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Grand Am
GRAND-AM: NJMP Notebook
The New Jersey 250 is filled with a major youth movement, Starworks' hilarious symbols explained, JLowe is on fumes, and more Rolex Series fun.
Marshall Pruett  |  Posted July 18, 2010   Millville, NJ
How did Starworks Motorsports team owner come up with the symbols for each of his four drivers? Read on... (Marshall Pruett)
One Team Doesn’t Want To Go 5-for-5
Buddy Fey, left, and the Marsha Racing Corvette how to show their true potential today. (Marshall Pruett)

While the TELMEX Ganassi duo of Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas seek to go 4-for-4 today at New Jersey Motorsports Park – striving to win their fourth consecutive race, the Marsh Racing team is hoping to break the current streak they’re on, one where’ they’ve gone 4-for-4, but in the wrong direction.

“I hope we don’t go 5-for-5,” said the team’s veteran engineer, Buddy Fey. “We’ve lost four engines over the last four events and I really hope we don’t make it a fifth this weekend.”

The reasons behind the repetitive engine failures has the team scratching its head a bit; one thought is that the valve train is struggling to keep up with the demands for power, while some of the motor mayhem has been ‘operator induced.’ One engine failure was recently experienced on the dyno, throwing another variable into the mix.

Provided everything holds together, Eric Curran and Boris Said are more than capable to providing some fireworks in the race.

Pitot Tubin

The No. 41 Dempsey Racing Mazda RX-8 of James Gue and Leh Keen carried a rather unusual piece of instrumentation for a Rolex GT car on Friday – a Pitot tube.

Pitot tubes – a highly accurate air speed measurement device – is a common sight in open-wheel racing and on expensive prototypes, but they aren’t regularly spotted on GT cars.
The No. 41 with protective tape over the Pitot tube. (Marshall Pruett)

According to the No. 41’s engineer, Scott Besst, that’s the exact reason why they installed the unit.

“We’re trying to learn more about the Mazda’s aerodynamics, and we found this Pitot tube setup in our shop and decided to use it to gather some new data on our car.”

Besst’s efforts to chart the air speed and aerodynamic pressure figures on the bottom of their RX-8s has seen the team install pressure taps beneath the car, allowing them to understand just how air interacts with the underside and the back of the car as it exits.

“We’ve already learned a lot. There’s kind of a aero ‘bubble’ right behind the Mazda, so we’re trying to see how to minimize that because it obviously causes drag. We’ve also learned some interesting things about how we thought the airflow went beneath the car; we thought our gearbox cooler was getting good airflow into it, but actually, the pressure data showed just the opposite was happening.”

All of the Mazda Rolex GT teams have worked in unison this year, sharing data and setup information. While Besst’s aero testing falls outside of the normal information transfer between the teams, he says it’s available for all those who want to use it.
“That’s how we work. I’m still learning from all the data we’ve captured, but if it can help the other Mazda teams, we’re happy to share it.”

Cameron’s Cameo

It’s great to see Dane Cameron back in the Rolex Series paddock, driving for Starworks Motorsports as teammate to veteran driver Bill Lester this weekend.

Cameron, an open-wheel standout who has been trying hard to find a home in GRAND-AM, says he’s ecstatic to land such a coveted seat in the Daytona Prototype series.

“First of all, it's great to be back in the car. Starworks’ cars have been extremely competitive and extremely fast all year so that makes the deal even sweeter. I got the call in the beginning of the week, so it's pretty last-minute, but that wasn’t a concern.”
While Cameron was mentally prepared, the unexpected call required his travel plans to be altered at a moment’s notice.
Dane Cameron. (GRAND-AM)

“I’m always ready to go but I was actually driver-coaching for JDC Motorsports for Star Mazda, so I was in Chicago for what was a quasi-series test that was there when Starworks called me. I had to fly home because I had my Formula car driving stuff but I didn’t have any of my sports car gear, so I went home (to California), grabbed my stuff and I came back on another flight and came back out Wednesday afternoon. So it was pretty good thrash and last minute but I'm really happy to be back in a DP car for the first time in entirely too long.”

