New Sideways Dallara, Autosport Pacific info

This model will be available very early in June. Please mind photos are still relevant to a preproduction sample.

We have also been forced to release SW11 cars before long awaited SW10 Riley MkXX AIM Autosport PACIFIC due very difficult tampo printing setup for that model. SW10 will be therefore available at beginning of July.

At the same time we will also introduce in price list a new chassis for Dallara DP (stock code - MK01A EVO ) ready to accept new 6 screws Slot.It motor mounts but overall injected in new material which, after testing performed, showed an important increase of handling and performance.

The EVO chassis will be also available for Riley MkXX (stock code MK01 EVO) at same time of release of SW10.

New Sideways Dallara, Autosport Pacific info

This model will be available very early in June. Please mind photos are still relevant to a preproduction sample.

We have also been forced to release SW11 cars before long awaited SW10 Riley MkXX AIM Autosport PACIFIC due very difficult tampo printing setup for that model. SW10 will be therefore available at beginning of July.

At the same time we will also introduce in price list a new chassis for Dallara DP (stock code - MK01A EVO ) ready to accept new 6 screws Slot.It motor mounts but overall injected in new material which, after testing performed, showed an important increase of handling and performance.

The EVO chassis will be also available for Riley MkXX (stock code MK01 EVO) at same time of release of SW10.

New Sideways Dallara Coming!

The McDonald's Doran Racing Dallara is expected to arrive late March in North America.

New Sideways Dallara Coming!

The McDonald's Doran Racing Dallara is expected to arrive late March in North America.

New Sideways Doran Racing Dallara

Sideways SW09 Dallara DP Doran Racing will arrive in North America in about 2 months.

New Sideways Doran Racing Dallara

Sideways SW09 Dallara DP Doran Racing will arrive in North America in about 2 months.

Grand Am Lime Rock coverage

Morning practice is over and the race will begin in a few hours. Here's a link to a gallery of photos from morning practice I just shot. More photos later today.

Grand Am Lime Rock coverage

Morning practice is over and the race will begin in a few hours. Here's a link to a gallery of photos from morning practice I just shot. More photos later today.

Grand Am Rolex-Lime Rock practice

LAKEVILLE, Conn. - The GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series Daytona Prototypes made their long-awaited first appearance at Lime Rock Park on Tuesday, taking part in an unofficial test in preparation for the Memorial Day classic.

A total of 19 cars - including 11 Daytona Prototypes - tackled changing weather conditions throughout the six-hour session. The GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 will race here on Monday, May 31, at 2 p.m. ET (SPEED, live), featuring both the Daytona Prototypes and production-based GT cars.

Competitors gave favorable reviews to the new 1.5-mile layout, using the optional uphill with the classic West Bend.

Daytona Prototype teams participating included two cars from both Michael Shank Racing and Starworks Motorsports, along with single cars from TELMEX Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates, GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing, Brumos Racing, Action Express Racing, SunTrust Racing, AIM Autosport and Krohn Racing.

GT teams included three Mazdas from SpeedSource plus the Dempsey Racing/Team Seattle Mazda, Racers Edge Mazda, Magnus Porsche, Turner BMW and Whelen Corvette.

By the end of the day and on a dry track, Daytona Prototype drivers were turning laps in the 49-second range. Drivers in the GT class, which last visited Lime Rock in 2008 on the old course, clocked in at 53 seconds.

"A lap goes so quick here," said Rojas, testing the championship-leading TELMEX BMW Riley with Joey Hand. "The biggest thing I remember is that you have to stay on top of things the entire time. There isn't a lot of time to do things here."

David Donohue is happy to see the Daytona Prototypes becoming part of the Memorial Day Weekend habit.

"Lime Rock was one of the tracks I grew up on and a place my father (Mark Donohue) was really good at," said Donohue, sharing the No. 59 Brumos.com Porsche Riley with Darren Law. "I'm definitely looking forward to coming back on Memorial Day and being part of that tradition."

The only incident of the day occurred late in the session, when Nick Longhi spun the No. 69 FXDD Mazda RX-8 into the guardrail on the back straightaway. Longhi was uninjured. The team currently leads the GT team championship by three points (118-115).

The Memorial Day weekend will also feature a Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race on Saturday, May 29. The Rolex Series events will be compressed into a single day, with practice at 9 a.m. and qualifying at 11:55 a.m.

