Potter and Stanton rally their Porsche home in sixth in Blazin’ Jersey

Potter and Stanton rewarded the Magnus Racing crew with a sixth place finish in New JerseyJuly 18, 2010 (Millville, New Jersey) – Following an up-and-down day in South New Jersey, the No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup crossed the finish line in sixth position, as team owner John Potter and co-driver Craig Stanton advanced nine positions over the course of the two hour and forty five minute race during yesterday’s most recent round of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask no. 16.

With the pit thermometer reaching almost 100 degrees, the race started and Potter had a clean start from his fifteenth-place starting position. With the help of an inspired pit strategy call, he advanced several positions during the first full-course yellow and ran in a solid eighth position before turning the car over to Stanton after the one-hour mark.

Stanton, racing without the aid of his helmet blower and with a malfunctioning cool suit, ran the Porsche GT3 as high as sixth before dropping to ninth as a result of a pit-lane speed violation during his second pit stop. The extra stop, which dropped Stanton to ninth, was overcome by another call from the pit box as the team executed a very fast pit stop for four new tires during the final yellow flag period. That call, matched with some great driving, helped move the car up to fifth in the final minutes before Stanton – by this point feeling the effects of the 145 degree cockpit temperatures – lost one position with two minutes remaining.

“I don’t know about how dirty New Jersey is, but it sure is hot,” said Craig Stanton following the race. “This race was a lot like an episode of Jersey Shore I saw, since it was so chaotic and it was so hot I think the heat was affecting the way everyone thinks. I was pretty used up at the end of the race but after the team gave me some Recoverite, a bag of ice, and some water, I felt good enough to do another race.

“Our Magnus Racing crew was on it today. They had our Porsche hooked up so well it was easy to drive fast, and they made a couple of great calls on strategy that helped us finish as well as we did, despite our penalty.”

Potter, who entered this race fourth in the Bob Akin Award standings for sportsman drivers in the GT Class, was impressed with his co-driver’s ability to complete the race on pace despite his lack of a functioning cool suit.

“Craig did a great job to stay on the pace in that very hot car,” said Potter. “It’s a good thing he works out so much because almost anyone else might have needed to get out of the car. As it was he needed a lot of water and cooling off after the race, which shows just how hot it was and what a great job he did. I’m disappointed that we were dropped down the order with a questionable pit-lane speed call, but we still got a good result and we’ll move on to the next one.”

Potter and Stanton will leave their beloved New Jersey to compete in New York at the Crown Royal 200 at the Glen, held at Watkins Glen International on August 6-7. Taking part in the weekend that the NASCAR Sprint Cup is competing at the same course, the duo will return to the track where they recorded the team’s first pole position earlier this season. That race will be broadcast on SPEED Channel on August 7 at 6:00 PM ET.

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.



Potter and Keen keep their Porsche Cayman (mostly) clean in Dirty Jersey

The No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche Cayman races past the recently unveiled Magnus Racing East facility at New Jersey Motorsports ParkJuly 17, 2010 (Millville, New Jersey) – Taking a white car to a place called Dirty Jersey might make someone worried, so Magnus Racing team owner John Potter was pleased to see his No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche Cayman cross the finish line in seventh place.

While in the previous races the Magnus Racing Porsche Cayman had finished the race with a substantial amount of body damage, it finished at New Jersey Motorsports Park with only a bent front bumper, broken tow hook, and a donut on the right side of the car as it advanced twelve positions over the course of the race. However, BMW M3 driver Charles Espenlaub felt the car had too easy of a time, as he hit the back of the Cayman twice during the cool down lap.

“That’s the least amount of body damage that we have ever had in a weekend with the Cayman,” said Potter afterwards. “By any measure that’s a pretty successful race in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.”

On the heels of the second place that Potter and Keen drove to last month at Mid-Ohio, the car clearly had a good race pace as Potter – who was busy watching Real Housewives of New Jersey reruns in the recently unveiled Magnus Racing East facility before the race – advanced from his 19^th position qualifying effort to as high as 10^th before turning the car over to Keen with one hour remaining in the race.

Keen, over the final hour, was embroiled in a battle with several BMW’s and Camaros, culminating in an epic battle over the final minutes with the Camaro of Matt Bell. Using every available bit of road and then some, Keen’s battle dominated the television coverage but he was ultimately unable to overcome the horsepower deficit that the Cayman had to the V8-powered Camaro and he crossed the finish line in seventh place.

“There wasn’t much that I could do to pass the Camaro,” said Keen. “I did everything I could and there was no way I could come over the horsepower advantage. We were the first non-V8 powered car across the finish line, which shows what kind of disadvantage it was on this track. We can get close, but unless they make a big mistake, we can’t make a pass. But it was a good result and we brought the car back in one piece so I’m happy with how it went.”

Potter and Keen will team up again at next month’s Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres, on the temporary track in Trois-Rivieres in Quebec, Canada. The Garden State 250 from New Jersey Motorsports Park will be broadcast on Saturday, June 25, at 1:00 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.



Ready to Fist Pump, Magnus Racing heads to New Jersey

July 13, 2010 (Salt Lake City, Utah) – The team in green had what could only be described as a forgettable experience at Daytona International Speedway two weeks ago, when the No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup suffered driveline failure early in the race while team owner John Potter was slugging it out for a top-10 position in the race’s first hour.

