FULL REPORT: Magnus Racing Closes Season with Another Podium at Petit Le Mans

BRASELTON, Georgia (October 6, 2014)- Following yet another wild endurance race in the inaugural TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, Magnus Racing withstood a chaotic event to take third-place honors during Saturday’s Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda. This would serve as the team’s fifth podium for the year, shoring up fifth in both the GT-Daytona (GTD) category Team and Driver’s championships.
 
“It’s great to close the season with another podium,” stated Magnus Racing team owner and co-driver John Potter. “To have had such an up and down season, we came here wanting to build momentum into the off-season and I think we’ve done that. It’s actually bittersweet as we might have even finished higher if things had shaken out differently at the end, but any time we can come home with a trophy it’s still satisfying.”
 
Starting from the ninth position, John Potter would take opening duties for the No. 44 Flex-Box Porsche 911 GT America. Having recently tested at the circuit just weeks earlier, the Utah resident came in with a renewed confidence, and as the race unfolded, it showed. Setting times on par with the lead pack, Potter maintained a healthy gap to the top group of cars, all without putting a foot wrong.
 
When a timely yellow would come out for pit stops, the team elected to keep Potter in the car for a double stint on the foundation of his strong showing. Running a second stint even better than the first, Potter continued to run lap times that maintained with the lead pack, so much so that when the time came for yet another pit stop, the team elected to keep John in for a third stint.
 
Running yet again with the same consistency as the first two rounds, John kept the car clean and continued his faultless run eventually making his third stop under an ideal caution period, handing the car over to teammate Marco Seefried having completed his minimum drive time before the three-hour mark had arrived.
 
“I’m admittedly very proud of that stint,” stated Potter. “I think this may have been my first triple stint, and it felt great. The car was easy to drive and the team did an excellent job of keeping me informed and on top of the race, and I think it showed.”
 
With team returnee Marco Seefried back in the car, all focus now turned to moving to the front. Seefried, who last drove with Magnus during their victory at this year’s 12 Hours of Sebring, was instantly on pace in the Porsche. Knowing that his job would be to drive a series of fast stints and back-and-forth runs with teammate Andy Lally, the German made immediate work of the field in front of him. As the various driver rotations worked their way through the competitors, the No. 44 threatened for the top five with the team confident that they’d further advance with Seefried and Lally doing the remaining hours.
 
After a clean first stint, the team elected to keep Marco in for a second getting the team close to the halfway point before Andy Lally had even taken the wheel.
 
As the stint progressed, an extended series of yellows would draw the race on further and further with track conditions changing, and equally important the “build-up” of tire rubber on the outer portions of the racing surface increasing. Unfortunately for Seefried, this would get the better of him during the later portions of his stint. Cresting the hill on the way to the treacherous Turn 12, a rare mistake would put the car in the thick of this off-line debris, and as the car lightened over the hill, Seefried was sent spinning on the approach to the corner with Marco doing a great job to get turned around and recover quickly. No substantial damage was done to the car.
 
With his tires now sufficiently worn, the team would bring Seefried to the pits in favor of Lally who was getting his first taste of the machinery near the halfway point. Having dropped down the order as a result of Seefried’s spin and pit stop, the Georgia resident would have the difficult task of trying to re-advance as quickly as he could, with the team knowing a strong middle stint would create better options for them as they started considering race-ending strategy.
 
Once Lally found his rhythm, it was business as usual and the march up field once again continued. Steadily gaining ground, by the halfway point the team once again looked set for a top five, and by the time Lally’s first pit stop would come the team was in contention for a top three.
 
With Lally now in his second stint, all focus shifted on a podium and possible win until once again disaster struck. With the No. 44 running some of its best times yet, the left front tire had a surprise blowout through the back straightaway with Lally immediately slowing to preserve his car but also trying to minimize the time lost. Limping his way back to the pits, the positions gained during his opening stint were all for not as by the time the team was able to make their full-service stop, they were now a lap down.
 
With a caution period following shortly after, clever strategy by the team would put them back on the lead lap, although at the tail end and with four hours to climb back.
 
Marching back through the field yet again, Lally had the car poised for a top five by the time his stint would come to an end, handing the car back to Seefried just past the six-hour mark.
 
It was in this pit stop that the team would once again suffer another setback, this time in the form of their radio. In the process of the driver change between Lally and Seefried, the mechanism that holds the driver’s in-car radio was damaged, meaning the drivers could hear the radio commands of the team but could not speak back.
 
