CITGO/SAMAX - Rolex 24 Friday

SAMAX Motorsport added the final touches to the No. 7 CITGO Pontiac-powered
Riley Mk XI on Friday in preparation for this weekend's Rolex 24 At Daytona.
The crew installed the car's race engine and the drivers lapped the
3.56-mile road course at Daytona International Speedway, bedding in new
axles and brakes for the 24-hour race.

 

Dario Franchitti will start the CITGO/SAMAX Riley 15th on the 67-car grid.
He will alternate race stints with Milka Duno, Marino Franchitti and Kevin
McGarrity.

 

"The CITGO/SAMAX crew has been working very hard and we set a good time in
today's final practice," Duno said. "I'm feeling very comfortable with the
Pontiac-Riley. Dario, Marino and Kevin are great teammates and I feel that
we work very well together. I think all the ingredients are there for a good
race, so I'm really looking forward to it."

 

training camp

 

Marino Franchitti has trained hard for the Rolex 24 test and race. He even
added workouts on Christmas and New Year's Day.

 

"Daytona is a fantastic way to start the year. It's as much part of my life
now as anything else," he said. "It's a very different New Year when you've
got to go testing. There's no partying; it's just 'get ready to go to work'.
The training doesn't stop, which is kind of a good thing because it keeps me
on my toes. I've spent the time since the test training, most days three
times. It's my own self-imposed preseason training camp."

 

night and night

 

Newlywed Kevin McGarrity will turn his first Rolex 24 night race laps on
Saturday, but he has enjoyed the solitude of night racing in les 24 Heures
du Mans. He noted the differences between the 3.56-mile Daytona track and
the 8.48-mile Le Mans circuit:

 

"It gets dark very early here and doesn't get light again until late, but
the banking and the infield are quite well-lit. At Le Mans, the pit straight
and the parts of the permanent circuit are well-lit, but when you go out the
back through the forest, it's very, very dark. And that's the fastest part
of the track, so Le Mans is definitely more daunting."

 

flying racer

 

Dario Franchitti's race helmet sports an American Eurocopter logo, a sign of
his other speed passion – flying. Franchitti is a licensed helicopter pilot
who flies a Eurocopter B3.