Daytona Prototype Heads to Mid-Ohio

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June 21, 2006 in Motorsport

Daytona Prototype Heads to Mid-Ohio

Tight Daytona Prototype Points Battle Heads to Mid-Ohio for EMCO Gears Classic presented by KeyBank

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 20, 2006) – With six races remaining on the 2006 Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve calendar, the stretch drive gets underway in the Daytona Prototype title chase with Saturday’s EMCO Gears Classic presented by KeyBank at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (SPEED, June 25, 3:00 p.m. ET).

Bolstered by his first victory of the season earlier this month in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, No. 76 Krohn Racing Ford Riley driver Jörg Bergmeister holds a slim, four-point advantage over No. 01 CompUSA Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Scott Pruett and Luis Diaz, 291-287. After sharing the No. 76 machine with road racing great Boris Said at Watkins Glen, Bergmeister will be joined once again this weekend by 17-year-old co-driver Colin Braun. Bergmeister has not finished worse than eighth in any feature race this season, but the German knows that more victories are likely needed if he is to maintain his position atop the points chart.

For Pruett and Diaz, the trip to Mid-Ohio is undoubtedly welcome given the No. 01 machine’s record of success at the venerable road circuit. In 2004, Pruett and then-co-driver Max Papis claimed the victory en route to their 2004 Daytona Prototype title, and Pruett and Diaz finished second in a thriller at Mid-Ohio last year. The duo already leads the series with three feature race victories from the first eight rounds, but like Bergmeister, Diaz and Pruett’s championship aspirations would be aided considerably by another win this weekend.

Just seven points behind the CompUSA co-drivers and 11 out of the lead is No. 19 Playboy/Uniden Racing Ford Crawford driver Michael McDowell, who welcomed regular co-driver Memo Gidley back at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. McDowell has finished inside the top eight in all but one race this season and won the qualifying race at Virginia International Raceway. However, he and Gidley have yet to visit Victory Lane following a feature race this season, and both drivers know that victories are needed to be considered serious championship contenders.

Defending Daytona Prototype co-champion Max Angelelli and the No. 10 SunTrust Pontiac Riley team return to Mid-Ohio looking for a much less stressful weekend than they had in 2005. Last year, the No. 10 machine caught fire with Wayne Taylor behind the wheel during qualifying, forcing the team to work around the clock to have the car ready in time for the race. The team was rewarded handsomely for their efforts, as Taylor and Angelelli brought the car home in third place and likely cemented their championship in the process.

This year, Angelelli will share the SunTrust car with Danish racer Jan Magnussen, with whom he co-drove to his lone victory of the season at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca last month. Since a second-place run in April’s VIR 400, Angelelli has not finished worse than fourth in a feature race and the Italian is still very much alive in the championship battle. He currently ranks fifth with 266 points, and he and Magnussen must be considered among the favorites for victory this weekend.

Michael Valiante and Rob Finlay, who co-drive the No. 5 Make A Wish/Z-Line Designs/Finlay Motorsports Ford Crawford, are currently tied for sixth in the points race, but both drivers are still looking for that elusive first Daytona Prototype victory. Valiante has fond memories of Mid-Ohio, having won the Toyota Atlantic race in his last appearance at the venue in 2003, which could bode well for the No. 5 teammates come Saturday evening.

Since taking the lead in the Daytona Prototype driver standings following their second victory of the season in the VIR 400, little has gone right for No. 23 Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team Porsche Crawford co-drivers Patrick Long and Mike Rockenfeller. The Alex Job Racing duo has finished 15th or lower in each of their last three feature races, dropping them to a tie for eighth in the championship. Nevertheless, Rockenfeller and Long cannot be counted out of the championship picture and remain a threat to win on this or any other Rolex Series weekend.

