Montreal 2009 Grand Am Rolex
August 25, 2009
Gaughan Teams With Lally In Grand-Am GT In Montreal
Petaluma, Calif.- NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Brendan Gaughan will drive the No. 66 South Point Casino/TRG Porsche GT3 at this weekend's Grand-Am Rolex Series race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.
Gaughan, from Las Vegas, will make his first Grand-Am Series start with co-driver and Rolex 24 at Daytona winner Andy Lally. Gaughan will also be competing in his regular ride, the No. 62 USfidelis Chevrolet, in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race there on Sunday.
"Growing up in the off-road world if you had aspirations on going to the next level in racing you looked to sports cars or Indy cars," Gaughan said. "As my career progressed and I was fortunate enough to get into the NASCAR side of things my passion for road racing has never diminished.
"I have been very familiar with Andy's accomplishments and am both proud and honored to have the opportunity to be his co-driver. I can only hope to have lap times remotely close to his!
"Initially, I was just hoping to run the Grand-Am race to get some laps in to be better prepared for the Nationwide race in my No. 62 USfidelis Chevy. But after learning that I was going to be running with Andy and the car that's fifth in the points, now I'm hoping to gain valuable track experience and try to help the team gain more points."
TRG regular Lally is looking forward to sharing his ride with Gaughan, whom he has met before in the infancy of their racing careers.
"A lot of people don't know this but Brendan and I actually went through our driving school together 16 years ago," Lally said. "I've been rooting for him for years through his NASCAR career and we got to race against each other a bit while I was doing a partial truck schedule. I think he will do very well at Montreal and can't wait to team up with him for this race. I was with TRG in 2007 when we won the inaugural race at Montreal and look forward to trying to get to the top step of the podium again. We have been struggling a lot as many of the prep two teams have come to better grips with their cars. It will be interesting to see how we stack up at Montreal. I think it will be a hard fought race but I can't even guess who will have the advantage."
Kevin Buckler, TRG team owner, is happy to have Gaughan in his car at Montreal.
"It will be really cool to see Brendan in a Porsche," Buckler said. "He is a very talented driver both on asphalt and in the dirt. The Porsche will be another new animal for him, but with his talent and go-for-it spirit I am sure he will be up to speed in no time at all. Andy is looking forward to running with his old driving school mate and having a strong run in Montreal this weekend. Having some of these NASCAR stars over here running with us is definitely good for both series'."
The Grand-Am Rolex Series race from Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada will be televised live on the SPEED Channel starting at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 29.
TRG was founded in 1993 and has been competing at the top level of motor racing ever since. The team has the most wins of any team in the Grand-Am Rolex Series with 26, including the 2005 and 2006 Rolex Series GT championship trophy to go along with wins at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
TRG is a manufacturer and distributor of high-performance racing parts. The group specializes in engine and chassis tuning as well as full service professional race car preparation. The company also provides electrical and mechanical engineering services, driver development and arrive-and-drive opportunities. TRG is based in Petaluma, Calif., near its home track of Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. The company's NASCAR operation is based in Mooresville, North Carolina and a new state-of-the-art facility is coming on-line at New Jersey Motorsports Park in late 2009.
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August 24, 2009
As most of our regular visitors may have guessed by now, I'm a huge Carl Edwards fan. Come to think of it, I'm a fan of many great hard-working men. :-)
Carl and Marcus are getting ready for their Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car race in Montreal.
Every event this weekend is certainly going to be exciting. Montreal becomes a favorite place for many if not all who come here to race. Have fun boys and Welcome to the first-timers. :-)
Edwards and Ambrose team up for double-duty in Montreal
Concord, N.C. (August 19, 2009) – NASCAR stars Carl Edwards and Marcos Ambrose will team up in Montreal for the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal on August 29. Edwards and Ambrose will co-drive the No. 77 Ford DP car owned by Doran Enterprises, Inc. in the two-hour race. Aflac is the primary sponsor with Subway as a secondary sponsor for Edwards and iRacing.com and Aussie wines as secondary sponsors for Ambrose.
