May 2010
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May 2010 |
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Two-Day Tire Test For Rolex 24 At Daytona Concludes Hurley Haywood Ready For Final Rolex 24 Start
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 wrapped up a two-day Rolex 24 At Daytona test session on Wednesday at Daytona International Speedway. The test featured 24 teams shaking down Pirelli tires as well as preparing for the daunting task of the twice-around-the-clock challenge – the 48th anniversary of the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 30-31 at the “World Center of Racing.” Among the teams in attendance included defending Rolex 24 champions Brumos Racing, SunTrust Racing, Michael Shank Racing, Spirit of Daytona, Krohn Racing, Doran Racing, TRG Motorsports, Dempsey Racing, Doran Racing, Racers Edge and Turner Motorsport. Brumos Racing, which captured the 2009 Rolex 24 in the No. 58 Porsche Riley with drivers David Donohue, Darren Law, Antonio Garcia and Buddy Rice, will be defending their race victory in the famous No. 59 Porsche Riley with drivers Donohue, Law and sports car legend Hurley Haywood, who will be making a record 37th Rolex 24 start. “The most important thing is to get use to the new 2010 tire from Pirelli,” said Haywood about the two-day test. “We are quite pleased with the performance of that tire. We’re not really testing a lot of things. We’re very happy with the setup we had here in January and that proved to be good for us. We’re just polishing the corners and making sure everything is working properly and getting everything out of the way so when we come back here in January we are ready to run. We will run through all the drivers in the lineup and then park the car and wait for the race.” Haywood, who owns a record five Rolex 24 wins and also serves as a Vice President at Brumos, says preparing for the grueling test of the Rolex 24 has changed through the years because the competition has gotten so much tighter. “With the intensity of this race, it’s no longer a race that you can figure out a game plan and run according to the game plan,” Haywood said. “You have to run absolutely 100 percent out of the gate or you are going to find yourself a lap down or two laps down. The wear and tear on the equipment is pretty strenuous. When you try to make everything mechanically perfect, it increases your chances of doing well.” The 61-year-old Haywood says that this will be his final drive in the Rolex 24 and hopes to cap off his history in the Rolex 24 in grand style. “We have a great team, we have a great driver lineup,” Haywood said. “This is going to be my last one here. I’m going to try really hard to make this my sixth time (winning the Rolex 24).” Allmendinger: A.J. Allmendinger, who drives for Richard Petty Motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, participated in the second day of Rolex 24 testing behind the wheel of the No. 60 Ford Riley for Michael Shank Racing. Allmendinger, who has four previous Rolex 24 starts all with Michael Shank Racing, has a best finish of second in 2006. He plans on competing with Michael Shank Racing in the 2010 Rolex 24. “Mike (Shank) and I are married until we win this race,” Allmendinger said. “We’re sticking together until we win this thing. I love running with Michael Shank Racing. All the guys on this race team are hard workers. “The test went well. It’s good for me because only doing this one time, you got to get use to it. The January test, there are so many cars here it’s hard to get into rhythm. I won’t be in a Cup car much before I come back here. Now that I have done test day, I’m in the rhythm of the Prototype.” But even before the Rolex 24, Allmendinger plans on being back at Daytona competing in the Daytona KartWeek By Cometic Gasket events on Dec. 28-30. Allmendinger will join fellow NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jamie McMurray in the annual post-Christmas karting event at DIS. “I love go-kart racing,” Allmendinger said. “Unfortunately I don’t get enough of it. I’ve never really had a chance to come down here and do the race. I’ll be living here in Daytona for like two months.”
2010 Rolex 24 At Daytona Poster Unveiled
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – French artist Erwin Dazelle, who was selected by Daytona International Speedway to design the 2010 Rolex 24 At Daytona poster and event program cover earlier this year, unveiled the artwork on Friday in the Infield Media Center at Homestead-Miami Speedway during NextEra Energy Resources SpeedJam Championships. Brumos Racing’s David Donohue and Darren Law and Spirit of Daytona Racing’s Buddy Rice and Antonio Garcia, all the drivers of the No. 58 Brumos Racing Porsche Riley that captured the 2009 Rolex 24 overall title, assisted Dazelle with the unveiling. Dazelle’s poster for the 2010 Rolex 24 At Daytona, set for Jan. 30-31, depicts the winning No. 58 Brumos Racing Porsche that Donohue, Law, Rice and Garcia drove to victory in the closest finish in event history earlier this year as well as an iconic image of the Rolex 24 – the Ferris Wheel. “Erwin Dazelle has captured the true spirit of the Rolex 24 At Daytona,” Daytona International Speedway President Robin Braig said. “Year in and year out, the Rolex 24 brings the top drivers from around the world together with the stars of Grand-Am for the true test of driver and machine and sports car fans are going to want to make sure to get a print of this one-of-a-kind Rolex 24 poster as well as the event program.” The 35-year-old Dazelle from Bayonne is one of the top artists in the Southwest of France and the Basque country. Dazelle is a multi-talented artist who has mastered stained glass, clay and plaster modeling as well as painting. He began painting professionally in 1996 and after exhibitions in Paris, Nice and Bayonne in France, Sevilla and Bilbao in Spain, San Diego and next week Paso Robles, California, Dazelle is aiming for a successful international career. “I am so proud to have been selected to design this poster,” Dazelle said. “The team involved wanted to create a unique and vibrant piece of art that racing fans of all ages will love to hang on their wall. This is my first motorsports painting and I look forward to the 2010 Rolex 24 At Daytona and interacting with the racing community and the fans.” The No. 58 Brumos Porsche Riley with Donohue, Law, Garcia and Rice captured the 2009 Rolex 24 in the closest finish in event history over the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley. The Rolex 24 is America’s most prestigious sports car event and one of only two 24-hour sports car events in the world. The twice-around-the-clock challenge attracts a star-studded driver lineup from all racing disciplines around the world. Drivers who competed in the 2009 edition of the Rolex 24 included NASCAR stars Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch and Juan Pablo Montoya, IndyCar stars Dario Franchitti, Ryan Briscoe, Scott Dixon and Danica Patrick and sports car veterans Wayne Taylor, Max Angelelli, Hurley Haywood, Scott Pruett and Alex Gurney. The event also produces a festival atmosphere with plenty of activities for fans to experience such as a massive Grand-Am autograph session, wine and cheese tasting, Chili Cook-Off, the Daytona 5K run/walk and Uncle Robbie’s Breakfast Garage. Tickets for the Rolex 24 At Daytona are on sale along with the rest of Speedweeks events including the 52nd annual Daytona 500. To purchase tickets, go online atwww.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by call 1-800-PITSHOP. To learn more about Erwin Dazelle visit www.dazelleusa.com Interested
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