TUSC: Fourth place at the Rolex 24 at Daytona for VisitFlorida.com Racing with Mike Rockenfeller

VisitFlorida.com Racing netted a repeat fourth place result at the Rolex 24 at Daytona last weekend. The same driving trio also finished fourth last year. Audi Sport DTM factory driver, Mike Rockenfeller, again joined SDR Motorsports at Daytona. He will be taking part in two more rounds of the 2015 Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup with SDR, including the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Petit Le Mans. He also competed in these same three events for SDR during 2014. He shared the driving duties with the full-season driving duo of Richard Westbrook and Michael Valiante in the #90 Corvette Daytona Prototype.

More can be read in the SDR Motorsports press release below:

VISITFLORIDA.COM RACING FINISHES FOURTH IN THE ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., January 26, 2015 – VisitFlorida.com Racing vaulted into the 2015 IMSA Tudor United SportsCar Championship with a fourth-place finish in the 53rd-Annual Rolex 24 at Daytona. The Daytona Beach-based team had their sights set on victory in the twice-around-the-clock endurance challenge, however, the challenges facing the team throughout the race made the top-five finish feel like a win.

“The Rolex 24 at Daytona is a grueling event,” said team owner Troy Flis. “I couldn’t be more proud of the effort that every member of our No. 90 VisitFlorida.com Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype team made throughout the event. With the updates to the DPs this season, we faced new challenges, but our guys stayed with it all night and back into the afternoon to start our season with a fourth-place finish.”

With the rule changes for the 2015 TUSC season, teams competing in the prototype have a car that is more technologically advanced than ever before; but with those advancements come growing pains. The VISITFLORIDA.COM team experienced issues ranging from fuel mapping to power steering issues, each time the crew was able to make the necessary adjustments and keep the No. 90 Corvette DP in contention.

“We had our share of issues for sure,” said driver Michael Valiante. “The team worked hard making changes and the car continued to get better throughout the event. I think getting through Daytona and seeing what our challenges were, we will be in excellent shape when we unload in Sebring. The DPs are more technologically advanced this year than they ever have been, but we get excellent support from our partners at Chevrolet and I’m confident we can deliver more great results for Visit Florida this year and compete for the championship.”

The team will look to parlay the strong start in the Rolex 24 into an even better Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring fueled by Fresh from Florida.

“A strong start to the season is critical,” said Flis. “Our team battled adversity and earned a fourth-place finish in Daytona. With a short season, and a season in which 50 percent of your laps are completed by the end of the second race, you can’t understate the need to perform well in the opening two events. With our partner VisitFlorida.com, we take special pride in having strong performances in the two events in our home state.”

Photo credit: SDR Motorsports, LLC (BCPix.com - Photo by Brian Cleary)

Read More

TUSC: Top-Five Finish for Paul Miller Racing In Season-Opening Rolex 24 At Daytona

Paul Miller Racing Press Release

Fifth-Place for Dion von Moltke, Christopher Haase, Bryce Miller, René Rast and the No. 48 Castrol EDGE Audi R8 LMS

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 26, 2015) - Paul Miller Racing, and team drivers Christopher Haase, Dion von Moltke, Bryce Miller and René Rast, drove the No. 48 Castrol EDGE Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 LMS to a fifth-place finish in this past weekend's season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona.

The four-driver Audi team became increasingly competitive as the day-long race progressed, taking the lead for the first time with Rast at the wheel 11 hours into the race. From there, Rast and Haase would lead on several more occasions while von Moltke and Bryce Miller each raced to as high as second in their respective stints.

"Overall we finished fifth," said Team Manager Mitchell Simmons. "We're going to head to Sebring and change some things around, but I'm really happy with the Daytona results. We started off the weekend with really great expectations on where we were and felt that we and the car could go the distance."

Haase, Bryce Miller and then team endurance driver Matt Bell used great team strategy and ever-improving setup changes to win 2014's season-ending Petit Le Mans 10-hour endurance race. Improving the car throughout the day-long Daytona race this weekend was again the plan and it worked for more than half the race.

"We had a perfect race for 17 hours," von Moltke said. "Well, that doesn't win you a 24-hour race, and that's one of the things that makes this race so difficult. You have to have the perfect race for 24 hours, we had a lot of difficulties to deal with, but somehow the team managed to keep it together."

