Spirit of Daytona wins at Laguna Seca

  Grand-Am
For Jeff Segal and Emil Assentato, the GRAND-AM Rolex Series Continental Tire Sports Car Festival Powered by Mazda was a battle that enabled them to win the season-long war for the Rolex Series GT championship. For Richard Westbrook and Antonio Garcia, Sunday’s race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca represented their Rolex Series-leading third Daytona Prototype victory of the season.

Scenes from Grand-Am at Laguna Seca

  by Bob Heathcote
Richard Westbrook and Antonio Garcia raced their series-leading third Daytona Prototype class victory of the Grand-Am Rolex Series season Sunday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.  Garcia, in the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Corvette DP, beat Alex Gurney's No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Corvette DP by 3.878 seconds.  Our Bob Heathcote was there to capture all the action in these photos.

GRAND-AM and ALMS Announce Historic Merger

  Grand-Am buys out ALMS
The most significant development in the history of sports car racing in North America was announced today, with plans for a landmark merger of GRAND-AM Road Racing and the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) unveiled at Daytona International Speedway. Under terms of the merger, the following entities will combine with GRAND-AM: the American Le Mans Series; the International Motor Sports Association, which sanctions ALMS events; the Road Atlanta race track facility in Braselton, Ga.; the Chateau Elan Hotel and Conference Center in Sebring, Fla.; and Sebring International Raceway.

Pruett and Rojas score milestone win for Ganassi

  Grand-Am in Montreal
A nifty pass, some quick pit work and a strong finish helped Chip Ganassi Racing achieve a lofty milestone Saturday at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas pulled away to their second win of the season in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series' Montreal 200, clinching the Ganassi operation's 150th win in all forms of major motorsports.

Dalziel outduels Bourdais at The Glen

  Dalziel and Luhr prevail in Grand-Am
Starworks Motorsport appears to be hitting its stride at just the right time as Ryan Dalziel and Lucas Luhr led a 1-2 sweep for the team in the Continental Tire 200 presented by Dunn Tire, giving the team its second straight GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series victory. After building a comfortable lead, Dalziel pulled away from teammate Sebastien Bourdais on the race’s final restart with four laps remaining to finish 0.817 seconds ahead of Bourdais.

NASCAR & Grand-Am scenes from The Glen - Saturday

  by Adriano Manocchia
Carl Edwards, making his first Nationwide start of the season, beat Keselowski on a two-lap dash to the checkered flag on Saturday and won the Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International.  In Grand-Am Ryan Dalziel outdueled Sebastien Bourdais to give Starworks a 1-2 finish.

NASCAR and Grand-Am scenes from The Glen - Friday

  by Adriano Manocchia
Rain early in the day Friday canceled a scheduled Sprint Cup practice at Watkins Glen International, forcing NASCAR officials to add a final practice for Saturday morning. NASCAR has afforded teams an additional 85-minute session to prepare their cars.  The Grand-Am cars were also in action Friday.  Our Adriano Manocchia was there to capture all the action.

Sebastien Bourdais

  Brian Carroccio
Friday's inaugural Brickyard Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was one of the stranger races I remember watching.  Whether it was the seemingly empty IMS grandstands, the rare Friday afternoon start, the cars going backwards down the straightaway (something I've yet to get used to) the constantly changing weather, or all of those things combined, I cannot exactly pinpoint.  However, I can definitively pinpoint one thing I found odd yesterday: I was rooting for Sebastien Bourdais.

IndyCar driver Bourdais wins at the Brickyard

  Grand-Am
Sebastien Bourdais and Alex Popow survived a rough-and-tumble round of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series to win the inaugural Brickyard Grand Prix on Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Bourdais, who drove the anchor leg for Starworks Motorsport in the No. 2 Soloson Ford/Riley, pulled away on the final restart on the 2.534-mile Indy road course to win.

Grand-Am Scenes from Watkins Glen - Sunday

  by Adriano Manocchia
When all was said and done, Joao Barbosa and Darren Law earned their second Daytona Prototype victory of the 2012 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series season, while Robin Liddell and John Edwards celebrated their first GT victory of the season in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen.  Adriano Manocchia was there to capture all the action.

