Magnus Racing Falls Short on 2012 Fuel Budget

Lakeville, CT (October 1, 2012)- Headed in to Saturday’s GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series season finale, the team at Magnus Racing had only one goal… stay on budget.

Looking to end their season on a high, Magnus Racing fell just short of victory due to a late race “budget issue” on race fuel.

Embarking on the 2012 season with a strict fuel budget of $12,000 to spend over the 13-race schedule, team strategists had just enough budget to go through the full season, provided Saturday’s Championship Weekend in Lime Rock Park only lasted 157 laps.

Unfortunately, Saturday’s event would last 159 laps.

“We agreed to spend $12,000 on fuel for the season,” stated Team Owner and Co-Driver John Potter. “To complete this race, we would have had to spend $12,003.27. That’s three dollars and twenty-seven cents over our budget. My bookkeepers cheered when we crossed the line in sixth. The crew was less enthusiastic for some reason, I’m still not sure why.”

With the team literally falling from first to sixth as the no. 44 Porsche GT3 Cup sputtered for fuel with only two laps to go, the team would have needed less than half of a gallon of fuel to hold off the challenging no. 57 Stevenson Camaro of Robin Liddell.

For John Potter, it was simply a miscalculation of economics.

“I learned years ago that in any business, there is no point setting a budget if you don't follow it,” continued Potter. “We did follow it this year in fuel. That budget victory will keep everyone at Magnus Racing motivated all off-season. People say we finished sixth? Then why do I feel like we won? I just wish GRAND-AM gave trophies for the things that we accomplish.”

Having qualified the no. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche GT3 Cup on the fifth row just hours earlier, the entire team came in to this weekend’s finale with strong hopes of victory. As the only Porsche team to have taken victory in the GRAND-AM Rolex Series this season, Potter took the green flag keenly aware of the possibility to book-end the season with their third victory of the year.

Not putting a foot wrong during his opening stint, an opportune caution period during a chaotic first 35-minutes of the race would see Potter pit for fuel and tires, with co-driver Andy Lally taking the reigns for the final two hours of the race. A spectacular stop by the Magnus crew would see Lally up to second as pit stops cycled through, with the New York-native immediately setting his sights on the leading no. 63 Ferrari once green flag conditions resumed.

Immediately pressuring the leading Ferrari of Johannes van Overbeek, Lally would make clever work of the Californian shortly after, leading the GT field and setting a dominant pace for the middle stages of the race.

Unfortunately, while the commanding pace of the Magnus no. 44 was obvious, race strategy would play a vital role as the race continued to unfold.

With nearly an hour and ten minutes remaining, the time would come for Magnus to come in for what it had hoped would be the last pit stop of the year, or at least as their budget dictated.

Performing a clean and fast stop, the race was now up to fate as engineer Lars Giersing made the bold decision to maintain the lead by never stopping again.

Running an off-setting strategy, the team’s fate was sealed as the second-place no. 57 Stevenson Camaro elected to pit with 45-minutes to go, meaning that driver Robin Liddell would have plenty of fuel to push hard to the end. Throwing down multiple fast laps as he pursued Lally, a final pit stop by Magnus Racing would have ensured the no 57 would take the lead, leaving the team with no choice but to try and stretch it out to the end.

As the minutes ticked down and Lally did everything he could do to save fuel, a late-race caution was still not enough to stretch the mileage far enough, and as the field came down the front stretch with two laps to go, the Magnus Porsche simply didn’t have enough to go any further.

The team would eventually finish sixth.

“Meh,” stated Andy Lally.

With the 2012 season now behind, and the team having stayed on budget, the entire organization can look back with many positives.

Beyond winning two of the series’ signature events at Daytona and Indianapolis, Magnus Racing holds the distinction as not only the top-finishing Porsche in the Rolex GT Team Championship, but also the only Porsche to win this year.

