Another Podium Finish for Magnus Racing at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

Monterey, CA (September 10, 2012)- Headed in to the penultimate round of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series championship, Magnus Racing has held one goal for the remainder of the season: add more trophies. After a hard fought two-hour, forty-five minute race, drivers Andy Lally and John Potter were rewarded with a well-earned third place finish in the Rolex GT category.
 
With two wins and three podium finishes in the 2012 season prior to yesterday, the entire team headed in to yesterday’s Continental Tire Sports Car Festival knowing the configuration of the 2.5-mile road course might prove favorable to Porsches.
 
Qualifying the no. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche GT3 Cup on the fifth row, Team Owner and Driver John Potter got off to a clean start, driving comfortably within the top-10 during his opening stint. When an opportune caution period came out at the 45-minute mark, Potter would bring the car in without a mark on it, handing the reigns over to Andy Lally who immediately took charge.
 
Faced with the challenging task of trying to chase the field in front of him while also preserving his tires, Lally would drive the middle of the race with a combination of pace and patience, fighting the no. 59 Brumos Porsche of Leh Keen for several laps.
 

As the middle stints would unfold, clever strategy by engineer Lars Giersing would see the no. 44 pit earlier than many, putting Lally in a position to set off fastest laps on a clear race-track in pursuit of the front of the field.
 
As pit stops and fuel stints cycled through, the no. 44 was as high as second before pitting for the final time with 30 minutes to go.
 
With fuel strategy playing a clear role for the entire GT field, the stage was set for an intense final 30 minutes. With Lally one of the first to pit, the Northport, New York native set off a number of fast laps in pursuit of the cars who were due to pit. One-by-one, the rest of the field would begin to duck in to the pits for their last splashes of fuel, eventually settling the no. 44 in to fourth place for the final laps.
As the final laps emerged, Lally would find himself directly behind the championship leading no. 69 AIM Ferrari of Jeff Segal. Having just come out of the pits for fuel, the no. 69 was still on old tires, allowing Lally to pursue heavily for the final laps.
 
Similarly, the second-place no. 03 Extreme Speed Ferrari had elected not to pit for fuel, taking a significant risk that they might not be able to finish the race.
 
As the three cars took the white flag, a thrilling last lap would emerge (see video link). As Lally chased down the no. 69, the no. 03 was clearly running out of fuel in front of them. As this all transpired, the no. 7 of Colin Braun in the Daytona Prototype category was also trying to pass all of them simultaneously, causing a chaotic run up the hill toward turns six and seven. Headed out of turn six on the run up to the infamous “corkscrew,” Braun’s pass on the no. 69 would give Lally a run around the outside of the straight, while the no. 03 sputtered as it struggled to find fuel. This would cause a three-wide pass in to the hard-braking corkscrew, with Lally on the outside.
 
With all three drivers managing to avoid contact, Segal would nose ahead of Lally through the corkscrew, and van Overbeek left with no choice but to coast down the hill en route to the checkered flag.
 
Lally would finish third; the fourth podium for the team in 2012, and once again taking top honors for Porsche.
 
“That was a crazy last lap,” stated Lally. “We really had a shot at second so I’m a little frustrated that we weren’t able to get there, but we still finished on the podium. The guys did a great job today getting the car in to the position we were in, pit stops were critical and they delivered perfectly.”
 
For Team Owner John Potter, top Porsche honors highlight a hard fought weekend.
 
“If you can’t take first, you at least want to be the first Porsche,” stated Potter. “This whole weekend the team has worked really hard to get the setup right, and as it turned out pit stops and strategy played a key role. It was a real team effort and we’re happy to walk away with our fourth trophy of the year.”
 
With only one race remaining in the 2012 season, the team has a short break before heading out to Lime Rock Park at the end of the month. As the season finale, an action-packed event can be seen LIVE on SPEED, taking place on Saturday, September 29 at 3PM ET.

Magnus Racing / Black Swan Racing May Announce Something at Laguna Seca

Salt Lake City, UT (September 4, 2012)- Following several weeks of quiet and closed conversations, excluding even their own employees and vendors, Magnus Racing, a premier GT team in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, and Black Swan Racing, a two-time GT-Challenge Champion in the American Le Mans Series, may have an announcement together at this weekend’s Continental Tire Sports Car Festival at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

With very little going on in the world of professional sportscar racing these days, the possibility of the two teams merging together seemed like a good opportunity for headlines, even if very little is worked out between the two teams. With fans at the core interest of both Magnus Racing Team Owner John Potter and Black Swan Racing Team Owner Tim Pappas, the decision to discuss merging seemed like an ideal fit.

