Daytona Beach, Fla. – Jan. 26, 2011 – Porsche-powered race cars, all-time leaders in the history of the Rolex 24 at Daytona with 22 overall wins and 72 class victories, will again occupy a significant percentage of the field for this weekend’s event, January 29 – 30, at Daytona International Speedway.
The opening event for the 2011 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series season currently has 49 entries, and 15 of them are Daytona Prototype and Rolex GT class Porsches, including 14 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racers.
Television coverage for this year’s Rolex 24 starts with a one-hour pre-race show that will air four times on SPEED, including Saturday, Jan. 29, at 2 p.m. (ET), just prior to the network beginning 14 hours of live coverage of the race. SPEED will also air the program on Sunday, Jan. 23, at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. (ET); and Friday, Jan. 28, at 10 p.m. (ET). SPEED will have live coverage of the Rolex 24 with a pair of seven-hour blocks. The race broadcast begins at 3 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, Jan. 29 (green flag is at 3:30 p.m), running until 10 p.m. (ET), and from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, Jan. 30 (checkered flag is at 3:30 p.m.). Fans can follow the entire race with live timing and scoring, plus up-to-date pit notes on www.grand-am.com.
“This is the largest gathering of Porsche driving champions in the world, and we are proud that our customers have chosen to field top-of-the-line Porsche race cars to compete in the Rolex 24. Our entries include seven factory drivers, 15 drivers who have won here in the past, four Porsche Mobil1 Supercup season champions, five Le Mans 24 winners, plus seven drivers who have won either Grand-Am or ALMS season championships. Add to that the expert preparation from our customer teams and the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, the most produced race car by a street car manufacturer, and it gives Porsche entries a good chance for success,” said Jens Walther, president of Porsche Motorsports North America.
Leading the way in the Daytona Prototype class is the Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche Riley entry with Porsche factory drivers Joerg Bergmeister (Germany) and Patrick Long (USA), with team owner Seth Neiman and Johannes van Overbeek (both USA) sharing the driving chores. Bergmeister has won the GT class three times, one of those an overall win in 2003 in a TRG Porsche 911 GT3 RS, while Long won with Joerg in 2009 in a TRG Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Their Porsche-Riley, powered by the 500 hp Porsche 911 GT3 RSR-based six-cylinder engine, is the winning Daytona Prototype from the 2009 event.
The other five Porsche works drivers (in bold) have their sights set on victory in the traditionally fiercely-contested GT class with the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup: Marco Holzer (Germany) and Richard Lietz (Austria) compete for Magnus Racing along with team owner John Potter and former Grand-Am Cup champion Craig Stanton; Patrick Pilet (France) races for the TRG/Black Swan Racing/GMC Racing squad with Jeroen Bleekemolen, Bret Curtis, team owner Tim Pappas, and James Sofronas; Wolf Henzler (Germany) will drive a TRG Racing team Porsche with Andy Lally, Spencer Pumpelly, Brenda Gaughan and Steve Bertheau; Marc Lieb (Germany) will share driving time with a legendary teammate for the mutiple Daytona-winning Brumos Racing team, which swaps from prototypes to the GT class this year as Hurley Haywood (USA). The most successful pilot at the Rolex 24 with five overall and six class wins, is on board with Leh Keen and Andrew Davis.
Other Porsche 911 GT3 Cup entries in the Rolex GT class include the TRG car for Ryan Eversley/Daniel Graeff/Ron Yarab,Jr./Richard Zahn and NASCAR star Kenny Wallace; the Burtin Racing entry of Claudio Burtin/Jack Baldwin/Nick Tandy/Martin Ragginger/Nicolas Armindo; Belgian-based Muehlner Motorsport car driven by Peter Ludwig/Mark Thomas/Dion von Moltke/Corey Friedman; Canadian-based Bullet Racing
with Kevin Roush/Darryl O’Young/Brian Wong/James Walker; Rick Ware Racing with Jeffrey Earnhardt/Doug Harrington/Maurice Hull/Scott Monroe; Paul Miller Racing with Rob Bell/Bryce Miller/Bryan Sellers/Tim Sugden; TRG/Nadeau Motorsports with Jim Michaelian/Bob Doyle/Coulter Mulligan; TRG with Dominik Farnbacher/Tim George, Jr., Ben Keating and Lucas Luhr; Chris Smith Racing with Bill Sweedler, Shane Lewis, Mitch Pagery and Thomas Sheehan, and Mitchum Motorsports with Randy Pobst/Derek Whitis/Joey Atterbury/Cooper MacNeil.
