Michael Shank Racing Upbeat About Their Chances At The GRAND-AM Rolex Race Car Series Event At Mid-Ohio

With the second leg of the GRAND-AM Rolex Race Car Series just around the corner, teams have begun testing their machines in order to smoothen out odd niggles and worries. Michael Shank Racing is one of those who are waiting for the start of the second leg in order to test their new machine.

The team suffered a big blow at the recently concluded Watkins Glen event when their No. 6 Ford/Riley was engulfed in flames at the end of the day’s racing. The freak fire accident damaged the car making if unfit for the Mid-Ohio race. The new car was put to the test on Putman Park with satisfactory results.

According Brian Frisselle, the test was successful and the team was raring to go. However, the team suffered a minor hiccup when the steering rack malfunctioned. The engineers got down to business and the malfunctioning unit was corrected to everybody’s [...] Read More at Melrose Jewelers.

- Written by John Lavit

SpeedSource To Opt for New Pit Strategy In The Second Round Of The GRAND-AM Rolex Car Series

The second round of this year’s GRAND-AM Rolex Car Series, kick-starts with the EMCO Gears Classic presented by KeyBank at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The 2 hour, 45 minutes race will showcase new race strategies, as teams joust with each other to get an advantage.

The SpeedSource Racing Team will unveil a new pit strategy at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. According to this strategy, each of its three cars would have its own team and a dedicated manager looking after the well being of the machines. Accordingly the No. 70 Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8 will be supervised by David Haskell, Gerry Green will call the shots for the No.69 FXDD, and Marcus Shen will manage the No.68 MazdaSpeed. Each car will have a separate pit location for practice, qualification and racing unlike other teams which prefer to have one centralized pit location for their racing machines.

Explaining the strategy, [...] Read More at Melrose Jewelers.

- Written by John Lavit

The Number One Rolex Ranking Up For Grabs At The 35th State Farm Classic

The number one position in the Rolex Rankings is up for grabs as LPGA tour heads to the Panther Creek Country Club where the 35th State Farm Classic will be held. Currently the number one position is held by the straight hitting South Korean, Jiyai Shin who took over the number one Rolex Ranking from Lorena Ochoa on May 3, 2010. The LPGA State Farm Classic will feature some of the best players on the circuit including world number two Ai Miyazato of Japan and Taiwan’s Yani Tseng.

The 35th annual LPGA State Farm Classic has become a permanent fixture on the LPGA tour. The venue has been favored by many golfing celebrities like Sorenstam, Lopez, Carner, King, Jones and Daniel to name a few. The $1.7 million tournament moved to the Panther Course four years ago after 31 years of successfuly hosting at the Rail Golf course.

The LPGA State [...] Read More at Melrose Jewelers.

- Written by John Lavit

All Eyes On Magnus Racing After A Stirring Performance At The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Event At Watkins Glen

Like all the other teams in its class, Magnus Racing is feeling the heat generated by three back to back GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car events held over the last three week period. The team has high hopes pinned on the No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT3, driven by Craig Stanton.

The team has made preparations for the Mid-Ohio Car Race Course event that follows closely at the heels of the Lime Rock Event and the Watkins Glen event. The No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT3 had set the tracks ablaze at Watkins Glen, where it had set a new record with Craig Stanton behind the wheel. During the course of the event, it won a pole position in the qualifications, followed by a sterling performance at the race, where it led for three and a half hours. The team will also participate in the EMCO Gears Classic for [...] Read More at Melrose Jewelers.

- Written by John Lavit

Brumos Racing Will Race In Its 100th Daytona Prototype Race In The GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series

The Brumos Racing Team will become the first team to complete 100 races in the Daytona Prototype class in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series beginning in Brumos Porsche 250. The team has participated in each and every race since 2003 when the Daytona Prototype debuted in the Rolex Sports Car Series. It is a proud moment for the team because the Brumos Racing team was instrumental in bringing the changes. The Brumos Racing drivers, comprising of Darren Law and David Donahue have raced in each of the races since that day. Darren Law, however, became a full time driver only in the 2004 season, after driving only occasionally in the 2003 season.

Hurley Haywood has played a major part in the success of the Brumos Racing Team. He expressed his satisfaction at how the team has developed through the years, saying that the Brumos Racing team was the only [...] Read More at Melrose Jewelers.

