2012: Grey Skies Ahead!

Even if Armageddon is Coming, At Least It Will be in Style

With a season that included seven podiums (including their first Rolex Series podium, as well as    75% of all ALMS races competed in), the debut of not one, but two Magnus Racing Porsches in  Forza Motorsport (including the “regular” and “straight outta the LBC” versions ); the $25 bounty on “Anything Resembling a Yellow BMW”, setting a new standard for umbrella girl hotness, an  explosion of fan access to team insight, photos, and information, and being named dailysportscar.com's as “Best Sense of Reality” in 2011, Magnus Racing’s 2011 has  been a year of excitement, growth, and their accompanying shenanigans.

After successful tests at Daytona International Speedway in early December, Magnus Racing has nowhere to go but up in 2012, the team’s third full-season of GRAND-AM competition. With new team members, its first multi-car entry, new media ventures, and the"official" announcement ofthe team's adoption greyscale livery for the year, the team is primed to seek top results in the coming season.

Planning to spend the upcoming season focused on race wins and the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series GT Championship, Team Owner/Driver John Potter re-teams with his 2009 Continental Tire Sports Car Championship co-driver Andy Lally, a three-time Rolex Series champion (2001 SRP II, 2004SGS, 2006 Rolex GT), three-time Rolex 24 winner, as well GRAND-AM’s all-time mileage and podiums leader.

“We’re extremely happy to welcome Andy in to our camp for 2012, and consider it a huge statement about our organization to see him come on board,” stated Potter. “Andy is not only a tremendous talent, but he provides a great spirit and leadership with him. We had a great time together in 2009, and considering his relationship with most of our crew, he’s already a part of the family.”

For the upcoming 50th Anniversary of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, rounding out the line up for the familiar no. 44 will be two-time ALMS GT2 class winner Richard Lietz, as well as Porsche SuperCup and ADAC Volkswagen Polo Cup winner Rene Rast. Lietz, who has competed with Magnus Racing at every Rolex 24 event competed in, has gelled nicely with the team in previous races, and in his third year is considered a regular part of the family. Rast, a native of Germany, will be competing in his first ever Rolex 24 at Daytona, but should be well adept to this style of racing having competed in numerous European endurance events.

“We’re happy to bring Richard back for his third year with the team,” stated Potter. “In his previous two races, he’s been reliable, precise, and without any major incidents that he could control. Teaming him with Andy and myself should prove really strong. René comes with a strong recommendation from Porsche Motorsport, and looking at his career history I can see why. He’s young and clearly a star on the rise, and I think between all of us we should have a really formidable entry.”

2012 will also bring the team’s first multi-car entry as they pair up with the no. 4 Children’s Tumor Foundation/Racing4Research Porsche GT3 Cup, with a lineup featuring Daytona veterans Daniel Graeff, Ron Yarab, Ryan Eversley, and driver/in- race reporter Justin Bell.

“It is a very big honor to run with CTF as our second car for the 50th Rolex 24,” stated Potter. “It’s a great cause, run by some phenomenal people, and a great sign to the strength and ambitions of our team. Daniel, Ron, and Ryan all drove impressively at the test, and it will greatly strengthen our program to have such a great group joining us. Our team has quietly been built on a strong foundation of people, and we look forward to bringing these programs together.”

The team is looking forward to the month of January and the 50th anniversary of the Rolex 24. For the first time in team history, the program will feature a full webcast from behind the scenes as well. Featured on both magnusracing.com as well as racing4research.org, “Magnus Racing- Live at Daytona” will feature a consortium of hosts and special guests who will literally be live from the pits throughout the race, explaining to the fans what’s happening, as well giving fans an opportunity to live chat with team personnel and drivers. Additionally, the team will be producing several behind the scenes videos, which will be released throughout the duration of the event, giving fans an up close and personal perspective of the Magnus family.

Another new feature will be the team’s official change of color to grey. With a grassroots, family atmosphere that is almost unheard of in this level of professional motorsports, green seemed a logical color for Magnus Racing during the first two years, if for no other reason than no one else was running that color. However, as a novelty, the team switched to grey in the middle of 2011 as a partial joke in the hope for better luck, and remarkably there seemed to be a universal love of the new color, causing it to become the team’s benchmark colors for 2012.

While the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Championship will the primary focus of the team in 2012, Magnus Racing does maintain its ambition to compete in other series and championships, and with that, our fans can expect more news to come over the next several weeks.

