2010 Grand-Am Rolex Series

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Bennett Racing will make its' Grand-Am debut at Virginia International Raceway running a Ferrari F430-GT grand-touring race-car rather than the current Ferrari F430-C race-car


~~~Bennett Racing will join the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16, entering the No. 56 South River Marina & Mercruiser Ferrari 430 Challenge in the April 24 Bosch Engineering 250 at Virginia International Raceway.

Skip Bennett is the car owner, and will co-drive for the Annapolis, Md.-based team with Mike Skeen at VIR as the first step in a planned assault on the 2011 Rolex 24 At Daytona. They expect to run with fellow NASA Spec E30 drivers Chris Cobetto, Mike Davidson and Jon Allen at Daytona. That series features close competition among 160 HP 1987-1991 BMW 325is.

Bennett began his racing career in 2005 at a Summit Point Raceway driving experience. His first race was a NASA event at VIR in 2006, driving a Porsche 966, and also ran in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge at VIR, going from last to 28th in a field of 55 cars. He finished fourth overall in the USA Ferrari F430 Challenge series in 2007, and has raced in the NASA Spec E30 Series the past three seasons.

"We're looking forward to joining the Rolex Series and racing at VIR," Bennett said. "I've spent a lot of time at that track and am very familiar with it. Depending on how we do, we also hope to run at Watkins Glen and the Daytona race in July, and are also considering New Jersey Motorsports Park."

Skeen, who starred in the 2008 edition of Setup on SPEED, won the 2008 NASA SpecE30 national championship as well as two regional series championships. He raced in the SCCA Muscle Milk Trans-Am last season, going from last to second in his debut race at Road Atlanta - earning him the Hard Charger and Star of the Race awards. He has two starts in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, debuting in 2008 at VIR with Freedom Autosport.

"This grassroots effort has developed very quickly, and our crew has put in a lot of hard work to make this possible," Skeen said. "I'm sure we will learn a lot at VIR to help us prepare for future events."

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3-time Rolex 24 overall winner Scott Pruett celebrates w/co-driver Memo Rojas following their win at Homestead in the Grand Prix of Miami


----Now that Scott Pruett has turned 50, his fellow competitors in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 may be hoping that the 23-time overall race winner and two-time Daytona Prototype champion may be ready to cut back his racing schedule and spend more time working in his new winery........Fat chance.

Coming off a victory in the Grand Prix of Miami with Memo Rojas in the No. 01 TELMEX Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates BMW Riley, Pruett has no plans to slow down in the foreseeable future. "I enjoy racing in GRAND-AM," said Pruett, who shares a six-point lead with Rojas atop the Daytona Prototype standings entering the Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park on April 10 (1:30 p.m. ET, SPEED, live).

"I think I have a couple of good races left in me and I'm just having fun," Pruett said. "I really enjoy the competition. I enjoy getting out there and racing hard with all of the competition, no matter what age or what team."

Pruett opened the season with a second-place finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona for the second consecutive year in the event that he has won overall three times. While Hurley Haywood - the all-time Rolex 24 overall winner with five victories - retired after the 2010 event, Pruett shows no sign of letting up.

"First and foremost, the biggest thing with any athlete is attitude," Pruett said. "I absolutely still love the driving. I started when I was eight. Now I'm in my 42nd year of racing, which is incredible, but I still love it, and I think I love it even more as the years go by. I still feel like I'm a student of the sport and I'm still learning from every test, from every race, from every qualifying session, you learn more about the cars and how to set them up and find what you're looking for. My first focus is getting in the race car and to keep going out and competing. You absolutely have to have that passion and that love, and then everything else falls into place."

Pruett continues to work out every day, although he admits to spending more time working in his vineyard instead of the gym. "We are introducing the first Pruett-labeled wine at the Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival the same weekend as the Porsche 250," Pruett said. "I've been training heavily, whether it's at my home gym or at the club or on a simulator. The simulator and the wine side of it has got me incredibly busy this year."

The Ganassi team also isn't sitting still, switching to a Dinan-prepared BMW engine for 2010. "That's been a great change for us," Pruett said. "Steve Dinan has been just incredible and has given us good reliability and an engine that we feel has given us very good compatibility."

Pruett and Rojas have enjoyed success at Barber, winning there during their 2008 championship season. After running at the circuit in mid-90-degree temperatures in recent season, both drivers welcome racing there in more enjoyable conditions in April.

"You've got to be on your game all the time at Barber," Pruett said. "It's going to be great going there when you're not focused only on surviving the heat, but going racing. With the cooler conditions I think we're definitely going to see some higher speeds."

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When veteran sports-car racer Bill Auberlen takes the flag at Barber on Saturday, it will mark both his 250th start w/BMW North America and his 15oth Grand-Am start.........

------ Bill Auberlen will reach two milestones this week, driving the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M3 in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala. The race, scheduled for Saturday, April 10, will be Auberlen's 250th professional race with BMW power and his 150th GRAND-AM start.

Auberlen, of Redondo Beach, Calif., will alternate driving stints with Paul Dalla Lana of Toronto. They will pull double duty on Saturday, competing in both the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series and the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.

"250 - wow, that's even amazing to me, because it went so fast," Auberlen said. "People wonder if I ever get tired of driving BMWs. Well, I can honestly say two things: I never get tired of winning in BMWs and I never get tired of chocolate. To drive for BMW is an ongoing dream that I have been lucky to have for over a decade.

"The dream doesn't end when I leave the race track because when I get home, I get to re-live the dream in my E-92 M3 street car. Actually, I have to do battle with my wife to pry it out of her hands, but luckily, I wake up earlier and possession is nine-tenths of the law. I'm really looking forward to another 250 races and another four championships in my BMW!"

Auberlen has won six professional auto racing championships, four in BMW cars. He has competed in 405 professional races to date, 248 in BMWs. His results include 78 race victories, 153 podium finishes, 55 pole positions and 70 fastest race laps.

