With a total prize money of $45,000 to be awarded under the Pirelli P Zero Bonus in the Grand AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16, the contenders look forward to be rewarded by the New Jersey Motorsports Park for their first-time achievements.

Rolex will mark its third visit to the Millville, New Jersey Complex with New Jersey Motorsports Park 250. In the last two years, the GT winners and the teams that registered their place as a winner in the Daytona Prototype scored their first victory at the 2,25 mile Thunderbolt Raceway. This makes them eligible for the prize money program which has been promoted by the Pirelli Tire North America under the name of Piralli P Zero Bonus.

As per the rules, when a team marks a first-time victory in the season in any of the classes, it earns a bonus of $5,000. However, in case the team has already won the bonus once, the prize money rolls over to the upcoming event. This has become a tradition in the Grand AM Rolex Sports Car Series and as more and more new racing teams join the event the prize money is only looking to get bigger. The season finale championship which is slated to take place on September 11 will see all the participating teams competing for the bonus regardless of the fact they have earlier won the bonus or not. The season finale will take place at the Miller Motorsports Park which is located near the Salt Lake City, Utah. Also, to be eligible for the Pirelli P Zero Bonus one needs to be a part of the Pirelli club which means that the team needs to have earned a top 10 spot in the final of 2009 Grand AM Rolex Sports Car Series Daytona Prototype and GT point standings.

While the winner of Daytona Prototype will be rewarded with the P Zero Bonus of $20,000, the winner of GT, New Jersey will receive $25,000. The year 2008 saw Mark Patterson and Ozz Negri register their victory in the Daytona Prototype while Tim George Jr. and Andy Lally marked their victory in the GT. Whereas in 2009 Ricardo Zonta and Nic Jonsson won their first Daytona Prototype victory, the GT title was won by Dirk Werner and Leh Keen.

Speaking about the Pirelli P Zero Bonus, GRAND-AM Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Kevin Hindson said that the additional bonus will take the competition to a new level and will infuse more excitement into the existing game. He added that the rollover feature recently added into the program might just end up turning the game around.

The second round of the Grand-AM Rolex Sports Car Series starts with the traditional 2 hour 45 minute event at the Mid Ohio Race Car Course, being held two weeks after the Watkins Glen Event. Racers Edge Motorsports hopes to open the second leg of the tour strongly with the No. 30 3Dimensional.com/Idemitsu Racing Oil Mazda RX-8, driven by Jordan Taylor, Todd Lamb and Jade Buford.  The drivers have had previous racing experience on the 2.25 mile,13 turn track with Taylor having finished 13th in the Daytona Prototype class and Todd Lamb and Jade Buford having finished 18th in their respective racing classes, the GS and GT classes.

The team is looking forward to improve its performance at the Watkins Glen Event. The team performed well in qualifications, with Jordan Taylor finishing his fourth consecutive pole position proving that he could be trusted to put in a fast lap when needed most. The team performed well on the tracks with the three drivers turning in good performances. However, the team lost precious seconds in the final pit stop courtesy a jammed nut, causing them to lose out on a potential podium finish. The team management was upbeat about the last lap, when Jordan Taylor put in quicker laps than the race leaders.

The Rolex Sports Car Series is one of the most important tournaments conducted by the Grand American Road Racing Association. The series originated in 2000 replacing the United States Road Racing Championship. The series features Sports Racing Prototypes and Grand Touring cars and is built around the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

The Rolex Sports Car Series has seen many modifications over the years including the phasing out of the Sports Racing Prototypes, which were then replaced by Daytona Prototypes in the year 2003. The Daytona Prototypes were built for the Rolex Car Series in a controlled technological environment leading to more competitive races on the tracks.

The Rolex Sports Car Series was designed as an alternative to the American Le Mans Series, formerly known as the IMSA GT Championship. Later, the league acquired Six Hours of Watkins Glen, allowing the league to compete with the American Le Mans Series which had 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans as its endurance events. The Grand Touring (GT) class is divided into three groups: GTO for larger production based cars, GTU for smaller cars and the AGT for American tube frame based cars.