With Seefried behind the wheel, the team would spend the majority of his stint trying to diagnose the problem, and with three hours to go they would examine the issue once an opportune caution came to perform a scheduled pit stop. Determining there was nothing they could do to fix the problem in time, the team simply had to manage the situation from there on out.
 
Completing a strong double stint, Seefried was up to fourth with just under two hours to go when the car was handed over to Lally for the final time.
 
Climbing to third, Andy would drive in a spirited battle with the No. 23 Porsche of Mario Farnbacher with just over an hour remaining, successfully holding him off and eventually forcing the German into a mistake.
 
With the team electing to bring the No. 44 in for its final stop with just 50 minutes remaining, a perfect stop would mean clear sailing for Andy who would go to the checkered flag without the ability to speak back to his team.
 
As pit stops cycled through, the No. 44 was in a strong third and as the laps continued, it looked likely to stay that way. However, with 15 minutes to go, a heavy incident would bring out the race’s final caution and once again bunch the field up for a sprint to the finish with six minutes remaining.
 
Once the green flag fell, Lally was unfortunately pushed wide through the tricky Turn One by some optimistic traffic, being forced to high-side the curbing and falling to fourth in the process.
 
Doing his best to hold position through the final two laps, the team was resigned to a fourth-place finish until a surprise last lap incident with the No. 23 Porsche would advance Lally up to third, taking back the podium position a mere three turns from the finish.
 
An ecstatic team would celebrate, resulting in their second podium at Petit Le Mans, fifth podium during this year’s 11-race season, as well as securing fifth in the Team Championship and for John Potter in the Driver’s rankings. It would also seal Magnus as the only GTD team to win for Porsche in the inaugural 2014 season.
 
“What a crazy race,” stated Lally. “I couldn’t talk to anyone during those last few hours, and that made it tough. I like to know everything that’s going on around me when we get in a situation like that, so driving blind is extremely tense, but I’m glad we were able to pull it off. Everyone on this Magnus crew deserves such high praise for their efforts, and I’m happy we could deliver this today. We were the only Porsche team to win all year, and fifth in the championship for the team and John is not a bad way to go, so we should all enjoy this.”
 
Echoing the sentiments, Marco Seefried has enjoyed a 2014 season in which he has had a 100% podium success rate. At the Rolex 24, driving for another team, he was third, followed by his victory at Sebring with Magnus and now Petit Le Mans.
 
“I can’t believe that finish,” stated the German. “It’s such a great feeling and everyone on Magnus deserves this. They’re such a fun and talented team that you can see why they have as much success as they do, and I’m glad that I could be a part of it. It’s great to go home with yet another trophy, what an incredible season.”
 
With the 2014 season now over, the team will turn their attentions to a number of matters in the off-season. With no firm announcements in place, stay tuned for several upcoming developments concerning the team.

Marco Seefried Returns to Magnus for Season Finale

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (September 29, 2014)- Following an impressive debut for the team in which they took victory at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, Marco Seefried will once again return to Magnus Racing for this weekend’s season-ending Petit Le Mans.
 
“It’s great to have Marco back for Petit,” stated team owner and co-driver John Potter. “He’s such a great fit with our team, and did everything we asked of him in Sebring. Overall, we’re feeling very strong for the event. We had a successful test at Road Atlanta a few weeks ago, and it would be great for both the team and Porsche to end the year on a high.”
 
Seefried, hailing from Germany, will be competing in his first ever 10-hour classic. Beyond his victory with Magnus, the 38-year-old is a veteran of sports car competition around the world. In addition to previous U.S. events in the former American Le Mans Series, Marco has extensive experience in international series such as the Blancpain Endurance Series, VLN, GT Masters, and Porsche Carrera Cup.
 
“It’s great to be back with Magnus Racing,” stated Seefried. “The team is incredibly professional, but a lot of fun at the same time. Sebring was an incredibly exciting event, and a big honor to be part of the victory. I am thankful to John Potter, Flex-Box, and everyone on the team for welcoming me back, and I’m confident we’ll have a great race.”
 
As the final round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, the debut season for the series, Magnus Racing looks to put a strong stamp on their year. Following a difficult summer season, the team recently showed renewed form at the most recent round in Texas, where the No. 44 Flex-Box Porsche 911 GT America set the fastest race lap en route to a second place finish.
 
The team’s renewed form is also directly related to a series of tests conducted three weeks ago at Road Atlanta, the very circuit they will be returning to.
 
Living just a few minutes from the circuit, former Petit Le Mans winner Andy Lally also looks to end the season on a high.
 
