Watkins Glen - and LeMans - a shot in the arm for Magnus Racing's trip to Mid-Ohio

June 14, 2010 (Salt Lake City, Utah) – The GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16 has quite a hectic summer schedule, and only two weeks after the series’ last event  at Watkins Glen – which was only one week after the races at Lime Rock – Magnus Racing will have its Porsches back on track at Mid Ohio.

This weekend’s EMCO Gears Classic presented by Keybank will see the team’s No.44 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup back in action after its stirring performance at Watkins Glen, where it took pole position, set a new track record with Craig Stanton behind the wheel, and lead the GT class for most of the first three and a half hours. Additionally, the team’s No.44 Magnus Racing Porsche Cayman will contest the EMCO Gears Classic for the Continental Tie Sports Car Challenge, two weeks after it too led its race for the first time at Watkins Glen after John Potter and Leh Keen charged forward from their 15^th starting position.

Buoyed by the turn of pace that his rookie team’s cars showed at Watkins Glen, Team Owner Potter is enthused for this weekend’s pair of races.

“Watkins Glen was a great weekend for us – it gave the team a big boost and was really fun for us drivers to be right at the front and to showcase the level of talent we have on this crew,” he said. “Mid-Ohio isn’t Watkins Glen, and might not suit the Porsches as well, but we’re going to attack it the same way that we did two weeks ago. The whole team did a great job at Watkins Glen – like they have all season – and after racing at the front of the GRAND-AM field at Watkins Glen, everyone really wants to stay there!”

In the two weeks since Watkins Glen, Magnus Racing drivers have stayed busy as Jeroen Bleekemolen, who is drafted in by the team to drive the GT3 in the endurance events, and Leh Keen, who co-drives the Cayman with Potter, both competed at the world-famous 24 Hours of Le Mans. Keen drove to a podium position with a 2^nd in GT2, while Bleekemolen finished 8^th in GT2 as well.  Keen has returned from France and will be back in the Cayman for this weekend’s race.

Potter and Stanton are currently tenth in the Rolex Sports Car Series GT class standings, while Potter is third in the Bob Akin Award standings for sportsman drivers in the GT class. Magnus Racing is tied for fifth in the GT-class Team Championship.

Friday will see practice and qualifying for both races, while Saturday’s Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race starts at 1:15 PM ET and the Rolex Sports Car Series race begins at 5:00 PM ET. The Rolex Sports Car Series race will be broadcast live on SPEED Channel, Saturday, June 19, beginning at 5:00 PM ET, while the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race will be broadcast a week later on SPEED Channel on Saturday, June 26, at 1:00pm ET.

Fans of Magnus Racing can keep up with the progress of the team at throughout the weekend at magnusracing.com, facebook.com/magnusracing, and 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 Sportscar Series can e-mail info@magnusracing.com. All press inquiries can be directed to press@magnusracing.com.





New Videos!

Craig Stanton and Lorie Bedell talk food, while Leh Keen drives the Magnus Racing Porsche Cayman to the front of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge in the Continental 150 highlights.

Watkins Glen photos uploaded

John Potter wants you to check out the photo galleries from Watkins Glen, where an old man set a new track record in the Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT3, and where we used up all of the extended warranty of the Porsche Cayman.

Magnus Racing experiences the highs and lows of racing in Watkins Glen

Craig Stanton leads the GT field at the start of the Sahlen's Six Hour of the GlenJune 5, 2010 (Watkins Glen, NY) – It was a rollercoaster ride for Magnus Racing on Saturday as the team’s Porsches competed in – and led – both GRAND-AM series races at Watkins Glen International.

On Friday, team owner John Potter saw his co-driver Craig Stanton put the No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup on pole for Saturday’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen, the fifth round of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 championship. He then qualified the No.44 Magnus Racing Porsche Cayman, which had been rebuilt after a major crash in Thursday practice, fifteenth for the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.

The Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race was first on the day for the team, and after John jumped up to ninth on the opening lap and raced to the front, Leh Keen took over at the first pitstop. Throughout the final hour and a half of the race, Keen put the potential of the Cayman on display as he raced forward until he was in second place, battling for the lead. The battle got heated, and the resulting contact cut the right rear tire on the Cayman, ending the team’s bid for a win. The car was classified as the 17^th finisher.

Stanton started the Sahlen’s Six Hour of the Glen for the team and immediately built a large margin over the rest of the GT field. Different pit sequences saw the car fall to fourth as John Potter took over the wheel, but Potter aptly demonstrated his ability behind the wheel as he ran with the leaders as rain fell on Watkins Glen three different times during his stint. He then turned the car over under caution to Dutch driver Jeroen Bleekemolen, who took the restart in second place and timed it to perfection to retake the GT class lead in turn one.

