Relief for Magnus Racing – to get out of Watkins Glen

August 9, 2010 (Watkins Glen, NY) – Magnus Racing drivers John Potter and Craig Stanton entered Saturday’s Crow Royal 200 at the Glen with hopes of finishing on the podium, something they felt they should have accomplished during June’s Sahlen’s Six Hour of the Glen. 

Their hopes, however, fell apart with the right rear tire on the team’s No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in the early stages of the two-hour contest.  A second failed tire, as well as persistent braking problems in the latter stages of the race, meant that Stanton drove the car back to the team trailer and into retirement before the race was over – capping a frustrating season at the track, and ruining Stanton’s hopes of seeing Potter do pushups in victory circle.

“We had a phenomenal car here in June, and for some reason we just couldn’t find the magic here this weekend,” said Stanton. “The guys worked so hard all weekend – we threw everything we had at it – and it’s one of those deals where things just didn’t go right at all. We’re all really scratching our heads about it, but having two tire failures is something that you can’t recover from on the short course at the Glen. It’s bizarre that we had all these problems, but this is the best crew in the GRAND-AM pits and I know they will make the car perfect for Montreal.”

The struggles that his team faced this weekend have left team owner John Potter contemplating new strategies for the coming races in Trois-Rivieres, Montreal, and Utah.

“Someone in upstate New York put a curse on green cars,” said Potter. “We started with a rough time in qualifying and ended with a bad time in the race. The only good thing was I avoided Craig challenging me to do pushups after the race. We must not have enough New Yorkers on our team. Thankfully, we have plenty of Canadians, but we’ll get more for Trois Rivieres and Montreal. I’m from Salt Lake City, but I’ll have to make sure that half of the city is out there for the GRAND-AM finale and they are all wearing green.”

Potter will team with Leh Keen for next weekend’s Continental Sports Car Challenge race at Trois Rivieres, Quebec, Canada in the No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche Cayman. The duo has a best finish in 2010 of second, at the Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course. Following that will be the Rolex Sportscar Series event in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, followed by the GRAND-AM season finale at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah.

While the race from Trois-Rivieres will not be televised, the Rolex Sportscar Series race from Montreal will be shown live on August 28 at 2:00 PM ET on SPEED Channel.

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 the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series can e-mail info@magnusracing.com. All press inquiries can be directed to press@magnusracing.com.



Magnus Racing lines up 13th for Saturday's Crown Royal 200 at the Glen

On the short course at Watkins Glen, John Potter wheeled his No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup to thirteenth for tomorrow's starting grid.

Watch the race LIVE tomorrow on SPEED Channel. The race broadcast will begin at 6:00 PM ET.

Magnus Racing has unfinished business in New York, and Craig Stanton issues a challenge to John Potter

August 3, 2010 (Salt Lake City, Utah) – Magnus Racing had a star-crossed visit to Watkins Glen International in June for the GRAND-AM Rolex Sportscar Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen.

With Craig Stanton at the control, the No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup took its first pole position, setting a new track record, and led the GT race comfortably until an electrical failure put the car in the pits for several laps while the team made repairs. Although the car finished the race, it was several laps down and did not do justice to the speed of the car or the work done by drivers John Potter, Craig Stanton, and Jeroen Bleekemolen.

“We should have won that race,” said Potter, driver and team owner of Magnus Racing. “It was so frustrating since everyone on the team did such a great job and we were let down by a part that broke. Maybe it would have been easier to take if we went off the track or hit something, but we didn’t. It would also appear that we made some of the racing gods mad at us that weekend since we have had pretty bad luck since the six hour. So we’re looking for a good result and to shake some of this bad luck.”

Spirits are high – as they always are with Magnus Racing – as the team travels back to Watkins Glen International for Saturday’s Crown Royal 200 at the Glen, a two-hour race that will begin Saturday afternoon at 6:00 PM ET. Stanton, whose pole time at the six-hour will continue to stand as the course record as GRAND-AM will utilize the short course this weekend, is brimming with confidence ahead of this weekend’s race. Last year, Potter and Stanton finished the Crown Royal 200 in seventh place.

“I can’t wait to get back to Watkins Glen,” said Stanton. “The short course is really fun and it will be a good track for our Magnus Racing Porsche. It will make for a really fast-paced race with lots of action and lots of drafting, which is good for the Porsche since it favors high-speed courses. I’m really excited about getting back on track at the Glen - and just to prove how excited I am, if we get the Magnus Racing car on the podium, I will do 44 straight pushups when I get out of the car and I challenge John Potter to do the same!”

The Crown Royal 200 at the Glen will be televised live on SPEED Channel on Saturday from 6:00 – 8:00 PM ET. Fans of Magnus Racing can follow the team on www.magnusracing.com, at facebook.com/magnusracing, and on twitter at twitter.com/magnusracing (@magnusracing).

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 the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series can e-mail info@magnusracing.com. All press inquiries can be directed to press@magnusracing.com.



Unveiled: Magnus Racing East

Leh Keen and Craig Stanton fine-tuning their skills on the driving simulator of Magnus Racing EastMagnus Racing was proud to unveil Magnus Racing East at last weekend's Grand-Am weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Designed for only the most upscale and exclusive racing familes, the Magnus Racing East facility entertained members of Grand-Am, Speed TV, as well as an untold number of spectators throughout the weekend.

Be sure to take a look at the complete photo gallery of Magnus Racing East on our photo gallery page.

New Jersey Motorsports Park photos posted

Grab a bottle of Clay Street Wine with John Potter and take a look at our photos from this past weekends races at New Jersey Motorsports park.