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Plumb won the 2006 Grand-Am Koni Challenge manufacturer championship for Acura and finished second in points in the drivers' championship scoring two wins and seven podium finishes.
Sigal won the Rolex Series SGS class at Fontana in 2004 and multiple Karting titles. Growing up in Southern California, by his early teens Gene began to race go karts competitively, winning numerous awards in regional and national kart series. This winning veteran has an extensive background as a driver with wins in Grand American Road Racing, Barber Dodge, Formula Russell, Ferrari Challenge and Viper League and has won various events for Porsche, Mazda and Mitsubishi.
Sigal also enjoys his work as an instructor for Ferrari Challenge. Gene represented the USA in karting competitions in Guatemala and Brazil alongside Juan Pablo Montoya, Felipe Massa and Jimmy Vasser. Gene Sigal is also a three-time recipient of the 2004 and 2005 Rolex Series' SunTrust 'Improve Your Position' award.
SIGALSPORT DINAN BMWStarted in early 2004 by American businessman and racecar driver Gene Sigal to operate his Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series racing program, Sigalsport Dinan BMW is poised to become one of the most flourishing sports car racing teams in North America.
In just their eighth Daytona Prototype start as a team, Sigalsport BMW Dinan Riley co-drivers Auberlen and Alhadeff scored their first career Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series overall victory in Grand Prix of Miami last year.
In less than three years, Sigalsport evolved from a newborn team to a Daytona Prototype championship contender in the Rolex Series. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, in a 30,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility, Sigalsport, the only BMW powered DP team in the series, is one of the fastest growing and most ambitious teams in the paddock.Source - SIGALSPORT Racing
In just their eighth Daytona Prototype start as a team, Sigalsport BMW Dinan Riley co-drivers Auberlen and Alhadeff scored their first career Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series overall victory in Grand Prix of Miami last year.
In less than three years, Sigalsport evolved from a newborn team to a Daytona Prototype championship contender in the Rolex Series. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, in a 30,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility, Sigalsport, the only BMW powered DP team in the series, is one of the fastest growing and most ambitious teams in the paddock.Source - SIGALSPORT Racing
RUM BUM RACING BMW AT BIMMERFESTThe Rum Bum Racing Dinan BMW Riley Daytona Prototype currently racing in the 2008 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series that just finished fifth in last Sunday's Bosch Engineering 250 at Virginia International Raceway, will be on display at the 2008 Bimmerfest on Saturday.
The 9th annual Bimmerfest will be held in Santa Barbara, California on May 3, 2008 at the Earl Warren Showgrounds and will run from 9:00AM to 4:00PM.
Bimmerfest is the single largest BMW event held in North America today bringing thousands of enthusiasts together to enjoy all aspects of the BMW world. Whether you are a lifetime owner, first time owner, prospective owner or just a fan of great German engineering, Bimmerfest is an incredible event to experience! Bimmerfest is the celebration of being a BMW enthusiast, whether through ownership or admiration. Now in its 8th year, Bimmerfest attracts well over 2,000 BMWs, 5,000 total attendees, 40 automotive related vendors and coverage by 7 major magazines! It is an experience that enthusiasts look forward to from the first day they can register online for the event until arriving and enjoying the day.
Rum Bum Racing team owner and co-driver of the No. 7 Rum Bum Racing BMW Riley, Gene Sigal, and the Rum Bum Girls will be at Bimmerfest to sign autographs from 1:00 to 2:00 PM.
'This is an outstanding event for the Rum Bum Racing BMW team to be involved with' announced Emmanuel Lupe, Managing Director for Rum Bum Racing BMW.
'We are racing with BMW engines since November 2005 and our team went from racing M3s to now racing a Dinan V8 BMW powered car in the Rolex Series Daytona Prototype class. Bimmerfest offers a great opportunity to meet thousands of BMW owners and to increase awareness of Rumbum.com and the Rum Bum lifestyle as well as the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series' declared Lupe. 'Our goal is to invite Bimmerfest participants to join the Rum Bum Nation in two weeks and attend the Rumbum.com 250 at Laguna Seca Raceway on May 16-17, 2008. We are proud to carry the BMW colors in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series and Gene Sigal looks forward to meeting the fans at Bimmerfest on May 3' added LupeSource - Sigal Sport Racing
The 9th annual Bimmerfest will be held in Santa Barbara, California on May 3, 2008 at the Earl Warren Showgrounds and will run from 9:00AM to 4:00PM.
