Magnus Racing Enjoys Multiple Awards at Final Rolex Series Banquet

NEW YORK, NY. (October 4, 2013)- With 17 team members in attendance, Magnus Racing enjoyed a special night out at New York’s famed Gotham Hall. Taking part in the final ever GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series awards banquet, the entire series enjoyed a celebratory night featuring the stars and cars of the series.

With the team collecting four different trophies, it was a fitting conclusion to the team’s impressive 2013 season.

Opening the night, team owner and driver John Potter received one of the very first honors, the Bob Akin Award. Named after the motorsport legend Bob Akin, a businessman by trade who went on to become a legend in endurance racing for both his speed and enthusiasm for the sport, the Rolex Series hands out the award annually. By virtue of his strong perfomance in 2013, John Potter was the recipient this year.

“I never knew Bob Akin, but it is a big honor to receive the award,” stated Potter. “From everything I’ve been told we shared a similar passion for the sport, but on our own terms. There’s a special place in my trophy case for this accolade, and I’m really appreciative of the series for creating this.”

In addition to the Bob Akin Award, Magnus Racing received a series of second place trophies for drivers Andy Lally and John Potter, as well as an additional trophy for second place in the team championship. Though just a few points short of the series awarded Rolex watches for the driver’s championship, the team can take solace in a well-earned series of trophies.

“Obviously we came in to last weekend gunning for the championship, but it just wasn’t our weekend,” stated co-driver Andy Lally. “It’s nice to have another trophy for my collection, and it’s a well earned tribute to the work that all the guys put in. The job that everyone at Magnus Racing has done all year to get to this point has been just awesome, I’m so proud to work with this team.”

For Potter, the season ending sentiment is shared.

“Sure, it’s not the result we wanted, but it’s satisfying to be surrounded by our peers and get so many compliments and nods of respect,” stated Potter. “Everyone on this team deserved to be up there with Andy and I. It’s so hard to put in to words just what it took to even be in contention, and I can’t express my gratitude enough to everyone for it. This season proved we can do it, and we’ll be that much hungrier for winning the first-ever championship in United Sports Car.”

Though the season has ended for Magnus Racing, the work has not. With a busy off-season currently in planning, stay tuned for a number of announcements and upcoming plans for the team.

Magnus Racing Overcomes Early Disaster to Take Second in Final Rolex Series Season

LAKEVILLE, Conn. (September 30, 2013)- When Magnus Racing came into this weekend’s Championship Finale for the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series at the famed Lime Rock Park, tensions were high as the team looked to secure its first season-long championship. Unfortunately, the team’s hopes were severely compromised by an errant Aston Martin that took the car out on the second lap. Thanks to another stellar performance by the Magnus Racing pit crew, however, the team was able to rebuild the car with enough time to get back on track and salvage a second place in the final series standings.

The finish was also strong enough to award John Potter the elusive Bob Akin Award for the season, an accomplishment that goes to one GT driver every year.

“As disappointing as the opening was, the team’s amazing recovery really put an accent on our season,” stated Magnus Racing team owner John Potter. “When the No. 66 went off track, I couldn’t believe that he came right back into our car. It was beyond frustrating and disappointing, and I’m speechless that we lost our shot at the championship over an avoidable mistake by a one-off entry. However, earning second place on the blood, sweat, and tears that went into rebuilding the car was a true demonstration of everyone’s commitment to the team. There wasn’t a person who didn’t immediately jump in to do their part, and I have to thank everyone for an unbelievable job all year. It’s also a great honor to be given the Bob Akin award, and even though I’ll be the one receiving the award, it truly is a team accolade.”

Starting the race in eleventh, it was business as usual for the Salt Lake City resident. With the tight and twisty confines of Lime Rock proving notorious for incidents, Potter knew his job was simply to stay out of trouble.

Unfortunately, heading into the first turn on lap two, trouble found him. Richie Stanaway, making his Rolex series debut in the one-off TRG No. 66 Aston Martin, lost control of his car and ran wide into the dirt. While the New Zealander could have stayed wide and rejoined the course safely, he instead opted to join the racing line that Potter’s No. 44 Flex-Box Porsche 911 GT3 Cup was occupying.

As a result of the contact, Potter went into a slow spin and sat sideways on the exit of the corner. Unable to avoid him, both the No. 11 Lotus and No. 94 BMW would make heavy contact. Potter would limp his damaged vehicle, with no visibility thanks to a popped-open hood, into the team’s paddock.

