LAW: Highs And Lows In 2009

Le Mans / ALMS

LAW: Highs And Lows In 2009

Now the 2009 season is finished. I had some real high points and some real low points, as well. It started off with such a great win, the 24 Hours of Daytona.

Darren Law | http://www.darrenlaw.com | Posted October 19, 2009 Phoenix, AZ

Law was a busy man, racing once again in Grand-Am and the ALMS. (LAT)

In our final race of the season for the Grand-Am Rolex Series, we ran the Grand Prix of Miami at Homestead-Miami Speedway. We were really looking forward to the final event; the Porsche-powered prototypes always seem to run great here. I think it is because so much of the lap is spent at top RPM and that is where the Porsche six-cylinder is best.

It was a lot hotter than we expected and, typical of South Florida, very humid. This makes it hard not only on the drivers and crew, but on the car, as well. It runs hot, the tires take a beating and the level of grip is very low. Since we were there with IndyCar, the schedule wasn’t normal. The first day we had a 2.5 hour session and that was it. The next day was a short 30 minutes, then qualifying. My teammate David Donohue couldn’t make it on Thursday because of a prior commitment. It is always nice to have both of us there to give feedback on the car, but I wasn’t going to complain about getting to drive the whole thing!

We fought our usual issues at Homestead, basically lack of grip. But things went well, we had a good race car, I knew David would be okay with it and we were competitive again. We qualified sixth and had a great run in the race. On the first stop, I was up to fourth and our team did a great job and got me out second. I ran that way until about the halfway point and David got to take over. He had a great battle and was sitting third when he got a bit of lockup and fell back two positions. In the end, we didn't get to see if we could have made those two spots back as it went yellow for the final 10 minutes because of a big wreck. It was actually a great ending to the season for us – our team car No. 59 took the win and we came home fifth, with both cars having a strong showing. It was great for everyone at Brumos to win the first and last races of the season.

Now the 2009 season is finished. I had some real high points and some real low points, as well. It started off with such a great win, the 24 Hours of Daytona. This is one of the true classic endurance events in the world. There are really three races that are considered among the biggest in this form of racing – the 24 Hours of Daytona, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 12 Hours of Sebring. I had been on the podium at Daytona and Sebring, but never won. This win was so important for me, as well as my team, Brumos Porsche. They have a great history at this event, but hadn’t won it in many years.

We had some rough spots in the middle of the season, but we ended strong and I am glad we are competitive again. We are planning a very busy off-season with a lot of testing and development work. I think the Brumos Porsche team will look very different next season. I am looking forward to another season with them and also coming back again with my long-time teammate, David Donohue. We are still unsure as to who will join us for next year’s Daytona 24 Hour but I know they will be good.

I also had several ups and downs in my other program, with Flying Lizard Motorsports in the American Le Mans Series. Much like my Rolex Series program, we started off with a string of good finishes, but also mid-season we had a rough spot. I had my first opportunity to go to the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans. Jörg Bergmeister qualified our car on pole and we were having a great run. Unfortunately, about sunrise the following morning, I went off track and crashed the car. It ended our race, so I hope I get another shot at it again next season.

After starting off the year on the highest of highs, Law's #58 Brumos Porsche Daytona Prototype struggled to recapture the glory from their win at the Rolex 24. (LAT)

My team car No. 45 had a great season and won the GT2 championship for the second year in a row. Unfortunately, with the conflicts between the two series, I had to miss several races. It looks like things are a lot better in the scheduling for next season. Although plans haven’t been finalized with this program, I hope to be back with the team again and also joining my teammate Seth Neiman for 2010.

I will keep you updated over the winter and let you know what is happening as soon as I know it. Thanks again for all your support this year. I hope to see you all at the race track again next year!

~Darren

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, SPEED, FOX, or NewsCorp.

Rolex 24 At Daytona winner Darren Law has been racing in multiple sports-car series since 1997. He continues to be the man for all series, entering more than 20 races in three countries this year, driving Daytona Prototype and GT Porsche race cars. On several weekends, he'll commute between tracks, alternating stints in the No. 58 Brumos Racing Porsche-powered Riley in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series and in the No. 44 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 RSR in the American Le Mans Series.

Darren has started more Rolex Series races than any other driver (112 through 2008). His credits include the 2001 GT championship, runner-up in the Sports Racer Prototype II class in 2002 and this year's Rolex 24 win. He is always a top contender in the prestigious Porsche Cup, with a close second in 2007.

Learn more about Darren at DarrenLaw.com, his safety and performance equipment sponsor CDOC at CDOC.com, and his safety enhancement gear partners at ShockDoctor.com.

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Darren Law

DarrenLaw.com

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