The second half of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series begins Saturday, June 19 with the EMCO Gears Classic presented by KeyBank at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Round 7 of the 12-race season will be a two-hour, 45-minute race at the Lexington, Ohio circuit.
Defending race winners Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas (No. 01 BMW/Riley) return, and hold an 18-point lead (190-172) in the Daytona Prototype points standings. Leh Keen (No. 41 Global Diving & Salvage/Team Seattle Mazda RX-8) is seeking his third consecutive Mid-Ohio GT victory, joining James Gue. Keen won with Eric Lux (No. 28 LG Motorsports Corvette) in 2008 and Dirk Werner in 2009.
Max Angelelli and Ricky Taylor (No. 10 SunTrust Ford/Dallara) bring plenty of momentum into the EMCO Gears Classic, scoring podium finishes in the last three races. The pair followed a third at Virginia International Raceway by winning at Lime Rock Park - Taylor's first Rolex Series victory - and then finished second in the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen. They enter the second half of the season third in the championship, 24 points behind Pruett and Rojas but six points behind second-place Ryan Dalziel (No. 8 Corsa Car Care BMW/Riley).
The race will be televised live on SPEED (5 p.m. ET) and broadcast live by the Motor Racing Network. Qualifying will be held at 5 p.m. ET Friday, and will be streamed live on SPEED.com starting at 4:55 p.m. ET.
Ohio Teams Look To Rebound In Home State Race
Ohio-based Michael Shank Racing and Team Sahlen will be looking to rebound from incidents at Watkins Glen that badly damaged their race cars in time to be ready for their home state race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
The Columbus-based Shank team's No. 6 CAP & Associates Ford/Riley was engulfed in flames in the late running of the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen. While Michael Valiante escaped without injuries, the race car sustained extensive damage and will be replaced by a Ford/Dallara for Mid-Ohio. Valiante will drive with Brian Frisselle.
Team Sahlen, headquartered in North Canton, withdrew its No. 43 Mazda RX-8 from Watkins Glen competition after Nick Ham spun and tagged the SAFER Barrier during Friday morning's opening practice. The team sent the car to Riley Technologies to repair the frame, and then to SpeedSource for further repairs.
A third Ohio-based team came through Watkins Glen without significant damage. Doran Racing, located in Cincinnati, fields a car for Memo Gidley and rookie Dion von Moltke (No. 77 McDonald's/South African Airways/PR Newswire Ford/Dallara) that has five top-10 finishes in six races, with a best finish of fourth at Barber Motorsports Park.
Pruett, Rojas Back On Track, Return To Mid-Ohio With 18-Point Lead
Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas (No. 01 TELMEX BMW Riley) are taking a cautious approach to the second half of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series season despite dominating the opening half of the campaign.
"As soon as you start thinking about a championship that is the time you lose it," said Pruett, who joined Rojas in winning four of the opening six races. "We need to stay focused at every race."
Pruett and Rojas enter the second half of the season with an 18-point lead (190-172) over Ryan Dalziel (No. 8 Corsa Car Care BMW Riley), looking for their second Daytona Prototype title in three years.
The TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates drivers finished second in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona and then won at Homestead, Barber and Virginia. They recovered from a last-place finish following a first-lap incident in the Memorial Day Classic at Lime Rock Park by winning the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen.
"It's too early to take anything for granted," Rojas said. "Lime Rock taught us that it's too early for us to talk about winning the championship. We entered that race with a very strong lead, and nearly lost it on the first lap. We cannot take anything for granted. We have to do the best we can and keep pushing to the end."
Pruett also won the 2004 edition of the Daytona Prototype race at Mid-Ohio with Max Papis.
Which GT Team Can Stop SpeedSource, TRG's Dominance?
Through six Rolex Series GT races, only two teams have won - SpeedSource and TRG.
