Rediscover Sportscar.

Magnus Racing Wants to Give The Fans a Ride at Daytona… Kinda.

When Magnus Racing posted last year’s unnecessarily epic Rolex 24 at Daytona preview video, few would have guessed the incredible response the video would have gotten. Most notably, the famed automotive website Jalopnik covered the video in an article, which received a litany of comments from their readership. To read the full article, and comments, click here.

Most notably, commenter “Telumektar” posted the comment:

“Ah, uhm, what? It seems like thay had some good ideas for some kind of Epic-car-racing style video and then they tried to mix it with some meme jokes or something. Or they hired two different teams of directors and editors and one was retarded.” (yes, that was a real comment)

What Telumektar didn’t realize, however, was he was right!

Magnus Racing has always enjoyed the talents of two different directors, both with very “unique” backgrounds.

With this in mind, we’re proud to publicly reveal our two directors that we've always had on staff: Abeljandro del Jimenez… and Kile.

With 2014 being a year of reinvention, Magnus has decided to give both directors an opportunity to make their own, independent videos, with one releasing today, and one in advance of the Sebring 12 Hours in March.

So everyone at Magnus would like to know, are you Team Abeljandro or Team Kile?

We want your comments, literally.

In celebration of our love of forum comments, we encourage ALL of the fans to go on to our favorite websites who will be posting today’s video: Racer.com, Sportscar365.com, and YouTube’s Drive network, and comment. We will pick our favorite comment from each site (that’s three chances), and put YOUR NAME on the Magnus Racing No. 44 Flex-Box Porsche 911 GT America.

There are no rules on what makes a comment “good.” It could be funny, it could be completely disconnected, it could be incredibly complimentary (we like those), it could be scathing…. we won’t know what we like until we read it. Just make the comment awesome.

Each site will have one winner, and Magnus will supply said commenter with a photo of their name on the Porsche (we get to decide where the name goes). Contest closes on Tuesday.

Make sense? Our first video, directed by Abeljandro, will release in about an hour.


ABOUT OUR DIRECTORS

Abeljandro del Jimenez

Video to Debut: Rolex 24 at Daytona

Hailing from the artisan city of Juarez, Abeljandro is a firm believer that life imitates art. A graduate of the prestigious Ciudad del Arte Intútil Academio, Abeljandro has made over 25 independent films that have premiered around coffee houses throughout Southern California. A consummate film-maker, the artist refuses to ever refer to his pieces as “videos,” even if none of his projects have ever appeared on celluloid. Residing in Silverlake, California, del Jimenez spends his time re-arranging his vinyl collection in his front window for everyone to see, shopping for skinny jeans, and blogging about how Of Monsters and Men have gone corporate.

Education: Film Theory, Ciudad del Arte Itutil Academio

Favorite Films: A Clockwork Orange, Lars and the Real Girl, all Terrence Malick films

Kile

Video to Debut: Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring

No one really knows where Kile comes from, but he is nonetheless one of Magnus Racing’s most innovative creators. A graduate of many recreational classes in the greater San Fernando valley, Kile is known for his constant smile and willingness to talk with anyone about anything. While video production is largely considered a hobby for Kile, no one really knows his occupation. In his spare time, Kile enjoys tea time with his stuffed animal collection and staring at photos of corgis on the internet.

Education: Unkown
Favorite Films: Don Bluth cartoons, Pajanimals, all Terrence Malick films


So what team are you on? Team Abeljandro or Team Kile? You have four different places to comment and let us know.

Nine Days and Counting...

 

With final preparations under way for next weekend's Rolex 24 at Daytona, the debut of the all-new TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, Magnus Racing will continue their tradition of fan-oriented contests between now and when the green flag drops on Saturday, January 25 at 2:10PM.

Be sure to keep posted on our Facebook and Twitter accounts for a series of trivia questions and fan challenges, we'll be issuing an assortment of team memorabilia, including: hats, shirts, and the always coveted Magnus Racing movie posters.

Of course for the team, the race has already begun, and we'll be making even more announcements and contests in the coming days.

Nine Rolex 24 Victories Shared With Completed Magnus Driver Lineup

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (January 10, 2014)- Following a successful three-day test during last weekend’s annual Roar Before the 24, Magnus Racing is proud to reveal the final driver lineup for the upcoming TUDOR United SportsCar Championship premiere at the 52nd running of The Rolex 24 at Daytona. In addition to full-season drivers John Potter (one Rolex victory) and Andy Lally (four Rolex victories), the team is proud to confirm Porsche works driver Wolf Henzler, as well as series veteran Jean-Francois Dumoulin to the No. 44 Flex-Box Porsche 911 GT America. It is the first time in team history that every driver in the lineup boasts a Rolex 24 victory, the group sharing a combined total of nine.

“Looking at the time sheets, the GTD category is going to be incredibly close so it’s great to have such a fantastic lineup in the car,” stated Magnus Racing team owner John Potter. “We’ve never had a lineup in which everyone has come in with previous victories, and it may prove to be crucial. There are so many entries that have a shot at this race, we wanted to make sure we were as stacked as possible.”

Wolf Henzler, originally from Germany, will be running in his first race with Magnus, but is no stranger to Porsche success at Daytona. Currently employed as a Porsche factory pilot, Henzler has two previous victories at Daytona, first in 2005 and again in 2011 where he shared the car with Andy Lally. After Daytona, Wolf will continue in the series with Falken Tire in the GTLM category.

Jean-Francois Dumoulin joins the team as a veteran of Daytona success. The French-Canadian joins the team with two victories at Daytona (2004, 2007), two Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge titles, and with years of experience in Porsches. Beyond his sportscar accolades, the Trois-Rivieres native has also been a frequent competitor in the NASCAR ranks, including multiple appearances as a road-course specialist in the NASCAR Nationwide Series as well as the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. For Dumoulin, this year’s race marks a great opportunity for him with the new series.

“It is very impressive what Magnus Racing has achieved in a very short amount of time,” stated Dumoulin. “Even though I’m new to the team, I’ve known a lot of the guys here for some time, so I already feel at home. The GTD class is looking extremely tight, but this team has proven their ability to compete with anyone over the last few years. I look forward to contributing my part.”

Under intense preparation for the upcoming Rolex 24 at Daytona, with practice beginning in just under two weeks, everyone at Magnus Racing is hard at work to arrive as prepared as possible. The race will begin on Saturday, January 25, at 2:30PM and continue on for 24 hours. Specifics on event coverage will be announced shortly.

A Special Holiday Poem, by Magnus Racing

‘Twas the night before Daytona, and all through the tech line
Not a rulebook was brewing, not even a guideline.
The crewmen prepared with diligence and care,
in hopes that some clarity may soon be there.
 
The drivers would whine all over Facebook and Twitter,
but silence and pushback just made everyone bitter.
The accountants would Email, and speculation from engineers,
for no one predicted a missing rule book, it’s been over a year.
 
When in everyone’s Email there arose such a chime!
Alas, just another Twitter post, Andy Lally clearly has too much time.
Glued to their Emails, Team Owners kept a keen eye
But in spite of constant requests, they all read one simple reply:
 
“Ask Taylor, ask Stallings, ask Ganassi or Baron,
Maybe try Risi, try Miller, try Rahal or Neiman.
They can’t all be in the dark, someone must know something,
But apparently not, if it wasn’t funny it would be insulting.”
 
With teams springing to action for a historic new debut,
Anxiety is high, especially with new rules in lieu.
Regardless of this, we wish the best to our fans and their family,
We especially hope this release doesn’t get us a penalty.
 
Happy Holidays,
Magnus Racing