Magnus Racing Leaves Kansas Finding Courage, Heart, but Still in Search of Brains…

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (August 19, 2013)- Following a mid-race incident that would send the Magnus Racing No. 44 Flex-Box Porsche 911 GT3 Cup down nine laps for repairs, the team took an eventual eighth-place finish to drop to second in the Rolex Sports Car Series GT championship. With only two races remaining, the team is entrenched in a tight three-way battle between the leading No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 and the third-ranked No. 57 Steven Motorsports Camaro.
 
“This definitely was not the day we were hoping for,” stated team owner John Potter. “Andy was caught out in debris that he couldn’t avoid, and with the sensitivity of Porsche radiators it was just too heavy of an impact to keep on going. The guys did an impressive job of repairing the radiator as quickly as they did, and the points we gained from that will prove invaluable.”
 
Following a strong opening stint from John Potter, teammate Andy Lally was working his way through the field during the middle portion of the race. With just a little over 80 minutes remaining, however, contact between multiple Daytona Prototypes would scatter debris all over the track including a sign that was kicked onto the racing line.
 
As the field circled through, a lack of yellow flags would send the GT pack into the debris with pieces being kicked up right into the radiator of Lally’s Porsche. Well prepared, the team was able to replace the radiator and front nose in under nine minutes, sending Lally back out to gain whatever points he could. It proved fruitful with Andy eventually taking eighth-place points.
 
Since it was Kansas, we wanted to give out a few “Oz” awards for the day:
 
Andy Lally, The Dorothy Award: Andy did his best to avoid trouble all weekend, but still wound up in a sh*t storm.
 
The Magnus Crew, The Tin Man Award: Rather than give up when the 44 pulled in, the team showed tremendous heart to focus and repair the car in under nine minutes, salvaging valuable points.
 
John Potter, The Cowardly Lion Award: John showed courage to speak his mind on live television over his frustration, rather than holding back and being politically correct.
 
The Scarecrow Award: We’ll let the reader figure this one out. Let’s just say, “If they only had a brain” was said a few times after the race.
 
Kansas Speedway, The Toto Award: After losing an engine in practice and suffering our worst finish of the year, we were bit pretty hard.
 
The Munchkin Award: Bryan Sellers. No reason, he's just adorable.
 
Scuderia Corsa, The Ruby Slipper Award: Just when the team feared they still hadn’t won a race, all they had to do was remember they were in a Ferrari. Congratulations to them on a deserved first victory.

Magnus Racing Seeks to Expand Points Lead… and Find Fox Sports 2

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (August 16, 2013)- If there is one goal for everyone in Magnus Racing during this weekend’s SFP Grand Prix, it is simple… figure out where the heck Fox Sports 2 is.

“We use Time Warner Cable at home, and I’m very confused where Fox Sport Two is,” stated team owner John Potter. “I’m thinking it’s on the same channel David Letterman used to be on… I can’t find him either.”

With the recent announcement that Fox Sports will partner with GRAND-AM and the upcoming United Sports Car Racing Championship until 2018, the debut of the partnership will begin this weekend at the illustrious Kansas Speedway.

Making a debut of its own, Kansas Speedway will play host to its first ever GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series race. As a track that features both an oval and at least two different right turns, drivers John Potter and Andy Lally look forward to thrilling the Fox Sports Also (Two) viewer.

“When I first looked at the layout of the triroval, I was instantly amazed,” stated Potter. “Being able to create a road course configuration out of an oval can take months of careful, cautious design, which can be a very expensive process. In this case, it looks like they saved a lot of money by just hammering it out over ribs at Smokin’ Guns BBQ.”

“Creating a really good rotrioval course is super hard,” continued Andy Lally. “The track has to go both left AND right, and I think the fans watching on Fox Sports… Two, will really enjoy the excitement. My favorite part of the track is the right turn.”

Finally, while no trip to Kansas can be complete without a bunch of unnecessary references to The Wizard of Oz as a means to sound clever, here’s the ultimate throwdown:

Working to drop a house on tomorrow’s competition, Magnus Racing is clicking its heels in hopes for a strong race tomorrow. Knowing that avoiding a twister will be the key to the team’s championship lead, a clean result will mean a couple days off for the crew, and there’s no place like home.

If reading this press release has made you think, “hey, where is Fox Sports 2?”… here’s a list of channels and providers. The race is on tomorrow at 8PM ET.

