March 26, 2006
PRUETT/DIAZ PUT LEXUS ON THE PODIUM IN MIAMI
Luis Diaz and Scott Pruett combined to bring the #01 CompUSA Lexus-Riley home in third-place in Saturday’s Grand Prix of Miami to give Lexus its fifth podium finish in the first three races of the 2006 Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series season at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.
It was a hard-fought third for the duo as the CompUSA car was the only car on the track capable of competing with a contingent of Porsche-powered cars at the front of the pack. After starting fourth, Diaz quickly moved the car into third-place and then stayed there until he handed the car off to the veteran Pruett.
The 2004 Daytona Prototype champion’s hard-driving combined with some outstanding race strategy and pit work finally put the team into the lead on Lap 71 where he stayed until Lap 89 when he was caught and passed in traffic by eventual race-winner Patrick Long. Pruett then maintained the second position until he was bumped out of the way on the last lap by the #39 Porsche to finish an eventual third for the team’s second consecutive podium finish after winning the last event at Mexico City.
It was a much more difficult day for the Michael Shank Racing team, though, as each of the team’s two entries was involved in a pair of incidents that eventually left the #6 Graydon Elliott Fusion Racing Lexus of Mike Borkowski and Kenny Wilden in 18th, while teammates Mark Patterson and Oswaldo Negri placed 22nd in the #60 Flight Options Lexus-Riley.
By leading 18 laps tonight, the #01 Ganassi Racing entry becomes the only car to lead a lap in every race this year, while Pruett is the only driver to have led in each of the season’s first three contests.
The Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series returns to action at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 9.
Lexus results – Start/Finish
#01 Scott Pruett/Luis Diaz 4/3
#6 Mike Borkowski/Kenny Wilden 13/18
#60 Oswaldo Negri/Mark Patterson 15/22
“Quotes”
SCOTT PRUETT, #01 CompUSA Lexus-Riley: “I definitely had a little help on that last lap, but it was good hard racing and I was doing all I could do to hang the CompUSA car out on the edge. But overall, I thought it was a competitive race, and a good show. We managed to get another podium and that’s what we need to do to keep moving up in the point standings. That’s all that counts. I can say that the Ganassi team used all of its resources to get that result tonight, the guys really worked hard on fuel mileage and getting us to the end. I’m confident that Grand American will make the right call on the Porsches. Nobody wants to see runaway races.”
LUIS DIAZ, #01 CompUSA Lexus-Riley: “Scott did a fantastic job tonight and proved once again why he is the class of the Daytona Prototype field. He drove the car to the limit, and then past the limit. The guy is amazing sometimes. He deserves this result for the great effort he put forth tonight. It was a tough race, and a very competitive race for us. Scott did everything in his power to keep us in it in the end.”
MARK PATTERSON, #60 Flight Options Lexus-Riley: “I just overreacted and should have realized that they might be braking a lot earlier than I was going into one. It caught me off guard and I hate it because I feel like I let the team down but, lesson learned, and we’ll go for it again in Long Beach.”
OSWALDO NEGRI, #60 Flight Options Lexus-Riley: “I didn’t have any choice there. We were really flying, and I was just trying to make up some ground, but those guys took each other out, and I was right there with no way to avoid it but go into the grass. It’s disappointing for sure because we could have made it back into the fight. Just tough luck all around. We had the car and were fast all weekend, but we just need to make it stick.”
MICHAEL SHANK, team owner: “Our performance today was nowhere near indicative of how strong we are, so of course that’s a big disappointment for us, to know we had a good chance to get some points tonight and we just couldn’t capitalize on it. We’re going to be busy gearing up for Long Beach, and will just try and get this one behind us.”
March 25, 2006
DIAZ PUTS LEXUS FOURTH ON GRID FOR GRAND PRIX OF MIAMI
Luis Diaz qualified his CompUSA Lexus-Riley fourth to lead the Lexus-powered contingent in qualifying for Saturday’s Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series Grand Prix of Miami.