Although the car appeared to have terminal damage, the team gave no thought to retiring. Knowing that both Potter and Lally would need to drive a minimum of thirty minutes to be credited with points towards the championship, the team sprang into action replacing virtually every part of the car’s front end. After replacing radiators, front bodywork, brakes, and multiple suspension components, the car would miraculously be on track just over 30 minutes later.

With Potter managing a few laps to complete his mandatory time, it was time for teammate Andy Lally to do the same. Unfortunately, once the car resumed race speeds, another small issue would send the car back into the garage for additional repairs.

As the laps continued, the race on track would prove intense for the championship rivals, the No. 63 Ferrari and the No. 57 Camaro. During the course of the event, both cars would be involved in separate incidents; the Camaro taking the worst of them and nearly falling a lap down.

With Andy Lally back on track and securing points for himself in the process, the track position of the No. 57 meant that Magnus was poised for a second place finish in the championship.

As the race would unfold, team calculations showed that a third place by the No. 57 would be the minimum placing to usurp the team’s championship position.

Luckily for everyone at Magnus Racing, the Camaro would move from fifth to fourth during the closing laps, but never managed third. As a result, the No. 44 team would take second place in the final Rolex Series season by just one point over the No. 57. The car would be credited with 13th in the race, ironically the worst finish of the year.

“I’m so proud of everyone here,” stated co-driver Andy Lally. “It was a bittersweet result, to put it mildly. Words can’t express my disappointment in the opening laps, but what these guys did to rebound is nothing short of heroic. We may not have a championship, but yesterday proved that this is a championship team.”

Magnus Racing will now join the rest of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series on tonight in New York’s famed Gotham Hall for the final banquet of the series.

The team will post continued updates and announcements throughout the coming off-season.

Everyone at the team would also like to congratulate Allesandro Balzan and the entire Scuderia Corsa team on a fantastic season.

Magnus Racing Looks to Take First Championship in Final Rolex Season

LAKEVILLE, Conn. (September 26, 2013)- Sixteen team members, eleven races, and four points will all merge into one storyline for Magnus Racing during the upcoming Championship Weekend at the historic Lime Rock Park.

With a season that has truly epitomized teamwork and consistency, Magnus Racing’s No. 44 Flex-Box Porsche 911 GT3 Cup heads into the last-ever GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car event with a four-point lead over the No. 63 Ferrari.

“We’ve been very fortunate to have had the success we’ve had with the Rolex Series,” stated team owner and driver John Potter. “It’s hard to identify a single accomplishment that has defined us, but to walk away with a series championship in the final season of GRAND-AM would be a major honor. I couldn’t be more proud of everyone on the team to have gotten the program to this point. We’ll continue what we’ve been doing in Lime Rock.”

Coming off of their first win of the 2013 season at the most recent round at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Magnus Racing’s original eight-point lead was reduced to four points several days later. With two competitors being issued post-race penalties, the No. 63 was advanced to third as a result, which literally cut the lead in half.

While there are countless scenarios that could win or lose the team’s first-ever GT championship, the priority for the team will be to simply finish in the top two. Winning or finishing second would guarantee the team’s championship hopes. The team simply needs to finish ahead of the No. 63 Ferrari as well as the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro.

With Lime Rock Park playing host to the final round, however, the ability for any team to control their destiny is an unparalleled challenge. As the shortest-distanced track on the calendar, the circuit is known for its ability to not only put competitors a lap down with a slight mistake, but similarly the track has earned a reputation for mishaps. Combined with not being a track favorable to the performance characteristics of a Porsche, Saturday's race promises to be an adventure.

“Lime Rock for our series is a lot like Bristol in NASCAR,” stated co-driver Andy Lally, who will be in pursuit of his fourth GRAND-AM Championship. “It’s very tight and tricky, and really easy to get caught in someone else’s incident. Whatever the case, the fact that we’re even at this point is a complete testament to the team. Their work has been outstanding and if Saturday goes well it will truly be a team effort.”

The final event in the history of the Rolex Series will take place this Saturday, September 28, with live coverage on Fox Sports 2 at 1:30 PM ET.
Magnus Racing Looks to Take First Championship in Final Rolex Season

Magnus Racing Takes Victory and Championship Point Lead in Monterey

MONTEREY, Calif. (September 9, 2013)- Following what can best be described as a complete team effort, Magnus Racing regained the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series GT championship lead with a victory during yesterday’s Continental Tire Sports Car Festival at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

“I’m extremely proud of today’s victory,” stated Magnus Racing team owner and driver John Potter. “Today was equal parts preparation, strategy, pit stops, driving, and it all came together perfectly. We’ve needed a win to turn the championship around, and headed in to Lime Rock we’re in as good of a position as we could ask for.”