- Written by John Lavit

Brumos Racing Hopes For A Podium Finish At The GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Cars Series In Mid-Ohio

Brumos Racing hopes to consolidate its third position with a good finish at the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series in Mid-Ohio. The team is looking forward to continue its run of good results at the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, where it has gathered four top-five-finishes in the first half of the tour. The second half of the tour, beginning with the Mid-Ohio event, is expected to generate plenty of heat with teams competing with each other in order to consolidate their position. The series has already witnessed plenty of drama, competition and a number of close finishes and it is anybody’s guess what the second half has in store for spectators. However, one thing is for sure, team Brumos Racing would be the center of attraction at the race course.

Previously, the Mid-Ohio track has been kind to the Brumos Racing team, helping them score five top-five finishes in [...] Read More at Melrose Jewelers.

- Written by John Lavit

Suntrust Racing Team Eyes The GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series Event In Mid-Ohio

The second half of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series is scheduled to move to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car course, where the No.10 SunTrust Racing Ford Dallara will try to build on its number two position.

The No.10 SunTrust Ford Dallara racing team consists of Max Angelelli from Italy and co-driver Ricky Taylor from Great Britain, with both pinning high hopes from the racing event to be held at Mid-Ohio. The team, owned by three times champion Wayne Taylor, hopes to continue its golden run at the championship, which has witnesses the team finish on the podium three times in a row. The SunTrust team is a healthy 13 points ahead of the team on the third place; however it trails its leaders, No.10 Chip Ganassi Racing, by a massive 24 point margin.

Max Angelelli was hoping to challenge the championship leader, likening the battle for championship as a battle between [...] Read More at Melrose Jewelers.

- Written by John Lavit

Spirit Of Daytona Team Hopes For A Good Show At The Rolex Sports Car Event At Mid-Ohio

The Spirit of Daytona team has been working hard to develop a Daytona Prototype car for the Rolex Sports Car Series. The team has made many changes in the last few years in order to become more competitive, explaining the phasing out of the old Spirit of Daytona No. 09 car. The old car was replaced by a brand new No. 90 Porsche Coyote, driven by the newly signed duo of Buddy Rice and Antonio Garcia.

The changes seem to have worked in favor of the team. Halfway through the season the team has progressed well with its new No.90 Porsche Coyote, notching impressive results throughout. The team is currently in the sixth position, courtesy its podium finish in the last race. The team-mates were thrilled after the Spirit of Daytona No. 90 Porsche V8 got the teams its first ever victory in the Daytona Prototype class. Buddy Rice, reflecting [...] Read More at Melrose Jewelers.

- Written by John Lavit

2010 Rolex Sports Car Series Awards Banquet To Be Held In Las Vegas City

The organizers of GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series have announced that this year’s Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16 Awards Banquet will be held in Las Vegas on the 13th of September.

The awards banquet is to be held two days after the season finale at the Miller Motorsport Park near Salt Lake City, Utah. This is the third time the awards banquet will be coming to the city of Las Vegas, which had previously hosted the awards banquet in2004 and 2006-08.

The awards banquet is to honor the top three position grabbers in the Daytona Prototype and the Grand Touring class, featuring the driving and manufacturer’s championship, along with Pro-AM winners, MESCO Building for the future Rookie of the Year and a host of other awards. The awards ceremony is to be hosted by SPEED TV Analyst, Calvin Fish and Pit lane reporter, Chris Neville.

The Rolex [...] Read More at Melrose Jewelers.

- Written by John Lavit

Memo Gidley Makes Waves In The GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series Following A Good Run At The Glen

The No.77 McDonalds/PR Newswire Daytona Prototype, driven by Memo Gidley and Dion Von Moltke has been able to grasp the attention of racing enthusiasts basically due to its exceptional performance at the recently concluded Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen. The team has been performing consistently over a period of time and Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen, presented by Crown Royal Cask No 16 was witness to the same. the Six Hours of Glen happens to be the fifth round in the Grand-AM Rolex Sporst Car Series. Memo Gidley has been aparticipant of the rolex Sports Car Series since 2005 and has always managed to finish in the top five positions. This year at the Rolex 24 At Daytona he competed along with Brad Jaeger, Fabrizio Gollin and Derek Johnston.

The team performed well in the practice sessions, scorching the racing tracks time after time. The team came second [...] Read More at Melrose Jewelers.