The Porsche 911 is the most accomplished race car ever at the Rolex 24 with 38 combined class and overall wins, with Porsche having scored 22 overall wins at the January classic since its inception in 1962. Since the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup has been the Porsche standard-bearer in GT (2005), it is the most successful GT car, leading the Grand-Am competitors in championships, victories, pole positions and podium finishes.
PORSCHE DAYTONA 24-HOUR FACTS
(updated 1/25/11)
Overall Wins: 22 (first in 1968; most recent in 2009 and 2010)
Class Wins: 72 (includes Daytona Continental races starting in 1962; 24 hr. races
started in 1966.
Porsche 911 Wins: 38 Overall and Class Victories
Initial Overall Win: 1968
GT Class Wins: 27
SGS Class wins (class ran only in 2004): 1
21 Race Winning Streak (overall or class): 1966-1987
Finished 1-2 overall in 12 Daytona 24-Hours
GT class winner finishing second overall: 2001, 2004
From 1977 to 1987, Porsche had compiled 11 consecutive overall wins
GTX Series Winner: 1978-1981
GTP Series Winner: 1982-87, 1989, 1991
Here are driver race win statistics for the Rolex 24 – a majority accomplished in Porsches.
Most Overall Victories
1. Hurley Haywood, 5 (1991, 1979, 1977, 1975, 1973)
2. Peter Gregg, 4 (1978, 1976, 1975, 1973)
Rolf Stommelen, 4 (1982, 1980, 1978, 1968)
Bob Wollek, 4 (1983, 1985, 1989, 1991)
Pedro Rodriguez, 4 (1971, 1970, 3 hour races in 1964 and 1963)
6. Brian Redman, 3 (1981, 1976, 1970)
Derek Bell, 3 (1989, 1987, 1986)
Andy Wallace, 3 (1999, 1998, 1990)
Butch Leitzinger, 3 (1999, 1997, 1994)
Scott Pruett, 3 (1994, 2007, 2008)
10. Mauro Baldi, 2 (2002, 1998)
Wayne Taylor, 2 (2005, 1996)
Elliott Forbes-Robinson, 2 (1999, 1997)
A.J. Foyt, 2 (1985, 1983)
Al Holbert, 2 (1986, 1987)
Jan Lammers, 2 (1990, 1988)
Ken Miles, 2 (1966, 327-lap race in 1965)
John Paul Jr., 2 (1997, 1982)
Lloyd Ruby, 2 (1966, 327-lap race in 1965)
Didier Theys, 2 (2002, 1998)
Al Unser Jr., 2 (1987, 1986)
Juan Pablo Montoya, 2 (2007, 2008)
Most Consecutive Overall Victories
1. Peter Gregg, 3 (1973, 1975, 1976 – No Event Held in 1974)
2. Al Holbert, 2 (1986, 1987)
Al Unser Jr., 2 (1986, 1987
Derek Bell, 2 (1986, 1987)
Hurley Haywood, 2 (1973, 1975 – No Event Held in 1974)
Pedro Rodriguez, 2 (1970, 1971)
Ken Miles, 2 (1966, 327-lap race in 1965)
Lloyd Ruby, 2 (1966, 327-lap race in 1965)
Pedro Rodriguez, 2 (327-lap race in 1964, 3-hour race in 1963)
Scott Pruett, 2 (2007, 2008)
Juan Pablo Montoya, 2 (2007, 2008)
Most Class Victories
1. Scott Pruett, 8 (1987, 1988, 1992 – 94, 2002, 2007, 2008)
2. Peter Gregg, 6 (1978, 1976, 1975, 1973, 1972, 1968)
Hurley Haywood, 6 (1991, 1979, 1977, 1975, 1973, 1972)
3. Hans Herrmann, 4 (1968, 1967, 1966, 1963)
Pedro Rodriguez, 4 (1971, 1970, 1964, 1963)
Rolf Stommelen, 4 (1982, 1980, 1978, 1968)
Amos Johnson, 4 (1988, 1987, 1986, 1985)
Bob Wollek, 4 (1991, 1989, 1985, 1983)
Peter Uria, 4 (1993, 1992, 1991, 1990)
Robby Gordon, 4 (1993, 1992, 1991, 1990)
Wally Dallenbach Jr., 4 (1993, 1992, 1991, 1985)
Dick Greer, 4 (2001, 1993, 1992, 1991)
Andy Wallace, 4 (2003, 1999, 1997, 1990)
Source: Porsche Motorsports
