Taylor & Angelelli Look To Wrap-Up 2005 Rolex Series Daytona Prototype Title In Front of Huge Crowd in Mexico City
The 2005 Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series will conclude its 14-race season in grand fashion, as the series expects its largest crowd ever for Saturday’s La Gran Final de la Serie Rolex Sports Car at the historic Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City (SPEED Channel, Live, 4 p.m. ET).
With well in excess of 100,000 race fans expected, the inaugural Rolex Series visit south of the border is likely to also be the largest crowd to witness a North American sports car race in more than 30 years. In addition to the close and competitive racing that has become a hallmark of the Rolex Series, those fans will also see team and driver championships decided in both the Daytona Prototype and GT classes.
Leading the way heading into Mexico City—as they have since winning the prestigious Rolex 24 At Daytona to open the 2005 campaign—will be No. 10 SunTrust Pontiac Riley co-drivers Max Angelelli and Wayne Taylor. With five victories and a total of nine podium finishes from their 13 starts to date, Taylor and Angelelli will only need to drive under green flag conditions in the race in order to clinch a share of the Daytona Prototype driver’s title. Likewise, the team championship will be clinched as soon as the car takes the green flag on race day.
Earlier this season, Angelelli and Taylor became the winningest drivers in Daytona Prototype history with eight career victories. If they add another victory this weekend, they will become the first set of co-drivers to earn six overall wins in a single season since Terry Borcheller and Forest Barber in 2003, a season in which Borcheller also won the Daytona Prototype title.
However, while Angelelli and Taylor have a lot in their favor heading into the season finale, the huge Mexican contingent on hand will likely be rooting for the No. 01 CompUSA Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley in the hands of 2004 Daytona Prototype co-champion Scott Pruett and Mexico City native Luis Diaz. Pruett and Diaz took their third victory of the season last time out in the VIR 400 and remain in mathematical contention for the Daytona Prototype championship.
In order to win the title, Diaz and Pruett would need to win the race and have the No. 10 machine miss the event altogether. With the likelihood of that being somewhat remote, Diaz and Pruett may be forced to settle for a victory in La Gran Final de la Serie Rolex Sports Car, which would be cause for celebration in its own right. Since Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez reopened in 2002, no Mexican driver has won an international motor race at the facility, and a victory by Pruett and Diaz would make “El Chapulin” an even bigger hero in Mexican racing circles.
Butch Leitzinger and Elliott Forbes-Robinson—who co-drive the No. 4 The Boss Snowplow Pontiac Crawford for Howard-Boss Motorsports—are the third and final set of co-drivers to have scored multiple wins in Rolex Series competition this season. The duo earned victories in the Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona International Speedway in June and the EMCO Gears Classic at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in August, and would love to close out the year with a third victory.
Among those looking to join the multiple winners category are No. 2 CITGO Howard-Boss Motorsports Pontiac Crawford co-drivers Milka Duno and Andy Wallace, No. 67 Krohn Racing/TRG Pontiac Riley co-drivers Tracy Krohn and Nic Jönsson and No. 66 Krohn Racing/TRG Pontiac Riley driver Jörg Bergmeister. Duno and Wallace claimed their lone victory of the 2005 season in the 6 Heures du Circuit Mont-Tremblant, while Jönsson and Krohn won the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen in June.
Bergmeister claimed his first-career Daytona Prototype triumph in September’s Racetickets.com 250 at Phoenix International Raceway alongside co-driver Christian Fittipaldi. This weekend, the German will once again share the No. 66 machine with 2004 Daytona Prototype co-champion Max Papis.
The six different winners in 2005 matches the Rolex Series record established in 2004, but there remains a host of drivers looking to make it seven with a victory in the season finale. No. 19 Make A Wish/Air Force Reserve/Commercial Defeasance BMW Riley co-drivers Michael McDowell and Memo Gidley have been consistent challengers throughout the season and could complete their maiden Rolex Series season with a victory.
