Category: Other Series PR

AF Waltrip Racing
Rolex 24 Preview
Michael Waltrip, Rob Kauffman, Rui Aguas & Clint Bowyer

CORNELIUS, N.C. —  Sports car racers from around the world gather this weekend at Daytona International Speedway for the 51st annual Rolex 24. The 24-hour endurance race takes the green flag Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on SPEED-TV. Making its second start on  the 3.56-mile road course is the AF Waltrip Racing team featuring drivers Michael Waltrip, Rob Kauffman, Rui Aguas and Clint Bowyer driving the No. 56 Ferrari 458 GT. The entry is a joint project of the Italian sports car team AF Corse and Michael Waltrip Racing.

KAUFFMAN: “We had a really good test a few weeks ago and are quite optimistic about the 24 Hours. Clint (Bowyer) took to the Ferrari very quickly and was up to speed. He’ll have a great time. If we can keep it on the black stuff (pavement) and out of the garage, I think we have a good competitive position. This is just such a great event, we are all very please to be able to participate.

BOWYER “I got talked into the Rolex deal. What a deal. I went down there and tested and I was struggling to find where I needed to be on the race track. There was cars that were way faster than me and that’s something that was new for me. It was a lot of fun to be able to race with both bosses — Rob Kauffman and Michael Waltrip were my teammates. It’s just kind of an enjoyable weekend to be able to test down there. Looking forward to the race and hanging out with the guys for a long time. Twenty-four hours is a long time to stay focused. There’s going to be plenty of 5-hour ENERGY used during the race.”

WALTRIP: “Last year was a lot of fun to get to race in that historic famed event.  I always grew up admiring the guys that got to run in that race, and it was quite an honor to be part of it. It’s pretty dramatic as far as the way the cars perform.  The Cup cars have so much horsepower.  That’s their main commodity is all the power that it has.  They don’t stop real well, and honestly they don’t handle too well.  And the Ferrari is the opposite. It has a significant amount of power, but nothing like a Cup car.  But when you go to hop on the brakes, that baby comes to a stop, and you can really whip it through the infield.  So that’s what’s so fun about getting to drive the Ferrari. It’s diversely different than the discipline that I’m accustomed to racing, and it makes it a lot of fun.”

Notes:
·      AF WALTRIP DRIVERS: Waltrip and Kauffman are co-owners of Michael Waltrip Racing that fields three Sprint Cup teams in NASCAR. Bowyer was a three-time winner and runner-up finisher in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Aguas is one of the top GT drivers in the world.

·         TWITTER: Follow the AF Waltrip team’s fortunes on twitter at @mwrteam

PETALUMA, CA (January 16, 2013) – With just under two months before the start of the 2013 American Le Mans Series season, The Racer’s Group (TRG) has put together a program likely to be one of the most competitive programs ever seen in the GTC class. The combination of experienced drivers Ben Keating and Damien Faulkner coupled with the brand-new Porsche 997 GT3 Cup car and backed by one of the top GT teams in motorsports has TRG positioned for a championship run.

Both drivers are signed on for the full season. Keating has raced multiple times with TRG, including two Rolex 24’s at Daytona. He is coming off his second SRT Viper Cup Championship, winning six races and earning eight podiums.

Damien Faulkner joins Keating with an abundance of experience and seat time in Porsches, having competed in the Porsche Supercup and Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain before that. The veteran Porsche driver ran with TRG at Daytona a year ago and has been one of the fastest drivers in the ALMS in recent years with a pair of victories that included the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2011, six poles and four fastest (race) laps.

Adding even more skill and familiarity to the team is the addition of veteran professional driver Craig Stanton for the endurance races — Sebring and Petit Le Mans. Stanton has driven numerous times for TRG and has been quick and consistent throughout his driving career.

The three are expected to test at the Sebring Winter Test, February 7-8.

Kevin Buckler on Ben Keating:

“All of us at TRG are seriously proud to be announcing this program with Ben Keating. Ben is one of the fastest, most committed, most competitive non-full-time professional drivers that we have ever had driving for us. I mean this guy has a real job outside of racing, but you wouldn’t know it to look at the stopwatch!”

Keating on racing in ALMS:

“I am extremely excited. I love this class for two reasons. First it is a spec class. I love knowing that we always have a car that is capable of winning, and we don’t have to get involved with balance of performance. And second, it is a Pro-Am structure. It requires a gentleman driver to really factor into each race.

