Magnus Racing Unveils “Name Our Future” Fan Contest

SALT LAKE CITY, UT (March 27, 2013)- With much being discussed of 2014, Magnus Racing is proud to announce their “Name Our Future” Fan Contest.

Magnus Racing, who has recently partnered with the prestigious New York-based Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency (NYSE: SCAA), is currently undergoing a significant, and expensive, re-evaluation of their current brand positioning and place within the sportscar realm of independent Porsche GT entrants.

With a strong emphasis on integrating with the fans, the team has decided to initiate the “Name Our Future” contest, in which fans can contribute any number of names to the reigning North American Endurance Championship GT winners.

This is all part of a larger announcement for the team which will be made this coming Monday, April 1, in an event known as #therevealation.

“It was important to create an event for the fans,” stated Magnus Racing Team Owner John Potter. “Our new agency has really stressed divided accountability, and we look forward to the full announcement of our association at #therevealation on Monday. I also am really happy we used a hashtag. We have crew members who are fans of anything with hash in it.”

A full reveal of the team’s association and branding, as well as detailed relationship with their new agency, will be disclosed this Monday.

Fans looking to contribute to the new branding can Email directly to press@magnusracing.com, or for greatest effect message us via Twitter (@MagnusRacing) or Facebook (RacingMagnus).

Be sure to use #TheRevealation as a hashtag, that way you look like you know what you’re doing.

Magnus Racing Weighs in On Prospective Series’ Name Change

Salt Lake City, UT (March 13, 2013)- On the eve of tomorrow’s big announcement regarding the future name of the merged GRAND-AM/American Le Mans Series, Magnus Racing’s team personnel would like to weigh in on their respective opinions regarding the series’ name.

While the team anxiously awaits the reveal itself, like most, we’re both excited and supportive of the new endeavor. It’s still difficult to imagine driving in a new series, as Team Owner John Potter strictly became involved due to his allegiance to the Pontiac Grand-Am.

“The Grand-Am was driving excitement,” stated Potter. “It’s going to be tough to simply dissolve ourselves of that name.”

The most exciting part of any announcement, however, is the flurry of team press releases to follow. As we at Magnus Racing have learned, we are simply not a real racing team unless we issue some sort of vague release endorsing what the series just announced, because we know the world was dying for our particular opinion.

With this in mind, Magnus Racing would actually like to issue our thoughts before the reveal. In fact, we even have a few suggestions on a series name!

John Potter, Team Owner/Driver:
“Personally, I’m a big fan of renaming it to ‘Aztek.’ The series is developing a new empire in sportscar, and it might even get Mel Gibson interested in making a movie about it.”

Andy Lally, Driver:
“I’d actually like to see everything renamed to ‘Star Chief.’ It makes sense. The series is a new “all star” series, and we’re the “chief’s” of sportscar. Plus, it sounds a lot like starfish. I like starfish.”

John Bedell, Crew Chief:
“I think if we want to resonate with our US base, we should rename it to ‘Fiero.’ Living in Long Island, we see a lot of these, and what better way to get everyone’s attention than with the most recognizable of the Pontiac brands.”

Shannon Davis, Team Manager:
“The most sensible name is the ‘Bonneville.’ Bonneville is the pinnacle of speed, and the desert is almost limitless, sort of like our budget.”

Lars Giersing, Team Engineer:
“I would lean more toward naming the series ‘G6.’ It’s simple, it’s elegant, and then we could have ‘Far East Movement’ do our theme song. I love that group. That’s my jam.”

Lorie Bedell, Team Hospitality and Logistics:
“I think everyone has it wrong, we should be renaming it to ‘Firebird.’ People love fire, people love birds, and hopefully with that sort of brand option, sleeves would no longer be mandatory in the hot pit.”

Tucker Merten, Technician:
“Coming from Louisiana, I have to voice my desire for ‘Sunfire.’ We know a thing or two at the team about setting things on fire, and the ‘sun’ always sounds cool. It makes me think of lighting things up.”

