Having now completed ten of the twelve races scheduled in the 2011 GRAND-AM Rolex Series season, every Brumos Racing team member was well aware of how critical a strong finish was at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Going into Round 11, the Brumos Racing #59 Porsche 911 GT3 was in 2nd place in one of the tightest GT competitions ever, just 7 points out of the lead. Improvements to the car in each successive practice session enabled Andrew Davis to put Brumos on the front row for the start of the race following a lively qualifying session. The race proceeded according to plan, as Davis led the race during his stint and Leh Keen kept Brumos in contention and out of trouble through the closing laps. A late yellow, the sole caution of the race, did not prove favorable for the #59, but Keen held on for a 5th place finish, allowing Brumos to close to within three points of the championship lead and setting the stage for a winner-take-all finale.
Andrew Davis was impressed with the crew’s performance during the event, saying “This was another successful weekend for Brumos Racing. You could really feel the added pressure and I was proud of how our team handled it all. It is very easy for teams to crack and start making mistakes, but instead, our team members just kept their heads down. They worked hard to make our car better in each session and gave me a great car for qualifying. I knew after the tires came in that we had a good car and that it would be competitive and allow us to really battle until the end. Unfortunately, a mis-timed yellow dropped us back some, but we were able to finish in the top five, avoid damage to the car, and most importantly, gain points on the championship leader. It’s going to be a very tight battle to the end, but if we perform at our best level we have a very good shot at putting the Brumos #59 Porsche up front in the race and closing out our first season on top.”
Leh Keen, as 2009 Rolex GT Champion, is well aware of what it takes to win a year-end battle. “We were able to finish at Montreal in the top five, and that is how you win championships,” Keen said. “We were also able to close up on the leaders, taking it to just three points away, which is a big positive. It is going to be really interesting now, going into the finale with so few points separating the top three cars. The level of intensity this week was very high, but all of our guys handled it really well. They also gave us a good car – this course is really hard on brakes, and the #59 had good braking throughout the race, which was a big plus, as many of the other teams were struggling with that. We are happy with our top five, but we know we have to do better at Mid-Ohio if we want to win the championship. That will obviously be the most important race of the season for us, so we just have to keep our heads down and work hard to prepare these next weeks and see if we can’t go win this one for Brumos.”
Brumos Team manager Skip Schinsing is pleased with his team’s accomplishments at Montreal and throughout the season. “We are really proud of the team we have assembled this year and how quickly it has all come together,” he said. “When everyone came on board, they all had many years of Porsche experience, but had never worked together as one group, so to see the level of success this first season has been a nice surprise. Despite the added pressure of the points battle, we will stay focused on doing what we have been doing – working hard to win races. We are all motivated by the legacy of Brumos Racing and we will be ready for Mid- Ohio.”
The EMCO Gears Classic presented by Key Bank is the Rolex Series season finale race and will be held on Saturday, September 17th with a scheduled start time of 3:00 PM ET.
Source: Brumos Racing
