Another team that walked away pleased with its progress two weeks ago was Stevenson Motorsports. After two successful seasons campaigning a Pontiac GXP.R, the Mike Johnson-led squad had a busy off-season converting its Pratt & Miller-built chassis to Chevrolet Camaros. Now with two elegant-looking Camaro GT.Rs, the team hopes that the wider and lower aerodynamic profile of the car can help achieve the top speed which the GXP.R lacked at Daytona.

With new 2010-spec Mazda RX-8s, SpeedSource is hoping its light and nimble Riley Technologies-built GT machine will be a two-time Rolex 24 winner come Sunday at 3:30 p.m. (LAT)

Season regulars Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis return to the No. 57 machine and are joined by GM factory road racing ace Jan Magnussen for the Rolex 24. It’s a trio of drivers that have the pace to win, but can the car deliver the goods? It’s struggled at Daytona under the GXP.R guise, but with new aerodynamics and further developments, it could be made into a Rolex 24 winner. The team’s No. 97 car of Matt Bell, Mike Borkowski, Brady Refenning and Gunter Schaldach won’t likely have the pace of its sister machine, but could surprise a few if attrition takes it toll.

While GM has effectively pulled out of Rolex Series competition from a financial support standpoint, a handful of teams, like Stevenson, have remained faithful to the iconic American brands. Another team to take advantage of Pratt & Miller’s successful tube-frame chassis has been Godstone Ranch Motorsports/Team MBR. The joint effort from Leighton Reese Performance Group and Michael Baughman Racing has entered a Corvette C6, converted from Reese’s 2008 championship-winning GXP.R.

GM factory driver Paul Edwards headlines the driver lineup, joined by 1990 Daytona 24 Hour overall winner Davy Jones, John McCutchen, Scott Russell and Reese. The team, like a handful of others in the GT paddock, will be racing for a cause. For Godstone, it’s raising money for the Texas Heart Institute in Houston. With veteran engineer and strategist Tony Dowe calling the shots from the the pit box, this entry could be another dark horse.


A pair of BMWs will be making their Rolex 24 debuts, although not likely challenging for top honors in GT this early into its programs. Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge stalwarts Turner Motorsport expands its program to also include the Rolex GT Series for 2010, campaigning a brand-new Riley Technologies-built BMW M6. Constructed to Prep 2 rules for tube-framed GT cars, the 5.0 liter V8-powered machine will be piloted by BMW factory drivers Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand plus veteran road racer Boris Said and rising talent Paul Dalla Lana.


While the second Bimmer in the field is also a M6, the underpinnings are significantly different to the Turner machine. After two seasons with the Pontiac GXP.R, Corsa Team PR1 elected to convert its Pratt & Miller-built machine into a BMW for 2010. The hard work during the off-season has appeared to pay off, as the car was quickest in the December Daytona test. Max Hyatt, Thomas Merrill, Jeff Westphal and DP veteran Rob Finlay are slated to pilot the No. 32 machine.

Turner Motorsports steps up to the Rolex GT Series full-time in 2010 with a BMW M6. (LAT)

Despite the majority of Pontiac teams from last season converting their chassis to other brands for 2010, the legendary American icon will be represented in the Rolex 24, despite the brand currently being phased out on the production line. Autohaus Motorsports will have its No. 46 GXP.R on the grid for road racing veteran Shane Lewis, Richard Zahn, Peter Collins and Romain Ianetta, while Matt Connelly Motorsports has again entered its first-generation Pontiac GTO.R for Mauro Casedi and Gabrio Rosa of Italy.

MCM’s Porsche Cup car will also have a European influence with Jos Menten, Markus Palttala, Oskar Slingerland and Christophe Lapierre sharing the driving duties of the No. 20 machine. A third MCM machine, A Corvette C6, run in conjunction with Black Flag Racing, has been a late addition to the entry list. Sean Breslin, Sean Paul Breslin, Ricardo Romagnoli and Diego Romanini are slated to drive the No. 19 Corvette.