Finlay Motorsports will bring a double-barreled attack to Mexico City, as team owner Rob Finlay will co-drive with Canadian hotshoe Michael Valiante in Essex Racing’s No. 5 Ford Crawford. The team recently announced that it will field a pair of Ford-powered Crawfords in 2006, and La Gran Final de la Serie Rolex Sports Car will provide a sneak preview of the team’s future.
While their teammates in the No. 01 machine will likely get most of the attention, Stefan Johansson and Cort Wagner could break through with a victory of their own in the No. 02 New Century Mortgage Lexus Riley for Chip Ganassi Racing. Johansson and Wagner have finished inside the top-six positions in each of their past three races and have place inside the top-seven spots in 10 of 13 starts this season.
Michael Shank Racing is another two-car team that could score a victory with either one of its cars this weekend. Mike Borkowski will once again co-drive the team’s No. 6 Mears Motor Coach Pontiac Riley with Canada’s Kenny Wilden, while the ultra-quick Oswaldo Negri Jr. will co-pilot the No. 60 Flight Options Lexus Riley with Mark Patterson.
No. 99 GAINSCO/Blackhawk Racing Pontiac Riley car owner and driver Bob Stallings and his co-driver, Alex Gurney, have also shown impressive speed throughout their first year of Rolex Series competition, as have No. 77 Crown Royal Special Reserve Ford Doran co-drivers Matteo Bobbi and Fabrizio Gollin with Doran Racing. Either one of these teams could also break through in Mexico.
Pacific Coast Motorsports will make its Rolex Series debut this weekend with a pair of talented drivers—Scotland’s Ryan Dalziel and American Alex Figge—aboard its No. 89 Pontiac Riley. First-time competitors have been known to come out of the box quickly in the Rolex Series, making the combination of Dalziel and Figge another one to watch.
Strengthening a 20-car Daytona Prototype field will be Shane Lewis and Darius Grala in the No. 3 PAP-Parts/OZEXE BMW Riley for Southard Motorsports, Brian Tuttle and Champ Car veteran Mario Haberfeld in the No. 7 Tuttle Team Racing/SAMAX Pontiac Riley, No. 8 Rx.com/Synergy Racing BMW Doran co-drivers Burt and Brian Frisselle, Doug Goad and Marc-Antoine Camirand in the No. 09 Spiralz Custom Jewelry/Chemcraft Pontiac Crawford with Spirit of Daytona Racing, and the Brumos Racing two-car effort of Darren Law and David Donohue in the No. 58 Red Bull Porsche Fabcar and Hurley Haywood and JC France in the No. 59 Brumos Racing Porsche Fabcar.
The championship battle in the GT class is fierce, with just one point separating class co-leaders Andy Lally and Marc Bunting in the No. 65 TRG Pontiac GTO.R from Craig Stanton in the No. 80 Synergy Racing Porsche GT3 Cup. While there are many different championship scenarios, whoever finishes higher between the Lally/Bunting combination and Stanton will likely take home the title.
Bunting and Lally appear to have an edge in that regard considering the fact that they have already taken two class victories this season and there has been at least one Pontiac GTO.R on the podium in each of the last five Rolex Series races. However, Stanton and co-driver David Murry have been quick throughout the season as well, and their proven Porsche GT3 Cup could make the difference at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
Look for Jan Magnussen and Paul Edwards to also be in the GT mix in their No. 64 TRG Pontiac GTO.R. In half a season, Magnussen and Edwards have earned two class victories and have finished inside the top-six class positions in five events.
Also not to be overlooked are No. 14 Keen Cap/Toptul Porsche GT3 Cup co-drivers Cory Friedman and Leh Keen, who teamed with Wolf Henzler to take the GT victory in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen with Autometrics Motorsports. Likewise, Sigalsport is another potential candidate for the GT victory as the team switches to BMW for the season finale and will field Gene Sigal, Matthew Alhadeff and two-time Rolex Series GT champion Bill Auberlen in its No. 05 Sigalsport/Alhadeff Companies/GRW.com.mx BMW M3.
