With 2 hours and 8 minutes of the race remaining, Allmendinger took the lead in the MSR Ford-Riley, doing battle with defending champion Scott Pruett driving for Ganassi Racing. Allmendinger also managed to outrun Ryan Dalziel in the Starworks car as he headed for the finish line. Although it was Allmendinger who claimed the victory for the team, other team members had made the win possible with their driving skills earlier in the race. In fact, IndyCar driver Justin Wilson turned in the fasted lap of the race. Allmendinger took over from Negri, and had a close shave with Allan McNish in the Starworks car as he banked in turn four and connected bodywork with Allmendinger’s car. However, the latter was undeterred and continued in his pursuit for first place. With 19 minutes left of the race, and the Shank team enjoying a lead of 11 seconds, a GT car sliding into an inside wall caused some anxiety. Fortunately for the leading cars there was no call for a full course caution, which would have resulted in a bunched up field for the final sprint and Allmendinger crossed the finish line with a 5.198 second lead over second-place Ryan Dalziel in the Ford-powered Starworks car.

As runner-up in the 2011 Grand-Am championship, SunTrust Racing was well prepared for the Rolex 24 at Daytona, but unexpected engine trouble saw driver Max Angelelli enter the pits only 25 minutes into the race. The car entered the race five minutes later, only to return shortly after to be declared out of the race. Team owner, Wayne Taylor, noted that it was the first time they have had engine trouble since using Chevrolet, and as the race began their only concern was the traffic, the engine trouble had caught the team by surprise. Angelelli had started the race in second place, and will be awarded some points for completing 30 minutes of the race. While it was a disappointing start for SunTrust Racing, the season has just begun and anything can happen in the months ahead.

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Three days of testing at Daytona saw NASCAR trying to break this two-car tandem racing pattern, and revert to the pack racing format that auto racing fans enjoy the most. During the testing, Kyle Busch clocked a 205.813 mph in a pack racing format, while Regan Smith and Kurt Busch formed a two-car tandem, with Kurt Busch clocking an incredible time of 206.058 mph.

Bearing in mind that NASCAR has traditionally been against exceeding speeds of 200 mph, four-time series champion Jeff Gordon reportedly queried the high speeds being achieved on the track, and was assured by NASCAR officials that they have no problem with the new record speeds. Nevertheless, with pack racing bringing in the fans, in November last year NASCAR Chairman Brian France made it clear that he wants drivers to move away from two-car tandem racing, so in addition to a series of changes to rules governing aerodynamics of racing cars, driver-to-driver communications over their scanners has been banned.

While a number of changes have been made during testing, with drivers and their teams kept informed all along the way, it is very likely that more changes will be made before the much anticipated Speedweeks begin, with the iconic Daytona 500 taking place on February 26. NASCAR vice president Robin Pemberton noted that while there may be some loose ends to tie up as they make final plans for Speedweeks, and was reported as saying that “everything is going according to plan.”

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The action-packed program includes qualifying laps, NASCAR Autograph Session and a pre-race concert featuring country-singing sensation Martina McBride.

The 53rd Annual Coke Zero 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race starts at 7:30pm on July 2.

Dates: 1-2 July 2011
Venue: Daytona Speedway
State: Daytona Beach, Florida
Country: United States of America

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1. 2011 Pocono 500
2. 2011 Brickyard 400
3. 2011 Pennsylvania 500

The Sprint Cup Series is a prestigious championship on the NASCAR calendar, with teams preparing and making changes to their cars in anticipation of the start of the new season. Teams will have to begin making the changes to their cars after the Daytona 500, which has been confirmed by Ryan Pemberton, the Vice President of Competition for NASCAR. The changes will involve the cooling systems of the cars, with new front grill specifications being twenty inches in width and two and a half inches in height. Not only will the grills have to be altered, but teams will be expected to lower their water systems to produce thirty-three pounds per square inch, which will be achieved by altering the pressure relief valve that is located on the water system of the car. Some teams will have to adjust their radiators for the pressure relief valve, which will cause the water to flow out if the radiator beings to overheat rather than being contained within the high pressure radiator systems that most cars are fitted with. NASCAR found that the temperatures on most vehicles were running between approximately two hundred and ninety to three hundred degrees, and with the new regulations it is expected to drop to an average of two hundred and fifty.