A race-turning setback came just under seven hours from the finish when Rast suffered a brake lock up and went off course in the West Horseshoe. Making only light contact with the barrier, he continued with no apparent damage only to have the front bodywork rip loose at speed 30 minutes later.

"We had some issues with the platform that were causing some instability and some lock up, and other things like that, which made it difficult from in the cockpit," Bryce Miller said. "There was contact made early Sunday after a lock up, it really was pretty superficial but it was enough to loosen the bodywork and the air was able to work its way underneath and loosen things up. It got to the point it had to be addressed and we had to tape it down. It cost us a lot of time but the team did an awesome job just keeping the train going here."

The No. 48 returned to the race three laps down and in eighth place and later lost more time when both first and second gears in the transmission were lost later on Sunday morning. Perseverance and good pit-side strategy calls ultimately let the drivers make up some ground to crack the top five.

"We knew we weren't going to have the fastest car, but our overall performance time is pretty close to everyone else, and we felt that with our crew we could beat people out of the pits," Simmons said. "We really set our goal to do that, to stay on the lead lap and put our hot shoes in and try to do exactly what we did at Petit, but there was a small little incident that caused some problems that we could never quite recover from, and we later lost some gears. It just kept going and we are very lucky that we didn't have any problems as we had some engine over revs because of the gear situation. Taking that kind of torture was kind of a tribute to the Audi."

The Rolex 24 was von Moltke's race debut with Paul Miller Racing. He is taking over from Bryce Miller - who will focus on endurance races this year - as Haase's full-season teammate in 2015.

"I really have to take my hat off to everyone at Paul Miller Racing," von Moltke said. "This was my race debut with the team and I was really taken aback by how well this team works, and how hard the crew works to keep the car on track. It was a really good car. Ultimately, a good debut, we got good points and we finished a 24-hour race. It's a testament to the team and Audi as well."

Paul Miller Racing's competition relationship with Audi Sport customer racing complements a longtime retail partnership the Paul Miller Auto Group has enjoyed with the manufacturer. The dealership group has included since 1976 Paul Miller Audi, one of the largest Audi dealerships in the nation, which made the team's on-track switch to Audi a logical decision.

About Paul Miller Racing:
Paul Miller Racing was the top Audi Sport customer racing team in the inaugural season of the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship in 2014 in which Bryce Miller and Christopher Haase co-drove 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 Castrol EDGE, Search Marketing Group and Motegi Racing.

Follow Paul Miller Racing on Twitter @paulmilleracing @bryceracer, @ChHaase and @Dionvmracing and on Facebook fan pages available at Facebook.com/paulmillerracing, Facebook.com/brycemiller.net, www.facebook.com/Dionvm, and www.paulmillerracing.com, www.brycemiller.net, www.christopher-haase.de and www.dionvm.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: Audi Communications - Motorsport

Read More

TUSC: Flying Lizard Starts New IMSA Season with Rolex 24 at Daytona

Flying Lizard Motorsports Press Release

January 26, 2015 – Daytona, Florida – After a near miss in the 2014 Rolex 24 at Daytona, Flying Lizard Motorsports returned to Daytona International Speedway in 2015 with an even stronger desire to claim the top step at the legendary endurance event.

The team qualified the #45 Audi R8 LMS in the 6th position in the GTD class of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. Audi Factory driver Markus Winkelhock started the race and enjoyed a clean opening stint, but trouble found the team only one hour into the 24 hour long event.

Clutch issues forced the team to immediately take its R8 LMS to the garage, where the Lizard crew worked quickly and methodically to conduct repairs. In just 35 laps, the team removed the transmission and replaced the clutch. They rejoined the race in less than an hour at the back of the GTD field. Never losing determination to fight for a positive result, the team pressed on as the hours passed, taking advantage of every caution period in which they could regain lost laps. With the car repaired, the Flying Lizard Audi kept pace with the leaders of the GTD class for the remaining 22 hours without issue. Ultimately the team finished 10th in class after a flawless race by drivers and crew.

"I'm really proud of the result we produced in our first race of the 2015 season," said Program Manager Darren Law. "We had a phenomenal run. Aside from the mechanical issue in the first hour of racing, which put us down several laps, we had a trouble free run. This is such a prestigious race with a lot of history. Just finishing is an accomplishment and to finish without any damage or on track incidents says a lot about our drivers. If we didn't have the initial issue, I believe we would have been right there at the end fighting for the podium. Everyone worked well together all weekend, as you would expect from our Flying Lizard Audi team and to come from last to finish with a top ten is great."

