A Competitive Weekend in Store for Magnus Racing

Look for this Porsche to be closer to the front in VIRApril 20, 2010 (Salt Lake City, Utah) – The Team in Green is heading to the equally green Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia, for the fourth stop on the 2010 GRAND-AM calendar. As they have done since Homestead, the team will field two cars – the No.44 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in the Rolex Sportscar Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16, and the No.44 Magnus Racing Porsche Cayman in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.

For the first time this season, the GT-class Porsches have been given a number of performance enhancements to bring their speed more in line with the purpose-built tube-frame chassis racecars that are predominant in the Rolex Sportscar Series. The performance difference had led all the Porsche teams – except for Magnus Racing – to skip the last GRAND-AM race at Barber Motorsports Park.

“It has been a bit of an uphill battle this year for the Porsche teams, not only in terms of speed but also in trying to get decent tire wear,” said Craig Stanton, who shares the No.44 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup with team owner John Potter. “We are grateful that GRAND-AM has given some performance back to the Porsches. Not only will this make the racing more competitive, but it should put on a better show for the fans as several of the other team Porsches will come back to the racetrack.”

On the other side of the trailer, Magnus Racing has continued development on their GS-class Porsche Cayman after an encouraging run at Barber Motorsports Park earlier in the month. Rolex Sportscar Series champion Leh Keen will once again partner with Potter in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race at VIR.

The Cayman continues its development“The Cayman continues to evolve, and we are seeing progress every time we get on the track,” said Potter. “We have the speed to be in the top-10, and we are closing the gap to the leaders each time. Leh did a great job in the car at Barber – passing a bunch of cars at the start – and if someone hadn’t spun the thing around a top-10 was in the cards for us. Racing in the two classes has been a lot of fun and I think VIR is a track that will suit the Cayman well.”

Fans can stay up to date with Magnus Racing throughout each GRAND-AM weekend at magnusracing.com, facebook.com/magnusracing, and twitter.com/magnusracing (@magnusracing).

The Rolex Sportscar Series’ Bosch Engineering 250 will be shown live on Saturday, April 24, at 2:00 PM EST on SPEED Channel, while the Continental Tire Sports Car Series’ Bosch Engineering VIR 200 will be shown on May 1 at 1:00 PM EST on SPEED Channel.

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-American Rolex Sportscar Series can e-mail info@magnusracing.com. All press inquiries can be directed to press@magnusracing.com.

Magnus Racing Jumps Back into Battle at Barber

The Porsche, a rare species in Birmingham, AlabamaApril 13, 2010 (Salt Lake City, Utah) – It was a challenging weekend for Magnus Racing, as the team traveled from cold Salt Lake City to rainy – then sunny – Birmingham, Alabama to contest the GRAND-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16’s Porsche 250, as well as the weekend’s Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race.

Magnus Racing is a team that loves sportscar racing and loves having a great time at the track, but it is fair to say that the track at Birmingham is one on the schedule that the team was least looking forward to. Barber Motorsports Park is a beautiful facility with an exciting configuration, but the layout promotes extensive tire degradation throughout an endurance race. Coupled with the fact that tire wear is already an issue for the GT-class Porsche, and the team was looking forward to an uphill battle. That hill was apparently too large a hill for the other Porsche teams, as Magnus Racing was the only one who showed up in Birmingham.

The battle began in qualifying, when the GT field was only given five minutes to qualify due to track delays. Unable to put heat in the tires before the checkered fell, John Potter qualified the No.44 Magnus Racing Porsche GT3 Cup in eleventh place.

Once the green fell, Potter was able to maintain his position and stayed with the lead group of GT cars, fighting for position while being careful not to overwork the rear tires of his Porsche. Unfortunately, it would be for naught as he was turned around in turn 14 – which SPEED viewers had several opportunities to view throughout the race broadcast – and fell down the order.  After a pitstop for fuel, tires, and a driver change, Craig Stanton took over the wheel and battled throughout the final hour with several tube-chassis cars to finish the race in eleventh place.

The Cayman makes it to the checkered in its secnod raceIn the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race, Leh Keen started the No.44 Magnus Racing Porsche Cayman in 14^th position and made a rocket of a start, passing five cars on the opening lap. He held station in the top-10 until he pitted and Potter took over the car. Potter hovered around the top-10 of the field, not able to make an impression on the Mustangs and Camaros but able to run a solid race pace until he spun in traffic in turn five. Because of the large number of cars behind him, Potter was unable to rejoin the race quickly and fell down the order. Once he got the Cayman moving in the right direction again he would bring the car home on the lead lap in 18^th position.