While we know not to recommend the name “Le Mans,” we do hope series’ officials consider anyone of these former Pontiac brands to follow-up from GRAND-AM.

“Whatever name they choose for the series,” continued Potter, “it’s sure to be available at a used car dealer near you!”

Whatever the new series adopts, everyone at Magnus Racing looks forward to reading every team's "response" release over the next seven days, as does much of the motorsport media we're sure.

To watch #thereveal live, be sure to tune in tomorrow, March 14, at 2:30PM. A live stream can be seen on grand-am.com, alms.com, or speed.com.

For a complete list of former Pontiac brands, including Grand-Am, click here.

Magnus Racing Assumes Point Lead with Second at Circuit of the Americas

March 3, 2013 (Austin, TX)- Following a wild inaugural race at the brand-new Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, Magnus Racing took their first podium of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series season with a hard-earned second place.

“We did a lot of testing at the circuit to come as well prepared as possible, and it definitely paid off,” claimed Team Owner and Driver John Potter. “The nature of the circuit seemed to favor other marques, so to find ourselves leading for a while, finish on the podium as the top Porsche, and take the point lead in the process is really satisfying. I’m happy we were able to deliver a podium for Flex-Box as well, they’ve been a great partner for us and I look forward to even better results for them.”

As an entirely new facility, built specifically to host the Formula One World Championship, the entire GRAND-AM series rolled in to the Austin circuit with rave reviews on the venue. Featuring a challenging layout, surrounded by impressive architecture and great facilities for crew, anticipation was high. With a strong crowd on hand, including over 600 guests from the Porsche Club of America who toured the Magnus trailer and garage, the entire Magnus organization was intent on delivering results.

Starting the no. 44 Flex-Box / Boardwalk Porsche 911 GT3 Cup from the seventh position, one of Potter’s strongest starting spots to date, the Salt Lake City resident showed impressive form during the opening minutes. Knowing the hard-braking and constantly swerving nature of the course would strongly favor the Ferraris, Potter's job was to keep the car clean and preserved for teammate Andy Lally, with strategy being of key importance for the team to show well. Doing his job perfectly, Potter not only kept the car clear of any incident, but advanced several positions in the process.

Following an opportune caution early in the race, it was up to Andy Lally to get in and push his Porsche as hard as he could, and with that the race was set for a wild final two hours.

With Lally setting repeated personal bests, combined with attrition in the field, Andy was as high as fourth during the middle of the race. Most notably, the team was the highest ranked non-Ferrari in the GT field.

Despite several aggressive passes from some of his competitors (see video here), Lally held his own through the second round of pit stops, with strategy becoming the clear way for the no. 44 team to advance in to a podium spot. With the entire field still having to make one more splash for fuel, a rare opportunity presented itself with 50 minutes remaining. As the no. 90 Daytona Prototype rolled to a stop on track, quick thinking by the team led to Lally pitting for a quick splash of fuel as GRAND-AM officials debated on whether or not to throw a yellow flag. Within a lap of Lally’s stop, the field would be brought under caution for the errant Prototype, meaning Lally would catch the field as his GT competitors would all stop for additional fuel. As the field resumed, Lally was now leading a very aggressive contingent of cars behind him.

Maintaining the lead for much of his final stint, the team had gone from being unsure if they could contend for a podium, to all of a sudden smelling victory. With less than 15 minutes to go, however, the no. 63 Ferrari of Allesandro Pier Guidi, from Italy, was hot on the rear bumper of the no. 44. With the no. 63 having led a majority of the race, Lally knew that it would be tough to keep him behind, and the two would embark on an intense battle for the next three laps. While the Ferrari showed demonstrable pace through the esses and under braking, Lally’s ability to get the power down coming out of the corners made him difficult to pass. Finally, Pier Guidi would make a daring move in to turn six, with the two cars racing side-by-side through the next series of corners in to turn nine. Making contact in the process, the no. 63 would make strong contact inside of the no. 44 headed in to turn nine, sending Lally wide in to the outside of the course. The Long Island native would manage the no. 44 back on to the track with a minimum of time lost and still in second, however any hope to fight for the lead had disappeared.