Joining the aforementioned teams as solid contenders for victory in the EMCO Gears Classic are the No. 4 The Boss Snowplow Pontiac Crawford pairing of Andy Wallace and Butch Leitzinger with Howard-Boss Motorsports. Last year, Leitzinger passed Pruett in Turn 1 on a late-race restart to take the victory for himself and then-co-driver Elliott Forbes-Robinson in the No. 4 machine, while Wallace finished second in 2004.

With second-place results in two of their last three races, Jon Fogarty and Alex Gurney are also poised to break into the Rolex Series Victory Circle in the No. 99 GAINSCO/Blackhawk Racing Pontiac Riley, while the No. 89 Playboy/Vonage/Palms Casino Pontiac Riley pairing of Ryan Dalziel and Alex Figge have also shown the ability to challenge at the front of the field. Another Pontiac Riley, the No. 12 Lowe’s Fernandez Racing machine of owner/driver Adrian Fernandez and Brazilian Mario Haberfeld has been strong of late as well.

Ohio-based teams will undoubtedly have hometown support. That coupled with talented driver lineups may be just the ticket to win the EMCO Gears Classic. With a pair of podium finishes already under their belts this season, the Powell-based Southard Motorsports with driver Shane Lewis and a co-driver to be announced could factor in the outcome in the No. 3 BMW Riley.

Reynoldsburg’s Michael Shank Racing has two fast race cars, the No. 6 Playboy Racing/Mears Lexus Riley to be driven by Mike Borkowski and a driver to be named, and the No. 60 Flight Options/Net App Lexus Riley in the hands of Mark Patterson and Oswaldo Negri. Lebanon’s Feeds The Need/Doran Racing also brings a strong entry with 2003 Daytona Prototype champion Terry Borcheller and Daytona Prototype rookie Harrison Brix in the No. 77 Kodak/Amp’d Mobile/Sirius Ford Doran.

Bolstering the 27-car Daytona Prototype field further are the No. 97 CyberSpeed Racing Pontiac Riley of Tony Ave and Skip Cummins, owner/driver Tracy Krohn and Nic Jönsson in the No. 75 Krohn Racing Ford Riley, the No. 59 Brumos Racing Porsche Fabcar duo of JC France and sports car legend Hurley Haywood, the No. 58 Red Bull/Brumos Racing Porsche Fabcar of David Donohue and Darren Law, the No. 50 Rocketsports Racing Ford Crawford with drivers still to be announced, Rob and Charles Morgan in the No. 47 Querencia Golf Club/TruSpeed Motorcars/Wright Motorsports Porsche Riley, the No. 40 Preformed Line Products/Key Bank Pontiac Riley of Randy Ruhlman and Chris Bingham, Christian Fittipaldi and Eddie Cheever Jr. in the No. 39 Crown Royal Special Reserve/Cheever Racing Porsche Crawford, the No. 30 Sigalsport/Motul/enVista BMW Riley in the hands of Bill Auberlen and Matthew Alhadeff with Sigalsport BMW, Doug Goad and Larry Oberto in the No. 09 Spirit of Daytona Racing Pontiac Crawford, Burt and Brian Frisselle in the No. 8 GlycoMax Porsche Doran for Synergy Racing and Brian Tuttle and Jonathan Cochet in the No. 7 Tuttle Team Racing Pontiac Riley.

Marc Bunting and Andy Lally continue to lead the GT driver standings and will top a 20-car GT entry for the EMCO Gears Classic. Bunting and Lally are once again slated to share the No. 65 TRG/F1 Air Pontiac GTO.R with RJ Valentine, and must be considered among the favorites to take the class victory.

Joining the No. 65 trio among the GT front runners will undoubtedly be Kelly Collins and Paul Edwards in the No. 64 TRG/iRise Pontiac GTO.R, as well as Robin Liddell and Wolf Henzler in the No. 72 NEC Porsche GT3 for Tafel Racing. Bunting and Lally hold a 10-point lead over Liddell and Henzler in the GT championship, 342-332, with Collins and Edwards tied for fifth with 326 points.