~~~Championship Resume..........
---1995: GT-2 class winner, 12 Hours of Sebring
---1997: (1)class wins at Rolex 24 and Sebring 12 Hours, (2)IMSA GTS-3 class champion
---1998: USRRC GT-3 class winner, Rolex 24
---2001: GT class champion, Petit Le Mans
---2002: Rolex Series GT champion
---2003: SPEED World Challenge Touring Car champion
---2004: (1)Grand-Am GT champion, (2)SPEED World Challenge Touring Car champion

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2009 Barber DP winners, Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty(#99 Gainsco Chevrolet/Riley) are the lone 2-time winners at Barber Motorsports Park

---- The Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park has produced six different Daytona Prototype winners in seven years of competition at the pristine Birmingham, Ala., complex.

A number of teams will look to join that list when Round 3 of the 2010 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 takes the green flag at 1:30 p.m. ET Saturday (SPEED, live).

Michael Shank Racing and Starworks Motorsport each have entered two cars in search of their first victory at the 2.3-mile, 17-turn circuit, with other teams looking for their first Barber victory including Brumos Racing, AIM Autosport, Doran Racing, and Spirit of Daytona Racing.

GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing is the lone two-time winner at Barber, and returns with the No. 99 Chevrolet Riley of 2007 and 2009 winners Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty. Other former winners set to compete are TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Krohn Racing and SunTrust Racing.

Michael Shank Racing will have a pair of Ford-powered Rileys, the No. 6 for Michael Valiante and Brian Frisselle, and the No. 60 of Ozz Negri and John Pew. Ryan Dalziel - who was part of the winning lineup in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona and is currently second in the standings - joins Mike Forest in the Starworks Motorsport No. 8 BMW Riley. Bill Lester and new co-driver Kasper Andersen share the team's No. 7 entry.

David Donohue and Darren Law return for Brumos Racing, co-driving the team's No. 59 Porsche Riley. Brumos has a technical alliance with new Action Express Racing this season, with lead drivers Terry Borcheller and Joao Barbosa - both former winners at Barber - co-driving the No. 9 Porsche Riley. Borcheller won the inaugural event in 2003 in a Bell Motorsports Daytona Prototype, while Barbosa was that year's GTS winner for Mosler Automotive.

Another team to watch is Spirit of Daytona Racing, with Buddy Rice and Antonio Garcia finishing fourth here last year in the No. 90 Porsche Coyote. Other teams looking for their first Barber victory are Mark Wilkins and Burt Frisselle, co-driving the No. 61 AIM Autosport Ford Riley, and Memo Gidley and new regular co-driver Dion von Moltke in the No. 77 Doran Racing Ford Dallara.

Daytona Prototype points leaders Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas, the 2008 Porsche 250 winners, are in the No. 01 TELMEX BMW Riley. Krohn Racing - winners here in 2006 with Jorg Bergmeister and Colin Braun - will have Nic Jonsson and Tracy Krohn in the No. 75 Ford Proto-Auto Lola. Max Angelelli returns with Ricky Taylor, the son of 2005 co-winner Wayne Taylor, in the No. 10 SunTrust Racing Ford Dallara.

The Daytona Prototypes will share the circuit with the GT competitors. Matt Connolly Motorsports became the 17th GT entry on Tuesday, fielding the No. 19 Corvette for two-time Barber winner Andy Lally and Ross Smith.

