In between time Keen ran round three of the GRAND-AM GT Championship in the Brumos Porsche where and he and co-driver Andrew Davis placed in the top ten at a tricky Barber Motorsports Park circuit in Birmingham, Alabama. The 2009 and 2011 GRAND-AM GT Champion is also making select appearances in the Team West Alex Job Racing Ferrari in the American Le Mans Series. This will be his second-time racing at the 12.9-mile, 73-turn Nürburgring circuit.

“Last month I got zero laps, it was just snowed out,” Keen said. “I didn’t even go to the track. I ended up making it a bit of holiday and headed south to Italy. Farnbacher Racing is really eager to get the car out on the track. But the snow has been keeping them and everyone off the surface. Even another test day just last week was snowed out.”

So far the weather report for this weekend in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany looks promising.

Car front “I arrived today, and so far it is sunny and about 60 degrees. It’s a perfect day to be at the Nürburgring,” Keen continued. “The track looks pretty green as there are some cars driving on it and it also appears to be slippery.”

“This is really just a practice to get everyone situated with the car. I haven’t driven the track in a while, so it will be refreshing for me. The car looks amazing and if it drives anything like it looks, we will be in great shape.”

Joining Keen will be Christina Nielsen and Tomas Pivoda. Nielsen is a young talented female Danish race car driver who has competed with Farnbacher Racing in the Porsche Carrera Cup. Pivoda is from the Czech Republic and is an accomplished open wheel competitor who will be running in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland series this season.

The 2013 Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park will be a race long remembered by Brumos Racing – not for their results on the track, but for the opportunity to work with the Racing for Children’s group. Brumos drivers and crew were able to spend time during the week with many of the pediatric hospital’s patients and their families, and Brumos raced in a special livery with handprints of children covering the Brumos #59 Porsche 911 GT3. Although the track at Barber is a challenging one for Porsches, the drivers and crew were determined to give it their all in hopes of repeating last year’s podium finish.

Unfortunately, a repeat podium was not in the cards, as the team suffered a series of setbacks. Limited track time in a weekend shared with the IndyCar Series, combined with cold and rainy pre-race weather, offered little chance to find a workable setup for the warm and sunny race day. Braking problems during qualifying caused a lock up for Andrew Davis that spun him off course, damaging a tire. Unable to make a change, the Brumos #59 was forced to end the session in 12th place. Davis fought his way back in his opening stint and was able to gain ground, but braking issues persisted. Leh Keen ran into problems in the closing stint as the brakes locked up again. The resulting tire damage brought him back in to pit for new tires. Given the shortened 2 hour race format, time ran out before Keen could regain position, but he hung on to end the day with a top ten finish.

Andrew Davis described the day as a tough one for Brumos and for Porsches in general, saying, “We just weren’t as competitive as we wanted, with braking issues and a lack of grip, so we struggled to keep pace. I am really proud of the Brumos crew, as always, because they kept fighting. But more importantly, it was a chance for us to help Racing for Children’s. We may have struggled on track, but these kids have struggles far beyond racing and to see that they are still so positive, happy and full of life – they are real fighters. To bring a little joy to the children and their families at this event was really our goal, so despite our problems on track, we felt like we had a successful weekend because we were able to help promote Racing for Children’s.”

For Leh Keen, it was an uphill battle throughout his stint. “In general, we struggled,” he said. “With the rain the past few days and no race morning warm-up because of Indy cars on track, we never got to truly test the car on a dry track. We just didn’t find the right setup and that kind of caught us out there in the end. Barber has always been a tough track for Porsches and that was the case again today, unfortunately. But all in all, we had an amazing weekend. Raising awareness for Children’s of Alabama, having all the kids in our car, driving them around the track, seeing the hospital and spending time with them was really special. Although we didn’t make it to the podium, we do hope we were able to make people aware of the wonderful things they are doing there to save lives.”

