MAGNUS RACING EXPANDS TO TWO CARS FOR ROLEX 24

Double the Cars, Double the Fun?

Salt Lake City, UT (December 16, 2011)- Following a successful two-day test that saw Magnus Racing consistently toward the top of the charts at Daytona International Speedway during the December 6-7 tire test, the team in grey is proud to announce, for the first time in their three-year Rolex Series history, an expansion to two cars.

Entering the no. 4 Children’s Tumor Foundation/Racing4Research Porsche GT3 Cup alongside the team’s usual no. 44 for this year’s 50th Rolex 24 at Daytona, Magnus Racing will double its efforts for the twice-around-the-clock classic.

Having finished in the top-five in the team’s first two ventures at Daytona, and following a 2011 season that saw the team take its first steps on to the GRAND-AM podium, as well as four podiums overall in their 2011 sportscar season, 2012 is shaping up as a landmark season for the team.

Following the hiring of three-time Rolex 24 winner Andy Lally to lead the team, Magnus Racing and the Children’s Tumor Foundation agreed to launch a second car for the event, featuring Daytona veterans Daniel Graeff, Ron Yarab, Ryan Eversley, and the recently announced Justin Bell.

Racing4Research, a motorsports-based fundraising program developed by the Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF) to find treatments and a cure for neurofibromatosis, or NF, will compete in the Rolex 24 At Daytona for the fourth consecutive year in 2012.

Since its debut in the 2008 running of America’s premier endurance race, CTF has raised over $1.5 million through Racing4Research in the last four runnings of the Rolex 24 At Daytona. The team will race in next month’s 50th Anniversary running of the 24-hour classic with Magnus Racing, a top Porsche entrant in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, with Eversley, Graeff, Yarab and a fourth driver to be named in the coming weeks. The team participated in a two-day test at Daytona on Tuesday and Wednesday where all three drivers put in ample time behind the wheel of the No. 04 CTF Racing4Research Porsche GT3.

For John Potter, this is a significant step in the team’s three-year history.

“It is a very big honor to run with CTF as our second car for the 50th Rolex 24,” stated Potter. “It’s a great cause, run by some phenomenal people, and a great sign to the strength and ambitions of our team. Daniel, Ron, and Ryan all drove impressively at the test, and it will greatly strengthen our program to have such a great group joining us. Our team has quietly been built on a strong foundation of people, and we look forward to bringing these programs together.”

For Ron Yarab, the opportunity with Magnus is an ideal one.

Yarab has also noticed some fast growth off the track since the Racing4Research program was started.

“The first year we did this I think we had about 20 kids, and now it has grown to over 100 and their families,” Yarab said. “It is just really great to see their faces on race day. It makes you feel good because usually you get into racing for your own selfish interests, but now we can literally help thousands of people through the money we raise doing this. It is just a great experience, I hope we can keep doing this, and actually do more of it.”

Daniel Graeff was equally pleased with the team’s initial outing with Magnus.

“It was a very productive two days,” Graeff said. “We have a platform that is very strong, we feel good about it, and there is still some room there to do some minor tweaking to make it even that much better. As a team, in terms of the drivers and the crew working on the car, we have really jelled together well, and we are showing the results.”

Founded in 1978, the CTF is dedicated to improving the health and well being of the more than 2 million people around the world living with NF. The charity’s research program has played a key role in the discovery of the genes that cause NF, understanding the biology of NF, creation of the NF Clinic Network and preclinical screening of drug compounds that appear promising in treating the disorder. Donations can be made at racing4research.org.

To learn more about Andy Lally, visit www.andylally.com, or follow him on twitter at @andylally.
Fans of Magnus Racing can stay up to date with the team on facebook.com/magnusracing and on twitter (@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 sports car racing can e-mail info@magnusracing.com. All press inquiries can be directed to press@magnusracing.com.

Next up for Magnus Racing is the Roar Before the Rolex 24 Test Days at Daytona, January 6 – 8. The 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 At Daytona will be run January 26 – 29.