Bimmerfest is the single largest BMW event held in North America today bringing thousands of enthusiasts together to enjoy all aspects of the BMW world. Whether you are a lifetime owner, first time owner, prospective owner or just a fan of great German engineering, Bimmerfest is an incredible event to experience! Bimmerfest is the celebration of being a BMW enthusiast, whether through ownership or admiration. Now in its 8th year, Bimmerfest attracts well over 2,000 BMWs, 5,000 total attendees, 40 automotive related vendors and coverage by 7 major magazines! It is an experience that enthusiasts look forward to from the first day they can register online for the event until arriving and enjoying the day.
Rum Bum Racing team owner and co-driver of the No. 7 Rum Bum Racing BMW Riley, Gene Sigal, and the Rum Bum Girls will be at Bimmerfest to sign autographs from 1:00 to 2:00 PM.
'This is an outstanding event for the Rum Bum Racing BMW team to be involved with' announced Emmanuel Lupe, Managing Director for Rum Bum Racing BMW.
'We are racing with BMW engines since November 2005 and our team went from racing M3s to now racing a Dinan V8 BMW powered car in the Rolex Series Daytona Prototype class. Bimmerfest offers a great opportunity to meet thousands of BMW owners and to increase awareness of Rumbum.com and the Rum Bum lifestyle as well as the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series' declared Lupe. 'Our goal is to invite Bimmerfest participants to join the Rum Bum Nation in two weeks and attend the Rumbum.com 250 at Laguna Seca Raceway on May 16-17, 2008. We are proud to carry the BMW colors in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series and Gene Sigal looks forward to meeting the fans at Bimmerfest on May 3' added LupeSource - Sigal Sport Racing
ANOTHER TOP FIVE FINISH FOR RUM BUM RACING DRIVERS SIGAL AND PLUMB!Rum Bum Racing drivers Gene Sigal and Matt Plumb scored another big result in last Sunday's Bosch Engineering 250 at Virginia International Raceway. The Rum Bum drivers finished fifth overall after what can be described as a very difficult week for the team that suffered major damage in the Mexico City race a week before.
The Rum Bum Racing crew started to work on the car early Thursday morning to make sure the car could be ready for the fourth round of the 2008 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series. Right away the team found that the damage caused by the accident was more extensive than expected. Front nose, splitter, rear tail, engine cover, side pod, front and rear suspension, exhaust system, bell housing and gearbox damage needed to be repaired or replaced on the spot to make sure the car could return to a competitive mode for practice. On Saturday morning, it was time to start practicing to prepare for the race.
'We've been struggling with the car since the accident at Mexico City' declared Rum Bum Racing team owner and co-driver of the No. 7 Rum Bum Dinan BMW Riley, Gene Sigal. 'The guys did a great job putting the Rum Bum Dinan BMW Riley DP back together. That was our biggest task. The crew gave me a great car. I've been fighting a cold that he caught in Mexico, all week. On Sunday, I was just hoping to keep it clean and give it to Matt and hopefully, have him work for his pay.' announced Sigal after his stint.
Gene Sigal qualified 17th on Saturday afternoon but was not feeling very well. Despite his illness, Gene took a great start and, considering his physical condition, ran a studied first one hour stint and handed the car to Matt in the top ten. Matt started to pass cars right away after the pit stop. Thanks to a very good car put together by the Rum Bum Racing crew, Plumb was able to charge to the front and cross the finish line in fifth place, scoring the second top-five result in three races for Rum Bum Racing; a fantastic result that was totally unexpected after what happened to the team in the week prior to the race!
'I want to thank my team for a fantastic job. We came here with a car in 50 pieces after the Mexico City accident and we finished fifth! Gene did a great job despite the fact that he was sick and handed the car to me after an hour in a very competitive position. Thanks to another brilliant race strategy from our Rum Bum Racing engineer, Brian Ma, we pitted for tires and fuel at the right time. Our goal was a strong top ten to keep our top ten championship position. We just did that and are now ranked 9th.' added Plumb.