Their 10th place finish for the Porsche 250 puts Brumos in 5th place in the Rolex Series GT team standings. The next race on the schedule will be at Road Atlanta on Saturday, April 20th. Brumos Racing will retain the special Racing for Children’s livery for that race.

While all of those factors definitely make it a race to anticipate, Brumos has even more incentive
than usual to do well at Barber this year. The familiar Brumos #59 Porsche 911 GT3 will take on a
slightly different look for this race as the team joins forces with Racing for Children’s, the official
charity of the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. Children’s of Alabama hospital provides
specialized care and promotes increased awareness for pediatric cancer research and childhood
blood disorders. The group’s fundraising events during the weekend include a dinner, silent and
live auctions, and sponsorship of the colorful handprints that cover the Brumos racecar.

For Andrew Davis, the track is not only familiar, the family ties with Barber are strong. In fact,
Barber was the site of his young son’s very first race event. “I am extremely excited to be
representing Racing for Children’s this year,” he said. “It is an honor, particularly as a parent
myself, to be involved in such an important cause. Our entire team is focused on providing a
memorable weekend for all the children and families that come out to participate. I’ve enjoyed
quite a bit of success at Barber in my career. Last season we fought hard to capture a podium finish
for Brumos, so we are determined to deliver another strong performance this year.”

Leh Keen enjoys returning to the southeast, saying, “It’s great to be back at Barber. Birmingham is
right in our backyard so we always bring our families out and have a great time – it’s such a
beautiful facility. Although Barber isn’t known as the best track for Porsches, we still finished on
the podium last year. This year they have resurfaced the track, so we should see much higher grip
and that will add some excitement to the race. It feels good to be coming off our podium at Austin
to a track where we had success last year. This year we are really looking forward to working with
Racing for Children’s. It is a great cause and an awesome group of kids, so we will do our best to
win this race and help Children’s of Alabama win the race against cancer.”

The Porsche 250 is part of the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama weekend at Barber Motorsports
Park in Birmingham, AL. The 2.0 hour race will begin on Saturday, April 6th at 12:35 PM CT/
1:35 PM ET. SPEED TV will broadcast the race via tape delay on Sunday, April 7th at 5:30 PM
ET. For further information about Racing for Children’s, please visit their website at
www.racingforchildrens.org.

Leh Keen Keen has a busy 2013 of racing. The 2009 and 2011 GRAND-AM GT Champion is also running in the Brumos Porsche in GRAND-AM as well as making select appearances in the Team West Alex Job Racing Ferrari in the American Le Mans Series. This will be his second-time racing at the Nürburgring.

“This is actually my second time doing the Ring,” Keen said. “I ran with Farnbacher Racing in 2010 and we finished second overall in a Ferrari 430 GT car. It was the ultimate experience. I was just as much of a highlight as finishing second in the GT class at Le Mans that year. As for the track, it’s absolutely like nothing else in the world. This race is for me to get up to date with the car and the track”

Keen is a student of the 12.9-mile track.

“It was very difficult to learn the track back in 2010, but I went back there in 2012 and drove tourist laps in my rental car. I still remembered the track pretty well. The Ring is kind of like riding a bike. You don’t forget.”

Farnbacher Racing is well tuned to the famous German track.

“In 2010 we finished second and then in 2011 the team qualified on the pole with their new Ferrari 458. Farnbacher Racing is one of the best teams in Europe as Horst (Farnbacher) is an amazing engineer and team owner. He always has fast cars and knows that a quick comfortable car around the Ring is the best car you can have. He used to be a factory race car driver so he understands what’s going on in the car very well.”

For team Horst Farnbacher, Keen is a welcome addition to the car.

“I am very happy to be back this year at the Nürburgring with a brand new 2013 Porsche GT3R,” Farnbacher said. “With Leh we have one of the best Porsche sports car drivers on board our team and we should have a successful program ahead of us. He has already successfully competed with us in 2010 where we finished second overall. Our main focus now is to get Leh in the new car and get him used to the new Porsche and its characteristics. Leh will be a great help, in order to develop the car in the two, four-hour VLN races before we attack the 24 hours.”