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Barber Practice Session 1


DP-1} #99 Gainsco Chevrolet/Riley, 1:20.018 sec
DP-2} #01 Telmex BMW/Riley, 1:20.466 sec
DP-3} #77 McDonald's Ford/Dallara, 1:20.904 sec
DP-4} #60 Crown Royal XR Ford/Riley, 1:20.973 sec
DP-5} #8 Corsa Car Care, 1:21.021 sec

GT-1} #30 Racers' Edge Mazda RX-8, 1:27.377 sec
GT-2} #07 Las Vegas Bikefest Corvette C-6R, 1:27.717 sec
GT-3} #70 SpeedSource Mazda RX-8, 1:28.175 sec
GT-4} #41 Team Seattle Mazda RX-8, 1:28.614 sec
GT-5} #40 Mazda USA Mazda RX-8, 1:28.727 sec

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Barber Practice Session 2


DP-1} #90 Spirit of Daytona Porsche/Coyote, 1:19.562 sec
DP-2} #10 SunTrust Racing Ford/Dallara, 1:20.073 sec
DP-3} #77 McDonald's Ford/Doran, 1:20.201 sec
DP-4} #75 Krohn Racing Ford/Lola, 1:20.323 sec
DP-5} #99 Gainsco Chevrolet/Riley, 1:20.556 sec

GT-1} #70 SpeedSource Mazda RX-8, 1:26.980 sec
GT-2} #69 FXDD Mazda RX-8, 1:26.990 sec
GT-3} #30 Racers' Edge Mazda RX-8, 1:27.078 sec
GT-4} #41 Team Seattle Mazda RX-8, 1:27.296 sec
GT-5} #44 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT3, 1:27.842 sec