Cameron’s last DP ride came in January at the Rolex 24, driving the Beyer Racing Crawford-Chevrolet. While the Crawford’s best days are in the past, Cameron impressed in the rain before mechanical issues halted the team’s efforts. Driving for Peter Baron’s new Starworks team, as Cameron shares, has been everything he expected it to be.

“It's a really great bunch of people, a really talented group of mechanics and engineers we have here. Everything's been really good, everyone's been getting along really well, and it’s been easy for me to just kind of hop in and drive this weekend. I really like working with Ryan [Dalziel] and with Bill [Lester]. Ryan’s one of the best there is in this series, so it's a good benchmark for me to gauge myself as to how I’m doing in these cars. That has also helped me get up to speed a little bit. But everything's been great so far and the car's been really good, so let's see what happens in the race.”

With his roots in open-wheel, Cameron says that being a part of a program where most of the drivers hail from open-wheel has made it much easier to collaborate with his teammates.

“Guys like Mike Forest and Ryan Dalziel, they come from the Formula car background so they still have that mentality, but there's a really good atmosphere within the team because it is fairly relaxed just with the bunch of people we have here and everyone has a fun time hanging out and everyone enjoys being with one another. But with the bit of Formula car background that everyone has, we know how to focus, we know how to get the job done, we know what we need to make the cars competitive. So it just makes for a more pleasant atmosphere. We’re all on the same page and that’s rare.”

Today’s race is like an audition for Cameron, and if all goes well, he hopes to get an invitation to finish out the season in the No. 7 Flex-Box car.

“Right now it's just one race thing for this weekend; we’re working hard to see if we can make it happen for the rest of the races, try and finish out the year with Bill, that's the goal. Hopefully, we’ll make that happen and then we'll see where that leads for the following year. I really enjoy the Rolex Series, I especially enjoy Daytona Prototypes; the riley-BMW is one of the best cars I’ve ever driven so I’d like to stay here. If we can make all the pieces fall into place I think this is a great series for me to be in.”

An Unlikely Pairing

Of all the new driver and team pairing this weekend, the most surprising combo comes in the form of Lawson Aschenbach and Autohaus Motorsports.
During his time away from the Rolex Series, Aschenbach has become a regular winner in the Continental St class. (GRAND-AM)

Aschenbach, who was let go by Autohaus in 2008 under rather controversial circumstances, got the call up to rejoin the team to pilot their No. 46 Chevrolet Camaro Rolex GT car this weekend, sharing the car with Corvette Racing star Johnny O’Connell.

With a different management structure in place at Autohaus, the path was cleared for the 2006 SPEED World Challenge GT champion to get a second chance with the Florida-based outfit.

“Throughout the whole process with Autohaus from a few years ago, I still actually stay very good friends and close with the team owner, Bob Kirland, and his family. That whole process of what was going on was definitely out of their control; it wasn't their fault. I knew that there was a chance that I would somehow get back in with them at some point. And I guess the beginning of last year I tested with them because they were hoping to do some of the races and they never really got a chance to do it. So I kind of just continued to talk to them and I got a call from [Autohaus team manager] Marcus Hasselgrove this week and he asked me if I was interested, and I talked to Bob a little bit and he said he had Johnny O'Connell and had Pratt and Miller engineering involved, and I just couldn't say no. So it's definitely a different team dynamic. It's a different team altogether from the one I last drove for. They've made some really good changes and I think it's definitely a top-notch program.”

With the toxic environment he last encountered changed for the better, Aschenbach sees great potential for Kirland’s operation once everyone jells.

“Obviously, our success comes down to people. Without good people, you're not going to go anywhere. And I think Marcus has done a fabulous job, recruited really good mechanics, and they are working with Pratt and Miller to support our engineer. There’s really nothing you can say other than Bob and Marcus are committed to surrounding themselves with great people. And it's actually pretty funny. People don't understand how important people are; it’s not like you can just put a good car on the track and you expect to win. You've got to have a good engineer, you’ve got to have good pit stops, which only comes from a good crew, you’ve got to have everything in line. The whole dynamic has changed.”

