6/1/2011
Bill Lester
SunTrust and Stevenson Victorious At Lime Rock Park to Give Team Chevy Double Wins in The Rolex Series!
It was a stellar day for both the SunTrust Racing Chevrolet Dallara and the Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GT.R teams in Rolex Sports Car Series competition at Lime Rock Park, Lakeville, Connecticut.
Both teams won the pole for their respective classes earlier in the one-day event. Ricky Taylor powered the No. 10 SunTrust Racing Chevrolet/Dallara fielded by Wayne Taylor Racing to the top spot in the Daytona Prototype (DP) class while Robin Liddell put the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GT.R on the pole in the Grand Touring (GT) class.
At the end of the grueling 2.75-hour race on the very tricky, technical track, both teams ended the day where they started – at the front of the field. The No. 88 Autohaus Motorsports Camaro GT.R team followed up their victory at VIR with a strong second-place finish today to give Chevrolet the top-two podium finishes in GT.
“We started this morning in heavy rain for the first practice session,” said Jim Lutz, GM Racing Program Manager for Grand-Am Road Racing. “Then day turned into sunshine and got very hot, humid. The SunTrust Chevy Dallara led from the pole and they were very strong all day. It was Max Angelelli that took the car across the finish line.
“In GT, we had a one-two finish for Camaro with Stevenson Motorsports winning with Jan Magnussen at the wheel at the finish and Autohaus Motorsports in the runner-up position. It was a great day for Chevrolet at the very challenging Lime Rock Park”
After Taylor got the SunTrust Chevrolet/Dallara off to a stellar start, it was teammate Angelelli who took the checkered flag for the team’s second consecutive win at the 1.5-mile track, but their first win in the 2011 season. The win place the No. 10 SunTrust Chevrolet Dallara third in the DP standings after five races.
“It is fantastic for everyone on this SunTrust Chevy team,’ said Angelelli. “They just did a fantastic job. The car was so pleasing to drive. It was really relaxing, I had a good time. This win was one of the easiest and thanks to Ricky Taylor. He did an amazing job in his stint with what he did and the way he pulled away. Amazing job.”
“Max was awesome,” said Taylor. “I think the engineers hit the nail right on the head today with the setup. Just awesome. So happy for SunTrust on Memorial Day. Thinking about our troops here. Fantastic.”
For Liddell and Magnussen, the day went equally as well as the team also scored their first victory of the season and are now ninth in the team standings.
“Everything just went our way today,” said an emotional Liddell after the race. “Thanks to the guys for persevering as hard as they have and to Stevenson Motorsports and Chevrolet for all of their support. Just very emotional because my Dad passed away three weeks ago so more than anything, just want to dedicate this to him.”
“This weekend just came together for us from the beginning,” said Magnussen. “We had a good car in the wet and the dry. In the race, we made no mistakes. We just kept pushing. It just doesn’t make sense sometimes why we win races and why we lose them. We’ve been in this position many times, this time we just put it together. I am so happy for Robin and so happy for the team.”
The No. 99 GAINSCO Chevrolet/Riley with Alex Gurney and Jon Forgarty finished fourth today in DP and sits sixth in points.
After qualifying in second position, The No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Chevrolet/Coyote suffered a broken shift linkage and finished ninth in class. The team is tied for ninth in the standings.
With the runner-up finish, the No. 88 Autohaus Motorsports Camaro GT.R is second in the GT standings after five events.
The Marsh Racing Corvette crossed the finish line fifth in class and the No. 07 Banner Racing Camaro GT.R was eighth in class at the checkered flag.
It was a very successful Memorial Day classic for Stevenson Motorsports in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge where drivers Matt Bell and John Edwards brought the Camaro GS.R to the checkered flag in fourth place.
The No. 62 Mitchum Motosports Camaro GS.R finished eighth in class followed by the No. 00 CKS Autosports Camaro GS.R in 12th; the No. 6 Mitchum Motorsports Camaro GS.R in 13th and the No. 01 CKS Autosports Camaro GS.R in the 14th finishing position in class.
The June 3-4 Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen, Watkins Glen International - Long Course, Watkins Glen, NY is next on the schedule for DP and GT. For GS, it will be the Continental Tire 150, Watkins Glen International - Long Course, Watkins Glen, NY on June 2-3, 2011
Note: Team Chevy press releases, high-resolution images, and media kit can be downloaded from the Team Chevy media website: http://media.gm.com/product/public/us/en/gmracing/news.html
About Chevrolet: Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 140 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. The Chevrolet portfolio includes iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers such as Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free" solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
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Submitted By: Philip Hampton
