Sunday Group Management

Tim Bell Continues to Deliver

Tim Bell Continues to Deliver

Alton, Va. (14 May 2011) – Tim Bell gave another strong performance behind the wheel of the No. 14 Office Depot BMW 128i in the Bosch Engineering 200 at Virginia International Raceway in just his fourth GRAND-AM race start.

Opening the 2.5-hour race in round four of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge championship from behind the wheel, he made another charge to the front of the field through the opening laps to run fifth after starting from the 17th grid position. Read more of this post

Insight Racing Scores Debut Podium with No. 18 at VIR

Insight Racing Scores Debut Podium with No. 18 at VIR

Feast and Famine for Insight as No. 19 Not as Lucky

Attached photo: Insight Racing drivers Nico Rondet and Tyler McQuarrie (r) enjoy the post-race celebrations at VIR

ALTON, Va., 14 May – Only some 135 days after starting as Insight Racing, the team earned their first podium result by finishing in second place at the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Bosch Engineering 200 on Saturday.

The No. 18 Insight Racing BMW 328i finished a whisker-thin 0.621 seconds behind the race winner in the ST Class at the conclusion of a thrilling late race battle. With driver Nico Rondet behind the wheel, after Tyler McQuarrie handled the starting duty, the Insight Racing machine battled the defending race-winner No. 75 Honda Civic Si for the point, trading the lead on each one of the final seven laps, including multiple lead changes during one lap on a couple of occasions. Read more of this post

Bell Back to the Top Ten with Camaro GS. R

Bell Back to the Top Ten with Camaro GS. R
 


Danville, VA (14 May 2011) – Matt Bell and John Edwards combined for their second top-10 finish in a row in GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge competition on Saturday as the duo brought the No. 9 Camaro GS.R home in ninth for Stevenson Motorsports. The encore points-winning result followed a strong fight back after Bell was knocked off-track midway through his stint.



Bell opened the race from seventh on the grid and after making an early thrust forward, settled in to run in a group of competitors, all disputing spots in the top five. But that forward progress was dealt a big blow when Bell was hit from behind, sending him off the track and all the way back to 24th in the running order. But he fought to claw back as much track position as he could before turning the car over to Edwards.



That effort was well rewarded as the No. 9 closed out the race back in the top-10 as Edwards came home in ninth. 


 
“Considering all the craziness out there, it’s maybe a little bit of good luck to be coming out of here with another top-10,” said Bell after the race.
Read more of this post

Burrows and Hopwood Take Best Finish of the season at VIR

Burrows and Hopwood Take Best Finish of the season at VIR

Danville, VA (14 May, 2011)– Entering round four of the 2011 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge championship, the goal of the Bosch Engineering 200 race weekend for Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood was to pick up where they left off in the last race and build on the positive momentum after the former Series champions scored their first top-ten of the 2011 season for Kinetic Motorsports.

After 2.5 hours of rough and tumble racing at Virginia International Raceway, it was mission accomplished as Burrows and Hopwood came home eighth with the No. 12 Infinity Audio/Kia Motors/Mobis/Rocky Tools Kia Forte Koup. The machine ran in top five contention nearly the entire distance of the race, with Hopwood running as high as second in the closing stages of the race before the checkered flag saw him come home eighth at the finish. The result is the best finish of the season so far for the duo.
Read more of this post

Rum Bum Racing Punted Off During Charge to Front

Rum Bum Racing Punted Off During Charge to Front

ALTON, Va., 14 May – After their qualifying struggles, the Rum Bum Racing squad vowed to find an overnight solution enabling them to charge to the front of the field. At the start of the GRAND-AM Continental Sports Car Challenge Bosch Engineering 200, they did just that, only to have it come to shuddering end in the tire barrier with only 30 minutes left to race.

Following a long caution period, Matt Plumb was behind the wheel with set of new tires and full tank of fuel, ready to run to the finish. Running in 10th place, after having led four laps prior to pitting, Plumb had his sights set on ninth place entering turn 1 of Virginia International Raceway.
Read more of this post

Best in Class Once Again For Matt Bell at VIR

Best in Class Once Again For Matt Bell at VIR

Danville, VA (13 May 2011) –With a return trip to the Virginia International Raceway podium firmly set in his sights, Matt Bell had been hoping to once again qualify the No. 9 Stevenson Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro GS.R on the front row. But that effort fell just over half a second short as Bell nabbed seventh on the grid for Saturday’s Bosch Engineering 200 with a fast lap time of 2:03.682 seconds in qualifying on Friday.

