Petaluma, CA – January 14, 2011 – TRG has finalized the fourth car for the upcoming 2011 Grand-Am Rolex Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona. The team will comprise Ben Keating, Tim George Jr., Dominik Farnbacher and Lucas Luhr.
The famed No. 66 TRG/Porsche has a seasoned line-up of racers from a combination of disciplines. Ben Keating is a Viper Club racing standout, Time George Jr. has vast sports car and stock car experience, Dominik Farnbacher is a young veteran sports car ace and Lucas Luhr brings years of Porsche and prototype racing experience to the fold.
“I am extremely excited about the team for the No. 66 car,” Keating said. “We waited until the last minute and I feel like we have put together one of the best line-ups in the GT field. I prefer having four drivers in the line-up. Tim has some great Daytona experience and has done well. Being teamed with Dominik Farnbacher and Lucas Luhr is as good as it gets. With this many cars entering a 24 hour race, any team is a long shot. However, with TRG’s proven success combined with our line-up of drivers, I think we have improved our chances as much as possible. I feel like we have a great shot at it. It is expensive to run a 24 hour race. I told myself going in that I am not interested in doing this unless we have a legitimate chance at a win. I turned down many other opportunities to drive. My personal goal is to be on the podium. I feel like TRG is the best team to get me there and Kevin has done a great job of putting together our team. So to be totally transparent, my goal is to win. My goal is to not screw up. My goal is to run consistent, clean, and fast laps. My goal is to have fun. My goal is to have no regrets. My goal is to have an experience of a lifetime. I think TRG and my team of drivers have the potential to achieve all of this.”
Tim George Jr. has stood on the podium twice with TRG in the Rolex 24, but he is looking for the top step in three-weeks.
“It’s great to have some proven drivers racing with such an experienced team as TRG,” George Jr. said. “I’ve known Dominik outside of racing a bit, and it’s nice to drive with a friend. My goal is to get the Rolex Daytona winner’s watch. To do this we will need to have a mistake-free weekend. We will also need to be fast and have luck on our side. I hope to keep everyone motivated and focused towards the goal of being the best we can be. I’ve stood on two of the three steps of the Rolex 24 podium with TRG. It would be great to stand on that final and top step in 2011.”
Dominik Farnbacher comes from a famous Porsche racing family and has 997 blood running through his veins.
“I want to thank Kevin for giving me this opportunity to drive for his great team,” Farnbacher said. “We had a very successful test last weekend and it was a pure pleasure to drive his car. The engineers set-up the car and we improved throughout the test. The 66 car is definitely the best car I have ever driven at this race. Looking at the results of what TRG accomplished at this race, you know why the car is so damn good. The people here know exactly how to work on Porsches and what screws to turn to make them fast. I am very proud to share the car with pro drivers from NASCAR and sports cars. Our car is definitely one of the strongest among the others on the entry list. Ben and Tim improved big time throughout the sessions at test to get used to the Porsche. I was happy to see them driving very strong lap times at the end. Kevin was one of the fastest in all sessions and helped us set-up the car. Lucas will be there no doubt. This will be a race winning quartet. The goal is set – let’s get that watch. TRG has the right people, cars, and drivers. If you put all those ingredients together you will have a race winning team.”
Lucas Luhr was a teammate with Kevin Buckler when TRG won the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2002.
“I only have good memories with TRG,” Luhr said. “I was part of the team when TRG won Le Mans in 2002. I have a long time friendship with the team. They have a great history at Daytona and of course the goal is to win the race. The key will be to stay out of trouble and have a good consistent pace.”
Team owner Kevin Buckler has the final piece of the TRG Rolex 24 Hour puzzle in place.
“This one came together a little later that I would have liked, but we had to get it just right and I am happy to say we did,” Buckler said. “You cannot deny the quality in the car. Ben, Tim, Dominik and Lucas have the opportunity to win the race. It will be great to Lucas back in a TRG car. We won Le Mans together nine years ago and he is one of the best in the world behind the wheel of a Porsche. Couple that with the young speed that Dominik brings and their combined 24 Hour experience, it is going to be awesome. Tim is a fantastic teammate and has been on the podium twice with us in the past. Ben surprised the heck out of all of us and was right on pace with the top guys. He also brings a really level headed approach to this program and I couldn’t have done it without him – he was the catalyst. With only four drivers, I am going to have to really lean on Tim and Ben for some long stints and they showed they are ready. I drove some laps at the test in the 66 to help get the car on pace, but I am happy to hand the wheel over to these guys. I will be with them the entire time, up on the box and ready for anything the race throws at us. This is a serious effort and we race at Daytona for only one reason – to win!”
The Rolex 24 Hour At Daytona will be televised live on the SPEED Channel in two segments. The first segment will air from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 29th, rejoining the action from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 30.
TRG Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona entries:
No. 4 TRG/Children’s Tumor Foundation/Porsche
Ron Yarab
Daniel Graeff
Richard Zahn
Kenny Wallace
Ryan Eversley
No. 54 TRG/Black Swan/GMG/Porsche
Tim Pappas
Jeroen Bleekemolen
James Sofronas
Bret Curtis
Patrick Pilet
No. 67 TRG/Sargent & Lundy/South Point Hotel & Casino/Porsche
Steve Bertheau
Brendan Gaughan
Spencer Pumpelly
Andy Lally
Wolf Henzler
No. 66 TRG/Porsche
Ben Keating
Tim George Jr.
Dominik Farnbacher
Lucas Luhr
Source: TRG Racing
