Paul Miller Racing Press Release
Bryce Miller, Christopher Hasse, Matt Bell and Rene Rast Put in
Productive Laps in The No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 LMS
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 5, 2013) - Three full-days of on-track
testing in a variety of temperature and weather conditions gave Paul Miller
Racing and its No. 48 Audi R8 LMS team a full book of data and development
results to work with in preparation for the 52nd Annual Rolex 24 At Daytona,
January 23 - 26.
Full-season co-drivers Bryce Miller and Christopher Hasse will be
joined by Rene Rast and Matt Bell for the day-long Daytona classic that will be
the inaugural event of the new IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. All four drivers each logged dozen of laps at
Daytona the last three days.
"It's a pleasure for me to be here," Haase said. "We
have a great car, great team, and I have great teammates. We all work well
together. We improved our car step by step, but we are still getting there. We
have everything we need to win the race, but now we need good luck and
speed."
Paul Miller Racing's Rolex 24 lineup was unveiled the day before this
weekend's test but the squad quickly got in step and up to speed on the
3.56-mile Daytona road course.
"Our lineup seems to be pretty strong," Rast said. "All of us seem to be doing about the
same lap times, plus Bryce is new to the car so he probably needs some more
mileage around the track, but he's also very fast."
While rain and unseasonably cold temperatures in the 40s opened the
test, Daytona Beach was back to sunny and warm conditions by Sunday's final day
of the session.
"The test has been really good for us," Miller said. "We
have had a wide range of weather conditions to test different kinds of setups
and starting pressures with the tires. We did a long run to see the trend on
the car, and having the opportunity to circulate with all the categories being
new gives you a really good idea for the rhythm and pace, and variations and
speed between the classes."
A highlight of the test was Saturday afternoon's early practice that
saw the team turn the fastest GTD lap of the session with a time of 1:48.535
(118.082 mph).
"I think yesterday was very positive, as we were always running up
in the front," said Bell, a debuting driver from Great Britain. "The team was P1 in one of the sessions,
so it's always nice to be at the top of the time sheets in any session. I'm
continuing to get used to the car and track. The night session was interesting
for me to learn where the track is lit well and where it isn't. It's been a
good, solid test for us. There is still a little bit for us to find, but it's
always nice to be at the top. I think everyone is very positive heading into
the race. We have a great lineup and a good team, and everyone is getting to
know the car very well."
Next up for Paul Miller Racing is the 52nd Rolex 24 At Daytona, January
23 - 26.
About Paul Miller Racing:
Paul Miller Racing is among the top GT teams competing in North
American sports car road racing. In 2014, the team will contest the full GT
Daytona (GTD) season in the new IMSA TUDOR SportsCar Championship in a new
partnership with Audi Sport customer racing. Bryce Miller and Christopher Hasse
will co-drive the No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 LMS. The racing team is
affiliated with the Paul Miller Auto Group, which has operated Paul Miller Audi
since 1976, races in support of Full Circle Home, and competes with the support
of TOTAL Lubricants, Search Marketing Group and Motegi Racing.
Follow Paul Miller Racing on Twitter @paulmilleracing @bryceracer and
become a Facebook fan at Facebook.com/paulmillerracing and
Facebook.com/brycemiller.net. Learn more about the team at
www.paulmillerracing.com.
About Audi of America and the Audi R8 LMS:
Audi began a new chapter in 2009 with the introduction of the Audi
Sport customer racing program. For the first time it was possible for
motorsport customers to acquire a race car designed for customer racing events.
Since its inception, the success of the R8 LMS has been significant throughout
the GT3 racing format worldwide, including victory in the GT class in the 2013
edition of the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The Audi R8 LMS shares more than 50% of its
parts with the Audi R8 street car including the naturally aspirated V10 5.2
Liter engine, the Audi Space Frame and a variety of other components.
Audi of America, Inc. and its U.S. dealers offer a full line of
German-engineered luxury vehicles. AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury
automotive brands globally. Audi was a top-performing luxury brand in Europe
during 2012, and broke all-time company sales records in the U.S. Through 2016,
AUDI AG will invest about $17 billion on new products and technologies.
Visit www.audiusa.com or www.audiusanews.com for more information
regarding Audi vehicle and business issues.
Photo credit: Paul Miller Racing