As a former factory driver for GM, Aschenbach last piloted the car when it was dressed in Pontiac GXP.R clothing, and in its current guise as a Camaro, he says it didn’t take long to get reacquainted with his old friend.

“The car is fairly similar. Obviously, the body is different, wider, the track’s a little wider, and engine’s a little different. But the basic characteristics are still the same. It's a great thing about these Pratt and Miller-built cars. It was a Pontiac GTO, it was Pontiac GXP.R and now it’s a Camaro, and every version on the car has been really good. It's not a ton different but you have the subtle things, obviously, because it's wider, you have a different handling platform in the corners. The engine is probably a little better than it was before. But the basic characteristics are still there. So it’s not a huge change but it's definitely a better one. It’s a blast to drive. I just need to keep it on the track!”
The Autohaus fits a donor right rear quarter panel from the Stevenson Motorsports team to repair their Camaro after Lawson's off Saturday morning. (Marshall Pruett)

A solo crash Saturday morning on the damp NJMP track caused a bit of a thrash for the Autohaus team to repair the Camaro, but with a few parts and pieces loaned from the rival Stevenson Motorsports Camaro team, Aschenbach’s oops was quickly repaired. Had the crash happened when he first drove for the team, he says the mood in the garage would have soured immediately, but with the 2010 version of Autohaus, everyone went about their business and remained focused. If he gets the chance, he’d like to do more races with Kirland and Hasselgrove.

“Right now it's just a one-off. But, obviously, Johnny and I have been talking and we would love to do more. I think the whole team would love to do more because everyone is excited to see how far we can go and I think with a little bit more time to get us all really into tune, I think we are going to be really strong. It's tough getting thrown into the weekend when Johnny and I haven't worked together, I know who he is and obviously he knows who I am, but we haven't worked together. So, obviously, that takes a little time. But as close as we've been to the pace this weekend, I think we been making really good strides with the car. It’s hard not to be fired up about this program and all the potential they have.”

Starworks’ Symbols

Humor is a regular part of the proceedings in the Starworks Motorsports garage, and that bit of levity also extends to their cars. Team owner Peter Baron, according to lead driver Ryan Dalziel, has enjoyed expressing himself on the sides of the Nos. 7 and 8 Starworks cars, replacing the traditional national flags that accompany each driver’s name with a symbol he feels is more befitting of their respective character.

“Peter doesn’t like flags. These are much better.”

For the two drivers of the No. 7 Flex-Box Riley-BMW, Bill Lester’s name sports the most mysterious symbol – one of the ‘Cloud City’ from the movie ‘Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.’ If you follow Baron’s train of thinking, Lester, has a perfectly coiffed moustache that looks similar to the one worn by the actor Billy Dee Williams, best known for playing Lando Calrissian…the character in charge of Cloud City…

Lester’s new teammate, Dane Cameron, has a symbol that’s much more self explanatory – a Great Dane.

Lester’s previous teammate, the rather effete Frenchman, Nelson Phillippe, had a symbol Dalziel really liked. “It was of Barbie. Perfect.”

Move over the No. 8 Corsa Car Care entry, and drivers Mike Forest and Dalziel are on the receiving end of Riley’s more playful side.

For Forest, his symbol is of the lead character from the TV show “My Name is Earl” in an ode to the not-quite-right moustache Forest has attempted to grow.

For Dalziel, Baron saved the best and most risqué symbol. Baron and Dalziel, fans of the Cavalcade of Cartoons show created by Seth MacFarlane, best known for the “Family Guy” series on Fox, says the symbol of a farmer shearing a sheep is loaded with double entendres.

“We say I’m ‘shearing sheep’ whenever I pass somebody, so that’s where it comes from, but there are a few other meanings too. Those aren’t for the kiddies to hear about.”

Googling ‘cavalcade of cartoons + sheep shearing’ returned a video clip that was WELL beyond R-rated, and gave great insights to the twisted nature of Baron’s mind.

