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GRAND-AM
GRAND-AM: Rolex Series Tests At IMS
For just the third time in GRAND-AM history, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway played host to cars from the Rolex Sports Car Series as Continental Tire staged a private tire test...
The roar of GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series machinery returned to Indianapolis Motor Speedway this week, in preparation for July's race at the famed circuit. (Photo: Matt Cleary)
For just the third time in GRAND-AM history, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway played host to cars from the Rolex Sports Car Series as Continental Tire staged a private tire test ahead of the Kroger SuperWeekend on July 27th.
The GRAND-AM event will be a one-day affair that boasts a schedule that should keep even the most attention-challenged race fans fully enthralled. The 2.605-mile oval-based road circuit will stage practice, qualifying and races for both the Rolex Sports Car Series and Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge all on the same day.
Beyond the historical significance of GRAND-AM being added to the now-traditional NASCAR Sprint Cup race weekend at the Brickyard, the Rolex Series race will portend even greater importance as it will also serve as the final round of the inaugural North American Endurance Championship presented by VISITFLORIDA.com.
Tuesday’s test saw the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates BMW-Riley entry of Memo Rojas and Scott Pruett, fresh from taking the point in the Team and Driver Championship standings, as well as the No. 99 GAINSCO Racing entry with John Fogarty taking part in the test for the DP category.
The Rolex Series GT Class, which harbors a widely disparate field of racers, saw that diversity reflected as the rear-engined APR Motorsport No. 51 Audi R8 was joined by the Detroit-winning No. 88 Autohaus Motorsports Camaro GT.R of Paul Edwards.
The track, which has an infamous relationship with tires through the years, didn’t take the rubber in as anticipated as the day saw the teams test with both short and longer runs. The previous Continental Tire test at the track last fall closely followed the MOTOGP round, but Tuesday’s track was a very green one. Despite not having the full run program implemented, the Continental Tire representatives and engineers on hand were pleased to get yet more data as GRAND-AM prepares for the big debut.
“The conditions of the track are nothing like they were in September,” said Bruce Foss, Continental Tire Product Manager for GRAND-AM. “We have not been able to put rubber down today. Very possibly because when we tested here in September, we started with softer compounds and were able to put rubber on the race track. We had more cars here in September. But, today with only four cars here and now only three running (Audi mechanical issue), we’re slowly improving but we’re not going to be able to put enough rubber down to get a representation of what the track conditions should be.”
“It’s an incredibly green track right now,” said Pruett, who also raced at the Speedway in both IndyCar and NASCAR Sprint Cup competition. “It’s good that Continental is here at least getting some sense of where we’re at and what we need to do. The tire wear is significantly high but that’s to be expected because of this green track. The good news is that we’ll have a two day test with the Continental cars and the Rolex DPs and GTs so we’ll be building a lot of rubber for that two day test. The other good news is that there will be a lot of entries for this race so they’ll be building tire the whole weekend and we’ll get through it.”
“It’s great for Continental Tire to come out here and verify the tires they have. They want to make sure they have a tire that will put on a good show,” said GAINSCO’s Fogarty, who scored his 21st career Rolex Series pole last weekend at Mid-Ohio. “So we’re working towards that and making progress. Indianapolis is awesome. This is the capital of racing so it’s a big deal for GRAND-AM to be able to come. And for our sponsor GAINSCO Auto Insurance, it’s just a great opportunity to be in front of so many people and bring something a little different to what you’re used to seeing out here. I think it will be a fun show. It will be different and what an awesome opportunity for people to come out and see something different.”
With the test ramping up talk of the race, the home team and championship-leading Ganassi squad has a little bit of extra self-imposed pressure as the team looks to follow up the “ChipSlam” (Daytona and Indianapolis 500 wins along with Brickyard 400 victory and a Rolex 24 win) with a “BrickSlam”-- a Rolex Series victory on a track where the team has won in both NASCAR and IndyCar.
“Certainly Indy means a lot to everyone at Chip Ganassi - especially Chip Ganassi,” said Tim Keene, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Team Manager. “It means everything. Indy is prestige. Everybody wants to run Indy regardless of what it is. If they had a bicycle race out here you’d want to be a part of it. It would mean a lot to win this race. There’s for sure a lot of focus on coming back here and running strong. The more the track rubbers in, the better it’s going to be. You’re going to see different downforce levels working better at times than others. It’s going to make it a challenge for sure.”
Beyond the local media and track personnel, the event also saw several interested onlookers during the test, including Lyn St. James, who is slated to make a return to road racing competition with a run in the SpeedSource Mazda RX-8.
St. James, who won the 1992 Indianapolis 500 Rookie honors and last raced in the 2000 Indianapolis 500, is set to team with IndyCar pilot Ana Beatriz in the Rolex race as St. James has found herself studying up as she returns to road racing competition.
“I could not believe how unbelievably competitive and the depth of the competition is,” said St. James after following the recent rounds of Rolex Series competition. “So, that kind of got my attention. I'm seeing that it's 10-12 cars at least and they're like literally within a half second of each other if not even less. So I'm incredibly impressed with the depth of the field and the quality of the drivers and the quality of the teams. So I know this is going to a be a huge challenge for me, but I'm up for it. But it's because it's Indy -hey didn't have to twist my arm!”
The Rolex Sports Car Series drivers and teams will look to make the most of the upcoming off weekend as GRAND-AM charges through a hectic summer schedule that sees the series staging five events in six weekends that culminates with the open test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway July 6-7.
