Thursday, October 14, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Grand-Am: TPN/Blackforest Motorsports Returns to Rolex Series with Ford Mustang
The Rolex Series GT Class is widely expected to be the most competitive in series history, and the Ford Mustang GT will make an exciting new addition to the highly diverse category.
The entry marks a return to Rolex Sports Car Series competition for TPN/Blackforest Motorsports, which is now solely owned by Tom Nastasi following the retirement of long time team leader Brian Nott in 2009. But the DeLand, Florida-based organization will sport some familiar faces heading into 2011, as Brian's son Christopher has been appointed to manage the program and continue building on the firm's history of success.
The organization has one of the most enviable records racing the Ford Mustang in GRAND-AM competition, scoring Ford's debut race victory with the Ford Mustang FR500C in Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge competition at Daytona International Speedway in 2005. The team also played a critical role in securing the Manufacturer Championship for Ford to close out the year. Blackforest went on to open the 2007 season by scoring three consecutive victories with the Ford Mustang.
Before taking to the high banks of Daytona to kick off the full 2011 campaign in January, the GRAND-AM paddock will first see the Prep 2 machine in action during next Tuesday and Wednesday's Test Days at Virginia International Raceway, an appropriate setting for the debut given that Blackforest scored a season-ending victory at the track to secure the 2005 Manufacturer Championship for Ford.
With versions of the Ford Mustang racing in everything from the NASCAR Nationwide Series to NHRA competition, the new Ford Mustang GT machine represents a shared philosophy between Ford Racing and TPN/Blackforest Motorsports as the iconic pony car enters a new category of competition.
"This project has been a long time in development, and I think that with the new Ford Mustang GT, we are on the same page with Ford Racing in terms of what the best package for the Rolex Series is," offered Nastasi, who will share the driving duties with long-time Blackforest Motorsports co-driver Ian James. "The GT Class is very competitive, and continues to get even more so with the diversity of cars coming into the series. We are very excited to be back in GRAND-AM with Ford Racing and we think that we are going to have a very competitive package."
The move to Rolex Series competition is not the first for Blackforest, having scored a run to the podium in GT competition in the series first visit to Montreal in 2007.
While the bloodlines are intact, the TPN/Blackforest 2011 Ford Mustang GT marks a significant departure from the Ford Mustang GT Class entry that the team originally debuted in the 2007 Rolex 24 At Daytona, with the Ford V-8 powerplant one of the few items that were carried over as TPN/Blackforest built the machine with outside engineering help to work within the next generation Prep 2 regulations.
"We are very excited to see the Ford Mustang competing in the Rolex Sports Car Series GT Class," said Jamie Allison, director, Ford North America Motorsports. "TPN/Blackforest Motorsports has a long and successful history racing the Ford Mustang and we are confident that the Mustang GT will only add to that tradition."
Grand-Am: Brumos Returns to Roots, Joins GT Ranks with Porsche for Keen, Davis
The change will bring Brumos back to its former Jacksonville, Florida race shop, returning the program to the historic roots from which it first began.
Brumos welcomes an impressive driver lineup for the 2011 season. Leh Keen and Andrew Davis will team up as drivers for the famous No. 59 Brumos Porsche. Keen, 2009 Rolex Series GT champion, competed most recently in a Dempsey Racing Mazda RX8. Davis comes to Brumos from the successful Stevenson Camaro program.
"Campaigning a Porsche 911 next season in the Rolex Series GT class marks a return to our roots and to an important concept - racing what we sell," said Brumos Racing Team Principal Dan Davis. "We are very thankful for our success in Daytona Prototype racing and grateful to our drivers and team members for their many accomplishments through the years. David Donohue and Darren Law are first class people and very talented drivers who deserve the opportunity to compete for overall wins in the Rolex Series. Even though they will not be competing in our GT car they will always be part of our Brumos family. The Daytona Prototype will remain in North Carolina to become part of the Action Express team, and we wish them continued success. We are pleased to be able to return our program to our race shop in Jacksonville and we anticipate an exciting and successful year."
Brumos veteran and Vice-President Hurley Haywood is familiar with both of the team's new drivers.
"I have worked for many years with Andrew Davis in his role as a Lead Instructor for the Porsche Sport Driving School," Haywood said. "I have watched him win races many times for the GM group. Leh Keen has been successful with the Mazda program as well as a winning a championship with Porsche. I really look forward to working with both these talented young drivers and to seeing them win races in the Brumos Porsche No. 59."
Brumos has been a fixture in sports car racing since Hubert Brundage began racing in 1953. When
Peter Gregg purchased Brumos in 1965, he teamed with Hurley Haywood to launch the company on the course that took both drivers and the dealership to the top in sports car competition. That racing legacy has endured through the years, culminating in the memorable Brumos victory in the 2009 Rolex 24 at Daytona.
The new Brumos Porsche GT will make its first appearance at the upcoming GRAND-AM Rolex
Series December test days in Homestead. The No. 59 Porsche's first race will be the Rolex 24 At
Daytona January 29-30, 2011.
Grand-Am: Action Express Adds Second Porsche DP
DENVER, N.C. - Action Express Racing is pleased to announce exciting new plans in the works for the 2011 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 season.
Following its inaugural year in 2010, the No. 9 Action Express Porsche V8 Riley team will be expanding its effort for 2011 to include a second Action Express DP entry. The former Brumos Racing No. 59 Riley will be converted to the Porsche-based V8 powerplant by Lozano Brothers and will compete next season in Action Express colors.
The new entry will run alongside the 2010 Rolex 24 winning #9 Porsche V8 Riley for the full season of competition in 2011. Team principal Bob Johnson has confirmed that Action Express Racing will continue under the guidance of Team Manager Gary Nelson and the new Director of Race Team Operations, Elton Sawyer, with the former crew chief of the Brumos No. 59, Bill Keuler, working with the new #5 car and Keith Johnson as the new crew chief of the No. 9. The team's race shop operations will remain based in Denver, N.C., along with the experienced 2010 crew members.
Brumos Racing has announced plans to campaign a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car for 2011 in the Rolex Series GT class, and will return its race shop to its former Jacksonville, Florida location.
Former Brumos DP drivers David Donohue and Darren Law will continue to share driving duties as full-time partners in the new Action Express No. 5 Porsche V8 Riley.
Joao Barbosa and Terry Borcheller will also return to pilot the No. 9 Action Express entry as
they seek to once again start the season with a Rolex 24 victory.
"I am very pleased to once again have the opportunity to keep these two winning teams competing together in the Rolex Series and to expand the use of the Porsche V8 by Lozano Brothers into both cars," Johnson said. "I feel that these are two of the most experienced teams in the DP class with the famous Brumos Racing pedigree. We have the right equipment and personnel in place to bring home a championship in 2011. I know that we are going to once again surprise everyone with the results of this team."
Action Express is busily preparing for their return to racing in 2011, and will participate in the upcoming Rolex Series test day events, beginning with the VIR test days to be held Oct. 19-20, 2010.
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