Rand Racing - Daytona practice

Daytona International Speedway
practice, Nov. 8, 2002

pacing the practice

Rand Racing posted the fastest SRPII times during Friday practice for the 
final race in the Rolex Sports Car Series, set for Sunday at Daytona 
International Speedway.  Ralf Kelleners and Niclas Jönsson were quickest in 
the No. 7 Nissan Lola, with a lap time of one minute 48.217 seconds on the 
3.56-mile infield road course.  Their teammates Terry Borcheller and Anthony 
Lazzaro were second in class in the No. 8 Lola (1:48.793).

Lazzaro said track conditions could be slick for the afternoon race.  
"Compared to the morning, certainly it's hotter and when it's hotter here the 
track loses grip," he said.  "You're constantly worrying about understeer, 
oversteer and trying to get a balance with the car, but you also have to 
realize that most of it's due just to the track conditions."

He also noted changes to the track:  "When we came in July, they put curbs in 
the Bus Stop [turn].  They're not the kind of curbs that you don't go over - 
you use every bit of them, so it  made it a little bit nicer to drive, a 
little bit faster.  The bump on the left-hand side of the exit's a little bit 
bigger, so we have to watch that now.  And there was some new pavement added 
in turn six going out onto the oval, but the car is pretty much straight by 
the time we get over it, so you really don't feel that with the race car."

Jönsson acknowledged the team's first goal is to ensure Borcheller completes 
one lap of the race, thereby winning the SRPII driver championship for 
himself and the team title for Rand Racing.  Once that happens, he and 
Kelleners will go for the win.

"The plan for this weekend is to try to clinch the championship for our 
teammate Terry Borcheller and the team," Jönsson explained.  "The team has 
done a great job to put us in this situation.  For Ralf and I in the 7 car, 
we just have to make sure Terry gets that first green lap in.  After that, 
we're going to go racing.  We're not going to run into each other, but we're 
going to get turned loose and Ralf and I will try to win the race for 
ourselves."

Asian success

Rand Racing's engineer, Jeff Braun, and his family achieved international 
success recently.  Braun's son Colin finished fourth in the Japanese National 
Karting Championship in Sugo, Japan.  Braun engineered the kart, son Travis 
handled data acquisition and mom Diane managed team operations.  Colin will 
move up to open-wheel car racing in 2003.

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Sylvia Proudfoot
spur07@cs.com
403 287 3945