Stevenson Motorsports Rolex 24 Race report
January 31, 2007 For Immediate Release: Stevenson Motorsports’ Dual Finish At The Grueling Rolex 24 At this year’s running of the Grand American Road Racing Association’s Rolex Sports Car Series Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, Stevenson Motorsports was one of 24 teams and 44 cars competing for a win in the GT class. At race end on Sunday, they were one of the few teams to survive this arduous event and see the checkered flag waved as they passed the finish line for the final time. The grueling demands of running to the finish in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona will sap the steam and the spirit out of many of the men and women who try to finish the job they started the day before. Keeping pace, avoiding accidents, preventing mistakes, and managing wear and tear on the car as it completes lap after lap after lap is an incredibly difficult amount of activity to sustain for 24 hours straight. But for those who do see both the green flag at the start and the checkered flag at the end, the joy of completion can not be understated. Nothing beats winning overall, but making it all the way through this incredible race is a victory all its own. Running a pair of Chevrolet Corvettes, one built last season by Tommy Riggins Engineering (#97) and the other built this year by Crawford Race Cars (#57), the Stevenson team persevered like champions through several mechanical issues, periods of rain, heavy traffic, and even being hit by a Daytona Prototype. They didn’t win this time out, but this team is filled with winners who worked as hard as or harder than any other team in the race. A Long Week Of Long Nights For The #97 Corvette The #97 Riggins-built car finished 27th in class, completing 414 laps, and the #57 Crawford chassis did just a wee bit better, finishing 25th in class with 444 laps completed. Both cars had mechanical woes – and the #97 car suffered the debilitating effects of on track contact with another car in practice - that set them back from increasing their lap counts. Tommy Riggins, one of three drivers in the #97 Corvette, commented after the race that, “Daytona is a great race track and a great facility. The 24 Hr. race is just a real tough event. It’s tough on the cars as well as the team. Preparation is over half the equation for success in this event. And though this was my fifteenth Daytona 24 hr - and for me it's always an honor to be in this race - it is the most difficult race for a driver to do physically. It is even much more so for the crew.” On Wednesday, on the way down to Daytona, the brand new trailer used to haul equipment in support of the #97 car suffered a failure of the rear axle seals. Only the alertness of the team driver Dexter Johnson prevented a major fire from destroying the trailer and its contents. This delayed the arrival by an extra day which had an impact on our race preparation schedule. And Friday’s practice session increased the stresses placed on the crew even further. The car was hit by a Daytona Prototype while team owner John Stevenson was behind the wheel. The damage was so extensive the car had to be taken back to Riggins shop in Jacksonville, Florida for major repairs. The crew worked through the night to get the car turned around and back to Daytona on Saturday morning, in time for the start of the race. Riggins: “Not having the Friday afternoon major crash damage to repair would have given us a chance to catch up with car preparation for the race. But the crew on the 97 car did surprisingly well considering all the setbacks.” Vic Rice also drove the #97 car, as did Spencer Trenery. Rice applauded the hard working crew members who suffered through not one, but two all-night repair sessions, plus the 24 hours of the race itself. “I'm not sure there is a team in the paddock that spent more hours working on their car the week of the race, including two all night sessions (Wednesday and Friday) just prior to the race. This is a team that was determined to see the checkered flag fly over the #97 car. And without a single lap of practice or test time prior to Friday, the car was well balanced and reasonably quick the first time out.” Riggins agreed: “The car handled surprisingly well, especially with absolutely no constructive practice or testing time, and also the repaired crash damage with no laps to sort that out before the race. The team did extremely well, especially considering the dramas of the pre-race issues and the fact that this was the first time for some of our guys