Grand-Am Scenes from Watkins Glen - Saturday

  by Adriano Manocchia
Scott Pruett took his first Daytona Prototype pole position in two years and Jordan Taylor claimed the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen GT pole for the second consecutive year in Saturday’s qualifying sessions at Watkins Glen International.  Adriano Manocchia was there to capture all the action.

Chevy sweeps at Watkins Glen

  Win both Grand-Am DP and GT
Driving the No. 9 Action Express Racing Corvette DP, Joao Barbosa held off Alex Gurney in the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Corvette DP to take the win and give Chevrolet a one-two finish today in the  Rolex Sports Car Series at Watkins Glen International. In a thrilling finish to capture the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, Barbosa caught Gurney in traffic with 20 minutes remaining and used lapped cars to his advantage throughout the stretch run, to take the victory by a slim 0.238 seconds.

Scenes from Grand-Am at Watkins Glen - Friday

  by Adriano Manocchia
Alex Gurney posted the quickest lap of Friday’s three practice sessions at Watkins Glen International, lapping the 3.4-mile road circuit at 1 minute, 42.532 seconds/119.377 mph in the No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Corvette DP. Gurney’s lap was just four hundredths of a second quicker than Ricky Taylor’s best lap in the No. 10 SunTrust Corvette DP of 1 minute, 42.574 seconds/119.328 mph. Our Adriano Manocchia was there to capture all the action.

Pruett and Rojas win at Road America

  Grand-Am Rolex Series
Corvette’s Daytona Prototype winning streak wasn’t the only thing that ended Saturday at Road America.  So did the winless streak for co-drivers Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas. Pruett and Rojas ended the Corvette DP run of five-straight Rolex Series wins by taking the checkered flag in the Rolex 250 Driven by VISITFLORIDA.com. It snapped a nine-race winless streak for the defending Daytona Prototype co-champions.

Westbrook and Valiante win in Mid-Ohio

  Grand-Am
Richard Westbrook and Michael Valiante put the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Corvette DP in victory lane at Mid-Ohio Sports Course in the EMCO Gears Classic for the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series.  It is the second victory of the season for the Troy Flis-owned team to give Corvette DP its fifth consecutive win in the first six races of the 2012 season.

Scenes from Detroit - Saturday 2

  by Adriano Manocchia
The weather was better on Saturday on Belle Isle for the Detroit Grand Prix on Belle Isle which saw Grand-Am, SCCA World Challenge, and Firestone Indy Lights race, while the IZOD IndyCar series qualified.  Scott Dixon won the pole for the IndyCar race while Action Motorsports finished 1-2 in the Grand-AM race.  Adriano Manocchia was on hand and captured these captioned photos.

Scenes from Detroit - Saturday 1

  by Mark Scheuern
On Saturday Scott Dixon won his first IndyCar pole of the year and snapped Penske Racing's streak of having the fastest car in IndyCar qualifying this season. Dixon set a track record of 1 minute, 10.3162 seconds Saturday on the Detroit Grand Prix's slick and tight 2-mile course. Penske's Will Power, the points leader, will start Sunday's race second followed by Alex Tagliani and Simon Pagenaud.

Action Express Scores 1-2 Win For Corvette In Detroit

  Grand-Am
Portugal's Joao Barbosa led home an Action Express Racing 1-2 on the streets of Detroit Saturday night in the Chevrolet GRAND-AM 200, with teammate David Donohue in tow and helping to complete a dominant run for the Corvette Daytona Prototype team.  Ganassi Racing's Scott Pruett crossed the finish line in third, just 3.9 seconds behind Barbosa in his BMW-powered Riley.

Scenes from Detroit - Friday

  by Adriano Manocchia
The Detroit Grand Prix on Belle Isle is back this year after a couple of years hiatus with IndyCar, as well as for the first time - Grand-Am.  Friday was practice day for Grand-Am, SCCA World Challenge, Firestone Indy Lights and the IZOD IndyCar series.  Adriano Manocchia was on hand and braved the wet and damp conditions to capture all the actions for us in these captioned photos.

Fogarty Drives Corvette DP To Detroit Pole

  Grand-Am
Jon Fogarty made the most of the first dry track conditions of the day Friday, padding his GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series record by earning the top starting spot for Saturday's Chevrolet GRAND-AM Detroit 200 at Belle Isle and the TOTAL Pole Award. Fogarty, the Rolex Series' all-time leader in poles, notched his first top qualifying spot of the season and the 20th of his career.