Pemberton commented on the changes by saying that: “Right now, I think it’s more important to get some things out there. Teams have to go home and prepare (for the cooling system alteration), so it will take several hours for them to get ready for this change. The bulletin was about enabling those guys to spend the time to get prepared and come back on Wednesday.”

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Date: 30 – 31 January 2010
Venue: Daytona International Speedway
City: Daytona Beach, FL
Country: United States of America

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Date: 15 – 16 January 2010
Venue: Daytona International Speedway
City: Daytona Beach, FL
Country: United States of America

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That’s a weighty statement coming from a man who has seemingly done it all in car racing, including winning, in the 1970s, the Formula 5000 championship three consecutive times, the 12 Hours of Sebring twice and the Targa Florio once. “It’s the combination of the great circuit at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and the weather, as well as the enthusiastic crowds and tremendous entry of cars,” said Redman, who took to the race track on Saturday in a 1971 Porsche 908/3 to win his class by just under four seconds.

To Redman’s point, some very big names in auto racing were on the track, but the cars – mostly driven by gentlemen drivers who, while not necessarily famous are undeniably passionate about their sport — were the main attraction. Of 450 entrants, one-third of those were Porsches, which was this year’s Featured Marque. And unlike other events where spectators might be separated from stars who take the stage, crowds of car lovers milled through the 30 acre paddock area, chatting with owners and drivers; watching mechanics tinker; swapping insight with other enthusiasts and parting like the Red Sea when another engine revved up, on its way to take position on the grid.

“The field of cars is really extraordinary and not just the Porsches but all of them,” said Steve Earle of General Racing, which produces the event. “The racing (for 15 different race groups) was excellent — pretty darn clean — and as long as everybody is having a good time, then I am happy.”

Earle drove his own C-Type Jaguar in a race today. “It’s just sort of an old family friend now.its old reliable,” he said about the car, which he has had for 25 years. “It’s the last race for us here, so we’ll be at the back of the grid having a nice time,” he added, referring to the fact that General Racing will no longer be producing the event after this year. (Later that evening, at the Rolex Awards Ceremony, Earle was presented with a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Milgauss by Doug Meine, Executive Vice President Rolex Watch U.S.A., after delivering an emotional farewell speech.)

The Monterey Cup and a Rolex Steel and Gold Daytona Cosmograph were presented to the owner of the automobile judged to have excelled overall in both presentation and performance. That winner was Richard Clark, an Englishman who lives in Monte Carlo.

“As always it has been such an amazing weekend at the Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races. It is such an amazing track, and the car we run here, the 1952 Porsche 356 Panamericana.When coming down the corkscrew in that car, you’re just hanging on,” said Clark. “Although racing in Europe is a lot of fun, when I race here it’s lovely, because I race with people who act in a competitive manner but are gentlemanly at all times. It makes for great racing for the spectators. There was a lot of overtaking in my race, but it was all done in a safe manner which is a tribute to the organization.”

Like so many participants here, Clark is in close touch with the people who made history with his car. “It’s very sad that Manfredo Lippman could not come here for this weekend,” said Clark, explaining that Lippman ran the team on which his car raced to win the 1953 Carrera Panamericana. “He did telephone me today to ask how things went; he loves the details.” Clark explained that the accomplishment in ’53 was Porsche’s first victory internationally, “so ever since then when you see a modern Porsche you will likely see the name Carrera written on the back in honor of that event.”