Grand Am Rolex-Lime Rock practice

LAKEVILLE, Conn. - The GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series Daytona Prototypes made their long-awaited first appearance at Lime Rock Park on Tuesday, taking part in an unofficial test in preparation for the Memorial Day classic.

A total of 19 cars - including 11 Daytona Prototypes - tackled changing weather conditions throughout the six-hour session. The GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 will race here on Monday, May 31, at 2 p.m. ET (SPEED, live), featuring both the Daytona Prototypes and production-based GT cars.

Competitors gave favorable reviews to the new 1.5-mile layout, using the optional uphill with the classic West Bend.

Daytona Prototype teams participating included two cars from both Michael Shank Racing and Starworks Motorsports, along with single cars from TELMEX Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates, GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing, Brumos Racing, Action Express Racing, SunTrust Racing, AIM Autosport and Krohn Racing.

GT teams included three Mazdas from SpeedSource plus the Dempsey Racing/Team Seattle Mazda, Racers Edge Mazda, Magnus Porsche, Turner BMW and Whelen Corvette.

By the end of the day and on a dry track, Daytona Prototype drivers were turning laps in the 49-second range. Drivers in the GT class, which last visited Lime Rock in 2008 on the old course, clocked in at 53 seconds.

"A lap goes so quick here," said Rojas, testing the championship-leading TELMEX BMW Riley with Joey Hand. "The biggest thing I remember is that you have to stay on top of things the entire time. There isn't a lot of time to do things here."

David Donohue is happy to see the Daytona Prototypes becoming part of the Memorial Day Weekend habit.

"Lime Rock was one of the tracks I grew up on and a place my father (Mark Donohue) was really good at," said Donohue, sharing the No. 59 Brumos.com Porsche Riley with Darren Law. "I'm definitely looking forward to coming back on Memorial Day and being part of that tradition."

The only incident of the day occurred late in the session, when Nick Longhi spun the No. 69 FXDD Mazda RX-8 into the guardrail on the back straightaway. Longhi was uninjured. The team currently leads the GT team championship by three points (118-115).

The Memorial Day weekend will also feature a Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race on Saturday, May 29. The Rolex Series events will be compressed into a single day, with practice at 9 a.m. and qualifying at 11:55 a.m.

Fall-Line BMW's proving themselves

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Fall-Line Motorsports has become one of the top contenders during this season's GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, which will compete in its third race of 2010 at 4 p.m. CT Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park.

The Chicago-based team has gone from competing with a pair of BMW M3s in the Grand Sport (GS) class that competed for top five finishes to a three-car team that is contesting for victories. Heading into Saturday's two-and-a-half hour Barber 200, the team is first and second in the standings, with points co-leaders Charles Espenlaub and Charlie Putman in the No. 48 Sparco/Battery Tender BMW M3 holding the advantage by a single point (58-57) over teammates Terry Borcheller and Andrew Hendricks in the No. 45 Stable One Racing BMW M3.

The team's third car, the No. 46 Trim Tex BMW M3 this weekend driven by team owner Mark Boden and Joe Koenig, is seventh with 42 points.

Boden entered the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge in 2006, and his team has steadily improved. The team earned its first podium finish in 2007 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and it took more than two seasons for Fall-Line to return to the podium. That instance came in last season's finale at Virginia International Raceway, when Borcheller and Hendricks finished second.

Now, the team is on a three-race podium streak, with Espenlaub and Putman taking second at Daytona International Speedway, and Borcheller and Hendricks finishing second at Homestead-Miami. The team also built and delivered the Daytona-winning car, the No. 13 RumBum.com BMW M3 driven by Matt Plumb and Gian Bacardi.

While Fall-Line searches for its first victory, the team will have to keep at bay a fleet of Mustangs - both the GT and new Boss 302R models. Mustangs finished first and second in 2008 and swept the podium last season. Among the top challengers with Mustangs is Rehagen Racing, which fields the No. 59 Rehagen Racing Products Ford Mustang GT for defending series champion Ken Wilden and rookie Ryan Winchester; JBS Motorsports, which fields the No. 37 Trumansburg ShurSave Ford Mustang Boss 302R for defending race winners James Gue and Bret Seafuse; Multimatic Motorsports, which fields two Mustangs, one for 2008 Barber winners Joe Foster and Scott Maxwell; and Homestead-Miami race winners Billy Johnson and Jack Roush Jr. in the No. 61 Roush Performance Products Ford Mustang GT.