With this top five finish the Rum Bum Racing is now ranked ninth in the very competitive 2008 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series team point standings.Source - Rum Bum Racing
The Rum Bum Racing crew started to work on the car early Thursday morning to make sure the car could be ready for the fourth round of the 2008 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series. Right away the team found that the damage caused by the accident was more extensive than expected. Front nose, splitter, rear tail, engine cover, side pod, front and rear suspension, exhaust system, bell housing and gearbox damage needed to be repaired or replaced on the spot to make sure the car could return to a competitive mode for practice. On Saturday morning, it was time to start practicing to prepare for the race.
'We've been struggling with the car since the accident at Mexico City' declared Rum Bum Racing team owner and co-driver of the No. 7 Rum Bum Dinan BMW Riley, Gene Sigal. 'The guys did a great job putting the Rum Bum Dinan BMW Riley DP back together. That was our biggest task. The crew gave me a great car. I've been fighting a cold that he caught in Mexico, all week. On Sunday, I was just hoping to keep it clean and give it to Matt and hopefully, have him work for his pay.' announced Sigal after his stint.
Gene Sigal qualified 17th on Saturday afternoon but was not feeling very well. Despite his illness, Gene took a great start and, considering his physical condition, ran a studied first one hour stint and handed the car to Matt in the top ten. Matt started to pass cars right away after the pit stop. Thanks to a very good car put together by the Rum Bum Racing crew, Plumb was able to charge to the front and cross the finish line in fifth place, scoring the second top-five result in three races for Rum Bum Racing; a fantastic result that was totally unexpected after what happened to the team in the week prior to the race!
'I want to thank my team for a fantastic job. We came here with a car in 50 pieces after the Mexico City accident and we finished fifth! Gene did a great job despite the fact that he was sick and handed the car to me after an hour in a very competitive position. Thanks to another brilliant race strategy from our Rum Bum Racing engineer, Brian Ma, we pitted for tires and fuel at the right time. Our goal was a strong top ten to keep our top ten championship position. We just did that and are now ranked 9th.' added Plumb.
With this top five finish the Rum Bum Racing is now ranked ninth in the very competitive 2008 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series team point standings.Source - Rum Bum Racing
SIGALSPORT DINAN BMW READY FOR ANOTHER ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONAThe Sigalsport Dinan BMW racing returns to Daytona next week to participate in the first round of the 2008 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16, the grueling Rolex 24 at Daytona. For this event team owner Gene Sigal selected five drivers; Matt Plumb, Stephan Gregoire, Quentin Wahl, Michael Cullen and Paddy Shovlin. The Sigalsport Dinan BMW Riley, the only BMW powered DP car in the field, co-sponsored by HighCo, Cintas and Careco changed number this season and abandoned its traditional 05 for the 'Lucky' No. 7. This is the fourth Rolex 24 at Daytona for the California based team started in early 2004 by business entrepreneur Gene Sigal. Sigalsport raced in a full season last year and won its first ever Daytona Prototype race at the Grand Prix of Miami at Homestead Miami Speedway.
Matt Plumb will lead the group of five Sigalsport Dinan BMW drivers in this year's Rolex 24. Matt was hired to co-drive the No. 7 Sigalsport Dinan BMW last Fall and is racing in his first ever DP race. Following the Pirelli test Days last November and the early January 2008 test days at Daytona International Speedway, the No. 7 Sigalsport Dinan BMW Riley showed its potential by posting the 6th fastest time in November and the 7th fastest earlier this month.
Stephan Gregoire, a four time veteran of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, was hired to co drive the No. 7 Sigalsport Dinan BMW Riley last October. Gregoire came to the United States for the first time to race the 1993 Indianapolis 500. Stephan Gregoire's 2008 program includes racing at three of the most prestigious races in the world, the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Stephan's 2008 Rolex 24 at Daytona is sponsored by HighCo, a European-based marketing solutions group. HighCo works for mass-market retailers and consumer goods manufacturers offering complementary services such as coupon issuing, sampling, point of sale advertising and coupon clearing. HighCo employs a staff of over 700 in France, Belgium, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands.