This will be my first season in ALMS and I believe we will be very competitive. That is exciting. There is nothing much better than having the real opportunity to stand on the podium at the top level of sports car racing in North America.”

Buckler on the strength of the 2013 Line-up:

“Ben and Damien are going to be a lethal combo here, but you add in a brand-new Porsche GT3, Craig Stanton as the third driver in the long races, some of the best crew in all of GT racing, and of course, TRG; and I believe we are going to have a solid run at a championship this year! I couldn’t be happier to be leading the charge for this formidable effort.”

Keating on sharing the seat with Faulkner, and the TRG team:

“I expect great competition and I love a challenge. Damien and I will have a great time this season. TRG knows how to win. We have a great team, a brand new car, a great driver lineup, and all the ingredients to win the championship. What else can you ask for?”

About TRG:

TRG is a full-service motorsports company offering a total driver ladder approach, as well as comprehensive sponsorship and business opportunities. For drivers, this approach starts with track days, goes to club events, up into street stock series and culminates in the ultimate goal of professional motorsports. For sponsors and business partners, this method starts with everything from executive events and traditional sponsorship models, to comprehensive business-to-business opportunities and experiential marketing. The team races in America’s two largest sport car series – the American Le Mans Series and the GRAND-AM Rolex Series and can offer turn-key marketing programs as well as arrive-and-drive support.

The Racer’s Group was founded in 1993 and has been competing at the top level of motor racing. The team boasts Rolex Series GT championships in 2005 and 2006 and holds the record for the most wins in GRAND-AM with 32. The team’s resume is highlighted by four championships, four Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona victories, a 24 Hours of Le Mans win, a victory at Petite Le Mans and the longest standing ALMS podium run with 16 in a row.

For more information and sponsorship details, please email info@theracersgroup.com.

Detailed team info can be viewed at www.theracersgroup.com.

TORONTO, ON – Heading into its seventh year of competition, the Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Continental Tire (CTCC) has truly earned the distinction of being Canada’s premiere professional road racing series. Appropriately, the series’ rise to the top has mirrored that of the Canadian Motorsports Expo powered by Inside Track Motorsport News. The two will join forces again on February 8-10 at Toronto’s International Centre, as the CTCC will use its presence at the show to reveal its finalized 2013 racing schedule.

“The Canadian Motorsports Expo is a great place for us to launch our season,” said series founder and President John Bondar. “The buzz surrounding the show really kicks the anticipation for the upcoming year into high gear.”

The Canadian Touring Car Championship features three distinct divisions, in simultaneous competition, in races usually 30 minutes in duration. All classes are based on production compact models, with marques ranging from Hyundai to Honda, and from MINI Coopers to Toyota Scions.

The CTCC’s top level, Super Class cars feature heavily modified engine and suspension components, and advanced aerodynamic packages. Their slightly less powerful Touring Class counterparts are more limited, with only minimal modifications permitted. In 2012, the new B-Spec class became the CTCC’s entry-level division, with the only allowable changes to the showroom stock sub-compacts made in accordance with regulations pertaining to driver safety.

Last season (2012), the Canadian Touring Car Championship competitors performed in front of more than 700,000 spectators, showcasing their talents on weekends in support of such events as: the Formula One and NASCAR Nationwide races in Montreal, the American Le Mans Series at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and the Firestone Indy Lights series on the temporary GP3R street circuit in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. And the preliminary 2013 racing calendar looks just as impressive.

“We plan to confirm a seven date schedule at the CME,” continues Bondar. “All of our race weekends will again be double-header events. This arrangement gives our drivers and teams plenty of time to interact with the race fans from across Ontario, Quebec and the rest of Canada as well as the northern United States.”

The Canadian Motorsports Expo will give the CTCC an opportunity to introduce even more potential race fans to the series. Throughout the show, the CTCC display will feature videos of 2012 race action. Taking centre stage in the CTCC booth will be the 2012 Touring Class winning Blanchet Racing Honda of Damon Sharpe, as well as the B-Spec Mazda 2 Media car.

Sharpe and Bondar will be on hand to discuss the past and the future of the Canadian Touring Car Championship series, as will Dominique Longval (Manager-Marketing and Communications) and many of the series’ technical support staff.