Flying Lizard will now refocus on building the remainder of its 2015 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship program and will announce its participation in additional 2015 IMSA races at a later date.

Driver Quotes

Markus Winkelhock
"It was a tough race. I did the first stint of the race and I was struggling a little bit of oversteer. I guess it probably came because of the rain during the night before the race and the green track conditions at the start. But the track changed quite a bit and the balance came back and the car was getting better and better. I felt confident in the car, and we hadn't had a problem with it all weekend, but unfortunately we had a problem at the end of the first hour and we dropped back 35 laps. So the race was gone after one hour, and it was not easy to keep up the motivation for the rest of the race. The team did a great job. We had no issues besides the clutch for the whole race. The balance was really good at the end. It was a pleasure to drive for the Flying Lizards and I hope to join them again soon."

Robert Thorne
"Overall, it was a bit of a struggle the past 24 hours. We had a real uphill battle after our issues in the first 60 minutes. We stayed out there and felt good in the car and put down some fast laps. Audi brings a great package, and it was strong and durable. We had a car or two bounce off of us but had no issues. Even at the end of the race the #45 was as good as it was in the beginning. A big thanks to the team, I'm happy to be on board."

Tomonobu Fujii
"First of all, I would like to say Thank you so much for such a great job to Flying Lizard Motorsports, Audi, Audi Sport Customer Racing and all of the race fans. It was very challenging as it was my first Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, one of the most difficult races in sports car racing. Even so, it was a very exciting and an amazing experience. Unfortunately, we lost some laps in the beginning, but we never gave up. We focused on our own performance, and the team gave us a great strategy to the end. The Audi R8 LMS showed a strong performance and was very consistent throughout the race, which is always a very tough one on cars. I hope to be back next year again in Daytona for this fantastic event!"

Satoshi Hoshino
"It has always been one of my biggest dreams to race in the 24 hours of Daytona, and it was a great moment when it came true. Thank you very much to Flying Lizard Motorsports, the other three drivers, and all the fans for the great support. I am looking forward to returning to Daytona again with Flying Lizard Motorsports!"

About Flying Lizard Motorsports
Flying Lizard is based in Sonoma, California, and has competed in the American Le Mans Series for ten consecutive seasons, from 2004 to 2012 in the GT class and in 2013 in GTC, along with the inaugural season of the TUDOR United Sportscar Championship in the GT Daytona class in 2014. The Lizards have won two ALMS GT team championships (2008 and 2009), one ALMS GTC team championship (2013), and have secured three ALMS GT Drivers' championships (2008, 2009, and 2010). Flying Lizard has also competed in the 24 Heures du Mans from 2005 through 2012, finishing third in 2005, fourth in 2006, sixth in 2008, sixth in 2011, and fourth in 2012. Please visit the team website at www.lizardms.com and the team store at www.flyinglizardstore.com. Follow Flying Lizard Motorsports on twitter, and like us on Facebook for all team updates.

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: Audi Communications - Motorsport

Read More

TUSC: Top ten GTD class results for the Audi teams at the Rolex 24 at Daytona

By Johan Laubscher

The Rolex 24 at Daytona was the scene for the opening round of the 2015 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. Paul Miller Racing and Flying Lizard Motorsports each fielded one Audi R8 LMS entry in the GT Daytona (GTD) class.

Paul Miller Racing, the only Audi team confirmed for the full 2015 TUSC season, fielded their #48 Audi R8 LMS for the driving quartet of Dion von Moltke, Christopher Haase, Bryce Miller and René Rast. They qualified eleventh on the grid for the 24-hour race.

The #45 Audi R8 LMS from Flying Lizard Motorsports was entered for a one-off appearance in the TUSC this year. Tomonobu Fujii, Satoshi Hoshino, Robert Thorne and Markus Winkelhock were the drivers behind the wheel of the car that qualified sixth within in the GTD class.