"Last week, if I saw Tim Pappas drowning, I would have thrown him an anchor,” stated Potter. “Now, I look forward to our kids playing together one day...he's really an awesome guy who I have always respected."

“I know in the past that I’ve said John Potter’s only interest in sportscar racing is to keep my team from succeeding,” replied Pappas. “But now that I’ve had time to reflect, and a possibility to sell, John Potter really is just a guy who likes racing. Really, he’s not the backwards redneck that myself and all of our fans have claimed.”

While the two teams in principle seem to want to run together as one awesome Porsche team, there remain many details to work out.

“The problem here is philosophy,” stated John Potter. “Fans want to see Porsches they can relate to. That’s why we run five lugnuts on our wheels.”

“John Potter is completely wrong about this,” stated Pappas. “Fans don’t want Porsches they can relate to, they want more awesomer Porsches. That’s why our Porsches ran center-lock wheels.”

With neither party willing to accept that, perhaps, fans just like Porsches, there remain many other complications between the two teams.

“Then there’s the video package,” stated Pappas. “Our Black Swan videos only run on Vimeo. Sure, less people are inclined to watch videos on Vimeo, but the quality of the video is much, much higher.”

“Putting your videos on Vimeo makes no sense,” replied Potter. “No sponsor wants to hear his videos are only on Vimeo. Videos have to be on YouTube, that’s what people are watching. We have up to 90 hits on some of our videos, whereas Black Swan only gets 70 hits. That’s 20 more people! No wonder sponsors are having such a hard time with them.”

While the technology and video package create a major difference of philosophies between the two teams, there still remain a number of other obstacles with a prospective merger.

For example, Black Swan Racing seems to really enjoy promoting its European feel with a driver like Jeroen Bleekemolen (from the Netherlands). As a team that once ran Porsches, the organization feels it should stick to its philosophy of European co-drivers.

Magnus Racing, however, feels that the road racing in the US needs to ignore its European roots and stick to an all-American theme, as demonstrated with driver Andy Lally.

“It’s simple, American fans want American drivers,” continued Potter. “I don’t even know where Holland is, nor do I speak Hollish.”

“Typical Potter-style thinking,” replied Pappas. “I’m telling you, there’s a conspiracy with the Potter’s to kill road racing.”

Then there’s the issue of what to call this merged team.

With the idea of “Black Magnus” being immediately discarded because “it sounds oddly racist,” the team has struggled where best to go with the name.

“I will not allow Magnus Racing to fall under the Black Swan name,” stated Potter. “Yes, there is a great tradition in that name. That name has great history in Europe, it even won an Oscar, but no. This is America.”

“No one knows what the hell Magnus is,” retorted Pappas. “Why wouldn’t they just adopt a name that is both World Class and well known? Plus, ummm, Natalie Portman.”

With neither team willing to compromise, it is possible they may just completely rename themselves. One insider suggests the team may just rename itself to “ChampCar.”

With a merger between the two teams imminent, neither team are willing to comment on the proposed schedule they’d like to run. While one would hope they’ll run the signature events of either series, this will no doubt be an endless process filled with several layers of complications.

Perhaps the most eagerly awaited moment of the proposed merger will be the endless articles that journalists will write about this, expounding on their profound editorial columns on how to save the sportscar world, with little insight on the economic and political realities of either team.

Whatever the outcome, both teams look forward to working together, and just hope the best interest of the fans and sportscar community at large is looked after.

For those who have no idea what the heck this article is all about, be sure to tune in tomorrow to GRAND-AM.com, speedtv.com, or turn on SPEED at 10AM ET.

Otherwise, see everyone at Laguna Seca! The race will be this Sunday, September 9, with live coverage at 3PM ET on SPEED.

Well, At Least We Didn’t Catch on Fire

Montreal, QC, Canada (August 20, 2012)- With a track configuration that could prove favorable to Porsches, confidence in the Magnus Racing no. 44 Porsche GT3 Cup was high headed in to this weekend’s Montreal 200 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

With only three rounds remaining in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series Championship, the entire team came with only one focus: winning. However, after an unfortunate incident between the Magnus no. 44 and no. 43 Sahlen’s Mazda, a mid-race repair to the radiator would put the team several laps down, eventually soldiering on to take 11th.

Starting from the inside of the fourth row, Team Owner and Driver John Potter was off to a great start. Keeping his nose clean during the typically chaotic bottle-neck of the famed “Senna Esses,” Potter drove a terrific stint, not only showing great pace but coming out ahead after a fantastic battle with the no. 94 Turner BMW.

