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Grand Am
GRAND-AM: Post-Montreal Notebook
Championship charge, GMs in GT, future DPs, tires and $$$ in Sylvia Proudfoot's post-Montreal notebook.
Sylvia Proudfoot  |  Posted August 29, 2010  
Major celebrations went down in Montreal and Chicago on Saturday as the Ganassi DP and IndyCar teams scored major victories. (Brian Cleary/GRAND-AM)
Championship Strategy

Chip Ganassi Racing clinched the 2010 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series Daytona Protoype team championship with a win at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, and drivers Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas have only to drive 30 minutes each in the final race to share the driver title. They did not change their stride in Montréal, choosing to charge, rather than ease into, the championship.

"We didn't change anything from what we've been doing all year," Rojas confirmed. "I think the name of the game was being smart, knowing when to be aggressive and when not to be. When I got caught up with slow cars, there was no point in risking it. We took it smart and we were able to get the lead."

GM in GT

General Motors cars took all three podium positions in the GT class in Montréal. Robin Liddell, driver of the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GT.R, attributed his second-place finish to three factors: "I think we've got a better tire, which has been our fundamental problem all season, we've got a low-drag car at this track and I think Mazda is just consolidating their points ..."

Future DP Design

The Montréal paddock was abuzz with talk of potential changes to the DP cars, from styling cues to turbocharged engines to an international chassis. The series has initiated discussions with manufacturers and team owners, chasing the fine balance between development and cost-effectiveness.

Scott Pruett, co-champion-in-waiting, likes the global concept.

"I know GRAND-AM is looking at any and all opportunities to at least have a platform that can be raced in Europe or raced in the States. I think that's real exciting. I think it also is a very tenuous time right now in all motorsports, [keeping] the grids full and looking at not adding more expense to teams that are already pretty well stretched," he said. "Ultimately, we want to have big fields and great racing and have all those things that GRAND-AM is built on. And as long as we can continue to have that and achieve that, and if we can achieve that even more on a global level, I think that would be exciting."

Wayne Taylor, owner of SunTrust Racing, recommends cautious progress.

"I know there's a big move to draw big car manufacturers in and I think that's fantastic. That's what we need to do," he agreed. "I personally think there are a lot of little things that could be done to initiate some change, because at the end it's going to come down to the costs. ... For example, if people are tired of what the cars look like, what if we get the car manufacturers to work with the constructors and just do some easy styling cues? It can be done at a relatively low cost."

Michael Shank Racing owner Michael Shank knows the reality of lean budgets and the challenge of balancing the cost and opportunity of a big-ticket item like a turbocharged engine.

"The holy grail is a factory deal," he explained. "I would have to have to double my engine cost by going to a turbo, so that worries me. But on the other hand, would I be positioned to have an advantage with the factory? There's a tradeoff there. I think the expense of updating our cars – the way they look – and the possibility of introducing a turbo motor to our series is going to be difficult financially for almost all of us."

Tire Talk

Tire compatibility is always an issue when multiple series race on the same track. The challenge is compounded for Rolex Series tire manufacturer Pirelli, which provides a single spec tire for the season.
Pirelli's Rafael Navarro, left and Gianluca Grioni, right. (Kevin Hinton, Pirelli Tire North America)

Pirelli motorsport manager Gianluca Grioni explained:

"For this championship, we are allowed only one compound. One compound has to work for all different race tracks and all different cars. We are not allowed to change compounds. We cannot change anything – the tire is set, the construction is set, the compound is set. It is the same for all the cars and for all the races."

Rafael Navarro, Pirelli director of media communications and motorsports, added more detail.

"That's really the biggest, quietest, best-kept secret challenge for the tire manufacturer that supplies GRAND-AM because it's one tire, whether you go to a traditional road course, whether you go to a street course, whether you go the banks at Daytona, the banks at Homestead, all the different sort of surfaces, you go in all temperature conditions. And it's all the same tire – one spec, one size – that's approved at the beginning of the year," he said. "That's a big challenge and I think really demonstrates the prowess and the capability that a brand like Pirelli brings into the venue."

GAINSCO Gets It

In lean times, corporate executives scan budgets carefully. Sponsorships that contribute to the bottom line are obviously more durable than those with less substance. GAINSCO Auto Insurance, sponsor of the No. 99 DP, gets significant value from its motorsport association.

"Our logo is all about activation. The race car is the official icon of the company and it's not just about being the best on the race track, it's being the best in the insurance industry. So we use the icon to symbolize to our employees that it's all about winning, being the very best they can be, being high performers and making a difference every day they come to work. Our goal is to be the best non-standard auto insurer in the industry and we need to inspire our employees to make that happen," president and chief executive officer Glenn Anderson noted.

"It's working – we're one of the fastest-growing young companies in the industry and it's been a very successful ride. We're doing it hand-in-hand with the growth of the racing car. We have an awesome expression in our company. It's passion gets you started, but perseverance gets you to the finish line."

Sylvia Proudfoot has seen motorsport from many vantage points. She's worked as a reporter, series media officer, entrant, driver manager, team strategist, event coordinator, logistics administrator and sponsor rep. With stints in open-wheel, stock-car and sports-car racing, she's equally at home at le Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Daytona International Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Nürburgring. Her life before racing spanned political and corporate work, automotive consulting and sports projects including golf, hockey, pro rodeo and the Olympic Games.

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