SunTrust Racing Takes Corvette to Victory Lane

  In New Jersey
Max Angelelli and Ricky Taylor sent a message to their competitors in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series that they are contenders for the championship by taking the No. 10 SunTrust Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype (DP) to victory lane today at New Jersey Motorsports Park. The win was the third for the Corvette DP in the first four races of the 2012 season.

Taylor and Angelelli win Homestead Grand-Am race

  Grand-Am
After a tough start to their season, luck was on SunTrust Racing's side at Homestead-Miami Speedway, as Ricky Taylor and Max Angelelli won Sunday's rain-shortened Grand Prix of Miami.  The contest was shortened following downpours that resulted in a lack of visibility for drivers. It was the first victory of the season for the No. 10 SunTrust Corvette Daytona Prototype (DP) and 19th career DP win.

Scenes from Barber Friday and Saturday

  by Scott Morris, Firestone and IndyCar
The IndyCar series qualified at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL and Helio Castroneves won the pole.  Grand-Am held their feature race Saturday afternoon and the pole winning No. 90 Corvette DP went on to win.  The weekend to date has been hindered by rain and fog, thereby limiting running time on the track.

Westbrook, Garcia Score First Win For Corvette DP

  Grand-Am at Barber
After more than seven years of trying, everything came together for Spirit of Daytona in a near-perfect day at Barber Motorsports Park. Richard Westbrook and Antonio Garcia combined to lead all but 19 of the 103 laps to win the Porsche 250 in the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Corvette DP - the first Daytona Prototype victory for the team and the first victory for the new car in GRAND-AM Rolex Series competition.

Westbrook, Edwards Prevail In Porsche 250 Qualifying

  Grand-AM
Richard Westbrook saved his best for last in qualifying for Saturday's Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park, capturing his first career GRAND-AM Rolex Series pole on his final lap of qualifying on Friday morning.  Westbrook's last lap at 101.695 mph (1:21.420) in the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Racing Corvette DP supplanted Jon Fogarty and brought the new Corvette DP program its first Rolex Series pole position.

Gianpiero Moretti - Witness to the times, Part 4 of 4

  by Paolo D'Alessio and edited by Louis Galanos
On the eve of MOMO's return to a full time racing program in the American Le Mans Series with MOMO NGT Motorsport, MOMO is pleased to bring you the last installment of the original story of its founder's career. Gianpiero Moretti, the man who helped define the term "gentleman racer," passed away in January at the age of 71, in Milan, Italy.

Gianpiero Moretti - Witness to the times, Part 3 of 4

  by Paolo D'Alessio and edited by Louis Galanos
We are only less than a few days away from the return of MOMO to a full time racing program in the American Le Mans Series with MOMO NGT Motorsport. MOMO is pleased to share the original story of the career of its founder, Gianpiero Moretti. Gianpiero Moretti, the man who helped define the term "gentleman racer," passed away in January at the age of 71, in Milan, Italy.

Gianpiero Moretti - Witness to the times, Part 2 of 4

  by Paolo D'Alessio and edited by Louis Galanos
With less than a couple of weeks to go before the return of MOMO to a full time racing program in the American Le Mans Series with MOMO NGT Motorsport, MOMO is pleased to bring you the original story of the career of its founder, Gianpiero Moretti. Gianpiero Moretti, the man who helped define the term "gentleman racer," passed away in January at the age of 71, in Milan, Italy. Part 2 of this original story was written by Paolo D'Alessio and edited by Louis Galanos in Sports Car Digest on 20 May 2011 and is re-published here with his kind permission.

Gianpiero Moretti - Witness to the times, Part 1 of 4

  by Paolo D'Alessio and edited by Louis Galanos
Earlier this year, Gianpiero Moretti, the man who founded MOMO and helped define the term "gentleman racer," passed away at the age of 71 in Milan, Italy. Thanks to Paolo D'Alessio, here is Part 1 of the true original story of his racing career.

Allmendinger outduels Dalziel to win Rolex 24

  by Mark J. Cipolloni
In a battle of ex-Champ Car drivers where the best drivers in American racing were produced, A.J. Allmendinger outdueled polesitter Ryan Dalziel to win the 50th running of the Rolex 24 classic at Daytona International Raceway Sunday afternoon.  Years ago Michael Shank (who himself used to drive in Champ Car Atlantics and was a team owner) started a team and struggled for years making it into a winner and today he won the biggest Grand-Am race of the year.