Quentin Wahl, who brings sponsorship from Cintas, the service professionals, has Skip Barber open wheel experience and already raced at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, co-driving a Fabcar DP in 2005. Michael Cullen and Paddy Shovlin both have extensive international Ferrari Challenge experience. Paddy and Michael are very successful business partners in their homeland of Ireland and this will be their first ever DP race and first experience with the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Cullen is the current 2007 European Ferrari Challenge Champion.
'This is our fourth participation in the Rolex 24 at Daytona' announces Sigalsport Dinan BMW team owner Gene Sigal. 'We had a fantastic showing last year and I am excited to be back. The Rolex 24 is definitely one the most exciting races in the world. I am so happy to be racing in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series and even if I am not behind the wheel yet, our team is working towards that goal in the near future' added Sigal. 'Our crew did an exceptional job to prepare for Daytona and despite the unexpected financial challenge we have encountered since November, we were able to put a program together for the 24 hours. I want to thank all the people that helped us to do so and gave us a chance to get back on two feet, especially our dedicated crew members; Steve Dinan and his team, Suntrust; Riley; Michael Cullen, Paddy Shovlin and Quentin Wahl for signing a contract on New Year's Eve, Cintas, HighCo, the Grand American Series, and all our vendors, without them this effort will not have been possible' added Sigal.
SPEED and FOX Sports will combine to offer 17 hours of television coverage from the 46th Rolex 24 at Daytona Jan. 26-27. At 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 26, the Rolex Sports Car Series will hit the national FOX Sports airwaves for 90 minutes of coverage from the 'World Center of Racing.' In addition to the network coverage, the first 90 minutes of the event will be simulcast on the 1,400-square foot News Screen prominently located at One Times Square in New York! SPEED's coverage of the Rolex 24 will encompass two parts totaling 15.5 hours of coverage. Part 1 will air from 2:30 to 10 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 26, with programming returning to SPEED on the morning of Sunday, January 27 beginning at 6:00 a.m. ET and continuing through the checkered flag and post-race interviews.Source - Rum Bum Racing
Matt Plumb will lead the group of five Sigalsport Dinan BMW drivers in this year's Rolex 24. Matt was hired to co-drive the No. 7 Sigalsport Dinan BMW last Fall and is racing in his first ever DP race. Following the Pirelli test Days last November and the early January 2008 test days at Daytona International Speedway, the No. 7 Sigalsport Dinan BMW Riley showed its potential by posting the 6th fastest time in November and the 7th fastest earlier this month.
Stephan Gregoire, a four time veteran of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, was hired to co drive the No. 7 Sigalsport Dinan BMW Riley last October. Gregoire came to the United States for the first time to race the 1993 Indianapolis 500. Stephan Gregoire's 2008 program includes racing at three of the most prestigious races in the world, the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Stephan's 2008 Rolex 24 at Daytona is sponsored by HighCo, a European-based marketing solutions group. HighCo works for mass-market retailers and consumer goods manufacturers offering complementary services such as coupon issuing, sampling, point of sale advertising and coupon clearing. HighCo employs a staff of over 700 in France, Belgium, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands.
Quentin Wahl, who brings sponsorship from Cintas, the service professionals, has Skip Barber open wheel experience and already raced at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, co-driving a Fabcar DP in 2005. Michael Cullen and Paddy Shovlin both have extensive international Ferrari Challenge experience. Paddy and Michael are very successful business partners in their homeland of Ireland and this will be their first ever DP race and first experience with the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Cullen is the current 2007 European Ferrari Challenge Champion.
'This is our fourth participation in the Rolex 24 at Daytona' announces Sigalsport Dinan BMW team owner Gene Sigal. 'We had a fantastic showing last year and I am excited to be back. The Rolex 24 is definitely one the most exciting races in the world. I am so happy to be racing in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series and even if I am not behind the wheel yet, our team is working towards that goal in the near future' added Sigal. 'Our crew did an exceptional job to prepare for Daytona and despite the unexpected financial challenge we have encountered since November, we were able to put a program together for the 24 hours. I want to thank all the people that helped us to do so and gave us a chance to get back on two feet, especially our dedicated crew members; Steve Dinan and his team, Suntrust; Riley; Michael Cullen, Paddy Shovlin and Quentin Wahl for signing a contract on New Year's Eve, Cintas, HighCo, the Grand American Series, and all our vendors, without them this effort will not have been possible' added Sigal.