Completing the GT entry list will be Patrick Small and Paul Mortimer in the No. 27 Mill & Textile Supply/Acme Motorsports Porsche GT3 Cup for Autometrics Motorsports, and Steve Johnson and Robert Nearn in the No. 88 Comfort Systems USA Porsche GT3 Cup for TRG.
Practice for the Rolex Series gets underway on Friday, November 4 at 8:30 a.m. CT as the Daytona Prototypes and GT machines get their first look at the 2.786-mile Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. The hour-long practice session will be the first of two on Friday for the Rolex Series, with the second session slated for 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. After a 30-minute break, the Rolex Series GT machines will take to the track for a 15-minute qualifying session beginning at 5:00 p.m., followed by Daytona Prototype qualifying from 5:30 to 5:45 p.m.
Saturday’s race day schedule will see the Rolex Series take its final practice laps of the weekend from 8:00 to 8:45 a.m. CT, followed by an autograph session from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 Noon. The green flag will drop on the 14th and final round of the 2005 Rolex Series, La Gran Final de la Serie Rolex Sports Car, shortly after 3:00 p.m. CT. The scheduled distance for the race is 90 laps (250 miles) and the race is subject to a two-hour and 45-minute time limit.
SPEED Channel will provide live television coverage of La Gran Final de la Serie Rolex Sports Car beginning at 4:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 5. Live coverage from throughout the weekend will also be available on the official web site of the Grand American Road Racing Association, www.grandamerican.com.
La Gran Final de la Serie Rolex Sports Car Storylines
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (November 1, 2005) – Heading into the La Gran Final de la Serie Rolex Sports Car at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, the 14th and final race of the 2005 Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series (LIVE on SPEED Channel, Saturday, November 5, 4 p.m. ET), here are some pre-race notes, story angles and interesting trends to follow:
STREAKS
Daytona Prototype co-points leaders Max Angelelli and Wayne Taylor (No. 10 SunTrust Pontiac Riley) haven’t finished lower than sixth in the 2005 season. They were victorious in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the Grand Prix of Miami, the Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park, the CompUSA 200 at The Glen and the Crown Royal 250 at The Glen… No. 01 CompUSA Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley co-drivers Scott Pruett and Luis Diaz had their streak of 10 straight races inside the top-seven snapped after a 16th place in the Racetickets.com 250 at Phoenix three races ago, but got back to their usual ways with a runner-up finish in the Crown Royal 250 at The Glen two races ago and scored their third win of the season in the VIR 400 last month. They took back-to-back victories in the Ferrari Maserati 400 at California Speedway in April and the Road & Track 250 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in May… No. 64 TRG Pontiac GTO.R co-drivers Andy Lally and Marc Bunting have put together a string of six straight top-five GT class finishes heading into the season’s final race, leading the GT points championship by one point over Craig Stanton. The duo recorded their second GT class victory of the season, and first in their brand-new Pontiac GTO.R, with a triumph in the Crown Royal 250 at The Glen two races ago… Craig Stanton, who finished inside the class top six in each of the first 11 races, posted a 12th-place GT finish in the Crown Royal 250 at The Glen and a seventh-place result in the VIR 400 to surrender the GT points lead… Through the first 13 races of the 2005 season, the driver who has led the opening lap has not gone on to win the same race. The last driver to lead the first lap and win was Max Papis, who co-drove to the victory and the Daytona Prototype co-championship with Pruett in the 2004 season finale at California Speedway.
CROWNING A CHAMPION
Barring a scenario where the No. 10 SunTrust Pontiac Riley fails to start La Gran Final de la Serie Rolex Sports Car, the team will undoubtedly clinch the 2005 Daytona Prototype team championship early in the race. Holding a 32-point lead (407-375) over Scott Pruett and Luis Diaz in the No. 01 CompUSA Chip Ganassi Lexus Riley, the No. 10 SunTrust duo only needs to complete one lap under green flag conditions to claim the team title. Both Angelelli and Taylor, however, each have to complete a lap under green to share the Daytona Prototype driver championship. If the No. 10 SunTrust Pontiac fails to start the race, the No. 01 Lexus can clinch the title with a victory and share the title with the No. 10 Pontiac with a runner-up result.