on the pit crew. “John Hobbs, Nic Sanna, and Beau Dickinson had been up and working to get the car repaired for over 36 hours straight before the race started, and then to perform the way they did under that duress and without fail for the next entire 24 hours of the race - along with the rest of the pit crew - says a lot about their dedication and commitment to the success of this racing team.” During the race itself, the #97 car suffered several mechanical setbacks directly attributable, no doubt, to the need to spend so many hours putting things back together before the race even started. Rice: “When the green flag dropped the car felt strong and most impressively on how deep we could brake. Suddenly a stuck throttle (wide open) caught my attention at the international horseshoe and a lucky swipe at the kill switch is all that saved us from a bad accident. Repairs were made in a few laps and we then cycled through our drivers turning competitive laps, and moving up a few spots. A sudden and unexpected gearbox failure caused us the most downtime as the removal, clutch replacement and fitment of the replacement gearbox challenged our very exhausted crew to find ways around the misfit replacements, much to their never-say-die credit. Riggins: “A brake line and steering rack issue hurt us later on as well, but we were out of contention for a podium result by then.” Rice: “The crew refused to quit and affected adequate repairs that were good enough to let us finish the race. To just finish the race was a victory of sorts for this crew.” Riggins is quick to put the difficulties encountered in this first race in perspective when compared to the team’s prospects over the entire 2007 Rolex Series season. “The team has the foundation to do extremely well this year, though this season will be a very tough challenge with all the many different good teams and car makes involved. Grand Am has given Porsche teams a distinct rules and performance advantage in the GT class and that will probably be the toughest challenge of all for everyone else in the class to overcome.” Rice had a similar assessment. “I was surprised to learn that our data showed our top speed to be equal to what we reached last year but that the Porsches, Mazda’s and others had clearly gained some legs on the banking. I'm not sure how or why we can counter that without some much needed help from Grand-Am, but it certainly caught me by surprise.” Riggins confirmed he wasn’t worried too much about the gains others had made when he said: “Although the #97 car is built to the rules of two years ago, and many rules specifications have changed that affect performance, it still has the foundation to be successful. With good preparation and a little good race luck, I think a season to be proud of should be expected.” And Rice summed up his expectations for the rest of the season this way: “After a much deserved rest I'm sure the crew, and John and Susan Stevenson, will put their heads down and go to work figuring out how to eliminate the failures that plagued us; and how to deliver the best cars possible for the next race. No driver could ever ask for more commitment from the team owners and crew.” An Impressive Debut For The Brand New #57 Crawford-built Corvette This race marked the introduction of the brand new #57 Stevenson Motorsports Corvette, which had only been completed by Crawford Race Cars a few days before the race. The Stevenson team had just one quick sliver of time at the Test Days session prior to the Rolex 24 to become acquainted with their new car. Initial assessments suggested the car had real potential then, and the race itself bore that out as the car made it to the checkered flag in its maiden run. Along the way to completing 444 laps, the team had to address several issues that were to be expected when shaking down a new car for the first time. Lengthy stops were required to repair the gearbox and replace the power steering pump. The #57 Corvette was driven by Marc Bunting, Lou Gigliotti, James Gue and Dominic Cicero II. Bunting and Cicero will campaign the car in the rest of the 2007 Rolex Series. Bunting came away from his first race with the team tired yet appreciative of the car and the Stevenson Motorsports crew. “The car was very well balanced throughout the race, although the lack of power steering made it tiring to drive over a stint. Traffic was typical for the Rolex 24 hours and, of course, the later in the race the less traffic we had to contend with. “The team did an excellent job keeping the car running and completing the race. I am excited about the upcoming season! I do feel the car and the team have huge potential, the only thing we need to do is find time to continue testing and developing the car.” This was Cicero’s first time at conquering the clock for a 24 hour event and he came away from the experience somewhat humbled by what this team had accomplished. “The Daytona track takes a lot out of you physically. You never have a break. As for the 24 hr experience, it really is a special race and it is quite an achievement to finish the event. This was the first time I completed the event and I was amazed by the range of emotions that I went through. 