SPEED and FOX Sports will combine to offer 17 hours of television coverage from the 46th Rolex 24 at Daytona Jan. 26-27. At 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 26, the Rolex Sports Car Series will hit the national FOX Sports airwaves for 90 minutes of coverage from the 'World Center of Racing.' In addition to the network coverage, the first 90 minutes of the event will be simulcast on the 1,400-square foot News Screen prominently located at One Times Square in New York! SPEED's coverage of the Rolex 24 will encompass two parts totaling 15.5 hours of coverage. Part 1 will air from 2:30 to 10 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 26, with programming returning to SPEED on the morning of Sunday, January 27 beginning at 6:00 a.m. ET and continuing through the checkered flag and post-race interviews.Source - Rum Bum Racing
SIGALSPORT LED THE ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA AND FINISHED 14TH IN DP!Sigalsport Dinan BMW team finished 14th in the DP class at the 2008 Rolex 24 at Daytona, the first round of the 2008 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car series and the most grueling endurance race in North America. With Matt Plumb at the wheel, the No. 7 HighCo / Cintas/ GRW.com.mx / Careco Sigalsport Dinan BMW Riley qualified 9th, proving once again the competitiveness of the team.
The No. 7 car co-driven by Matt Plumb, Stephan Gregoire, Quentin Wahl, Michael Cullen and Paddy Shovlin, led 16 laps during the first hour of the twice around the clock race! This was a remarkable performance from the Sigalsport team and its drivers who did not have a ride a week before due to problems encountered with Fortune Market.
'It was an outstanding performance that we finished the race and also that we led the race' declared Sigalsport team owner, Gene Sigal. 'Our crew did a phenomenal job in preparing the car for the race and knowing the budget we had to do it, this was a miracle' added Sigal. 'I had to step out of the car and sell my seat to one of our drivers because we had no budget to go racing after what happened with Fortune Market. Our drivers, Matt Plumb, Stephan Gregoire, Quentin Wahl, Paddy Shovlin and Michael Cullen formed a great driver roster and despite four accidents during the race and a gearbox problem that forced the team to change the XTRAC box after six hours, they were able to finish the race in 14th place in DP. We want to thank all the vendors (Dinan, Suntrust, Riley, XTRAC, EMCO, OMP, Guarneros, Dynamic Suspensions, Windrush Evolutions, MOTEC, etc.); our dedicated sponsors (HighCo, Careco and Cintas); our drivers, the friends of the team that financially helped too and our crew who scarified so much and stuck with us. Without all of them the team would not have been able to race at all' declared Sigal.
Matt Plumb and Stephan Gregoire did most of the driving at night and kept the car at the top of the speed chart at all times during their stints. They really helped the team climb back from 45th position after the first two accidents to 28th overall at the finish.
The Dinan BMW V8 engine that was in the car was extremely reliable, knowing that it was the same engine used for the January tests and the race. It really showed that Dinan BMW technicians developed a fantastic engine over the last two seasons and that they must be commended for their efforts. The new Dinan BMW engine will be used for the first time at Homestead by the Sigalsport team in the No. 7 car.
Sigalsport is now back in California to regroup and prepare for the next race. The team must find sponsorship quickly to be able to continue racing, but many discussions with potential sponsors took place over the last two weeks and the team remains optimistic of its chances to find a new title sponsor.Source - Rum Bum Racing
The No. 7 car co-driven by Matt Plumb, Stephan Gregoire, Quentin Wahl, Michael Cullen and Paddy Shovlin, led 16 laps during the first hour of the twice around the clock race! This was a remarkable performance from the Sigalsport team and its drivers who did not have a ride a week before due to problems encountered with Fortune Market.
'It was an outstanding performance that we finished the race and also that we led the race' declared Sigalsport team owner, Gene Sigal. 'Our crew did a phenomenal job in preparing the car for the race and knowing the budget we had to do it, this was a miracle' added Sigal. 'I had to step out of the car and sell my seat to one of our drivers because we had no budget to go racing after what happened with Fortune Market. Our drivers, Matt Plumb, Stephan Gregoire, Quentin Wahl, Paddy Shovlin and Michael Cullen formed a great driver roster and despite four accidents during the race and a gearbox problem that forced the team to change the XTRAC box after six hours, they were able to finish the race in 14th place in DP. We want to thank all the vendors (Dinan, Suntrust, Riley, XTRAC, EMCO, OMP, Guarneros, Dynamic Suspensions, Windrush Evolutions, MOTEC, etc.); our dedicated sponsors (HighCo, Careco and Cintas); our drivers, the friends of the team that financially helped too and our crew who scarified so much and stuck with us. Without all of them the team would not have been able to race at all' declared Sigal.
