Monthly Archives: May 2012

Brumos Racing Taking it to the Streets for Inaugural Detroit Belle Isle Race

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Monday, May 28, 2012

If there’s one thing Brumos drivers Andrew Davis and Leh Keen enjoy, it’s taking on a new challenge.  As the GRAND-AM Rolex Series prepares for its first competition at Detroit’s Belle Isle raceway, there will be no shortage of challenges for the Brumos team. While 2011 Rolex Series GT Champions Davis and Keen will be making their driving debut at Belle Isle, Detroit is familiar territory for Brumos legend Hurley Haywood.  Haywood joins both of the team’s drivers in welcoming the chance to take the Brumos #59 Porsche 911 GT3 out on a new course and in front of a whole new group of fans.

Haywood recalled his experiences there, saying, “Detroit brings back fond memories for me.  In 1988 I won the Trans-Am race there when it was still held in the streets downtown. It was run along with Formula 1 and was a very popular event.  That year I was racing with Audi and it was the first win of our program, so it was quite memorable. Later, the race was moved out to Belle Isle, and I also raced there and had a 3rd place finish. Detroit is the capital of the American automotive industry and a great city – it is always special to compete in a city with that kind of history.”

Andrew Davis is also enthusiastic about the new venue, saying, “In GRAND-AM we normally don’t run a lot of street circuits, but seeing Detroit on our schedule is really exciting. Street courses are fun, and we will have the chance to race in front of a new fan base in Detroit. Porsche engines are great on tight street circuits, so we are really looking forward to a good race at Belle Isle. It will be a quick event, so we have to be fully prepared as we arrive and make sure we have a good car. I predict it will be a wild race – street circuits are always just a blast that way, with close quarters and no room for error. It will be the best team that wins, and at Brumos, we feel we are the best and have proven that in the past.”

While Leh Keen may not have driven the Belle Isle circuit, he is no stranger to street courses.  Fresh off a 3rd consecutive win of the One Lap of America event, Keen is ready to take on his next new challenge. “Having the Rolex Series add Belle Isle to the schedule this year is a real plus,” he said. “Although this will be our first time racing there, it will be new to the other teams as well, so that evens the playing field a bit. Last year I raced at Long Beach and Baltimore, two other challenging street courses, so that experience will be a big help for me. It’s great to visit a new track and a new city and street courses are just a lot of fun. This race is only two hours, so there will be plenty of action, but I know our guys will have a good strategy and give us a strong car.”

The Chevrolet GRAND-AM 200 at Belle Isle will be Round five of the Rolex Series season and will take place on Saturday, June 2nd, 2012. The two hour timed event will start at 5:05 PM ET and is scheduled for live broadcast on SPEED TV beginning at 5:00 PM ET.

Brumos Holds on to Top Ten despite Tough Break at NJ Motorsports Park

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Brumos 59 NJMP
Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Many teams might feel reluctant to revisit a track where they had a disappointing result, but for Brumos, the return to New Jersey Motorsport Park was a welcome challenge. Brumos’ 12th place finish at New Jersey last year was their lowest of the season, so the team was eager to set the record straight. Their resolve was tested in pre-race sessions by mechanical issues, but the team delivered a sound car that Andrew Davis qualified in 3rd position. In a race run mostly under green, the team’s strategy was on track, pit stops were executed cleanly and both Davis and Keen led the race during their stints. Near the end of the race, the Brumos #59 Porsche 911 GT3 seemed on its way to a strong finish when a damaged front splitter derailed the team’s podium run. Keen stayed out, holding on to finish in 9th place.

Andrew Davis was excited about the return to New Jersey, feeling that Brumos had something to prove. “We wanted to have a good showing this year and prove to everyone that we can be contenders here,” he said. “We struggled throughout the event to find balance, but by race time we had a solid car and I was able to qualify on the inside of the 2nd row. The start of the race went as planned and it looked like it would be a good battle, but the tires fell off a bit so I had to conserve. We were running a strategy to save tires and fuel and were on that plan for the race. It was looking good, but unfortunately, once the splitter was damaged, Leh did all he could just to bring the car home. I’m glad we held on for a top ten, but I felt bad that Leh had to drive the rest of his stint with a damaged splitter. It wasn’t the result we hoped for, but we’re Brumos – and we fight back. We are going to make June an aggressive month and prove that we deserve to be back on the podium.”

