SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (August 22, 2014)- When Magnus Racing last competed at Virginia International Raceway as part of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series in 2011, the fledgling team came in to VIR with something to prove. Up to that point in their history, the team had only one podium to its name, having earned third at Homestead-Miami Speedway just a few months earlier. With the long straights and tricky corners of VIR keeping the field pretty even, a series of rain showers in 2011 would put a premium on strategy and driving as the track dried. With the laps counting down, Magnus Racing found themselves within grasp of the checkered flag in a solid second place until the skies opened up and the car would end up spinning in to the barriers in the wet conditions. The team would drop down the order in to a 15th place finish.
“Our memories of the last visit to VIR are tough ones,” stated team owner and co-driver John Potter. “We had a lot to prove in 2011, and we were poised to have one of our biggest breakthrough events. In an instant it went away, and is very reflective of how those first two seasons went as a whole. We had all the potential in the world, but things kept happening to keep us out of contention.”
Since that race, times have changed. Between taking their first victory the following year at The Rolex 24 at Daytona, taking the inaugural Brickyard Grand Prix and North American Endurance Championship, or even the most recent Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the team became the only Porsche entrant in the Rolex Series to take victory from 2012 on, and is the only Porsche team in the GTD class to have won in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship
“This team is just incredible to work with,” stated co-driver Andy Lally. “I’ve been fortunate to work with a number of great teams over the years, and the heart and soul that everyone at Magnus puts in to it simply amazing. Not only do they do an excellent job on the track, but they’ve managed to combine it with a fun and refreshing approach that you rarely see, easily making it the most fun group I’ve ever been a part of.”
In the throws of a difficult championship fight, Magnus remains a quiet contender with only three races remaining, just a few points out of the lead in a very hotly contested fight among the top-six.
With this weekend’s first-ever GT only race for the TUDOR Championship, Magnus Racing and the entire GTD field will share the track with the faster GTLM category, setting up for what should be an interesting event.
Television coverage begins this Sunday, August 22 at 4PM ET on Fox Sports 1.