Saturday afternoon saw the start of the Daytona 24 Hours and both Audi teams were running well. It was however far from an ideal opening hour for Flying Lizard Motorsports. Markus Winkelhock had taken the start and handed over to Satoshi Hoshino, who spun and was left stranded with the Audi on the oval just before the end of the first hour. The #45 Audi had driveline issues and brought out the first safety car period of the race. The car was recovered to the pits where the Flying Lizard Motorsports crew repaired the non-terminal problems. Despite being many laps down the #45 Audi R8 LMS crew kept on pushing forward and were able to recover a result within the GTD class by the end of the 24 hours.

For Paul Miller Racing it was a very competitive opening twelve hours. They were consistently involved in the GTD lead battle and led during the night. The team, drivers and their Audi R8 LMS were performing very well and everything was looking good as dawn approached.

Unfortunately the race began to unravel for Paul Miller Racing during the early hours of Sunday morning. Rene Rast ran wide and had an off at the International Horseshoe. He was able to reverse back onto track with what looked like minor front left damage and continued on the lead lap. He completed his stint and handed the car over to Christopher Haase, who took the car out onto track still within the lead battle. Tragedy struck when the front bodywork broke whilst Haase was approaching the Bus Stop chicane. He slowly brought the car back to the pits. With a new bonnet and much tape across the front of the #48 Audi, Haase went back out on track, after losing three laps in the pits and falling outside of the top five in GTD.

Both Audi Sport customer racing teams continued to soldier on as the sun began to rise for a bright Sunday morning in Florida. Flying Lizard Motorsports was able to progress back into the GTD top ten and Paul Miller Racing was involved in the battle ranging from fourth to sixth.

Ultimately the race concluded at 14:10 local time and Paul Miller Racing finished fifth in the GTD class, nineteenth overall. Flying Lizard Motorsports maintained their recovery and finished tenth within GTD, twenty-fourth overall.

It may have been a race of ups and downs for the two Audi teams, but both crews can be commended for never gave up and pushing all the way to the flag.

Two Audi Sport factory drivers also took part in the Rolex 24 at Daytona with different teams this year. Mike Rockenfeller again joined SDR Motorsports at Daytona. He shared the #90 VisitFlorida.com Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype alongside Richard Westbrook and Michael Valiante. They qualified tenth and completed the 24 hours in fourth place overall. Rocky will also be taking part with the team at the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Petit Le Mans later this year.

The second Audi Sport factory driver was Filipe Albuquerque, who was a late addition to the Starworks Motorsport Prototype Challenge line-up. He replaced Enrique Bernoldi in the #8 Martini liveried ORECA FLM09, sharing with Mirco Schultis, Renger van der Zande, Alex Popow and Mike Hedlund. They qualified fourth in class and were running very well until they suffered retirement with a blown engine.

Round two of the 2015 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship will be the 63rd running of the 12 Hours of Sebring from 18-21 March.

Photo credit: Audi Communications - Motorsport

Read More

TUSC: Audi R8 to Pace 53rd Rolex 24 at Daytona for Third Consecutive Year

IMSA Press Release

PREMIUM MANUFACTURER RENEWS IMSA PARTNERSHIP

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 23, 2015) – A V10-powered Audi R8 will lead the field to the green flag for the third consecutive year in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, as International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) officials today announced the Audi R8 V10 Plus will be the Official Safety Car for the twice-around-the-clock event.

The announcement comes as Audi has renewed its official automotive partnership with IMSA. In addition to providing the Official Safety Car for the race, Audi will have a strong presence at the event through substantial hospitality activation.

The centerpiece of Audi’s program at Daytona is the pair of Audi R8 LMS race cars competing in the GT Daytona (GTD) class. The No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Audi – which won the 2014 Petit Le Mans to close out the 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship season – will be shared by co-drivers Christopher Haase, Bryce Miller, Dion von Moltke and Rene Rast. Flying Lizard Motorsports fields the No. 45 R8 LMS for drivers Tomonobu Fujii, Satoshi Hoshino, Robert Thorne and Markus Winkelhock.

The Audi R8 V10 that will serve as the safety car and the R8 LMS race car share more than 50 percent of their parts and components, including the V10 naturally aspirated engine and fully aluminum Audi Space Frame (ASF®). The stiff and lightweight chassis weighs less than 500 pounds.

