Rolex 24 Spotters Guides

With such a big field and so many new cars at this year's 24, keeping everything straight is going to be a bit of a challenge. Grab Andy Blackmore's handy spotters guide at his site (Its a two part guide, so be sure to download both sections).

(Photo courtesy of Andy Blackmore)

Rolex 24 GT Preview

A huge GT field will take the green flag this Saturday (Photo: John Dagys)

Excitement for the Rolex 24 at Daytona is high every year. Fans and drivers alike, turn their attention to the high banks of Daytona for the event that kicks off every racing season after a winter break that always seems too lengthy. This year, however, excitement is noticeably higher for the race as an influx of new cars and manufacturers make their way into the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series.

While the Daytona Prototype class has received much of the attention this off season with the introduction of a new generation of DP, the GT class has made some exciting acquisitions as well with Audi and Ferrari joining the GT field. When the green flag drops on the 50^th running of the Rolex 24 this weekend, 45 GT cars will take the field thus making predictions with any certainty a nearly impossible task. So in this preview, we’ll focus on the cars we feel have the best chance of taking the win come Sunday afternoon.

Video: Welcome to Magnus Racing Andy....

(Photo: John Dagys)

The guys at Magnus Racing know how to have a good time and their new vimeo channel is proof of that. Check out this video of the guy's "welcoming" Andy Lally to the team.

Desktop: APR's Audi R8

Our friends at APR make some of the best aftermarket parts for your Audi, VW, or Porsche, but they also have a kick ass racing program where they put their products to the test against some stiff competition in the Grand Am Continental Tire Series.

For 2012, APR makes the step up into Grand Am's Rolex division in the highly competitive GT class with an absolutely stellar looking Audi R8.

Photo courtesy of goapr.com

 Be sure to head over to APR's website to grab some nice desktop images showing off their latest toy and be sure to watch the R8 make its debut at the Rolex 24 at the end of the month. All the action can be seen on SPEED January 26-29

Driver Interview: Andy Lally

(Photo: CIA Photography/ TRG Motorsports)

 Back in the "good old" days of racing, drivers were known to drive in any events and car they could get the chance too. Unfortunately in today's racing world, drivers are often discouraged from competing in extra events. Somebody forgot to tell Andy Lally that.
  Andy has competed in the Grand Am Rolex Series, the American Le Mans Series, the Continental Tire Sports Car Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and even various street luging events and championships. At the end of last month, Andy completed a lifelong dream and competed in the Daytona 500. Needless to say, if it has wheels Mr. Lally will drive it!

Andy was kind enough to take time out of his extremely hectic travel schedule to answer some questions about his racing career and his future in NASCAR.
 

News: Rolex 24 Qualifying Results

Photo: John Dagys

 Good results in racing are usually hard to come by for rookies to a new car, but apparently Flying Lizard didn't get that memo. In the team's first outing in a Daytona Prototype, Porsche factory driver, Joerg Bergmeister, grabbed on the pole for Saturday's twice around the clock enduro with a record setting 1:40.099 laptime.

Before setting the pole time, Bergmeister and the team were ready to call it a day, but the veteran German racer decided to take one more lap. "I went for it. I risked everything,and it worked out perfectly" Bergmeister said." I knew we have a great car and a great engine, but I was really surprised to win the pole - with the team running the DP for the first time. I was hoping to qualify in the top five."

In GT, Dominik Farnbacher set the pace with a 1:48.781 laptime in the #67 TRG Porsche 911

Full Results

Catch the race Saturday at 3:30 on SPEED

Photo: GrandAm.com

Entry List: Rolex 24 at Daytona

Photo: John Dagys

 

   In recent years the Rolex 24 at Daytona has become somewhat of a "Race of Champions" events with drivers from all different racing disciplines taking part in the twice around the clock classic. This year's entry list boasts names from Le Mans, NASCAR, Indy Car and of course the best Grand Am has to offer. As of December 30, 15 Daytona Prototypes are entered along with 27 Grand Touring entries. Be sure to catch the race on SPEED on January 29.

Check out the full entry list here

News: Flying Lizard Returns to Rolex 24

Our (rough) rendition of a flying lizard DP (Photo: John Dagys)

ALMS GT Champions, Flying Lizard Motorsports, have announced their intentions to run an Porsche powered Riley Daytona Prototype in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. 2010 Rolex 24 winners, Action Express Racing. will provide support for the effort. The driver lineup has not been announced yet, but the should be announced sometime in early December. Read the full press release here.

Street Tuner Continental Tire Recap

 Taking the green flag on raceday alongside the heavy and powerful Grand Sport cars were the smaller and more nimble Street Tuner machines. David White managed to put his #80 Bimmerworld BMW 328i on pole with a track record of 1:37.195.

Grand Sport Continental Tire Action at Mid Ohio

With rain on the forecast and thunderstorms expected on race day of round eight of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, race fans and drivers alike were treated to a beautiful and surprisingly rain-free Ohio afternoon at the scenic Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Driver Interview: Lawson Aschenbach

   In any professional sport, rookies are expected to come along slowly and steadily and gradually improve as time passes. Mistakes and inconsistencies are expected with any newcomer. Apparently Lawson Aschenbach didn't get the memo.
    Lawson stormed onto the professional racing scene with a third place finish in his first professional outing in a Porsche 911 at the Denver round of the 2005 Speed World Challenge GT championship. Lawson followed his strong professional debut up with an superb 2006 season, winning the Driver's and Manufacturer's Championship, along with Rookie of the Year Honors in the highly competitive Speed GT Championship.
   Aschenbach's smooth driving style and impressive consistency on his way to his multiple championships caught the eye of General Motors and he was signed as a GM factory driver for the following season. 2007 saw Aschenbach drive for Team Cadillac in a CTS-V on route to another Speed GT Manufacturer's Championship and a third place finish in the Driver's Championship.
  These days, Lawson pilots the #74 Compass 360 Racing Honda Civic in the ST class the Grand Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge with teammate, David Thilenius. The Continental Sports Car Challenge has established itself as one of the most competitive sports car series in the world, with eight manufacturers represented in the ST class. Lawson and David currently hold a slim five point lead in the championship after four races. Lawson was kind enough to take some time out of his schedule to answer a few questions about his racing career.