Time Warner Cable: 456
DirecTV: 618
Dish Network: 398
Verizon FiOS: 198
AT&T U-verse: Channel 651
Comcast: Subscribe to DirecTV, and then turn to channel 618

Magnus Racing Extends Point Lead with Top Five at Road America

ELKHART LAKE, Wisconsin (August 11, 2013)- Taking their eighth top-five finish in nine races, Magnus Racing extended their Rolex Sports Car Series GT championship lead following yesterday’s VisitFlorida.com Sports Car 250 at Road America.

“The championship is priority one for us right now, so in that sense we walked away with a successful race,” stated team owner and driver John Potter. “We came very close to winning so it’s a little bittersweet, but ultimately I don’t think anyone on the team can be disappointed with the strength we showed today. I’m glad we were able to deliver for all of our guests this weekend.”

Beyond the race itself, Potter and the entire Magnus Racing team once again played host to over a dozen VIP’s from The Private Client Reserve of U.S. Bank. Immersing guests in to the entire experience, the team was able to bring everyone right in to the action during the race, including witnessing pit stops up close, detailed tours of the track, the car, and much more.

Starting from fifth, Potter knew that the nature of the Road America circuit might be one of the last favorable circuits for the No. 44 Flex-Box / Private Client Reserve of U.S. Bank Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Holding station during his stint after one of his best qualifying performances of the year, Potter held a strong pace throughout, maintaining sight on the leaders before handing the car over to co-driver Andy Lally by the 45-minute mark.

Following another quick and flawless stop by the Magnus crew, it was now up to Lally to make the most of the race. Quickly on pace, the No. 44 began a strong charge through the field, gaining on each position ahead and eventually mounting a strong charge on Patrick Long’s No. 73 Porsche in a battle for fourth.

With the team looking strong for another podium, the car would once again enter the pits for full service just past the 90-minute mark, with the entire field now having one more stop to go until the end.

With Lally comfortably in the top five, the entire dynamic of the race would shift with just over one hour to go. As the race was brought under caution for the first time, the entire GT field was just outside the window to be able to make the remaining distance on fuel if they stopped during the caution. With engineer Lars Giersing making the decision to stay out, since the team would likely have to come to the pits again anyway, the team would actually advance to second as much of the GT field elected to stop.

As the green flag fell with just under one hour to go, the race was on between the leading No. 63 Ferrari of Allesandro Balzan and Lally, with the Magnus Racing Porsche making its first threat for the lead all day.

Just three laps later, Lally would successfully make the pass and had control of the GT lead as the team began to consider the final round of pit stops.

Unfortunately, with 42 minutes to go, a caution produced by a prototype incident would bunch the entire field back together. With extensive cleanup required on the track due to debris and oil, the team would make their final stop for tires and fuel, however, the length of the yellow would also mean the cars who had stopped with one hour to go would be able to make it to the end.

As a result, Magnus was one of only a few GT cars to come to the pit, dropping the No. 44 back to seventh by the time the race resumed.

While the car was simply too far back in the field to threaten for the lead, great driving by Lally would send him ahead of Balzan’s No. 63 Ferrari to take sixth, while a late stop for the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro would put the team in fifth for the finish.

Critically, the No. 57 and No. 63 cars are the two primary threats in the championship, meaning Magnus Racing’s ability to get ahead of both cars has extended their point lead to seven over Stevenson Motorsports and 11 over Scuderia Corsa.

“This is only the second time in 2013 that we’ve finished behind another Porsche,” stated Andy Lally. “That’s a testament to just how strong we’ve been. It was nice to lead for a while, and it showed what we were capable of, the strategy just didn’t go our way today. It’s hard to say what to expect in Kansas, so I’m happy we were able to walk away with the lead.”

With just three races to go, the entire Rolex Series only has a matter of days to prepare for the next round at Kansas Speedway taking place next Saturday, August 17, at 8PM ET. As the first ever visit to the circuit, the race promises to be an exciting one, running as only the second “roval” (infield road course built on an oval track) in 2013.

Live coverage will be Saturday, August 17, at 8PM ET on Fox Sports 2 (might currently be listed as “Fuel TV” by your cable provider), with repeat coverage on Sunday, August 18, at 4PM ET on Fox Sports 1 (listed as “SPEED”).

Magnus Racing Heads to Road America in Pursuit of Redemption

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (August 7, 2013)- The last time Magnus Racing took to the track at the famed Road America circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, the team saw their championship hopes come apart as they suffered an engine failure with just a few minutes to go.

Headed in to this weekend’s VisitFlorida.com Sports Car 250, Magnus Racing will take the green flag as the current Rolex Sports Car Series GT championship point leaders, and still in pursuit of their first victory in 2013.