Matt Plumb and Stephan Gregoire did most of the driving at night and kept the car at the top of the speed chart at all times during their stints. They really helped the team climb back from 45th position after the first two accidents to 28th overall at the finish.
The Dinan BMW V8 engine that was in the car was extremely reliable, knowing that it was the same engine used for the January tests and the race. It really showed that Dinan BMW technicians developed a fantastic engine over the last two seasons and that they must be commended for their efforts. The new Dinan BMW engine will be used for the first time at Homestead by the Sigalsport team in the No. 7 car.
Sigalsport is now back in California to regroup and prepare for the next race. The team must find sponsorship quickly to be able to continue racing, but many discussions with potential sponsors took place over the last two weeks and the team remains optimistic of its chances to find a new title sponsor.Source - Rum Bum Racing
| Grand-Am Daytona PrototypesEstablished in 1999, the Grand American Road Racing Association was brought about to return some sense of stability to major league sports car road racing in the states. The Grand-Am is regarded worldwide as the most competitive road racing organizations. 2008 marks the ninth season of competition for the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series. Intentions were announced in 1999 by the all-new Grand American Road Racing Association to adopt a format that was similar to the one used in the SRRC, centering around the 24 Hours of Daytona. This new series was an alternative option to the earlier IMSA GT Championship which had since been replaced by the American Le Mans Series in 1999. The premiere series run by the Grand American Road Racing Association, the Rolex Sports Car Series is a North American-based sports car series founded in 2000 to replace the unsuccessful U.S. Road Racing Championship. Located in Daytona Beach, Florida, the Grand-Am is located on the same campus as NASCAR, Daytona International Speedway, and ISC. Grand-Am offers a completely different product that features extremely competitive sports car racing on both historic and street circuits and in major market speedways throughout the U.S. Facing many tough and unpredictable times during the 90's, sports car racing in North America went through a lot. Uncontrolled technology and all of the costs that came with it were the majority of the problems. Fortunately Grand-Am addressed these problems head on and mandated affordable rules with a ‘firm commitment to a level playing field'. Two classes of Sports Racing Prototypes would be run with the new series, these classes would be identical to the rules used in the new FIA Sportscar Championship in Europe. Grand Touring-style vehicles would be classified in three classes, GTO; for larger production-based race cars, GTU; for smaller production-based race cars, and AGT; for American tube frame vehicles. For 2001, GTO and GTU would be renamed GTS and GT to better match the classes that were used by the very similar American Le Mans Series. In 2002 Rolex took over as series sponsor. Through the years, the series has run with a mixture of classes of Sports Racing Prototypes and Grand Touring-style vehicles. Daytona Prototypes were introduced in 2003, their custom prototype chassis that was named after their signature event, the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The series went through a very radical intense change in 2005 at Laguna Seca2003 as Daytona Prototypes were introduced for the first time with the intention to replace both of the Sports Racing Prototype classes. The American GT class was deleted as cars were now being placed into the very similar GTS class. The GT class was ranked on the top tier as the faster GTS was deleted in 2004 in order to make a larger gap in between the Daytona Prototypes and GT cars. The GT class was now joined by the Super Grand Sport class that was moved up from the Grand Am Cup series. Today these two classes are DP and GT in the Rolex Sports Car Series. GT and DP races had to be split at Grand-Am into shorter tracks, in places where it wasn't possible to put 50 cars on the track at one time. The GT car races would occur on Saturdays, while the DP car races were held on Sundays. This split format allowed drivers to run in both races. The races were the same distance, and it was just as if the races were held at the same time. When the two races are combined, the two classes use a motorcycle racing-style ‘wave-start'. The DP cars take the green flag first, and 20-30 seconds later the GT cars followed. The organizers who set this up hoped for a much safer start by having the two classes starting separately. In 2008 the Grand Am began its