The time was the best of the weekend so far for Bell, and was the leading qualifying result of the Chevrolet Camaro contingent. The result also showed marked improvement, as the No. 9 started the day 19th in the opening practice session before some tweaking from the Stevenson Motorsports engineering staff saw the machine move up to 13th in practice two.

“The Camaro is better than it has ever been, and I really feel like this is a car we can race with tomorrow,” said Bell. “There are still a couple of places where it just doesn’t have the stability that you want at corner entry, and that’s something we want to keep working on. There isn’t a huge window to work with performance wise, so it was important to get the laps in early in the session before the tires went off.”
Read more of this post

Tim Bell Set for VIR Debut on Saturday

Tim Bell Set for VIR Debut on Saturday

Alton, Va. (13 May 2011) – As a rookie in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, Tim Bell has set off on a racing adventure that will see him travel to new and different racetracks throughout the country as he learns his craft in one of the most competitive categories in racing. With a podium finish already to his credit this season, Bell has proven to be a quick learner when it comes to the various challenges that each new facility presents.

When the California driver arrived at Virginia International Raceway for the Bosch Engineering 200 and round four of the 2011 championship, he continued to show great improvement in the No. 14 Office Depot BMW 128i – posting quicker lap times in each session as the weekend progressed.

After setting his fastest lap time of 2:12.442 seconds in the intense 15-minute qualifying session, Bell will roll off from the ninth row to run the first stint of the 2.5-hour race before handing driving duties over to co-driver BJ Zacharias. Read more of this post

Burrows Scores Best-Ever Qualifying in Kia with Fifth at VIR

Burrows Scores Best-Ever Qualifying in Kia with Fifth at VIR

Contact: Matt Cleary, Sunday Group Management
media
(317) 908-2975-Mobile

Bosch Engineering 250
TV: SPEED, May 22, 1:00 PM ET

Danville, VA (13 May, 2011)–Trevor Hopwood and Adam Burrows continued the upward trajectory of their 2011 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge campaign as Burrows posted a strong qualifying performance on Friday afternoon at Virginia International Raceway to score fifth on the Bosch Engineering 200 grid with the No. 12 Infinity Audio Kia Koup. The inside grid spot on the third row marks the best qualifying result to date with the Kia Koup for Burrows and Hopwood, who are eager to build on the strong 10th place finish the former championship scored in the most recent round of racing.

Digging deep late in the 15-minute session after already setting a top-ten time, Burrows sliced yet another half second from his session best to post a 2:11.412 lap of the challenging 3.27-mile natural terrain circuit nestled in the Virginia countryside.

“I feel like there might have been a little bit more time in the car yet, but I had to make some compromises given the drafting partners that I was working with,” said Burrows. “So I wasn’t able to get a perfect lap, but I was still able to at least get a few quick ones in before the checkered flag. I found a good spot and put in a decently clean lap. We made a big change in the last practice session and tried it out and it seemed much better, and in qualifying it proved to be the case. I’m happy to be back up on the sharp end, and also to be on the inside for the start of the race. Turn one is pretty slow, but there is a lot of jockeying going on there so hopefully we can get the start that we need to.

The two racers, who earlier in the day played tour guide to a group of Continental Tire guests with a pit and paddock tour providing some behind the scenes perspective for the VIP group, are looking to once again return to the VIR podium, having scored third (2007) and second (2008) at the track. But one significant variable remains with the possibility of rain on Saturday.

“It could be wet tomorrow, we just won’t know until race time so we can’t worry about it today!” said Hopwood. “Adam did a great job in qualifying, once again, and we are really pleased with how this weekend has started. Hopefully this weekend is part of the slow progression for turning our luck around for the season and we can finish this event the way we’ve started it so far.”

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

Saturday, May 14
TIME LOCATION NOTES
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM Final Practice
10:00 AM Drivers Meeting Toshiba Transporter
10:30 AM Pre-Race
11:15 AM START – Bosch Engineering 200 (2.5 hrs)
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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, https://sundaygroupblog.wordpress.com, www.facebook.com/sundaygroup, or twitter.com/Sundaygroup

AIM Autosport Qualifies Fifth for Bosch Engineering 250

AIM Autosport Qualifies Fifth for Bosch Engineering 250
Drivers Thrilled with Car’s Excellent Balance

Alton, Va. (May 13, 2011) — AIM Autosport’s BMW-Riley sponsored by GAMMA88 has qualified fifth for tomorrow’s Bosch Engineering 250 at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va. Mark Wilkins drove the car during this afternoon’s 15-minute qualifying session and had posted just four laps when the session was ended early after a car stopped on the track. Mark’s lap of 1m 45.761s translates to 111.307 mph (179.131 km/h) around the 3.27 mile (5.26 km) road course.

