Rolex 24 Winners Law, Lally ....

Set for KONI Challenge at HomesteadDarren Law and Andy Lally Won their Respective Classes in January's Rolex 24 At Daytona

Darren Law and Andy Lally, winners of their respective classes in January's Rolex 24 At Daytona, will both compete in the Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge during the Grand-Am Fan Appreciation Weekend March 14-15 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Law captured overall and Daytona Prototype honors in America's premier sports car race when he teamed with David Donohue, Buddy Rice and Antonio Garcia in the No. 58 Brumos Porsche Riley in the Rolex 24, the opening round of the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16.

Lally garnered top honors in the GT class, co-driving with Justin Marks, R.J. Valentine, Jorg Bergmeister and Patrick Long in the No. 67 TRG Porsche GT3. It was his second class victory in the Rolex 24.

Grand-Am Fan Appreciation Weekend features a pair of two-and-a-half hour KONI Sports Car Challenge races. The Street Tuner division races at 2 p.m. Saturday, with the Grand Sport class taking the green flag Sunday at 1:15 p.m. Both days also feature Mustang Cup races in addition to many activities for the entire family. Free ticket vouchers - including paddock and pit roof access - are available by visiting www.grand-am.com.

Law will co-drive the No. 77 Maxwell Paper Racing Porsche 997 with Ross Smith. The Phoenix, Ariz., resident has 112 starts in the Rolex Series - more than any other driver - and won the 2001 GT championship. A nine-time winner in Rolex Series competition, he is seeking his first KONI Challenge victory.

"Coming to the KONI Challenge Series is like stepping from a powerful Daytona Prototype to what's basically a street car," Law said. "But I've been doing this for nine years now, so I'm comfortable with it. It's a change of pace, but it's not something I'm not used to. These cars are pretty darn close to the ones we drive on the street. Obviously, there are some suspension changes and they're not as powerful, but they're not that different."

Other Daytona Prototype regulars entered in the Homestead-Miami Speedway event include Rob Finlay and Nic Jonsson, along with Bill Auberlen - overall winner of the 2007 Grand Prix of Miami.

Lally, a 20-time winner and three-time champion in Rolex Series competition, will co-drive the No. 41 TRG Magnus Racing Porsche 997 with John Potter. Like Auberlen, Lally won at Homestead in Rolex Series competition in 2007.

"I've won at Homestead before, and I can't wait to getting back there again in the sunshine," Lally said. "I like being back in the car anytime I can get strapped in. I can't wait to get back out there racing. I enjoy the KONI Challenge Series, being able to race against so many different cars in the same class. That makes it a lot of fun."

Lally said that while it's a different crew preparing and fielding a pair of Porsches in KONI Challenge competition than the group that works on the team's four-car entry in Rolex Series GT competition, the team brings the same approach to Grand-Am's street stock series.

"Like anything TRG does, they do it right," said Lally, who has also competed for the team in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. "The guys on all of our programs are top-notch, and I'm thrilled with their level of preparation that the TRG guys give me week-in and week-out."

Potter is also part of TRG's Rolex Series GT effort, co-driving the team's No. 65 Porsche GT3 with Craig Stanton. Other GT regulars entered in the Homestead-Miami Speedway event include Andrew Davis, Spencer Pumpelly, Will Nonnamaker, Joe Sahlen and James Gue.

The next action for the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 will be the Bosch Engineering 250 April 24-25 at Virginia International Raceway.


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