Factory Ace Called to Wheel Fall-Line BMW in CTSCC & TRG Porsche in 6-Hour The life of a professional racecar driver is full of exciting, life-on-the-edge, pleasure-packed moments. If it's good one time, do it twice. Bryan Sellers will epitomize that misconception as he doubles his pleasure in GRAND-AM-sanctioned competition at Watkins Glen International this weekend. The Braselton, Ga.-resident will continue his role in the No. 46 BCKSTGR/Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3 Coupe for the Continental Tire 150 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC) race on Saturday, June 30. On Sunday, July 1, he will reprise his part in the No. 66 TRG Porsche 911 GT3 Cup for the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen. Watkins Glen International - "The Glen" - might be the ideal place for Sellers to do the double-header. The track has been very good to the Ohio-native over his career. In 2008, he won the CTSCC pole position driving the Fall-Line BMW. Last season, he drove the Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup to fifth-place in the Rolex Series six-hour race. The 3.4-mile, 11-turn "Long Course" - Sellers will return to Watkins Glen in August to race CTSCC on the "Short Course" during the NASCAR Sprint Cup weekend - is a fast and traditional-style road course. With multiple straightaways connected by high-speed sweeping turns, the track offers drivers both speed and technical challenges. Elevation changes and the intense, multi-class competition add to the interest for fans and drivers alike. The track might be two-sides of the same coin for Sellers, however. The straightaways will challenge the BMW which is down on power to the competition in the CTSCC class. Conversely, those straights will play to the Porsche 911's natural, low aerodynamic drag design during six hours of Rolex Series racing. The first racing event of the weekend will be in the BCKSTGR BMW that Sellers used to finish third at Daytona International Speedway (DIS) earlier this season and to lead 10-laps at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The driver pairing of Sellers and Mark Boden (Winnetka, Ill.) has proven more and more formidable as the season has progressed. At the most recent round of the championship, Sellers was making progress towards the front of the Road America field when an ABS failure nearly ended the day. The Falken Tire-factory driver was able to save the car from a near-certain accident but was forced to drive around the issue the remainder of his stint. Boden and Sellers are focused on returning the car to the sharp-end of the GS class field at The Glen. Sellers is no stranger to driving TRG Porsches. In 2008, the former open-wheel racing champion was lead driver for the California-based operation. When TRG expanded from its typical regular-season entry of one to three cars for this weekend, team-owner Kevin Buckler called-on Sellers to return to the cockpit of one of his machines. He will share the No. 66 with Ben Keating (Port Lavaca, Texas) and Damien Faulkner (Ireland) for his second Rolex Series race of 2012. Sellers opened the season in a Rolex Sports Car Series Porsche 911 GT3 Cup at Rolex 24 At Daytona with Burtin Racing. The Burtin machine showed speed but mechanical issues eventually sidelined the car during the 24-hour race. Practice for both series opens on Friday, June 29 with additional practice and qualifying scheduled for Saturday, June 30. The CTSCC race will take the green flag at 3 p.m. (ET), June 30. The Rolex Series race will start its six-hour countdown at 11 a.m. (ET), Sunday, July 1.SPEED will broadcast both the Continental Tire 150 and the full Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen. The CTSCC race can be seen live on www.SPEED2.com and on tape-delay Saturday, July 14 at 1 p.m. (ET) on SPEED. The Six Hour will be broadcast live on SPEED beginning at 11 a.m., Sunday, July 1. Live timing and scoring of the event can be found at www.Grand-Am.com. Quotes
Bryan Sellers:
On the challenge of racing two series on the same weekend: "The biggest challenge in running two races over the weekend is purely the time division between the cars. There is a lot that goes into a weekend outside of just driving in the practice sessions. Both Fall-Line Motorsports and TRG understand that and will do whatever they can to help ease the transition from moving team to team. Fortunately, there is a benefit to running two cars. You are always up on track time as well as what the changes in the track conditions are. I think that gives you an edge over the guys who are just running one car."On the Watkins Glen course: "I believe that Watkins Glen will be very much like Road America for the BCKSTGR BMW. We will be very strong on overall lap time and pace but we will have a hard time passing. I also believe that Watkins Glen will be better for our gearing so that will help us in the race as well."On driving for TRG: "TRG has been a home away from home for me. Everyone there has a way of really making you feel welcome. Kevin Buckler has been very successful as a driver and as a team owner. He provides you with everything you need to win and that makes his program really special to drive for. I am also pretty close with the drivers on the team so that always makes things a little easier."On his co-drivers in both races: "There is truly something to be said for the continuity Mark and I currently have in the BCKSTGR BMW. He knows what I am thinking when describing the car and I know what he is thinking. When you drive with new co-drivers that relationship is not there so it takes some time to develop. However, I know in the TRG Porsche this will be an easy transition. Both Ben and Damien are incredibly talented drivers and there will be no struggle with getting into rhythm."