To learn more about Andy Lally, visit www.andylally.com, or follow him on twitter at @andylally.

Fans of Magnus Racing can stay up to date with the team on facebook.com/magnusracing and on twitter (@magnusracing).

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.

Potter Scores GT3 Challenge Podium at Road Atlanta…then Magnus Racing packs up and goes home

October 1, 2011 (Braselton, GA) – It was a week of waiting for John Potter, Craig Stanton, Ryan Eversley and the Magnus Racing team at Road Atlanta. Unfortunately, their week would end up being a day shorter than they would have preferred.

Due to the large number of teams taking part in this year’s Petit Le Mans, the final round of the American Le Mans Series, only four GT-C teams were guaranteed a starting position in this year’s race. Magnus Racing made the decision to enter Petit Le Mans and practice throughout the week in case enough cars withdrew from the race to allow the no. 77 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup the chance to defend its third-place finish from 2010.

However, following qualifications for the event, ALMS officials informed the team that the event was still oversubscribed and the team would be unable to participate.

Although the team will not take the green flag for today’s Petit Le Mans, the Magnus Racing Porsche did compete in the two final IMSA GT3 Challenge races of the season at Road Atlanta with Potter at the wheel. In the first race, held Thursday morning, Potter converted a sixth place starting position to a third-place finish. It was his second IMSA GT3 Challenge podium of the season, and brought Magnus Racing’s podium count to a total of seven for the year. In the second race, held Friday morning, Potter would finish sixth after a frantic race in which he was hit at the start, falling well down the field. Later in the race, while coming through the field, he took flight in turn five to avoid another spinning car. 

“We are definitely disappointed that we aren’t able to take part in Petit Le Mans this year,” said Potter. “We knew it was a long shot to get into the race but we had high hopes. The guys had done a great job all week with our Porsche, and they had also put in a lot of work converting the car back and forth from the GT3 and ALMS setups. They have been heroes all year and I’m glad we have the best guys in the business working on our cars.”

The team had also been encouraged by its pace and the progress it made during the ALMS practice sessions.

“I was really confident in our car and lineup – I think we would have been contending for a win,” said Potter. “Craig did a fantastic job getting our car set up, doing the same great job he’s done for us all year. Ryan joined us on Wednesday and got up to speed right away, just like he did last season. Petit Le Mans would have been a great way to finish up our second season, but at least we did go out with one podium in the GT3 Challenge race. We have had a fantastic year, I’m really proud of what we have accomplished, and I’d like to thank everyone who was a part of Magnus Racing this year.”

Stanton, while disappointed that he was unable to take part in the race, remained upbeat about his year with Magnus Racing.

“Hey, we’ve had a great year and had a lot of fun,” said Stanton. “The Magnus Racing guys have been great all year and I’m so thankful that I’ve had the chance to race with them again this season. We are disappointed that we won’t get to race in Petit Le Mans but we had a great time this week.”

Eversley, who was only told on Tuesday that he would be in the Magnus Racing Porsche this week, was looking forward to keeping his podium streak at Petit Le Mans intact. In addition to finishing second in GT-C last season with Magnus Racing, Eversley has an LMP2 podium in 2004 to his credit.

“I had a great time with the Magnus Racing crew,” said Eversley. “Despite not being able to race, it was really great to get back in the Magnus Racing Porsche. I’m thankful for the opportunity and I hope to race with them again!”

There won’t be much of an off-season for Magnus Racing, as winter testing will begin in just a few weeks time for the 2012 Rolex Series season. The team will be making announcements about its 2012 plans in the coming months. Fans of Magnus Racing can stay up to date with the team on facebook.com/magnusracing and on twitter (@magnusracing).

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 the American Le Mans Series can e-mail info@magnusracing.com. All press inquiries can be directed to press@magnusracing.com.

Magnus Racing is Proud to Announce That, Potentially, it Might Race at Petit Le Mans, Maybe…

September 26, 2011 (Salt Lake City, Utah) – The Magnus Racing truck and trailer is at Road Atlanta, the team has participated in the first official practice of the week, and hopefully it’s no.77 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup will be able to compete in this year’s Petit Le Mans.

