Daytona 24 2008

Grand-Am made some serious annoucements today! Hurley Haywood gone from Brumos and Bill Auberlen driving a Porsche DP for AJR. I never saw that coming...

Auberlen Signs with Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team for 2008

The Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team announced Wednesday it signed two-time Grand-Am Rolex Series champion Bill Auberlen to co-pilot its No. 23 Porsche Crawford Daytona Prototype during the 2008 Grand-Am season.

Auberlen’s signing reunites him with Ruby Tuesday Team Owner Alex Job, a relationship dating back to 1995. That year, Auberlen (and co-drivers Joe Cogbill and Charlie Slater) gave Alex Job Racing its first professional sports car win at the 12 Hours of Sebring.

“My first Sebring win came with Alex, so being back with Alex and Holly [Job] and all of the guys is like being reunited with my family,” Auberlen said. “I have always had a huge amount of respect for Alex. You talk to anybody in the pits; everybody has respect for Alex. I'm very happy to be back with him because I think I can win races on his team.”

“It is very exciting to have Bill back with my team since driving for me in the 1995 season,” Job said. “The first time Bill drove for me we won the 1995 Sebring 12-hour race. It was our first major professional win. The last time he drove for me that year, we won at New Orleans. Since those wins, I have always had to race against him. Now that we have Bill back with us, we are looking forward to more success.”

Though Auberlen – who drove for Team Sigalsport in Daytona Prototype competition in 2007 – is currently the only driver on the Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team roster (with a co-driver to be named at a later date), he already has his sights set on winning the Grand-Am Daytona Prototype championship in 2008.

Brumos Drivers Swap Places; Barbosa Replaces Haywood Fulltime

For the past two seasons, Joao Barbosa has been the “third man” for Brumos Racing, joining Hurley Haywood and JC France in No. 59 Porsche Riley in the endurance races on the Rolex Series schedule.

This year, Barbosa will be a fulltime member of the team, paired with France in the famed No. 59, while Haywood will move to a management role with the team in addition to driving in the endurance races.

“I’m very happy to have reached an agreement to drive fulltime with Brumos,” Barbosa said. “I want to make the most of this opportunity and help the team get the results it deserves.”

Barbosa’s last full season in the Rolex Series was 2003, when he won three races and finished second in the championship.

“It was a good year in GTS,” Barbosa said. “Now I am very happy to drive in the Daytona Prototypes. The series is very strong, with a lot of good teams and good drivers. I’m looking forward to the start of the season.”

Barbosa will continue to commute from his home in Valongo, Portugal.

“I’ll try to go home as much as I can. I have two young kids, and I miss them, and they miss me.”

France tested the No. 59 on Wednesday, with Darren Law in the No. 58 Red Bull team car. David Donohue is on hand for the test, but is not driving as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery.