Tag: ROLEX 24

The first race of the season… OK – In reality it was the second race but does the ROLEX 24 really count?

Sure, team points and such come into play but the ROLEX 24 is such a hooplah of drivers mixed in from other series and it throws a wrench into the works for the Grand-Am regulars who open their seats for these interlopers. After all, Juan Pablo Montoya was in the seat of the Ganassi 01 Telmex BMW when it crossed for the win. The rest of the season is on the shoulders of Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas while Montoya chases the NASCAR circuit.

So – The Circuit of the Americas was the first race of 2013 that put all the season regulars on the track without distraction of visitors. It was also a big run for Grand-Am as the course in Texas is brand new with barely a scrape following the Formula 1 Grand Opening in 2012. (more…)

Montoya.

There is no doubt he can drive and go fast. The third checkered flag for Montoya and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates is certainly a show of driving force. The 01 Telmex BMW-Riley Daytona Prototype held strong throughout the Grand-Am/ROLEX 24 to take the win.

rlx24_01bmw_inside1It wasn’t just the efforts of Juan Pablo Montoya, behind the wheel for the checkered flag, as the 01 regular drivers Memo Rojas and Scott Pruett along with IndyCar driver Charlie Kimball kept the car on or near the point. The team in the garage kept the car smooth in and out of the pits even as the other Ganassi team suffered through issues that eventually removed the 02 from the field.

There was a strong field to contend with. Dario Franchitti and Ryan Hunter-Reay were challenging from IndyCar. Marcos Ambrose, A.J. Allmendinger and Jamie McMurray were in the seats from NASCAR. Guest drivers from the hottest series were all their to sit in with Grand-Am regulars to get the American racing season started.

However, it was Ganassi and the 01 team with Montoya in for the final laps to take them to the win… again. (more…)

Half way through January and watching some beautiful, classic cars roll over the stage of the Barrett-Jackson auction on SPEED made us jump at another thought. The thought of the exotic and new cars taking Daytona by storm for the Grand-Am opening ROLEX 24.

They have already been out turning laps. Just as NASCAR rolls out and does some testing and adjustments in mid-January, Grand-Am does the same with the “Roar before the 24”. The ROLEX folks, however, are out that first weekend of January. The new year hangover is barely down to a throb and they are turning laps approaching 200 mph. They give NASCAR an extra week…

In the interim, SPEED has been airing the Barrett-Jackson auction showcasing people with loads of extra cash going after classic and collectable cars showcasing the best of the best days of Destroit. It is a fun diversion to watch. However, on the days leading up to the ROLEX 24 we had a discussion with ourselves… (more…)

Michael Shank Racing went from driver to owner to the podium at Daytona. The #60 Ford / Riley Daytona Prototype dominated the course to take the checkered with a comfortable margin over the next car to cross, also a Ford. The drivers kept cool heads and fast lap times while the entire team put in the effort to take the win. AJ Allmendinger, Ozz Negri, John Pew and Justin Wilson put in a great performance with Allmendinger (NASCAR) at the wheel at the finish. AJ maintained the lead for several hours leading to the end. Fords rolled over the line 1-2-3 with Michael Shank Racing taking the first and third spots with Starworks Motorsport in the second slot. (more…)

The famed ROLEX 24 is getting underway with drivers from Indy, NASCAR, Formula 1 and others joining the standard series team drivers to run the 50th anniversary of this iconic and exciting race.

Of course we expect to see stars from the racing world in the cockpits of these machines such as Dario Fracnchitti from Indy, Michael Waltrip from NASCAR (in a Ferrari, nonetheless!) and Giancarlo Fisichella of Formula 1. However, how many know that Patrick Dempsey (TV / Movie Star) is a team owner and regular driver for this Grand-Am series? He’ll be among those in the driver’s seat for the ROLEX 24 in his GT Mazda. (more…)

*Excerpt from Grand-Am website :

* Race fans will be able to follow all of the action in the historic 50th Anniversary of the Rolex 24 At Daytona through SPEED and SPEED.com.

SPEED will continue to be the television home of GRAND-AM Road Racing in 2012, televising all 13 Rolex Sports Car Series events either live or on a same-day delay basis. Coverage begins with 15-and-a-half hours of coverage from the Rolex 24, which will be enhanced for the first time by continued streaming on its web site. (more…)

The “Roar” has run at Daytona. The “Roar before the 24” sessions of testing and practice have run the laps and the countdown is on to the end of the month for the “ROLEX 24”.  Mark your calendars for the weekend of the 28th-29th and make sure you know where SPEED is on your TV system. (You should know that, anyway…)

This is a full 24 hours of racing! Multiple drivers for each car with two classes of cars running at the same time. The big and low Daytona Prototypes and the more “street common” GT class. (more…)