Daytona International Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway to Host Off-season Testing
While the 2006 Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve draws to a close on September 2 with the Discount Tire Sunchaser 9 Hour at the brand-new Miller Motorsports Park, teams and drivers will not have to wait long to begin preparations for the 2007 season.
Officials from the Grand American Road Racing Association announced today that three open testing sessions for Rolex Series Daytona Prototypes and GT machines have been scheduled prior to the 2007 season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona. Daytona International Speedway will host two of the tests on its 3.56-mile road course, the first on November 6 and 7 and the second will be January 4-6, 2007 for the traditional Daytona Test Days. The 2.3-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway road circuit will be open for Rolex Series testing on December 5-6.
In addition to providing teams and drivers with the opportunity to familiarize themselves with new cars or work on perfecting their setups on existing machinery, the tests will also provide all teams with their first chance to work with the new Bosch Engine Control Unit (ECU) that are required to be used by every Daytona Prototype and GT race car in 2007. The test sessions will provide Hoosier Racing Tire, the sole tire supplier for the Rolex Series and the Grand-Am Cup Series, to gather additional data as well.
While the November Daytona test and the December test at Homestead will be exclusive to the Rolex Series, teams and drivers competing in the Grand-Am Cup Series will participate in January’s Daytona Test Days. The Rolex 24 At Daytona is scheduled for the weekend of January 25-28, 2007.
The Grand American Road Racing Association, which operates and sanctions the Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve and the Grand-Am Cup Series, is the premier road racing organization in North America. The 15-race 2006 Rolex Series schedule and the 10-race Grand-Am Cup calendar deliver professional sports car racing to key markets throughout North America in addition to being televised in the United States and Canada on SPEED and distributed globally through ESPN International. With title sponsorship support from Rolex Watch USA and presenting sponsorship from Crown Royal Special Reserve, the Rolex Series showcases emerging and legendary drivers from around the globe and thoroughbred racing machines from the industry's leading constructors and the world's top automobile manufacturers. Learn more about Grand American at grandamerican.com.