Live coverage of the race begins on FOX network television at 2 p.m. ET. Complete television/streaming details are as follows:

Saturday, Jan. 24 (All times ET)
2-4 p.m.                        FOX
4-8 p.m.                        FOX Sports 2
8-10 p.m.                      FOX Sports 1

Overnight (Jan. 24-25)
10 p.m. – 7 a.m.            IMSA TV on IMSA.com

Sunday, Jan. 25
7 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.         FOX Sports 1

Photo credit: IMSA

Read More

TUSC: The Audi teams qualified well for the Rolex 24 at Daytona

By Tarek Ramchani

Action has started at Daytona International Speedway for the 53rd annual Rolex 24. Two Audi R8 LMS cars took part in three practice sessions and the qualifying one with some good performances.

The two cars came from two different teams, Flying Lizard Motorsport and Paul Miller Racing competing in the GT Daytona class (GTD). Both Audi Sport customer racing squads performed well in all three practice sessions. The two teams did same in the official qualifying session against strong rivals representing various brands.

The best ranked Audi entry was the #45 R8 LMS from Flying Lizard Motorsport. The car in the hands of  Markus Winkelhock, Tomonobu Fujii, Satoshi Hoshino and Robert Thorne ended in a positive sixth place. 1:47.813 was the best time set by the California based team in the session.

The Paul Miller Racing entry ended in twelvth place within the GT Daytona class. The #48 Audi R8 LMS driven by Dion von Moltke, Christopher Haase, René Rast and Bryce Miller narrowly missed the Top 10. Their best time was 1:48.202, less than a second behind the pole winning-time.

GT Daytona pole position went to the #007 Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 from TRG-AMR. Second place went to the #33 Dodge Viper GT3-R from Riley Motorsports. Third place went to the #28 Porsche 911 GT America from Konrad Motorsport.

The two Audi teams will be back on track on Friday for a fourth a final practice session.

Rolex 24 qualifying session results are here.

The 53rd Rolex 24 at Daytona is the opening round of both the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and the special North American Endurance Cup. The prestigious Florida  twice around the clock classic will start on Saturday afternoon.

Photo credit: Motorsport.com

Read More

TUSC: Filipe Albuquerque joins Starworks Motorsport PC entry for the Daytona 24 Hours

By Johan Laubscher

The Rolex 24 at Daytona is coming up this week, the opening round of both the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup. Two Audi Sport customer racing teams, Paul Miller Racing and Flying Lizard Motorsports, will each be fielding one Audi R8 LMS in the GT Daytona class. Along with these Audi entries, two more Audi Sport factory drivers will also be taking part within the prototype divisions.

Audi Sport DTM driver, Mike Rockenfeller, had previously been announced that he will again be joining the SDR Motorsports team at Daytona, Sebring and Petit Le Mans. He will be driving the #90 VisitFlorida.com Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype alongside Richard Westbrook and Michael Valiante.

Rocky will be joined in the Rolex 24 prototype ranks by another of his fellow Audi Sport factory drivers following a late announcement on the Tuesday of race week.

Audi Sport LMP1 driver, Filipe Albuquerque, has been added to the Prototype Challenge (PC) class line-up for Starworks Motorsport. He replaces Enrique Bernoldi in the #8 Martini liveried ORECA FLM09. He will be sharing the car with Mirco Schultis, Renger van der Zande, Alex Popow and Mike Hedlund.

Photo credit: IMSA (Stephan Cooper) / Starworks Motorsport

Read More

TUSC: Audi teams at Roar Before the Rolex 24 round up

By Tarek Ramchani

Daytona International Speedway played host to the official TUDOR United SportsCar Championship test days last week, the annual Roar Before the Rolex 24. The last big test before the prestigious 24-hour race and the opening round of the TUSC series.

Two Audi Sport customer racing teams took part in the 3-day tests with some great performances. Flying Lizard Motorsports and Paul Miller Racing were among the strongest teams within the demanding GT Daytona class with their Audi R8 LMS cars.

