The Alley : April 2014 Laguna Seca

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News From the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship - Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca 2014

The double play

Taylor boys ‘shear’ terror

JORDAN AND RICKY MAKING THEIR MARK

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funny thing happened in talking to the resident fun drivers in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship series. Ricky and Jordan Taylor were serious.

Climbing the ladder to the top levels of competition, top sports car endurance racing drivers often discover the intensity and overlapping demands tend to take away some of the fun that got them into the sport.

Thankfully, the Taylor brothers are exceptions in many ways, including the fun department.

“The two of us put pressure on ourselves,” said Ricky Taylor.

“At times it may not seem that way, but we take it seriously. From the start of each race we remind ourselves to have fun.”

Raised in a top racing family, they hung out at races as their dad, Wayne Taylor, built his career and namesake team, but neither Ricky, now 24, or Jordan, 22, was especially interested in racing while growing up.

That started to change in their teens when they finally tried racing karts and attended the Skip Barber Racing school.

For Jordan, the first big race was indeed big; he started in the deep end at the Rolex 24 at Daytona at age 16.

“Just before my first stint, my dad said, ‘you’re probably not ready for this,’ and he was right, but it went pretty well,” said Jordan.

“I was fortunate to grow up around the team and sit in on debriefs and learn how the engineers talk,” said Jordan.

The brothers are now teammates. “In most teams, there is a lot of ego,” said Jordan.

“The drivers want to beat their teammates.

Here, Ricky and I don’t care if one of us is better or faster for a race. We are a family. We haven’t argued yet.”

“Ricky and I like racing together and the results prove we deserve to race with this team. It is not just some guy buying seats for his kids. This is our family team,” continued Jordan.

Technically still a college student, a degree is its own endurance race as Jordan notes.

“I’m on the 10 year degree path. It’s hard to take more than one or two classes a semester while we are racing.”

“We are each other’s best friends,” adds Ricky.

“We are together on the cars and on family. We are different at home than on the track.”

Actually the media and fan perceptions are virtually the opposite of the Taylor family realities.

“Yeah, I’m more aggressive in the car,” said Ricky, who admits to taking more chances.

“Jordan is more methodical. He builds up to it.”

And away from the track there are surprises, too. “Jordan is really quiet at home, he has a very select group of friends,” said Ricky. “He is very focused.”

Meanwhile Jordan laughs, “I am a clean freak.

Ricky is a mess. When I go over to his place, I just start cleaning up; I can’t take the mess.”

One of the favorite moments for both came this January at the Rolex 24 at Daytona when they coaxed their dad, Wayne, out of retirement to race with the boys and longtime family friend “Uncle Max” Angelelli.

“It was weird to come back to the big stage at Daytona for our little family team to finish second,” said Ricky.

With a second place finish at Long Beach, Wayne Taylor Racing, the defending race champions here at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, are in a tight battle for the championship with the Action Express and Chip Ganassi Racing teams. That makes it big fun and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

“My whole life is racing and family and I love my life,” said Jordan.

Are the mullet’s days numb Q. Who won the 2013 GR AND-AM prototype championship?

Q. Who is the kid with the mullet hair?

The answer to both is Jor dan Taylor and therein lies a problem.

“I had a mullet when I was young and posted a shot of it on social me dia. People said, ‘Oh you should grow it back.’ No w, I get more attention for the mullet than for win ning the championship last year. I’m ready for it to be gone, probably

ered?

after Le Mans (where he rejoins Corvette Racing).

I’ll cut it and raise som e money for charity,” sai d Jordan.

Meanwhile, Ricky is ask ed: Which is scarier, driving down the Mulsa nne straightaway at Le Mans in the dark, rai n and fog, or Jordan’s mullet?

“I’d say Le Mans, becau se hopefully Jordan’s mullet is going to go aw ay before too long, but Le Mans will always be diffi cult.”

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J

onathan Bennett does not have a split personality, but the quiet owner of CORE autosport will find himself in two different roles in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship doubleheader here on Sunday, May 4 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

As the CORE team owner and PC class co-driver with Colin Braun, Bennett returns to the scene of his first major sports car victory. Since Braun’s bold pass on PC rival Bruno Junqueira coming down The Corkscrew on the penultimate lap of the 2012 race here, Bennett’s CORE autosport team has been the dominant force in the PC class, winning 14 races and the last three class championships.

Racing in identical single specification Oreca chassis with Chevrolet engines in the open cockpit prototypes, Bennett and Braun will take on the hotly competitive 8Star Motorsports, Starworks Motorsport, RSR Racing, Performance Tech Motorsports, PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports and BAR1 Motorsports teams in the PC/ GT Daytona race on Sunday morning.

Bennett and Braun have scored Prototype Challenge class victories at both previous rounds, the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, to put them atop the PC driver standings heading into the third race of PC class schedule.

“It’s a great way to start the season.

Sebring was the first big race I’d ever been in, back in 2011,” Bennett said.

“I was amazed to get on the podium.

Once you’ve made it to the podium, you get your eye open to the top step of the podium. In 2012, we finished third and last year we realized it’s easy to lose control of a long race like that.