Joining Keen will be Christina Nielsen. The young talented female Danish race car driver has competed with Farnbacher Racing in the Porsche Carrera Cup, and has also driven two races in VLN.

After a positive start to the race, the Team West AJR crew was running a steady pace in the midst of the GT field. Bill Sweedler (Westport, Conn.), Townsend Bell (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) and Leh Keen (Charleston, SC) were happy with the way their just delivered last Thursday 458 Italia was handling on the Yokohama tires. On lap 229 Sweedler was heading into Turn 10 when the No. 4 Corvette got into the back of the red and white Ferrari. The result of the contact was a slow leak that caught up with the driver four laps later going through the fast Bishop Bend turn when it finally lost air sending him to the wall hard and causing substantial damage to the front of the No. 23 Ferrari.

“I was going into Turn 10 when Richard Westbrook got into me in the Corvette,” Sweedler said. “He tried a very low probability pass and hit my wheel and damaged the valve stem. I gathered it back up and continued. A couple of laps later I was going flat through Bishops Bend, like usual, and the back end just came around. The tire came off the rim and just let go. It is too bad. We had a good first run going in the Team West AJR Ferrari. We will get it fixed and be ready for Long Beach next month.”

Bell is pleased Sweedler is ok and with the way the team ran today.

“First of all the most important thing is that Bill is ok,” Bell said. “He got hit by the Corvette and that hurt the tire. He was going through that section that is normally easy flat out and it just came around on him with the flat tire. Unfortunately it is one of the fastest sections on the track. He took a really big hit. We will get it fixed. As a team we are a lot further ahead than we were this time last year. Just not the way we wanted to start the season with this new car.”

Keen is also happy with the way the new car handled and that Sweedler is alright.

“We had an awesome week going,” Keen said. “If we could just have a Saturday like the week went with testing it would be great. Bill had some contact with the Corvette and that affected the tire and eventually put him into the wall. I am glad he is alright, that was a major hit. The car was great on the Yokohama tires and it was really getting better all race. We have a great car and there is a lot more speed to find this season. The guys will get it ready for Long Beach next month.”

Alex Job has some work to do to get the car back for Long Beach.

“That was tough,” Job said. “We were having a really good first outing with the car. Bill took a hit from the Corvette and that damaged the tire, which went down at absolutely the worst part on the track. I am glad that Bill was able to walk away. He will probably be a little sore tomorrow. We have a lot of work to do to get the car ready for Long Beach, but I am confident we can make it.”

The series will travel to California for the Long Beach Grand Prix April 19-20.

Alex Job Racing is one of the most successful teams in sports car racing with 68 wins (since 1995); including two Rolex 24 GT Class wins in 1999 and 2013. This record is supported by 48 pole positions and 106 podium finishes. The team has won four championships (GTC 2012, GT in 2004, 2003 and 2002) complimented by their two GT class wins at Le Mans. The team also boasts eight Sebring 12-hour wins.

The ALMS GT Class is comprised of production-based, moderately-modified, two-wheel drive race cars including the BMW Z4, Corvette C6.R, Ferrari F458 GT, Viper SRT and Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. The GT cars share many similarities to their showroom brands. With top speeds of up to 180 mph, these elite GTs produce between 450-500 horsepower and have a minimum weight of 1,145 kilograms (2,480 pounds). All GT race cars have green Leader Light System race position lights and green car numbers.

The team had just received the Team West AJR Ferrari a week ago. When they unloaded the car here on Monday and hit the track, the car was reliable and fast right out of the box. For drivers Bill Sweedler (Westport, Conn.), Townsend Bell (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) and Leh Keen (Charleston, SC) the car was easy and fun to drive from the very first practice.

Keen had the wheel of the Ferrari 458 GT for qualifying. During the week he had put in a time just below the two minute mark, but during the heat of the afternoon posted a qualifying time of 2:00.308 good for a fifth row starting position.