Leh Keen had praise for the efforts of his teammates, saying, “I really have to give it to the guys. They did an awesome job all weekend since day one. They spent a lot of time in the garage to give us a really good car. Our engineer spent time with us as well, and got the car where we wanted it. Andrew did a great job qualifying and holding his position in his stint. The first part of my stint was going well. We were conserving tires and saving fuel, getting set up for the strategy. Then, while trying to get through traffic and pass in a high speed corner, I tucked up behind another car and got a bit of aero push and dropped two wheels on the outside corner. There was a bump in that spot that grabbed the front splitter and ripped it off. At that point, we had a big aero push and there wasn’t a lot we could do to keep pace.  It was mostly green flag racing from then on, so we did the best we could with what we had. New Jersey seems to be kind of our nemesis for the year, so I’m glad to get it out of the way earlier this season. Now we will move on and look forward to Detroit and getting Brumos back in Victory Lane.”

The 9th place finish puts Brumos in 4th place in Team Points standings as they prepare for Round 5 at Detroit’s Belle Isle. That race will be held on Saturday, June 2nd, 2012.

Brumos Racing has Unfinished Business at NJ Motorsports Park

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NJMP
Monday, May 07, 2012

When looking back at their 2011 Championship run, most Brumos team members agree that last year’s New Jersey Motorsports Park race was their most challenging of the year. Fresh from their 2nd win that season, Brumos arrived at New Jersey enjoying a ten point championship lead. While the team was prepared for July heat, the weekend’s soaring triple-digit temperatures took a greater toll on the car and crew than expected. A mechanical problem during the race put the #59 Porsche 911 GT3 down 6 laps, resulting in Brumos’ only finish out of the top ten all season. The day’s 12th place finish also narrowed the Brumos championship lead to one point. As Brumos prepares for this year’s return to Thunderbolt Raceway, they welcome the schedule change to the more temperate month of May and are ready to show New Jersey fans just what the Brumos #59 Porsche can do.

Located in historic Millville, the New Jersey track opened for business and hosted its first GRAND-AM Rolex Series event in 2008. While the track may be new, both Brumos drivers, Leh Keen and Andrew Davis, have already enjoyed success there.  Keen scored a win while driving a Porsche in 2009, the year of his first Rolex Series GT Championship, while Davis finished on the New Jersey podium with a 2nd place finish in 2008 after narrowly missing out on pole position.

Leh Keen is ready for his stint this year at Thunderbolt Raceway, particularly after missing his turn behind the wheel when the Homestead race ended early due to rain. “I am really looking forward to getting back to New Jersey,” he said, “and I am definitely ready to drive.  We had such a tough race there last year with the heat, and then the guys had to deal with the only major mechanical problem the #59 had for the entire season. They really did an amazing job getting the repair done in the pits, despite such dangerous conditions, and they kept us in the race. This year we are ready to take back what the track took from us last year. We had a strong car at Homestead despite the constantly changing conditions and heavy rain, so we are overdue for some favorable weather for this race. I know our guys will deliver again regardless of the difficulties – Brumos always meets our challenges head-on.”

Andrew Davis has one additional personal goal in mind – to put the #59 Brumos Porsche up front by qualifying in pole position. “This year at New Jersey is going to be really interesting,” he said. “I believe Brumos will be strong there and I’m also excited about getting out on the new Continental GTR tire. Last year our New Jersey race was such a struggle – it kind of deflated us when we were sitting so high, although we were able to fight back and eventually win the championship. We just didn’t get a fair shake last year, so we will be looking for our own kind of revenge there this time around. I know our guys will give us a good car and our Porsche 911 GT3 can do really well on this track. We are ready to challenge for the win, for the fastest lap, and for the pole – all of it. We are excited to get back and Brumos is definitely ready to kick off a new winning streak at New Jersey.”

The Global Barter 250 will take place on New Jersey Motorsport Park’s Thunderbolt Raceway in Millville, NJ. The 2.75 hour race will begin at 1:00 PM ET on Sunday, May 13, 2012, and is scheduled for live broadcast on SPEED TV.

Brumos’ Promising Run Gets Cut Short in Rain-Soaked Homestead Race

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Monday, April 30, 2012

All of the ingredients were in place for another strong finish for Brumos Racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Round 3 of GRAND-AM Rolex Series competition. A test day at the track showed a solid car and the forecast of rain was actually considered a plus, given the expertise of the Brumos drivers and strength of the Porsche 911 GT3 on a wet track. Andrew Davis was confident of his chances for a pole position, but when the session was rained out, he settled for starting from 3rd based on points for 2012.

Davis kept the #59 running up front despite hazardous conditions and claimed the lead, holding it for 15 laps – longer than any other GT driver. The race, which started under yellow, was cancelled due to rain at lap 54 with only 30 laps completed under green.  Davis kept to the planned strategy, driving until fuel reached the point that the rest of the race could be completed with no further stops, then pitted under yellow for a driver change.  The call to cancel the remainder of the session came at that point, preventing Leh Keen from turning a single lap under green. In the pit stop sequence, the #59 went back on track in 6th place, so Brumos was forced to end the day in that position.