Porsche has a record four series victories at Barber. Six Porsches are entered - three from BGB Motorsports, two from Ranger Sports Racing and one from Magnus Racing.

The Street Tuner (ST) class, featuring top compact models such as Honda Civics, Mazda MX-5s, BMW 328 and 330 models and Volkswagen GTIs, will also compete. Leading the charge in ST are Lawson Aschenbach and David Thilenius, who have finishes of first and second to begin the season in the No. 74 Skunk2/OMP Honda Civic Si, one of four cars entered by Compass360 Racing. Compass360 has yet to win at Barber, though its 10 victories ranks fifth most all-time in ST.

Freedom Autosport won the most recent race, at Homestead-Miami, and has victories in three of the last five races. Derek Whitis, who teamed with Tom Long in the No. 25 Aventura Technologies/PFC Mazda MX-5 to win at Homestead-Miami, is third, while teammates Andrew Carbonell and Rhett O'Doski are fifth in the No. 26 Aventura Technologies/PFC Mazda MX-5.


The only Alabama-based team, APR Motorsport, from Auburn, is the defending race-winning team in ST and brings three Volkswagen GTIs and an Audi S4, which competes in GS. Josh Hurley teams with rookie Dr. Kevin Stadtlander to go for two consecutive victories at the track in the No. 181 APR/BBS Volkswagen GTI.

Rookie team BimmerWorld/GearWrench is also entered with two BMW 328s, including the No. 81 Performance Friction/RAYS Engineering BMW 328 for Bill Heumann and Seth Thomas, second in the standings.

Practice for the Barber 200 begins at 1 p.m. CT Thursday, with two 15-minute qualifying sessions beginning at 9:50 a.m. CT Friday. The Barber 200 begins at 4 p.m. CT Saturday.

News and photos used with permission from Grand Am.

Fall-Line BMW's proving themselves

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Fall-Line Motorsports has become one of the top contenders during this season's GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, which will compete in its third race of 2010 at 4 p.m. CT Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park.

The Chicago-based team has gone from competing with a pair of BMW M3s in the Grand Sport (GS) class that competed for top five finishes to a three-car team that is contesting for victories. Heading into Saturday's two-and-a-half hour Barber 200, the team is first and second in the standings, with points co-leaders Charles Espenlaub and Charlie Putman in the No. 48 Sparco/Battery Tender BMW M3 holding the advantage by a single point (58-57) over teammates Terry Borcheller and Andrew Hendricks in the No. 45 Stable One Racing BMW M3.

The team's third car, the No. 46 Trim Tex BMW M3 this weekend driven by team owner Mark Boden and Joe Koenig, is seventh with 42 points.

Boden entered the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge in 2006, and his team has steadily improved. The team earned its first podium finish in 2007 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and it took more than two seasons for Fall-Line to return to the podium. That instance came in last season's finale at Virginia International Raceway, when Borcheller and Hendricks finished second.

Now, the team is on a three-race podium streak, with Espenlaub and Putman taking second at Daytona International Speedway, and Borcheller and Hendricks finishing second at Homestead-Miami. The team also built and delivered the Daytona-winning car, the No. 13 RumBum.com BMW M3 driven by Matt Plumb and Gian Bacardi.

While Fall-Line searches for its first victory, the team will have to keep at bay a fleet of Mustangs - both the GT and new Boss 302R models. Mustangs finished first and second in 2008 and swept the podium last season. Among the top challengers with Mustangs is Rehagen Racing, which fields the No. 59 Rehagen Racing Products Ford Mustang GT for defending series champion Ken Wilden and rookie Ryan Winchester; JBS Motorsports, which fields the No. 37 Trumansburg ShurSave Ford Mustang Boss 302R for defending race winners James Gue and Bret Seafuse; Multimatic Motorsports, which fields two Mustangs, one for 2008 Barber winners Joe Foster and Scott Maxwell; and Homestead-Miami race winners Billy Johnson and Jack Roush Jr. in the No. 61 Roush Performance Products Ford Mustang GT.

Porsche has a record four series victories at Barber. Six Porsches are entered - three from BGB Motorsports, two from Ranger Sports Racing and one from Magnus Racing.