- Written by John Lavit

Bennett Racing To Sit Out The GRAND-AM Rolex Car Series Event At Daytona International Speedway

Bennett racing plans to sit out the GRAND-AM Rolex Car Series at Brumos Porsche 250 Daytona International Speedway, in order to fine tune the performance of its car in-keeping with the other competitors in the GT Class. The car No. 56 Ferrari F430 Challenge performed below expectation at the Bosch Engineering 250 at the Virginia International Raceway, finishing a poor 15th.

The result forced the team to rethink its strategy at the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, in order to be competitive. According to the new strategy, the team would now compete in New Jersey Motorsports held during the mid of July and the Crown Royal 200 at the Glen in the beginning of August.

The team comprising of owner Skip Bennett, co-owner Mike Davidson, Mike Skeen, Jonathan Allen and Chris Cobetto also aim to race at the Rolex 24 at Daytona next year.

According to Mike Skeen, the main aim of [...] Read More at Melrose Jewelers.

- Written by John Lavit

USA Emerges Victor At The Rolex Sponsored Curtis Cup

The United States team emerged as the undisputed victor at the Rolex Sponsored Curtis Cup held at the Essex Country Club, defeating Great Britain and Ireland. The 6,247 yard, par 70 venue golfing event came to an end after Jennifer Johnson made a 2 foot putt on the 14th hole.

The team from Great Britain and Ireland tried their best on Sunday, winning four of the eight matches that were scheduled for the day. However, this was not sufficient to wipe off earlier deficits. With this victory United States has won 27 of the matches held since 1932. Great Britain and Ireland have won six times each, with the last victory coming their way in 1996.

Just minutes before the winning putt was made by Jennifer Johnson, the teams exchanged victories with Alexis Thomson from US defeating Great Britain’s Sally Watson, and Great Britain’s Danny McVeigh outmaneuvering Jennifer Song. The win [...] Read More at Melrose Jewelers.

- Written by John Lavit

Rolex America’s Cup Hall Of Fame Honors Sailing Legends At A Glittering Ceremony In Newport

The Rolex America’s Cup Hall of Fame honored sailing legends in a glittering ceremony presided over by the President of Herreshoff Marine Museum. Those honored, included living legends like Brad Butterworth and Tom Whidden and sailing legends from the past like Hank Haff and William Fife. The ceremony also doubled as a fundraiser for the America’s Cup Hall of Fame.

The award ceremony witnessed the presence of many personalities including the Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Ken Read, Henry H. Anderson, Ted Hood, Bruno Bich, Mike Toppa, Peter Harrison and the 2003 Hall of Fame inductee Gary Jobson.

Rolex America’s Cup Hall of Fame inductee Butterworth said that the recognition wouldn’t have been possible without the contribution of his team-mates Mathew Mason, Simon Daubney, Murray Jones, Russell Coutts and Warwick Fleury. Butterworth also praised fellow inductee Tom Whidden lavishly, saying that he used to look up to these guys as role [...] Read More at Melrose Jewelers.

- Written by John Lavit

Song Wins Second Rolex Sponsored Women’s Golf Event In Two Weeks

Christine Song of Fullerton bagged two tournaments in a row by winning the Rolex Women’s Golf Event at the $135,000 Teva Championship. The win at the Time Warner Cable event came one week after her maiden victory at the Iowa tournament. Even though not at her usual best she was able to beat the tournament record set in 2007, finishing fifteen under par at the Golf Centre in Kings Island.
The second round of the Rolex Golf Event could not be finished on Saturday because of scattered showers, making it difficult for competitors to tee off the greens. However, the second round resumed the next day in much better conditions allowing Christine Song to take the lead after scoring a 68. However, she was not pleased with her performance, saying that it was an “OK round”. Her run of scores at the event included a bogey at number three, followed [...] Read More at Melrose Jewelers.

- Written by John Lavit

Rolex’s Young Laureates Program To Honor Young Achievers In Switzerland

The 13th edition of the Rolex’s Young Laureates program will be held at the highly respected Swiss University, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) on the 11th of November, 2010. The previous edition of this prestigious ceremony was hosted by Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein in Dubai, UAE. The event will be held at the Rolex Learning Center this year, which is considered to be one of the most important hubs of educational exchange in the world.

As a part of the selection process 27 young innovators were shortlisted for the awards. The Jury chose five candidates from this list of 27 on the basis of their contributions in science and technology, health, applied technology, exploration and environment and cultural preservation. The five visionaries chosen under the Rolex Young Laureates Program have been selected from United States, Nigeria, Ethiopia, India and the Philippines.