SpeedSource has won four of those races, and all three of the team's cars have won. The championship is led by Jeff Segal and Emil Assentato (No. 69 FXDD Mazda RX-8), who hold the points lead by one (176-175) over Sylvain Tremblay and Jonathan Bomarito (No. 70 Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8). Also with a win this season are Adam Christodoulou and John Edwards (No. 68 Mazdaspeed Motorsports Development Mazda RX-8).
So which team can stop SpeedSource? Perhaps another Mazda team; Mazda is leading the manufacturer standings in a bid for its first series championship.
Leh Keen and James Gue (No. 41 Global Diving & Salvage/Team Seattle Mazda RX-8) are coming off their second consecutive and third podium of the 2010 season. The only drivers to give Dempsey Racing a podium finish, Keen and Gue are fourth in points.
While they haven't won a race this season, Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis (No. 57 BryanMark Financial/Vin Solutions Camaro) are fighting hard at fifth in points and earned a best finish of second this season. However, Liddell and Davis have finished second each of the past two years at Mid-Ohio. Liddell won at the track in 2006 with Wolf Henzler.
Other former GT winners are Mid-Ohio that are entered include Eric Lux and Kelly Collins (No. 28 LG Motorsports Corvette), Bill Auberlen (No. 94 Turner Motorsport BMW M6) and Wayne Nonnamaker (No. 42 TheRaceSite.com Mazda RX-8).
Donohue Hits Century Mark
David Donohue (No. 59 Brumos.com Porsche Riley) began his racing career long before the first Rolex Sports Car Series event Feb. 6, 2000, the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
However, that event kick-started a career that will reach 100 Rolex Series races this weekend at Mid-Ohio. Donohue competed in the Rolex 24 in the GTO class, finishing third, and has competed in all 98 Daytona Prototype races to date. During that span, he has racked up four Daytona Prototype victories, including the 2009 Rolex 24 with current co-driver and Rolex Series starts leader, Darren Law, and 39 top fives.
The pair enter Mid-Ohio sixth in points and looking for their first victory of 2010. Donohue, who holds the qualifying record for a Daytona Prototype, has finished second twice at Mid-Ohio, most recently in 2008.
Rolex Series: By The Numbers
The following are some numbers that may be of interest leading into the EMCO Gears Classic presented by KeyBank at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course:
2.258 - Length of track, in miles, of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course13 - Turns comprising Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course18 - Current Daytona Prototype point lead by Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas over second place in points, Ryan Dalziel27 - Number of victories by TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates in Daytona Prototype competition30 - Minimum time limit (in minutes) any driver must be in the car to obtain championship points33 - Drivers who have led at least one lap in GT action this season38 - Drivers who have led at least one lap in Daytona Prototype action this season45 - Speed limit (in mph) on pit lane; GT car lead changes this season63 - Record number of career Rolex Series podium finishes by Andy Lally93 - Daytona Prototype and overall car lead changes this season100 - Number of career Rolex Series class races David Donohue will reach this weekend258 - Record number of Rolex Series GT class podium finishes by Porsche since 2000459 - Laps led by the No. 01 TELMEX BMW Riley team in Daytona Prototype competition this season1,357 - Laps completed by GT race winners this season1,441 - Laps completed by Daytona Prototype race winners this season
Wilden Seeks Third Mid-Ohio Win, Miller Returns To Street Tuner
Last year's Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge champions come to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in different positions than they were a season ago, but that doesn't mean either isn't going to challenge for victory in their respective classes.
Ken Wilden (No. 59 Stay-Nu/Rehagen Racing Products Ford Mustang GT) currently sixth in points with four top 10s in six races, hopes to return to title-winning status at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, a place at which he has won twice consecutively with team co-owner Dean Martin. The pair won at Mid-Ohio in 2007 and 2009 (GS did not race at the track in 2008) in different Ford Mustang GTs.
Meanwhile, Christian Miller (No. 76 Skunk2/Carmen & Camille Honda Civic Si) rejoins his 2009 championship-winning team at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend, his first race in the series since he was crowned champion last season at Virginia International Raceway. Miller is teaming with Benoit Theetge this weekend. Last year, Miller finished second with Randy Pobst at Mid-Ohio.
