Rolex 24 At Daytona, the crown jewel of Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series, is the favorite of everyone, right from participating teams, drivers to the countless fans. The significance of the race is recognized by not only the drivers and their teams but the organizers as well who take steps to make it a more fan centric event. In fact the fans have been made an integral part of the Rolex 24 At Daytona in more than one way. The most important of all the steps taken for that is definitely the Roar Before The Rolex 24 which is the most sought after event on the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series outside the races, of course. This is the chance the fans of Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series are always hungry for and would never miss for the world.

Keeping with the traditions of the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series which has made it a force to reckon with in the world of motorsports in just a decade of its existence, the 2010 season would see the dawn of the year with the traditional Roar Before The Rolex 24 which is going to be held from January 8^th to 10^th, 2010. The Roar Before The Rolex 24 is held every year at the most remarkable Daytona International Speedway and is in fact a chance for the countless fans of Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series to go up close and personal with their favorite teams, drivers and race cars too.

The Roar Before The Rolex 24 is basically going to be a three day affair which is the test session for the teams to prepare them well for the Rolex 24 At Daytona. January is the month when the Rolex 24 At Daytona would be held, on the last weekend of January to be precise, and it would offer the teams a chance to see how well prepared they are for the month-end race. The Roar Before The Rolex 24 is significant for the teams because of many peculiarities of the Rolex 24 At Daytona. The Rolex 24 at Daytona is one the
toughest races not only in the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series circuit but also in the entire motorsports world. Teams always need to be sure of their preparations for this race, because things can never get more difficult than these. Moreover, Rolex 24 At Daytona is the first race of the 2010 Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series and it is very important for every team and every driver to perform as good as possible there because in addition to giving important championship points it boasts their confidence immensely if they can make a good start to the new season.

For the fans of Rolex 24 at Daytona looking forward to some great time the tickets for the Roar Before The Rolex 24 are now available and can be bought online. It would a chance not to be missed to see some race car action on the Roar Before The Rolex 24 before the actual race for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. And fans will also get to visit the infield and even the garage too.

The season that follows the first one is always the most critical considering that irrespective of the success or lack of it of the first one it is the second season that is the real rest of the potential and prospects. With the first Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series over with its own share of initial hiccups and success eyes of everyone belonging to the motorsports were glued to the second season with the expectations having only risen from what these were over the debut season. From the very onset, as was expected, 2001 Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series proved to be a worthy follower of the first season with every race adding more adventure and spirit of competition to the world of motorsports. That changes would happen in the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series was clear even before the season began as the Rolex Series was made bigger with the addition of one extra feature at the Lime Rock Park on the Memorial Day making the season an 11 race competition. This was a great precursor to the way things were all set to improve with the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series moving into claiming its well deserved place in the world of motorsports.

Rolex has been the force behind many successful events all over the world which are related to different fields of sports. Right from golf to sailing, riding, eventing to motorsports, Rolex has been at the forefront of creating and supporting platforms where the best people in their fields get together and achieve the unimaginable levels of human brilliance and excellence, which in fact is the philosophy and purpose of Rolex. The same was demonstrated in the 2001 Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series season which had race cars competing in five different classes. One of the long lasting changes of that season was moving

the Six Hours of Watkins Glen from being the season finale of the first season to June which is still the same. Also, a new points system was introduced which laid more stress on individual drivers and in effect meant that teammates would not be able to share the championship.

The five classes in which teams competed included SRP (the renamed SportsRacing Prototype), SRP II, GT, GTS and AGT. The SRP class was won by James Weaver who was followed in the second place by his Dyson Racing teammate Butch Leitzinger. The SRP II class was won by Andy Lally who had great season and was on the podium after all the races except one and was the proud winner of Rolex 24 as well for Mike Johnson’s Archangel Motorsports Services team. GTS class saw Chris Bingham grabbing the top spot who had won spectacular seven races with Ron Johnson. Darren Law raced his way for the G&W Motorsports team to win the title in the GT class. The fifth class, AGT witnessed the closest finish with Craig Conway and Doug Goad becoming the joint winners after having won seven races each. The combinations of passion and success which was witnessed in the second season of Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series was spectacular and continues to be so even after a decade since the tournament had first started.

2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series has finally come to an end and all along the year it gave many reasons to make it another successful year in the history of Rolex, Rolex sponsored events and the world of motorsports. Every race in the season had something exceptional about it and every race team was exceptional in its preparation and performance. Being exceptional though has been a tradition with Rolex and world of motorsports separately and the way of life together, still there are many moments which leave an indelible mark on the mind of everyone and become a part of the history. The 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series had its own share of such moments with the Rolex 24 At Daytona being the highlight of the year.

Rolex 24 At Daytona is an integral part of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series and to be able to participate at Daytona International Speedway race is nothing less than an honor and if someone can perform better than others there than that is treated as the best success of the year by many. When the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series had made its annual trip to the Rolex 24 At Daytona every race team, crew, driver and fan had this hope that this year’s race would also be memorable and that is precisely what it was.

As the race drivers raced past each other at the Daytona International Speedway at Daytona Beach in Florida for the 2009 Rolex 24 At Daytona one thing was sure that someone with extra effort would only be able to win and that is precisely what happened. This year it was the outstanding performance by the Brumos Racing team which had some remarkable drivers which pulled this one off for
the team. It was the collective skills and efforts of Brumos Racing drivers David Donohue and Darren Law as well as Daytona Racing’s Buddy Race and Antonio Garcia driving the 58 Brumos Racing Porsche Riley that resulted in the team ending up with the 2009 Rolex 24 At Daytona overall title. Their win was further celebrated as just before the finale of the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series at the Homestead-Miami Speedway a beautiful poster representing their win was unveiled.

The impressive artwork had been designed and created by Erwin Dazelle, the noted French artist, who has very successfully managed to capture the essence of Rolex philosophy and the success that Brumos Racing enjoyed at the 2009 Rolex 24 At Daytona. At the unveiling ceremony the entire team of drivers which had won the race was present to once again relive those moments and share the joy with all. Erwin Dazelle has designed the poster for the 2010 Rolex 24 At Daytona which is to be held at the end of January, 2010. The poster actually shows the No 58 Brumos Racing Porsche which the drivers had driven on their way to glory at the 2009 Rolex 24 At Daytona. It surely is befitting tribute to the role that Rolex plays and the success that Brumos Racing enjoyed.

At a time when the world of motorsports in U S was reeling under the pressure of dwindling interest of drivers and their fans what was needed was a move that would not just revive the sports car racing scene but would ensure that it would have a long lasting impact. That spark was provided by the Grand-Am Road Racing Association which made a remarkable debut with the running of the 2000 Rolex 24 At Daytona and changed forever the future of motorsports, especially in the American contest. With a name like Rolex which has always done the unthinkable getting closely associated with thrilling world of sports car racing had meant that the world of motorsports would become one of the biggest forces to reckon with in the sphere of adventure and sports and that is precisely how things have turned out to be. As the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series shall begin its 2010 season at the Rolex 24 At Daytona it would mark the 10^th anniversary of that momentous day when in 2000 at the same place birth of what is now world’s favorite motor racing tournament had taken place.

In September 1999 a new series of motor racing was announced in the New York City which had the backing of NASCAR as well as the International Speedway Corporation and the Rolex 24 was sanctioned. The first season of the series was to feature 10 races with Rolex 24 being the very first race. The series was to consist of five different classes which included Sports Racer Prototypes, SRP II focusing on small engine cars and three different GT classes namely GTO, GTU and AGT. The first season was made very appealing and attractive by making some very interesting rules. The qualifying driver was to be the one who would finally start the event with maximum driver per car limit kept at four. Not only that the teams were not allowed to switch their drivers from car to car. But since many of these rules were untenable in practice these did lead to a lot of problems from the very first race at Rolex 24 itself.

2000 Rolex 24 At Daytona saw race drivers like Max Angelelli, David Donohue, Wayne Taylor, Max Papis and Rob Dyson racing down the speedway in Cadillac LMPs, GTO Vipers and Corvettes. That Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series would turn out to be the best among the best in the world of motorsports became evident at the first race at the Rolex 24 itself. The first race ended with the closest finish in the history of Rolex 24 as Team Oreca Dodge Viper battled with Corvette to finally win the race by a margin of 30.878 seconds only.

2000 Rolex 24 At Daytona, the very first race in the year 2000 became the harbinger of the things to happen in the days to come and with involvement of Rolex to the extent that it became the title sponsor of the racing tournament itself the face of motorsports changed forever. As the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series makes its first stop of the 2010 season with the Rolex 24 At Daytona it would the completion and celebration of a very fruitful decade of motor racing which saw Rolex and Grand-Am Racing Association coming together to set new standards in the world of motorsports.

AIM Autosport was established in 1995. Ever since, it has been successful in identifying, training and managing emerging motorsport talent to condition in order to compete in world class races. AIM Autosport manages multi-car teams that take part in competitions like the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series and the Star Mazda Series. This year the team managed to grab the sixth position in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Championship while in the finale at Homestead Miami it stood eighth. AIM Autosport has given many a young talented drivers a sound foundation that would further help them build a career in professional open-wheel racing.