24 hours sounds easy on paper but it is truly a feat to live it.” Gigliotti is a veteran Corvette pilot who joined the team for this one event. He too enjoyed being a part of a team that worked hard and never quit, despite the many obstacles fate kept throwing in their path. “I would say that in a race of this magnitude it is more normal than not to have some teething issues with a brand new chassis. In light of the circumstances, the team did what was expected of them and more. But, while I feel the car has a lot of potential, it was really just too new to be well sorted, especially for a 24 hour race. “The team owner, John Stevenson, put out a first class effort, and they went into this race with 100% commitment. And Susan was way more organized than I have personally experienced at the race track. Mike Hoffman and the guys were faced with a big challenge and they executed well. And the group of drivers was as good as any in the GT class. The Stevenson Motorsports team drivers could hold their own with any of the drivers out there. It was an impressive assembly of talent.” Gigliotti also came away very impressed with his new teammate – and former Trans-Am competitor - Tommy Riggins. “This was the first time I actually worked ‘with’ Tommy Riggins rather than compete against him and I have a better respect for the accomplishments that he has made throughout the years. Tommy has more experience in one finger than most of the Rolex competitors!” Cicero summed up the event and predicted the future when he said, “I know there is a lot of potential here and I am looking forward to making a proper run at the championship. I think we all learned a lot, and became aware of our strengths and weaknesses. Once we fix the issues at hand, I see no reason to not be on the podium this year and contesting for the championship.” The next race in the Rolex Series will be held on March 3rd at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. The 2007 Grand American Rolex Series GT calendar: Jan. 27-28 Rolex 24 at Daytona March 3 Mexico City March 24 Homestead April 28-29 Virginia International Raceway May 19-20 Laguna Seca May 28 Lime Rock Park June 9 Watkins Glen, 6 hours June 23-24 Mid-Ohio July 5 Daytona 250 July 14 Iowa July 21-22 Barber Motorsports Park Aug. 3 Montreal, Quebec Sept. 15 Miller Motorsports Park For more information on the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series visit: http://grandamerican.com/Home.asp For more information on the Stevenson Motorsports team visit: www.stevensonmotorsports.com For more information on the Stevenson Automotive Group visit: www.stevensonauto.com Contact Information: Press / Media Contact: Andrew S. Hartwell / ashautomobilia.com ashartwell@att.net Team Website: www.stevensonmotorsports.com Team Owner: John Stevenson jostev@earthlink.net Team Offices: Stevenson MotorSports 2225 N. Marine Blvd Jacksonville, North Carolina 28546 Phone: 910-455-1555 Associate Sponsors Information: http://www.jeselonline.com www.airgas.com www.gmgoodwrench.com/perfpartsjsp/home.jsp http://www.fthr.com/ www.hoosiertire.com www.knfilters.com Driver Bios: Vic Rice (#97) Birth date: March 29, 1951 Height: 6' 2" Weight: 230 lbs Residence: San Rafael, California Family: Wife – Corrine Two Sons - Jeff and Peter Off-Track Career: Founding partner Pacific Forest Resources, Inc. wholly owned by CellMark AB of Sweden since 1990. CellMark is the world's largest privately owned forest products trading company. Vic is a director, shareholder and manages the global recycling division. Professional Driving Career: 1996: GT American Champion, winner IMSA 24 hrs of Mosport 2000: ALMS 5th GTS points, 4 podium finishes. 