Grand-Am

Watkins Glen: Rand Racing preview

sixes Six Rand Racing drivers will compete in the six-hour Rolex Sports Car Series race at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International on June 23. The team will be looking for its sixth straight win in six races. Terry Borcheller of Phoenix, Anthony ...

Published: Jun 13, 2002, 12:43 PM

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Six Rand Racing drivers will compete in the six-hour Rolex Sports Car Series race at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International on June 23. The team will be looking for its sixth straight win in six races.

Terry Borcheller of Phoenix, Anthony Lazzaro of Acworth, Ga., and German Ralf Kelleners will drive the No. 8 Rand Racing Nissan Lola. All have achieved success at Watkins Glen: Borcheller won twice in each of 1998 and 2000, Kelleners scored an overall podium finish in 1999 and Lazzaro won the Oldsmobile Pro Series race at the track in 1994.

Bill Rand of Plano, Tex., who leads the charge in the No. 7 Lola, has also raced at Watkins Glen. His co-drivers Niclas Jönsson of Aliso Viejo, Calif., and Marino Franchitti of Scotland have driven on circuits around the world, but this will be their first race on the 3.4-mile Watkins Glen road course.

chasing first

Rand Racing leads the Rolex Series SRPII team and driver championships. The team has won the class in every race it has entered, and each car has won its debut race. Niclas Jönsson, who drove the winning No. 7 Lola in the last race, says the Risi Competizione crew that prepares the Rand cars is the strength behind the team's victories.

"The Lola is a great-engineered race car," he said. "Putting it in the hands of the Rand/Risi team makes it even better because it's a very professional, very dedicated crew and team. They have so much experience in sports cars, they always put a great car on track for us."

Jönsson has joined team owner Bill Rand in purchasing a shifter kart to stay in shape between races. "You can't work some muscle groups in the gym that you work when you're behind the wheel of a race car, so I think the best training is in a shifter kart," he explained. "I run some long stints, not trying to put the world on fire, but I run 45-minute stints, try to be very consistent and work just the same way I do during the race."

welcome back

Anthony Lazzaro returns to Rand Racing after missing two races due to an injury and a conflict with his Indy Racing League schedule. He has driven everything from go-karts to sports cars and NASCAR Winston Cup at Watkins Glen, so he knows the track well.

"I've run a little bit of everything there over the years," he noted. "It's just a fantastic facility. It's the only permanent road circuit in America where they've run Formula One, so it has a special place in my heart. And it's great to be back with Rand because I can have fun and win races!"

-rr/sp-

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