GRAND-AM Road Racing

About Us - Rolex Sports Car Series

Feb. 6, 2009

ABOUT US  //  ROLEX SPORTS CAR SERIES PRESENTED BY CROWN ROYAL CASK NO. 16

Entering its 10th season of competition in 2009, the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 is leading a resurgence of major-league road racing in North America. At the foundation of this success is the exotic Daytona Prototype division that is one of the most competitive road racing classes in the world.

Similar success has been experienced in the GT class that makes up the other half of the Rolex Series racing lineup. The GT division is for race-prepared versions of today's popular international and American-made high-performance sports cars and coupes, which makes for an easily identifiable and competitive product for race fans.

The 12-race Rolex Series schedule features a challenging mix of endurance and sprint races, including the 24-hour opener, a six-hour enduro and several 200- to 250-mile sprint races.

Teams of drivers are required in the Rolex Series. The shorter events usually feature two drivers per car, while three-driver teams will be common in the six-hour race, and three- to five-driver squads are the norm for the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Driver changes during pit stops always factor into the action and strategy at each race.

In 2008, the Rolex Series saw significant increases once again in at-track attendance and television viewership, with huge fields and several close finishes. Look for more of the same in 2009.

Daytona Prototypes

The top category in GRAND-AM Road Racing and the undisputed stars of the Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16, Daytona Prototypes are exotic, mid-engine machines that are purpose-built strictly for competition on the track. Low to the ground and capable of speeds in excess of 185 mph, Daytona Prototypes also feature the latest in safety technology, including carbon fiber side impact panels and a multi-point roll cage with a unique center post at mid-windshield.

Daytona Prototypes are produced to similar specifications by five approved constructors - Riley Technologies, Dallara, Crawford Race Cars, Coyote and Lola. Although each chassis is independently designed and manufactured, competitor modifications are highly limited by GRAND-AM rules and certain parts - including series-standard rear wings - are mandated by the series. A Daytona Prototype chassis costs between $400,000 and $550,000, but the cars have been raced in their current configuration for several years within Grand-Am's stable rules package.

Manufacturers are welcome to submit any production-based engine for approval in the series, but turbos and superchargers are not permitted. Engines that are currently approved for competition include powerplants from Pontiac (5-liter V-8), Lexus (5-liter V-8), BMW (5-liter V-8), Porsche (3.99-liter flat-six and 5-liter V-8), Ford (5-liter V-8), Honda (3.8-liter V6), and Infiniti (4.3-liter V-8). All engines are tuned to produce around 500 horsepower and each is capable of being mated to any of the approved Daytona Prototype chassis, which creates an interesting variety of chassis/engine combinations. Five- or six-speed sequential gearboxes from EMCO and Xtrac are the series standard in Daytona Prototypes. Smaller-engined Daytona Prototypes under 4.5 liters are allowed the advantage of the six-speed gearboxes, while all race cars with larger engines must run the five-speeds. Daytona Prototypes with engines under 4.0 liters must weigh a minimum of 2,225 pounds and cars with larger engines must weigh a minimum of 2,275 pounds.

GT Class

The Rolex Series GT division is home to production-based race cars that are similar in appearance to the latest high-performance sports cars and coupes that you see on the street every day. Underneath their skin, however, GT race cars are all business and use some of the same technology found in the more exotic Daytona Prototype class.

The rules for GT - short for Grand Touring - employ several methods of equalization, including race car weight, tire size and engine RPM limits to provide an even playing field for a variety of international and American-made cars. Only in GT can one see nimble, flat-six Porsche GT3s take on big bore V-8 Corvettes and Pontiac GXP.Rs, while also mixing it up with three-rotor Mazda RX-8s, mid-engine Ferrari 430s and BMW M6 coupes.

Engines in GT machines produce between 390 and 450 horsepower depending on the car, and minimum weights range from 2,200 to 2,800 lbs. The Mazda RX-8 is the lightest car, weighing in at 2,200 pounds while the Porsche GT3s must weigh in at 2,700 pounds, while the bigger Pontiac GXP.Rs tip the scales at the maximum 2,800 lbs. The top speed for GT race cars is 180 mph.

Qualifying Format

GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 and KONI Sports Car Challenge events, the series will follow traditional road racing group qualifying sessions to determine the starting grids. That format will see all race cars in each class for both the Rolex Series and KONI Challenge qualify as a group in 15-minute sessions broken down by class.

The GT class usually precedes the Daytona Prototype division in Rolex Series qualifying, while the Street Tuner (ST) cars set the stage for the Grand Sport (GS) class in KONI Challenge. The qualifying sessions are usually held the day before each Rolex Series race, although KONI Challenge teams may occasionally qualify on the same day they race. The fastest driver/car in each qualifying session wins the pole in that class, with the top Daytona Prototype and GS cars always the fastest overall in their respective series.

Under this format, the qualifying driver must also start the car in the race. In the event qualifying is canceled, race grids will be set by team championship point standings in all classes.

Starting lineups for the Rolex Series will see all Daytona Prototypes at the front of the grid followed by the GT cars, regardless of whether or not GT cars have posted faster qualifying times than some Daytona Prototypes. In fact, both classes will be started individually, with the Daytona Prototypes taking the green flag first and the GT machines starting the race roughly 30 seconds later. KONI Challenge  lineups are determined in the same way, with all GS cars starting first, followed by the ST machines.

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