When an opportune caution period arrived around the 40-minute mark, the entire GT field came in to pit, with Potter handing a clean car over to co-driver Andy Lally. With a fresh set of tires and topped off fuel, it was time for Lally to make work of the field in front of him, which he promptly did.

Proving the competitiveness of the no. 44, Lally avoided the carnage of turn one, and immediately began his climb toward the top of the field. Starting his stint in fifth, Lally was up to third in a matter of laps after passing the no. 31 Corvette and capitalizing on a penalty handed to the no. 59 Porsche.

With the no. 43 Sahlen’s Mazda RX-8 of Dane Cameron as the only car between Lally and the leading no. 57 Stevenson Camaro, a heavy battle between the no. 44 and 43 would ensue, with Lally looking for every opportunity he could to pass.

Heading in to the tight hairpin of turn-10 on lap 28, Cameron would misjudge his braking in to the turn and run wide, giving Lally his opportunity to make a run at second. As the two headed down the long back straightaway, Lally would swing out to make a move, with Cameron making a counter-move to defend his position. As the two would dice, a slight brush between Lally’s front grill and Cameron’s rear exhaust would be just enough to puncture the Porsche's radiator, with Lally heading straight to the pits for repair.

While the broken radiator could have been enough to put the team out for the day, excellent preparation and teamwork by the Magnus Racing crew paid off, as the center radiator was completely replaced and in functioning form within seven minutes, costing the no. 44 a mere six laps. While putting the team out of contention to win the two hour race, a remarkable job by the crew proved just what kind of form the team is in this season.

With a fairly quiet race after that, Lally would essentially run in his own race, with the team eventually settling for 11th.

For Team Owner John Potter, there were many positives from the day.

“There really were a lot of positive things to take away from the day,” stated Potter. “Andy was making a strong run to the front before the incident, and I believe that’s proof of where we’re at as a competitive team right now. To follow that up with a seven minute radiator repair is all the more impressive, and a great testament to all of the guys for being so prepared.”

For Co-Driver Andy Lally, huge frustration summarizes what could have been a great result.

“No @#$%ing comment,” stated Lally.

With the championship now essentially out of the picture, Magnus Racing heads to the final two rounds of the Rolex Series with an eye on winning and keeping it fun. With the next round taking place in three weeks time at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, the team will head to the West Coast for the first time all year.

The Continental Tire Sports Car Festival will take place on Sunday, September 9, with live coverage on SPEED at 3PM ET.

Magnus Racing Issues Pre-Race Press Release

August 15, 2012- Headed in to this weekend’s Montreal 200, the 11th round of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series and the only round outside of the United States, Magnus Racing has decided to once again issue a pre-race press release.
 
“We like to issue pre-race press releases before every event,” stated Magnus Racing Team Owner John Potter. “It challenges our PR team to find different ways to basically write the same thing every time. I’m personally ‘excited,’ ‘anxious,’ or simply ‘looking forward’ to racing in Canada this weekend. Since my quotes have been so dull, I think I’ll use the rest of the year to make things more exciting, maybe I’ll promote a winery, or take stabs at failed renters, heck I can do any number of things! ”
 
Indeed, with only three rounds remaining in the 2012 Rolex Sports Car Series schedule, it is becoming increasingly challenging to find different ways to comment on how hard the crew is working and how optimistic everyone is for this weekend’s race.
 
“Saturday’s race can best be described as ‘on the 18th’” stated co-driver Andy Lally. “The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is by far my favorite Canadian track that the series runs on all year.”
 
Running on the 2.7 mile, 15-turn temporary circuit located in Montreal’s Il Notre-Dame, the team has had to make quick work of the no. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche GT3 Cup to turn it around from last Saturday’s round in Watkins Glen.
 
“The guys have worked really hard to get the car ready,” stated Crew Chief John Bedell. “It definitely makes things a lot easier when our drivers don’t set any cockpits on fire before they get out.”
 
Featuring multiple crew members who live in or around the French-Canadian province, the team can confidently say it will finish somewhere in the top-12 this weekend. With a track that features a number of long straights followed by hard braking zones, the event is certain to last two hours.
 
“Montreal is a truly metropolitan city,” quipped Potter. “In fact, when walking to the subway to get to the track, both the children and the homeless people speak French! I’m impressed, that language is hard.”
 
Practice for The Montreal 200 begins tomorrow at 12:50PM, with the race taking place this Saturday, August 18, with coverage on SPEED at 7PM ET.