Clark, who flew the car in from Europe, sorted out the paperwork at the airport and then drove it directly from the airport in San Francisco to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, added: “Racing in the 1950s, and especially in the Carrera Panamericana, was completely different from the racing we do today; those drivers were real heroes.”

Notes and Quotes:

One of the most popular features at the event is the Rolex Moments in Time display. Set in a massive darkened tent in the paddock area, historically significant cars and their elaborate storyboards are illuminated like masterpieces in a museum. “The Rolex Moments in Time tent is absolutely fantastic; it’s the best I have ever seen,” said John Horsman, famous for his engineering contributions to the Gulf Wyer Team. “Of course I am biased, because it has two of our cars there, the Ford GT40 and the Porsche 917K, both in the Gulf colors, as well as many photographs from my book, Racing in the Rain.”

Vic Elford, another Targa Florio winner who sat for several different autograph sessions outside the Rolex tent, said, “It’s wonderful to see the fans that come here; they are all so knowledgeable. The cars that I have seen are magnificent. Whenever I see the cars I once drove it always brings back memories, usually good memories. Having some of the original drivers at the event also adds a lot to the overall atmosphere here.”

Stirling Moss, one of the greatest drivers of all time, was happy when he raced his black Lola Mk1 Saturday. “It is a car I never raced before I retired,” he said. “I actually drove it afterward, but I can tell you that it is much faster now than it ever was when it was new. I’m really only using third and fourth gear; it really accelerates well out of the slow corners.”

Endurance racer and Porsche driving instructor Kees Nierop said his first impression of the Monterey Historic Automobile Races is that everyone walks around with a smile on their face. “When I hear some of these cars racing, it kind of brings a shiver down my spine and makes me feel good to be alive,” he said. “You just don’t hear cars sound like this anymore.”

“This is the very first time I have been to this fabulous event,” he added. ” I had the pleasure of driving the Porsche 718/8 which was a hill climb car and is the only one in existence. When Klaus (Bischof, director of the Porsche Museum in Germany) invited me to drive this car I was thrilled. He did say though since it was set up for hill climbs it is geared quite low, so be careful not to over rev the engine. Klaus does an excellent job maintaining these cars and this one, with its six-speed gearbox, is a thrill to drive. The gears actually were tall enough so I really needed to shift down a few times, because in order to really make it work it does not want to go below 4,000 rpm. What an honor to drive a car like this with the air rushing past as you go; pride just doesn’t get much bigger than that.”

As the cars go out on track and for all those who enjoy the thrill of their sound and image, it should be said that the current state of these cars is due to the craftsmanship and dedication of the people who prep, repair and restore them. John Rogers has been a specialist in this field for years and one of the few people in this country known to have the skill and ability to keep his customer’s machines race ready and safe.

“It is so satisfying to see a car that you restored 25 or 30 years ago and it’s still running strong, especially if it is still the way you did it, without somebody else having monkeyed around with it too much” said Rogers. “When you talk to the owner, and he says how much pleasure he has had with the car, and then you kind of drop it on him that you restored that car so many years ago and point out details he may not have known of, it’s rewarding to both of us.

“It’s important to note that when one of these cars is restored, it must be restored as close to original as possible but with an eye to safety. As an example, things like suspension pieces that might look okay but are rusty inside after 50 years, need to be replaced with accurately fabricated new pieces. These old cars killed the best there were in their day.”

The initial airing of SPEED Channel’s one-hour special on the Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races is scheduled for Friday, October 16 at 8 p.m.

For more information and Other Awards given at the Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races, visit www.montereyhistoric.com.

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This year marks the 40th anniversary of the iconic Porsche 917, and fittingly, four 917Ks
will take to the track. Three of those are re-uniting from the Gulf Wyer Team, and their
former Executive Director John Horsman will be watching them race along with Brian Redman
and Vic Elford, both of whom claimed victories at 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of
Sebring and are former Porsche factory drivers who raced the 917 at Le Mans. (Elford also
was behind the wheel of the 917 for the high speed scenes in the Steve McQueen film “Le Mans.”)