Following in the grand tradition of other Porsche racing teams that routinely make grand announcements about nothing, John Potter is thrilled to, possibly, be racing for the second time in the Petit Le Mans – the season finale for the American Le Mans Series, which has quickly become a worldwide endurance racing classic.

Although the team had originally planned to compete in the ten hour / 1000-mile Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, the participation of GT-C class cars has been limited due to the number of cars entered as part of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup. Teams competing in the ILMC have priority entry for Petit Le Mans, meaning several GT-C class cars will be on the outside looking in.

Potter’s Magnus Racing team will take part in practice throughout the week, but if the team is unable to race in Petit Le Mans – in which it finished third in 2010 with Andrew Davis and Ryan Eversley joining Potter – Potter will instead take part in the IMSA GT3 Challenge races that weekend. Potter and teammate Craig Stanton have earned podium results at ALMS races in Long Beach, Mid-Ohio, and Baltimore so far in 2011.

“It is great to be able to sit here and tell everyone that, if we’re lucky, we might be racing in the Petit Le Mans next weekend,” said Potter, from Magnus Racing’s shop at Miller Motorsports Park. “We have grand plans to show up and improve our result from last year’s Petit Le Mans. Craig and I and, well- someone else, are aiming to be on the top step of the podium and continue to demonstrate Magnus Racing’s ability in endurance races. But if we can’t do that, I can guarantee we will at least race in the GT3 Challenge race.”

The team would also like to introduce its third driver, who will join Potter and Stanton at Petit Le Mans. Except it can’t. That will have to wait until the team knows for sure if it will be able to take the green flag at Petit Le Mans.

“Trust me when I say that our third driver, who may join us if we are able to compete in Petit Le Mans, is a phenomenal talent that will help get our Magnus Racing Porsche on the podium,” said Potter. “We have had a great time racing in the ALMS this season, and are enjoying the possibility of racing in one more ALMS race this year.”

Stanton, who has one victory at Petit Le Mans on his resume, was also looking forward to this year’s Petit Le Mans.

“When I found out we might not be able to compete in Petit Le Mans, it was kind of upsetting,” said Stanton. “If I had known sooner, I would have put my bicycle in the trailer so I could go mountain biking around Road Atlanta. Now I have to figure out another way to get it to Atlanta. But hopefully I won’t need it. Petit Le Mans is a phenomenal event; I am really thrilled about maybe competing in this year’s race with Magnus Racing.”

If Magnus Racing is able to take part in Petit Le Mans, fans of the team can watch the entire event live on Saturday, October 1, at 11:15 AM on WatchESPN.com, with a television broadcast the next day, October 2, at 4:00 PM ET on ABC.  Fans can also follow the team throughout the race weekend on Facebook (facebook.com/magnusracing) and on twitter (@magnusracing).

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 the American Le Mans Series can e-mail info@magnusracing.com. All press inquiries can be directed to press@magnusracing.com.

GRAND-AM’s Gaffe Costs Potter and Stanton Chance at Victory in Season Finale

September 18, 2011 (Salt Lake City, Utah) – Starting from eighth place for the EMCO Gears Classic, the finale for the 2011 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, Magnus Racing’s John Potter and Craig Stanton were eagerly looking forward to Saturday’s two hour and forty five minute contest. Their no. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup had been fast in each on-track session, with Potter putting in a strong qualifying session in a large GT field.

At the end of a wild and caution-filled race, the Magnus Racing Porsche crossed the finish line in seventh place. The day, however, was tarnished by a break with GRAND-AM’s yellow flag procedure which dropped the team from second place to ninth.

Potter enjoyed a clean start to the race, picking up one position before turning the car over to Stanton at the forty-five minute mark. Stanton was instantly thrust into a multicar battle with seemingly half of the GT class field involved, but battled forward up to third place throughout multiple caution periods. During the second to last caution, Stanton and the leading no. 42 Mazda stayed out under yellow to take advantage of GRAND-AM’s standard wave-by to gain track position. However, GRAND-AM chose not to wave the Magnus Racing Porsche or the no. 42 Mazda by, and ordered the Daytona Prototype field past both cars.

When the race returned to green, Stanton had no choice but to pit under green flag conditions, dropping to ninth place. He would pick up two more positions and survive a frantic three-lap dash to the finish caused by a late-race caution period to finish in seventh place.

Following the race, GRAND-AM officials apologized to the team for the mistake in their procedure. The result, however, was an unsatisfying one for Potter and Stanton after their Porsche had been in a position to win in the final hour of the race.