With the team entering this weekend’s event only one point behind the championship leading No. 63 Ferrari, the entire No. 44 Flex-Box Porsche 911 GT3 Cup crew knew that capitalizing at this weekend’s penultimate round would be critical. Starting in eighth, Potter drove one of his best stints of the year, producing a faultless opening stint to not only preserve the car, but also gain several positions in the process.

With an opportune yellow coming out nearly 40 minutes in, the team’s fortune took a major turn toward the positive when Magnus Racing gained an astounding four positions during the first round of stops; advancing from sixth to second.

With Andy Lally now behind the wheel for the remainder of the race, the three-time series champion quickly went to work. Balancing aggression with patience, the middle portion of the race would prove critical for the team; the crew electing to take the bold strategy of trying to extend their fuel mileage to only one more pit stop.

As all of the other teams began to duck in to the pits toward the end of their fuel stints, conservative driving by Lally would prove crucial. Making his stop several laps after his competitors, the No. 44 would re-fuel at the very outside edge of being able to make the distance without additional visits to the pit.

With the rest of the field needing to make one more fuel stop, the team committed to their strategy, with Lally driving conservatively in the desperate hope to go the distance.

At just over 30 minutes to go and the entire field making their final stops, Lally would inherit the lead. However, the No. 44 Porsche’s ability to make it to the end was in question, and the race would take yet another dramatic turn when an opportune caution ensured the car could make the race distance without re-fueling.

Although a late-race caution would cause some concern for the team with the field bunched up, a masterful series of re-starts by Andy would guarantee the team’s place at the front, with the team taking their first victory of the year.

It would prove a momentous win for many reasons. Not only would yesterday’s race provide the third Rolex Series victory in team history, but it was also the first in 2013 for Porsche. It also continued Andy Lally’s streak of having won at least one race in every GRAND-AM season since 2004.

Similarly, no other Porsche team has won a GRAND-AM race since 2011.

“Today was a real team effort,” stated Lally. “Everyone was just perfect, absolutely perfect. It was a risky strategy but it came together perfectly. The car was well prepared heading in to the weekend, John drove one of his best stints all year, and the guys were unreal to gain four spots in the first stop. We wouldn’t be where we are if everyone wasn’t perfect, and we’re going in to Lime Rock in a really good place. I couldn’t be more proud.”

With the No. 63 Ferrari falling back several places late in the race, and the No. 57 Camaro having some unfortunate pit miscues, Magnus Racing now heads in to the final round in Lime Rock Park, Connecticut with an eight point advantage. While still a narrow lead, the team will at least head to the tricky finale with some cushion.

The final round at Lime Rock Park will take place on Saturday, September 28, with live coverage on Fox Sports 2 (formerly Fuel TV) at 1:30 PM ET.

Magnus Racing Excited to Use the Word 'Penultimate' in Release

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (September 6, 2013)- As the second to last round of the 2013 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car season, Magnus Racing heads in to this weekend’s Continental Tire Sports Car Festival with one goal: to overuse the word “penultimate.”

“It’s the penultimate round of the final Rolex season in its current form,” stated John Potter. “It’s very important that our PR people use the word penultimate as often as possible, because it makes them sound really smart.”

While Magnus Racing’s PR staff could be proactively engaging local media, working on new ways to integrate fans, or simply stop talking about its vague sense of PR self-importance, the group has instead decided to rest on its ability to overuse one of the most useless words in the dictionary.

“I don’t know why we have to use the word ‘penultimate’ every time we get to the end of the season,” stated co-driver Andy Lally. “No one ever uses that word in everyday life. I’ve never been penultimate in line for my herpes medications, penultimate to get on a roller coaster, or looking forward to a penultimate date with a soon-to-be-ex girlfriend. I wish we’d stop trying to sound smart.”

Being the penultimate round of the championship, and a mere one point behind the championship leading No. 63 Ferrari, Magnus Racing knows this weekend’s round will play a critical role in the team’s quest for its first Rolex GT championship. With the nature of the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca circuit favoring the Porsche far more than the series’ final round at Lime Rock Park, the entire team knows just how critical Sunday’s race will be.

“On one hand we know a win is critical, but on the other hand our consistency has been the key all season,” continued Potter. “It’s a three-car race between the 63, the 57, and us. We know we have to beat them to have a chance. Luckily we have the best minds and crew to do it, we’ll just have to see where this penultimate weekend goes.”

Practice for The Continental Tire Sports Car Festival, the penultimate round of the Rolex Series championship, begins tomorrow, September 7, with the race occurring on Sunday, September 8. Live coverage can be found on on Fox Sports 1 at 5PM ET.