After a Thursday practice day that had two Lexus-powered prototypes on top of the time charts, a handful of problems set the three entries back in qualifying with the #01 CompUSA Lexus missing the final practice due to some mechanical difficulties and the #6 Graydon Elliott flat-spotting its tires early in the qualifying session.
While the #01 rebounded to grab a fourth starting position, the two Michael Shank Racing entries ended up placing 13th with Borkowski and Wilden, while the #60 Flight Options Lexus-Riley driven by Mark Patterson and Oswaldo Negri will start 15th.
Lexus-powered cars have won each of the season’s first two races with victories at Rolex 24 at Daytona and Mexico City.
This weekend’s Grand Prix of Miami, which is being run in conjunction with the Toyota Indy 300, will be televised by SPEED with same-day coverage. The television broadcast is set to begin at 8 p.m. (ET) Saturday evening.
“Quotes”:
LUIS DIAZ, #01 CompUSA Lexus-Riley: “I was pushing the car as hard as I could, and managed to turn a very good lap on our second to last lap of the session. The nose of the car wasn’t biting and turning in as well as I’d liked, but it’s not a bad effort. I think after we missed the final practice session (due to a gearbox problem) earlier in the day, we missed out on the opportunity to dial in the car for qualifying, but that’s the way it goes. Starting from the second row is somewhat disappointing because we have very high expectations.”.”
KENNY WILDEN, #6 Graydon Elliott Fusion Racing Lexus-Riley: “It’s too bad because on my first real flyer I got a 15.5-the fastest lap of the weekend for us so far, and there was more in the car, but then going into turn five, we just locked up the fronts and from there, the tires were pretty much shot right down to the cord and there was no way we were going to improve, so I had to just come in. There is no question we could have set some better times, but just got a bit unlucky tonight. The good thing is that the car is as good as it’s been all weekend, and we’ll get everything sorted for the race tomorrow.”
MIKE BORKOWSKI, #6 Graydon Elliott Fusion Racing Lexus-Riley: “Obviously we were looking to be in a better spot for the start, but things are going to be pretty hectic out there tomorrow, and I think we will see some yellow flags early so we should be able to move up early on and hopefully be in a good position late in the race. We started from thirteenth in Mexico City and still made it to the podium, so hopefully we can do that again tomorrow.”
MARK PATTERSON, #60 Flight Options Lexus-Riley: “That was a good run and makes me the fastest South African in the field (jokingly). The car is just wonderful to drive and Oz keeps urging me on to be more aggressive and it keeps paying dividends, tenths at a time. I’m really impressed with what Michael Shank Racing has done with this brand new car to run fault-free thus far this weekend, and the car just keeps getting better each time we go out.”
MICHAEL SHANK, MSR team owner: “Mark did a fantastic job once again. This is a big field of well-prepared cars with great drivers, and he put his best lap of the weekend down late in qualifying, so he should be pretty pleased with himself and the job he did tonight. It’s going to be a long race tomorrow night, but hopefully we can stay out of trouble at the start and are in a good spot to fight in the closing segments of the race.
March 22, 2006
LEXUS EYES THIRD STRAIGHT 2006 GRAND-AM WIN AT GRAND PRIX OF MIAMI
After a pair of dominating victories to open the 2006 campaign, the Lexus Daytona Prototypes head to the Grand Prix of Miami at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, March 25, looking for a third consecutive Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series win.
After winning the Rolex 24 with the #02 Target Lexus-Riley, Ganassi Racing made it two in a row at Mexico City when Scott Pruett and Luis Diaz led every lap after capturing the pole position. For Pruett, this weekend’s race will mark the 21st anniversary of his South Florida debut in the GTU class in the IMSA Miami Grand Prix. Since his second-place finish there in 1985, Pruett has raced on a total of five different Miami-area tracks in six different classes of cars.