The GT class has also attracted a large number of Americans, Europeans and Japanese manufacturers who find the conditions at Daytona favorable. Some of the car companies include Chevrolet, Pontiac, BMW, Porsche and Mazda.

The winners in the Daytona Prototype category include racing greats like Max Angelelli and Wayne Taylor, Jorg Bergmeister, Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty, Memos Rojas and Scott Pruett. The winners in the GT class include Craig Stanton, Andy Lally and Marc Bunting and Dirk Werner.

EMCO Gears Classic heralds the beginning of the second round of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. The 2 hour 45 minute race will be held at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio.

Championship leaders, Scott Pruett and Memos Rojas return to the circuit hoping to consolidate on their 18 point lead. Other protagonists include Leh Keen, who is hoping to win for the third consecutive time at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. His earlier victories were secured with co-driver Eric Lux in 2008 and Dirk Werner in 2009. If he achieves this victory he will join the league of James Gue as the only other driver having achieved this remarkable feat.

The duo of Max Angelelli and Ricky Taylor will be bringing plenty of momentum to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course event having secured three back to back victories beginning with a third placed position at the Virginia International Raceway, following it with a win at the Lime Rock event, and finally a second place at the Watkins Glen event. Their brilliant performance has propelled them to the third place, only 24 points behind leaders Pruett and Rojas, and a mere six points behind second placed Ryan Dalziel.

The race features three teams that are Ohio-based: Michael Shank Racing, Team Sahlen and Doran Racing.

Michael Shank Racing will be looking to recover lost grounds after a freak fire accident severely damaged the No.6 CAP & Associates Ford/Riley at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen. The damaged car will be replaced by a Ford/Dallara, driven by the duo of Michael Valiante and Brian Frisselle at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Team Sahlen has had its share of troubles in the past. Recently the No.43 Mazda RX-8 was involved in an accident during practice sessions at the Watkins Glen tournament. The damaged car was sent to Riley Technologies to repair the damaged frame and then to SpeedSource for further repairs.

The third team from Ohio, Doran Racing does not have any car damages to worry about and is on a high after a series of solid performances that include five top-10 finishes and a fourth position at the Barber Motorsport Park.

The TELEMEX Chip Ganassi Racing team is taking a cautionary approach although they lead the field with 18 points over their second placed rivals. Team talisman Rojas said that Lime Rock taught them a lesson not to take any victory for granted.  The team has successfully gathered impressive wins at Homestead, Barber, Virginia and Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen.

The GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16, witnessed two back-to-back races testing each drivers’ resolve in grueling racing conditions. The Spirit of Daytona team entered the Watkins Glen competition at a lowly ninth position after having finishes 8th at the Lime Rock event. However, after a hard fought 3rd position, it clawed back to the 6th place in the overall team standing. The third placed standing was also the first podium finish for the Spirit of Daytona team.

The 9th placed finish at the Lime Rock event by the team was disappointing as they believed they had a fast car at their disposal. The inexperienced duo of Buddy Rice and Antonio Garcia had never raced at Lime Rock before, and with no practice to speak of, it became all the more difficult for the team to come up with a good showing. However, the duo gave their best shot, narrowly missing the pole position at the qualification race. A technical error meant that they were relegated to the back of the field. This did not discourage the team in any way as they clawed their way back to the fourth position, retaining it for the next thirty laps before a freak accident sent them back to the pit stops. This was followed by another contact with a car, scuttling whatever chances they had of a podium finish. Buddy Rice acknowledged the fact that the team still had a long way to go before it could compete with the best in the business.

The work put in by the team reaped dividends in the very next edition of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, when the No.90 Porsche Coyote snatched a podium finish at the Watkins Glen International. The team inducted a new driver but decided to go with the duo of Buddy Rice and Antonio Garcia as they had raced this track before. This strategy seems to have worked for the team as they managed to pull off a third placed finish, even though the race track did not suit them. The No.90 Porsche Coyote built on a fourth place start by steadily working the competition based on a strategy that included quick pit stops and error free driving. The car was also helped by an error of judgment by one of the leaders, which helped the team move into the third position.