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Ricky Taylor gets congratulations from proud father Wayne Taylor


~~~BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Ricky Taylor and Jonathan Bomarito became first-time pole winners in GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 in Friday's qualifying for the Porsche 250, breaking the Barber Motorsports Park track records in the process.

Taylor ran a record lap of 1:19.624 (103.989 mph) in the No. 10 SunTrust Racing Ford Dallara co-driven by Max Angelelli to lead the Daytona Prototype session. His younger brother, Jordan Taylor, was bumped off the GT class pole in the final minute by Bomarito, who co-drives the No. 70 SpeedSource Castrol/Syntec Mazda RX-8 with Sylvain Tremblay.

Round 3 of the 2010 GRAND-AM Rolex Series takes the green flag Saturday at 1:30 p.m. (SPEED, live).

"We've improved the car a lot from yesterday to today," said Taylor, whose best prior qualifying effort was fifth last year with Beyer Racing. "I knew what we could do in qualifying, but I wasn't sure what everybody else would do. This is the best team in the paddock, and hopefully this is a sign of things to come."

It was a bittersweet moment for SunTrust Racing car owner Wayne Taylor, who saw his son bumped from the pole for the second time this season.

"I've been telling people about these two guys since they were young," said Wayne Taylor. "We thought Ricky had a good shot at qualifying today. I told him he had to dig really deep, and he did that today. I'm sure Jordan was disappointed to go to second, but he had only one clean lap in qualifying and then got caught in traffic, so he was fantastic."

Ricky Taylor will be joined on the front row by Antonio Garcia, who ran a lap of 1:19.661 (103.940 mph) in the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Porsche Coyote with 2004 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice.

Memo Rojas, who shares the Daytona Prototype point lead with co-driver Scott Pruett, qualified third in the No. 01 TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates BMW Riley, 1:19.9232 (103.600 mph). He will be joined on the second row by Jon Fogarty, who saw a streak of eight consecutive front-row qualifying efforts - including six poles - come to an end in the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Chevrolet Riley he shares with defending Daytona Prototype co-champion Alex Gurney.

"It's really close, but it could have been better," said Fogarty, who ran a lap of 1:19.940 (103.578 mph). "It was all I could do. We'll make our best guess at what will be best for the race tomorrow, and take it from there."

Also eclipsing Michael Valiante's two-year-old track record were Dion von Moltke, 1:20.437 (102.938 mph) in the No. 77 Doran Racing McDonald's Ford Dallara co-driven by Memo Gidley, and Brian Frisselle, 1:20.518 (102.834 mph) in the No. 6 Michael Shank Racing Ford Riley he shares with Valiante.

Von Moltke tagged the Turn 2 barrier on the final lap of qualifying, and the resulting cleanup resulted in an abbreviated five-minute GT session.

Bomarito and Taylor broke Bill Auberlen's 2004 GT track record. "I knew what time I needed for the pole when I started my final lap, so I knew I just had to stay clean in the final two corners," said Bomarito, who opened his rookie season with a victory in the Rolex 24 At Daytona. "I'm really excited about winning my first pole. I love qualifying. Now, we've got to adjust our mind set to get ready for the race."

Taylor - bumped off the Rolex 24 pole by Jeff Segal - gave the No. 30 Racers Edge Motorsports Mazda RX-8 its fifth outside pole starting position without a pole. It was only Bomarito's second qualifying session in the Rolex Series. "We got completely messed up with that five-minute session," Taylor said. "I'm sure we would have been on the pole, but I know what really counts is what happens tomorrow."

Andrew Davis, who co-drives the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsport Camaro with Robin Liddell, and motorcycle legend Scott Russell, who shares the No. 07 Banner Racing Corvette with Paul Edwards, will start from the second row.

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~~~~Veteran driver Scott Pruett and teammate Memo Rojas swept to victory in The Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park before a sun-drenched crowd. The race marked the third Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series event of the 2010 season. For the winning TELMEX Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates BMW Riley team, they won for the second time in three tries this season. Pruett has now won 24 Rolex Series races.

Coming into the race, Pruett and Rojas held a six-point advantage in the Daytona Prototype standings and with their victory their lead extended to 11 points. Although the Barber race was held earlier in the season than usual, the Barber winners have gone on to earn the championship in six of the previous seven events. Pruett and Rojas won the race in 2008 and went on to secure the championship.

In the point tally, Pruett and Rojas have 102 with Ryan Dalziel in second with 91. Rojas started the race and due to an early pit stop, he was mired in the standings before maneuvering his way up with leaders 30 circuits into the event. Once there, he overtook Mike Forest (Starworks Motorsport) and Mark Wilkins (AIM Autosport) for the lead on the 38th circuit.

The potent winning BMW Riley showed its strength immediately with first Rojas and later Pruett leading 69 laps of the 108-lap event, including all but two of the final 71 laps. At the end with Pruett behind the wheel, they were pulling away from the competition, finishing 6.870 seconds ahead of the runner-up car.

"Things went very well for us," Rojas said. "After the first yellow flag came out, everyone took a different strategy and we ended up in the middle of the pack. While there, I had a lot of fun battling with everyone."

Pruett took over on the 64th lap and by then Rojas had built up a commanding lead, which made Pruett's job easier than usual. "Memo (Rojas) did a good job," Pruett said. "My only problem was the rubber pick-up, which made the car difficult to drive. It took two or three turns before you felt like the car wasn't going to get away from you."