A number of other Porsche entries will also be tackling the 24-hour. Second-year team Miller Barrett Racing makes its Rolex 24 debut with drivers Bryce Miller, Kevin Roush, Like Hines and Peter Ludwig, while Johnny Mowlem, Guy Cosmo, John Baker, Tom Papadopoulos and Lance Willsey team up in an Orbit Racing-entered 911 GT3 Cup car.

Autometrics Motorsports fields a Porsche for World Challenge veteran Seth Thomas, Cory Friedman, Glen Gatlin, Daniel Graeff and Ron Yarab Jr., while Vancouver-based Bullet Racing will be racing for the BC Children’s Hospital. Sean McIntosh, Kees Nierop, Darryl O’Young, Steve Paquette and accomplished driver coach Ross Bentley will share the driving duties of the all-Canadian No. 22 machine.

JLowe Racing, a team assembled by neurosurgeon and Rolex 24 stalwart Jim Lowe, returns for another go with drivers Eric Lux, Jim Pace, Tim Sugden, James Walker and Jim Lowe himself steering the No. 64 Porsche.

TRG’s two other entries also work into the mix. Zak Brown, Henri Richard, Mark Thomas, Rene Villeneuve and Richard Dean will pilot the No. 63 Porsche, while the TRG/Guardian Angel entry has New Englanders Bob Doyle, Bruce Ledoux, David Quinlan, Tom Sheehan and Dan Watkins behind the wheel of the No. 18 machine.

Guardian Angel Motorsports/TRG is one of many teams raising money for charities this weekend. (LAT)

In addition to the SpeedSource and Dempsey Racing machines, up to three additional Mazda RX-8s could start the race. Racers Edge Motorsports fields a single Mazda for second-generation racer Jordan Taylor, 2009 Mazda MX-5 Cup champion Todd Lamb as well as Glenn Bocchino and Jade Buford.

GRAND-AM regulars Team Sahlen has ditched its Corvettes in favor of the ex-SpeedSource RX-8s for 2010. The family run team from Ohio currently has both cars entered with Joe, Wayne and Will Nonnamaker plus Joe Sahlen listed as drivers.

Finally, two Prancing Horses will grace the grid. Former DP squad Sigalsport has entered a Ferrari 430 Challenge for Fred Poordad, Rusty West, occasional IndyCar driver Roger Yasukawa and team owner Gene Sigal, while Wil Mar Racing will also have a 430 Challenge for Flippo Marchino, Joseph Safina, Jay Wilton and Jim and Bob Michaelian. It’s unknown how these cars will stack up against the other GT competitors, but similar 430s have shown to have the speed in the past. One needs to only look back to 2008, where Christian Montanari qualified second in the Italian-entered Mastercar Ferrari.

That level of unpredictability is why such a diverse amount of cars, teams and drivers assemble each year for the Rolex 24. Anything can happen in a 24-hour race, as proven in years’ past. The fastest team may not always win, but the smartest and most prepared usually don’t walk away empty handed.

Be sure to check back all week for SPEEDtv.com’s extensive Rolex 24 coverage, with exclusive features, driver blogs, notebooks, photos, videos, live chats and more all from the World Center of Racing!

• Tune into SPEED’s live coverage of the race (All Times Eastern):

Saturday, January 30: 3:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m., (Live)

Sunday, January 31: 7 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., (Live)

• Join SPEEDtv.com from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. for a live online chat from trackside with drivers, TV hosts, and a cast of characters as they stream into our compound. Bob Varsha and David Hobbs will be the first guests through the gates shortly after 8 p.m.

• Follow the weather forecast HERE.

Keep up with all of our Rolex 24 coverage published so far this week:

ROLEX 24: DP Preview
Part one of our 2010 Rolex 24 preview features the Daytona Prototype category, where changes in drivers, engines and a forecast of rain will make for an unpredictable race.
http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/rolex-24-daytona-prototype-preview/

ROLEX 24: Elford's Porsche Leads Heritage Expo
Vic Elford will be the Grand Marshal at next weekend's Rolex 24 At Daytona. Fittingly, the Porsche 907 he drove to victory at Daytona in 1968 will also be featured.
http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/rolex-24-elfords-porsche-leads-heritage-expo/