ninth season of competition. Rolex is one of the world's most recognizable names in history, long known for its quality and reliability. Rolex Watch USA has been the title sponsor of Grand-Am's premier series for six years. Rolex is now synonymous with legendary events worldwide. The Rolex Series Daytona Prototype category has established itself as the most competitive professional road racing championship in America, and has attracted the attention of both superstar drivers and universally recognized teams worldwide. The Rolex Series GT class has done the same for high-performance, production-based sports car racing that the Daytona Prototype class has done to redefine prototype sports car racing. The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series was presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 in 2008. Every year Rolex Series drivers compete for the highly prestigious, specially engaged steel and gold Daytona Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Rolex watch. ----------------------------------------------- The Grand American Road Racing Association was established in 1999 to return stability to major league sports car road racing in North America. As the organization begins its ninth season of competition in 2008, Grand-Am is universally regarded as one of the world's most competitive road racing organizations. Grand-Am is located in Daytona Beach, Fla. on the same corporate campus that is also home to NASCAR, International Speedway Corporation (ISC) and Daytona International Speedway, but operates as its own stand-alone corporation with a group of independent investors and its own board of advisors. Among the company's investors are several of the key people behind NASCAR's success, but Grand-Am offers an entirely different product that features extremely competitive sports car racing on historic road and street circuits and in major market speedways throughout North America. Sports car racing in North America endured tough and uncertain times for the majority of the 1990s, a far cry from the successful IMSA series of the 1970s and '80s. As is often the case in motor racing, sports car racing's decline during this period could basically be traced to uncontrolled technology and its related costs. Grand-Am has addressed this with sensible and affordable rules that are competition driven but grounded in common sense and stability with a firm commitment to a level playing field. Grand-Am's top-tier Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask #16--which begins its ninth season of competition in 2008--has established itself as the most competitive professional road racing championship in North America. The Rolex Series Daytona Prototype category has attracted the attention of superstar drivers and universally-recognized teams through its extremely raceable and relatively affordable format, and has revolutionized sports car racing with plentiful battles at the front of the field and close finishes in virtually every race. Grand-Am races at some of the world's most prestigious venues--Daytona, Montreal, Mexico City and Watkins Glen--and has taken the role of a top annual attraction at some of the newest venues in the industry such as Miller Motorsports Park, Barber Motorsports Park and Virginia International Raceway. Grand-Am is also making a standard out of the newest form of circuit racing--'Stadium Road Racing'--on the road course layouts at tracks like Homestead-Miami Speedway. |
2008 Riley Mk XI Rum Bum Racing Prototype |
|
| Year | 2008 |
| Make | Riley |
| Model | Mk XI Rum Bum Racing Prototype |
| Engine Location | Rear |
| Drive Type | Rear Wheel |
| Body / Chassis | Hybrid Steel-Aluminum Chassis |
| Weight | 2275 lbs | 1031.9 kg |
| Combined MPG | 0.00 |
| Engine | |
| Engine Builder | BMW |
| Engine Configuration | V |
| Cylinders | 8 |
| Aspiration/Induction | Normal |
| Displacement | 5.00 L | 305.1 cu in. | 5000.6 cc. |
| Horsepower | 500.00 BHP (368 KW) |
| HP to Weight Ratio | 4.6 LB / HP (Vehicles with similar ratio) |
| HP / Liter | 100.0 BHP / Liter |
| Fuel Type | Gasoline - Petrol |
| Fuel Feed | Fuel Injected |
| Block | Aluminum |
| Head | Aluminum |
| Vehicles with similar horsepower and weight | |
| Dimensions | |
| Standard Payload | 0.00 |
| Fuel Capacity | 24.0 Gal |
| Seating Capacity | 1 |
| Doors | 1 |
| Exterior | |
| Length | 177.501 in | 4508.5 mm. |
| Width | 78.501 in | 1993.9 mm. |
| Height | 43.101 in | 1094.8 mm. |
| Wheelbase | 110.001 in | 2794 mm. |
| Front Track | 31.501 in | 800.1 mm. |
| Rear Track | 33.751 in | 857.3 mm. |
| Vehicles with similar dimensions | |
| Suspension | |
| Suspension | Twin wishbones and pushrods |
| Steering | |
| Rack and Pinion with Power Assist | |
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