Now you can drive the Magnus Racing Porsches

September 8, 2011 (Salt Lake City, Utah) – In the midst of a busy racing season, the guys at Magnus Racing have been hard at work on a side project. Behold, the Magnus Racing Porsches available in Forza Motorsport for the XBOX 360.

The Magnus Racing Porsches available in the storefront come in two flavors: ‘Regular’, with the traditional white and green graphics of the Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup seen in the American LeMans Series and the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, and the ‘Straight Outta the LBC’ version featuring the Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles graphics seen at this year’s Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

“I learned that during some of the longer races, the guys in the pits get bored,” said John Potter, Magnus Racing’s fearless leader and driver. “We have more than enough screens on our war wagon to devote one or two to playing video games and if the guys are going to do so, they may as well be racing a Magnus Racing Porsche! Hopefully fans of our race team enjoy the cars and have as much fun racing them as we do.”

Craig Stanton, known for playing Forza for in between workouts at his home in Long Beach, California, is as excited to race the virtual Magnus Racing Porsches as he is to race the real deal.

“I have a nephew, Drew, who always tells me how I should go faster,” said Stanton. “Well now we can race heads up in Magnus Racing Porsches and I can show him what’s what. And once I wipe the floor with him, the only argument we will have is who races the Roscoe’s version of the Magnus Racing Porsche. I think having the Porsches in Forza is super cool and I hope the Magnus Nation enjoys them.”

Both versions of the Magnus Racing Porsches are available for free in the storefront of Forza 3 by searching for Magnus Racing. To enjoy either the ‘Regular’ or ‘Straight Outta the LBC’ version of the car, you must already own a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in the game. However, since Porsches are not included in the upcoming Forza Motorsport 4, Magnus Racing will unveil similar reskins of Ruf Porsches in that game.

Magnus Racing is back in action next weekend at the finale of the GRAND-AM season, at the EMCO Gears Classic at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Fans of Magnus Racing can follow the team on Facebook (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.

Magnus Racing’s Stanton thrills crowd with battle down to the wire in Baltimore

September 3, 2011 (Salt Lake City, Utah) – In the closing stages of the inaugural American Le Mans Series race at the Baltimore Grand Prix, all eyes were on the battle between the no. 23 Porsche of Leh Keen and the charging no. 77 Magnus Racing Porsche GT3 Cup of Craig Stanton.

After starting fifth in the Magnus Racing Porsche, John Potter was brought to a stop in turn one after the green flag flew for the two-hour race around Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. An incident involving two GT class cars blocked the track and Potter could do nothing to escape damage to the front and rear of his Porsche, but he was able to continue and within two laps had made a move up to fourth place.

Avoiding further trouble throughout the rest of his stint, Potter continued to post strong times before pitting under a full course yellow and handing the car over to Stanton. A quick stop by the Magnus Racing crew meant Stanton maintained his fourth place and was on the rear bumper of the no. 68 TRG Porsche of Dion Von Moltke. Once he was able to make his way past Von Moltke, Stanton rapidly closed the gap to Keen and over the final thirty minutes, the two waged war for second place in GT-C.

The two Porsches ran nose-to-tail, with Stanton applying pressure (at times physically) to the rear bumper of Keen’s Porsche, but lost his final opportunity to make a pass on the final lap when he was held up by the no. 16 Dyson Racing Lola-Mazda. Stanton ultimately crossed the finish line to take Magnus Racing’s third ALMS podium in 2011. This would be the team’s third podium in only four races.

“That was a great race, without doubt one of the highlights of the year,” said Potter. “This was a very challenging weekend with the delays we had on Friday and the limited track time, but our guys got the car figured out and I had a blast out there. I could have done without the parking lot in the first turn – getting hit from behind and shoved into the car in front didn’t feel good – but other than that it was an outstanding event. I had a great time racing here and an equally great time watching Craig battle with Leh for second place.”

Stanton, who prepared for Saturday’s race by competing in the 5k race held on the circuit on Friday evening, finished the race only three-tenths of a second behind Keen.

“What a great battle – that was some of the most intense racing I’ve done all year,” said Stanton. “Leh was on it, Alex Job Racing always has a great car but our Magnus Racing Porsche was just a little bit better today. I couldn’t make the pass happen but man, I was trying. I really wanted it for the guys since they gave John and I such a great car. And the fans here in Baltimore are incredible, this is going to be a great event going forward and I can’t wait to come back.

The Baltimore Grand Prix will be broadcast Sunday, September 4, at 4:00 PM ET on ABC. Fans of Magnus Racing can follow the team on Facebook (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 the American Le Mans Series can e-mail info@magnusracing.com. All press inquiries can be directed to press@magnusracing.com.

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Magnus Racing is ready to hit the Atlantic Shore at Baltimore Grand Prix

August 29, 2011 (Salt Lake City, Utah) – Magnus Racing, and drivers John Potter and Craig Stanton, are eagerly waiting for this weekend’s first ever Baltimore Grand Prix.

