2005 GRAND AMERICAN

• INFINITI: Infiniti (Nissan) joins 2005 season: engine based on 4.5L V8 from Infiniti Q45
• TRACY: Paul Tracy's debut at Daytona 24
• FIA GT champions Bobbie and Gollin makes GrandAM debut in 2005

GRAND AMERICAN ROLEX SPORTS CAR SERIES

• organiser: Grand American Road Racing Association
• 2005 MANUFACTURERS: Daytona Prototype
• Engine: Infiniti (new), Pontiac, Lexus, Porsche, BMW, Ford
• Chassis: Riley, Crawford, Doran, Fabcar
• 2005 SCHEDULE
• 14 races
• 2 new venues: Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca & Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico
• CLASS:
• Daytona Prototype Class
• GT Class (combined class of previously SGS and GT class)

2005 GRAND AM TEAM / DRIVERS:

• Infiniti (Nissan) joins 2005 season: engine based on4.5L V8 from Infiniti Q45
  Grand American (R Edmondson): "... We are proud to welcome Infiniti to the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series ... Nissan is certainly no stranger to success in sports car racing, and we are truly delighted to welcome them back under the Infiniti banner"
• Paul Tracy's debut at Daytona 24
  2003 Champcar champion will drive Bell Motorsports Pontiac Doran with Terry Borcheller and Christian Fittipaldi.
  P BARBER (team owner): "... I'm really, really excited for this rare chance to have a driver of Paul's caliber on our team .. We saw his enthusiasm at the test and after two laps he was already running competitive times. Paul was uniformly easy to work with and didn't put a wheel wrong all day. He's shown he's got the competitive edge and I hope it'll bring us victory"
  TRACY: "... The car is very similar to my Champ Car but it's heavier and there is less power. In terms of general handling characteristics it does the same things as my Lola but the roof and windows are totally different. It gets hot inside and I'm not used to that ... I'm attracted to the Rolex 24 because you're always busy in the car. There are varied speeds of cars on the track and, in Champ Car there are lots of times when you're alone on the track. In the 24-hour the Daytona Prototypes will pass 2-3 cars per lap so I'll have to be on my toes all the time. It's a great tune-up for next season."
• FIA GT champions Bobbie and Gollin makes GrandAM debut in 2005
  Matteo Bobbie and Fabrizio Gollin from FIA GT championship will race for Doran Racing team in US. Bobbie and Gollin are both FIA GT champions (2004 FIA GT co-champion Gollin; 2003 FIA GT champion Bobbi). They drove Ferrari 550 Maranello Prodrives with the BMS Scuderia Italia team.
  BOBBIE: "... I'll be taking on this American adventure with great determination, as I know that we can be competitive right from the start ... I am fully aware of the excellent reputation of Kevin Doran's team, therefore, when I had to choose from the offers made to me, the decision I took seemed almost obvious. Racing in a team with Fabrizio (Gollin) is also a dream come true. We have been friends for years and we have always admired and respected each other as rivals. Racing together will give us new stimulus and motivation."
  GOLLIN: "... I am very impressed with how the Daytona Prototype class has grown in the last two years. I'm sure that this will be a big step forward for my career."
  DORAN: "... Both Gollin and Bobbi have solid resumes, and I'm sure they'll be a great addition to the Grand American Rolex Series ... We're looking forward to a competitive 2005 season, and especially the Rolex 24."
• Chris Bingham returns to Daytona Protype
  Former 2 times GTS champion Chris Bingham will return with a new Daytona Protype team - C.B. Motorsports. The car will feature Riley MKXI chassis powered by a Lexus 4.3L V8 engine. Drivers will be Hugo Guénette and his father Jacques Sr. Hugo.
  BINGHAM: "... I thoroughly enjoyed my time racing in the Grand-Am series and, with the explosive growth of the Daytona Prototype class, I fully expect the challenges ahead will be equally as rewarding. While we have no preconceived notions of moving to the front of the pack in our first race, we aren't going racing just to watch brake lights flashing in front of us! While we are a small team we hope to be the underdog that comes out ahead"

2005 GRAND AMERICAN SCHEDULE:

• 14 race competition
• R1 February 3-6: Rolex 24 At Daytona
• R2 March 3-5: Homestead-Miami Speedway
• R3 April 1-3: California Speedway
• R4 April 29-May 1: Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca *** new ***
• R5 May 21: Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant in Quebec
• R6 June 11: Watkins Glen International
• R7 June 29-30: Daytona International Speedway (support for NASCAR)
• R8 July 29-31: Barber Motorsports Park Birmingham, Ala.
• R9 August 11-12: Watkins Glen (support for NASCAR)
• R10 August 27: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
• R11 September 8-10: Phoenix International Raceway
• R12 September 22-24: Watkins Glen International (support for IRL)
• R13 October 7-9: Virginia International Raceway
• R14 December 2-4: Mexico Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez *** new ***

2005 FIA GT CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE:

• 10 APR Monza ITALY
• 01 MAY Magny-Cours FRANCE
• 15 MAY Silverstone UK
• 29 MAY Brno CZE REPUBLIC
• 31 JULY Spa- Francorchamps BELGIUM
• 28 AUG Oschersleben GERMANY
• 18 SEPT Istanbul TURKEY
• 09 OCT TBA
• 23 OCT TBA
• 25 NOV Bahrain
• 02 DEC UAE Dubai

LAST SEASON: 2004

• 2004 champion: Daytona Prototype CLASS
  Scott Pruett and Max Papis ; CompUSA Chip Ganassi Racing, Lexus Riley
• NEW GT CLASS
  Champions: Boris Said & Bill Auberlen, Prototype Technology Group BMW M3, 8 wins
• SGS ( Super Grand Sport) CLASS
  Champions: Marc Bunting & Andy Lally
• GS (Grand Sport ) CLASS
  Champion: Craig Stanton

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