MEXICAN FIESTA
With well in excess of 100,000 race fans expected for La Gran Final de la Serie Rolex Sports Car at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, the 2005 Grand American season finale in Mexico City will likely be the best-attended North American sports car race in more than 30 years. Said Mexico City native Luis Diaz, who co-drives the No. 01 CompUSA Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley with 2004 Daytona Prototype co-champion Scott Pruett: “We have a championship battle heading into the season finale, and that’s all I could have hoped for. It’s great for CompUSA, Telmex and our sponsors to be a part of the Mexico City race, and having a shot at the championship will bring that much more excitement to the race. You can expect about half a million people for the weekend, so be prepared for a great show if you’ve never seen a race in my country.”
LIGHTS, CAMERA, PONTIAC-TION
With many tight Rolex Series battles sure to come down to the final laps of La Gran Final de La Serie Rolex Sports Car, Pontiac heads to Mexico City having already claimed the 2005 Daytona Prototype manufacturer title. With 10 victories this season – by five different cars – Pontiac shattered its own record for most wins in a season. The GM-based manufacturer won seven times in 2004 to claim the engine title in its first year of Rolex Series competition. Aside from wins from the No. 10 SunTrust Pontiac Riley, the No. 2 CITGO-Howard-Boss Motorsports Pontiac Crawford, No. 4 Howard-Boss Motorsports Pontiac Crawford, No. 66 Krohn Racing/TRG Pontiac Riley and No. 67 Krohn Racing/Pontiac Riley all claimed overall victories this season. In the three races that Pontiac failed to win, they finished second to the No. 01 CompUSA Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley.
DOWN TO THE WIRE
With a 12th-place result in the Crown Royal 250 at The Glen and a seventh-place run in the VIR 400, the 2005 GT class driver championship door opened wide – and No. 64 TRG Pontiac GTO.R co-drivers Andy Lally and Marc Bunting went right through. Heading into Mexico City, the duo has finished inside the class top-five in the last six races, overtaking Craig Stanton in the standings by one point (348-347). Stanton’s streak of 11-straight top-six class finishes was snapped in the Crown Royal 250 at The Glen races ago, but with any combination of finishes where the No. 80 Synergy Racing Porsche GT3 Cup driven Stanton and David Murry finishes ahead of the No. 64 Pontiac, Stanton is the 2005 GT champion. The stage is set for a tight GT battle.
CUTTING IT CLOSE
Four of 13 Rolex Series races in 2005 have finished with a closer margin of victory than the record of 0.870 seconds established at Virginia International Raceway in 2004. No. 01 CompUSA Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley co-drivers Scott Pruett and Luis Diaz beat No. 10 SunTrust Pontiac Riley co-drivers Max Angelelli and Wayne Taylor to the stripe by a scant 0.096 seconds in April’s Ferrari Maserati 400 at California Speedway to set the new closest finish record. Taylor and Angelelli won the CompUSA 200 at The Glen by 0.711 seconds over No. 99 GAINSCO/Blackhawk Racing Pontiac Riley co-drivers Alex Gurney and Bob Stallings, while Butch Leitzinger and Elliott Forbes-Robinson co-drove their No. 4 Howard-Boss Motorsports Pontiac Crawford to a 0.465-second victory over Pruett and Diaz in the EMCO Gears Classic at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Taylor and Angelelli also won the Crown Royal 250 at The Glen in September by 0.473 seconds over Pruett and Diaz. Also in the CompUSA 200, the top 15 cars finished within 10.3 seconds. Nine of 13 races were decided by fewer than six seconds.