Rolex too has been extremely supportive of emerging talent in the world of sports. With its esteemed association and sponsorship of sporting events, Rolex has been promoting human brilliance and excellence in sports. Rolex has lent its support to sports like golf, sailing, sports car racing, eventing and more. With each association it has recognized and handsomely rewarded the best sportsmen in their fields for their exceptional performance and spirit of competition. Rolex intends to nurture sporting talent by creating a single platform for sports talent around the world. AIM Autosport participated in this year’s Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series in a No. 61 Ford Riley.

AIM Autosport had a varied season as they started with 8 points in the first race. They managed to stay in the top-five for most of the series. Mark Wilkins and Burt Frisselle took the wheel for the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series. They earned the team a total of 283 points and were trying to secure the fifth position however the No. 59 Brumos Porsche also gathered 283 points and tied with AIM Autosport. The position was then decided on the basis of the finale. No. 59 lead the Homestead Miami race and secured the fifth position while No. 61 from AIM Autosport had to settle for the sixth position.

However, Mark Wilkins’ spirit is still high as the team ran the front and performed consistently throughout the series. This mix makes him hopeful that they could win the championship in the future. Mark Wilkins has been with AIM Autosport since 2005. This Canadian scored a podium finish in his first sports-car race, the Rolex 24 At Daytona in 2004. In the 2007 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series he ranked twelfth in points and had six top-ten finishes to his credit.

Mark Wilkins was all praise for his fellow driver Burt Frisselle as he gave tough competition on the tracks. Burt Frisselle has a great track record as well. He had stood fifth in the Rolex 24 At Daytona which marked AIM Autosport’s debut. In 2008 he earned seven top-tens out of the twelve races he competed in. AIM Autosport has been a great nurturer of sports car racing talent. Especially with racers like Mark Wilkins and Burt Frisselle on the tracks, AIM Autosport has a bright future to look forward to. With the 2010 season for the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series already churning a lot interest, the performance by AIM Autosport will definitely make for an interesting watch.

Watkins Glen International will again bear witness to some edge-of-the-seat action in 2010 as three Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Races will take place at the facility. With the 2010 event Watkins Glen International will be in the middle of its 62^nd year. Sports car fans will not be disappointed in 2010 as well, as the facility has been host to some of the most exciting races. The 2010 season of the KONI Challenge Series is also scheduled to be held at Watkins Glen International.

The Rolex series will be back in 2010 from August 5 to 8 for the Crown Royal 200 during the Heluva Good Sour Cream Dips at The Glen weekend. From June 4 to 6 the Grand-Am Rolex Sports car and KONI Challenge Series will also come together for another brilliant weekend of racing during the 29^th Running of the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen.

The tickets for the entire season of 2010 will be on sale for the public beginning Nov. 14, 2009. Usually the Crown Royal 200 is held on Friday evenings after the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying; however, this time the race has been shifted to Saturday evening on August 7. This makes for an action packed day as the final practice of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the Zippo 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series races are also scheduled to be held the same day. This way a larger number of fans will be able to share the thrill on track with the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series. The president of Watkins Glen International stated that he was looking forward to the three races as the facility has gained success with sports car racing.

Rolex events are famous for gathering an ecstatic crowd each year. Each year the level of competition amongst the racers and enthusiasm of the crowd increases as Rolex brings together the best talent on a single platform. Rolex aims at promoting human brilliance and has been able to achieve great success towards its goal. No Rolex event has been disappointing so far and instead has always left fans asking for more. Fans, competitors and hosts, all look forward to the events supported by Rolex as they showcase the most brilliant talent in the world of sports.

The weekend with Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen will feature the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car races as well as the KONI Challenge series and also much to the delight of fans brings the Mustang Challenge to Upstate New York. The expected start time for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen will be early afternoon on Saturday, June 5. The KONI Challenge Series will have a two-and-a-half hour sprint race. The weekend will have non-stop on track action as the Mustang Challenge will also be part of the line-up. The weekend will have something for everyone. Hardcore sports car racing fans will definitely be glued to their seats the entire day as the line up is not only varied but extremely engaging. The three races for Rolex happen to be the major attraction and will account for a full house of fans.

Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series gives the world of motorsports many reasons to celebrate one of which is the human willingness to put oneself through rigorous adventures in life and go beyond what might seem like the limits of human endurance. Rolex the title sponsors of one of the most loved motorsports championships in the world is in fact well recognized for its long established tradition of being a force behind promoting human brilliance through its various initiatives. Coming together of Rolex and Grand Am Road Racing was an historic event in the world of motorsports and together these have managed to go beyond the expectations of every motorsports driver, team and fan. Moreover, in the race calendar of Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series the most challenging race that tests the skills of the drivers as well as the real strength of the cars is the one which will have the honor of being the first race of the season in 2010, the Rolex 24 at Daytona. As a matter of fact the Rolex 24 at Daytona has the honor of being considered one of the most important of all the races and definitely the most challenging among the ones which are part of the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series.

The most distinct feature of the Rolex 24 at Daytona is the fact that the race continues for 24 hours and is unbeatable when it comes to endurance racing in the world of motorsports. The race is held at the Daytona International Speedway which is one of the most popular and widely recognized racing tracks in the entire world. The track is located on the Daytona Beach in the state of Florida and has been at the forefront of motorsports world since its very inception. Among the many races that are held at the Daytona International Speedway Rolex 24 at Daytona surely ranks among the ones that every racing driver has the dream of taking
part in and race for unimaginable hours to finally outrace the rest and grab the top spot. In the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series the Rolex 24 at Daytona is also treated with maximum importance as it is the first race of the season. By testing the car, the team strategy and the preparation of the drivers at the first race itself the racing teams get the confidence that they need to possess to successfully race in the rigorous and highly demanding Rolex championship.

As the two distinct classes of cars race down the Daytona International Speedway as part of the Rolex 24 at Daytona the sight is always a memory that lasts forever. Though the Rolex 24 at Daytona is not the only race that is held at the speedway but it surely is the one that holds a special place in the hearts of racing fans as they get to see the best of racing drivers racing down the speedway for tiring long hours. For Rolex this race is undoubtedly the near perfect example of the philosophy that it tries to promote through the event like Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series and races like Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Riley Technologies has proved its mettle by winning the Daytona Prototype Manufacturer Championship of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series for the sixth consecutive year. It has been an extremely busy and successful year at Riley Technologies which is a division of Sea Star Group Inc. This year the Mooresville-based manufacturer delivered two all-new products that it designed and built. The Riley Track Day Car and the Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge Chevrolet Camaro were the innovations from the manufacturer that hit the market and the race track in 2009.

Riley Technologies has been creating successful Daytona Prototype designs, the first in line being the MK XI that won the pole position for the 2004 Rolex 24 At Daytona. The MK XI won the very first time it was entered in the race and hence forward became the car to beat in the Rolex Series competitions. New projects and growth improved the market position for Riley Technologies and the legacy of success was also continued on the race tracks. The sixth year consecutive win by Riley Technologies marked the most brilliant championship streak in top-level racing by the manufacturer.

Riley Technologies again proved themselves and did not give in when the competition grew tighter with the entry of new manufacturers and designs in 2008. Rolex strives to bring out the best not only in the individuals who participate in the events but also recognizes the manufacturers who work even harder behind the scenes. Rolex has been able to create and maintain its position in the watch-making industry with the precise and reliable timepieces that it creates and thus realizes the importance of highlighting the manufacturers behind the best designs seen on the racing tracks.

Riley Technologies’ Daytona Prototypes continue to make their presence felt by maintaining and improving on the speed, support and reliability that their first designs had to offer. The Riley-built chassis won a total of eight Rolex Series races in 2009. The mid-engine Daytona Prototype led the way by qualifying on the pole position in each round of the 12-race championship. The Daytona Prototypes were designed by extensively incorporating Siemens PLM Software technology. Riley Technologies lead 1483 laps out of 1803 laps during the entire season.

The MK XX by Riley Technologies was the sports car of choice for No. 99 Gainsco/Bob Stallings Racing Team who went on to win both the 2009 Rolex Series Driver and the Team Championship. The strong and reliable performance was again displayed in a successful run in the Rolex Series GT Class with the Riley GT Class chassis going on to secure wins at the nationwide famed circuits including the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen International and Miller Motorsports Park. Riley Technologies has taken its legacy of success to develop competitive products for the Rolex Sports Car Series, the American LeMans Series, the USAC Gold Crown Series and the Japanese GT Championship Series. The kind of adaptability and consistent performance delivered by Riley Technologies is symbolized by Rolex and the same popularity and consistency can be seen in all Rolex timepieces.

Christophe Bouchut of Supercar Life Racing was aiming at getting the team its first victory at the 2009 season-ending Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series race and came very close to achieving it as well. The season was more like a dream season as Christophe Bouchut was able to give his best performance as well as have strategically planned his moves, however, luck did not seem to agree with the Frenchman.

