The Supercar Life BMW-Riley Daytona Prototype heads back to the track May 15-17 for the Verizon Festival of SPEED at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Salinas, Calif., just three weeks after their first Top Five finish in this season's Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16. The April 26 Bosch Engineering 250 at Virginia International Raceway saw a dramatic chase to the finish line, as the No. 55 Daytona Prototype took fourth position when the checkered flag dropped.
The VIR race was an action-packed revival of the Rolex Series, which had been on a three-month hiatus, and a successful one for the Supercar Life team, which earned the hard charger award for gaining 12 positions overall-more than any other team.
"The 250 was a hard-fought race," said Scott Tucker, team principal and co-driver. "The crew did an unbelievable job throughout the weekend. I can't thank them enough for giving us a great car this season; one that can run with the best and break track records."
In fact, Tucker's co-driver Christophe Bouchut, three-time FIA GT champion and winner of both the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, set the unofficial fastest time in the Daytona Prototype class during the Rolex Series' open test at Homestead-Miami Speedway in late March, breaking the track record with a time of 01:12.42. Tucker himself has swept first place in the first four races of this season's Ferrari Challenge Series. With this kind of momentum on their side, the team looks to continue their on-track success at Laguna Seca.
The Daytona Prototypes and GT cars are sure to give fans a hard-charging show in the headlining race; the Series will also host support races from KONI Sports Car Challenge, Ford Racing Mustang Challenge and SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup throughout the weekend.
Series competitors will fly through the legendary corkscrew on Laguna Seca's 2.238-mile, world-renowned track. The combination of turns 8 and 8a is considered one of motorsports' most challenging and technical race track features: Not only does it drop in elevation; it throws in a blind crest and apex on the uphill approach, requiring drivers to pay close attention to the amount of pressure they have on the throttle.
"The turn combo earns every bit of its fame," Team Manager David Stone said. "Drivers feel as though they are driving their own roller coaster; exhilarating doesn't even begin to describe it. We're confident that Scott and Christophe have the skill set and stamina to conquer this track's challenges."
But turn 8's corkscrew isn't the only challenge teams will confront on their way to the finish line. Renamed the "Andretti Hairpin" in honor of former Formula 1 World Champion Mario Andretti, turn two and its double-apex structure will slide drivers right off the track if they don't brake late coming out of the corner. The approach to turn nine's "Rainey Curve" also requires extreme focus and technical skill.
"It's very important to be mentally prepared for a track like this," Bouchut said. "If not, it can get the best of both you and the car you're driving."
After finishing in the Top Five at Virginia International Raceway, the team was fifth in the Series standings, just 10 points behind No. 1 Brumos Racing (60 points). The team missed last weekend's Rolex Series race at New Jersey Motorsports Park due to a schedule conflict for the team's Ferrari Challenge campaign. Scott served up impressive performances in races five and six of the Ferrari Challenge Series at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., taking podiums in each event.
Adding to the excitement of the upcoming race weekend at Laguna Seca, the Supercar Life Racing team will debut a new sponsor for the season-Broadmoor Capital Partners, LLC. Based in Overland Park, Kan., the investment banking firm that provides mergers and acquisitions services and private equity and corporate finance solutions.
The partnership with Supercar Life Racing will give Broadmoor Capital associate sponsor positioning on the No. 55 Supercar Life BMW-Riley Daytona Prototype for the remainder of the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series season and continue into 2010.
"Racing is a perfect metaphor for how we work with our clients and run our business," said Steve Lord, President and CEO of Broadmoor Capital. "We work in a fast-paced environment where commitment, teamwork and execution are essential. This program fosters our spirit of partnership and reflects our commitment to win."
The Supercar Life team is thrilled with the newly inked deal, as well. "Broadmoor Capital is a great brand for us to be associated with," Brian Weaver, team CEO said. "In the boardroom, they deliver solutions through expert analysis and detailed planning; that's what we aim for every time we hit the track. With their support this season, we can focus on improving our race program and build our way towards a successful 2009."
For live national coverage of round four in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16, tune into SPEED TV, Sunday, May 17 at 4:00 p.m. EST.
Notes about the Supercar Life Racing team sponsors:
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 and 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 Broadmoor Capital Partners, LLC: Broadmoor Capital Partners, LLC, an investment banking firm, has offices in Overland Park, Kan., San Francisco, Calif., and New York, N.Y. The firm helps businesses by providing its clients with merger and acquisition services, business technology solutions, business analysis and corporate finance advice through the assessment of capital markets. For additional information, please visit www.broadmoorcapital.com.
About eData Solutions: As a data systems company that specializes in data base analytics, eData Solutions will continue to serve as a secondary sponsor for the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 season in the No. 55 Daytona Prototype.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment