Rolex 24: Know Anyone that has Driven or Crewed

You personally know anyone that has driven or crewed for a car in the Rolex Daytona 24 Hours? How do you know them & what did they drive, etc? I trained w/ a buddy at Gold’s Gym that drove several years: My plastic surgeon friend/race car driver/Ferrari 250GTO owner raced for Alex Job in a Porsche & co-drove w/ Bill Auberlin among others. My F shop main man has crewed many times for the 24.

 

Rob Dyson and his son Chris . Rob owns and drives for the Dyson racing team and he lived about 2 miles away. His neighbor is my wife's cousin and thats how I met him. His local track is Limerock Park in Conn. where we would usually make most of the races. Never did the Rolex yet.

 

http://www.callasrennsport.com/tony.html
http://www.callasrennsport.com/gallery.html

Tony looks after my Porsche - keeps telling me to dump the Boxster and get a 993...

Cheers
Kevin

 

My best friend crewed for his brother who drove a modified Camel Light car in 1995. They DNF's b/c the 'money guy' kept over reving the engine and if finally blew up.

 

I knew a guy who supposedly crewed with a porsche team.

 

I have met both Cort Wagner and Bill Auberlen when they raced for Ferrari of Washington in the 360 GT and know all the crew members of the FOW team that competed in the past three 24 hour races.

I also am acqaintenances of the Nonnemaker's who raced an SGS class GT3 at Daytona last year (I bought one of their Grand Am Cup cars).

Didn't realize that Chris Dyson had already done the 24 hour (I think this is his first year). I raced against Chris in SCCA in the MARRS series in Spec Racer Ford's for a short while.

I've also raced against all the Stewarts..Rob, Dave, and Gary (Apple Motorsports Porsche GT3).

I've also had personal instruction by ex-Porsche factory driver David Murray who instructs occasionally with Trackmasters here on the East Coast. Also nearly creamed David in my 355 C when a customer's GT3 he was driving at Summit leaked oil on the track.

I've met Michael Levitas a few times out at Summit Point at PCA races.

Lastly, the guys that maintain my race car at Datsun Dynamics have crewed for several teams for various teams. Last time it was the Marcus Motorsports BMW M3 and this year they are crewing for another GT team.

The beauty of the 24 hour is that it's a good mix of world class drivers and average joe's living out their dreams in race cars.

Hopefully some day soon someone will be able to add my name to the list of people they know who raced the 24 !

Regards,

Jon P. Kofod
www.flatoutracing.net

 

Brian Redman is a close friend.

 

Jon,

LOL, you always make this mistake: His name is David Murry.

I know David Murry, Chip Vance, B.J. Zacharias, Larry Schumacher, his former crew chief John Wright and several others, but that's all you get from me.

Larry has owned and competed in a 993 RSR, 993 GT2, 911 GT1 and 996 GT3RS as well as many others. He has also been a co-driver in a plethora of other cars he didn't own.

Greg A

 

Couple of clients who ran there. None of them did any good however, but one of them ran in the front before the car died: Freddie Ekblom, Swedish guy, great talent. Drove for GM and Audi, later with BMW. Temondous talent, who didn't get the rides he deserved.

Art

 

My appologies to David Murry

Schumacher has been runing 911's for a long time and is a fixture of IMSA/Grand Am.

Regards,

Jon

 

I know a couple of guys that have won the race, but I'm not really a name-dropper.

 

I have been with SFoW during the 24hrs and the Champinship seasons.

 

Crewed for Reed Kryder, Henry Camferdam and the late Phil Krueger amoung few other co-drivers I can't remember back in the glory days of IMSA. Did fuel and tire changing and saw the best of the best IMO. GTP, Camel lights, GTO & GTU. Raced against a few others in karts and SCCA but its been 10+ years ago, Lazzaro is the only one a see from my ancient history, although Jammie McMurry use to throw water ballons at me when he was a little $h** in karts. Can't think of anyone else.