The Street Tuner (ST) class, featuring top compact models such as Honda Civics, Mazda MX-5s, BMW 328 and 330 models and Volkswagen GTIs, will also compete. Leading the charge in ST are Lawson Aschenbach and David Thilenius, who have finishes of first and second to begin the season in the No. 74 Skunk2/OMP Honda Civic Si, one of four cars entered by Compass360 Racing. Compass360 has yet to win at Barber, though its 10 victories ranks fifth most all-time in ST.

Freedom Autosport won the most recent race, at Homestead-Miami, and has victories in three of the last five races. Derek Whitis, who teamed with Tom Long in the No. 25 Aventura Technologies/PFC Mazda MX-5 to win at Homestead-Miami, is third, while teammates Andrew Carbonell and Rhett O'Doski are fifth in the No. 26 Aventura Technologies/PFC Mazda MX-5.


The only Alabama-based team, APR Motorsport, from Auburn, is the defending race-winning team in ST and brings three Volkswagen GTIs and an Audi S4, which competes in GS. Josh Hurley teams with rookie Dr. Kevin Stadtlander to go for two consecutive victories at the track in the No. 181 APR/BBS Volkswagen GTI.

Rookie team BimmerWorld/GearWrench is also entered with two BMW 328s, including the No. 81 Performance Friction/RAYS Engineering BMW 328 for Bill Heumann and Seth Thomas, second in the standings.

Practice for the Barber 200 begins at 1 p.m. CT Thursday, with two 15-minute qualifying sessions beginning at 9:50 a.m. CT Friday. The Barber 200 begins at 4 p.m. CT Saturday.

News and photos used with permission from Grand Am.

Pruett not slowing down

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Now that Scott Pruett has turned 50, his fellow competitors in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 may be hoping that the 23-time overall race winner and two-time Daytona Prototype champion may be ready to cut back his racing schedule and spend more time working in his new winery.

Fat chance.

Coming off a victory in the Grand Prix of Miami with Memo Rojas in the No. 01 TELMEX Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates BMW Riley, Pruett has no plans to slow down in the foreseeable future.

"I enjoy racing in GRAND-AM," said Pruett, who shares a six-point lead with Rojas atop the Daytona Prototype standings entering the Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park on April 10 (1:30 p.m. ET, SPEED, live).

"I think I have a couple of good races left in me and I'm just having fun," Pruett said. "I really enjoy the competition. I enjoy getting out there and racing hard with all of the competition, no matter what age or what team."

Pruett opened the season with a second-place finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona for the second consecutive year in the event he has won overall three times. While Hurley Haywood - the all-time Rolex 24 overall winner with five victories - retired after the 2010 event, Pruett shows no sign of letting up.

"First and foremost, the biggest thing with any athlete is attitude," Pruett said. "I absolutely still love the driving. I started when I was eight. Now I'm in my 42nd year of racing, which is incredible, but I still love it, and I think I love it even more as the years go by. I still feel like I'm a student of the sport and I'm still learning from every test, from every race, from every qualifying session, you learn more about the cars and how to set them up and find what you're looking for. My first focus is getting in the race car and to keep going out and competing. You absolutely have to have that passion and that love, and then everything else falls into place."

Pruett continues to work out every day, although he admits to spending more time working in his vineyard instead of the gym.

"We are introducing the first Pruett-labeled wine at the Pebble Beach Food and Win Festival the same weekend as the Porsche 250," Pruett said. "I've been training heavily, whether it's at my home gym or at the club or on a simulator. The simulator and the wine side of it has got me incredibly busy this year."

The Ganassi team also isn't sitting still, switching to a Dinan-prepared BMW engine for 2010.

"That's been a great change for us," Pruett said. "Steve Dinan has been just incredible and has given us good reliability and an engine that we feel has given us very good compatibility."

Pruett and Rojas have enjoyed success at Barber, winning there during their 2008
championship season. After running at the circuit in mid-90-degree temperatures in recent season, both drivers welcome racing there in more enjoyable conditions in April.

"You've got to be on your game all the time at Barber," Pruett said. "It's going to be great going there when you're not focused only on surviving the heat, but going racing. With the cooler conditions I think we're definitely going to see some higher speeds."

Practice for the Porsche 250 begins at 2:55 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 8, with qualifying Friday at 11:40 a.m.

Photos and news used with permission from Grand Am.