Christophe Bouchut summarized his experience at the 2009 season as an extremely enriching experience. He expressed his pleasure at being able to compete against the like of Ganassi and Penske in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16. Christophe Bouchut and the entire team of Supercar Life team were all geared up for the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In order to ensure its first victory at the season the team entered a second car and also recruited young IRL driver Hunter-Reay.

Sporting events that Rolex is associated with always bring out the best in any sportsperson. Especially with its association with sports car racing, Rolex has been able to bring world-class racers to a single platform and the competition not only witnesses pros on the tracks but also gets to witness the zeal of newbies on-track. Christophe Bouchut in true competitive spirit managed to set the fastest time in both the official free practice sessions. With the strategies in place and the racers full of hope the team went on the tracks with an aim to win the season finale.

Scott Tucker qualified the car and then started the race in the finale as part of the team’s strategy. The Riley-BMW was placed on the seventh row of the grid as the team boss proved his talent of being the fastest of the non-pro drivers. Less than 30 minutes into the race, the team got the perfect chance to refuel as the first Safety-Car period came into place. During this time Christophe Bouchut took over the wheel from Scott Tucker and made haste. He then managed to overtake the rest of the cars and took a delightful lead. He gave stiff competition to pros like Ganassi, Penske, Brumos, SunTrust and Gainsco teams.

Christophe Bouchut had a comfortable lead when he made his last pit stop to refuel. The strategy suited the events perfectly until a miscommunication made Christophe Bouchut run into a Porsche GT as he was leaving the pits. There was no damage to either car; however, he got a penalty in the form of a pit-stop that made him loose precious time and position. He rejoined the race with a vengeance and managed to get back up with the leaders. But again the race was neutralized due to another accident and he finished the race behind the safety car. He wished to celebrate his meeting with Scott Tucker from one year ago by giving the team its first victory at the 2009 season. However, all his effort and determination did not go vain as Supercar Life did get noticed and also came up among the favorites in a very competitive championship sponsored by Rolex.

The English winner of the 2009 edition of the Rolex 24 At Daytona Driver Challenge comes fresh from his victory at the event to test out the finish and the performance of the Daytona Prototype early next month. Virginia International Raceway which will play host venue to the event is being decked up to represent the spirit and the enthusiasm of the Rolex sponsored event. What comes as a whoop of celebration to many is the fact that this testing will be an exercise to warm up to the greater event that is the 2010 edition of the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

The driver has been able to grab for himself a much coveted and envious position because of his success at a series of racing events. The prototype that the driver is going to test out is one of America’s premier sports cars and the privilege he has earned is extremely well deserved. Derek Johnston has to his credit the highest average points amongst the registered drivers who had participated in the event. The events that the drivers had to prove their worth in include the Cooper Tires British F3 International Series, the Avon Tires British GT Championship, the Radical UK Cup and the SPEED sports prototype series this year. Derek Johnston brings with him an experience that includes victories in the Radical Cup for the last two years and a win at the Radical’s European Masters Championship.

The statistics that marked and decided Derek Johnston’s selection in the event include a total count of the average score, where Johnston’s was the highest, and great finishes at both pole positions and fastest race laps. This has also ensured that his seat in the upcoming Rolex 24 At Daytona and 2010 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series will be a sponsored seat. This testing of a prototype is an event that attracts as much attention as the real event when the race to the finish line happens amongst much hooting and celebration. The driver Derek Johnston is being given an opportunity that is an accumulation and an extension of the success that he has delivered on the sports way. The Daytona Prototype is very similar to the Radical Prototype that the driver has already tried out and felt comfortable racing in and it is only a matter of time before he settles easily into this Prototype.

The Daytona Porsche Coyote is an unusual sports car ideal for racing in more ways than one and the one person who will be lucky enough to try its potential out is Derek Johnston. Evidently and expectedly, the driver is extremely excited about the potential that this car has to offer. Derek Johnston is also pretty excited about the event, preparing himself for the event in every possible manner that includes watching videos to testing his limits on the Rockingham motorway. It looks like his dedication and his enthusiasm for the field of sports car racing will see many more years of Derek Johnston’s participation in more Rolex events to come.

Before he travels all the way to Virginia, Derek Johnston will get an opportunity to visit the Daytona Beach that has been the centre of all the excitement and euphoria surrounding this event. Spectators from all over the world will gather to witness the event that has already built up much anticipation for the successful completion of the race. Rolex has lent its name to the event for a long time now and what it had been able to do over these years is create a roar for the event that is actually called the Roar Before the Rolex 24.