While the Rolex Series takes center stage on Saturday evening, the Grand-Am Cup Series takes its turn in the spotlight on Sunday afternoon with the Grand-Am Cup 200. Lally and Spencer Pumpelly, who co-drive the No. 49 Marcus Motorsports Porsche 997, share the points lead in the Grand Sport class, with No. 01 Georgian Bay Motorsports Chevrolet Cobalt SS teammates Jamie Holtom and Eric Curran sharing the Street Turner points lead.

After a day of testing on Thursday, the weekend’s official activities get underway on Friday with practice for Grand-Am Cup and practice and qualifying for the Rolex Series. Saturday will see the Grand-Am Cup Series qualifying session followed by the EMCO Gears Classic, Round 8 of the 14-race 2006 Rolex Series, beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET. The scheduled distance is 250 miles (111 laps) and is subject to a two-hour and 45-minute time limit.

Sunday’s Grand-Am Cup 200, Round 6 of the 10-race Grand-Am Cup Series, takes the green flag at 1:00 p.m. with a scheduled distance of 200 miles (89 laps) and a two-and-a-half hour time limit. SPEED will provide tape delayed coverage of the EMCO Gears Classic at 3:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 25, as well as the Grand-Am Cup 200 at 11:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, July 9. Live coverage of the weekend’s activities, including Live Timing & Scoring data and audio webcasts, is available on the official web site of the Grand American Road Racing Association, www.grandamerican.com.

EMCO Gears Classic Storylines

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 20, 2006) – Heading into this weekend’s EMCO Gears Classic presented by KeyBank, Round 9 of the 14-race 2006 Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve (SPEED, Sunday, June 25 at 3 p.m. ET), here are some pre-race notes, story angles and interesting trends to follow:

STREAKS: Daytona Prototype points leader Jörg Bergmeister has finished inside the top eight in all eight feature races this season, including a victory in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. Bergmeister also finished third at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and second at Mexico City… No. 01 CompUSA Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley co-drivers Scott Pruett and Luis Diaz have finished inside the top 10 in each of their last seven feature races, including victories in the Mexico City 250, the Crown Royal Grand American Challenge of Long Beach and the GAINSCO Grand Prix at Phoenix… Defending Daytona Prototype co-champion Max Angelelli enters the EMCO Gears Classic riding a streak of four consecutive top-eight feature race results in the No. 10 SunTrust Pontiac Riley. Included in the run was a victory in the Road & Track 250 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca alongside co-driver Jan Magnussen, and podium finishes of second in the VIR 400 and third in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen… Michael McDowell has finished inside the top six in each of his last four feature races with best results of fourth at Virginia International Raceway and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in the No. 19 Playboy/Uniden Racing Ford Crawford. McDowell also won the qualifying race for the VIR 400. In the GT class, there has been at least one TRG Pontiac GTO.R on the class podium in 14 consecutive races, dating to the CompUSA 200 at The Glen last August. During that stretch, the No. 64 TRG/iRise Pontiac GTO.R has posted six victories, including back-to-back victories in Mexico City and Homestead-Miami Speedway earlier this season and a class win at Phoenix International Raceway last month. The No. 65 TRG/F1 Air Pontiac GTO.R has logged three victories during the stretch, including a class victory in April’s VIR 400 and an overall victory at Lime Rock Park in late May… No. 72 NEC Porsche GT3 co-drivers Wolf Henzler and Robin Liddell have finished inside the top-six GT positions in every race this season. The Tafel Racing duo earned victories at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. No. 80 Synergy Racing/Shoes for Crews Porsche GT3 co-drivers David Murry and Leh Keen have finished inside the GT top-eight in their last five feature races, topped by best results of fifth at Lime Rock Park and the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen earlier this month.