“We’re thrilled to open the season with two victories,” said Philip Gaviola, Lexus motorsports manager. “But it’s just as important that we’ve had four different Lexus-powered entries finish on the podium in the first two races. The Rolex Sports Car Series is extremely competitive and it’s very important to us that all of our teams know that the Lexus engine is capable of winning every weekend.”
In addition to the two Ganassi victories, Michael Shank Racing has placed each of its two entries on the podium in the first two races of the new season. At Daytona, it was the #60 Flight Options Lexus-Riley driven by Oswaldo Negri (Miami), Mark Patterson, A.J. Allmendinger and Justin Wilson that earned a second-place finish. At Mexico City, it was the #6 Graydon Elliott Fusion Racing Lexus-Riley that took third with Mike Borkowski (Miami Beach) and Paul Tracy, who was subbing for team driver Kenny Wilden. Wilden will be back behind the wheel in Miami.
Heading into the weekend, Lexus maintains a 13-point lead in the Daytona Prototypes Manufacturer’s Championship. Pruett and Diaz currently stand fourth in the driver’s championship, while Negri and Patterson are sixth, while Borkowski sits in 11th.
With a pair of victories to open the season, Lexus-powered entries have won 10 races and 17 pole positions in 28 Rolex Series events since entering the series in 2004.
This weekend’s Grand Prix of Miami, which will run in conjunction with the Indy Racing League’s Toyota Indy 300, will be televised by SPEED including same-day coverage. The event is scheduled to see the green flag fall at 6:30 p.m. ET with SPEED showing the race at 8 p.m. ET Saturday evening. Friday’s qualifying is set for 11 a.m. ET.
Lexus Daytona Prototype Performance Index
Race, Started/Finished #01 #02 #6 #39 #51 #60
Daytona 24 9/20 2/1 12/27 13/11 12/17 5/2
Mexico 1/1 -- 13/3 -- -- --
Miami
Long Beach
Virginia
Laguna
Phoenix
Watkins Glen 6-Hour
Mid-Ohio
Daytona
Barber
Watkins Glen
Sears Point
Salt Lake City
2006 Lexus Daytona Prototype Laps Led (616 of 834 possible)
#02 - 272
#01 - 188
#39 - 74
#60 - 47
#6 - 33
2006 Lexus Pole Positions (1) – Scott Pruett, Mexico
2006 Lexus Wins (2) – Dixon/Wheldon/Mears, Daytona; Pruett/Diaz, Mexico
March 04, 2006
PRUETT/DIAZ GIVE LEXUS DOMINATING MEXICO CITY VICTORY
TWO LEXUS-POWERED ENTRIES ON THE PODIUM
Scott Pruett and Luis Diaz left no doubt that their Friday pole position was no fluke as they led wire-to-wire to give Lexus a dominating victory in today’s Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series event at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City.
Pruett took the lead at the green flag and stretched out a 16-second lead before handing the #01 Telmex Lexus-Riley off to home-town hero Luis Diaz on Lap 47. It was a new driver, but the same result when Diaz pulled away from the field in never giving up the lead. Only a late-race full-course caution could close the gap to the eventual victory margin of 2.840 seconds in a wildly popular victory before the home-town faithful.
While Pruett and Diaz were having their way at the front of the field, Michael Shank Racing’s Paul Tracy gave the 100-lap contest some late-race thrills. The Canadian charged through the field late on his way to a third-place finish for he and MSR teammate Mike Borkowski in the #6 Graydon Elliott Fusion Racing Lexus-Riley to make it two Lexus-powered entries on the victory podium. The entry started 13th after suffering substantial damage in a Thursday practice crash. Borkowski maneuvered his way into the top-10 and then Tracy powered his way from sixth on Lap 78 into third-place on Lap 91.
The victory is the second straight for Ganassi Racing and Lexus after winning the Rolex 24 at Daytona to open up the 2006 campaign. Today’s triumph is the 10th for Lexus in 28 Rolex Series events since entering the series in 2004.
The win is Pruett’s eighth in Daytona Prototype competition and the fourth for Diaz – all coming with Lexus power.
The Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series returns to action at the Grand Prix of Miami at the Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 26 as a part of the Toyota Indy 300 weekend.
Lexus results – Start/Finish
#01 Scott Pruett/Luis Diaz 1/1
#6 Mike Borkowski/Paul Tracy 13/3
“Quotes”
LUIS DIAZ, #01 Telmex Lexus-Riley: “This was a total team effort first. I have to thank everyone involved. We owed this win to the Mexican people after what happened last year. I have to thank Lexus as well, as they came a long way for us from last year in terms of fuel mileage. Scott did an awesome job for the team today too. It was a flawless performance. This is the biggest win of my career and I couldn't be happier knowing it came with Chip Ganassi Racing in front of my family and friends.”
SCOTT PRUETT, #01 Telmex Lexus-Riley: “This win is so exciting to be a part of. With all the team’s ties to Mexico, this is just on another scale in terms of a big win. The car was perfect all day, and for this team it’s very, very special to win here. I couldn't be happier for Luis. It’s one thing to win big races, but it’s another to win big races in your backyard, and he did that today. I couldn't be more proud of him.”
PAUL TRACY, #6 Graydon Elliott Fusion Racing with MSR Lexus-Riley: “I really had a blast out there racing with Max (Angelelli)-he’s pretty much as crazy as I am. We had a really great fight out there, running door handle to door handle all the way down the front stretch. No matter if we had been fighting over 14th-place, it was a great battle and that’s the kind of racing you get up for in the morning.”
“I want to thank Graydon Elliott and Mike Shank for making this opportunity possible, and also really thank Kenny Wilden for stepping out of the car and letting me run this race this weekend. Without all these guys, it just wouldn’t have happened. I kind of got us behind early in the weekend with my crash on Thursday, but the team worked hard and we had a strong race car today. Restarts are pretty much my specialty, and the car was really good under braking so I was able to move up several spots each time.”
MIKE BORKOWSKI, #6 Graydon Elliott Fusion Racing with MSR Lexus-Riley: “It’s great to get a finish under our belt and start working our way back up in the points after not being able to finish Daytona. It also feels good to get Graydon Elliott on the podium. We were really focused on getting a finish here this weekend for those guys, and it’s even better to get them up on the podium. The car was much better today than it had been all weekend, and Paul did a great job with the restarts to get us some key positions late in the race. This has been a tough weekend all around, so to make it up to third at the finish is really encouraging for us looking forward to the rest of the season.”
March 03, 2006
PRUETT EARNS LEXUS FIRST POLE OF ’06 GRAND AM CAMPAIGN
After notching the fastest time in Friday’s morning practice, Scott Pruett came right back and registered the quick time in qualifying to give Lexus its first pole position of the 2006 Grand American Rolex Sports Car season at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City Friday.
Pruett’s pole position is his seventh in Daytona Prototype competition – all coming with Lexus power. It marks the manufacturer’s 17th pole position in 28 Rolex Series events.
The pole position was a popular one among Mexico City fans as Pruett will team with native son Luis Diaz in the #01 CompUSA Lexus-Riley in Saturday’s race.
The news wasn’t nearly as good for Michael Shank Racing. After turning the fastest times in both of Thursday’s practice sessions, the #60 Flight Options Lexus crashed hard in Turn 8 in Friday morning’s practice session. The car was too heavily damaged to compete in this weekend’s event and instead the team will run a car they obtained shortly before practice, but won’t have time to install their Lexus powerplant. Making the events even more disappointing is that drivers Oswaldo Negri and Mark Patterson came into the weekend as the de facto points leaders after placing second at the Rolex 24 in Daytona behind only a Ganassi Racing Lexus led by Scott Dixon that won’t run on a regular basis this season.
The hard hit was the second of the weekend suffered by MSR as Paul Tracy suffered a major shunt in the Thursday afternoon practice that set back the #6 Graydon Elliott Fusion Racing Lexus-Riley. After missing most of the session yesterday, the team recovered to qualify 13th today with Mike Borkowski behind the wheel.