With experience at Skip Barber Racing School, Lime Rock Park, and several IndyCar teams, Matt Cleary has covered open wheel and sports car racing for over a decade. Working for Sunday Group Management, Cleary also provides strategic motorsports consulting for a range of clients in the sport. You can follow him on Twitter @sundaygroup
The GRAND-AM event will be a one-day affair that boasts a schedule that should keep even the most attention-challenged race fans fully enthralled. The 2.605-mile oval-based road circuit will stage practice, qualifying and races for both the Rolex Sports Car Series and Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge all on the same day.
Beyond the historical significance of GRAND-AM being added to the now-traditional NASCAR Sprint Cup race weekend at the Brickyard, the Rolex Series race will portend even greater importance as it will also serve as the final round of the inaugural North American Endurance Championship presented by VISITFLORIDA.com.
Tuesday’s test saw the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates BMW-Riley entry of Memo Rojas and Scott Pruett, fresh from taking the point in the Team and Driver Championship standings, as well as the No. 99 GAINSCO Racing entry with John Fogarty taking part in the test for the DP category.
The Rolex Series GT Class, which harbors a widely disparate field of racers, saw that diversity reflected as the rear-engined APR Motorsport No. 51 Audi R8 was joined by the Detroit-winning No. 88 Autohaus Motorsports Camaro GT.R of Paul Edwards.
The track, which has an infamous relationship with tires through the years, didn’t take the rubber in as anticipated as the day saw the teams test with both short and longer runs. The previous Continental Tire test at the track last fall closely followed the MOTOGP round, but Tuesday’s track was a very green one. Despite not having the full run program implemented, the Continental Tire representatives and engineers on hand were pleased to get yet more data as GRAND-AM prepares for the big debut.
“The conditions of the track are nothing like they were in September,” said Bruce Foss, Continental Tire Product Manager for GRAND-AM. “We have not been able to put rubber down today. Very possibly because when we tested here in September, we started with softer compounds and were able to put rubber on the race track. We had more cars here in September. But, today with only four cars here and now only three running (Audi mechanical issue), we’re slowly improving but we’re not going to be able to put enough rubber down to get a representation of what the track conditions should be.”
“It’s an incredibly green track right now,” said Pruett, who also raced at the Speedway in both IndyCar and NASCAR Sprint Cup competition. “It’s good that Continental is here at least getting some sense of where we’re at and what we need to do. The tire wear is significantly high but that’s to be expected because of this green track. The good news is that we’ll have a two day test with the Continental cars and the Rolex DPs and GTs so we’ll be building a lot of rubber for that two day test. The other good news is that there will be a lot of entries for this race so they’ll be building tire the whole weekend and we’ll get through it.”
“It’s great for Continental Tire to come out here and verify the tires they have. They want to make sure they have a tire that will put on a good show,” said GAINSCO’s Fogarty, who scored his 21st career Rolex Series pole last weekend at Mid-Ohio. “So we’re working towards that and making progress. Indianapolis is awesome. This is the capital of racing so it’s a big deal for GRAND-AM to be able to come. And for our sponsor GAINSCO Auto Insurance, it’s just a great opportunity to be in front of so many people and bring something a little different to what you’re used to seeing out here. I think it will be a fun show. It will be different and what an awesome opportunity for people to come out and see something different.”
With the test ramping up talk of the race, the home team and championship-leading Ganassi squad has a little bit of extra self-imposed pressure as the team looks to follow up the “ChipSlam” (Daytona and Indianapolis 500 wins along with Brickyard 400 victory and a Rolex 24 win) with a “BrickSlam”-- a Rolex Series victory on a track where the team has won in both NASCAR and IndyCar.
“Certainly Indy means a lot to everyone at Chip Ganassi - especially Chip Ganassi,” said Tim Keene, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Team Manager. “It means everything. Indy is prestige. Everybody wants to run Indy regardless of what it is. If they had a bicycle race out here you’d want to be a part of it. It would mean a lot to win this race. There’s for sure a lot of focus on coming back here and running strong. The more the track rubbers in, the better it’s going to be. You’re going to see different downforce levels working better at times than others. It’s going to make it a challenge for sure.”
Beyond the local media and track personnel, the event also saw several interested onlookers during the test, including Lyn St. James, who is slated to make a return to road racing competition with a run in the SpeedSource Mazda RX-8.
St. James, who won the 1992 Indianapolis 500 Rookie honors and last raced in the 2000 Indianapolis 500, is set to team with IndyCar pilot Ana Beatriz in the Rolex race as St. James has found herself studying up as she returns to road racing competition.
“I could not believe how unbelievably competitive and the depth of the competition is,” said St. James after following the recent rounds of Rolex Series competition. “So, that kind of got my attention. I'm seeing that it's 10-12 cars at least and they're like literally within a half second of each other if not even less. So I'm incredibly impressed with the depth of the field and the quality of the drivers and the quality of the teams. So I know this is going to a be a huge challenge for me, but I'm up for it. But it's because it's Indy -hey didn't have to twist my arm!”
The Rolex Sports Car Series drivers and teams will look to make the most of the upcoming off weekend as GRAND-AM charges through a hectic summer schedule that sees the series staging five events in six weekends that culminates with the open test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway July 6-7.
With experience at Skip Barber Racing School, Lime Rock Park, and several IndyCar teams, Matt Cleary has covered open wheel and sports car racing for over a decade. Working for Sunday Group Management, Cleary also provides strategic motorsports consulting for a range of clients in the sport. You can follow him on Twitter @sundaygroup
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