“It truly has been a special season,” stated John Potter. “Opening the season with our first-ever victory at the most prestigious race set a great tone, but following that up with winning the inaugural North American Endurance Championship and ending the year as the top Porsche is very special.”

Stay tuned during the off-season for several new articles and videos about the team as they prepare for 2013.

One More Day to Vote Magnus!

Lakeville, CT (September 29, 2012)- With only a few hours remaining before the final GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series race of the 2012 season, fans can have one last chance to vote for their favorite moment of the season… hint.

By visiting www.grand-am.com/rolexmoments, or simply clicking here, fans can choose any one of five selected GRAND-AM highlights of the season… which includes Magnus Racing’s very own 2012 GT victory at the inaugural Brickyard Grand Prix, clinching the first-ever North American Endurance Championship in the process. The most popular team will be awarded during Monday's GRAND-AM Rolex Series Awards Banquet in New York's famed Gotham Hall.

Fans have until tomorrow evening to vote, so please do! Let GRAND-AM know just who your favorite team really is (assuming it’s us).

Otherwise, tune in to SPEED today at 3PM ET to watch John, Andy, and the entire Magnus team compete one last time this year.

Magnus Racing to Switch Manufacturers for Lime Rock

Tooele, UT (September 21, 2012)- Following a top-secret series of tests at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, Magnus Racing can now reveal their challenger for the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series season-ending Championship Weekend at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut. Following years of towing their championship winning Porsches around the country, the team has decided to save money and effort by simply campaigning their Volvo tractor.

With the 1.5-mile, seven-turn circuit at Lime Rock Park providing a reputation for tight racing and constant incidents, the team figured their Volvo might be the key to ensuring a top-14 finish.

“We were testing at Miller last week with our Porsche, and we realized that the team tractor could see over the top of every car in the paddock,” stated Magnus Racing Team Owner John Potter. “At Lime Rock, that could prove critical. You never know which Prototype is going to come back on track right in front of you, so best to be prepared with high visibility.”

With a wheelbase at 113” and a truck height of 13’ 6”, the only real obstacles facing the team for next weekend’s race will be ensuring that it can clear the famed bridge overlooking the downhill run of the circuit, as well as making sure that Continental can provide 25-inch tires.

Doing the bulk of the development driving last week, Team Engineer Lars Giersing will actually step down from the timing stand, and in to the driver’s seat for next weekend’s race. Following in the footsteps of many Danish drivers who are known for plowing in to their competitors, Giersing seemed the perfect fit for this new vehicle…. provided GRAND-AM does not issue any blood-alcohol tests.

“I will be happy to step out of the driver’s seat in favor of Lars,” stated Co-Driver Andy Lally. “The Volvo has ample cup holders, which should help him out a lot. Similarly, we seem to both think we can do the other’s job, so this will be a good way of proving that.”

Running lap times within two-minutes of the team’s Porsche during last week’s test, the combination of Giersing and Potter could prove formidable. Between cautions and Andy Lally’s self-declared brilliance at race strategy, there’s no doubt the team will finish somewhere in the top-14.

“(Awkward look),” stated Giersing. “(Awkward look followed by look of disdain).”

GRAND-AM’s Championship Weekend will begin with official practice on Friday, September 28, with the race taking place one day later on the 29th. Television coverage can be seen LIVE on SPEED at 3PM ET.


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Magnus Racing will continue to provide updates and coverage throughout the week via their Facebook (facebook.com/RacingMagnus) and Twitter (@MagnusRacing), as well as via www.magnusracing.com. You can also follow Andy Lally on Twitter (@AndyLally).

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.

To learn more about Magnus Health, visit their website at www.magnushealth.com.

Another Podium Finish for Magnus Racing at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

Monterey, CA (September 10, 2012)- Headed in to the penultimate round of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series championship, Magnus Racing has held one goal for the remainder of the season: add more trophies. After a hard fought two-hour, forty-five minute race, drivers Andy Lally and John Potter were rewarded with a well-earned third place finish in the Rolex GT category.