2002: 4th in class 7th overall FIA-GT 24hrs of SPA. 2003: 3rd in class Porsche GT3 VLN German endurance series Nurburgring, May 2003 3rd in Class, 19th overall of 230 starters in a Porsche GT3 at the 24 hrs at Nurburgring 2004: Southard MotorSports - Grand-Am DP Fabcar / BMW 2005: Stevenson MotorSports - Grand-Am GT Corvette Tommy Riggins (#97) Birth date: October 10, 1951 Height: 5' 8" Weight: 185 lbs Residence: Jacksonville, Florida Family: Married to Debbie, Two children, Brae and Brooke Off-Track Career: President, Riggins Engineering, Inc. Designs and builds race cars: manages racing programs. Builder of the #97 Corvette for Stevenson Motorsports Professional Driving Career: Driving race cars since 15yrs old Has raced in several series including: NASCAR short tracks; Busch Grand Nationals; Winston Cup; SCCA Trans Am, IMSA GTO, IMSA Camel Light and in Grand-Am Daytona Prototypes A two time IMSA Kelly American Challenge Driving Champion ('84 & '85) Grand-Am GTS Driving Champion 2003: (8 poles, 6 wins) 7th in all time IMSA career wins (26) Won '87 Sebring 12 hr GTO Class Has competed in 13 previous Rolex 24 hrs of Daytona Has raced in the US, Canada, Japan, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Costa Rico. Has driven with Buick, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Dodge, and Nissan factory race teams. Joined Stevenson MotorSports in 2005. Spencer Trenery (#97) Born: 1979 Birthplace: Walnut Creek, California Personal Information: In 2003 Spencer graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in international business and currently makes a living selling historically significant cars at Fantasy Junction in Emeryville, CA. Enjoys traveling, outdoor sports and working with his Father, Bruce at Fantasy Junction – brokers of collectible automobiles and vintage race cars. Racing Resume: At the age of 27, Spencer has competed in approximately thirty four 12 and 24 hour long races, including the 2006 24 Hours of Daytona, making him one of the most experienced, young endurance drivers in the world. 1998 – Present: Spencer has spent the last few years competing in various American Le Mans series, Grand Am, and international endurance races. 1997: Won the American Cities Racing League Sports 2000 championship, making him the youngest ever SCCA Pro Racing champion at that time 1996: SCCA Divisional National Champion in GT5 and S2000 1995: American Cities Racing League Sports 2000, SCCA Regional Champion in S2000, GT5 1988: Raced go-karts Marc Bunting (#57) Birth date: 09/20/1968 Birthplace: Baltimore, Md. Hometown: Monkton, Md. Personal Information: Two daughters (Jessie, Calli). Co-founder and Chief Financial Officer of Alpine Bagel Co. Racing Resume: 2006 5 wins and 13 top finishes while winning 2006 Grand Am Rolex GT co-championship with Andy Lally. Recipient of the Bob Akin Award that recognizes the top sportsman driver in the GT class. Most recently, Marc earned recognition as a 2006 2nd team All-American by the American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasting Association. 2005 Finished second in the Rolex GT Drivers Championship (tied with Andy Lally). 2 wins and 11 top ten finishes driving for TRG. 2004 Co-champion of the Rolex Series SGS class with co-driver, Andy Lally. 2 wins and 11 podium positions in 12 races. 2nd in Rolex GT Championship by one point. 2003 1 Rolex Series start at Phoenix, finishing fourth in GT class. 2002 Finished 13th in the GTS class in Rolex 24 at Daytona. Finished 6th in ALMS GTS class. One podium and seven top-five results in eight starts. 2001 7 starts in Rolex Series GT. Best finish, 6th at Phoenix. 6 starts in the Grand-Am Cup Series ST class. Best finish, 2nd at Phoenix. 2000/1999 1 win each year in Motorola Cup competition Rolex Sports Car Series Victories: 2005 Homestead-Miami (GT); 2005 Watkins Glen 250 (GT); 2004 Watkins Glen 6 hr. (SGS); 2004 Barber Motorsports Park (SGS) Dominic Cicero II (#57) Birth date 9/25/1980 Birthplace: Vancouver, Wash. Hometown: Portland, Ore. Personal Information: Personal website: www.dominiccicero.com Racing Resume: 2002-2005 Westernesse Racing LLC. - Progressed from junior Formula Renault to Renault V6. 