“Last year’s race was a pretty big blow to our championship, so we’re definitely looking for redemption this year,” stated Magnus Racing team owner John Potter. “Consistency has been a huge factor in our championship this year, but we all know that we need to win races if we have any hope of keeping the field behind us.”

With Saturday’s race occurring as part of a historic double-header between the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series and American Le Mans Series, the team will once again host several guests from The Private Client Reserve of U.S. Bank. With the No. 44 Flex-Box / Private Client Reserve of U.S. Bank Porsche 911 GT3 Cup still struggling to match the ultimate pace of the Ferraris and Camaros, the long straights and high speeds of the 4-mile circuit will serve as one of the last configurations to benefit Porsche teams.

“We really need to capitalize on this weekend,” stated co-driver Andy Lally. “The last three races are going to be tough for Porsche teams, and we all know that a win is going to be critical for us in the championship. This is a big weekend for us and everyone is supremely focused.”

With the team unloading today, practice will begin tomorrow, with the race taking place this Saturday, August 10. Television coverage can be found on SPEED at 5PM ET.

Magnus Racing Maintains Point Lead with Brickyard Grand Prix Podium

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (July 27, 2013)- Following another strategy-led race, Magnus Racing continues to hold on to the Rolex Sports Car Series GT championship lead following a third place in yesterday’s Brickyard Grand Prix.

“Overall I’m happy with today’s result,” stated Magnus Racing team owner John Potter. “We had several guests from Flex-Box and The Private Client Reserve of U.S. Bank, and we really wanted to show well for them. As it has been all year, the Porsche’s struggled on pace, but everyone did a great job to keep the car in contention for the whole race. The fact that we’re still leading the series is a testament to the team.”

Starting the No. 44 Flex-Box / Private Client Reserve of U.S. Bank Porsche from the sixth row, John Potter and the entire Magnus team had extra incentive to perform during the day’s event. Not only were they the defending winners of the Indianapolis race, but additionally played host to over 25 guests from sponsors Flex-Box and The Private Client Reserve of U.S. Bank. Following an activity-filled day for all of their guests and VIP’s, it was time for the team’s attention to turn to the track.

Knowing the race would last slightly longer than a “traditional” sprint race, the team came in to the event with the understanding that strategy and fuel mileage would play a large factor. Knowing his job was to maintain with the leaders and deliver a clean car, John Potter took the green flag and kept to his usual steady pace.

With two hours remaining, Potter handed the reigns to teammate Andy Lally, with an immediate aim of extending fuel mileage as far as possible. Driving with his usual mix of aggression balanced with patience, Lally made several impressive passes during his stint, including a four-wide pass during a re-start, managing to work his way toward the top-five.

As the race began to take shape, a constant series of yellow flags gave the team the opportunity to complete the race on one more stop, advancing ahead of their competitors as every other team elected to make additional pit stops during the middle-portion of the race.

Leading for a sizeable portion of the race, a spirited battle between Lally and the No. 73 Porsche of Patrick Long would highlight the team’s day, with the Magnus No. 44 holding the car off for several laps despite older tires and managing fuel.

With 50 minutes to go and the No. 44 in the fuel window to make one last stop, the team brought the car in for its final round of tires and fuel. Unfortunately, a majority of the GT leaders came in at the same time, and having made pit stops during the middle of the race, the other cars were able to top off their fuel tanks quicker than the No. 44 which was virtually empty.

Setting Lally on his way for a final run to the checkered flag, a pass on the No. 69 Ferrari was all he could muster throughout his stint, settling in to third place as the final laps cycled through.

Friday’s run would serve as the team’s third consecutive podium finish, their fourth of the season. The result would also classify the team as fourth in the North American Endurance Championship, the highest finishing Porsche.

While the team still leads in the Rolex GT championship by four points, and has now held top Porsche honors in seven of the series’ eight races, the need to earn victories is evident.

“It’s going to be tough to win the championship without a couple wins,” stated Andy Lally. “The Camaros and Ferraris are definitely showing some strong pace, and if they can have a consistent series of runs in the next four races it’s going to be tough for us. I’m really proud of the guys for giving us such a great car and having flawless stops, we just need to have things go our way now for a victory.”

With four races to go and a very tight battle for the Rolex GT point lead, the series will return to action in two weeks’ time, with the VisitFlorida.com Sports Car 250 at the scenic Road America Circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Live coverage can be found on Saturday, August 10, at 5PM ET on SPEED.