“The 2013 season is looking to be our best so far in terms of car count and driver interest, and the Canadian Motorsports Expo is going to be a great starting point for this year,” concluded Bondar.

ABOUT CTCC: The Canadian Touring Car Championship (CTCC) presented by Continental Tire is the only truly Canadian professional road racing series, showcasing race cars based on their street stock versions. Gaining worldwide attention and respect, the CTCC has been the starting point for many Canadian sportscar drivers now competing on the international scene. Its graduates include such notables as Kuno Wittmer, Paul Dalla Lana, and David Bensadoun. Fans can follow the Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Continental Tire on the series’ website, www.TouringCar.ca.

Answering directly to the ASN Canada FIA motorsports governing body, the Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs – Ontario Region (CASC – OR) is the sanctioning organization for virtually every discipline of amateur racing in the province.

With over 30 affiliated car and racing clubs under its umbrella, the CASC –OR regulates not only Road and Ice Racing, Time Attack and Auto Slalom competitions in regards to sanctioning, licensing and safety standards, but also tends to the ‘behind the scenes’ volunteers involved in every aspect of the sport, from Timing and Scoring, to Scrutineering, to trackside Marshalling.

With such a broad variety of responsibilities, the CASC – OR is always looking to add interested personnel to their motorsport ranks, and views the Canadian Motorsports Expo powered by Inside Track Motorsport News, as a perfect venue for recruitment opportunities.

“The volunteer service is essential to any racing venture,” explains CASC-OR Vice President Robert Lauder. “It doesn’t matter which area people want to be a part of, it’s a great way to become part of the sport.”

At the 2013 edition of the Canadian Motorsports Expo, set to run February 8, 9 and 10, 2013 at Toronto’s International Centre, the Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs will be in attendance, their display designed to showcase the various competitive divisions, with vehicles on hand from each of the racing disciplines. Representatives from each car club, and board members from the CASC will be on hand to answer any questions, and to distribute calendars and schedules for the upcoming 2013 racing season.

“We want to attract the race fan to become part of the competition, we want them to see what we have to offer,” adds Lauder. “We race throughout Southern Ontario, from Canadian Tire Motorsport Park near Bowmanville, to Shannonville on the Bay of Quinte to Calabogie Motorsports Park near Ottawa. So it doesn’t matter where people live, they’re close to the action.”

As part of the Canadian Motorsports Expo promotion, the CASC – Ontario Region will be holding draws, giving the CME visitors an opportunity to win a race school date in either: Time Attack, Auto Slalom or Road Racing. The prize package is valued at up to $800.00.

Information regarding the Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs-Ontario Region, their affiliated car and racing clubs or the 2013 racing schedules can be found on their website at www.casc.on.ca or by calling (877) 667-9505. Inquiries in writing may be sent to their offices at CASC – OR, 1100 Barmac Drive, Toronto, M9L 2X3.

ABOUT THE CME: The 7th Annual Canadian Motorsports Expo Powered by Inside Track Motorsport News takes place February 8, 9 & 10, 2013 at Toronto’s International Centre, adjacent to Pearson International Airport. The show features motorsports content geared to racers and fans. For information about the show, including exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities, call (416) 962-7223, or email info@CanadianMotorsportsExpo.com. The CME’s website is located at www.CanadianMotorsportsExpo.com.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (JANUARY 16, 2013) – Dylan Kwasniewski, the 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West (NKNPSW) Champion, will compete for a championship in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKNPSE) with Turner Scott Motorsports (TSM) in 2013. TSM, which currently houses NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) teams, will expand their operation to include three full-time and two part-time entries in the NKNPSE ranks. Kwasniewski will first take to the track for TSM in the UNOH Battle at the Beach in Daytona, which the young driver locked himself into by winning the 2012 NKNPSW Championship.

Kwasniewski got his start in racing at the early age of five, competing in go-karts. Moving up the ranks, Kwasniewski went on to become the youngest champion in track history in the Semi Pro Legend Car series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Kwasniewski made his NASCAR debut in 2011, finishing an impressive fifth place in the NKNPSW final point standings despite not competing in the first race.  Kwasniewski tallied two wins, two poles, eight top-fives and nine top-10s. Not to be outdone by his performance from the previous season, 2012 was one for the record books. Kwasniewski went on to record three wins, six poles, 12 top-fives and 15 top-10s en route to becoming the youngest champion in NKNPSW history.