"This is going to be great running in the Rolex Series in Montreal with Marcos Ambrose,” said Edwards. “This is my first time in the series and it should be exciting. We tested at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) and everyone on the team is really cool and I know it's going to be a lot of fun. Now we are battling over who's going to do the most driving.”
The Montreal 200 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve will precede the Nationwide race next week and marks the duo’s debut in the series. In preparation for the event, Edwards and Ambrose tested at VIR August 18 and look to be strong contenders.
Edwards has two Nationwide starts at the 2.709-mile road course and has posted one top-10 finish. Ambrose also has two Nationwide starts at the track and has posted one top-five and two top-10 finishes. It’s a track that Edwards has always been fond of.
“I love racing at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.” Edwards continued, “The Montreal fans are great and to have two opportunities to race there next weekend is just awesome. I’m really looking forward to next weekend."
The Montreal 200 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve will air live on SPEED beginning at 2:00 p .m. EDT on Saturday, August 29.
About Roush Fenway Racing
Roush Fenway Racing is NASCAR’s largest team operating nine motorsports teams. Five in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with drivers Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan; three in the Nationwide Series with Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, McMurray, Ragan, Erik Darnell, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Colin Braun; and one in the Camping World Truck Series with Braun.
(Left to right) Car owner Kevin Doran and drivers Carl Edwards and Marcos Ambrose pause during a test at Virginia International Raceway, where they shook out the No. 77 Ford DP car owned by Doran Enterprises, Inc.
Edwards et Ambrose font double-duty à Montreal
Edwards et Ambrose co-piloteront la Ford numéro 77 en série Rolex Grand-Am
Concord, Caroline du Nord, le 20 août 2009 - Carl Edwards et Marcos Ambrose, deux étoiles de NASCAR feront équipe à Montréal et disputeront la course de la série Rolex Grand-Am, présentée par Crown Royal, le samedi 29 août. Edwards et Ambrose se partageront le volant du prototype Daytona Ford, propriété de Doran Enterprises Inc. lors de la course d'une durée de deux heures. Aflac est le commanditaire principal, alors que Subway est commanditaire secondaire associé à Edwards et que iRacing.com et Aussi wines sont commanditaires secondaires de Marcos Ambrose.
« Ce sera une belle expérience de courir en série Rolex à Montréal avec Marcos Ambrose, a déclaré Edwards. Ce sera ma première participation à cette série et ça devrait être fort excitant. Nous avons fait des essais au circuit Virginia International (VIR) et tout le monde dans cette équipe est vraiment sympathique. Je sais que nous aurons beaucoup de plaisir. On se dispute déjà pour savoir qui aura la chance d'être au volant le plus longtemps. »
Le Montréal 200 précédera la semaine prochaine la course de la série Nationwide et sera marqué par les débuts du duo de coureurs dans cette série. En préparation pour l'événement, Edwards et Ambrose étaient en piste au VIR le 18 août et ils apparaissent comme de sérieux aspirants à la victoire. Edwards compte deux départs sur le tracé routier de Montréal, long de 2,709 milles (4,347 km) et y a obtenu un Top-10. Ambrose a aussi pris le départ en série Nationwide sur le même tracé à deux reprises et sa fiche indique un Top-5 et deux Top-10. C'est un circuit dont Edwards a toujours pensé le plus grand bien.
« J'aime courir au circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, d'affirmer Edwards. Les mateurs montréalais sont fantastiques et d'avoir la possibilité de disputer deux courses là-bas, c'est simplement fantastique. J'ai vraiment hâte d'être là, dans dix jours. »
Le Montréal 200 au circuit Gilles-Villeneuve sera présenté en direct à compter de 14 h, heure de l'Est, le samedi 29 août, au réseau SPEED.