With two wins and three podium finishes in the 2012 season prior to yesterday, the entire team headed in to yesterday’s Continental Tire Sports Car Festival knowing the configuration of the 2.5-mile road course might prove favorable to Porsches.

Qualifying the no. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche GT3 Cup on the fifth row, Team Owner and Driver John Potter got off to a clean start, driving comfortably within the top-10 during his opening stint. When an opportune caution period came out at the 45-minute mark, Potter would bring the car in without a mark on it, handing the reigns over to Andy Lally who immediately took charge.

Faced with the challenging task of trying to chase the field in front of him while also preserving his tires, Lally would drive the middle of the race with a combination of pace and patience, fighting the no. 59 Brumos Porsche of Leh Keen for several laps.

As the middle stints would unfold, clever strategy by engineer Lars Giersing would see the no. 44 pit earlier than many, putting Lally in a position to set off fastest laps on a clear race-track in pursuit of the front of the field.

As pit stops and fuel stints cycled through, the no. 44 was as high as second before pitting for the final time with 30 minutes to go.

With fuel strategy playing a clear role for the entire GT field, the stage was set for an intense final 30 minutes. With Lally one of the first to pit, the Northport, New York native set off a number of fast laps in pursuit of the cars who were due to pit. One-by-one, the rest of the field would begin to duck in to the pits for their last splashes of fuel, eventually settling the no. 44 in to fourth place for the final laps.

As the final laps emerged, Lally would find himself directly behind the championship leading no. 69 AIM Ferrari of Jeff Segal. Having just come out of the pits for fuel, the no. 69 was still on old tires, allowing Lally to pursue heavily for the final laps.

Similarly, the second-place no. 03 Extreme Speed Ferrari had elected not to pit for fuel, taking a significant risk that they might not be able to finish the race.

As the three cars took the white flag, a thrilling last lap would emerge (see video link). As Lally chased down the no. 69, the no. 03 was clearly running out of fuel in front of them. As this all transpired, the no. 7 of Colin Braun in the Daytona Prototype category was also trying to pass all of them simultaneously, causing a chaotic run up the hill toward turns six and seven. Headed out of turn six on the run up to the infamous “corkscrew,” Braun’s pass on the no. 69 would give Lally a run around the outside of the straight, while the no. 03 sputtered as it struggled to find fuel. This would cause a three-wide pass in to the hard-braking corkscrew, with Lally on the outside.

With all three drivers managing to avoid contact, Segal would nose ahead of Lally through the corkscrew, and van Overbeek left with no choice but to coast down the hill en route to the checkered flag.

Lally would finish third; the fourth podium for the team in 2012, and once again taking top honors for Porsche.

“That was a crazy last lap,” stated Lally. “We really had a shot at second so I’m a little frustrated that we weren’t able to get there, but we still finished on the podium. The guys did a great job today getting the car in to the position we were in, pit stops were critical and they delivered perfectly.”

For Team Owner John Potter, top Porsche honors highlight a hard fought weekend.

“If you can’t take first, you at least want to be the first Porsche,” stated Potter. “This whole weekend the team has worked really hard to get the setup right, and as it turned out pit stops and strategy played a key role. It was a real team effort and we’re happy to walk away with our fourth trophy of the year.”

With only one race remaining in the 2012 season, the team has a short break before heading out to Lime Rock Park at the end of the month. As the season finale, an action-packed event can be seen LIVE on SPEED, taking place on Saturday, September 29 at 3PM ET.

Magnus Racing / Black Swan Racing May Announce Something at Laguna Seca

Salt Lake City, UT (September 4, 2012)- Following several weeks of quiet and closed conversations, excluding even their own employees and vendors, Magnus Racing, a premier GT team in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, and Black Swan Racing, a two-time GT-Challenge Champion in the American Le Mans Series, may have an announcement together at this weekend’s Continental Tire Sports Car Festival at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

With very little going on in the world of professional sportscar racing these days, the possibility of the two teams merging together seemed like a good opportunity for headlines, even if very little is worked out between the two teams. With fans at the core interest of both Magnus Racing Team Owner John Potter and Black Swan Racing Team Owner Tim Pappas, the decision to discuss merging seemed like an ideal fit.