Championships Remain Close: The Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Grand Sport class continues to sport one of the closest championships in professional motorsports this season. Currently, Joey Hand and Michael Marsal (No. 97 Turner Motorsport BMW M3) hold a one-point lead (177-176) over Charles Espenlaub and Charlie Putman (No. 48 Sparco/Fall-Line BMW M3). Hand and Marsal finished second to Espenlaub and Putman at Watkins Glen in a bid for three straight wins.
Compass360 Racing co-drivers Lawson Aschenbach and David Thilenius (No. 74 Skunk2/HPD Honda Civic Si), opened the Street Tuner championship up a little by winning at Watkins Glen, which extended their lead to 13 points (190-177) over Seth Thomas and Bill Heumann (No. 81 Performance Friction/RAYS Engineering BMW 328i). Heumann debuted in the series at Mid-Ohio last year.
ROUSH Performance Top GS Team With Ford Power: While BMW teams and drivers own the top three positions in their respective Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge GS standings, ROUSH Performance continues to show as one of the top teams overall in the series.Billy Johnson and Jack Roush Jr. (No. 61 ROUSH Performance Products Ford Mustang GT) have five consecutive top fives - a win and two second places - since mechanical problems at Daytona International Speedway caused a 37th-place finish. Still, Johnson and Roush are fourth in the championship standings, 10 points behind third-place drivers Terry Borcheller and Andrew Hendricks (No. 45 Stable One Racing BMW M3).
Driver, Team Ties To Buckeye State: The Buckeye State will be well-represented at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Among those Ohio-born drivers are Ray Mason (No. 60 Columbus Truck & Equipment; Columbus), Mark Hillestad (No. 99 H&S Tool/Imported Car Store; Medina), Will Nonnamaker (No. 43 TheRaceSite.com; North Canton), M Allen Milarcik (No. 69 Walton's Auto Parts/T&A Trucking; New Philadelphia), Keith Wise (No. 69 Mazda RX-8; Newark), Mike Galati (No. 90 Red Line Oil Honda Civic Si; Olmstead Township), John Schmitt (No. 90 Honda Civic Si; Sunbury), Chad Gilsinger (No. 92 Red Line Oil Honda Civic Si; Marysville), Bryan Johnson (No. 92 Honda Civic Si; Dublin) and BJ Zacharias (No. 198 Cruise America/4 Winds RV Mini Cooper S; Cincinnati). Entered teams from Ohio are Pirate Motorsports (New Philadelphia) and HART (Sunbury).
Season Breakdown
The following are interesting facts and figures about the 2010 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge season so far:
There have been three lead changes in the Grand Sport points standings. In addition to current leaders Joey Hand and Michael Marsal, other drivers to have led this season include Charles Espenlaub and Charles Putman (No. 48 Sparco/Imported Car Store BMW M3) and their Fall-Line teammates Terry Borcheller and Andrew Hendricks (No. 45 Stable One Motorsports BMW M3).There have been six different polesitters in as many Street Tuner class races.Five of the six ST races have been won from the front two starting rows (none from the pole position, however), while four of the six GS race winners have come from outside the top 10 (13th, 16th, 19th and 34th).All six GS races have had a margin of victory of less than five seconds. All six ST races have been determined by a margin of victory of less than 10 seconds.The defending race-winning team, APR Motorsport, has earned the hard charger award twice this season with Josh Hurley and rookie Kevin Stadtlander (No. 181 APR/BBS Volkswagen GTI). Stadtlander made his racing debut in the Skip Barber Racing School in 1984 at Mid-Ohio.Twenty drivers have led at least one lap in Grand Sport competition this season. Joe Foster (No. 15 Multimatic Motorsports/Bayshore Recycling Ford Mustang Boss 302R) leads all drivers with 108 laps led.Drivers in the Street Tuner class have swapped the lead 54 times in six races this year.