Antonio Garcia was glad that the Spirit of Daytona team was able to shrug off its history of poor results. The third placed finish came after a lot of hard work and good strategy, especially at the pit stops, where the team had a distinctive edge over its rivals.

Brumos Racing hopes to consolidate its third position with a good finish at the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series in Mid-Ohio. The team is looking forward to continue its run of good results at the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, where it has gathered four top-five-finishes in the first half of the tour. The second half of the tour, beginning with the Mid-Ohio event, is expected to generate plenty of heat with teams competing with each other in order to consolidate their position. The series has already witnessed plenty of drama, competition and a number of close finishes and it is anybody’s guess what the second half has in store for spectators. However, one thing is for sure, team Brumos Racing would be the center of attraction at the race course.

Previously, the Mid-Ohio track has been kind to the Brumos Racing team, helping them score five top-five finishes in the last seven years with just one poor result when they finished outside the top ten.

Weather conditions are a major factor at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, with the threat of storms looming in the background. The 2008 event was one such storm struck event, which became all the more memorable for the Brumos Racing team after they finished second. The No. 58 Brumos Porsche was followed closely by the No. 59 Brumos Porsche who took the chequered flag in the fifth position. The storm struck event was a major turning point for the team as they followed it with a slew of podium finishes, capping it with a win at the Rolex 24 At Daytona event.

The team finished fifth in the recently concluded Watkins Glen event. However, the team is not happy with its fifth place position, and is looking forward to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car event, where they hope to finish with another podium position. David Donohue is looking forward to the race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course saying that the team has traditionally done well there and was unfortunate to miss out on a win last year. According to him, the team had its share of frustrations this year; however, they were keen to put it behind and concentrate on the races ahead.
Darren Law is yet another driver keen on keeping the Brumos Mid-Ohio tradition alive, regardless of the hectic schedule and the travel demands after competing in the 24 Hours of the Le Mans. Sounding upbeat, he said that they would like to kick off the second half of the season with a podium finish. Further, he said that the course was challenging; however, the team was well placed to be able to score a victory.

The second half of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series is scheduled to move to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car course, where the No.10 SunTrust Racing Ford Dallara will try to build on its number two position.

The No.10 SunTrust Ford Dallara racing team consists of Max Angelelli from Italy and co-driver Ricky Taylor from Great Britain, with both pinning high hopes from the racing event to be held at Mid-Ohio.  The team, owned by three times champion Wayne Taylor, hopes to continue its golden run at the championship, which has witnesses the team finish on the podium three times in a row. The SunTrust team is a healthy 13 points ahead of the team on the third place; however it trails its leaders, No.10 Chip Ganassi Racing, by a massive 24 point margin.

Max Angelelli was hoping to challenge the championship leader, likening the battle for championship as a battle between David and Goliath. According to him, the No.10 Chip Ganassi Racing team has an advantage because of its huge lead; however, anything is possible before the chequered flag is crossed in the last race.

Commenting on last year’s event at the Mid-Ohio Race Course, where the SunTrust Racing team let go of a great opportunity to win, he said that such things happen in competitive sports. Commenting on the race course, he said that it was very difficult to overtake at the Mid Ohio Sports Car Course, making it imperative to have a good strategy right from the qualifying stages in order to win the race. He also acknowledged the importance of lady luck in winning close races, citing previous year’s race where they lost from a winning position because of plain bad luck.

Co-driver, Ricky Taylor said that the race course was one of the most beautiful tracks in the world. However, its design made it impossible to overtake other cars, making the race all about negotiating traffic. He recalled the rain hit race in 2008, when he was able to overtake other cars because of his ability to handle tricky driving conditions.

Ricky Taylor played down the role of luck in getting favorable results, saying that it was the result of hard work put in by the entire team. He also credited the speedy car for their victories, saying that its speed is fully displayed on tracks like the Mid-Ohio Car Race Course.