“This whole week has been almost a dream,” Keen said. “When you get a new car, you never have days like we had on Monday. That morning the car was good right off of the truck. Later that day we did a tire test with our Yokohama’s and that went really well. The car has run strong all week. We are developing the tire for this car. It is impressive how good it is performing already. I was able to run a 1:59 Friday morning. We are really excited about the race car. We didn’t work on any kind of qualifying set up, but we have a good consistent Ferrari for the race.”

Sweedler likes the new red and white 458 Italia.

“The car is amazing,” Sweedler said. “Out of the box we were really quick. I hadn’t been in a car since Petit. The Ferrari is an amazing car to drive. The Yokohama tires have been very good all week. The Yokohama guys took some data and did a great job to give us a tire that is working well. The car is really handling well over a stint and we will be looking keep it consistent and out of trouble all race. I see a definite podium opportunity for the race.”

Bell is happy with the speed and reliability of the team’s new Ferrari.

“It has been a fantastic week so far. We just got the car off of the airplane from Italy last Thursday. To have just one proper test day on Monday we are super pleased. It is a nice piece of equipment. It has been totally reliable. With our starting Yokohama package I feel really good about our race situation. We knew we weren’t going to be a threat for the pole, but I think we have a really consistent car over a stint and that is going to help move us to the front.”

Alex Job has his team dialing the Ferrari into the Sebring circuit.

“We just received the car a week ago,” Job said. “We took our first laps on Monday and have been on the track every session making improvements. The Ferrari has been very reliable and is reacting well to the changes we have made. Yokohama has provided us with a tire that is really consistent over a fuel run and we hope that is going to make a big difference during the race. We have a lot more speed to come with the help of Yokohama so the race and future looks very bright.”

The 61st running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring will be broadcast live on the Speed Channel, Mar. 16 in three segments: 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., 1 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and the finish from 10:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. Qualifying, Mar. 15, can be viewed via live streaming starting at 1:05 p.m. EDT.

Alex Job Racing is one of the most successful teams in sports car racing with 68 wins (since 1995); including two Rolex 24 GT Class wins in 1999 and 2013. This record is supported by 48 pole positions and 106 podium finishes. The team has won four championships (GTC 2012, GT in 2004, 2003 and 2002) complimented by their two GT class wins at Le Mans. The team also boasts eight Sebring 12-hour wins.

The ALMS GT Class is comprised of production-based, moderately-modified, two-wheel drive race cars including the BMW Z4, Corvette C6.R, Ferrari F458 GT, Viper SRT and Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. The GT cars share many similarities to their showroom brands. With top speeds of up to 180 mph, these elite GTs produce between 450-500 horsepower and have a minimum weight of 1,145 kilograms (2,480 pounds). All GT race cars have green Leader Light System race position lights and green car numbers.

Bill Sweedler, Townsend Bell and Leh Keen have all tasted success at Sebring. Sweedler and Bell were a part of the winning GTC team last year and Keen has driven to two-pole positions and a win with AJR in 2010. The trio is anxious to put some miles on their new 458 GT around the 3.7 mile-long, 17-turn historic Sebring road course.

“I expect to have a competitive car at Sebring this week,” Bell said. “The Ferrari 458 is a proven platform, and boy does it make a glorious sound! Sebring is a bumpy, long circuit that holds a lot of history in its cracks and crevasses. I really like the fast corners that bookend the track – Turns One and 17. With the car handling right, those are the type of turns that excite drivers, nearly flat and fast. We will spend the beginning of the week figuring out what our real starting point is from a performance perspective and then build from there. We have a great team carrying over from last year and with the Ferrari I hope to make a strong showing this weekend.”