Audi Motorsport Blog had detailed coverage of the Daytona 3-day tests. Here is a complete round-up:

Preview: Two Audi R8 LMS cars in Daytona's Roar Before the Rolex 24

Paul Miller Racing new livery: Striking new livery for Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 LMS

Day 1 report: Positive day 1 for Audi teams in the Daytona tests

Day 2 report: Strong performances for Audi teams in Daytona day 2 tests

Day 3 report: Audi teams concluded Roar Before the Rolex 24 tests at Daytona

Paul Miller Racing report: Paul Miller Racing Begins 2015 Campaign with Successful Rolex 24 Roar Test‏

Flying Lizard Motorsports report: Flying Lizard Completes Successful Test at the Roar Before 24

Photo gallery: Audi R8 LMS teams in Roar Before the Rolex 24 by Motorsport.com

SDR Motorsports report (Mike Rockenfeller): VisitFlorida.com Racing Roaring in the Sunshine State





Photo credit: Flying Lizard Motorsports / Paul Miller Racing / Bob Chapman / Motorsport.com / René Rast / SDR Motorsports, LLC (BCPix.com - Photo by Brian Cleary)

Read More

TUSC: Strong Roar Before the Rolex 24 for VisitFlorida.com Racing with Mike Rockenfeller

VisitFlorida.com Racing had a strong showing at the Roar Before the Rolex 24 last weekend. Audi Sport DTM factory driver, Mike Rockenfeller, will again be joining SDR Motorsports for three rounds of the 2015 Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup, including the upcoming Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona. He also competed in these same three events for SDR during 2014, which includes the 24 Hours of Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Petit Le Mans. He will be behind the wheel alongisde the full-season driving duo of Richard Westbrook and Michael Valiante in the #90 Corvette Daytona Prototype.

More can be read in the SDR Motorsports press release below:

VisitFlorida.com Racing Roaring in the Sunshine State

Daytona Beach, FL January 11, 2015 – Dubbed the “World Center of Racing” by legendary motorsports Roar Before the 24 - 2015broadcaster Ken Squier, Daytona International Speedway is a special place for all who take to the high banked two and a half mile tri-oval. For VisitFlorida.com Racing, the venue has an even greater meaning.

The team formerly known as Spirit of Daytona Racing is based four miles east of the historic race track, nestled squarely in the birth place of speed where pioneers of racing used to test man and machine on the compacted sand of Daytona Beach.

“With VisitFlorida.com as our partner, Daytona is special to our team for so many reasons,” said Troy Flis, team owner. “Because we are VisitFlorida.com Racing we wanted to have a strong showing to set the tone for a successful race in the Rolex 24.”

The team was consistently among the leaders in lap times throughout the test, Flis is optimistic in what the team has for the Rolex 24.

“We felt like we made steady improvements throughout the test,” said Flis. “There were things that we wanted to experiment with and we feel like that was a success, it certainly helps having all three drivers back for 2015 and we are very excited about the Rolex 24 January 24-25.”

Not all the interest in VisitFlorida.com Racing was on the track. Fans had the opportunity to get an up close look at a Chevrolet Corvette DP as the team’s showcar was on display in the Fan Zone at Daytona International Speedway.

“It was great to have our car out there with all the Boy Scout groups and other young kids at the speedway for the weekend,” said Flis. “Having an actual Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype on display for the fans to take pictures with is a great thing we are able to do with our partners at VisitFlorida.com and we look forward to having it on display throughout the 2015 Tudor United SportsCar Championship.”

The 2015 IMSA Tudor United SportsCar Championship kicks off January 24th with the 53rd annual Rolex 24 at Daytona. The Rolex 24 is also the first of four events in the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup that VisitFlorida.com Racing finished third in last season.

Richard Westbrook, No. 90 VisitFlorida.com Corvette DP

“It’s been a challenging test because of all the new systems and software on the car. Our whole test session has been finding the optimum settings and getting everything perfect electronically. We’ve made really good progress over the three days. Balance wise the car is good, it’s quick and we’re looking forward to a good race.

“We’ve got a lot of confidence in having the same drivers back for this season. It’s something I haven’t had in the three years that I’ve been at VisitFlorida.com Racing. We all know what we like in a car, and we can compromise effectively and then take the car in the direction it should go together and that should be beneficial for 2015.”

Michael Valiante, No. 90 VisitFlorida.com Corvette DP

“The test wasn’t too bad. We are primarily going through diagnostic work with the electronics but we are learning a lot. We should be in a good position to start the Rolex 24.