1998-2000 Professional Factory Racing Driver. Official spokesperson for Elf Oil and Renault Car Company, Competed in Formula Campus Classification, ranked as high as fourth 1997 Refurbished race cars and worked as a race crew member. James Gue (#57) Birth Date: December, 30th 1981 Weight: 145 lbs, 66 kg Height: 5’8”, 1.73 meters Birth place: New Haven, Connecticut Residence: Alpharetta, Georgia Website: www.jamesgue.net Racing Resume: 2006 Le Mans Pre-Qualifying C65 Courage ALMS – P2 Courage C65 – Sebring 12hr (M-DNF) Grand-Am Cup – Ford Mustang (4th, 2nd) Grand-Am Daytona Prototype – Mexico City, Salt Lake City 2005 Roush “Gong Show” 1 of 25 Finalists Grand-Am Daytona Prototype – 24 Hours of Daytona, Daytona Sprint, Phoenix Grand-Am Cup - Multimatic Ford Factory Sedan Car Team (1- win, 5 top 5’s) Grand-Am Porsche GT3 Cup Car (Mont-Tremblant 6 Hour) ALMS - P2 Courage C65 - Petit Le Mans (M-DNF), Laguna Seca (2nd) 2004 ALMS P2 – Lola B2K/40, Courage C65 (2 wins, 4 seconds, 2 thirds, 1 m-dnf) 1st place ALMS P2 Team Championship – Miracle Motorsports 2nd place ALMS P2 Drivers Championship Grand-Am Daytona Prototype – Homestead, Miami 6th place 2003 US FF2000 Zetec Championship (3 top 5’s, 9th in Final Points) ALMS 675 – Lola B2K/40 (1 race, 2nd place) HSR Group C GTP Nissan R90C, Chevy Spice GTP (3 races) 2002 Formula Mazda National Series (2 races) US FF2000 Zetec Championship (4 races) Grand-Am SRPI – Riley & Scott (co-drove with Buddy Rice) (1 race, 2nd place) 2001 Skip Barber National Series – Barber-CART Karting Scholarship Team Winner Grand-Am Cup – Team Lexus (2 races) 2000 Team O’Neil Tony Kart – Karting World Championships (Portugal) BRM/Dream Kart Lead Formula A Driver – Karting European Championships 1999 KGB Lead Formula A Driver - Karting European Championships Top Kart Driver - North American Championships (Highest American 6th) World Championships (one of 4 Americans to qualify in past 20yrs) (Belgium) 1991-1998 National and local go karting - 2 National Wins, 4 GA State Champs. Lou Gigliotti Birth date: December 29, 1949 Personal Information: Married to Karen and they have two children, Christina and Louis. Louis Jr. was named crew chief of the year in the World Challenge series for 2006. He drives a Corvette C6 on the street. Loves Italian food Considers Mosport, Infineon Raceway, Utah, and Road Atlanta to be his favorite tracks Website: www.lgmotorsports.com His extensive driving career has included wheel time in everything from open wheel cars to NASCAR, Trans Am and GT Cars. 1970’s: Made his club racing debut in the SCCA, ran in Super Vee 1991-1997: Started 68 consecutive World Challenge races. Was driving champion in 1991, 1192 and 1996 1998 - 2002: Joined Trans Am series in 1998 and won in the rain at Lime Rock Park in just his 8th race. He won the Paul Revere 250 at Daytona, and finished 2nd at Watkins Glen. He also won the Long Beach Grand Prix in 2001. 2003: Took a year off from racing to run his business, LG Motorsports, one of America's leading Corvette high performance suppliers and tuners. 2004 – Present: A steady competitor in World Challenge - had 3 top five and 5 top ten finishes in 10 races. He has racked up 22 wins and 26 poles in his World Challenge career. This includes a 24-hour race win at Mosport. John Stevenson (#57) Birth date: May 11, 1948 Height: 5’ '7" Weight: 165 lbs. Residence: Swansboro, North Carolina Family: Wife – Susan Daughters - Shelley and Booth Interests outside of racing: Boating and Labrador Retrievers Off-Track Career: John is the President and Owner of Stevenson Automotive Group located in Southeastern North Carolina, comprising eleven new car franchises - Honda, Acura, Toyota, Scion, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Jeep, Hyundai, Suzuki, Mazda, and Kia. Professional Racing Career: 2003: A newcomer to the Grand American Road Racing Series, he competed in his first GT race at Watkins Glen in a Porsche GT3 RS. He finished on the podium, in second place, in his first professional race. 2004: Driver with Stevenson MotorSports - finished 6th in GT team points in their first full year of competition. About The Stevenson Automotive Group Stevenson Automotive Group has been a leading automotive influence in Southeastern North Carolina since 1983. We enjoy a reputation for conducting business in an honest and professional manner with all of our customers. They are always our number one priority. The owner, John Stevenson, has a vested interest in obtaining maximum customer satisfaction and that commitment to excellence is shared with over 200 well-trained parts, service and sales staff. When it has our name on it, you have our word on it! The Stevenson Automotive Group includes the following store locations in North Carolina: Stevenson Honda – Wilmington Stevenson Acura - Wilmington Stevenson Chevrolet - Swansboro Stevenson Chrysler – Jeep – Mazda - Jacksonville Stevenson Hyundai - Suzuki of Jacksonville Stevenson Kia - Jacksonville Stevenson Mazda - Kia - Wilmington Stevenson Toyota - Scion – Jacksonville Stevenson Pre Owned Center - Jacksonville Website: www.StevensonAuto.com -- "A place for photos and words about sportscar racing and the people who make the cars go!"