Five-Time LeMans Winner Emanuele Pirro Joins APR Motorsport for Rolex 24 at Daytona
Bolstering its first effort on the Rolex 24 at Daytona, APR Motorsport is proud to announce that Emanuele Pirro – a man synonymous with Audi and success in endurance racing – will be behind the wheel of the no. 51 APR Motorsport Audi R8 Grand-Am for this year’s 24 hour classic.
“I would like to thank APR for giving me this opportunity to drive in one of the classic 24 hour races,” said Pirro. “I have a lot to learn and I hope to be able, together with the rest of the APR Motorsport team, to finish the race in a good position to make the best possible introduction of the Audi R8 Grand-Am in the American market. I know the race will be super competitive. I am ready for it, I am well trained, I am in very good shape and very motivated. I will have a very open-minded approach, as I have very limited experience in the GT class, although I have overtaken tons of them in ten years of prototype racing!”
Pirro’s success with Audi dates back to 1994, when he took the Italian Touring Car Championship at the wheel of an Audi 80 sedan. Sports car fans in America will undoubtedly link him to Audi’s legendary R8 and R10 LMP racers, which Pirro drove to five wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans as well as two championships in the American Le Mans Series. After retiring from active competition with Audi, Pirro drove in select ALMS races in the Drayson Lola – earning himself a spot on SpeedHunters.com’s Greatest 20 Overtakes with a daring move to take the lead at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2010. Read more
Scott Tucker Adds Porsche Cup Victory to Resume in 2011
The 2011 racing season got underway with a fast start as 2010 American Le Mans Series LMPC Driving Champion Scott Tucker found himself in Victory Lane in the first race of the season. While that is not unusual for the driver who has more than 60 race wins to his credit, this win may have caught on-lookers by surprise as the Level 5 Motorsports owner / driver was in a new ride: a Porsche GT3.
“It was a good clean race, really competitive,” said Tucker. “There is some tough competition out there, up and down the field. My car was really going away there at the end, it was hot and greasy, but it was a great event.”
Tucker, who moved to LMP2 class in the ALMS, took to the track at the famed Sebring International Raceway with the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge and quickly showed why he is among the nation’s premier sports car drivers.
That great start was followed up with seven more starts in the series for Tucker, who was a regular in the ALMS and Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, along with making starts in the SCCA, Ferrari Challenge and the IMSA Prototypes Lites series. The hectic schedule is nothing new for Tucker who has competed around the globe since 2006. Read more
Checkered Flag Run Returns to Phoenix March 2-3, 2012
The 2nd Annual Checkered Flag Run (Checkeredflagrun.com) to Phoenix International Raceway’s NASCAR Weekend promises to be bigger and better than ever for motorcycle enthusiasts when it returns March 2-3, 2012.
The Checkered Flag Run offers two days of exciting activities that culminate with rides to Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) (Phoenixinternationalraceway.com) to watch the Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series Race on March 3.
“We are excited about our new and expanded program,” said Alan M. Powell, co-founder of the Checkered Flag Run. “We are highlighting the diversity among motorcycle enthusiasts while supporting organizations that work to benefit the local multicultural community in the Greater Phoenix and Scottsdale areas. It’s not a white thing, Hispanic thing or a black thing – it’s a chrome thing.” Read more
Scott Tucker Secures Invite to 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans
Following a triumphant season in global sports car competition, which included five wins, countless podium finishes and the American Le Mans Series LMP2 championship, Level 5 Motorsports and Scott Tucker have been recognized for their achievements with an automatic invitation to next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The entry, awarded by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, organizers of the legendary 24-hour French endurance race, was earned thanks to Level 5′s LMP2 win in the 14th annual Petit Le Mans, where Tucker and co-drivers Christophe Bouchut and Joao Barbosa drove their No. 33 HPD ARX-01g to an impressive sixth place overall finish.
Victory at Petit Le Mans capped off an incredible season for the globe-trotting team, which took part in both the American Le Mans Series and Intercontinental Le Mans Cup in 2011. In addition to his win at Road Atlanta, five-time national driving champion Tucker recorded victories in the ALMS races at Sebring, Long Beach, Road America and Laguna Seca. Read more
Danica Patrick to Compete in the 2012 Daytona 500
Danica Patrick will make her NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut in the prestigious season-opening 54th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 26.
Patrick, who will compete full time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series with JR Motorsports in 2012, announced on Friday afternoon that her limited Sprint Cup Series schedule with Stewart-Haas Racing will kick off with “The Great American Race.”
“Each year, the Daytona 500 produces unforgettable moments that forever change the lives of fans and drivers,” Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said. ”As Danica embarks on her first start in ‘The Great American Race,’ she may want to talk with 2011 champion Trevor Bayne, who might be able to share some pointers for first timers. We wish her well and are excited about her participation in the NASCAR’s biggest and most prestigious event – the Daytona 500.” Read more