“It’s always exciting to return to Petit Le Mans,” stated Lally. “Beyond being my home track ever since I moved to Georgia a decade ago, it’s also just an excellent track to drive. We had a great test there recently, and everyone on this team is focused on winning. Even if we’ve had our challenges this season, I’m proud to be a part of an organization that has stayed positive through it all, and I know we’re all expecting good things this weekend.”
 
Practice for Saturday’s event begins Thursday, October 2, with Saturday’s 10-hour race taking place at 11:15 AM ET. Live coverage for the event will begin on IMSA.com at 11:00 AM ET, with FOX Sports 2 taking the race on at 3:00 PM ET. Additionally, Sunday will carry a highlighted re-broadcast on FOX, airing at 8:00 AM ET.

Teamwork Prevails Again for Magnus Racing in Texas

AUSTIN, Texas (September 22, 2014)- After an unusually quiet summer season for Magnus Racing’s 2014 campaign, a strong second place would highlight the team’s return to form during Saturday’s Lone Star Le Mans, the penultimate round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.
 
“It felt great to be back to our old ways,” stated team owner and co-driver John Potter. “The summer has been difficult for everyone, and it feels fantastic to finally walk away with not only a podium, but a podium that was a combination of everyone on the team. We’ve all been scratching our heads and working really hard to get here, and in many ways this feels like a win for us.”
 
On the heels of a series of tests during the recent break, the strength of the No. 44 Flex-Box Porsche 911 GT America was evident following the week’s practice and qualifying sessions. Repeatedly setting times in the top-five, the team quietly knew they were in contention for Saturday’s round.
 
Starting from the seventh position in the race, John Potter would take opening duties during the day’s two-hour, forty-five minute race. While Potter is known for driving calculated and patient stints, the Utah resident’s outright pace was particularly strong, setting a series of fast laps and maintaining position throughout the majority of his run. When an opportune caution period would come out just under the one-hour mark, Potter was able to bring his car in for full service and a driver change, walking away knowing he’d completed one of his best drives to date.
 
With teammate Andy Lally behind the wheel, all attention was turned to getting the team in podium contention. Making immediate work of the field in front of him, Lally converted his seventh place position to fifth as his stint wore on, and even turned the fastest lap of the race on Lap 29. As the laps wore on, the team would elect to make their last stop with just under one hour to go.
 
While Magnus Racing is known for their quick pit work, Saturday’s stops were a true testament to the team’s reputation for quality. As the stops cycled through the field, the team once again advanced several positions, the only cars in front of them being the race leader and two other marques who seem to have a quicker process for filling fuel, which is something out of the team’s control.
 
When an incident involving the race leader would occur, Lally found himself in third, gaining ground on the second-place BMW and knowing he had a car capable of winning. Following a spirited duel for second, the Magnus Porsche would gain the position with just 20 minutes remaining, with all focus now on the leader.
 
Unfortunately, the Georgia resident simply ran out of time to catch the race-winning Viper GT3-R, settling for second in front of an elated crew.
 
Sharing a sentiment similar to his teammate, Lally was very enthusiastic following the event.
 
“This really does feel like a win for us,” stated Lally. “Everyone on Magnus has been working so hard to get this program turned around, and this was a sweet reward. This one was for the guys. Petit Le Mans is right around the corner and I couldn’t be more excited, I think we have a great package.”
 
With practice beginning in just over one week for the final round of the year, the famed Petit Le Mans at the Road Atlanta circuit, the team is hard at work to get prepared. Official practice begins on Thursday, October 2, with the race beginning at 11:00 AM ET on Saturday, October 4.

Magnus Racing Applauds IMSA and COTA for Spaceballs Reference

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (September 17, 2014)- With only two rounds remaining in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, Magnus Racing will head to this weekend’s Lone Star Le Mans with one thing in mind, the movie Spaceballs.
 
“It is awesome that they named this weekend’s race after the main character of Spaceballs,” stated team owner and co-driver John Potter. “It’s clear that the organizers at Circuit of The Americas are big Mel Brooks fans, but they probably didn’t want to name it after Blazing Saddles because it was too obvious.”
 
Lone Starr, the main character of the 1987 Mel Brooks classic, is a very fitting tribute to this weekend’s event. Not only was he played by Bill Pullman, who is relevant in any context, but the character spent the majority of his time dealing with a whiny princess, sort of like the IMSA paddock.
 
Beyond Spaceballs, the team looks forward to a promising weekend ahead. Having recently conducted a two-day test where they were able to work on such elements as a new exhaust, active suspension, and even turbo kit, the team feels as prepared as ever.
 