Fourth for 44 During Fourth-to-Last Race

Watkins Glen, NY (August 13, 2012)- Still glowing in the aftermath of taking victory at both the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the North American Endurance Championship, Magnus Racing came in to this weekend’s Continental Tire 200 full of confidence. After suffering a devastating cockpit fire at the same circuit just one month earlier, drivers John Potter, Andy Lally, and the entire Magnus Racing crew came in with one simple goal: winning. With a new sponsor in Magnus Ridge Winery, located just up the road from Watkins Glen International Raceway, the team had extra incentive to perform.

With the 2012 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series GT championship seeming out of reach, the entire crew of the no. 44 Magnus Ridge Winery Porsche 911 GT3 Cup knew that going for race wins would be the only way to fight for series top honors.

Starting from the fifth row, Team Owner and Driver John Potter took the green flag and survived a wild first lap. With the point leading no. 69 AIM Ferrari and no. 57 Stevenson Camaro making contact headed in to the first turn, the entire Rolex Series GT field would swerve in a number of directions to try and avoid contact. Managing to stay clean throughout the chaos, Potter would proceed with a trouble-free stint to open up the two-hour race.

Just past the 20-minute mark, however, a key moment in the race would unfold. When the no. 9 Daytona Prototype of Darren Law and no. 40 GT Mazda of Joe Foster made contact, a hard impact by Foster in to the Turn-11 outer barrier would bring out an extended caution period while track officials cleaned up the incident.

While many GT teams elected to pit for fuel and tires around the 25-minute mark under caution, engineer Lars Giersing made a critical decision not to pit during that time. By GRAND-AM rule a driver must drive a minimum of 30 minutes, meaning Giersing would elect to hold the no.44 out for two more laps while the cars circulated under caution, allowing Potter and Lally to switch and keep Lally in for the rest of the event. With the no. 44 pitting just as the field took the green flag, the loss of track position was exchanged for an advantageous pit strategy, as the Magnus no. 44 and no. 94 Turner BMW would be the only cars to circulate without having to perform an additional driver change.

With Lally running several fast laps, the Magnus Racing team was left to simply sit and wait to see how the strategy would unfold. As the race continued on, the strategy appeared to be working, as the no. 44 sat in fourth headed in to the final series of stops, with the top two cars needing to change drivers. With the hope that final driver changes might slow the leading cars, both the no. 94 Turner BMW and no. 44 Magnus Porsche seemed to be in the most favorable position to fight for the win, as neither had to change drivers during the last dash for tires and fuel.

Unfortunately, during the final round of pit stops, an unusual jam in one of the air guns caused a slight delay in the team’s stop, giving the no. 94 Turner BMW, no. 31 Whelen Corvette, and no. 59 Brumos Porsche enough time to complete their stops and stay ahead of the no. 44.

With one final caution closing up the field with a few laps remaining, Andy Lally would have one last spirited battle with the no. 59 Brumos Porsche of Leh Keen in hopes to achieve the final podium position. With Lally visibly faster in some sections of the circuit, the high speed nature of the Watkins Glen “short course” simply proved too difficult to complete a safe pass, and Keen was able to hold off Lally to take the final podium position.

Taking the checkered flag in fourth position, the Magnus Racing crew can take credit in a hard fought race, even if just missing the podium leaves a slightly bitter taste.

“Fourth is always a tough one to swallow,” stated Andy Lally, who grew up a few hours away in Northport, New York. “Lars made some bold calls to get us up front, and we came really close to having it work out. Bad luck on the second stop was definitely unfortunate, but at the same time you have to give the guys credit for fixing the issue so quickly. We could have lost a lot more positions, but the team did a great job to not lose too much time.”

For John Potter, the sentiment is similar.

“Any time we have a shot at the podium and miss it it’s definitely frustrating, but no one did anything wrong,” stated Potter. “We’ve never had an issue like that in the pits before, and the guys corrected it very quickly. Overall the team made some great calls and we almost had it, we’ll just carry this on to Montreal.”

With only three rounds remaining in the Rolex Series championship, the Magnus Racing team heads in to the final races with a strong focus on winning. With the high speed, hard braking nature of the Montreal circuit next, all attention is focused on the race in just six days’ time.

The Montreal 200 will take place on Saturday, August 18, with SPEED coverage taking place at 7PM ET.
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Magnus Racing will continue to provide updates and coverage throughout the week via their Facebook (facebook.com/RacingMagnus) and Twitter (@MagnusRacing), as well as via www.magnusracing.com. You can also follow Andy Lally on Twitter (@AndyLally).

More information about Magnus Racing can be found at www.magnusracing.com. Any organization interested in learning more about how to be involved with one of the most unique and visible teams in sports car racing can e-mail info@magnusracing.com. All press inquiries can be directed to press@magnusracing.com.

To learn more about Magnus Ridge Winery, visit their website at www.magnusridge.com.