LEADING THE WAY
Through the first 13 races of the 2005 Rolex Series season, a total of 38 Daytona Prototype drivers have led at least one lap. No. 10 SunTrust Pontiac Riley driver Max Angelelli has led the most, with 359 laps (of a possible 2,112) at the head of the field. No driver has led more laps at one time than the 73 consecutive laps that NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series star Tony Stewart led in the No. 20 CITGO Howard-Boss Motorsports Pontiac Crawford during the early morning hours of the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona.
NUMBERS GAME
The Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series has seen significant growth in television viewership, media coverage and race attendance in 2005. Through the first 10 races of the 2005 season, viewership of Rolex Series races on SPEED Channel has increased by 20 percent over 2004. Four races saw increases of more than 70 percent, as the Grand Prix of Miami was up 186 percent, the 6 Heures du Circuit Mont-Tremblant was up 70 percent, the Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona International Speedway was up 71 percent and the Porsche 250 presented by Bradley Arant at Barber Motorsports Park saw an increase of 129 percent. Placements in daily newspapers has increased more than 31 percent in 2005, with a more than 50 percent increase in reached circulation. Coverage in magazines through the first half of 2005 had already exceeded the total amount of every previous year in the six-year history of Grand American. Race attendance has seen an increase of more than 20 percent in 2005, with increases of more than 50 percent at the Grand Prix of Miami and the Porsche 250 presented by Bradley Arant.
BRIGHT FUTURE
While the 2005 Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series has been the most successful season in the six-year history of the Grand American Road Racing Association, 2006 promises to be even better. The season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona is expected to draw more Daytona Prototypes and GT cars than ever before, with even more stars from the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, IRL IndyCar Series and the Champ Car World Series set to take on the world’s best sports car racers.
New additions to the 2006 schedule include North America’s biggest street race, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, as well as Infineon Raceway on the same late August weekend as the IRL IndyCars and a nine-hour event at the brand-new Miller Motorsports Park near Salt Lake City. The 2006 schedule—which will conclude on Labor Day weekend at Miller Motorsports Park—will see the Rolex Series run three races in conjunction with the IRL IndyCar Series (Homestead-Miami Speedway, Watkins Glen International and Infineon Raceway), two races on the same bill with the NEXTEL Cup Series (the Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona in conjunction with the Pepsi 400 and the Crown Royal 200 at The Glen in conjunction with the Sirius at The Glen), and the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach with Champ Car. The series will also return to Mexico City, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Barber Motorsports Park, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and Virginia International Raceway.
La Gran Final de la Serie Rolex Sports Car - Weekend Fast Facts
WHO: Grand American Road Racing AssociationWHAT: Rolex Sports Car Series
WHERE: Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City (2.786 miles, 17 turns)WHEN: La Gran Final de la Serie Rolex Sports Car (250.74 miles/90 laps/2 ¾ -hour time limit)
November 5 at 4 p.m. ET
TV: La Gran Final de la Serie Rolex Sports Car LIVE on SPEED Channel November 5 at 4 p.m. ET
EVENT SCHEDULE
Friday, November 4
8:00 a.m. - 8:15 a.m. Practice – Clio Cup
8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Practice – Rolex Series
10:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Practice – Champ Car
12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Practice – Formula Renault
2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Qualifying – Champ Car
3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Practice – Rolex Series
5:00 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. Qualifying – Rolex Series GT
5:30 p.m. - 5:45 p.m. Qualifying – Rolex Series Daytona Prototypes
Saturday, November 5
8:00 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. Practice – Rolex Series
9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. Practice – Champ Car
11:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Race – Clio Cup
12:45 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. Qualifying – Champ Car
2:40 p.m. Rolex Series recon laps
2:50 p.m. Rolex Series pre-race activities
3:00 p.m. START – La Gran Final de la Serie Rolex Sports Car (250-miles/90-laps/2 ¾-hour time limit)
EVENT WEBSITES
Live Timing & Scoring is available for all Rolex Series practices, qualifying sessions and races on the official Grand American website – grandamerican.com.
A live audio webcast in English and Spanish of both races is available at grandamerican.com.
For ticket information and sales, visit www.ticketmaster.com.mx.