Baron and Dalziel hope to shear more sheep later today at the NJMP 250…

The Rapid Ascension of Matt Bell

Another young charger on his way up the Rolex Series ladder is California’s Matt Bell. Of all the drivers in the race today, Bell is one of the best examples of how a talented pilot can work their way up through the various GRAND-AM classes.

Making his Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge debut in 2009 driving an ST class BMW for turner Motorsports, Bell quickly graduated to the bigger, faster GS class. Scoring multiple pole positions and wins, Bell made the leap to the Rolex Series for 2010, driving a GT class Stevenson Motorsports Camaro at the Rolex 24. Continuing his GS education, Bell has also driven for Stevenson this year in the Sunoco-liveried Camaro, but when the opportunity to step up to the Daytona Prototype category this weekend with Doran Racing, Bell couldn’t refuse.

In what’s likely a record for how quickly a driver has ascended from ST to DP, Bell says keeping the different traits of multiple cars separate in his mind has been part of the challenge.

“I’ve overlapped series -- I think that’s a good way to put it. And I'm struggling with that today even. When you’re still doing one thing when you’re trying another like I am by racing this weekend in GS and DP, it takes more than just double the brainpower to switch back and forth because it's really easy to slip into habits you've learned in one car and bring them over to the other. You can't find a more different car in this field than our Camaro versus the DP car. And it was very similar actually to Daytona going from the GS Camaro to the GT Camaro. But the ascension, it doesn't feel like it because as soon as I’m in one class I try my best and the best is all I've got and I can always learn but the learning curve, it kind of flattens out once you're in that class and gotten the hang of it, obviously. As soon as that happens I'm starting to think, what else can I do? So once I was in GS, I thought that those GT cars look pretty cool. Next, it was ‘GT was pretty cool, I wonder about a DP.’ So it’s just trying everything new. And I want to keep going till my talent or my learning skills kind of peter out.”

With a few days of DP experience to reflect on, Bell says driving a prototype has been a pleasure.
Matt Bell has been quick so far in the No. 77 McDonald's Dallara. (Marshall Pruett)

“It's difficult but it's not as difficult as some might feel. If you think of it in the engineering aspect, as I do, or technically and mechanically, you can prepare yourself; you know what the difference is, you know, okay, it's downforce versus lift, like our GS Camaro has. It's got double wishbone suspension, like a real race car should, nothing against the streetcar Camaro or anything else, but those are big differences. And you kind of have to prep yourself thinking, well, what is going to change about the driving? But, honestly, the DP car, it’s fairly easy to come into just because it does everything it’s supposed to. I could estimate all I want on a Camaro or an M3 or a Porsche or any of the streetcars and I would likely be wrong.

“I come into a DP car and I go, well, I know it has downforce so I'm going to drive it like a downforce car. I know it can brake significantly later, so once you try it you're pretty much close to up to speed. Once you're there, it’s just a very fine tuning of a foot here or there, later braking or maybe slip into the gas a little easier; simple things like that. I’m cautiously optimistic about the situation but I'm excited. I'm turning more into an adrenaline junkie after driving the car. It's just like I want to drive it more. Is just like you're sweating profusely all the time and you’re aching because the seat’s not quite right yet, but it's fantastic.”

Driving for a famed sportscar team owner like Kevin Doran could have added pressure for Bell on his DP debut, but as he’s found, the Ohio-based team is run like a family, making this weekend much easier for him.

“Kevin is awesome. They're every bit of professional as any other team here but they have this kind of down-home feel when you're talking to them. You don't feel like you're talking to a Formula One manager who won’t give you any information. He's very happy telling you anything you ask about. In fact, he'll probably tell you a little bit more, which is even better. So I don't think I could be in a better scenario.”

Like the other young guns making their debut (or return) to the Rolex Series this weekend, Bell hopes his performance in Doran’s Dallara-Ford will earn another shot to drive.

“I don't think it's up to me. I would love to do more races, though. One of the goals with this, actually, originally I made a contract, was supposed to be for a test, so this is kind of a trial by fire; so after this race I'd like people to at least know that there's not that extra question mark about me. They’ll see that I belong in DP. Maybe it'll open up the opportunity for Doran or other people to look at me and maybe bring me in.”

