Underdogs Take the Day at Rolex 24

Daytona, FL – January 29, 2012 – By Kevin Sims of www.AutobahnAmbitionMAG.com – The 50th Anniversary of the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona concluded with an emotional eruption as first time winner Michael Shank Racing led a Ford-powered hat trick beating Grand Am giants Ganassi Racing and Gainsco/Bob Stallings Racing. With a margin of victory of 5.198 seconds, team mates at Michael Shank Racing proudly accepted their winner’s Rolex watch while triggering a reorganization of the Grand Am DP power structure. The 2012 DP rule created a mold to which this year’s Rolex 24 was cast. Teams could no longer rely on past experience and had to discover success.



The Ford Rileys learned with stunning resolve as they took the top three podium spots. Pre-race hoopla had fans believing a Corvette DP victory was a forgone conclusion. In a corporate PR grab, GM supported four teams including Action Express, Sun Trust Racing, Gainsco, and Spirit of Daytona. However, the Corvette DP’s best result was fifth, some 3 laps behind the winning Ford Riley.

In GT, the shake-up continued as Magnus Racing seized the moment and captured their first team Grand Am victory on the 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 stage. Brumos Racing led most of the 24 hours, however, a miscalculated late pitstop sent them back to third where they ended the race. Hurley Haywood, making his 40th Rolex 24 start, had hoped to add another Rolex notch to his career although the smooth, error free driving of Andy Lally, Richard Lietz, and Rene Rast in the #44 Magnus Racing Porsche GT3 made the difference. Like Chevy in DP, Ferrari lusted after a 50th Anniversary victory by filling the grid with five prancing horses. However, the cars from Maranello were slow out of the starting grid.



One of the two Risi Competizione Ferrari entries blew an engine while the other finished fifth in class. The remaining Ferrari stable crossed the finish line in eighth, thirteenth, and twenty-second. On this day, Porsche would take Rolex 24 glory as they took the top three positions in GT.