“I was very happy that we won Sebring this year, in some ways more than Daytona, because I don’t have any history with Daytona. Sebring was always one I’d hoped to win.”

But that is only the first half of Bennett’s 2014 story and plan for the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca doubleheader.

Chosen last fall by Porsche to become the home for the new Porsche North America factory team in the GT Le Mans class, CORE enters with Porsche leading the fierce manufacturer battle in GTLM. While typically the cars are all racing simultaneously, here in a unique split format, Bennett will have the luxury of focusing on his PC race on Sunday morning and then shifting gears to team owner for the GT LM race that afternoon looking for an incredible third double victory of the young 2014 season.

Both of the CORE prepared factory Porsches have already taken major victories in 2014, with Nick Tandy and

Richard Lietz taking the GT honors at the season opening Rolex 24 at Daytona and teammates Patrick Long and Michael Christensen and taking class honors at Sebring.

“It was mind-blowing, as we had 25 minutes to go, to realize that the sister team with the Porsches were in a position to win as well,” Bennett said.

“I just couldn’t believe that the situation was happening again. I’m very pleased for both sides of the company.”

The Rock Hill, South Carolina based CORE squad has claimed a stunning four of a possible five class wins in the first three races of the 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar championship.

The Porsche North America team will face the wrath of Corvette Racing, BMW Team RLL, SRT Viper, Risi Competizione Ferrari and Falken Porsche in the afternoon.

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FAST FACT Watch us now on Fox All the action of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship races from Mazda Raceway Laguna can be seen from flag to flag on the Fox Sports 1 network.

International fans will also be able to see the race live on IMSA.com.

Sunday, May 4 Race 1 (PC/GTD classes) – 1:00 – 3:30 pm (EDT) on FOXSports1 (Live) Race 2 (P/GTLM classes) – 5:30 – 8:00 pm (EDT) on FOXSports1 (Live)

Check it out In 1984 Mazda, BFGoodrich Tires, and Jim Busby Racing teamed up to score a historic David vs. Goliath C2 class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The car, a Lola T-616, was powered by a Mazda 13B rotary engine.

One of many great collaborations between Mazda and BFGoodrich Tires, the tires were experimental BFGoodrich T/A Radial street tires. The drivers were John Morton, John O’Steen, and Yoshami Katayama.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Le Mans win, Mazda and BFG have entered John Morton in a Mazda MX-5, wrapped in a heritage livery, in the SCCA Pro Racing Mazda MX-5 Cup here. Two Lola T-616 Mazdas will also be on display at Mazda Raceway, courtesy of owner John Davis.

S E B R I N G

2014 Schedule January 25-26

Rolex 24 at Daytona

March 15

Twelve Hours of Sebring

April 12

Long Beach (P and GTLM only) Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

NEWS

FROM

The Raceway At Belle Isle Park (P, PC & GTD only)

June 7

Kansas Speedway (PC only)

June 29

Six Hours of The Glen

July 13

Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

July 25

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

August 10

Road America

August 24

VIR (GTLM/GTD race; PC race)

September 20

Circuit of The Americas

October 4

Petit Le Mans

THE

AMERICAN

LE

MANS

SERIES

michelinalley.com

HISTORY in the making It was 55 years ago, in 1952, that an estimated 3,000 fans paid $2.00 each to

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udi Sport North

Michelin also made its own

America made

history, becoming the first tire

history at Sebring in

maker in the 54-year history

2006 as the diesel-powered

of the Sebring race to score an

12 Hours of Sebring, America’s

Audi R10 TDI of Allan McNish,

eighth consecutive overall win.

premier sports car race.

Tom Kristensen and Rinaldo

witness the first running of the

Back in the day when

Hours of Sebring may again be

Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of

truly historic: •

Academy Award for the

Sebring making the new Audi prototype the first diesel

was making its 24 Hours of Le

powered-car in the world to

Mans debut.

win a major sports car race.

the year 1952 on page 3.

first ever Sebring 12 Hours victory?

•

Will Acura score its first

consecutive win at Sebring to match its current win streak at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race?

•

win in its debut race?

•

The overall race victory

Penske, Dyson, Andretti

was Kristensen’s fourth, also a

Green, Fernandez, Risi or

Sebring record.

Rahal Letterman claim a

Will Audi score an eighth consecutive overall race

Will one of American Motorsports’ iconic teams:

Will Michelin break its own record by scoring its ninth

The 2007 edition of the 12

Capello (pictured) won the

African Queen and Porsche

Find out more about

May 31

The double play

The Alley

Humphrey Bogart won the

May 4

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News From the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship - Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca 2014

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win?

•

Will a LMP 2 class car take

•

Will this be Corvette’s Ron

the overall win?

Fellows last Sebring?

Taylor boys ‘shear’ terror

JORDAN AND RICKY MAKING THEIR MARK

Celebrate turning 75 This issue marks the 75th race edition of the Michelin Alley.

Competitors and newcomers are still surprised when we feature a non-Michelin team or driver, but Michelin takes a big picture view and wants to help build the fan base. You can follow us throughout the year at www.michelinalley.com.

