Haywood and Lieb Join Davis and
Keen in Brumos 59 for 2012 Rolex 24
As the GRAND-AM Rolex Series kicked off
2011 with the Rolex 24 at Daytona, one of the most closely watched teams was
Brumos Racing. Following the team’s decision to return to their GT roots, all eyes were on the
familiar #59 Brumos Porsche 911 GT3, curious to see how the revamped team of 2011 would compare to
their legendary predecessors. The Jacksonville, Florida - based team did not disappoint, closing
out their debut season as GT Champions.
As the 2012 season gets underway, Brumos drivers Andrew Davis and Leh
Keen are looking ahead
and hoping to score the
ultimate victory with a Rolex 24 win. As Daytona International Speedway
celebrates the 50th
anniversary of their classic 24 hour race, Brumos legend Hurley Haywood
marks
a milestone of his own, making
his 40th Rolex 24 start. Rounding out the Brumos
lineup is Porsche
factory driver Marc Lieb,
returning for his 2nd Rolex 24 competition as a Brumos driver.
For two-time champion Leh Keen, the 2012 season opener has added
significance. “This year is not
only the 50th
anniversary race, this may be one of the most competitive GT fields in
the world,” he
explained. “We are all really
excited about this race as a team. We have momentum and we feel
strong. Having Marc join us
again is a big plus - we accomplished a lot at the Roar Test, so we are
ready to race against the best
in the world. I think there is actually less pressure than last year,
because we all know that we are
capable of winning races and winning a championship. It feels
great to arrive for the new
season as the previous year’s champions.You know every other driver
will be going after you, but
you want to be the team with the target on your back, and I think we are
those guys.”
Andrew Davis was
thrilled with the success of last season, but now turns his attention
towards a new
goal - winning the Rolex 24.
“The best way for Brumos to work towards another championship is to
win this event,” he said. “No
one on the team has rested in the off-season. We have all been
working non-stop to make sure
we hit the track in the same fashion we ended last season. The field
this year is amazing and the
competition extreme, but Brumos is up for the challenge. We fought
tooth and nail all last year,
so we are ready to do it again. We have proven that we are champions
and we are fully focused on
this great event. We are ready to add a new chapter to the winning
history of Brumos Racing.”
When it comes to
history, no one can match Brumos’ own Hurley Haywood. In his previous 39
Rolex 24 starts, Haywood has
seen it all, but goes into 2012 with added confidence. ”We have a
great car, a great crew, and a
strong driver line-up,” he said. “There are a record number of entries
this year and any one of those
entries has a chance of winning this race. It’s not necessarily the
track
speed, but it’s running a
smooth, trouble-free race that will put you in Victory Lane. I am really
looking forward to 2012. Last
year we were a brand new team and it took us a while to find our feet.
This year, everything has come
together and we are going to hit the season running full tilt.”
Marc Lieb, rejoining
Brumos for the first time since last year’s 24 hour race, notes many
positive
changes in the team this
season. “I can see that the team has really developed over the last
year,” the
former Porsche Cup winner
observed. “Brumos has become a true team – everyone works together
and knows that the goal is to
win this race. Every person on the team is professional and totally
focused and that is the most
important thing in a 24 hour race. This year is definitely one of the
most
historically significant 24
hour races and sharing a car with Hurley is special as well. With all
the
history Brumos has at Daytona,
it’s very exciting to be here as a Brumos driver.”
The 50th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona will
take place on January 28th – 29th, 2012. The race
will begin at 3:30 PM Saturday
and conclude at 3:30 PM Sunday, with 15.5 hours of live coverage
on SPEED TV. A pre-race show
will begin at 2:30 PM ET Saturday, continuing through the evening
until 11:00 PM ET. Coverage
resumes Sunday at 9:00 AM ET through the end of the race,
concluding at 4:00 PM ET.
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