This weekend’s Mexico City round, which is being run in conjunction with the NASCAR Busch Series, will be televised by SPEED with same-day coverage. The event is scheduled to see the green flag fall at 4:15 p.m. with SPEED coverage beginning at 8 p.m. Saturday evening. Friday’s qualifying is set for noon (all times Eastern).
“Quotes”:
LUIS DIAZ, #01 CompUSA Lexus-Riley: “Scott did a fantastic job for the team today, obviously. We have the car in a good position, knowing that the balance is pretty much right between Scott’s driving style and mine. I think Scott will run the car a bit stiffer, whereas I’ll make some adjustments to soften it up when I get in. Coming off the Daytona 24 Hours, this is just another huge race for us. Scott and I came close to winning here last year, but we still have a few more places to go up the podium before we’re satisfied.”
SCOTT PRUETT, #01 CompUSA Lexus-Riley: “My whole focus for this weekend was getting the pole, and in turn starting the race in the clear so Luis could have the car in a position to win in the end. We accomplished the first part of that today by starting where we are, but our work doesn’t stop there. Mexico City is all about Luis. I’m just here along with the Ganassi team, doing everything it takes right now to get the car to the front to stay. Hopefully the race will play out in our favor and we can make a trip to Victory Lane this weekend.”
MIKE BORKOWSKI, #6 Graydon Elliott Fusion Racing Lexus-Riley: “This just isn’t where we want to be. The car hasn’t reacted to what we have been doing to it set-up wise like we want, so it’s been pretty frustrating. This track is fairly difficult to pass on, so we were obviously hoping we could have been further up the field, but we’ll just have to try some new things for the race and keep working at it.”
PAUL TRACY, #6 Graydon Elliott Fusion Racing Lexus-Riley: “We are playing some catch-up with the car because we lost track time yesterday. We just haven’t found the balance we need to be fast here yet. We have another warm-up session in the morning, so hopefully we can keep improving tomorrow and be strong in the race.”
MICHAEL SHANK, MSR team owner: “I’m pretty proud of how this whole team chipped in to get the work done we needed to last night. But with things being as close as they are here in Rolex, you have to keep improving all weekend so we are still trying to make up some ground with the Graydon car. We have some things that we are going to try tomorrow and hopefully we can move up in the pack and get some good luck in the race.”
March 02, 2006
FLIGHT OPTIONS LEXUS FLYING HIGH IN MEXICO CITY
LEXUS-POWERED PROTOTYPES 1-2 ON DAY ONE SOUTH OF THE BORDER
After finishing second in the 24-hour race in Daytona, the #60 Flight Options Lexus-Riley showed it can run just as strong in sprint mode as the duo of Oswaldo Negri and Mark Patterson topped the time charts in both Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series Daytona Prototype practice sessions at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City Thursday.
The Michael Shank Racing entry registered a fast time of 1:23.723 in the day’s first session and then went six-tenths quicker (1:23.137) in the late afternoon hours to maintain the top spot. Trailing close behind was the CompUSA Lexus Riley of Scott Pruett and Mexico City native Luis Diaz with a 1:23.262 to make it a Lexus one-two result on the day.
The third Lexus-powered entry, the #6 Graydon Elliott Fusion Racing Lexus-Riley was seventh in the day’s first session, but suffered mechanical problems in the afternoon that didn’t the MSR squad to register a time. Mike Borkowski is joined by Champ Car star Paul Tracy in the car this weekend. Tracy also is scheduled to run in this weekend’s Busch event.
Heading into Saturday’s race, Lexus-powered entries have won nine races and 16 pole positions in 27 Rolex Series events since entering the series in 2004.
This weekend’s Mexico City round, which is being run in conjunction with the NASCAR Busch Series, will be televised by SPEED with same-day coverage. The event is scheduled to see the green flag fall at 4:15 p.m. with SPEED coverage beginning at 8 p.m. Saturday evening. Friday’s qualifying is set for noon (all times Eastern).