John Potter and Leh Keen put in the strongest appearance of the year in the team's Porsche Cayman, nearly winning the GS raceMuch as Stanton did earlier in the race, Bleekemolen began to drive the No.44 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup away from the rest of the GT field. With the race firmly in control, an electrical malfunction surfaced, and Bleekemolen was forced to pit under green to have the team replace a faulty alternator. The lengthy stop effectively removed the car from contention, and when the checkered fell the team crossed the finish line in eleventh position.

“You know, as much as I want to say that it was still a great weekend for us, it is really frustrating to not get that first win for our guys,” said Potter following the Sahlen’s Six Hour of the Glen. “We’ve had the talent in the Magnus Racing team to run at the front all year, and here we were able to put that talent on display and a part on the car failed and it cost us a win. It’s as simple as that. But now, all we can do is move on to the next race at Mid-Ohio.”

With five races of the Rolex Sports Car Series season now complete, Magnus Racing is tied for fifth in the GT team championship, while Stanton and Potter are tenth in the GT drivers championship. Potter is also third in the Bob Akin championship for sportsman drivers.

Next on the calendar for Magnus Racing will be the Emco Gears Classic presented by Keybank at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, June 18-19. The Continental Tie 150 from Watkins Glen will be broadcast June 13 at 1:00 PM ET on SPEED Channel. 

Fans of Magnus Racing can see photo galleries from Watkins Glen 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 Sportscar Series can e-mail info@magnusracing.com. All press inquiries can be directed to press@magnusracing.com.



Stanton captures first pole for Magnus Racing at the Glen

June 4, 2010 (Watkins Glen, NY) – Craig Stanton, from Long Beach, Calif., blitzed the 3.4-mile Watkins Glen International layout during the GRAND-AM Rolex Sportscar Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16 qualifying to take pole position for Saturday’s Sahlen’s Six Hour of the Glen in the No.44 Magnus Racing Porsche GT3 Cup.

Stanton’s pole position was the first for Magnus Racing, the second of Stanton’s career, and the first one in 2010 for Porsche.

“I am so excited for my team, I almost don’t have any words,” said Stanton following the qualifying session. “This really shows the progression that Magnus Racing has undergone this season. These guys all come to us from different places but have come together as a team really quickly. They have busted their butts for us since Daytona, and this result really is for them and for all their hard work. We have a lot of team family and friends here with us this weekend, and we know we have lots of family and friends at home following the action, so I’m really excited to give them something to be happy about.”

For Potter, from Salt Lake City, Utah, the pole position is vindication of the program that he built over the winter after the end of the 2009 GRAND-AM season.

“It’s very exciting to say that Magnus Racing has scored its first pole position,” said Potter. “But mostly I’m thrilled for our guys. It’s their experience and skills that allow us to get great results like our first pole position.”

The No.44 Magnus Racing Porsche GT3 Cup had excelled throughout the day on the fast, flowing Watkins Glen layout. Stanton, Potter, and Jeroen Bleekemolen, the third Magnus Racing driver on this weekend, were able to keep their car in the top-three throughout all of the day’s sessions.

“We knew coming to Watkins Glen that we would do well, as this is a track that favors the Porsche,” said Stanton. “Its layout – with high speeds and lots of fast straightaways – suits the aerodynamics and balance of the Porsche, but I had it on the ragged edge to put that lap down. The car has felt phenomenal all day, and we also think we will have a car that will be good for all six hours tomorrow.”

In Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge qualifying, Potter drove the No.44 Magnus Racing Porsche Cayman for the first time since it was involved in a heavy accident yesterday to a 15^th overall qualifying position. The Magnus Racing team had a large job to repair the car but, as they have done throughout the season, proved up to the task of getting the car ready-to-race.

The CTSCC race will begin Saturday at 10:15 AM ET, with the Rolex Sportscar Series race beginning at 2:00 PM ET. The GT race will air live in two segments on SPEED Channel, with the first segment beginning at 2:00 PM ET and ending at 4:00 PM ET, and the second beginning at 6:00 PM ET and ending at 8:30 PM ET. Qualifying for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen will stream live online at http://stream.speedtv.com, beginning at 3:35 PM ET and will run for both the Daytona Prototype and GT sessions.

Throughout the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen, fans of Magnus Racing will be able to log on to the team’s website at magnusracing.com, and chat live with the team and drivers. Fans of Magnus Racing also stay updated with the team 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 Sportscar Series can e-mail info@magnusracing.com. All press inquiries can be directed to press@magnusracing.com.