Even though Rojas and Pruett made their win look easy the latter called it a very tough race. He also credited the BMW engine for their advantage. Of note, Trevor Montgomery, a tire changer on the winning car twisted his ACL during an exhibition tire change prior to the race, and he was replaced by Blair Julian of Scott Dixon's IndyCar. "It was a good thing our IndyCar team was here today," Pruett stated.

Second place went to the Crown Royal XR Ford Riley (Michael Shank Racing) driven by Ozz Negri and John Pew. "I drove as hard as I could even though there was a lot of rubber build-up on the track," Negri said. "We are very happy with second place, as we are a good team with good equipment." Added Pew, "We had a good start to the race, although we did struggle with grip. Our car set-up helped us, and I knew Ozz (Negri) would do what he does best when he took over the car."

Dalziel had a late race battle with Memo Gidley before the former nailed down third place with co-driver Forest in the new Starworks Motorsport BMW Riley. Earlier Dalziel tangled with Max Angelelli with the latter spinning off the track eventually dropping from competition. "Third place is a bittersweet finish for us," Dalziel said. "I would like to have had an opportunity to run with the leaders but that incident (with Angelelli) threw me off line."

Gidley and co-driver Dion von Moltke put the Doran Ford into fourth place with David Donohue and Darren Law taking fifth in the Brumos Racing Porsche. Buddy Rice and Antonio Garcia took sixth in the Spirit of Daytona Porsche with the second Michael Shank Racing entry, Brian Frisselle and Michael Valiante, salvaging seventh place.

Angelelli and Ricky Taylor (SunTrust Racing Ford) were scored 26th after completing 80 laps and the GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Chevrolet of Jon Fogarty and Alex Gurney were 29th after completing only 20 laps. The latter car suffered an apparent motor problem.

In GT competition, Mazda RX-8's swept the podium with the SpeedSource duo of Jeff Segal and Emil Assentato scoring the victory. The Racers Edge Motorsports team of Todd Lamb and Jordan Taylor garnered second place followed by Jonathan Bomarito and Sylvain Tremblay in another Speed Source entry.

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Grand-Am Rolex Standings


DAYTONA PROTOTYPE STANDINGS............
----Top-10 Drivers' Standings
t-1st}[1]Scott Pruett, 102 pts(2 wins)
t-1st}[2]Memo Rojas, 102 pts(2 wins)
3rd} Ryan Dalziel, 91 pts(1 win)
t-4th}[4]Oswaldo Negri, 81 pts
t-4th}[5]John Pew, 81 pts
t-6th}[6]David Donohue, 78 pts
t-6th}[7]Darren Law, 78 pts
t-8th}[8]Burt Frisselle, 77 pts
t-8th}[9]Mark Wilkins, 77 pts
10th} Mike Forest, 75 pts
----Engine Standings
1st} BMW, 102 pts(2 wins)
2nd} Porsche, 93 pts(1 win)*
3rd} Ford, 88 pts
4th} Chevrolet, 71 pts
*--Porsche currently runs 2 different types of engines in Grand-Am DP competition, a "flat V6" and a "Cayenne V8"
----Chassis Standings
1st} Riley Tech., 105 pts(3 wins)
2nd} Dallara, 78 pts
3rd} Coyote, 67 pts
4th} Lola, 66 pts
5th} Crawford, 14 pts

GRAND TOURING STANDINGS..................
----Top-10 Driver Standings..............
t-1st}[1]Jonathan Bomarito, 93 pts(1 win)
t-1st}[2]Sylvain Tremblay, 93 pts(1 win)
t-3rd}[3]Andrew Davis, 88 pts
t-3rd}[4]Robin Liddell, 88 pts
t-5th}[5]Emil Assentato, 86 pts(2 wins)
t-5th}[6]Jeff Segal, 86 pts
t-7th}[7]Bill Auberlen, 74 pts
t-7th}[8]Joey Hand, 74 pts
t-9th}[9]James Gue, 71 pts
t-9th}[10]Leh Keen, 71 pts
----Manufacturers' Standings.............
1st} Mazda, 105 pts(3 wins)
2nd} Chevrolet, 88 pts**
3rd} Porsche, 75 pts
4th} BMW, 74 pts
t-5th}[5]Ferrari, 16 pts
t-5th}[6]Ford, 16 pts
**--Chevrolet runs 2 different makes in Grand-Am GT competition, the Chevrolet Corvette C6-R and the Camaro GT-R

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Ganassi Racing owner Chip Ganassi celebrates victory at Homestead with current DP points leaders Memo Rojas and Scott Pruett


-----Just as Target/Ganassi Racing have been frontrunners over in the IZOD IndyCar Series the past few years, so is the case w/Ganassi's Grand-Am Rolex Series Daytona Prototype squad, anchored by veteran sports-car pilots Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas.

After three events, the drivers of the No. 01 TELMEX BMW Riley co-owned by Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates have opened an 11-point lead in the Daytona Prototype points standings. They opened the year with a second-place finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, followed by victories at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Barber Motorsports Park.

The situation mirrors the team's championship season in 2008, when Pruett and Rojas won the opening two races at Daytona and Homestead, followed by a second at Mexico City. They continued that momentum by winning four of the next six races to cruise to the championship despite ending the year with back-to-back ninth-place finishes.

When the Rolex Series continues with the Bosch Engineering 250 at Virginia International Raceway on April 24, Pruett and Rojas are looking to become the first drivers to win three consecutive races since Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty in 2007. A 12th victory would tie Pruett and Rojas with Gurney and Fogarty as the most prolific driving duo in series history. Pruett also looks to break a tie with Terry Borcheller to become the all-time leader in Rolex Series class victories. All but one of Pruett's 25 Rolex Series victories have been at the wheel of a Daytona Prototype.

While Pruett and Rojas are off to a strong start, GAINSCO went out early with an engine failure at Barber and placed 13th. That dropped Fogarty to eighth in the standings, 31 points behind Pruett and Rojas. Perennial powerhouse SunTrust Racing also struggled at the finish at Barber, with Max Angelelli and first-time pole winner Ricky Taylor placing 12th - dropping them to 11th in the standings, 33 points in arrears.

