April 6, 2010 (Salt Lake City, Utah) – Headed in to this weekend’s Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park, the Team in Green will be arriving on the heels of a rough last race that has required quick reaction and strong teamwork. The previous race at the Grand Prix of Miami was a challenging weekend for Magnus Racing, as the Team in Green was forced to do an emergency rebuild of the No.44 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup when Craig Stanton suffered a tire failure in practice and made heavy contact with the concrete wall.
No.44 will be like new in BarberAlthough repaired for the race, the car was wounded and finished down the order but still earned valuable championship points. Also wounded was was the team’s No.44 Porsche Cayman, making its debut in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, which ran as high as sixth after starting last in the GS-class. The Cayman, however, was forced to retire early with power steering failure.
Since then, the team’s GT-class Porsche has been extensively repaired – so much so that the No.44 car that Craig Stanton and John Potter will share this weekend will be a practically brand-new car. After a strong debut for the team in Daytona, both Craig and John are anxious to return to that strong form in Barber, a track that is notorious for using up the rear tires of the Porsche.
“Tire management is going to be very critical for us to get a good finish at Barber,” said Stanton. "It isn’t the best track for Porsches so we’ll be fighting for every position and every point possible.”
The Magnus Racing Cayman has also been developed and tested further since the Grand Prix of Miami. Testing commitments with another racing program will keep Bryan Sellers from returning to the cockpit of the Cayman, so in his absence the team has drafted 2009 Rolex Sportscar Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16 champion Leh Keen to partner John Potter for the weekend.
Keen, the 2009 Rolex Sportscar Series GT champion, has so far enjoyed a successful 2010 season with a class victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring, a podium in the Rolex Sportscar Series at Homestead-Miami, and recently returned from the ADAC 1000km of Nurburging where Keen finished the race 14th overall.
Leh will join John in the Cayman this weekend“Leh and I have gotten to know each other ober the past couple of seasons in Rolex, and he is obviously a proven talent behind the wheel,” said Potter. “He will be able to get all the potential that there is in the Cayman and Barber is a track that should suit that car very well. We were all really pleased with the potential that the Cayman showed in Homestead, and with a little more development and sorting that car should be fighting for podiums and wins.
“And now that our GT car is back in one piece – and that my co-driver is also in one piece – we can get ourselves back on track to scoring good points in each round. As we've proven, we've got the best crew in the pits and now we just need to get the results that match their effort." The Porsche 250 will air live this Saturday, at 5:00PM EST, on SPEED Channel, while the Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge race from Barber will air April 17 at 3:00PM EST also on SPEED Channel.
Fans can stay up to date with Magnus Racing throughout each GRAND-AM weekend at magnusracing.com, facebook.com/magnusracing, and twitter.com/magnusracing (@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-American Rolex Sportscar Series can e-mail info@magnusracing.com. All press inquiries can be directed to press@magnusracing.com.