“The Porsche 917K was the greatest race car of all time” said Elford, noting that the “K”
denoted aerodynamic modifications made for the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans, helping to give
Porsche its first overall victory in that race, followed by another win in 1971. It incorporated
Porsche’s revolutionary flat 12-cylinder engine. The long-tailed version could go 0-62 mph
in 2.7 seconds and reach top speeds of over 240 mph.

“The first time I drove the 917 was in 1969 (at Le Mans), and that car was a monster,” he
continued. “At the end of a straight you couldn’t just go from the brake pedal to the
throttle because the back end would want to come around, so you had to kind of finesse it…it
was uncharted territory back then and the car was very unstable.” Elford explained that he
was three hours from the finish and holding a 50-mile lead when his 917 broke down, taking
him and his co-drivers out of the running. John Horsman, who was an engineer as well as the
Gulf Wyer Team Executive Director, suggested the “short tail” modification for the car and
the 917K was born.

Elford added that in contrast to the 917 of 1969, the 1970 car (the 917K) was easy to drive
in the new short form. “At the end of the Mulsanne straight (at Le Mans) in 1969 the 917’s
top speed was around 200 mph, but in 1970, the top speed there was 220,” he said.

Races to Watch; Notable Drivers

With practice on Friday and warm-ups Saturday and Sunday mornings, racing will begin after
noon on each weekend day for 15 race groups that span nearly every era of motorsports history.

Saturday’s Group 7A (1964 – 1971 FIA Mfg. Championship Cars) is just one example of the
extremely rare and valuable cars competing: it features not only 917K Porsches but also two
Ferrari 512s and two Ford GT-40s, reminiscent of those competing in the late 1960s and
conjuring up images of the 1969 Le Mans race where, at the finish, a Ford GT-40 won by a mere
two seconds over a Porsche 908, making history as the closest margin of victory at Le Mans and
perhaps the most exciting race finish ever.

“For enthusiasts, the 2009 Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races will be very special,”
said Steve Earle of General Racing, Ltd., which owns and organizes the event. “You’ll be going
back in time, not just standing around admiring these cars. They are racing, and the sights
and sounds are the real thing.”

Notable drivers include England’s Sir Stirling Moss, often called “the greatest driver never
to win the World Championship,” driving a 1960 Lola MK I in Group 5A; South Africa’s Desire Wilson
(one of only five women to have entered an F1 World Championship Grand Prix), driving a 1952
Glockler Porsche in Group 3A; the USA’s John Morton (lauded for accomplishments in Can Am, Trans Am,
Indy Car, and endurance car racing), driving a 1985 Nissan GTP in Group 8A; and Kevin Buckler driving
his 2003 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona overall winning Porsche GT3RS in Group 7B. Brian Redman
(multiple winner of Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring) will drive the unique 1969
Porsche 917 PA (Porsche’s first Can-Am effort) in Group 6B and a 1971 Porsche 908/3 (a twin to the
car with which he won the 1970 Targa Florio) in Group 7A.

Schedule of Racing

Saturday August 15, 2009

Group 1A) 1904 – 1940 Sporting Cars
Group 2A) 1925 – 1949 Racing and Sporting Cars
Group 3A) 1948 – 1955 Sports Racing & GT Cars under 1500cc
Group 4A) 1955 – 1961 GT Cars under 2200cc
Group 5A) 1955 – 1961 Sports Racing Cars under 2000cc
Group 6A) 1955 – 1961 Sports Racing Cars over 2000cc
Group 7A) 1964 – 1971 FIA Mfg. Championship Cars
Group 8A) 1981 – 1991 FIA Mfg. Championship & IMSA GTP Cars