“I think I spent more time going backwards today than I spent going forwards,” stated Potter at the end of the race day. “Maybe to other drivers, the No.44 looks like a bulls eye. But anyways, despite the spins it was a good day for us in the sense that we learned more about what’s going to make the Porsches work. Grand-Am made some changes to the GT car, and we thought it would be more beneficial to come and race the car instead of staying home and complaining.

“We still have a ways to go on the Cayman, but we moved in the right direction and even between qualifying and the race we made a big improvement. Leh did a great job and the car was in perfect shape when I got in it during our pitstop. I was hoping for a result in the top-10, but we got the car to finish its first race and that is a victory in itself. Another weekend where the crew did a great job, and we all left upbeat and looking forward to VIR.”

The Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge race will air April 17 at 3:00PM EST on Speed Channel. Magnus Racing fans can see photo galleries of the weekend at www.magnusracing.com, or facebook.com/magnusracing.

Next for Magnus Racing will be the Bosch Engineering 250 at Virginia International Raceway on April 23-24. The Rolex Sportscar Series race will air on April 24 at 2:00PM EST, while the Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge race will air on May 1^st at 1:00PM EST, both on SPEED Channel.

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-American Rolex Sportscar Series can e-mail info@magnusracing.com. All press inquiries can be directed to press@magnusracing.com.

Magnus Racing’s Two Porsches ready for Porsche 250 at Barber

April 6, 2010 (Salt Lake City, Utah) – Headed in to this weekend’s Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park, the Team in Green will be arriving on the heels of a rough last race that has required quick reaction and strong teamwork. The previous race at the Grand Prix of Miami was a challenging weekend for Magnus Racing, as the Team in Green was forced to do an emergency rebuild of the No.44 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup when Craig Stanton suffered a tire failure in practice and made heavy contact with the concrete wall.

No.44 will be like new in BarberAlthough repaired for the race, the car was wounded and finished down the order but still earned valuable championship points. Also wounded was was the team’s No.44 Porsche Cayman, making its debut in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, which ran as high as sixth after starting last in the GS-class. The Cayman, however, was forced to retire early with power steering failure.

 Since then, the team’s GT-class Porsche has been extensively repaired – so much so that the No.44 car that Craig Stanton and John Potter will share this weekend will be a practically brand-new car. After a strong debut for the team in Daytona, both Craig and John are anxious to return to that strong form in Barber, a track that is notorious for using up the rear tires of the Porsche.

“Tire management is going to be very critical for us to get a good finish at Barber,” said Stanton. "It isn’t the best track for Porsches so we’ll be fighting for every position and every point possible.”

The Magnus Racing Cayman has also been developed and tested further since the Grand Prix of Miami. Testing commitments with another racing program will keep Bryan Sellers from returning to the cockpit of the Cayman, so in his absence the team has drafted 2009 Rolex Sportscar Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16 champion Leh Keen to partner John Potter for the weekend.

Keen, the 2009 Rolex Sportscar Series GT champion, has so far enjoyed a successful 2010 season with a class victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring, a podium in the Rolex Sportscar Series at Homestead-Miami, and recently returned from the ADAC 1000km of Nurburging where Keen finished the race 14^th overall.

Leh will join John in the Cayman this weekend“Leh and I have gotten to know each other ober the past couple of seasons in Rolex, and he is obviously a proven talent behind the wheel,” said Potter. “He will be able to get all the potential that there is in the Cayman and Barber is a track that should suit that car very well. We were all really pleased with the potential that the Cayman showed in Homestead, and with a little more development and sorting that car should be fighting for podiums and wins.

“And now that our GT car is back in one piece – and that my co-driver is also in one piece – we can get ourselves back on track to scoring good points in each round. As we've proven, we've got the best crew in the pits and now we just need to get the results that match their effort." The Porsche 250 will air live this Saturday, at 5:00PM EST, on SPEED Channel, while the Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge race from Barber will air April 17 at 3:00PM EST also on SPEED Channel.

Fans can stay up to date with Magnus Racing throughout each GRAND-AM weekend at magnusracing.com, facebook.com/magnusracing, and twitter.com/magnusracing (@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-American Rolex Sportscar Series can e-mail info@magnusracing.com. All press inquiries can be directed to press@magnusracing.com.