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“I get more attention for my mullet than for winning the championship last year.”

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WAYNE TAYLOR RACING’S JORDAN TAYLOR TALKING ABOUT HIS POPULAR HAIRSTYLE

Split schedule

Friday, May 2, 2014

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca hosts the first TUDOR United SportsCar Championship doubleheader with two separate races. The format puts the PC (Prototype Challenge) and GT Daytona classes, which combine professional and sportsmen drivers into their own race on Sunday morning, followed by the Prototype and GT Le Mans pro classes on Sunday afternoon.

SHIP IT!

Corvette Racing will leave here Sunday night for a quick dash back to the team shop in New Hudson, Michigan where the cars will be readied, then placed aboard a ship to England and then trucked on to France for the June 1st test day for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

8:00 am - 8:30 am

Practice #1 – Mazda MX-5

8:40 am - 9:20 am

Practice #1 – Lamborghini

9:35 am - 10:20 am

Practice #1 – CTSC

10:35 am - 11:05 am

Practice #1 – Porsche GT3 Cup

11:15 am - 11:45 am

Practice #2 – Mazda MX-5

12:00 pm - 12:40 pm

Practice #2 – Lamborghini

1:40 pm - 2:25 pm

Practice #2 – CTSC

2:40 pm - 3:20 pm

Practice #2 – Porsche GT3 Cup

3:30 pm - 4:00 pm

Qualifying – Mazda MX-5

4:10 pm - 4:25 pm

Qualifying – CTSC ST

4:40 pm - 4:55 pm

Qualifying – CTSC GS

5:10 pm - 5:40 pm

Qualifying – Lamborghini

5:45 pm - 6:30 pm

Race #1 – Mazda MX-5

Saturday, May 3, 2014 8.00 am - 8:45 am

Race #2 – Mazda MX-5

9:00 am - 9:20 am

Qualifying – Porsche GT3 Cup

9:35 am -10:35 am

Practice #1 - TUDOR (All Classes)

10:50 am - 11:40 am

Race #1 - Lamborghini

11:00 am - 11:45 am

TUDOR Autograph Session

12:45 pm - 3:15 pm

Race - CTSC

3:45 pm - 4:45 pm

Practice #2 - TUDOR (All Classes)

4:55 pm - 5:10 pm

Qualifying - TUDOR (GTD)

5:15 pm - 5:30 pm

Qualifying - TUDOR (GTLM)

5:40 pm - 5:55 pm

Qualifying - TUDOR (PC)

6:00 pm - 6:15 pm

Qualifying - TUDOR (P)

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Mirror Mirror

BMW Team RLL’s Bill Auberlen saw his chances for a repeat win at Long Beach go up in...mirror glass…when co-driver Andy Priaulx grazed the pit wall with the right side mirror on the team’s only pit stop. The BMW crew did a stellar job to replace the door as Auberlen hopped in. But they had lost too much track position in a race that was caution free. The good news is after finishing sixth, they now lead the GTLM class championship.

8:00 am - 8:20 am

Warm Up - TUDOR (All Classes)

9:00 am - 9:45 am

Race #1 - Porsche GT3 Cup

10:15 am -12:15 pm

Grand Prix of Monterey Race for the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship PC/GTD - 2 Hours

12:40 pm - 1:30 pm

Race #2 - Lamborghini

2:45 pm - 4:45 pm

Grand Prix of Monterey Race for the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship P/GTLM - 2 Hours

5:15 pm - 6:00 pm

Race #2 - Porsche GT3 Cup

BMW

Müller/Edwards BMW Team RLL • BMW Z4 GTE GT Le Mans

FAN FAVORITES

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Michelin

Smartphone scan code here

Check out the video of the BMW stars discussing the secrets to endurance racing success

HPD - HONDA

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Brown/van Overbeek Extreme Speed Motorsports • HPD ARX-03b Prototype Continental

CORVETTE DP

Fittipaldi/Barbosa Action Express Racing • Corvette DP Prototype

CORVETTE DP

J.Taylor/R.Taylor Wayne Taylor Racing • Corvette DP Prototype

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Continental

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Continental

MORGAN - NISSAN

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Brundle/Yacaman Oak Racing • Morgan - Nissan Prototype Continental

CORVETTE

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Gavin/Milner Corvette Racing • Chevrolet Corvette C7.R GT Le Mans Michelin

FERRARI

Fisichella/TBA Risi Competizione • Ferrari F458 Italia GT Le Mans

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Michelin

SRT - VIPER

Farnbacher/Goossens SRT Motorsports • SRT Viper GTS-R GT Le Mans

PORSCHE

91

Michelin

912 06

Long/Christensen

Porsche North America • Porsche 911 RSR GT Le Mans Michelin

PORSCHE

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Dempsey/Davis Dempsey Racing • Porsche 911 GT America GT Daytona Continental

Michelin North America, Inc • One Parkway South, • Greenville, SC 29615 • TEL: 1-800-458-5000 • www.michelin.com • Printed in USA, April 30, 2014 • Volume 8, Issue 4 No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the prior permission of the publisher. • Copyright © 2014 Michelin North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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