Taking up the chase are a bevy of new contenders, led by Ryan Dalziel, who is second in the standings, 11 points back (102-91). Joining Action Express Racing's winning lineup at Daytona, Dalziel now partners with Mike Forest with Starworks Motorsport, coming off a third-place finish at Barber.

Ozz Negri and John Pew took second at Barber to advance to third in the standings, 21 points behind. They are pressured by Brumos Racing standouts Darren Law and David Donohue [78], AIM Autosport's Burt Frisselle and Mark Wilkins (77); Forest (75); Rolex 24 winners Joao Barbosa and Borcheller (72); Fogarty (71); and Doran Racing's Memo Gidley (71).

Rolex 24 class winners Sylvain Tremblay and Jonathan Bomarito have opened a five-point lead in the Rolex Series GT ranks. The No. 70 SpeedSource Mazda RX-8 drivers are pressured by Stevenson Motorsports Camaro drivers Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell [93-88]. Another two points back are SpeedSource No. 69 FXDD Mazda drivers Emil Assentato and Jeff Segal, who were 15th in the Rolex 24 before winning at both Homestead-Miami and Barber.

Turner Motorsport BMW M6 driver Bill Auberlen ranks fourth with 74 points, followed by the two Dempsey Racing Mazda RX-8 tandems. James Gue and defending GT champ Leh Keen have 71 points, one more than racer/actor Patrick Dempsey and Joe Foster.

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DANVILLE, Va. - Synergy Racing will return to GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series competition next weekend at Virginia International Raceway as the team has formed an innovative partnership with J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College for the Bosch Engineering 250 on Saturday, April 24.

Synergy Racing, which is based on-site at VIR and has long been a stalwart in GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 competition, will target success on and off the track with the race outing, which will serve as a fundraising focal point for J. Sargeant Reynolds College.

"This is a great opportunity for some very motivated students to come out to the track and be a part of a GRAND-AM weekend in a way that just wouldn't be possible otherwise," said Synergy Racing principal Cole Scrogham. "We are very excited to be going racing again and to be able to do it at our home track, working with J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College makes it even more special. There are going to be a lot of folks from the school coming out to the race, and hopefully we can make it a good day at the races for everyone!"

Based in Richmond, the J. Sargeant Reynolds College connection to Synergy Racing and the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series is not one of happenstance, as the school has established a well-recognized automotive studies program in addition to a wide range of academic programs.

While most race fans are aware of the organization's long history of GRAND-AM competition, Synergy Racing is also a well-respected and long-established service and tuner supplier for Porsche enthusiasts. J. Sargeant Reynolds is the youngest and third-largest community college in Virginia, serving over 19,000 students annually among its urban, rural, and suburban campuses, including online classes.

The College has been rapidly expanding, and is hoping that the race outing will only accelerate that process, as fans are invited to pledge to sponsor a race lap, with all the proceeds donated going to help fund the College's new Downtown Campus science lab renovations project. Those interested in pledging to sponsor a race lap and support J. Sargeant Reynolds College may contact lcallahan@reynolds.edu.

The partnership between Synergy Racing and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College will see the College colors being carried on the team's familiar No. 81 entry. The program will also see a strong contingent of students and College affiliates on hand for the race, which will mark round four of the 2010 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series championship.

"Careers in the auto industry run the gamut from hands-on diagnostics and repair to advanced engineering and complex systems design," JSRCC Automotive Program Head Kelly Schwendeman said. "Students can work on the shop floor or in the corporate board room. It's important that they have an understanding of the options available to them."

And while the race is over a week away, the excitement has already been building, as a contingent of nearly 30 students got the chance to visit the Synergy Racing shop in March as the final touches were being applied to the No. 81 J. Sargeant Reynolds College Porsche.

The group also got to meet long-time Synergy Racing pilot David Murry as he performed some final testing with the Porsche GT3 machine to prepare for next Saturday's outing. Murry's co-driver will be named ahead of the Bosch Engineering 250 weekend.

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At the start of Saturday's Bosch Engineering 250, TRG's Andy Lally will join Brumos Racing's Darren Law as the only Rolex Series competitors with 100 starts.........


DANVILLE, Va. - Andy Lally will record a personal milestone in Saturday's Bosch Engineering 250 at Virginia International Raceway, making his 100th career start in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16.

Lally will co-drive the TRG No. 66 AXA Porsche GT3 with Ted Ballou. "Making my 100th start is really, really cool," Lally said Tuesday on GRAND-AM Weekly. "Thinking back to my first race in 2000, and now I'm only the second driver - with Darren Law - to reach 100 starts. That's a real honor and privilege to have a job this long. I'm a lucky guy to be in this situation."

Lally finished 15th at VIR a year ago when his TRG Porsche was involved in an incident before he even got to drive. "The team made a heroic effort to get me out there for 30 minutes in order to score points," Lally said. "That was the most respectable 15th place finish I ever had."

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~~~PETALUMA, Calif. - In one of the biggest sponsorship and partnership announcements in professional sportscar racing this year, AXA Financial and Brent Koch have chosen TRG to partner in a new program together. Following the team's absence from the previous GRAND-AM round at Barber Motorsports Park, TRG and AXA will return to this weekend's festivities at Virginia International Raceway, with a bigger announcement to come very soon.