Magnus Racing shows potential of the Porsche Cayman in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge

March 11, 2010 (Salt Lake City, Utah) – With its white exterior not calling too much attention to itself, the No.44 Magnus Racing Porsche Cayman took to the track for the first time at the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge’s Homestead 200. With minimal testing time ahead of the weekend, the decision was made to enter the car and use the race weekend as a test session and acquire as much information as possible.

With Porsche veteran Bryan Sellers tabbed to join John Potter for the weekend, the two drivers logged as much time in the car as possible. Throughout Thursday and Friday practice, the duo made steady progress up the timesheets, at times sitting as the fastest Porsche in the field. With Potter behind the wheel, the Cayman qualified an impressive tenth for the two hour and forty-five minute race. The time, however, was disallowed then the car failed the ride-height test by 1/8 of an inch, so Potter would have to start the race from the back.

Starting shotgun on the field, Potter and the Cayman made steady progress throughout the first forty five minutes of the race, running as high as sixth until a blown power steering line led him back to the pits. A full service and driver swap was done, and with Sellers behind the wheel the Cayman was back under way. A short few laps later, the decision was made to bring the car back in and retire it from the race to prevent any other possible damage owing to the loss of power steering.

Despite the end result, the Magnus Racing team came away having learned a lot about the Cayman and motivated by the speed it showed.

“We weren’t sure what to expect when we brought the car to Homestead, considering the limited mileage we had put on the car beforehand,” said Potter. “But credit is due to the Tatum Brothers and the crew of Magnus Racing, because the car was very good from its first lap and we were able to make continuous improvements to it throughout the weekend. We’ll take it back, work out some of the bugs, and get ready for the next one.”

The broadcast of the Homestead 200 will air March 13, at 1:00pm ET, on SPEED. The Cayman will hit the track next at Barber Motorsports Park as part of the GRAND-AM weekend on April 8-10.

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-American Rolex Sportscar Series can e-mail info@magnusracing.com. All press inquiries can be directed to press@magnusracing.com.

Challenging weekend for Magnus Racing at Grand Prix of Miami

March 8, 2010 (Salt Lake City, Utah) – What began as a very promising weekend for the No.44 Magnus Racing Porsche GT3 Cup, with a tenth-place qualifying run at the hands of John Potter for the Rolex Sports Car Series Presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16’s Grand Prix of Miami, turned around very quickly as Craig Stanton made heavy contact with the front straightaway retaining wall during Sunday morning practice. A tire failure at nearly 150mph meant Stanton could do little as the Porsche registered a 7G impact with the concrete wall.

However, the day was not over yet for Magnus Racing. With the car returned via flatbed to the garage, the team got started on the very large task of making the car ready to race for the afternoon. There were several passersby who remarked that it would take a miracle to get the car prepared in time for the 5pm starting time, as well as several who felt that it couldn’t be done.

At 5pm, the repaired car lined up on the pit straightaway just in time for the national anthem on Homestead’s front straightaway. In a few short hours, the team had replaced all of the right side suspension and brake components, the front bumper, splitter, radiator, right front fender, right door, as well as engine and transmission. In short, the team had rebuilt 75% of the car in a time frame when most would feel lucky to replace just one of those items.

“Simply put, they did an unbelievable job,” said Potter, team owner of Magnus Racing. “John Bedell and the rest of the crew have shown each time that when they are under pressure and there is major work that has to be done, they get it done. I couldn’t ask for a better crew.”

The No.44 Porsche took the green flag but nearly immediately there were lingering effects from the morning’s crash. Throughout the first 45 minutes, the car was in and out of the pits making more repairs but by the time that Stanton took over the car around the 45 minute mark, all was well with the car and Stanton was posting lap times equivalent to the leading cars. However, well down in the order, the team elected to simply collect laps and collect points as other cars dropped out of the race. When the checkered flew, the team breathed a collective sigh of relief and recorded what may well be the most satisfying 14^th place they have ever recorded.

“Those guys just never quit,” said Stanton, following the race. “They just kept plugging away and plugging away until the car was right again. It gives me such confidence as a driver to know that we have the best crew in the paddock right here.”

Potter, Stanton, and the rest of Magnus Racing will see action on April 8-10 at the Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. The race will be broadcast on April 10 at 1:30pm on SPEED Channel.

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-American Rolex Sportscar Series can e-mail info@magnusracing.com. All press inquiries can be directed to press@magnusracing.com.