Sunday August 16, 2009

Group 1B) 1947 – 1955 Sports Racing & GT Cars over 1500cc
Group 2B) 1971 – 1976 FIA Mfg. Championship Cars
Group 3B) 1961 – 1966 GT Cars under 2500cc
Group 4B) 1959 – 1966 Sports Racing Cars
Group 5B) 1963 – 1967 GT Cars over 2500cc
Group 6B) 1966 – 1974 Can-Am Cars
Group 7B) 1973 – 1980 IMSA GT, GTX, AAGT Cars

Tickets, parking directions and information on Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca are available by
visiting www.MazdaRaceway.com or calling (800) 327-SECA. For more information on the Rolex
Monterey Historic Automobile Races, visit www.montereyhistoric.com or contact General Racing, Ltd.,
info@generalracing.com , +1 (805) 686-9292.

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The two and a half miles of the Daytona International Speedway have no less than 31 degree inclines for drivers to negotiate, making it nearly impossible to even keep cars upright, to say nothing of the lightening speeds! The oval layout looks deceptively benign from a distance. Daytona is a sunny and friendly place, but the track is meant only for the brave and skilled! Nextel, Busch, and Craftsman are the top series which grace this track. Every driver dreams of racing here, and the track has seen the cream of auto racing participants crop. This track also hosts motor cycle events.

Daytona has always been an innovator in all aspects of car racing. It was here that drivers learnt to use the vacuum created by a car in front to gain speed. It was at Daytona that auto racing witnessed a speed of over 200 miles per hour. Daytona, thanks to innovative spectator arrangements, is the best track to watch pit crews up close, providing a window to an integral aspect of racing which is not always appreciated. The Daytona International Speedway is a kind of Mecca for auto racing, and you must plan a visit if you have never been here.

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The year 1996 turned out to be his best up to then. Dale Earnhart Jr had made 53 starts, won two races, grabbed eight poles and finished second at Florence, in points. This year also had Dale start his career in the NASCAR Busch Series. His first effort was a job well done, as he had qualified 7th, and on race day, he finished in 14th position.

The year 1998 was an exciting year for Dale Earnhardt Jr. He started his first full season in the NASCAR Busch Series, and his first race was the NAPA 300, which took place at the Daytona International Speedway. Unfortunately for Dale, his first race did not go as planned and he was involved in a wreck, thankfully walking away unharmed. On 4 April 1998, at the Coca-Cola 300, which was raced at the Texas Motor Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr, proudly took first place. But it was the announcement that took place on 21 September 1998, that Dale had been waiting for. His potential had been spotted by Budweiser, and they had agreed to sponsor him to drive in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.

Dale Earnhardt Jr, followed in the footsteps of his father, but with his own style, grace and confidence, that secured him his own fan-base and a career apart from his father. Dale Earnhardt Snr in turn, supported his son, and was happy to just be the proud father and play a supporting role in his son’s career. Tragedy struck this close bond in 2001. It was the first race of the new racing season, and fans were terribly excited as Michael Waltrip won the race, Dale Earnhardt Jr came in second and third place was to be Dale Earnhardt Snr. This is an ending fans only dream about, and the atmosphere was electric. But on the last lap, Dale Earnhardt Snr crashed his car, and lost his life in the sport he loved, and in a position he was proud of, supporting his son. The tragic loss not only tore through a family, but broke the heart of every supporter.

As his father would have wanted him to, Dale Earnhardt Jr continued to achieve in in this fiercely competitive and fast-paced sport, becoming a legend in his own right. By the end of 2009, Dale Earnhardt Jr had 18 wins to his name, with 89 finishes in the Top Five, and 144 in the Top Ten. His last win was the 2008 Lifelock 400 Sprint Cup at Michigan International Speedway. He qualified second and finished second in the 2010 Daytona 500. He set the record for the fastest recorded qualifying time (28.76) at 310.2 kph at Atlanta Motor Speedway in a Car of Tomorrow on 5 March 2010. There’s little doubt that fans can expect plenty of nail-biting action from this talented NASCAR driver in the months to come.

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