Sweedler is ready to take his turn behind the wheel of the Team West AJR Ferrari this week. “I am looking forward to taking my first laps behind the wheel of the 458,” Sweedler said. “We got a taste of just how tough the competition is in the GT class last year. We were able to improve our program with the addition of the Ferrari 458 and I am excited! I am looking forward to taking Turn One faster than I have ever gone through there in the past. Townsend and Leh are ready to have a good weekend and the Team West AJR guys are fired-up to have a new car work with for the year. We have our marketing partners Battery Tender, William Rast, Yokohama and Motegi back with us this season, so we are ready.”

Keen helped AJR to win the GTC championship last year and this season will be making several appearances in the team’s Ferrari 458 GT entry. “I am really excited to get in the Ferrari as this will be the quickest car I’ve ever driven,” Keen said. “I love learning and adapting to new cars. The 458 should be rock solid and a pleasure to drive. The driver’s seat will be a good spot to be! Sebring has many different surface changes happening constantly throughout the lap. You need a car that is good in every aspect, on the smooth asphalt and on bumpy concrete. That is the real challenge, getting two cars in one. The most important thing is a comfortable car for 12 hours of racing. Alex and his team are real experts at endurance racing. This will be a pretty busy week with lots of goals to achieve. The first will be to shake down a practically brand-new car. Then tire test and find the perfect set of Yokohama’s. We then need to get Townsend, Bill and I all in the groove with the car. And, ultimately, after a long week, put the Team West AJR Ferrari up on the podium for the 12 hours of Sebring.”

Alex Job has eight wins at the Central Florida track and knows the team has a lot of work before the green flag drops on Saturday.

“We know what it takes to be successful at Sebring,” Job said. “The Ferrari is a new platform for us and we will need every lap during the week to get acquainted with the car. The 458 is a proven commodity. We just need to figure out what it will need to get around Sebring on the Yokohama tires. We are excited at the challenge, and we hope to be in the thick of the GT battle come Saturday.”

The 61st running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring will be broadcast live on the Speed Channel, Mar. 16 in three segments: 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., 1 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and the finish from 10:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. Qualifying, Mar. 15, can be viewed via live streaming starting at 1:05 p.m. EDT.

Alex Job Racing is one of the most successful teams in sports car racing with 68 wins (since 1995); including two Rolex 24 GT Class wins in 1999 and 2013. This record is supported by 48 pole positions and 106 podium finishes. The team has won four championships (GTC 2012, GT in 2004, 2003 and 2002) complimented by their two GT class wins at Le Mans. The team also boasts eight Sebring 12-hour wins.

The ALMS GT Class is comprised of production-based, moderately-modified, two-wheel drive race cars including the BMW Z4, Corvette C6.R, Ferrari F458 GT, Viper SRT and Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. The GT cars share many similarities to their showroom brands. With top speeds of up to 180 mph, these elite GTs produce between 450-500 horsepower and have a minimum weight of 1,145 kilograms (2,480 pounds). All GT race cars have green Leader Light System race position lights and green car numbers.

The 2nd round of 2013 Rolex Series competition marked their Austin debut and was one of the season’s most highly anticipated races. The new facility did not disappoint, drawing high marks from crew and drivers. While many of their competitors had tested at the facility previously, the track was new to Brumos, so the team focused on preparation in the weeks before the race. Their research and hard work paid off, as the car proved to be strong right off the truck. Andrew Davis showcased the Brumos Porsche 911 GT3 for the large crowd of Texas fans, putting the #59 in 3rd place for the start of the race in a strong qualifying performance.

Brumos capitalized on yellows, ran a clean race, executed flawless pit stops, and finished what they had started – ending the eventful race on the podium in 3rd place. The finish was not without controversy, as the front-running car failed to serve a penalty they had been assessed before the race ended. The penalty was enforced post-race and standings were adjusted, restoring Brumos to the third place finish they had earned.