The Magnus Racing drivers, while optimistic about this weekend’s upcoming NJMP 250 presented by Crown Royal, is even more upbeat about bringing the Magnus Racing party to the great state of New Jersey. Their enthusiasm for racing at New Jersey Motorsports Park has been boosted by months of catching up on their favorite New Jersey television programming.

“Living close to the beach myself, I really dig the Jersey Shore,” said Craig Stanton. “I mean, those kids know how to have a good time and live it up at the beach. There are definitely some similarities between them and Magnus Racing – no matter what, we always know how to have a good time and enjoy ourselves. With all of our completely rotten luck this year, the team is always upbeat and having a good time, and we’ll be doing the same this weekend – except this time we plan on having no problems and going straight to the front.”

“I know that Craig enjoys Jersey Shore, but I prefer the Real Housewives of New Jersey,” said John Potter, who it must be noted is an eligible bachelor with no Housewife of his own. “Some of their arguments and politics can’t be all that different than what some of Grand-Am’s car rules committees must be like. And some of them are so mean and aggressive, it wouldn’t surprise me to see them in a Daytona Prototype this weekend.”

Potter will again be joined by Leh Keen to contest the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, after the duo combined to finish second at last month’s EMCO Gears Classic at Mid-Ohio in the No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche Cayman in the GS class. While Keen is not as much an enthusiast of Jersey Shore as Stanton is, he must admit that the NJMP track “has curves like Snooki!”

This weekend’s NJMP 250 presented by Crown Royal will be broadcast on Sunday, July 18 at 1:00 PM ET on SPEED Channel, while the CTSCC race will be broadcast July 25 at 1:00 PM ET on SPEED Channel. 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.



Mechanical failure parks Magnus Racing Porsche early in Daytona

July 3, 2010 (Daytona Beach, FL) – Unloading a perfect looking Porsche from the Magnus Racing trailer might have been the largest undertaking of the year for the Magnus Racing crew. While the team has no problem preparing an immaculate Porsche, things were made far more complicated for the Brumos 250 at Daytona by a massive crash at last month’s event in Mid-Ohio.

As a result, the Magnus Racing crew put in a Herculean effort to repair their damaged race car in the short, two-week turnaround between Mid-Ohio and Daytona. Thanks to the efforts of crew chief John Bedell and crew members Patrick Dubuc, Jeff Milan and Steve Gysin, the Porsche rolled off the trailer looking like new and ready to race.

Fast from the moment it hit the track, Magnus Racing owner and driver John Potter and co-driver Craig Stanton ran consistently in the top-five throughout practice, a tribute to the team’s terrific turnaround.  In qualifying, Potter recorded his personal best qualifying effort of the year when he placed the Porsche seventh on the starting grid.

In 84 degree weather and under threatening skies, Potter took the green flag for Saturday’s Brumos 250 at Daytona, the seventh round of the 2010 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16. After qualifying seventh but starting sixth when a competitor withdrew from the race, Potter showed his mettle by battling for positions in the top-10 throughout the opening stint.

However, as he was in the thick of the battle, a right rear axle snapped under acceleration exiting turn one and Potter limped the car back to the pits. The Magnus Racing crew got to work and quickly fixed the car, putting Craig Stanton behind the wheel to rejoin the race. Stanton’s race would not last long, however, as transmission failure saw him park the car for good just past the one hour mark of the two hour and thirty minute race.

“Humbug,” said Potter after the car was retired.  Stanton echoed Potter’s sentiments.

“The car was good this weekend – so good,” said Stanton. “John was in the mix of things and having a great battle, and I couldn’t wait to get in the car and go to the front. One of these days everything is going to come together for this team and I can’t wait for that.”

Potter and Stanton will be back behind the wheel of the No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in two weeks at New Jersey Motorsports Park, while Leh Keen will join Potter in the team’s No.44 Magnus Racing Porsche Cayman in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.

Fans of Magnus Racing can see photo galleries from Daytona 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-American Rolex Sports Car Series can e-mail info@magnusracing.com. All press inquiries can be directed to press@magnusracing.com.



Daytona - Qualifying Report

We are back in Florida, with all the heat and in this case, rain, that comes with it. The No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup emerged from under the team’s awning for morning practice, looking good-as-new and looking like nothing had happened at Mid-Ohio two weeks ago.

Craig took the car out in the first session, which started with a light rain and a wet surface, and easily had the car in the top-10 and up to fourth until the track began to dry. A few chassis changes for the second session, where the rain came back, saw Craig go to P3 right before the checkered flew.

Fearless leader of Magnus Racing, John Potter, jumped in the car for the Truman/Akin practice and ran very quickly, giving the team a good feeling heading into qualifying. John clearly had his Wheaties for breakfast, as he pedaled his team’s Porsche around Daytona International Speedway in a time good for seventh on the grid, despite a couple of moments with traffic in the session. It was a marked improvement from our qualifying at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, when Craig qualified in 21^st position…

Both John and Craig report being very happy with the car, with Craig reporting that the car was “splendid” and John saying that it was handling great in both the wet and dry conditions.  

“I’m really happy with how things went today,” said John following the session. “The car was good, and all the credit to the team and crew for working so hard over the past two weeks to get it back in shape after the crash at Mid-Ohio. The Porsche is working well here and I am looking forward to tomorrow.”

The race begins tomorrow at 8:15 AM ET, and will be broadcast at 1:00 PM ET on SPEED Channel.