The number 58 Brumos Racing Daytona Prototype is driven by David Donohue of Malvern, PA and Darren Law of Phoenix, Arizona.
David Donohue
To say that sports car racing comes second nature to David Donohue would be an understatement. The son of the late Mark Donohue, David has both the innate skill and pragmatic approach to the sport that made his father one of the most successful and respected drivers in racing's history.
After graduating from Lehigh Úniversity, David began racing as an amateur in 1991. That year he was named Eastern Motor Racing Association's GT Driver Champion and Rookie of the year. Shortly thereafter, he started his pursuit of a professional racing career - a career that is now highlighted by important and historic victories. These victories include multiple Manufacturer Championships, and a GT-2 class victory in the 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans. David is also credited with the first-ever podium finish for BMW of North America's M3 racing effort.
In 2003, David finished 2nd in class and driver points with ten top three finishes and three victories. He was behind the wheel of the Brumos Racing Porsche-powered Daytona Prototype that year in Grand Am's newly created top class. He continues with Brumos today, hoping to follow a successful 2007 season with even more podium finishes. If history is any indication of future success, David will again be among the first to take the checkered flag.Darren Law
Darren's career as a competitive driver began at the early age of age 11, as he started racing in the highly competitive karting scene of southern California. After winning several karting championships, Darren graduated to the world of ful-lfledged race cars, where he again proved himself capable and determined.
His first stints in race cars came in the formula car category, and he even spent time in Europe and competed with some of the best drivers in the world. In the years since his first few formula car races Darren has ultimately found himself competing in a wide range of vehicles and race series, and during that time he accumulated a mass of top ten and top five finishes as well as three separate driving championships.
Popular among his peers, with a confident and charismatic personality, Darren is widely recognized as a top level driver who has exceptional race savvy, car control and technical feedback, and is comfortable with competitors and sponsors alike. His participation in multiple series with top-level teams last year placed him in second position for the prestigious Porsche Cup, and he will continue to play a major role for 2008 in Brumos' quest for Victory Lane.Source - Brumos Racing
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 AAÚ 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 Ú, 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
Brumos Racing headed north to Mid-Ohio for the EMCO Gears Classic, intent on capitalizing on the momentum from our recent successes. The event was off to a great start for Brumos, as David Donohue set a new track record in Qualifying, taking pole position for the second consecutive race, and becoming the only Grand-Am driver to capture three poles this season. When the checkered flag dropped, Brumos had overcome early difficulties to score our season's best finish, with both cars placed in the top five.
The race was one of the most challenging of the year for drivers and crew, as torrential rain and high winds moved into the area at the start of the event, creating extremely hazardous conditions. The poor visibility and slippery track took a toll quickly, with the first of what would be eight full course cautions coming early on, as several cars spun off track, including the #59 piloted by J.C. France. The #58 car, started by Donohue, was having problems as well, with poor visibility slowing it considerably. Both cars were down in position during the first part of the race, as conditions remained difficult, eventually resulting in 37 laps run under yellow, and only 76 laps completed in the race.
His #58 counterpart, Darren Law, also had great success, moving up in the last few minutes to 2nd place before the final caution came out. 'The Mid-Ohio race was a really great race for us,' Law §äid. 'I was very happy in the end with the run, especially since there were so many highs and lows. There was the weather, and I'd gone off in the grass earlier and we had fallen behind, so it was a bit of a struggle, but as the track started to dry it really came to us and the car was really good. Once I felt the handling was there underneath me, I really pushed and made up a ton of space, so we had a great finish.'
The Mid-Ohio podium marked a back-to-back second place finish for our #58 team. As David Donohue noted, 'It seems when one of us struggles, the other picks up the ball, and today the team was just flawless. When I struggled, Darren picked up the ball and ran with it all the way. He really came on strong at the end, even under the changing conditions, so he's my hero today.'
Source - Brumos Racing
The race was one of the most challenging of the year for drivers and crew, as torrential rain and high winds moved into the area at the start of the event, creating extremely hazardous conditions. The poor visibility and slippery track took a toll quickly, with the first of what would be eight full course cautions coming early on, as several cars spun off track, including the #59 piloted by J.C. France. The #58 car, started by Donohue, was having problems as well, with poor visibility slowing it considerably. Both cars were down in position during the first part of the race, as conditions remained difficult, eventually resulting in 37 laps run under yellow, and only 76 laps completed in the race.
Strategy came into play early, as most cars had started the race without rain tires. As #59 fell off the lead lap, the car was brought into the pits for rain tires and a driver change, putting Joao Barbosa behind the wheel to finish the race. Subsequent yellows allowed the team to move up in position as they were able to stay out on track while other cars made pit stops. Once Barbosa regained the lead lap, he moved up steadily before a final yellow flag effectively eliminated the chance to advance further. Barbosa was pleased with the day's results, saying, 'We were able to finish in 5th place after being far back on the grid in the beginning. Our crew did a really good job in giving us a strong and competitive car to race. It was our best finish of the season, and we should continue to improve as we go. We are still in the middle of the season, with seven more races to go, so I am sure even better race results will come soon.'
His #58 counterpart, Darren Law, also had great success, moving up in the last few minutes to 2nd place before the final caution came out. 'The Mid-Ohio race was a really great race for us,' Law §äid. 'I was very happy in the end with the run, especially since there were so many highs and lows. There was the weather, and I'd gone off in the grass earlier and we had fallen behind, so it was a bit of a struggle, but as the track started to dry it really came to us and the car was really good. Once I felt the handling was there underneath me, I really pushed and made up a ton of space, so we had a great finish.' The Mid-Ohio podium marked a back-to-back second place finish for our #58 team. As David Donohue noted, 'It seems when one of us struggles, the other picks up the ball, and today the team was just flawless. When I struggled, Darren picked up the ball and ran with it all the way. He really came on strong at the end, even under the changing conditions, so he's my hero today.'
The Mid-Ohio results have placed the #59 team in the 6th spot in Team Point Standings, one point out of fifth place. They are followed closely by the #58 team, now in 8th place, with only five points separating them. The recent Brumos successes have also given a boost to Porsche, now shown in third place in Engine Manufacturer Standings. Following the race our team remained in Ohio, testing an additional day before heading home to prepare for the upcoming Brumos Porsche 250. Our signature race will take place on July 3rd , as we return to Daytona International Speedway.
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