Pruett not slowing down

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Now that Scott Pruett has turned 50, his fellow competitors in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 may be hoping that the 23-time overall race winner and two-time Daytona Prototype champion may be ready to cut back his racing schedule and spend more time working in his new winery.

Fat chance.

Coming off a victory in the Grand Prix of Miami with Memo Rojas in the No. 01 TELMEX Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates BMW Riley, Pruett has no plans to slow down in the foreseeable future.

"I enjoy racing in GRAND-AM," said Pruett, who shares a six-point lead with Rojas atop the Daytona Prototype standings entering the Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park on April 10 (1:30 p.m. ET, SPEED, live).

"I think I have a couple of good races left in me and I'm just having fun," Pruett said. "I really enjoy the competition. I enjoy getting out there and racing hard with all of the competition, no matter what age or what team."

Pruett opened the season with a second-place finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona for the second consecutive year in the event he has won overall three times. While Hurley Haywood - the all-time Rolex 24 overall winner with five victories - retired after the 2010 event, Pruett shows no sign of letting up.

"First and foremost, the biggest thing with any athlete is attitude," Pruett said. "I absolutely still love the driving. I started when I was eight. Now I'm in my 42nd year of racing, which is incredible, but I still love it, and I think I love it even more as the years go by. I still feel like I'm a student of the sport and I'm still learning from every test, from every race, from every qualifying session, you learn more about the cars and how to set them up and find what you're looking for. My first focus is getting in the race car and to keep going out and competing. You absolutely have to have that passion and that love, and then everything else falls into place."

Pruett continues to work out every day, although he admits to spending more time working in his vineyard instead of the gym.

"We are introducing the first Pruett-labeled wine at the Pebble Beach Food and Win Festival the same weekend as the Porsche 250," Pruett said. "I've been training heavily, whether it's at my home gym or at the club or on a simulator. The simulator and the wine side of it has got me incredibly busy this year."

The Ganassi team also isn't sitting still, switching to a Dinan-prepared BMW engine for 2010.

"That's been a great change for us," Pruett said. "Steve Dinan has been just incredible and has given us good reliability and an engine that we feel has given us very good compatibility."

Pruett and Rojas have enjoyed success at Barber, winning there during their 2008
championship season. After running at the circuit in mid-90-degree temperatures in recent season, both drivers welcome racing there in more enjoyable conditions in April.

"You've got to be on your game all the time at Barber," Pruett said. "It's going to be great going there when you're not focused only on surviving the heat, but going racing. With the cooler conditions I think we're definitely going to see some higher speeds."

Practice for the Porsche 250 begins at 2:55 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 8, with qualifying Friday at 11:40 a.m.

Photos and news used with permission from Grand Am.

New Ferrari 430 Challenge team debut at VIR

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Bennett Racing will join the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 in April, entering the No. 56 South River Marina & Mercruiser Ferrari 430 Challenge in the April 24 Bosch Engineering 250 at Virginia International Raceway.

This will be the third new team to debut in the Rolex Series GT class in as many races. Lou Gigliotti LG Motorsports first raced in the Grand Prix of Miami at Homestead-Miami Speedway, while Marsh Racing joins the tour with a Corvette in the April 10 Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park.

Skip Bennett owns the No. 56, and will co-drive for the Annapolis, Md.-based team with Mike Skeen at VIR as the first step in a planned assault on the 2011 Rolex 24 At Daytona. They expect to run with fellow NASA Spec E30 drivers Chris Cobetto, Mike Davidson and Jon Allen at Daytona. That series features close competition among 160 HP 1987-1991 BMW 325is.

Bennett began his racing career in 2005 at a Summit Point Raceway driving experience. His first race was a NASA event at VIR in 2006, driving a Porsche 966, and he also ran in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge that year at VIR, going from last to 28th in a field of 55 cars. He finished fourth overall in the USA Ferrari F430 Challenge series in 2007, and has raced in the NASA Spec E30 Series the past three seasons.

"We're looking forward to joining the Rolex Series and racing at VIR," Bennett said. "I've spent a lot of time at that track and am very familiar with it. Depending on how we do, we also hope to run at Watkins Glen and the Daytona race in July, and are also considering New Jersey Motorsports Park."

Skeen, who starred in the 2008 edition of Setup on SPEED, won the 2008 NASA Spec E30 national championship as well as two regional series titles. He raced in SCCA Muscle Milk Trans-Am action last season, going from last to second in his debut race at Road Atlanta - earning him the Hard Charger and Star of the Race awards. He has two starts in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, competing in 2008 at VIR with Freedom Autosport.