 

I'm sure I have conversed with the better part of the field and have talked up most of the teams. I've been knocking at the door of a ride for years and will never give it up. Racing at Daytona and LeMans is what I wake up for every morning and I am determined to make it.Free/paid rides are very scarce which leaves most people cutting their teeth in endurance racing with their own cash. Anyone have about $50K lying around?

On another note, I was talking with a Porsche team owner last week who told me that it costs about $200K to run a GT Porsche for the 24hours (including test days) and after the race the car is junk needing about another $200K in re-building.

 

Hmmm that is odd....
Pat Flanagen is the President and founder of New Century Mortgage sponsering for the #2 DP Lexus Riley car but why is he driving for #63 GT Porsche GT3 sponsered by The Racers group? I guess he is against his own company. I wish I was there but I will be in Charleston SC for a Car meet and meet some ppl.
I have a few friends out there that will be racing...

14 GT Autometrics Motorsports Leh Keen, Dublin, GA; Cory Friedman, Charleston, SC; Steve Johnson, Bristol, VA; Al Bacon, Kingsport, TN Porsche GT3 Cup Keen Cap/ Johnson & Associates/ Comfort Systems USA

18 DP Chase Competition Eng/ CB Motorsports Johnny Miller, Gray, TN; Chris Bingham, Bellevue, WA; Roger Scotton, Boca Rotan, FL; Steve Ivankovich, Chicago, IL; Vic Rice, San Rafael, CA Pontiac Chase Matte Leao/ Gatorz/ Hazardous Sports

42 GT Orison-Planet Earth Motorsports Ron Zitza, Maitland, FL; Wayne Nonnamaker, Massillon, OH Porsche GT3 Cup HRPworld.com/ GOJO/ TheRaceSite.com
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http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=47300

Let's all wish him luck!

 

Luis Diaz (Chapulin), he's racing the CompUSA car with Scott Pruett and Ryan Briscoe (former Toyota F1 test driver). I know him from my karting days, he actually beat me in 1994 for the Mexican Super A karting championship. Great guy and good driver. Luis raced karts, F3, Indy Lights, Toyota Atlantic and one race in CART.

http://www.chipganassiracing.com/cgi-bin/db_searchz.cgi?database=dbpg_news_weekend.exm&template=tmplt_news_sr2.htm&0=297914

 

Kevin,

He is the best Porsche mechanic, I knew back when he had his own team Reiser Callasrennsport. His old driver is also a good buddy of mine Craig Stanton.

Vic

 

As Armen already said, Costantino Bertuzzi, an Fchat sponsor and friend to all of us in southern california, will be racing a 360 in this years race. Wish him well!

 

Bill Auberlen, Cort Wagner and Boris Said are friends of mine, I know them through karting. I used to race against Tom Milner Jr., whose father Tom Milner Sr. owns and runs the PTG Racing team(BMW factory team). Bill Auberlen and Boris Said drive for him, I even tested the BMW M3 race car.

Vic

 

Been to the race a few times. Usually to support my friend and son of Peter Gregg, Simon. Last time I went 2 yrs ago, hung out in his motorhome with Justin Bell. Simon has done pretty well in racing considering it has never been a full time career for him. They were running 7th that year until engine problems sidelined his Corvette.

 

Vic - absolutely agree with you. Plus Tony and everyone else at the shop are really nice, great people. They've gone the extra mile for me more than once.

Cheers
Kevin

 

Kevin,

If you see him in near future, let know I say HI! He will remember me. My full name is Vivek. I hope to see you around.

Vivek

 

Allan Simonsen drives the Ferrari's in Australia with me crewing. He's gone to Daytona without a drive but as a reserve. So if you see him or know anyone that needs a driver, help him out. It'll be worth it.

He drove with David Brabham in the Bahrain GT festival and cleaned up. He was faster than Brabham too.

 

I've been with SFoW for nearly 10 years. Crewed the 24 Hour '02 - '04, and was with them for both GT championships ('02, '03).

Just curious - is there a question forthcoming from this thread?