HOOSIER SHINES
THRU THE SUN AND THE RAIN
AND A LONG 24 HOURS AT DAYTONA

January 27, 2007 at 11:30 am, Richard Petty, International motorsports icon and NASCAR’s all-time wins leader with 200 victories, was the Grand Marshal for the 45th anniversary of the Rolex 24 at Daytona sports car race, and gave the official “Start Your Engines” command.  As engines roared, we started the legendary twice-around-the-clock endurance race.

Twenty-eight Daytona Proto Types (DP) and forty-two Grand Touring (GT) cars started in the Crown Jewel of Racing.  The entire field shod with Hoosier Racing Tires, with each race team being allowed thirty sets of tires for the event, practice, qualifying, and racing. (This count does not include wets if there is a need, and a need for wets there was).

To give you an idea of the magnitude of this race, there are as many tires used in this one event as there are used in any five Rolex Road Racing races combined. The planning and preparation takes a month to sort out the details, select, train, organize the logistics, arrange the schedules and coordinate the plans.  As in 2006, many volunteers from around Hoosier Racing Tire stepped up and volunteered to help make this event work.  Hoosier Racing Tire had over 100 people on hand to service the event.

 
This year the travel schedule for the volunteers was modified to reduce the impact on the Plant and tire production. Two crews from Plymouth boarded flights on Friday afternoon and were back in South Bend Sunday night.

 
All groups were led by Hoosier’s wonderful Track Service crew headed by Kevin Wroblewski, who along with the crew, once again stepped up to provide training and instruction to all the volunteers who signed up to go. Their effort and effectiveness was evident in the performance at the track.

In speaking with Dennis Sherman, VP of Marketing for Hoosier Racing Tire, he offered these comments on the outstanding effort that he observed at the event: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank not only the people who were a direct part of our extraordinary track service endeavor at the 24 Hours at Daytona, but also the many other people who made this possible.  Each department company wide was somehow affected by the Grand American Rolex event.  I believe that everyone should be proud of the role they played it making it successful.”

Dennis also added: “It is sometimes easy to forget all the effort that gets put on the staff that stays home when someone in the department is traveling and not able to perform their normal task.  I am especially thankful for those that rose to the occasion and took on the extra burden that allowed this operation to come together.”
 

In one of the most spectacular finishes in the 45 year race history of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the No. 01 TELMEX/Target Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley trio of Scott Pruett, Juan Pablo Montoya and Salvador Duran (photo), emerged on top in a three-car battle over the final hours of the race to win the season-opening event of the 2007 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve.  Scott Pruett in his normal gracious self commended Hoosier. “Hoosier has done a great job with tires.  Every set has been very consistent, the car’s been the same.”
 

The No. 11 CITGO/SAMAX team of Dalziel, Carpentier, Darren Manning and Milka Duno had an outstanding run to finish second. 
 

The No. 10 SunTrust Pontiac Riley team of Angelelli, Magnussen, Wayne Taylor and Jeff Gordon clawed their way back from five laps down to play a major role in the outcome of the Rolex 24 before finishing third.
 
ALEGRA MOTORSPORTS/FIORANO RACING CLAIMS ROLEX 24 GT CLASS VICTORY
 
In a 24-hour battle of speed, weather, fatigue and the largest single class to compete in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Scooter Gabel, Jean-Francois Dumoulin, Carlos de Quesada and Marc Basseng overcame them all, claiming the GT victory in the 45th anniversary of North America's premier endurance race in the No. 22 Alegra Motorsports/Fiorano Racing Porsche GT3.
 

Paul Edwards finished second in the No. 07 Pontiac GXP.R Banner Racing machine, co-driving with Kelly Collins, Andy Pilgrim and Johnny O'Connell.
 
Jim Lowe, Jim Pace, Johannes van Overbeek and Ralf Kelleners finished third in the No. 64 TRG Porsche GT3.

 
Something very special happened at 11:11am on Sunday January 28.  The millionth lap of racing since the first race occurred in 1962 was completed.   In spite of a 78-minute “red flag” and 3 hours of rain, a record for the total miles in one event was set -119,042 total miles raced. That resulted in a record number of tires processed, and most notable was how easily Hoosier’s crew managed the transition from slicks to rain tires and back to slicks again - twice.  As in years before, the fans were as amazed by the service operation as they were of the race.

 
In addition to the effort to manage the 24hr event, the crew did a little tune up earlier in the week to get ready. The Koni Challenge (formerly Grand Am Cup) race ran on Friday.  That race started a record 93 cars. Under “normal” circumstances this would have been an event by itself.
 

Hoosier Racing Tire, in addition, had the engineering group sent to manage the product performance and supply the race teams with advice and information, as needed.

 
Hoosier Racing Tire is proud to be the sole tire supplier for the Grand American/Rolex Road Racing Series, and is looking forward to an exiting, event filled racing season.
 

For more information about Grand American/Rolex Road Racing Series check out www.grandamerican.com.

Copyright © 2007 Hoosier Racing Tire Corp. All rights reserved.
 Do not duplicate or redistribute in any form.

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