Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas won a series-leading sixth race of the 2010 season in the No. 01 TELMEX/Chip Ganassi Racing BMW Riley Daytona Prototype while Andy Lally scored his third GT win of the season in the No. 66 TRG Porsche GT3, this time partnering with veteran road racer RJ Valentine for the victory.
“Daytona and Homestead-Miami are probably the toughest tracks on tires in the series, but I was happy today with the Pirellis,” said race-winning co-driver Scott Pruett. “They stayed consistent; we were able to run strong and had no tire issues.”
Although Pruett and Rojas had what appeared to be another smooth run to the checkered flag, many other Daytona Prototype and GT competitors were involved in several off-track contact incidents which resulted in a debris cluttered track. “We had no puncture scares at all and there was a lot of stuff on the track,” Pruett said. “Especially at the bus stop chicane, I mean, guys just clean out the bus stop and there is sand and rocks and gravel and parts all over the place, but the Pirellis were tough enough to get us through it. No issues.”
Lally raced side-by-side in the late stages of the race with the No. 94 Turner Motorsport BMW M6 that scored its first win at Mid-Ohio one race ago with Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand. The close competition and intensity of the racing forced Lally to push his Pirellis to the extreme.
“I really had to hustle in my last stint and went hard and had to make up some time; the Pirellis took all of the abuse I could dish out,” Lally said. “This is a really tough track when we come to Daytona in July because, unlike the normal stress that we have at the Rolex 24 with the banking and all of that stuff, we have all of that added with really high heat and humidity. The tires did a good job and I am real thankful that the Pirellis were able to stay under our Porsche and help us win here.”
As multiple repeat race winners this season, the victories by the No. 01 and No. 66 teams could produce a potential record Pirelli P Zero Club total bonus payout of $45,000 at the next GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series race at New Jersey Motorsports Park, July 18.
The No. 01 team won its third consecutive race which means a $20,000 “triple rollover” bonus will be on the line for any eligible first time 2010 Daytona Prototype winner in the New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) 250 presented by Crown Royal on NJMP’s Thunderbolt Raceway. Even better, a season-high Pirelli P Zero Club “quadruple bonus” of $25,000 will be up for grabs for any eligible first time 2010 GT winners at NJMP.
Next up for Pirelli and the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series is the New Jersey Motorsports Park 250 presented by Crown Royal on NJMP’s Thunderbolt Raceway, July 16 – 18. The race can be seen live on SPEED, Sunday, July 18 at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT.