Competing in the GT-C class, Potter and Stanton have stepped into the series this year at select races and have been a force at each one, netting third-place finishes at the Long Beach Grand Prix as well as the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge. However, the team has missed a couple of opportunities along the way – contact with a prototype eliminated the no. 77 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup from the race lead at the 12 Hours of Sebring, while Stanton spun in a monsoon while challenging for the lead in Mid-Ohio.

 “We’ve been pretty close but haven’t quite gotten everything put together to get a win yet,” said Potter, who will be the starting driver in the Magnus Racing Porsche in Saturday’s race. “Baltimore will be a pretty level playing ground for everyone since this is the first time any of the teams or drivers see this track. Like we saw at the Long Beach Grand Prix, GT-C makes for very exciting racing on street circuits, especially these short two-hour races. We’ve shown we have what it takes to get on the podium, now it’s time to get on the top step.”

Stanton, who has raced on numerous street circuits in his twenty-year sports car racing career, relishes the challenge of a brand new street circuit.

“I’m so excited to get our Magnus Racing Porsche on track in Baltimore,” said Stanton. “Street circuits are really fun and really challenging, and they lead to super close racing like we saw in Long Beach. It is a real challenge to get on track for the first time and figure it out, to dial the car in, and to make progress. The layout looks like it will be challenging and have some opportunities to pass, so I’m excited to see what the race will be like.”

Stanton will have an extra opportunity to learn the track as he will contest the 5k race held on the circuit Friday evening.  For the Fittest Man in Motorsports, who spends up to eight hours a day running, cycling, and swimming near his home in Long Beach, California, a 5k run will be akin to a chip shot even if it is the day before the two-hour Baltimore Grand Prix.

The Baltimore Grand Prix will be shown live on ESPN3.com on Saturday, September 3 at 4:15 PM ET. A television broadcast will air on Sunday, September 4 at 4:00 PM ET on ABC. Fans of Magnus Racing can follow the team throughout the weekend on Facebook (facebook.com/magnusracing) and 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 the American Le Mans Series can e-mail info@magnusracing.com. All press inquiries can be directed to press@magnusracing.com

IN THE COCKPIT: Craig Stanton

Be sure to read Craig's latest blog on SpeedTV.com. He talks about chatting with Justin Allgaier and what it takes to go fast on the tricky Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/in-the-cockpit-craig-stanton-montreal/

Potter and Stanton come home seventh in Montreal

August 20, 2011 (Salt Lake City, Utah) – Heading north of the border, Magnus Racing drivers John Potter and Craig Stanton arrived at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve with plenty of momentum following their podium finsh last weekend at Watkins Glen International.

The no. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT3 came off of the trailer well, with Stanton setting the third quickest time in the Friday morning practice session, and with Potter topping the Trueman / Akin session for Pro-Am drivers. In qualifying, Potter would put the Magnus Racing Porsche ninth on the GT grid for the Montreal 200.

At the start of the Montreal 200, Potter enjoyed a clean start and steadily moved up through the field throughout the first hour. As differing pit and fuel strategies began to be played out by the GT teams, Potter put in a long stint and would ultimately lead the GT race for a brief period of time before turning the car over to Stanton under green flag conditions.

Stanton rejoined the race in ninth position but would race his way to third position, challenging for the lead in the final thirty minutes behind the battle between the no. 57 Stevenson Camaro and the no. 70 Speedsource Mazda. However, a late race stop for fuel would cause Stanton to rejoin the race in 8^th position, picking off one car on the final lap to cross the line in seventh. The result was the tenth top-ten finish of the year for the Magnus Racing Porsche.

“We had a strong race and a good strategy today in Montreal,” said Potter. “There was some chaos in my stint out there – a lot of contact around me with the other GT cars, and it’s always interesting with the Daytona Prototypes here because it’s pretty narrow and there are concrete walls everywhere. It was nice to lead, but I just wanted to keep the car in good shape and turn it over to Craig in a good position.”

Stanton, who ran in a podium position in the Magnus Racing Porsche until he needed a splash for fuel with only a few minutes remaining, was disappointed to miss out a podium for the second straight weekend.

“The car was really good today,” said Stanton. “I thought we had a really great shot at a podium or maybe even a win, but the fuel mileage caught up with us at the end. A yellow would have helped, but we really needed one that was longer than two laps. It’s a little disappointing but we’ll be back strong at Mid-Ohio.”

With only one race remaining in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, Potter and Stanton sit fifth in the championship standings, 17 points behind points leaders Bill Lester and Jordan Taylor in the no. 88 Autohaus Camaro. Potter is also second in the Trueman / Akin standings for Pro-Am drivers. 

“Certainly, it does look like a bit of a long shot for us to have a shot at the championship,” said Potter. “But we aren’t out of it, and anything can happen. I’m proud that in our second season we are in a position to challenge for a championship, which is a demonstration of how hard the guys have been working and how good of a car they give Craig and I. I’m excited to see what happens at Mid-Ohio next month.”

The EMCO Gears Classic from Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course will be on September 16-17, and will be shown live on SPEED Channel at 3:00 PM ET on Saturday, September 17. Fans of Magnus Racing can follow the team throughout the weekend on Facebook (facebook.com/magnusracing) and 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 the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series can e-mail info@magnusracing.com. All press inquiries can be directed to press@magnusracing.com