With the team protesting the move, Lally had hoped to simply hold on to his second place until the checkered flag. Unfortunately, the no. 94 Turner Motorsports BMW of Bill Auberlen would approach the no. 44 quickly, and with only three minutes remaining Lally once again found himself in the defensive position.

With Auberlen and Lally no strangers to on-track action, contact would ensue as the duo headed first in to Turn 15, and then ultimately in Turn 19. Lally would be forced wide in both incidents, with Auberlen taking the lead as the pair headed in to the final laps. Ironically, at nearly the same time, series officials issued a stop-and-go plus sixty-second penalty to the no. 63 for the earlier incident, meaning the no. 94 BMW was now the leader.

As the field came to the checkered flag, the no. 94 would take the GT-class victory, with the no. 44 Flex-Box / Boardwalk Porsche taking second.

While Lally was frustrated to lose the lead, a solid second place combined with the GT series point lead offered some solace.

“The guys put together a really fast Porsche today,” stated Lally. “We weren't sure how today was going to go, so to be leading with just a few laps left, get knocked off the road three times, and still take second shows just how good our car was. I really wanted to show well for Flex-Box and our new partners at Boardwalk Porsche, so I’m glad we were at least on the podium. I’m frustrated with how aggressive some of the attempted passing has been, but if that’s how it’s going to go this year, we’ll just have to drive the same way. We clearly have an amazing group of people at this team, we just need to keep doing exactly what we’re doing.”

With the third round of the championship several weeks away, the Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park, the team will go back to work getting everything in order to maintain their championship run. The Porsche 250 will take place on Saturday, March 6, with television coverage on SPEED one day later, Sunday, March 7, at 5:30 PM ET.

Magnus Racing Heads to Austin, Undefeated at Circuit of the Americas

Salt Lake City, UT (February 27, 2013)- With the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona now a distant memory, Magnus Racing heads to Saturday’s inaugural GRAND-AM of The Americas presented by GAINSCO and TOTAL with an impressive record; zero losses at the new circuit.

“It’s tough to argue with our record,” stated Magnus Racing Team Owner John Potter. “It’s rare you can enter a track knowing you’ve never lost, but the facts simply don’t lie. In fact, this year we’ll be undefeated at four different Rolex races. We are honored, along with Starworks, to be the only team in GRAND-AM history to make that claim.”

Located in scenic Austin, Texas, the circuit actually made its debut just three months ago when it hosted the American return of the FIA Formula One World Championship on November 18, 2012. Featuring a challenging series of 20-turns over 3.4 miles, the circuit should present a new challenge to the no. 44 Flex-Box Porsche 911 GT3 Cup drivers and crew.

“The team is well prepared for this weekend,” stated Co-Driver Andy Lally. “The track here is really impressive, and it should be interesting to see how we fare. Breaking and cornering are at a premium for this track, and there are a lot of cars well suited for this track. We came out to test in December and made good progress in getting a good baseline, now it’s a matter of seeing how the rest of the field stacks up.”

Returning to the team for the second round of The GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, Magnus Racing is also pleased to continue its relationship with Flex-Box. Flex-Box, based out of Hong Kong, is a leading worldwide supplier of new and used shipping, storage and reefer containers. The company manufactures and ships containers to customers all over the world, keeping a year round inventory of containers in China, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and North America.

“This is our third year of working with Flex-Box, and it’s been great to see our relationship flourish,” commented Potter. “We came so close to delivering them that coveted win at Daytona, it would be great to bring them a strong result on Saturday.”