"Last week, if I saw Tim Pappas drowning, I would have thrown him an anchor,” stated Potter. “Now, I look forward to our kids playing together one day...he's really an awesome guy who I have always respected."

“I know in the past that I’ve said John Potter’s only interest in sportscar racing is to keep my team from succeeding,” replied Pappas. “But now that I’ve had time to reflect, and a possibility to sell, John Potter really is just a guy who likes racing. Really, he’s not the backwards redneck that myself and all of our fans have claimed.”

While the two teams in principle seem to want to run together as one awesome Porsche team, there remain many details to work out.

“The problem here is philosophy,” stated John Potter. “Fans want to see Porsches they can relate to. That’s why we run five lugnuts on our wheels.”

“John Potter is completely wrong about this,” stated Pappas. “Fans don’t want Porsches they can relate to, they want more awesomer Porsches. That’s why our Porsches ran center-lock wheels.”

With neither party willing to accept that, perhaps, fans just like Porsches, there remain many other complications between the two teams.

“Then there’s the video package,” stated Pappas. “Our Black Swan videos only run on Vimeo. Sure, less people are inclined to watch videos on Vimeo, but the quality of the video is much, much higher.”

“Putting your videos on Vimeo makes no sense,” replied Potter. “No sponsor wants to hear his videos are only on Vimeo. Videos have to be on YouTube, that’s what people are watching. We have up to 90 hits on some of our videos, whereas Black Swan only gets 70 hits. That’s 20 more people! No wonder sponsors are having such a hard time with them.”

While the technology and video package create a major difference of philosophies between the two teams, there still remain a number of other obstacles with a prospective merger.

For example, Black Swan Racing seems to really enjoy promoting its European feel with a driver like Jeroen Bleekemolen (from the Netherlands). As a team that once ran Porsches, the organization feels it should stick to its philosophy of European co-drivers.

Magnus Racing, however, feels that the road racing in the US needs to ignore its European roots and stick to an all-American theme, as demonstrated with driver Andy Lally.

“It’s simple, American fans want American drivers,” continued Potter. “I don’t even know where Holland is, nor do I speak Hollish.”

“Typical Potter-style thinking,” replied Pappas. “I’m telling you, there’s a conspiracy with the Potter’s to kill road racing.”

Then there’s the issue of what to call this merged team.

With the idea of “Black Magnus” being immediately discarded because “it sounds oddly racist,” the team has struggled where best to go with the name.

“I will not allow Magnus Racing to fall under the Black Swan name,” stated Potter. “Yes, there is a great tradition in that name. That name has great history in Europe, it even won an Oscar, but no. This is America.”

“No one knows what the hell Magnus is,” retorted Pappas. “Why wouldn’t they just adopt a name that is both World Class and well known? Plus, ummm, Natalie Portman.”

With neither team willing to compromise, it is possible they may just completely rename themselves. One insider suggests the team may just rename itself to “ChampCar.”

With a merger between the two teams imminent, neither team are willing to comment on the proposed schedule they’d like to run. While one would hope they’ll run the signature events of either series, this will no doubt be an endless process filled with several layers of complications.

Perhaps the most eagerly awaited moment of the proposed merger will be the endless articles that journalists will write about this, expounding on their profound editorial columns on how to save the sportscar world, with little insight on the economic and political realities of either team.

Whatever the outcome, both teams look forward to working together, and just hope the best interest of the fans and sportscar community at large is looked after.

For those who have no idea what the heck this article is all about, be sure to tune in tomorrow to GRAND-AM.com, speedtv.com, or turn on SPEED at 10AM ET.

Otherwise, see everyone at Laguna Seca! The race will be this Sunday, September 9, with live coverage at 3PM ET on SPEED.