TRG took to the track for the first time in 2009 with five Porsche GT entries in preparation for the Grand-Am Rolex Series Rolex 24 Hours At Daytona to be run January 24-25. The team of Justin Marks, RJ Valentine, Andy Lally, Patrick Long and Joerg Bergmeister ended the three day Roar Before the 24 - second in the GT field going into the race in 19 days.
The No. 67 Construct Corps/CRG/No Fear Energy Drinks/K1 Speed/Gemstone Winery/TRG put in a time of 1:51.169 in the hands of Andy Lally. The team hopes that the speed shown under near perfect 80 degree temperatures will be sign of things to come for the race.
“I am steadily getting back into the flow,” Marks said. “I have been away from sports car racing for almost four years. There are a lot of things to getting a good rhythm in the car like threshold braking, shifting and taking the fast line. I am just trying not to go make it all come back at once, I am pacing myself. We have guys in the car who have spent their racing lives behind the wheel of a Porsche and I have left the setup to them. The Porsche is a different car to drive compared to what I was used to in the BMW. I am getting all the right feedback and help from my co-drivers to get up to speed. Once I get the miles from this weekend and then the race I will be ready to help with the setup of the car and all of that come VIR at the end of April.”
The No. 65 Riegel-Stanton Porsche driven by John Potter, Bryce Miller, Craig Stanton and Marco Holzer put down a time of 1:51.176.
“The car is a brand new 2009 Porsche,” Potter said. “So every time we go out for a practice session the car gets that much better. There are subtle differences between the 2008 and 2009 cars. We are doing things like adjusting the foot pedals and working on the handling. I ran here during the evening at the test in November and over this past weekend. The lights are so bright it is almost like running during the day. This will be my first 24 hour race and I am looking forward to coming back at the end of the month.”
Riegel-Stanton team owner Ted Rozsa believes he assembled the right pieces to be successful at the end of the month.
“This weekend was a great experience for theRiegel-Stanton team and I am very pleased with our progress,” Rozsa said. “John and Craig have been spending a lot of time together and the chemistry between them is great. I am very happy to have Bryce on the team and Marco Holzer has brought a maturity well beyond his years. With John Beddell as our crew chief, I think we quietly have one of the stronger line-ups out there and I am cautiously optimistic headed into the 24.”
The No. 66 AXA Insurance/Mitchell Rubber/TRG Porsche of Ted Ballou, Tim George Jr., Spencer Pumpelly, Emmanuel Collard and Richard Lietz followed the lead TRG GT3 Cup car with a time of 1:51.277.
| 
|