"This grassroots effort has developed very quickly, and our crew has put in a lot of hard work to make this possible," Skeen said. "I'm sure we will learn a lot at VIR to help us prepare for future events."

Practice for the Bosch Engineering 250 begins at 9:30 a.m. ET on Friday, April 23, with qualifying at 3:45 p.m. (SPEEDtv.com, live). The two-hour, 45-minute race takes the green flag at noon ET on Saturday (SPEED, 2 p.m.) and will be followed at 3:30 p.m. by a Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race.

Photo and news used with permission from Grand Am.

New Ferrari 430 Challenge team debut at VIR

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Bennett Racing will join the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 in April, entering the No. 56 South River Marina & Mercruiser Ferrari 430 Challenge in the April 24 Bosch Engineering 250 at Virginia International Raceway.

This will be the third new team to debut in the Rolex Series GT class in as many races. Lou Gigliotti LG Motorsports first raced in the Grand Prix of Miami at Homestead-Miami Speedway, while Marsh Racing joins the tour with a Corvette in the April 10 Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park.

Skip Bennett owns the No. 56, and will co-drive for the Annapolis, Md.-based team with Mike Skeen at VIR as the first step in a planned assault on the 2011 Rolex 24 At Daytona. They expect to run with fellow NASA Spec E30 drivers Chris Cobetto, Mike Davidson and Jon Allen at Daytona. That series features close competition among 160 HP 1987-1991 BMW 325is.

Bennett began his racing career in 2005 at a Summit Point Raceway driving experience. His first race was a NASA event at VIR in 2006, driving a Porsche 966, and he also ran in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge that year at VIR, going from last to 28th in a field of 55 cars. He finished fourth overall in the USA Ferrari F430 Challenge series in 2007, and has raced in the NASA Spec E30 Series the past three seasons.

"We're looking forward to joining the Rolex Series and racing at VIR," Bennett said. "I've spent a lot of time at that track and am very familiar with it. Depending on how we do, we also hope to run at Watkins Glen and the Daytona race in July, and are also considering New Jersey Motorsports Park."

Skeen, who starred in the 2008 edition of Setup on SPEED, won the 2008 NASA Spec E30 national championship as well as two regional series titles. He raced in SCCA Muscle Milk Trans-Am action last season, going from last to second in his debut race at Road Atlanta - earning him the Hard Charger and Star of the Race awards. He has two starts in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, competing in 2008 at VIR with Freedom Autosport.

"This grassroots effort has developed very quickly, and our crew has put in a lot of hard work to make this possible," Skeen said. "I'm sure we will learn a lot at VIR to help us prepare for future events."

Practice for the Bosch Engineering 250 begins at 9:30 a.m. ET on Friday, April 23, with qualifying at 3:45 p.m. (SPEEDtv.com, live). The two-hour, 45-minute race takes the green flag at noon ET on Saturday (SPEED, 2 p.m.) and will be followed at 3:30 p.m. by a Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race.

Photo and news used with permission from Grand Am.

Mazda still dominates competition

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 24, 2010) - Teams fielding Camaro, Corvette, Porsche and BMW race cars are looking to snap Mazda's two-race winning streak in the Porsche 250 on April 10 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala., Round 3 of the 2010 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16.

The race will take the green flag at 1:36 p.m. ET, with live SPEED coverage beginning
at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell won the 2009 Porsche 250 in a Pontiac GXP.R. Stevenson Motorsports is fielding a pair of Camaros for 2010, the No. 57 for Davis and Liddell and the No. 97 for Jan Magnussen and Gunter Schaldach.

Three teams will field Corvettes. Banner Racing has the No. 07 Mobil 1 Corvette for 2008 GT co-champion Paul Edwards and motorcycle legend Scott Russell. Lou Gigliotti's LG Motorsports debuted the No. 28 Corvette for 2008 co-champion Kelly Collins and Eric Lux in the recent race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, while Marsh Racing makes its GRAND-AM debut at Barber with the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Corvette for Eric Curran and Sonny Whelen. Collins and Edwards teamed to win GT honors in the 2007 Porsche 250 in the No. 07 Banner Racing Pontiac GXP.R.

