2008 Riley Mk XI Brumos Racing Prototype

The number 59 Brumos Racing Daytona Prototype is driven by Joao Barbosa of Porto, Portugal and JC France of Daytona Beach, Florida.

Joao Barbosa
Joao Barbosa has competed actively in Grand-Am racing since 2001 and will return to the Rolex Series in 2008 for a full season with Brumos Racing, on board the #59 Daytona Prototype. Joao is no stranger to Brumos Racing, having also driven for them in the previous two Rolex 24 events. He will join co-driver J.C. France for the full season, as Brumos veteran driver Hurley Haywood steps down from full-time driving duties to assume a new role in formulating strategy for the team.

Joao is an extremely versatile and experienced driver. A resident of Porto, Portugal, he began racing go-karts as early as age 11. He is fluent in four languages, and can claim championships in many different series and in many different cars. As early as 1988 he began collecting titles, when he was named Portuguese Junior Go-Kart Champion. He continued to win championships as he moved into other series - he accumulated championship titles in Go-Kart Formula A, Formula Super A, Portuguese Formula Ford, and was the Italian Formula Europa Boxer Champion in 1995. Joao also tested for F1 team Minardi and finished in 2nd place with Rookie of the Year in the Italian Formula 3 Championship in 1996. He also won the Rising Star Award in the Kool Toyota Atlantic Championship in 1997.

His level of experience in many different international events makes Joao a valuable asset to Brumos Racing. In addition to the Grand-Am series, he has also competed in the 24 Hours of LeMans, LeMans Series, ALMS, International Sport Racing Series, Italian formula 3, and he has even driven in testing for teams in the Japanese Super GT, in addition to his early years with Portuguese Formula and Go-Kart series. This level of diversity translates into a wealth of on-track expertise which is sure to prove beneficial for Joao and for Brumos in the season ahead.

JC France
As a member of the France family, JC grew up surrounded by NASCAR and even worked at Daytona International Speedway. He did a bit of everything from mowing grass to being in the NASCAR Marketing Department, but his passion was always to drive in the 24 Hours of Daytona. JC had his first race when he was in the eighth grade in a go-kart event at Daytona International Speedway. His love of motorsports took him to motorcycle racing in short track, enduro, and motocross events. He later became State and National Weightlifting Champion in the AAU division, and even played semi-pro football.

More than ten years later, JC France decided to return to racing and joined the Skip Barber racing school. He obtained his Grand-Am license, Historic Racing license, and FIA license, then competed in the Skip Barber Racing Series as well as some historic races. JC was fortunate enough to have Hurley Haywood as an instructor while racing in some SCCA events.

In 2003, JC France fulfilled his life-long goal of racing in the Rolex 24 at Daytona after joining the Brumos Racing team. He went on to score his first-ever road racing victory at the Homestead race that year alongside Hurley Haywood, finishing 3rd overall in Driver Points for that season. That historic win marked the first overall victory ever for the newly created Daytona Prototype. With his lifelong passion for racing, JC France continues to produce results and carry on the Brumos Racing legacy.

Hurley Haywood
Hurley Haywood has been described as a pioneer, a legend, and a one-of-a-kind driver. He has appeared in ads for upscale products such as Rolex and television productions for Porsche. Currently, he is the Vice President of Brumos Motor Cars, Inc. of Jacksonville, Florida and remains active as a professional race driver, despite stepping down from a full-time driving role in 2008. Hurley will continue to drive for Brumos in the three endurance races this season - the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the long race at Watkins Glen , and the season finale race at Miller Motorsports Park. For the short races he will work on race strategy and planning for the team. He also serves as Chief Driving Instructor for the Porsche Driving Experience as well as for Brumos U, the company sponsored driver familiarization school.

Winning the 24 Hours of Daytona five times, the 24 Hours of LeMans three times, and the 12 Hours of Sebring twice has made Haywood one of the world's most-accomplished drivers. He was the first to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Daytona in the same year. In fact, with a total of ten wins, he has won more endurance classics than anyone else in racing history. Hurley Haywood's ability to consistently be smooth and fast, coupled with his knowledge of the racecars, has put him in the winners circle time after time. His level of experience and contributions to motorsports makes him a highly valued member of the Brumos team on many levels.

Source - Brumos Racing