Pre-Race Analysis: Mexico City 250
The following is a team-by-team analysis for the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 Mexico City 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, Mexico.
DAYTONA PROTOTYPES
TELMEX CHIP GANASSI RACING WITH FELIX SABATES (Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas – No. 01 Lexus Riley) – The current Rolex Series Daytona Prototype team point leader has been spectacular this season with Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas behind the wheel. The duo made it two straight for Ganassi in the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami, leading 51 laps between the two en route to the Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates team’s series record 17th victory. The No. 01 also won the Rolex 24 At Daytona with Pruett, Rojas, Juan Pablo Montoya and Dario Franchitti, as the Lexus Riley led 252 of the 695 completed laps. Altogether, the No. 01 has finished in the top 10 in Daytona Prototype competition in 21 straight races, dating back to 2006 (Mid-Ohio).
LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: September 14, 2007 – Miller Motorsports Park (Daytona Prototype & Overall)
LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: March 29, 2008 – Homestead-Miami Speedway (Daytona Prototype & Overall)
SAMAX (Ryan Dalziel, Henri Zogaib – No. 2 BMW Riley) – A change to the BMW has the SAMAX team looking for its first victory of 2008. Veterans Ryan Dalziel and Henri Zogaib bring the BMW Riley to Mexico City after finishing 10th in the Daytona Prototype class in the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The team narrowly missed a top-10 overall finish at Mexico City last season, but will be ready to notch one this weekend when the drivers take to the track. SAMAX also posted a pair of top 10s in GT at Mexico City in 2006.
LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: March 4, 2005 – Homestead-Miami Speedway (GT)
LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: ---
SOUTHARD MOTORSPORTS (Bill Lester, Shane Lewis – No. 3 Lexus Riley) – The Southard Motorsports team will look for its second straight top-10 in the Mexico City 250 after notching ninth in the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami. The team finished 15th at Mexico City last season with Shane Lewis as the lead driver, and welcomes first-time Mexico City pilot Bill Lester this season. The team is running with the new Riley bodywork in 2008. Lester said he expects the team to be a contender for a top-five finish which, if the duo can achieve, would be the first since a fourth-place result last season at Miller Motorsports Park. The team has two career podiums – both thirds in 2006.
LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: ---
LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: ---
MICHAEL SHANK RACING (Ian James, John Pew – No. 6 Ford Riley; Oswaldo Negri, Mark Patterson – No. 60 Ford Riley) – Michael Shank Racing will bring its two Ford Rileys to Mexico City for the team’s first win of 2008. Among the team’s fulltime drivers, Ian James has led the most circuits on the season with 20 in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, a race where the two cars combined to lead 134 before problems plagued both cars in the waning hours. Negri snaked through the field in the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami and helped himself and co-driver Mark Patterson to third, their best finish since May 2007 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. An accident involving the No. 6 car kept James and co-driver John Pew from a top finish. Both cars finished in the top 10 in Mexico City in 2007.
LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: January 25, 2008 – Daytona International Speedway (Daytona Prototype & Overall; No. 60)
LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: September 3, 2006 – Miller Motorsports Park (Daytona Prototype & Overall; No. 60)
RUM BUM SIGALSPORT (Matt Plumb, Gene Sigal – No. 7 BMW Riley) – Rum Bum Racing captured a fifth-place finish in the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami last month, and looks for the same in the season’s third round of competition. The team finished 13th in last year’s Mexico City 250, two laps off the pace in only its second ever Daytona Prototype event. The team was 12th in GT in 2006. Matt Plumb led 16 laps in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, and ran as high as third at Homestead-Miami Speedway, his first race driving with team owner Gene Sigal.
LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: November 4, 2005 – Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez (GT)
LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: March 24, 2007 – Homestead-Miami Speedway (Daytona Prototype & Overall)
SUNTRUST RACING (Max Angelelli, Michael Valiante – No. 10 Pontiac Dallara) – Max Angelelli and Michael Valiante have put the No. 10 atop the running order in both events this season, but problems have kept the team from contesting for victory at the checkered flag. In the recent GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami, Valiante led 20 laps but was taken out by a spinning David Donohue and went to the garage for repairs. Despite falling off the lead lap, Angelelli ran the team’s fastest lap on Lap 96. Electrical, brake and overheating problems in the Rolex 24 At Daytona couldn’t keep the team, however, from finishing fifth, though several laps behind. Angelelli was third in the 2007 race at Mexico City, and SunTrust has podium finishes in two of three races at Mexico City.
LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: March 23, 2007 – Homestead-Miami Speedway (Daytona Prototype & Overall)
LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: August 3, 2007 – Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (Daytona Prototype & Overall)
CHEEVER RACING (Matteo Bobbi, Antonio Garcia – No. 16 Pontiac Coyote) – Matteo Bobbi, Antonio Garcia and the Cheever Racing Pontiac Coyote look for their first top 10 of the season after a pair of setbacks in the Rolex 24 At Daytona and the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami. The team ran as high as second at Homestead-Miami Speedway before pulling off the track with engine problems near the latter stages of the race. However, the Coyote has proven competitive in both races, and a sixth-place finish at Mexico City two seasons ago gives the team some confidence heading into this weekend’s race.
LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: ---
LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: ---
RUBY TUESDAY CHAMPIONSHIP RACING TEAM (Bill Auberlen, Joey Hand – No. 23 Porsche Crawford) – The No. 23 Porsche Crawford is one of the few Daytona Prototypes to lead both races on the Rolex Series circuit in 2008. The team led 59 laps of the Rolex 24 At Daytona until engine problems put the car behind the wall and out of the race. Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand finished second in the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami after Hand led for 14 laps before being passed by eventual race co-winner Scott Pruett. The team hasn’t won a race since last season at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, but the strong start to this season could change that this weekend.
LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: June 23, 2006 – Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Daytona Prototype & Overall)
LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: May 20, 2007 – Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (Daytona Prototype & Overall)
DORAN RACING (Burt Frisselle, Gabriele Gardel – No. 47 Ford Dallara; Memo Gidley, Brad Jaeger – No. 77 Ford/Dallara) – Doran Racing becomes a two-car team this weekend with the addition of the No. 47 BSI/CDOC Ford Dallara and drivers Burt Frisselle and Gabriele Gardel. The team ran its Doran bodywork in the Rolex 24 At Daytona before moving to the Dallara bodywork for the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami. Memo Gidley put the car in the top five before an incident involving two other cars put the No. 77 out of contention for a strong finish. But Gidley and teammate Brad Jaeger have reason to hope for better fortunes at Mexico City, where Gidley co-won in 2005. Gidley was born in La Paz, Mexico and is a dual citizen of Mexico and the U.S.
LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: ---
LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: August 13, 2004 – Watkins Glen International (Daytona Prototype & Overall; No. 27)
BRUMOS RACING (David Donohue, Darren Law – No. 58 Porsche Riley; Joao Barbosa, JC France – No. 59 Porsche Riley) – Brumos Racing has had a strong start to the 2008 Rolex Series season despite not getting the finishes the team has wanted. Between the Nos. 58 and 59, the team led 17 laps of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, and the No. 59 was in contention to win the race before spinning in the final quarter of the race. David Donohue took the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami pole in the No. 58, but a spin midway through the race caused the team to fall out of contention for the victory. Joao Barbosa and JC France stayed out of trouble at Homestead-Miami Speedway and came away with a seventh-place finish.
LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: March 28, 2008 – Homestead-Miami Speedway (Daytona Prototype & Overall; No. 58)
LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: September 21, 2003 – Le Circuilt Mont-Tremblant (Daytona Prototype & Overall; No. 58)
AIM AUTOSPORT (Mark Wilkins, Brian Frisselle – No. 61 Ford Riley) – AIM Autosport drivers Mark Wilkins and Brian Frisselle are looking for another strong performance at Mexico City this weekend and their second straight top 10 of 2008. Wilkins and Frisselle started 18th last season due to problems in qualifying, but rallied 11 positions to take seventh in only the team’s second race. Frisselle also qualified second for the race in 2006 with brother Burt before finishing 10th. The team finished eighth in last month’s GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami.
LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: ---
LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: ---
KROHN RACING (Tracy Krohn, Eric van de Poele – No. 75 Pontiac Lola; Nic Jonsson, Ricardo Zonta – No. 76 Pontiac Lola) – Krohn Racing has had a successful start to the 2008 season, running both the Riley and Proto-Auto Lola bodyworks in the first two races. The team will run the Lola bodywork the remainder of the season. Both cars finished in the top 10 in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, highlighted by a fourth-place run by Nic Jonsson, Ricardo Zonta and Darren Turner. Jonsson and Zonta also ran near the front of the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami before back-to-back stop-and-go penalties forced them to an 11th-place finish. Team owner Tracy Krohn and Belgium native Eric van de Poele have seventh- and 12th-place finishes this season.
LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: April 28, 2007 – Virginia International Raceway (Daytona Prototype & Overall; No. 75)
LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: July 30, 2006 – Barber Motorsports Park (Daytona Prototype & Overall; No. 76)
RILEY-MATTHEWS MOTORSPORTS (Marc Goossens, Jim Matthews – No. 91 Pontiac Riley) – The Bob Stallings Racing/Riley-Matthews Motorsports Pontiac Riley team, with fulltime drivers Marc Goossens and Jim Matthews, are quietly among the top of the point standings after notching finishes of seventh and fourth respectively in the opening two races of the 2008 Rolex Series calendar. Goossens overtook Matt Plumb in the waning laps of the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami, and the team is currently fourth in points.
LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: ---
LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: September 15, 2007 – Miller Motorsports Park (Daytona Prototype & Overall; No. 91)
GAINSCO/BOB STALLINGS RACING (Alex Gurney, Jon Fogarty – No. 99 Pontiac Riley) – The defending race-winning team, GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing and the No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Pontiac Riley, returns to Mexico City in search of its second straight win at the facility and first of 2008. Last season Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty scored their first Rolex Series win at Mexico, and the team’s initial series triumph, en route to the driving and team titles. This season, the drivers and team are second in the point standings, 13 out of first place, after finishes of second in the Rolex 24 At Daytona and sixth in the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami. The team is running the new Riley bodywork this season and will sport a special Hispanic-themed paint scheme that debuted in Mexico last year.
LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: August 24, 2007 – Infineon Raceway (Daytona Prototype & Overall; No. 99)
LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: August 25, 2007 – Infineon Raceway (Daytona Prototype & Overall; No. 99)
GT
BANNER RACING (Ron Fellows, Leighton Reese – No. 06 Pontiac GXP.R; Kelly Collins, Paul Edwards – No. 07 Pontiac GXP.R) – Banner Racing’s two-car effort is third and seventh in the team point standings and the No. 07 Pontiac GXP.R is coming off a victory in the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami (the team also finished 10th overall). Kelly Collins and Paul Edwards led 51 of the 99 laps in the No. 07, and substitute driver Jan Magnussen also led in the No. 06. The team also attempted to compete in the race with air conditioning. In terms of pole positions, the No. 07 team has been the one to beat. Since the EMCO Gears Classic at Mid-Ohio last season, the team has scored seven GT poles in nine races (the No. 70 took the other two). This weekend, Canadian ringer Ron Fellows joins Leighton Reese in the No. 06.
LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: March 28, 2008 – Homestead-Miami Speedway (GT; No. 07)
LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: March 29, 2008 – Homestead-Miami Speedway (GT; No. 07)
MATT CONNOLLY MOTORSPORTS (Diego Alessi, Jan Seyffarth – No. 21 Pontiac GTO.R) – Two rookie drivers on the Rolex Series circuit have given Matt Connolly Motorsports something to be happy about through two rounds on this year’s circuit. Italian Diego Alessi started the season with the team at the Rolex 24 At Daytona and welcomed Jan Seyffarth at the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami. Alessi led six laps at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the field’s only Pontiac GTO.R. The pair is scheduled to compete together the remainder of 2008.
LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: June 23, 2006 – Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (GT; No. 21)
LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: ---
O’CONNELL RACING (Kevin O’Connell, Kevin Roush – No. 27 Porsche 997 GT-3) – O’Connell Racing is bringing California natives Kevin O’Connell and Kevin Roush to Mexico City this weekend in the hopes of a successful weekend in two races. The Rolex Series No. 27 Porsche GT3 car will compete on Saturday, while the team’s No. 09 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS will compete in Sunday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race, driven by O’Connell. The team also competed in the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: ---
LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: ---
RACERS EDGE MOTORSPORTS (Craig Stone, Jameson Riley – No. 30 Mazda RX-8) – Team owner Jon Mirachi’s No. 30 team will see a change to its driver lineup as fulltime driver Craig Stone welcomes 2007 team driver Jameson Riley to the controls of the Mazda RX-8.The team got caught up in an incident in the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami last month, knocking them out of the race, but hopes to rebound this weekend at Mexico City. Racers Edge will be making its first appearance at Mexico City this weekend.
LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: ---
LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: ---
STEVENSON MOTORSPORTS (Andrew Davis, Robin Liddell – No. 57 Pontiac GXP.R) – Stevenson Motorsports has shown speed in the opening rounds of the Rolex Series in 2008, but unfortunate circumstances have twice kept the car from contesting for victory. At the Rolex 24, the Pontiac was hit in the early morning hours, knocking them out of a possible podium placing. In last month’s GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami, Andrew Davis qualified the No. 57 Pontiac GXP.R second, and the car was among the leaders early on only to have a bushing in the power steering rack fail. Still, Davis and co-driver Robin Liddell are looking for a strong finish at Mexico City, where they finished seventh in the race last year, in their Crawford-built Chevrolet Corvette.
LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: ---
LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: ---
TRG (Bryce Miller, Ted Ballou – No. 66 Porsche GT3; Spencer Pumpelly, Tim George Jr. – No. 67 Porsche GT3) – TRG brings two cars to Mexico City after running seven in the Rolex 24 At Daytona and three in the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami. The team landed second, third and fourth in the Rolex 24, and Spencer Pumpelly and Tim George Jr. kept the team’s podium streak alive with a third-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway. TRG has won twice in three GT races (2005, 2006) at Mexico City, but both were in Pontiac-powered cars. The team’s best finish at Mexico City in 2007 was eighth by Andy Lally and RJ Valentine in the No. 66.
LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: June 29, 2006 – Daytona International Speedway (GT; No. 65)
LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: August 3, 2007 – Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (GT; No. 66)
SPEEDSOURCE (Emil Assentato, Jeff Segal – No. 69 Mazda RX-8; Sylvain Tremblay, Nick Ham – No. 70 Mazda RX-8) – The SpeedSource team has a lot of momentum on its side heading into the Mexico City 250 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. The team is the defending race winner in the GT class (Sylvain Tremblay and Nick Ham), and Tremblay and Ham were joined by David Haskell and Raphael Matos in the team’s Rolex 24 At Daytona GT win in January. Only one point out of the driver and team point lead, a victory will put the No. 70 and its drivers back on top. And, in case the team doesn’t have enough momentum, its No. 69 and drivers Emil Assentato and Jeff Segal have top-10 GT finishes in both races in 2008, and Assentato co-piloted the No. 69 to a third-place finish at Mexico City last season.
LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: January 25, 2008 – Daytona International Speedway (GT; No. 70)
LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: January 27, 2008 – Daytona International Speedway (GT; No. 70)
AUTOHAUS MOTORSPORTS (Lawson Aschenbach, Tim Lewis Jr. – No. 72 Pontiac GXP.R) – Consistent performances in practice, qualifying and races have the rookie Autohaus Motorsports team in the fight for top finishes. The team led a practice session for the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami, and Tim Lewis Jr. qualified the car seventh before Lawson Aschenbach drove the car home sixth. Lewis made his Mexico City debut last season, finishing 14th, while this will be Aschenbach’s initial Rolex Series race at the track. This is also the first year for the Autohaus Motorsports team.
LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: ---
LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: ---
SYNERGY RACING (Jan Heylen, Cole Scrogham – No. 80 Porsche GT3) – With new driver and open-wheel veteran Jan Heylen behind the wheel of the Porsche GT3 fulltime this season, the team has already experienced a strong start to 2008. Heylen has led both the Rolex 24 At Daytona and the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami in GT competition, totaling four laps in the No. 80. While the team’s home race is still a week away (Virginia International Raceway), the team is focusing on the Mexico City 250. The team is hoping for better fortune at the Mexico track, as it started and finished 16th in GT last year.
LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: January 26, 2007 – Daytona International Speedway (GT; No. 81)
LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: November 1, 2003 – Daytona International Speedway (SRP II)
FARNBACHER LOLES RACING (Leh Keen, Eric Lux – No. 86 Porsche GT3; Dirk Werner, Pierre Kaffer – No. 87 Porsche GT3) – Like their TRG counterparts, Farnbacher Loles Racing started the season with seven cars (Rolex 24 At Daytona), then dropped to three for the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami, and is bringing two cars to Mexico City this weekend. Defending Rolex Series GT champion Dirk Werner claimed the team’s best finish of the season (eighth) in the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami, as several problems, some mechanical and others due contact with other cars. In last year’s Mexico City 250, the team put its two Porsche GT3s second and fourth.
LAST SERIES POLE POSITION: March 23, 2007 – Homestead-Miami Speedway (GT; No. 85)
LAST SERIES RACE VICTORY: April 28, 2007 – Virginia International Raceway (GT & Overall; No. 87)
