Race report
Grand-Am
Riley Technologies take 1-2-3 in Texas
Record-setting pole ahead of history-making win with podium sweep; Riley also takes GT Class Victory with Turner Motorsport.
Edited: Mar 4, 2013, 9:20 PM
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Austin, Texas - After taking the firm’s record ninth consecutive Rolex 24 At Daytona victory to open the 2013 GRAND-AM season, the switch to Rolex Series sprint racing saw a similar outcome as teams competing with Daytona Prototypes from Riley Technologies finished 1-2-3 in the inaugural GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series event at the Circuit of the Americas this weekend.
#99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Corvette DP: Jon Fogarty, Alex Gurney, Memo Gidley, Darren Law
Photo by: Luis Betancourt
GAINSCO Racing led the charge as Jon Fogarty and Alex Gurney combined to bring the Texas-based team a huge victory on home soil with the team’s Corvette DP, which is built on the Riley Chassis.
“This is by far the biggest win we have ever had in the United States, right here at home in Texas, and ranks right up there with our first ever win in Mexico City back in 2007, said GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Team Owner Bob Stallings.
“But in terms of degree of difficulty this was by far the sweetest win, and just how magical is this? We had hundreds of agents and guests out here, we had the pole, we were the race’s lead presenting sponsor, we are in Texas, we are a Texas team and it has been a long time since we won. What a perfect race to make a comeback!”
#2 Starworks with Alex Popow Ford Riley: Ryan Dalziel, Alex Popow
Photo by: Mike Geng
Riley Technologies designs were also a competitive force in Rolex Series GT Class competition, with the Turner Motorsport BMW M3 of Bill Auberlen and Paul Dalla Lana winning their first race of the year as the GT Class also staged a thrilling final laps to the first-ever race on the Formula 1-grade facility.
After nearly three hours of hard-fought Rolex Sports Car Series competition that saw five lead changes and drama right through the closing moments of the race, Gurney took the checkered flag by less than half a second over the No. 2 Ford-Riley of Ryan Dalziel, with the No. 01 Telmex BMW-Riley of Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas finishing third after leading the opening stages of the race.
Rolex fans have become accustomed to seeing frequent side-to-side contact in the field, and Riley DP machines have a long history of standing up to those impacts and racing to the finish.
#01 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates BMW Riley: Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas
Photo by: Mike Geng
But everything is bigger in Texas, and the Austin round produced a dramatic new highlight reel for that established Riley toughness.
After Memo Rojas led 33 laps, he turned the car over to teammate Pruett, who was forced into a curb on his out lap as he fought for the lead of the race.
The contact with the curb launched the Telmex machine airborne for a moment at top speed before slamming back down to the ground.
Many expected that the huge impact with the ground, would end the race for the defending series champions. But Pruett instead made a quick stop for a new nose, and continued on. The car was not only strong enough to rejoin the fray, but also threatened to take the win until the final corners of the race.
Riley Technologies
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