Wayne Taylor, owner of the SunTrust Racing team said that the Mid-Ohio Car Race Course is one of the best road racing facilities in America. Commenting on last year’s race, he said that it was unfortunate that they lost out on a win. He was happy with how the No.10 SunTrust Racing Ford Dallara has developed over the last few months and is confident that they would be able to put up a good show at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

The No.77 McDonalds/PR Newswire Daytona Prototype, driven by Memo Gidley and Dion Von Moltke has been able to grasp the attention of racing enthusiasts basically due to its exceptional performance at the recently concluded Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen. The team has been performing consistently over a period of time and Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen, presented by Crown Royal Cask No 16 was witness to the same. the Six Hours of Glen happens to be the fifth round in the Grand-AM Rolex Sporst Car Series. Memo Gidley has been aparticipant of the rolex Sports Car Series since 2005 and has always managed to finish in the top five positions. This year at the Rolex 24 At Daytona he competed along with Brad Jaeger, Fabrizio Gollin and Derek Johnston.

The team performed well in the practice sessions, scorching the racing tracks time after time. The team came second in the first practice session, sandwiched between GAINSCO and the Ganassi Racing team. The second practice session was no different as the team led for most of the session before being knocked down to the fourth position at the very end of the race. Gidley was excited with the performance of the team, saying that they were invariably fast on the tracks and this could be possible only when the fundamentals of the team were strong.   He said that good mechanics and strong set ups made it possible for the team to perform well on the racing tracks.

However, the team disappointed at the qualification, coming in eighth on the field. Memo Gidley was initially dumbfounded when he came to know about the lowly eighth position in qualifications. According to him, the changes that were made before the practice sessions could have cost them the pole position.

However, once Memo was behind the wheel fortunes changed quickly as the team clawed back into the race. Thirty minutes into the race, the bright red McDonalds/PR Newswire Dallara attained the fifth position. At the 45th minute, Memo Gidley exited the race at the mandatory pit stop, handing over the car to team-mate Dion Von Moltke. This coincided with changes in the weather as rain started falling sporadically, making the racing conditions difficult. However, Dion handled the conditions well, navigating with the panache of a seasoned driver. According to Memo Gidley, Dion did a great job at the wheel, recording some of the fastest lap times in the competition.

However, the team lost on momentum in the middle of the race, mainly due to increasing temperatures. Once the temperatures cooled down, the team was back to its earlier level of performance.

At the completion, the No.77 finished 9th overall, with Memo Gidley setting the fifth fastest lap time. According to Memo Gidley, good times were just around the corner for the Doran Racing team as it had sorted out minor flaws that were holding back the team.

Mike Rockenfeller joined an illustrious bunch of racing greats after registering victories at the Rolex 24 Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Sunday’s win at the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series meant that now he was a part of the exclusive inner circle of racing greats that includes the likes of Hurley Haywood, Al Holbert, Derek Bell and Jan Lammers.

The Action Express Racing team, represented by a Porsche powered Riley, included Joao Barbosa, Terry Borcheller and Ryan Dalziel.

Lee Keen, driving a Ferrari for the Hankook Team Farnbacher, was the only American to finish on the podium, taking the place of a close second to the eventual champion Mike Rockenfeller. Lee Keen did well in the 24 hour race at Nurburgring by finishing second in the previous month’s race.  He is set to team up with James Gue in the No. 41 Team Seattle/Global Diving Solutions Mazda RX-8 for the Mid-Ohio race beginning next Saturday.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of the oldest endurance races in the world, held in the town of Le Mans, Sarthe, France. The race is held for a 24 hour period, testing the car and driver in some of the most grueling conditions.

The main purpose of The 24 hours of Le Mans is to test cars and drivers in conditions that are closer to city life rather than the perfect race tracks. Since the event is an endurance test, therefore, it requires the cars to be reliable as well as safe. Fuel economy is also an important factor because the cars need to make as few pit stops as possible in order to put up a competitive front.  The growing importance of economy in the fuel strapped world led to the creation of Group C where cars were given a stipulated amount of fuel to finish the race. However, later this was scrapped because teams were unable to master the fuel formulas.

The GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series features 50 competitors jockeying for the top prize. Each car is allowed two seats, and no more than two doors. The cars compete for a single prize; however, there are awards for individual classes as well. Currently the Le Mans race is divided into four classes which include the Le Mans Prototypes1, Le Mans Prototypes2, Grand Tourer1 and Grand Tourer2.  The classification is made on the basis of speed, weight and power output. Generally it has been seen that the more powerful Le Man Prototypes win at these races. However, there have been occasions when the nifty GT versions have won because of their reliability.