The fifth-place start is AIM’s best of the season so far and the team is optimistic of a strong result tomorrow. However, fifth was slightly disappointing after the team’s GAMMA88 car ranked third in opening practice and then topped the charts in the second session.

“Fifth is a good qualifying result for the team,” Mark said after his qualifying run. “The track temperature changed a lot from practice and we knew we had to make changes to keep the car planted, but we went a little bit too far.

“We’re going to have a great car for the race,” he continued. “Excellent balance.”

“I’m very happy with everybody’s effort today,” said Mark’s co-driver, Burt Frisselle. “We worked really hard to make the car better and that’s paid off with great balance. I think we can make our tires last longer than the competition and that could help us achieve a great result tomorrow.”

“Although it’s our best qualifying position of the season, I’m a little disappointed that we didn’t roll off the trailer a little quicker, considering our pace here last year,” said Chief Engineer and Team Principal, Ian Willis. “I’m quite confident that we have a good car for the race if it’s dry. If it’s wet, we will have to learn all about the Continental rain tire.”

Round four of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16, the Bosch Engineering 250, is a 2h 45m race that is scheduled to begin tomorrow at 3pm (ET). Coverage will be broadcast live on MRN radio with delayed television coverage on SPEED starting at 5pm (ET).

Photo: Drivers, Burt Frisselle and Mark Wilkins, discuss how they can help unlock the car’s speed. (© Mark Jackson/AIM Autosport)
http://www.aimautosport.com/news/stories/2011/images/20110513_939-0127.jpg

GAMMA88
GAMMA88 is much more than an engine cleaner and lubricant. GAMMA88 performs four functions: 1) reduces fuel use, 2) reduces carbon emissions, 3) cleans engine parts, and 4) extends engine life. Intended for use in combustion engines which use diesel and gasoline, GAMMA88 is registered with the US EPA, has been ASTM lab and dynamometer tested and is customer proven. Currently being used by commercial and independent consumers in the United States, France and China, GAMMA88 is becoming the fastest-growing fuel and oil supplement on the market today. For more information, visit www.gamma88.com or call 888-642-6628.

AIM Autosport
AIM Autosport is a professional motorsports team active in highly-competitive sports car and open-wheel racing series in North America. AIM has achieved success at every level through its operating efficiency, engineering skill, experience, dedication and stability of workforce. AIM’s top-tier program is a Daytona Prototype entry in the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series.

Since its launch in 1995, AIM has built a winning heritage by fielding competitive cars for talented young drivers in junior development categories. That continues with multi-car teams in the Road to Indy® professional driver development ladder where AIM is a perennial pacesetter in the Star Mazda series. For more information, visit aimautosport.com or facebook.com/AIMautosport.

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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, https://sundaygroupblog.wordpress.com, www.facebook.com/sundaygroup, or twitter.com/Sundaygroup

GRAND-AM Outlines Changes To Daytona Prototype Class

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 13, 2011) – GRAND-AM Road Racing has issued a new Constructor’s Manual outlining significant changes to the Rolex Sports Car Series’ Daytona Prototype class that will take effect in 2012.

The DP class debuted in 2003; the new version will debut in the 2012 season-opening event, the 50th anniversary running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Jan. 28-29 at Daytona International Speedway.

“There will be new cars to cheer for at the 2012 Rolex 24 – new dramatic shapes with more variety to feast the eyes on,” said GRAND-AM Vice President of Competition Dave Spitzer.

“We will have a strong field; this debut will mark a new growth curve for Daytona Prototypes where manufacturers and privateers alike know that GRAND-AM is the place to compete.”

The key aspects of the new DPs:

– The greenhouse (cockpit) area will be nearly identical for all newly constructed cars. The roll cage will be narrower on each side of the car, although the driver’s position will not be moved. There will be a one-inch zone throughout the greenhouse surface to allow for individual styling cues, including windshield implementation and window outlines.
– New minimum body cross-section provisions will make the new DPs have a more upright front fascia and nose, rather than the more sloped layout of the current cars. This will allow the different manufacturers to add more design character to their cars, making them closer to their street production offerings while still offering the dramatic message embodied by a prototype.
– Flexibility has also been introduced into the rules for the side bodywork, including production-derived sidepods and open vents behind the front wheels – enabling styling elements from the street cars to be functional on the race cars.

These considerable changes notwithstanding, the basic chassis structure below the DPs’ greenhouse remains the same, including suspension details, engine installation, bellhousing, gearbox, electronics, fueling and safety systems.
Wind tunnel and simulation testing has been ongoing for the new DPs and will continue in the fall, in preparation for the 2012 season.