Additionally, Magnus Racing is proud to welcome Boardwalk Porsche to the mix for the weekend. Located in Plano, Texas, Boardwalk Porsche serves the Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, and Richardson areas with a renowned reputation for service. As a testament to the quality of the organization, Boardwalk earned the Premier Porsche Dealer Distinction for 2012.

“The real season begins on Saturday,” continued Potter. “Daytona is obviously a race unique to itself, but Saturday will mark the start of a really tough championship. When you look at the entry list, there are 15 GT cars, and nearly all of them have a chance to win. The Rolex GT field is incredibly strong this year, and everyone at Magnus has been working very hard to take this year’s fight to the end.”

The GRAND-AM of The Americas presented by GAINSCO and TOTAL will take place this Saturday, March 2, with coverage on SPEED at 3PM ET.

Lally, Potter Open Up About Relationship During Media Tour

 

New Orleans, LA (February 14, 2012)- As Magnus Racing continues its media tour through the Southern U.S., stopping today at the famed NOLA Motorsports Park, it seems that the racing media only wanted to know about one thing: the nature of the relationship between Magnus Racing's Andy Lally and John Potter.

“I would like to inform everyone that John and I will only discuss racing today,” stated the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie-of-the-Year Andy Lally.

Lally then continued… to discuss anything but racing.

“John Potter is a very funny, and very sweet guy” stated the Long Island native. “We first met in 2008, and I always found him funny. To be honest, he was one of very few people last year to ask about my plans after my previous team and I divorced. It’s weird, I think a lot of people wanted to ask, but I think I intimidate them. It has nothing to do with the fact that I’m a six at best.”

Even though the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series is about to begin the rest of its season in only two weeks, ever since Lally and Potter were caught spending the night together two weekends ago in Daytona, the social and motorsports media have been ablaze with thoughts, questions, and opinions on the matter.

“I don’t understand why everyone is so curious about our relationship,” stated Lally. “It’s no big deal that the two of us are spending so much time together, even if today is Valentine’s day. Look at that dude Ricky Stenhouse is dating. No one is bothering them, right?”

Magnus Racing Team Owner John Potter meanwhile, took a very adversarial stance on the discussions.

“I thought we were here to race,” stated the Utah resident. “There was a time when racing media only reported on racing. That’s all we should be discussing. Not who’s hanging out with who.”

“Exactly,” continued Lally... with a frowny face. “I don’t want to discuss this anymore. I’m a serious racer, not a media darling. It’s not like the public fascination with my personal life has had any influence on my racing. Human interest has no place in the business of sports and entertainment. I’m a racer only.”

Then Lally continued… with a smily face.

“…but, I’ll probably cook for John tonight. It is Valentine’s day and we’re in New Orleans. I’ve been working on some vegan dishes that would really fit the theme, and I’m really hoping to open his eyes to my lifestyle.”

Potter, meanwhile, really hoped the conversation would move on. As the 50th Running of the Rolex 24 winner, you’d think he could aim higher.

“Yeah, discussing this is a little embarrassing,” stated Potter. “It’s none of anyone’s business what we do off the track. Especially since I’m married, and to be blunt Lally isn’t exactly Sophia Vergara. I'd probably be more open if he was at least a seven. We love our fans, but let’s keep it to racing. I don’t understand why journalists keep asking us these questions. They act like they’re in the business of selling stories that people actually read.”

“Exactly,” replied Lally. “I’m a serious racer. I only want to discuss racing. I refuse to be seen as anything other than that.”

Unfortunately, just as everyone began to take Lally seriously, the press conference was interrupted by a GoDaddy commercial playing on the monitors.

After the commercial was over, Lally threw up his hands in frustration of no one listening to him when he's all serious. He summarily put on his sunglasses and stormed out of the room. Unfortunately Lally was blocked on his exit a bit by Milka Duno. She didn’t know he was there.

Regardless, Andy, John, and everyone at Magnus Racing would like to wish our fans (and even motorsports media) a Happy Valentine’s Day.