Grand-Am Cup News & Notes - January 24, 2002
Grand-Am Cup News & Notes - January 24, 2002 Past Grand-Am Cup Winner Moves Up to Formula One Bryan Johnson, who earned three class victories during the 2001 season, will miss out on the 2002 Grand-Am Cup season in order accept a new position in England with Honda Racing Development's Vehicle Dynamics Group, supporting the British American Racing Formula 1 team with its chassis development. Johnson's primary responsibility will be leading tests on the team's chassis, and he feels his experience as a driver will help in this new position. "Even though the cars are obviously different, I think that the experience of actually driving in the racing environment helps communication between the drivers and engineers," he said. Johnson is scheduled to work with the team in England for two years and hopes to be able to get himself a little bit of time behind the wheel while overseas. "I am definitely taking my gear with me and will try to at least do some karting or maybe some formula car racing while I'm there." During the 2001 season, Johnson raced a Honda Civic Si with the Honda of America Racing Team, an all-volunteer team comprised of engineers and staff from Honda's U.S. plant. SpeedSource Announces Seven-Car Campaign SpeedSource announced a seven-car effort in three different classes during the 2002 Grand-Am Cup season. The team will field two Porsches in Grand Sport I with Shelby Wellman, of Cary N.C., and team owner Sylvain Tremblay, of Coral Spring, Fla., running a 2002 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Paul Mears Jr., of Orlando, and David Haskell, of Plantation, Fla., will race the second GS I entry, a 2001 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. After sweeping the Grand Sport II class last year, SpeedSource will return with a three-car effort in the class for 2002. David Shep, of Toronto, will race a 2001 Porsche 911 with a driver yet to be named. Tremblay will pull double duty, joining John Strum, of Hanover, Ill, in a 2001 Porsche 911. The father-son duo of Donis Horne Sr. and Jr., of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., will also co-drive a 2001 Porsche 911. The team will return two Porsche Boxsters to the Sport Touring I class. Scott Schlesinger of Golden Beach, Fla., will join Lee P. Stack III, of Boca Raton, Fla., in a 2001 Boxster, while Stan Winokur, of West Palm Beach, Fla., and Haskell race the team's second 2001 Boxster. Istook/Aines to Field Two Audis, Adds Rookie Driver Istook/Aines Motorsports Group will field two Audi S4 twin turbos at the season-opening Grand-Am Cup race in Daytona, Feb. 1. The #04 entry will be driven by veteran street stock racer Don Istook, of Fort Worth, Texas, and rookie Alejandro Lince, of Bogota, Colombia. Lince, 22, is a long-time go-karter that moved up to formula racing at age 16. The #04 Audi will be sponsored by National Car Rental of Bogota and Autoniza. The second S4, sponsored by Audio Associates, will be driven by Joe Blacker and a second driver that has yet to be announced. The 2002 Grand-Am Cup season will kick off at the 40th Anniversary of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, where Grand-Am Cup will race on Friday, Feb.1 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale for the Grand-Am Cup race, as well as the entire Rolex 24 At Daytona event weekend. They may be purchased online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling the Speedway ticket office at 386-252-RACE. More information on Grand-Am Cup is available online at www.grand-am.com/grandamcup. -30- PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST For more information: Grand American Road Racing Public Relations Christie Hyde (386) 681-4182 email: CHyde@grand-am.com