Committed to the future and health of both the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 as well as the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, TRG team will campaign in both categories with AXA and Brent Koch of Wealth Management Strategies. With a number of rules changes and equities allowed for Porsche's in both categories, the team is firmly focused on the top step of the podium.

AXA Financial is a leader in financial protection strategies and wealth management, supporting individual and business clients. The organization and Brent Koch of Wealth Management Strategies have long been supporters of TRG, as evidenced in their partnership throughout much of the 2009 season, and now in 2010. TRG and its multiple operations have created a new paradigm for how business can be done and effective sponsorships generated--all around motorsports. AXA and Brent Koch will use Grand-Am and motorsports as a business platform to network with large corporations, small businesses, high net-worth individuals as well as conducting effective business-to-business programs. Their new state-of-the-art facility, in the planning phases at the New Jersey Motorsports Park, will bring much of this new cutting edge motorsports business development all together under one roof and to further add to TRG's ability to DELIVER for it's sponsors and partners.

For team owner Kevin Buckler, the commitment to such a strong partner, as well as such a strong driver lineup, is a welcome addition to the future of TRG. "AXA is a fantastic global organization and one of the leaders in its field," Buckler said. "AXA and Brent Koch of Wealth Management Strategies re-define the standard of a true partner in our new motorsports business model. GRAND-AM provides a terrific platform for AXA to introduce their superior financial programs, as well as look for opportunities to forge new business to business relationships and gain market share. I'm proud that they've partnered with TRG in this new cutting edge program and we will work very well together to help accomplish our mutual goals."

The No. 66 AXA Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car will be driven by Ted Ballou and Andy Lally in the Rolex GT race for this weekend's event. Driving in his 100th start in the series, Lally is looking to turn his season around thanks to the new rules package. Ballou, who earned his first professional win with Lally, is looking forward to the future.

"It's great to be back in GRAND-AM," stated Ballou. "TRG has always given me such strong support both on and off the track and it's great to finally have the opportunity to go out and win again. Kevin Buckler, AXA and Brent Koch have an opportunity here to really re-write the rules of sponsorship through their new motorsports program and to lay the groundwork for others to follow. I am really glad to be part of this exciting opportunity and I want to thank everyone involved."

"The 100th start really kind of crept up on me," Lally said. "I am really looking forward to VIR, especially with the rules break we have for the Porsche. The slightly increased torque range is closer to what the V-8s have out there. With the weight we lost and the pounds that Mazda gained, I hope our acceleration will help us to get off of the corners a lot better. The car being a little lower should help us with tire life. Our biggest focus is to keep the tires under the car while being able to do a race distance pressing as hard as the competition without worrying about burning the rubber off. I am cautiously optimistic that Ted and I will be able to put together a fast car. We will have to keep our nose clean and have a fast race to make it on the podium."

Beyond the Rolex Series, Ballou will be pulling double duty by uniting with Spencer Pumpelly for the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, driving the no. 41 AXA Porsche GT3. Also running with a new rules package, Spencer Pumpelly is blindingly fast at VIR and always a threat to win.

"VIR is one of my favorite tracks, and I've always had a lot of luck there," stated Pumpelly, who grew up in Virginia. "AXA and Brent Koch have been a big part of my career the last two years, and I thank their support of myself and TRG."

For Brent Koch, Principal of Wealth Management Strategies, LLC, the opportunity to bring AXA into sportscar racing and field programs for their financial services has been a fantastic opportunity. We've enjoyed an incredible two years together and I look forward to some much bigger programs we have coming in the future. TRG has created a great platform for us to further our business development, and I really hope to see the AXA 66 and 41 on the top step of the podium this weekend."

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~~~For some drivers in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, racing in Saturday's Bosch Engineering 250 at Virginia International Raceway in Danville, Va., is only half the battle. The other half is just getting to the U.S. At least six drivers either scrambled to find a way or faced some degree of difficulty making it to the U.S. from Europe, their home base, due to the recent activity coming from the Eyjafjallajokull Volcano in Iceland. Drivers from the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Denmark are entered for the fourth round of the Rolex Series season, and like stranded passengers on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, hoped to reach their final destination.

Max Angelelli is one of those drivers. Residing in Bologna, Italy, Angelelli drove Tuesday to Germany. Prior to that, he was driving to three different airports in Italy, only to find his connecting flights were cancelled. He then opted to drive directly to Germany in a rental car, talking to a travel agent virtually the entire time. A two-time winner at VIR, Angelelli was able to board a flight in Frankfurt to reach the U.S., keeping his streak alive of never missing a race driving for his team, SunTrust Racing.