Having narrowly missed victory during last year’s event, drivers John Potter and Andy Lally are looking for a return to victory lane in the No. 44 Flex-Box Porsche 911 GT America.
 
“We had a productive test and feel very good about these final two rounds,” continued Potter. “Everyone on the team has put a lot of effort into getting everything out of the car, and with the recent BoP changes we’re optimistic. Circuit of The Americas is a fantastic facility and last year we came so close that we really want redemption this year.”
 
For co-driver Andy Lally, a similar sentiment is shared.
 
“We found a few things last week and that should suit us well going forward,” stated Lally. “There have been a ton of BoP changes across the board, so it should be interesting to see how everything shakes out on Saturday. I’m excited and definitely feel this could be one of our best chances.”
 
Sharing the weekend with the prestigious World Endurance Championship (WEC), practice for this weekend’s Lone Star Le Mans will begin tomorrow afternoon, with live race coverage this Saturday, September 20, at 12:30 PM ET on FOX Sports 2.

Magnus Racing Takes Sixth in VIR Return

ALTON, Virginia (August 25, 2014)- Taking part in the first-ever GT only race for the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, Magnus Racing used a combination of strategy and patience to take sixth place during Sunday’s Oak Tree Grand Prix at VIR, the ninth round of the GT Daytona (GTD) category.
 
“It was a good change of fortune for us given our last few races,” stated Magnus Racing team owner and co-driver John Potter. “We’re happiest when we can walk away with trophies, but we’re definitely closer to where want to be and in great shape for the final two rounds.”
 
After several strong showings in practice, the No. 44 Flex-Box Porsche 911 GT America would qualify seventh for Sunday’s round, with the team’s race-long pace looking strong for the event.
 
Unfortunately, the day turned for the team before the race even began, as John Potter’s opening stint was marred by an electrical issue that forced him to start from the back of the field. Regardless, the Salt Lake City resident did his usual steady drive of coming up from the back, demonstrating both pace and patience as he moved up several spots during the opening hour, threatening for the top-10 as the laps continued. Adding to the challenge, the team owner was under pressure to save fuel throughout his stint while maintaining lap times in order to ensure he had enough fuel to make his minimum drive-time of one hour.
 
As the one-hour mark came and the team began to run short on fuel, a timely yellow would allow Potter to close in on the field in front of him before the first round of stops. Unfortunately, under yellow flag conditions the field is not allowed to pit until the series declares the pits open for each category, which meant the No. 44 would likely not be able to make it with the fuel that remained. As a result, the team pit for an “emergency” stop in a closed pit, which is allowed so long as it’s just for a few seconds of fuel. Following a successful emergency stop, and then followed by the “real” stop for a driver change, as well as tires and fuel fill two laps later, Andy Lally now found himself looking strong to hunt down the field in front of him.
 
Unfortunately, a bit of confusion between the series and the team would lead to a stop-and-go penalty for Lally as the field went to green, meaning he would resume racing several seconds down.
 
Doing his best to catch the field in front of him, attrition and outright speed would advance Andy to eighth as the race went on.
 
The final key moment of the race would come with one-hour and ten minutes remaining, when yet another caution would come out and place a crucial decision on each team’s strategist. With the field bunched under yellow, the caution period presented a perfect time for all teams to make their final pit stops, however in doing so the teams would be running very tight on fuel to make it to the end of the race. On one hand, if the team stopped there would be a chance they may have to make another stop versus the teams who stayed out and pitted later. On the other hand, if the team played their fuel mileage well, they would manage to advance over anyone who chose to pit later.
 
Opting to make the stop, Lally came out of the pits aware of the situation, and would spend much of the final hour saving fuel. As the race wore on and several cars would stop in front of him, the team’s calculations showed that they would likely be in a good position to make it to the end, and based on the pace of the field in front of them, many cars in front likely would not.
 
As a result, the team looked strong to advance several spots in the closing laps, however it was all for not as a late race caution would ensure everyone could go the distance. Once the racing resumed, Lally would hold station to finish sixth. This would serve as yet another top-10 on the season, and hopefully change the momentum heading into the final two rounds.
 
“Everyone put everything they had into this race,” stated Andy Lally. “We would have liked to have finished higher, but with some of the early problems we had it was a good result, and sets us up well for the final two races.”
 
Concluding a busy summer season for the whole of the series, the events will continue in four weeks’ time at the Lone Star LeMans, a dual event with the World Endurance Championship taking place at the prestigious Circuit of the Americas. Practice will begin on Thursday, September 18, with race coverage on FOX Sports 1 on Saturday, September 20.