Always On Call

Dr. Jim Lowe is back in action this weekend, racing his JLowe Porsche in the Rolex GT class with Porsche veteran Johannes van Overbeek, but as Lowe shares, the talented neurosurgeon is always on call, always in the midst of some form of action, and isn’t likely to slow down.

“It's funny because I absolutely enjoy, when I have the opportunity, sitting back on the couch and watching a ballgame. I'm a big fan of relaxation. But it's also equally, absolutely true that I'm only truly emotionally happy whenever I’ve got a lot going on. And I don't know what that is, some chromosomal defect I have, I'm not sure. I was thinking about it as I got in last night, at 11 o'clock at night, before I even showered to go up to bed, I'm thinking, geez, your last six days in a row, between my surgical practice and this event, I’ve been getting up at 4:30 in the morning and getting to bed at midnight and I've never been so exhausted, I'm kind of running on fumes already, and I'm completely and totally satisfied. And it's not because I'm not so crazy that I must be exhausted, it's just that I enjoy having things going on. And it's not a conscious effort; it's not like I sit there and try an over-schedule myself.
A weary but satisfied Jim Lowe. (JLowe Racing)

“My wife will tell you that I'm not the guy you want to be around when I've got nothing to do. She looks at my schedule and if I’ve got surgery canceled, I look at her and say, ‘On Tuesday they canceled my case, I don't have anything scheduled. My schedule’s clear.’ And she does not look forward to that. She says, ‘Okay, well, look, we need to find you something to do.’ It's not some bizarre need to be overwhelmed – and I can get overwhelmed if I’m not careful – but I do like to have a lot going on. And it's good for me. When I’m at the track, today, I think I'm scheduled, between the driving and these other things, like every 15 minutes is blocked out. But that's much better than going into the hauler and staring at the air-conditioning vents. For me, I’d rather do it this way. I go home, I really sleep very, very well. So it's that kind of hectic thing. And it's just always been that way for me.”

Lowe’s schedule has kept him from full-time participation in the Rolex Series, but if all goes according to play, he’ll field a two-car effort for the entire 2011 season. Until then, achieving some semblance of balance in his persona, professional and sporting lives will remain a challenge.

“Well, picking and choosing what to do is the way you start and the way I've done it so far because that's pretty critical because the one thing I demanded of this whole thing is when you pick and choose an event to do, we don't do them in a half-assed way. “I just refuse to do things that way. Every time we've been on the track we’ve put a good program on the track I think. But my goal is to run a full season; in fact, my goal’s to run a full season with potentially more than one car. The concept there, what I’ve also realized is that I'm fortunate to have the people around me who are very tolerant of the concept of me being a slave to many masters. For example, my partner in my surgical practice is just a phenomenally great guy and he picks up the slack when I'm not around. And he does that and he does that so well and so nicely and it’s such a great thing to have that luxury of somebody like that to work with. My wife and family are understanding of this.

“And frankly, I think my wife realizes that I am such – not necessarily a good person – but a better person than whatever the baseline is when I'm at a racetrack. She likes the fact that when I’m at the racetrack things are better. So there’s huge advantages for me to try that, for all the reasons we just mentioned, but it requires everybody around me to realize that there are some sacrifices that need to be – there's a little bit of if you give too much time to one thing you’ve got to take away from everything; there is x amount of time. But it's nice, I'm lucky that those people around me let that be possible.”

Marshall Pruett is SPEED.com’s Auto Racing Editor, and also covers IndyCar and sportscar racing for the site. Pruett grew up at ‘Pruett's Olde English Garage,’ his father's shelter for abused foreign cars, and spent his childhood being dragged across the West Coast to help with his dad's amateur racing exploits.

Pruett spent 20 years working in the IRL, CART, IMSA, and most of the known open-wheel feeder series before retiring from active duty in 2001. And in case you were wondering, he isn’t related to Scott Pruett.

Marshall lives in Northern California with his wife Shabral, and can be emailed . He can also be harassed on Twitter .

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