Robin Liddell drives in the Rolex Series GT category for Stevenson Motorsports in a Chevrolet Camaro. Living in Newbury, England, Liddell drove 17 hours from the U.K. on Sunday morning to Madrid, Spain - after driving eight hours returning from a race in Scotland. Once in Madrid, he caught a flight to Atlanta, and he was picked up by his co-driver, Andrew Davis. Fortunately for Liddell - who with Davis has won the last two GT races at VIR and sits second in GT points - he had an extra day of rest before heading to VIR.

"At first, I thought it would be no problem with the race being a week away," Liddell said. "But once I heard about the situation, I thought I'd better drive to Spain rather than take a chance of finding another flight. At Madrid, the airport was like a refugee camp. Fortunately, I was able to get the last seat on the plane."

Rookie Adam Christodoulou gave the phrase "planes, trains and automobiles" another meaning. A native of Birmingham, England, Christodoulou left the Birmingham International Airport on Tuesday afternoon after his flight was canceled and took a train to Amsterdam, The Netherlands for a flight Wednesday. He arrived in Minneapolis before flying into Raleigh-Durham, N.C. "It's a pain in the ash," joked his team owner and fellow driver Sylvain Tremblay of SpeedSource on Tuesday afternoon. "He had to travel all over just to get here."

Another team owner, Peter Baron, was not in a joking mood after spending several frustrating days trying to get Danish driver Kasper Andersen to the race. "We started looking for options (last) Friday, and quickly found it was slim pickings by then," Baron said. "It's not looking very optimistic right now."

Drivers having little difficulty making it to the U.S. live on the Iberian Peninsula. Joao Barbosa of Porto, Portugal, and Antonio Garcia of Madrid made it to the U.S. earlier this week without any major problems.

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Pruett & Rojas Look to Extend DP Lead at VIR
Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas take an 11-point lead (102-91) in the Daytona Prototype standings into Round 4 of the GRAND-AM Rolex Series, the Bosch Engineering 250 at Virginia International Raceway on Saturday. Pruett and Rojas have a two-race winning streak going into VIR, where won with Rojas in 2008 and also triumphed with Luis Diaz in 2005.

With perennial contenders GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing and SunTrust Racing failing to finish at Barber, the dynamic of the Daytona Prototype championship has changed entering the Bosch Engineering 250.

Ryan Dalziel is second in the standings to Pruett and Rojas, and is coming off a third-place finish at Barber Motorsports Park with co-driver Mike Forest. Dalziel won the Rolex 24 At Daytona with Action Express Racing in a Porsche Riley.

Third in the standings with 81 points are Ozz Negri and John Pew,, who were second at Barber, followed closely by Darren Law and David Donohue, 78 points; Burt Frisselle and Mark Wilkins, 77; and Forest, 75.

The winner of the last two Daytona Prototype races at VIR and three total have gone on to win the series championship.

Segal, Assentato Look For Third Straight In Rolex Series GT
SpeedSource drivers Jeff Segal and Emil Assentato won the Rolex Series GT class in the Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park, giving them two consecutive victories and four in seven races dating back to 2009. The two drivers opened the year with a 16th-place finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona - a race won by teammates Sylvain Tremblay and Jonathan Bomarito.

As a result of their winning streak, Segal and Assentato are third in the standings, seven points behind class leaders Bomarito and Tremblay, who have 93 points, and two behind Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis, who have 88 points.

Davis and Liddell, one of several drivers commuting from Europe for Saturday's race, are seeking their third consecutive VIR GT victory this weekend. The pair won the last two years in the No. 57 Pontiac GXP.R. The team switched to Camaros in 2010, adding a second car. That car will be driven by Gunter Schaldach and Randy Pobst, who will substitute for Jan Magnussen (schedule conflict).

Paul Reed Smith To Award Two Guitars At VIR
When the race is over at VIR, the overall winner of the Bosch Engineering 250 will walk away with a traditional loving cup trophy, and a little something extra.

PRS Guitars has partnered with GRAND-AM racing for the 2010 season by creating a trophy guitar for 11 races. Each guitar is decorated with the official GRAND-AM logo and inscribed with the race's date and location. The Daytona Prototype winner will receive the GRAND-AM guitar.

To reward GT competitors, MRN Radio agreed to call a "MRN Podium Move of the Race" winner at three events this season, including VIR. Lead announcers Eli Gold and Preston Root will determine which GT team made the most critical move to land them on the podium.

PRS has also partnered with Mazda, Chip Foose, Dempsey Racing and Pirelli for this year's "Watch and Win Sweepstakes," giving fans the opportunity to win the Chip Foose designed Dempsey Racing edition 2010 RX8r3 and a custom-designed PRS SE Singlecut guitar.

Saturday's Fan Activities
----Race fans will have plenty of activities to get close to the action prior to Saturday's race.

All of the Rolex Series Daytona Prototype and GT drivers will participate in a free autograph session from 9:30-10:15 a.m., at their individual team haulers in the paddock. Fans are invited to participate in a free pit road Fan Walk from 11:15-11:45 a.m., to get a close-up look at all of the Daytona Prototype and GT cars, drivers and teams, moments before racing.

At 11:30 a.m., fans can get a close-up look behind the scenes of a typical pit stop in a special demonstration by the GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing pit crew, with drivers Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty.

During the Fan Walk, there will be a live concert on pit road, featuring the Rocky Mountain Stoneflies, a Texas-style rock and blues band fronted by legendary Dallas guitarist Mike Clark.