Star-Studded Line-Up Headlines Six Lexus-Powered Entries For Rolex 24
TORRANCE,
Calif. (Jan. 17, 2007) – With five 2006 Daytona Prototype race winners, four
recently crowned auto racing All-Americans and four Indianapolis 500 winners,
Lexus will sport a powerful line-up when six Lexus-powered Daytona Prototypes
take the track for the 2007 Rolex 24 at Daytona in the season opener for the
Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series.
Last year’s race winners include series regulars Scott Pruett, Oswaldo
Negri and Mark Patterson, along with defending Rolex 24 champions Scott Dixon
and Dan Wheldon. Yet, the talent
extends far past Grand-Am success. In fact, the Lexus line-up alone might have the greatest line-up of
open-wheel drivers seen in
(2006), Dan Wheldon (2005), Helio Castroneves (2001 and 2002) and Juan Montoya
(2000) having combined to win five of the last seven Indianapolis 500s. They’re joined by fellow open-wheel
stars A.J. Allmendinger, who registered five Champ Car wins a year ago, former
Champ Car title-winner Paul Tracy, rising young stars Graham Rahal and Salvador
Duran.
Racing and Michael Shank Racing. Each will field a two-car team capable of winning the
twice-around-the-clock extravaganza. They’ll be joined by two squads that will be new to the Lexus camp in
2007 in Southard Racing and AIM Autosport.
Chip Ganassi Racing is not only the winningest team in Daytona Prototype
history, but also the defending champion at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. This year’s two-car entry may be even
stronger with the addition of former F1 and CART star Juan Montoya, who will
team with Scott Pruett and Salvador Duran in the #01 Telmex/Target
Lexus-Riley. Pruett was a
first-team All-America selection after winning five races a year ago on his way
to second-place overall in the series. After six seasons racing in Formula One that included a win at the
prestigious Monaco Grand Prix, Montoya returns to the
last dominated the CART series in 2000 while racing with the Ganassi
Toyota. Duran is one of
and was victorious twice in A1GP competition last season.
The defending champion #02 Ganassi Lexus will feature Indy Racing League
stars Wheldon and
Rojas. Wheldon and
first-ever Rolex 24 victory a year ago. Both are former IRL champions as Wheldon won the title in 2005, while
Target Toyota to the 2003 title.
Negri
and Patterson hold the distinction of winning the most recent Rolex Series event
when they co-drove to victory in last year’s season finale in
the Manufacturer’s Championship for Lexus. They also were part of the entry that finished second in last year’s
24-hour race. They will
co-drive the #60 Flight Options Lexus-Riley for MSR along with reigning
champ Hornish Jr. and his Penske Racing teammate Castroneves, a two-time ‘500’
winner. Hornish is a first-team
All-American and was a finalist for the Jerry Titus Award as “Driver of the
Year.” Both drivers will be making
their first start for MSR in Daytona Prototype competition, but it’s a
homecoming of sorts for Hornish, who campaigned for the team in Toyota Atlantic
competition.
The #6
Michael Shank Racing Lexus-Riley is no less impressive with full-time drivers
Ian James and Henri Zogaib being joined by Allmendinger, who was recently named
a second-team All-American after winning five Champ Car events this past season
and was in the MSR entry that finished second a year ago, as well as Tracy, who
drove a number of Daytona Prototype events with the team last
season.
While the Ganassi and Shank teams have been with Lexus since the
manufacturer entered Grand-American competition in 2004, Southard Racing and AIM
Autosport will be entering their first full seasons of competition with Lexus
power.
After a pair of podium finishes in 2006, Southard Racing will be looking
for its first Daytona Prototype victory this season. Shane Lewis and Randy Ruhlman are
scheduled to drive the full season in the #3 Preformed Line Products
Lexus-Riley. They will be joined by
rising teen star Rahal, son of racing legend Bobby Rahal. The younger Rahal will move into the
Champ Car ranks this season at just 18 years of age after winning a series-high
five races in Atlantic competition last year.
AIM
Autosport made one Grand-Am start in 2006, placing 21st at Daytona in
their #61 Lexus-Riley. The
Toronto-based team is back for the full season this year. Full-time pilot Mark Wilkins will lead
the charge along with Burt and Brian Frisselle, both who have run with Lexus
over the past two seasons, and two-time former Toyota Atlantic champion David
Empringham. Wilkins has
consistently run upfront in the open-wheel ladder series, while the Frisselle
brothers, who will share the second seat in the car opposite Wilkins throughout
the full 2007 campaign, earned a podium finish at last year’s season finale in
an MSR Lexus-Riley.
Lexus earned seven victories including last season’s Rolex 24 on the way
to its first-ever Manufacturer’s Championship in 2006. Overall, the luxury automaker has
registered 15 wins and 21 pole positions in 40 Grand American Daytona Prototype
events over the past three seasons. Lexus will focus its motorsports efforts exclusively on the Rolex Sports
Car Series in 2007.
Credit: Lexus Motorsports
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