HOME COOKIN’: The Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve features several teams with Ohio connections. Reynoldsburg-based Michael Shank Racing fields the No. 6 Playboy Racing/Mears Lexus Riley for drivers Mike Borkowski, Tommy Constantine and Paul Mears Jr. and the No. 60 Flight Options/Net App Lexus Riley for Oswaldo Negri Jr. and Mark Patterson. Lebanon’s Feeds The Need/Doran Racing operates the No. 77 Kodak/Amp’d Mobile/Sirius Ford Doran for 2003 Daytona Prototype champion Terry Borcheller and co-driver Harrison Brix, and Lebanon is also home to Doran Designs, one of seven approved Daytona Prototype chassis manufacturers. Southard Motorsports is based in Powell and runs the No. 3 BMW Riley for Shane Lewis, who is also an instructor at the Mid-Ohio School. The Rolex Series GT class also has a presence in the Buckeye State with the Canton-based Team Sahlen and Tiffin’s ASC Motorsports, which will field Tiffin-resident Zach Arnold and Johnny Miller in the No. 55 Chevrolet Corvette.

IT’S ANYBODY’S GUESS: Predicting an overall race winner in Rolex Series competition is a difficult task, as evidenced by the fact that five different driver/car combinations have won in eight races this season. IRL IndyCar Series champions Dan Wheldon and Scott Dixon teamed with NASCAR standout Casey Mears to win the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona in the No. 02 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley before No. 01 CompUSA Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley co-drivers Scott Pruett and Luis Diaz earned the first of their series-leading three victories this season in March’s Mexico City 250. Pruett and Diaz also won the Crown Royal Grand American Challenge of Long Beach in April and the GAINSCO Grand Prix at Phoenix International Raceway last month.

Round 3, the Linder Industrial Komatsu Grand Prix of Miami, went to No. 23 Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team Porsche Crawford teammates Patrick Long and Mike Rockenfeller, who also won Round 5 at Virginia International Raceway in April. Jan Magnussen and defending Daytona Prototype co-champion Max Angelelli took the Road & Track 250 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in early May, while Jörg Bergmeister teamed with Boris Said to win the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen earlier this month in the No. 76 Krohn Racing Ford Riley.

The record for most different winners in a single season is seven, established last year, and several teams that have not yet won in 2006 have come close with podium finishes and could add to the list in the EMCO Gears Classic. Entered drivers in the EMCO Gears Classic that have finished on the podium but have not won yet include Oswaldo Negri Jr. and Mark Patterson in the No. 60 Flight Options/Net App Lexus Riley (second in the Rolex 24 At Daytona), 17-year-old Colin Braun in the No. 76 Krohn Racing Ford Riley (second in the Mexico City 250), No. 6 Playboy Racing/Mears Motor Coach Lexus Riley driver Mike Borkowski (third in the Mexico City 250), No. 39 Crown Royal Special Reserve/Cheever Racing Porsche Crawford driver Christian Fittipaldi (second in the Linder Industrial Komatsu Grand Prix of Miami), No. 3 Southard Motorsports BMW Riley driver Shane Lewis (third in the Crown Royal Grand American Challenge of Long Beach and the GAINSCO Grand Prix at Phoenix), No. 99 GAINSCO/Blackhawk Racing Pontiac Riley co-drivers Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty (second in the Road & Track 250 and the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen), and No. 89 Playboy/Vonage/Palms Casino Pontiac Riley co-drivers Alex Figge and Ryan Dalziel (second in the GAINSCO Grand Prix).

PAST WINNERS: Butch Leitzinger, who won the 2005 EMCO Gears Classic with then-co-driver Elliott Forbes-Robinson, returns to defend his title with new co-driver Andy Wallace in the No. 4 The Boss Snowplow Pontiac Crawford for Howard-Boss Motorsports. Kelly Collins, a winner in GT action last year, returns as co-driver of the No. 64 TRG/iRise Pontiac GTO.R with Paul Edwards. Scott Pruett, who co-drove to victory in the 2004 EMCO Gears Classic with Max Papis, will share the No. 01 CompUSA Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley with Mexico’s Luis Diaz, while 2004 GT winner Bill Auberlen has also been entered alongside Matthew Alhadeff in the No. 05 Sigalsport BMW M3.