Rolex 24 18 Hours: Ganassi and Shank teams battle

  Grand-Am
After 18 hours of racing in the 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 At Daytona, the stage was set for a final, six-hour battle between the No. 60 LiveOn.com Ford/Riley from Michael Shank Racing and the No. 01 TELMEX/Target BMW/Riley from Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates for overall honors. Driving the No. 60, ex-Champ Car driver Justin Wilson held a 36.586-second lead over ex-Champ Car Atlantics driver Joey Hand in the No. 01 with 18 hours and 569 laps in the books.

Rolex 24: Polesitting Teams Lead At Halfway Mark

  Grand-Am
Halfway through the 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 At Daytona things were still trending in the direction of it being anybody's race. At the 12-hour mark, nine different leaders had paced the field with the defending race and series champion No. 01 TELMEX BMW/Riley Daytona Prototype of Chip Ganassi Racing and its sister No. 02 Target BMW/Riley dominating large portions. Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas, Graham Rahal and Joey Hand piloted the No. 01 while Juan Pablo Montoya, Scott Dixon, Jamie McMurray and Dario Franchitti wheeled the No. 02. However, at 2:44 a.m. the No. 02 with Dixon at the wheel went to the garage to repair a broken shifter.

50th Rolex Parade of Champions

  Historic Rolex 24 Grand-Am cars on the streets of Daytona
While much-needed rain showered Daytona International Speedway this morning, it in no way dampened the excitement of spectators and competitors who have assembled for this weekend’s golden anniversary of the Rolex 24 At Daytona. With 2012 marking the 50th running of the twice-around-the-clock challenge, fans are not the only ones to have turned out in force to be part of this historic event.

Dalziel puts Ford on pole for 50th Rolex 24

  Spoils Chevy Corvette DP Grand-Am debut
While already a Rolex 24 At Daytona champion, having won in 2010, today Ryan Dalziel (Orlando, Fla.), earned his first career pole in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series while driving the #8 Starworks Motorsports Ford Riley.  The 2011 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series DP Champion, Dalziel, who is a native of Scotland, was not surprised with the DP qualifying position – even though he was at the wheel of the last new Riley to be delivered, which was run for the first time during the second practice today.

Daytona 24H Q & A with A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti

  Grand-Am
Two of racing's most celebrated names -- A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti -- said some of their most memorable moments of their careers happened in the Rolex 24 At Daytona. The race will commemorate its 50th anniversary this week. Several unique activities are planned to celebrate the history of the endurance race, recognized as one of the world's most significant motorsports events.

50th Rolex 24 Coming Up

  Grand-Am
In less than a week, an event 50 years in the making is set to take place as the motorsports world celebrates the golden anniversary of one of the most famous endurance races in the world – the Rolex 24 At Daytona.  The historic endurance race is set for January 28-29, 2012, at Daytona International Speedway, and the excitement surrounding the race has never been greater. From a display of championship winning cars, to the participation of famous drivers, along with new GT entries from Ferrari and Audi and five new Corvette DPs, all indications are that the Rolex 24 At Daytona will deliver a high octane start as the season opener to the 2012 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series.

Rolex 24: SunTrust team tops Day 3

  Grand-Am
Two final on-track sessions at Daytona International Speedway closed out the third and final day of the Roar Before the Rolex 24 – the last test event leading into the 50th Anniversary of the Rolex 24 At Daytona on January 28-29, 2012.  Max Angelelli ran the fastest lap of the three-day session on Sunday morning with a lap of 126.712 mph in the No. 10 SunTrust Corvette DP.

Rolex 24: Action Express Tops Day 2

  Grand-Am
Day two of the Roar Before the Rolex 24 – the last test event leading into the 50th Anniversary of the Rolex 24 At Daytona on January 28-29, 2012 – saw a larger than typical turnout of fans today at Daytona International Speedway. The chance to see motorsports stars and celebrity drivers, along with the exciting new GT cars, including the purpose-built Ferrari 458 Italia Grand-Am along with Audi’s R8, combined with perfect weather to bring out the crowds which included lots of youngsters.