile) or media@ sundaymanagement.com

For additional information:
www.trevorhopwood.com
www.adamburrowsmotorsport.com
You can also follow the teams progress at www.facebook.com/kiaracing.

www.Sundaymanagement.com

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Matt Cleary
Sunday Group Management
media
http://www.sundaymanagement.com
317.908.2975 (m)


Based in Indianapolis, Sunday Group Management is a leading motorsports management and communications consulting firm.

Sunday Group Management works with clients in a variety of motorsports categories, including NASCAR Sprint Cup driver AJ Allmendinger, Riley Technologies, GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series organization Michael Shank Racing, Continental Tire, and several teams and drivers in Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge competition.

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