SAMAX - Rolex 24 12h
Two SAMAX Motorsport cars remained in contention at the halfway point of the
Rolex 24 At Daytona. Unfortunately, the No. 71 SAMAX/Doncaster Racing
Porsche was out of the race after 10h12. The crew found loose studs in three
of the car's wheels and the car was retired to ensure the safety of the
drivers Dave Lacey, Brent Martini, Greg Wilkins and Mark Wilkins.
The No. 17 SAMAX Porsche continued a strong pace during the second quarter
of the race, with drivers Johnny Mowlem, Bryan Sellers, Lance David Arnold
and Jan Seyffarth racing to fifth place in the GT class. The No. 11
Tuttle/SAMAX Riley Mk XI was 14th in the Daytona Prototype class at
half-distance, paced by Brian Tuttle, Boris Said and Kyle Petty.
John Lacey, Doncaster Racing owner: "We have studs loose on three wheels and
we can't guarantee new studs going in will be firm enough to race on a safe
basis. When it comes to driver safety, we're making the right decision by
pulling out of the race. With this banking at 180 miles an hour, we're not
going to take a chance with our drivers."
Dave Lacey: "It's an unfortunate situation. John made a decision in favor
of driver safety, as he should, and it caused us to retire from the race.
It's an unfortunate situation. The guys worked really hard."
Brent Martini: "This is the first time I had a chance to participate with
SAMAX and Greg and Mark and Dave. It has been a real privilege. They are
just a class act – impeccably prepared guys who are very focused, incredible
professionals. Dreams still come true. I'm a 46-year-old kid driving a
Porsche around a race track and loving every second of it."
Greg Wilkins: "The car was running well, so it's disappointing we had a
couple of mechanical glitches – a small part in the gearshift lever which
set us down a number of laps and then the studs. Unfortunately, they cost us
the ability to compete."
young direction
Travis Braun, 15, provides youthful direction as the data engineer for the
No. 17 Porsche. His talent belies his age, as he calmly and expertly calls
the team strategy. Braun's father Jeff is the strategist for the No. 75
Krohn Racing Daytona Prototype; brother Colin is a driver for Krohn Racing.
Ironically, Travis Braun sees his future in journalism, not engineering.
Travis Braun: "It's really fun working with the whole SAMAX crew – they're
a great group of guys. I've got a general strategy before the race, but once
the race starts, that all goes out the window, so you have to play a lot of
it by ear. Some of it's instinct, but my dad taught me a lot, so I have to
give him a lot of credit. As long as he's doing well, my brother's doing
well and we finish well, it's going to be great."
class race position
car start 6h 12h
11 26 12 14
17 9 11 4
71 13 9 out
race report
car time driver action
11 6h27 Tuttle contact right
rear
Said in pit – driver
change, fuel, repair bodywork
7h5 hit right
rear; pit – tires, repair bodywork
8h6 pit – tires,
fuel
8h45 garage –
broken third gear; replaced gear cluster
9h14 Petty in pit – driver
change, fuel, back on track
9h20 pit – fuel
adjustment
10h17 pit – tires,
fuel
11h20 pit – tires,
fuel
11h55 pit – tires,
fuel
17 6h5 Mowlem regained lap
6h28 pit – tires,
fuel
7h27 avoided
stopped car, touched wall left rear
Sellers in pit – driver
change, tires, fuel, taped bodywork
8h12 pit – tires,
fuel; contact with DP leaving pit
8h15 pit – remove
part of rear bumper cover
9h23 Arnold in pit – driver
change, tires, fuel
10h14 pit – tires,
fuel
11h18 Seyffarth in pit – driver
change, tires, fuel
71 6h25 M Wilkins in pit – driver change,
tires, fuel
7h21 pit – tires,
fuel; garage – broken gearshift bolt
7h32 back on track
8h17 Martini in pit – driver
change, tires, fuel
9h21 pit – fuel
10h12 G Wilkins in pit – driver
change, tires fuel
garage –
loose wheels studs, out of race