Leh Keen gave it his all in the closing laps, posting some of the fastest times in the field while avoiding problems. “It was really crazy at the end,” he said. “There was a lot of bumping and banging going on between several cars. It was just great to be able to get the podium for our team. I couldn’t be more proud of our guys – morale was high throughout the week, the car was good off the truck, and all the changes we made were positives. At race time, we knew we had a really strong car that could run up front. It was definitely an exciting race, and as the first Rolex Series race at this new track, it was a major event. After a tough run at Daytona, getting this 3rd place finish was really special, not just for Andrew and me, but for the entire Brumos team. Now we are ready to take this momentum on to our next race at Barber and hope to give our fans even more to cheer about.”

After starting in 3rd, Andrew Davis held his own throughout the opening stint, keeping the #59 up front with the leaders before pitting under yellow for the driver change. Davis described the race as thrilling, saying, “It means so much to be on the podium in this inaugural event here in Austin, and to have Brumos Racing back where we belong is really rewarding. Our crew worked tirelessly throughout the event and we improved steadily. We knew we needed to focus on our own game plan and not worry about other cars, and that is what we did. Leh and I ran a clean race and kept ourselves near the front all day long. The pit stops were perfect, strategy was sound, and some the late race penalties and issues other teams were having worked to our advantage. I am really thankful to everyone in the Brumos Companies and everyone on our team for giving us a great opportunity and a great car to race.”

The 3rd place finish at Circuit of the Americas marks the first season podium for Brumos and puts the team in 4th place in the GT team standings, now only ten points out of 1st. Brumos’ next race, round three of the Rolex Series season, will be held at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL. It will take place on Saturday, April 6, 2013.

Leh Keen is a familiar face to the AJR team, having won the 2012 ALMS GTC Championship. The driver from Charleston, SC, will run four events with TWAJR throughout the 2013 ALMS season.

“I am really excited to be moving up in the ranks of GT racing with TWAJR.” Keen said. “The ALMS GT Class is the most competitive GT racing field in the world. To be with a top caliber team like TWAJR in a competitive car like the Ferrari it doesn’t get much better than that for a driver.”

Keen has had a lot of success at Sebring, winning the pole in GTC in 2010 and 2011 for AJR as well as winning the historic race with the team in GTC in 2010.

“Sebring will be the first race for the new car, but I am confident we will have a strong showing. The 458 GT Ferrari is the top car in any series all around the world right now. It is competitive and can win any race it enters. I have been racing against the 458 in GRAND-AM, and it is a tough opponent. I have also driven a 458 in the 24 hours of Le Mans. Alex has some amazing people working for him, and I really look forward to working with Greg (Fordahl, team engineer) and getting this new hot rod dialed in next week. Just coming off a 24 Hour at Daytona win, I know Alex and his guys are fired up to have the same result at Sebring. I am extremely excited to get strapped into the TWAJR/Battery Tender/Yokohama/Ferrari at the historic Sebring circuit.”

Alex Job has a lot of faith in Keen.

“Leh has really done well in our cars at Sebring,” Job said. “He won the pole for us in 2010 and 2011 and has led a lot of laps. He really has the track down, and that will really go a long way in getting our baseline setup in the new Ferrari. He knows our team well and will fit right in with Bill and Townsend. We are looking for a very successful first outing with our new 458 GT.”

Alex Job Racing is one of the most successful teams in sports car racing with 68 wins (since 1995); including two Rolex 24 GT Class wins in 1999 and 2013. This record is supported by 48 pole positions and 106 podium finishes. The team has won four championships (GTC 2012 and GT in 2004, 2003 and 2002) complimented by their two GT class wins at Le Mans. The team also boasts eight Sebring 12-hour wins.

The ALMS GT Class is comprised of production-based, moderately-modified, two-wheel drive race cars comprise the GT class – BMW Z4, Corvette C6.R, Ferrari F458 GT, Viper SRT and Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. The GT cars share many similarities to their showroom brands. With top speeds of up to 180 mph, these elite GTs produce between 450-500 horsepower and have a minimum weight of 1,145 kilograms (2,480 pounds). All GT race cars have green Leader Light System race position lights and green car numbers.