No. 55 Daytona Prototype heads to the front of the class during Grand-Am Rolex Series January Test Days
Daytona Beach, Fla. (January 7, 2009) - The Supercar Life Level 5 Motorsports team recently finished a three-day test at Daytona International Speedway, known as the "Roar Before the Rolex 24." The test featured a total of 49 cars - 20 Daytona Prototypes and 29 GTs at the 3.56-mile 12-turn road course.
Team members, Scott Tucker, Christophe Bouchut and Ed Zabinksi were impressive and made headlines throughout the weekend as they piloted the No. 55 Supercar Life Motorsports BMW Riley to quick times beginning on Saturday morning.
Tucker turned in the fastest lap time on Day 1 for the team with a time of 1:44.780 followed by Bouchut, who turned in an equally impressive time of 1:44.926. Overall in the DP Class, Michael Valiante ran the fastest lap of the day in the No. 6 Michael Shank Racing Ford Riley, to lead the opening round of the "Roar Before the Rolex 24" with a lap time of 1:41.760.
In Day 2 of testing, the No. 55 headed to the front of the class. Bouchut led all of the Daytona Prototype drivers with a fastest lap time of 1:41.884 (125.790 mph) in the Supercar Life/eCommLink/eData Solutions-sponsored car. Grand-Am officials announced that Bouchut's speed was unofficially better than the existing track record for the DP class.
"Having a fast car actually has no effect on how you will do in the race," said Bouchut, the 1995 overall winner of the Rolex 24. "When I won this race, I was 16th on the grid. But, especially for a new time coming to Daytona with a Daytona Prototype, it's a nice feeling. We are not quite happy with our setup right now, and we are working to be closer to our setup. For sure, our time will be faster, and it would be nice to win the pole position for our sponsors who have really given us the support to be as good as we have been thus far."
Bouchut, continued to make noise in the Supercar Life Motorsports machine for much of Monday morning, prior to Darren Law, driver of the No. 58 Brumos Racing Porsche Riley turning a lap of 1:41.733 (125.977 mph), Bouchut was the quickest with a lap time of 1:41.859 (125.821 mph).
"This is what it's all about," said Tucker. We are very happy with our results from this past weekend and we're ready to run at the front of the pack. I have two great teammates in Ed and Christophe and a car that continues to impress each time we hit the track."
The 2009 Rolex Grand-Am Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 opens its season with the 47th Rolex 24 At Daytona Jan. 24-25 at 3:30 p.m. EST.
About Supercar Life: The only event of its kind that allows you to drive a collection of the world's most elite supercars, on a private racetrack, at the speeds they were designed for, Supercar Life gives motorsports enthusiasts the opportunity to spend an entire day behind the wheel of a Ferrari F430, Lamborghini Gallardo, Aston Martin DB9, Mercedes CLK63 AMG Black Series and a Porsche Turbo 997. For additional information, please visit www.supercarlife.com.
About eCommLink: eCommLink's enterprise payment processing platform is the foundation for the future of stored value and debit solutions. eCommLink offers the stored value industry's only multiple account payment platform with an ACH engine, money transfer, and bill payment capability. The platform enables issuers, institutions, and employers to offer unique applications for stored value, debit, and credit, all on one card. For additional information, please visit www.ecommlink.com.
About the Grand-Am Rolex Series: The Grand American Road Racing Association was established in 1999 to return stability to major league sports car road racing in North America. As the organization begins its ninth season of competition in 2008, Grand-Am is universally regarded as one of the world's most competitive road racing organizations. For additional information, visit www.grand-am.com.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Callie Spear | 913.894.6923, ext. 658
No comments:
Post a Comment