“It’s extremely frustrating and disappointing to have a locked second place and a shot at the win taken away from us,” said Potter. “Our crew had been beating everyone else in the pits all day and had the Grand-Am officials followed their rules and used the same procedure they used all season, we would have gotten waved around and pitted with the 42 ahead of the rest of the GT field. Instead, we had to pit under green and lost any chance to win the race or even have a strong result. Several other team managers – ones who benefitted from us losing the time – reaffirmed the mistake to GRAND-AM officials. They did later apologize to us, which I appreciate. Obviously, the result won’t change but we can come away from this knowing that we drove well enough to win and we had the strategy to win.”

Stanton, who twice this season brought the Magnus Racing Porsche to the checkered flag in third place in GRAND-AM GT competition, was equally unhappy with the decision and the outcome of the race.

“The GT class in GRAND-AM is so competitive that you don’t always find yourself in a position to win,” said Stanton. “Today we had a great chance and then all of a sudden we have a different set of rules under yellow which completely took us out of it. I didn’t understand it and I still don’t. Our Porsche was awesome today and it would have been amazing to get a win for John and all the guys.”

Potter and Stanton closed out the season in sixth place in the driver’s championship, a marked improvement of five positions from their debut 2010 season. Magnus Racing also finished sixth in the GT Team Championship.

While there remains some uncertainly about the team’s participation in Petit Le Mans, in which the team finished third last season, Magnus Racing has begin preparations for their 2012 racing season. Announcements about the future of the program, which will return for a third season of competition in North America, will be coming in the off-season.

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 the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series can e-mail info@magnusracing.com. All press inquiries can be directed to press@magnusracing.com.

In championship contention, Magnus Racing’s Potter and Stanton head to Mid-Ohio finale

September 13, 2011 (Salt Lake City, Utah) – When John Potter’s second-year Magnus Racing team rolls into Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this week, he and Craig Stanton will have an outside shot at the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series GT championship. With the two drivers at 277 points, Potter and Stanton sit fifth in the championship, seventeen points behind leaders Bill Lester and Jordan Taylor.

However, being within shot of the championship in the second year of the team’s operation is validation for Potter who made the decision in late 2009 to be on the grid for the 2010 Rolex 24 at Daytona with his own team. Magnus Racing brought together some of the best talent in the GRAND-AM paddock in a very short period of time, with the fruits of their labor beginning to show this year with two GT class podiums at Homestead and Watkins Glen.

“When we sat down to discuss the beginnings of Magnus Racing, we had two goals – to be as competitive as possible, but also to remind everyone that sports car racing is supposed to be fun,” said Potter. “That’s not to say it hasn’t been challenging. We’ve had plenty of setbacks and frustration, but we are having a lot of fun and we are now a threat at every race we show up at. We only have an outside shot at the championship, but we are in the hunt, and we led the standings earlier in the season. I’m really proud of these guys and thrilled for what we have been able to accomplish in these two seasons.”

For Stanton, the 2005 Rolex Series GT class champion, Magnus Racing has been one of the most satisfying experiences in a 20+ year racing career (no one really knows how old he is).

“At the very beginning of Magnus Racing, there was a small group that came together and made this team become a reality,” said Stanton. “John Potter has done a great job of putting the right guys together – Lars Giersing, John Bedell, the crew, even the hospitality – and letting them to what they do best. This has been the most fun I’ve ever had with a race team, and now that the results are starting to come, things are only going to get better.”

While Potter and Stanton sit fifth in the GT class championship, Potter also enters the finale second in the Bob Akin Award standings for Pro-Am drivers in the GT class, while Magnus Racing sits fifth in the team championship.

“We competed at Mid-Ohio earlier this season, so we have some current information to work off of for this race,” said Potter. “Last year in the GRAND-AM race we were run over by a Prototype on the front straightaway so if we can avoid that, we should have a great shot for another podium. That would a phenomenal way to close out our second GRAND-AM season.”

This weekend’s EMCO Gears Classic at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course will be shown live on SPEED Chanel at 3:00 PM ET this Saturday, September 17. Fans of Magnus Racing can follow the team on Facebook (facebook.com/magnusracing) and on twitter (@magnusracing).

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 the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series can e-mail info@magnusracing.com. All press inquiries can be directed to press@magnusracing.com.