Faultless Run for Magnus Racing in Rolex 24 Return Leads to Sixth

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 29, 2018) – Marking their return to IMSA competition, Magnus Racing would enjoy a solid, faultless run during the weekend’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, ultimately finishing sixth.

“Certainly we would have liked a better finish, but we can’t be too disappointed in our performance,” stated Magnus Racing team owner and co-driver John Potter. “Overall the team ran without any major mistakes, our car was fairly strong, it just wasn’t our weekend. With the length of green flags and insanely few yellows, the dynamics and strategies that we normally excel at just weren’t a factor. It’s great to be back in IMSA and we’re in a strong position for the rest of the season.”

In one of the most unique races in recent history, the standout factor of this year’s Rolex 24 was the extreme lack of yellow flags, a dynamic in the race that usually enables a number of different approaches and strategies. With a grand total of only four cautions throughout the entirety of the race, vast durations of green flag periods would virtually eliminate any opportunity to advance via clever pit strategy.

With Andy Lally taking the green flag, the overall pace of the No. 44 Audi Tire Center Audi R8 LMS did show strong, advancing multiple positions in his opening stints, however still falling short of the incredible pace of the top machines.

Running error-free, the car would transition through the scheduled driver rotation of Lally, followed by John Potter, Andrew Davis, and Markus Winkelhock. While the team ran without any major mistakes, the No. 44 would ultimately find itself one lap down nearing the one-third mark of the race, with the team fighting hard to regain the deficit.

As the race wore on, and a continued lack of caution periods prevailed, the deficit simply proved too much, and while the team was able to gain ground to the pack in front of them, ultimately sixth place was where they would resign when the checkered flag fell.

For Andy Lally, while a disappointing finish, there were a lot of positives on the weekend.

“We’re not a team that ever settles for sixth, but we still had some strong attributes to look back on,” stated Lally. “The guys ran strong stops as usual, John didn’t make a single mistake, and Andrew once again proved that he’ll be an excellent teammate for the endurance races. It’s great to be back with the team and we definitely have a lot of positives going in to the rest of the season.”

For Andrew Davis, an enjoyable weekend was had.

“I really enjoyed the experience,” stated Davis. “The team has developed a great atmosphere, they’re a lot of fun, and the potential is all there to show even stronger. I’m appreciative of the opportunity and look forward to Sebring.”

All attention now turns to the 12 Hours of Sebring, taking place from March 14-17.