Have a FaceBook, Twitter, or other social networking account?

Link them to your fanatic account!

Add An Account

TAKE ME TO...
Grand Am
GRAND-AM: Barber Preview
Rolex Sports Car Series roars back into action this weekend at Barber Motorsports Park...
John Dagys  |  Posted April 07, 2011   Leeds, AL
Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas have been on a hot streak in DP competition. Will it continue this weekend at Barber? (Photo: John Dagys)
There’s been no denying Chip Ganassi’s hot streak in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. With Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas on the heels of five straight Daytona Prototype victories, including 11 of the last 13 races, the question on everyone’s mind this weekend at Barber Motorsports Park is if anyone can stop the Telmex Riley-BMW domination?

The numbers don’t play into the competition’s favor. Pruett and Rojas head into Saturday’s Porsche 250 (Sunday, 12 p.m. ET, SPEED) as defending race winners. The duo additionally claimed victory at the 2.3-mile road course in 2008, both times going on to take the Rolex Series championship.

But given some strong runs in last month’s Grand Prix of Miami, there are no doubt a few capable contenders that could derail the Ganassi freight-train.
SunTrust Racing could be one of the teams that could break the No. 01's winning streak. (Photo: John Dagys)

SunTrust Racing came close to pulling it off at Homestead-Miami, with Max Angelelli losing the lead to Pruett in the closing minutes. The rapid Italian and co-driver Ricky Taylor return to Barber, site of the 21-year-old’s first career pole and an impressive opening stint in the race.

Another pair that will be looking to fight back are GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing’s Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty. Like Ganassi, the ‘Red Dragon’ has visited victory lane at Barber on two previous occasions, but engine failure here last year robbed the Riley-Chevrolet of a solid result.

Action Express Racing’s Darren Law and David Donohue, still riding high following their podium finish in Round 2, could again be a factor, as well as the No. 8 Starworks Motorsport Riley-Ford of Mike Forest and Ryan Dalziel, who nearly pulled an upset win last month.

With the Peter Baron-led crew saving tires all weekend, Dalziel managed to find himself in the lead, with an extra set of Continentals to his benefit, but later retired with a punctured radiator.

Tire wear will likely play a factor yet again, with Daytona Prototype teams only allowed five sets for the entire weekend. Pro-Am drivers enrolled in the Trueman program, though, will be allowed two additional sets, with series ‘Young Guns’ eligible to use six sets.

The battle for top honors in GT is a little less clear-cut, with a pair of different winners already in 2011. But despite TRG’s win at the Rolex 24 and the Turner Motorsport BMW M3 visiting victory lane at Homestead-Miami, it’s Magnus Racing that sits atop the championship standings.

Following their third-place finish last month, Craig Stanton and John Potter hold a three-point lead over fellow Porsche squad, TRG, with driver Spencer Pumpelly and Steve Bertheau in second.
Can Mazda return to victory lane this weekend? (Photo: John Dagys)

While both are likely to play factors again, Saturday’s three-hour contest could see a third different manufacturer rise to the top step of the podium. Both Mazda and Chevrolet have yet to win in 2011 and will be looking for a turnaround after a tough starts to the season.

Defending class champions SpeedSource, with drivers Jeff Segal and Emil Assentato, moved up to 12th in the GT standings following their third-place finish at Homsstead-Miami. Barber is happy hunting ground for the No. 69 Mazda RX-8, as the duo won here last year.

In addition to the sister SpeedSource machine of Sylvain Tremblay and Jonathan Bomarito and the ever-improving Dempsey Racing machines, a pair of Camaro GT.Rs could also have a fighting chance of victory this weekend.

Banner Racing’s Oliver Gavin and Gunter Schaldach showed promise in the opening two rounds, as did the Stevenson Motorsports machine of Jan Magnussen and Robin Liddell, which took pole last time out. Look for both to also be contenders.

Practice kicks off for Rolex Series competitors on Thursday afternoon, followed by final practice and qualifying on tap for Friday. The Porsche 250 gets the green flag Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. Catch the race on SPEED Sunday at 12 p.m. ET.



John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at


john_dagys's avatar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John Dagys

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR
Advertising | Jobs | Feedback | FAQ | Terms of Use | NEW Privacy Policy | Ad Choices | Site Map
Fox Sports | FUEL TV | FX Network | National Geographic | IGN | AskMen
The Motor Sports Authority, SPEED and associated logos are registered trademarks of Speed Channel Inc.
All Rights Reserved © Speed Channel, Inc. 2012

All external links will open in a new browser window. SPEED.com does not endorse external sites.