Michael Shank Racing is to enter a new car for the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series beginning in the month of June at Mid-Ohio. The replacement became necessary after the team’s No.6 Ford/Riley driven by Michael Valiante was damaged in a freak fire accident in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen.

At the time of the accident the car was running in the tenth position, with the driver all set to close the race after solid performances from team-mates Mark Patterson and Brian Frisselle. Narrating the sequence of events that led to the accident, the driver said that he could feel the motor struggling to generate power before the car caught fire, seconds before he managed to jump to safety. According to him, it was a shame that the accident happened, ruining all the hard work put in by the Michael Shank Racing team.

Co-driver Brian Frisselle said that he was thankful that Michael Valiante was able to jump to safety seconds before the car was engulfed in flames. He also added that it was a pity that the car was damaged because it was running beautifully untill then.

The racing conditions at Glen were quite challenging, with the rain starting and stopping occasionally, leading to slippery driving conditions. John Pew, driving the No. 60 Crown Royal XR Ford Riley, said that it was a shame that the accident happened because the team had put in a lot of effort in order to gain a competitive position. According to him, the driving conditions were very challenging with occasional spurts of rain falling from time to time.

However, the team was upbeat about their chances at the Mid-Ohio event, where the Ford Dallara is to team up with the No. 60 Crown Royal XR Ford-Riley.  The team of Brian Frisselle and Michael Valiante has had previous experience with Ford Dallara machines, having driven them to victory on previous occasions.

Team owner, Mike Shank said that he was grateful for the support extended by Bill Riley and Mike Croake of Riley Technologies, who have continued their support for the team since 2005.  According to Mike Shank, they were forced to look at viable options after the No. 6 was badly damaged in the accident. He said that the accident was a tremendous setback for the team; however, he was confident that the team would come up with the goods at the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series in Mid-Ohio on the 19th of June.

Veteran motorcycle racer, Bob Doyle helped his team record its second victory at the GRAND-AM Rolex Sport Car Series for the 2010 season. The opportunity to race with team TRG came as a pleasant surprise to the racing ace last week. Due to this late call the veteran driver had to miss practice sessions on Friday, arriving just in time for the race qualifications.

According to the driver, the invitation came as a surprise because he had not driven a car since January and he was not sure whether he would be able to negotiate the tough race conditions. However, the management at TRG, reposing faith in the ace driver, asked him to give his best in the allotted four laps. Doyle said that driving at that level was challenging even though he was in good physical condition. However, his teammates, Andy Lally and Spencer Pumpelly, were thrilled by his performance, saying that Doyle was the perfect team player. The team acknowledged that Doyle’s flawless performance on the tracks spurred them to get the best out of the car, resulting in a first placed position at the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series.

Doyle said that it was a pleasure to watch racing greats Andy Lally and Spencer Pumpelly work the competition effortlessly. Stunned by the unexpected turn of events, he said that he was still in shock as the performance turned out better than in his wildest dreams.  He also had a word of praise for his team-mates, saying that watching two of the greatest Porsche drivers for five hours was an exhilarating experience.

Bob Doyle returned the car without a scratch to Andy Lally, who managed to get back the lead position after jockeying for it. This was followed by a double stint on the tracks by team-mate Spencer Pumpelly, who kept up the good work. However, the last two hours of the race belonged to Lally, who managed to ward off competition for the last 30 laps of the competition.

The scenes after victory were boisterous, with the victor whooping and hollering in delight, spinning the car in a NASCAR-style burnout.

Andy Lally was happy that he was able to win in his own backyard, courtesy the efforts put in by newcomer Bob Doyle. Expressing his gratitude to the newcomer, he said that before Doyle’s entry he was unsure about the longevity of his streak at Watkins Glen.  According to Lally, the last minute inclusion of Doyle boosted his spirit, allowing him to perform better than expected.

Doyle said that he would like to continue racing for team TRG team in the future as well. He further added that having been bitten by the racing bug, he found it invigorating.