Despite obvious disappointment, Keen remained focused on the bigger picture, saying, “In the end, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been for us. If we could have raced a bit more, I know we would have finished better. Unfortunately, I only turned a few caution laps and then they called the race. I do have to hand it to Andrew – he had an awesome drive, running up front and in first place for a lot of the race. He was one of the few that never had an “off”, which says a lot for his driving skill under such treacherous conditions. All in all, the team did a great job. I’m happy with how we progressed with the car in the dry and then reworked the setup for the rain. There is just no way of knowing what Mother Nature is going to do and no way of knowing what the officials are going to do, so we just have to take it as we can and make the best of it.”

For Andrew Davis, success in what he described as ‘a wild race’ was all about driving smart.  “Rain races, especially under such hazardous conditions, are just mentally taxing,” he explained. “It’s not physically as difficult, but you have to focus the entire time. It was a very difficult stint, with so many cars going off, but I was really happy with the pace of the Brumos #59. We were able to push hard, the balance was good, the brakes were good, and it wasn’t easy, but I stayed out of trouble. We held the lead, called a great strategy and were looking good for another podium and a victory.  It was a shame that the race was cut short and we weren’t able to see that. I’m just very proud of our team – they made all sorts of changes throughout the sessions and we had a good car for the race. We can all be proud of the effort, and we came out with some good points. Brumos is still in the thick of the championship battle, so no sweat – Leh and I will move on the next race and win that one!”

The 6th place finish puts Brumos in 3rd place in the points standings, only 5 points out of the lead. Both Keen and Davis were awarded full driver points for the finishing position. The team will head to New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, NJ, for the next race, which will be held on Sunday, May 13th, 2012.

Brumos Hoping to Score 3rd Consecutive Podium at Homestead

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Monday, April 23, 2012

For Brumos Racing, 2012 has thus far been the year of the podium finish. The Jacksonville, FL-based team is now 2-for-2 in podium appearances – the only Rolex Series team that can make that claim. As they prepare for Round 3 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Brumos is hoping to extend that streak. Although last year’s Homestead outing was a difficult one, Brumos and its drivers are quite familiar with the podium there. In 2010, the Homestead race ended with a Brumos Porsche Riley DP in 2nd place overall.  Sharing that podium on the GT side were today’s Brumos driving duo, Andrew Davis and Leh Keen, then representing two different teams. Now united in Brumos colors, the goal of both Davis and Keen this year is to keep the #59 Brumos Porsche GT3 up front and end the day with another Victory Lane celebration.

Leh Keen has seen his share of success at Homestead with multiple podium finishes, but he also looks forward to a return there for other reasons. “It’s always nice to head down to South Florida,” he said. “The Homestead race really kicks off the beginning of the busier summer months for the Rolex Series. We are definitely looking forward to our 3rd race. This year we will all be on a new tire, so it will be a bit challenging getting set up for that since we haven’t run on it before. The Homestead track should suit the Porsches a bit better than Barber did, though. It is quite flat with 100% throttle through the banking, so we will have to dig out of the banking and try to carry as much speed as we can. The surface will be slippery, so we will have to keep our rear end underneath us, but I have a lot of confidence in our crew to give us a good car and we will work hard to keep our momentum going and extend our podium streak to three.”

Qualifying and starting driver Andrew Davis has also been successful at Homestead, earning pole positions and podium finishes. He enjoys the unique challenges of the historic course, saying, “Homestead is just a great track. The banking is a big thrill and there is also some high speed, as well as some technical parts on the inside of the track. Right now Brumos is on a roll – Daytona was a grueling event where we were the class of the field and able to take a podium. Then, at Barber, we struggled, but fought back as a team. Our strategy and pit stops were what got us on the podium again. Homestead is going to be difficult, in terms of overall grip levels. We will have to get the car right and focus on getting it drivable over the course of the race. From there, we just have to do what Brumos does best, which is qualify up front and stay up front in the race.”

Leh Keen spoke on behalf of the entire team in mentioning added significance Homestead holds for Brumos. He explained, “Homestead is the first place I ever drove the #59 Brumos Porsche, because that is the first place we tested it at the beginning of last year. It has sentimental value to me for that reason. It will always be good to take the #59 back to the first place I ever drove it.”

Brumos Racing will return to Homestead-Miami Speedway for Round 3 of the GRAND-AM Rolex Series season. The Grand Prix of Miami will be held on Sunday, April 29th, 2012, with a scheduled start time of 1:00 PM ET. The 2.75 hour race will be televised live on SPEED TV.