Three Porsches are entered in the event. John Potter and Craig Stanton share the No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche GT3, Shane Lewis and Richard Zahn co-drive the No. 46 Autohaus Motorsports entry while Luke Hines and Bryce Miller compete in the No. 48 Miller Barrett Racing GT3.

Bill Auberlen and Paul Dalla Lana are entered in the lone BMW, the No. 94 Turner Motorsport M6 that made its debut in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona. The team had a strong showing in the Grand Prix of Miami, leading four laps and finishing fifth.

The four marques will be taking on Mazda, which has four teams fielding eight cars and won the GT class in both races this season. SpeedSource owner Sylvain Tremblay and new regular co-driver Jonathan Bomarito, joined by Nick Ham and David Haskell, won the season opening Rolex 24 in the No. 70 Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8, while Emil Assentato and Jeff Segal captured GT honors in the team's No. 69 FXDD Mazda at Homestead. SpeedSource also fields the No. 68 of rising stars John Edwards and Adam Christodoulou.

Dempsey Racing has expanded to two Mazdas this season. Racer/actor Patrick Dempsey and Joe Foster return in the No. 40, joined by defending GT champion Leh Keen and James Gue in the No. 41 - who scored Dempsey Racing's first podium finish by placing third at Homestead. Team Sahlen has a pair of Mazdas, with Joe Sahlen joining Joe Nonnamaker and his two sons, Will and Wayne Nonnamaker. Returning with one car is Racers Edge Motorsports, fielding the No. 30 for Todd Lamb and Jordan Taylor.

Practice for the Porsche 250 begins at 2:55 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 8, with qualifying Friday at 11:40 a.m.

Mazda still dominates competition

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 24, 2010) - Teams fielding Camaro, Corvette, Porsche and BMW race cars are looking to snap Mazda's two-race winning streak in the Porsche 250 on April 10 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala., Round 3 of the 2010 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16.

The race will take the green flag at 1:36 p.m. ET, with live SPEED coverage beginning
at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell won the 2009 Porsche 250 in a Pontiac GXP.R. Stevenson Motorsports is fielding a pair of Camaros for 2010, the No. 57 for Davis and Liddell and the No. 97 for Jan Magnussen and Gunter Schaldach.

Three teams will field Corvettes. Banner Racing has the No. 07 Mobil 1 Corvette for 2008 GT co-champion Paul Edwards and motorcycle legend Scott Russell. Lou Gigliotti's LG Motorsports debuted the No. 28 Corvette for 2008 co-champion Kelly Collins and Eric Lux in the recent race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, while Marsh Racing makes its GRAND-AM debut at Barber with the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Corvette for Eric Curran and Sonny Whelen. Collins and Edwards teamed to win GT honors in the 2007 Porsche 250 in the No. 07 Banner Racing Pontiac GXP.R.

Three Porsches are entered in the event. John Potter and Craig Stanton share the No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche GT3, Shane Lewis and Richard Zahn co-drive the No. 46 Autohaus Motorsports entry while Luke Hines and Bryce Miller compete in the No. 48 Miller Barrett Racing GT3.

Bill Auberlen and Paul Dalla Lana are entered in the lone BMW, the No. 94 Turner Motorsport M6 that made its debut in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona. The team had a strong showing in the Grand Prix of Miami, leading four laps and finishing fifth.

The four marques will be taking on Mazda, which has four teams fielding eight cars and won the GT class in both races this season. SpeedSource owner Sylvain Tremblay and new regular co-driver Jonathan Bomarito, joined by Nick Ham and David Haskell, won the season opening Rolex 24 in the No. 70 Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8, while Emil Assentato and Jeff Segal captured GT honors in the team's No. 69 FXDD Mazda at Homestead. SpeedSource also fields the No. 68 of rising stars John Edwards and Adam Christodoulou.

Dempsey Racing has expanded to two Mazdas this season. Racer/actor Patrick Dempsey and Joe Foster return in the No. 40, joined by defending GT champion Leh Keen and James Gue in the No. 41 - who scored Dempsey Racing's first podium finish by placing third at Homestead. Team Sahlen has a pair of Mazdas, with Joe Sahlen joining Joe Nonnamaker and his two sons, Will and Wayne Nonnamaker. Returning with one car is Racers Edge Motorsports, fielding the No. 30 for Todd Lamb and Jordan Taylor.

Practice for the Porsche 250 begins at 2:55 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 8, with qualifying Friday at 11:40 a.m.