“Its great to have Richard and Rocky back. We all get along well and like to drive the same type of race car. You know that each driver is solid and that they are going to take care of the car so it’s a big confidence boost heading into the season.”
VisitFlorida.com Racing

2014 Winners of the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen
2014 Third Place Finishers in the Tudor United SportsCar Championship
Four Daytona Prototype Class wins from 2012-2014
Sixteen total team wins including a class victory in the 2002 Rolex 24
Two team championships in 2000 and 2001
One driver championships 2001

Photo credit: SDR Motorsports, LLC (BCPix.com - Photo by Brian Cleary)

Read More

TUSC: Mike Rockenfeller rejoins SDR Motorsports for three 2015 endurance races

Mike Rockenfeller will once again be joining SDR Motorsports for three rounds of the 2015 Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup. He also competed in these same three events for SDR during 2014, which includes the 24 Hours of Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Petit Le Mans. He will be joining the full-season driving duo of Richard Westbrook and Michael Valiante behind the wheel of the Spirit of Daytona #90 Corvette Daytona Prototype.

More can be read in the SDR Motorsports press release below:

VISIT FLORIDA RETURNS TO SPIRIT OF DAYTONA IN A BIG WAY FOR 2015

Daytona Beach, FL December 31, 2014 - What's in a name? A lot when you are referencing one of the best-known sponsors in the IMSA Tudor United SportsCar Championship. For the past two seasons the familiar blue and white VisitFlorida.com liveried Chevrolet Corvette C7 DP from Spirit of Daytona has proven to be one of the best in sports car racing.

Honoring the relationship with Visit Florida, team owner Troy Flis announced that Spirit of Daytona is rebranded as VisitFlorida.com Racing in 2015, a move he addressed with great enthusiasm.

"This has been a remarkable partnership," said Flis. "Visit Florida joined our team for the 2013 Rolex 24 and they have been with us for the last two seasons. We've had great success with them and are excited to rebrand our team as VisitFlorida.com Racing."

In addition to their partnership with the No. 90 Corvette DP, Visit Florida also supports numerous racetracks on the IMSA Tudor United SportsCar Championship schedule.

"Visit Florida is the most active team sponsor in the series," said Flis. "They have activations at several of the venues on the schedule, and fully utilize our series as a way of promoting all of the reasons to visit the state of Florida. We're just happy to be a part of all the excellent things that Visit Florida does that benefit sports car racing in the United States."

VisitFlorida.com Racing will have Richard Westbrook and Michael Valiante behind the wheel of the No. 90 Corvette C7 DP for the full Tudor Championship with Mike Rockenfeller joining the tandem for the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta to conclude the season.

The same triumvirate of drivers competed together in the VisitFlorida.com Corvette last year, giving Flis added optimism in the familiarity heading into the 2015 Tudor United SportsCar Championship.

"There is a lot of excitement going into 2015," said Flis. "Having the same three guys return to the No. 90 Corvette C7 DP is a big deal for everyone on our team. We have a full understanding of what they are looking for when we get to each event this year, and following a strong season in 2014 we certainly expect to compete for the championships in 2015."

In addition to the familiarity with their three drivers, VisitFlorida.com Racing will also be entering their fifth season with Chevrolet performance, a relationship that Flis believes is key to their success.

"When our team switched to Chevrolet in 2012 we became perennial contenders in the DP class," said Flis. "I can't overstate the importance of the relationship we have with Chevrolet, ECR Engines and Pratt and Miller Engineering, they really are a key to our teams success."

The team finished third in the 2014 IMSA Tudor United SportsCar Championship standings last season after posting a victory in the Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen and four podium finishes on the year. The team finished only two events outside the top-6.

The VisitFlorida.com Racing team will be on-track at Daytona International Speedway January 9-11, 2015 for the 'Roar Before the 24'. The 2015 IMSA Tudor United SportsCar Championship official begins on January 24, 2015 with the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Photo credit: SDR Motorsports, LLC

Read More

TUSC: Flying Lizard Motorsports entering two-car team in 2015 Rolex 24 at Daytona

By Johan Laubscher

Flying Lizard Motorsports will again be entering their two Audi R8 LMS cars in the 2015 24 Hours of Daytona, opening round of both the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup.

The team has committed to the Daytona endurance classic, but their plans for the rest of 2015 are yet to be announced.

The duo of Audi R8 LMS cars will be competing in the GT Daytona class with driver line-ups that will be announced at a later date.

 

The news broke on sportscar365 earlier today, which can be seen HERE. 

It is certainly very exciting news that Flying Lizard Motorsports has been confirmed for the 2015 Rolex 24 at Daytona, especially after they came so close to winning the GTD class in 2014.

Photo credit: Flying Lizard Motorsports / Bob Chapman

Read More