The Rolex Young Laureates program is an extension [...] Read More at Melrose Jewelers.

- Written by John Lavit

Rolex Women’s Golf Tour Goes Underway At The 2010 State Farm Classic

The Rolex Women’s Golf championship goes underway at the Panther Creek Country Club beginning June 14, 2010. This the first time the LPGA tour will be held without two of its most famous protagonists: Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa. However, it is felt that the time is ripe for the contenders to stake their claim for the number one position.

Until now the LPGA tour has been dominated by the rivalry between Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa. However, with Lorena’s retirement there is a sudden vacuum in the LPGA tour that needs to be filled in order to build the next big rivalry; so necessary to market the game.

The contenders include South Korea’s Jiyai Shin, who took over the top position after the retirement of Lorena Ochoa last month. However, Jiyai Shin opted to give the tournament a miss citing ill health. Also missing would be the third seed, Suzann [...] Read More at Melrose Jewelers.

- Written by John Lavit

Mike Rockenfeller Joins Racing Greats After Double Whammy At Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series

Mike Rockenfeller joined an illustrious bunch of racing greats after registering victories at the Rolex 24 Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Sunday’s win at the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series meant that now he was a part of the exclusive inner circle of racing greats that includes the likes of Hurley Haywood, Al Holbert, Derek Bell and Jan Lammers.

The Action Express Racing team, represented by a Porsche powered Riley, included Joao Barbosa, Terry Borcheller and Ryan Dalziel.

Lee Keen, driving a Ferrari for the Hankook Team Farnbacher, was the only American to finish on the podium, taking the place of a close second to the eventual champion Mike Rockenfeller. Lee Keen did well in the 24 hour race at Nurburgring by finishing second in the previous month’s race. He is set to team up with James Gue in the No. 41 Team Seattle/Global Diving Solutions Mazda RX-8 [...] Read More at Melrose Jewelers.

- Written by John Lavit

Shank Racing To Enter A Dallara For Round 7 Of The GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series

Michael Shank Racing is to enter a new car for the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series beginning in the month of June at Mid-Ohio. The replacement became necessary after the team’s No.6 Ford/Riley driven by Michael Valiante was damaged in a freak fire accident in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen.

At the time of the accident the car was running in the tenth position, with the driver all set to close the race after solid performances from team-mates Mark Patterson and Brian Frisselle. Narrating the sequence of events that led to the accident, the driver said that he could feel the motor struggling to generate power before the car caught fire, seconds before he managed to jump to safety. According to him, it was a shame that the accident happened, ruining all the hard work put in by the Michael Shank Racing team.

Co-driver Brian Frisselle said that he [...] Read More at Melrose Jewelers.

- Written by John Lavit

Doyle Helps Team TRG Record Its Second Victory At The 2010 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series

Veteran motorcycle racer, Bob Doyle helped his team record its second victory at the GRAND-AM Rolex Sport Car Series for the 2010 season. The opportunity to race with team TRG came as a pleasant surprise to the racing ace last week. Due to this late call the veteran driver had to miss practice sessions on Friday, arriving just in time for the race qualifications.

According to the driver, the invitation came as a surprise because he had not driven a car since January and he was not sure whether he would be able to negotiate the tough race conditions. However, the management at TRG, reposing faith in the ace driver, asked him to give his best in the allotted four laps. Doyle said that driving at that level was challenging even though he was in good physical condition. However, his teammates, Andy Lally and Spencer Pumpelly, were thrilled by his [...] Read More at Melrose Jewelers.

- Written by John Lavit

Pruett And Rojas Favorites To Win The 2010 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series

The duo of Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas struck a cautionary note when queried about their status of being the favorites to win this year’s GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. However, racing experts have already prophesied their victory on the back of a series dominating opening at this year’s racing championship.

The duo would have none of it, stating that it was too early to think about winning the championship as anything could happen in the remaining leg of the series. According to Pruett, thinking about winning the championship so early into the series could be their nemesis, explaining their reluctance to wear the ‘favorites’ tag. The duo has been on a winning streak, having won four of the six opening races in the No. 01 TELEMEX BMW/Riley, making them the firm favorites to win this year’s championship.

The duo of Pruett and Rojas has extended their lead over second placed [...] Read More at Melrose Jewelers.

- Written by John Lavit