“It is really exciting and an honor to join Turner Scott Motorsports, especially at this time when the organization has just announced their expansion,” said Kwasniewski. “Everyone I’ve met at TSM so far is dedicated and committed to results and performance. Moving from the West Series to the East is a natural progression for me as I continue to develop as a driver. The chance to drive for Turner Scott Motorsports under the direction of Steve Turner, Harry Scott Jr. and veteran Mike Greci came up last fall. I knew immediately it would be a perfect fit for me. TSM has consistently put the best equipment on the track in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series, and I know they will do the same in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, giving me the best opportunity to win races and make a run at the championship this year.”

“Being able to add another young talent like Dylan [Kwasniewski] to our portfolio of drivers for 2013 is great for this entire organization,” said Steve Turner, co-owner of Turner Scott Motorsports. “Not only is he is talent on the track, but he is a amazing young man off the track. Everyone at Turner Scott Motorsports is looking forward to working with Dylan.”

Details regarding Kwasniewski’s sponsor, crew and car number will be provided in the near future.

About Turner Scott Motorsports:

Turner Scott Motorsports was established in 1999 by Texas businessman Steve Turner, who was joined by partner Harry Scott Jr. as co-owner in 2013. This season will mark the fourth season of full-time NASCAR competition for the organization, which expanded in 2011 from a two-truck operation in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) to become the largest stand-alone multi-series team in NASCAR’s top-tier touring series. The team earned its first championship when James Buescher captured the NCWTS title in 2012. Turner Scott Motorsports operates out of an 110,000 square-foot state-of-the art facility in Mooresville, N.C. The Chevrolet-backed team has created alliances with General Motors’ powerhouse team Hendrick Motorsports, which provides engine support for both its NNS and NCWTS programs, and Earnhardt Technology Group for drive train and suspension technology assistance. For more information on Turner Scott Motorsports, visit www.TurnerScottMotorsports.com.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (JANUARY 16, 2013) – Turner Scott Motorsports (TSM) announced today that NASCAR K&N Pro Series West (NKNPSW) 2012 Sunoco Rookie of the Year Austin Dyne will compete full time for the team in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKNPSE) in 2013. TSM, which competed in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) in 2012, will expand their operation to add five entries in the NKNPSE, with two of the entries running a partial schedule.

Dyne, who started racing go-karts in 2007, has quickly moved up through the racing ranks. In 2010, Dyne graduated from go-karts to formula cars. Racing in the Skip Barber Eastern Championship, he scored his first victory at Lime Rock Park in 2010. In 2011, Dyne advanced to stock cars, competing in S2 and Late Models at California’s premier short track Irwindale Speedway. In 2012, Dyne earned two top-fives and eight top-10s in his rookie season in the NKNPSW. With one less start than his closest competitor, Dyne’s strong effort allowed him to capture the Sunoco Rookie of the Year award by one point.

“I am really thrilled to be racing for a championship-caliber organization like Turner Scott Motorsports,” said Dyne. “I want to thank Steve Turner and Harry Scott Jr. for giving me the opportunity to race in such top notch equipment. Each year the East Series is where some of the best development teams compete, and I look forward to racing against these teams as I continue my racing career.”

“All of us at Turner Scott Motorsports are extremely pleased to have Austin join our team,” said Steve Turner, co-owner of Turner Scott Motorsports. “He is a great driver with great skills. I am confident we can continue his development and have a successful season. I personally enjoy working with the younger talent and helping them reach their goals.”

Details regarding Dyne’s sponsor, crew and car number will be announced in the near future.

About Turner Scott Motorsports:

Turner Scott Motorsports was established in 1999 by Texas businessman Steve Turner. 2013 will mark the fourth season of full-time NASCAR competition for the organization, which expanded in 2011 from a two-truck operation in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) to become the largest stand-alone multi-series team in NASCAR’s top-tier touring series. The team earned its first championship when James Buescher captured the NCWTS title in 2012. Turner Scott Motorsports operates out of an 110,000 square-foot state-of-the art facility in Mooresville, N.C. The Chevrolet-backed team has created alliances with General Motors’ powerhouse team Hendrick Motorsports, which provides engine support for both its NNS and NCWTS programs, and Earnhardt Technology Group for drive train and suspension technology assistance. For more information on Turner Scott Motorsports, visit www.TurnerScottMotorsports.com.