Terry Borcheller, the 2003 overall winner and 2001 GT winner, is sharing the No. 77 Kodak/Amp’d Mobile/Sirius Ford Doran with Harrison Brix, while 2001 SRPII class winner Andy Lally returns as co-driver of the No. 65 TRG/F1 Air Pontiac GTO.R with Andy Lally and RJ Valentine. Chris Bingham, who won the GTS class in 2001, returns as co-driver of the No. 40 Preformed Line Products/Coyote Closures Pontiac Riley with Randy Ruhlman, and 2000 and 2001 AGT winner Doug Goad will share the No. 09 Spirit of Daytona Racing Pontiac Crawford with Larry Oberto, who won the SRII class at Mid-Ohio in 2000.

Darren Law, who co-drove with Mike Fitzgerald to the 2000 GTU class win, will share the No. 58 Red Bull/Brumos Racing Porsche Fabcar with David Donohue, while Fitzgerald is entered to co-drive the No. 56 Beachman Racing Chevrolet Corvette with Bruce Beachman. Dave Lacey and Greg Wilkins, who earned the 2000 GTO class victory, will share the No. 17 SAMAX/Doncaster Racing Porsche GT3 in the 2006 EMCO Gears Classic.

PREVIOUS SUCCESS: A number of drivers entered in the EMCO Gears Classic have experienced success at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course when it hosted Champ Car race weekends. No. 12 Lowe’s Fernandez Racing Pontiac Riley owner/driver Adrian Fernandez earned a victory in the 1998 Champ Car event for his best result in eight Champ Car appearances. Fernandez had five other top-seven results in Champ Car competition at Mid-Ohio, while co-driver Mario Haberfeld finished 10th in his lone Champ Car start at Mid-Ohio in 2003.

Finishing second to Fernandez in 1998 was current No. 01 CompUSA Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley driver Scott Pruett. The 2004 Daytona Prototype co-champion made a total of 10 Champ Car starts at Mid-Ohio, with three top-10 results in addition to the runner-up performance. No. 39 Crown Royal Special Reserve/Cheever Racing Porsche Crawford co-drivers Christian Fittipaldi and Eddie Cheever Jr. both have extensive Champ Car experience at Mid-Ohio. Fittipaldi made seven Champ Car starts at the venue, and earned podium finishes with a second-place performance in 2002 and a third-place run in 2000. Cheever’s best result in six Champ Car starts was a fourth-place finish in 1990.

Memo Gidley, who drives the No. 19 Playboy/Uniden Racing Ford Crawford, made three Champ Car starts at Mid-Ohio with a best result of 11th in 2001. The Rolex Series field also includes several graduates from the Champ Car Atlantic Championship, many of whom had success in the last Atlantic race at Mid-Ohio in 2003. In that event, current No. 5 Make A Wish/Z-Line Designs/Finlay Motorsports Ford Crawford driver Michael Valiante emerged victorious, while Ryan Dalziel, who now drives the No. 89 Playboy/Vonage/Palms Casino Pontiac Riley for Pacific Coast Motorsports, finished second. Pruett’s current No. 01 CompUSA Lexus Riley co-driver Luis Diaz finished seventh in the 2003 Atlantic event, just ahead of Dalziel’s No. 89 co-driver Alex Figge.

EMCO Gears Classic Fast Facts

WHO: Grand American Road Racing Association

WHAT: Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve

Grand-Am Cup Series

WHERE: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course; Lexington, Ohio

WHEN: EMCO Gears Classic presented by KeyBank (250 miles/111 laps/2 ¾-hour time limit)

Saturday, June 24 at 5:30 p.m. ET

Grand-Am Cup 200 (200 miles/89 laps/2 ½-hour time limit)

Sunday, June 25 at 1 p.m. ET

TV: EMCO Gears Classic presented by KeyBank

Tape Delayed on SPEED, Sunday, June 25 at 3 p.m. ET

Grand-Am Cup 200