Twin Stevenson Camaros Finish On The Podium In Canada After Leading Most Of The Race

Sep 1, 2010

Media Contact: Andrew S. Hartwell
ashartwell@att.net
www.ashautomobilia.com

For Release September 1, 2010

GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16

In what has to be considered one of the finest runs this season for the Stevenson Motorsports Team competing in the 2010 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16, both the No. 97 and No.57 cars finished on the podium.  With Grand-Am officials finally conceding the Mazda cars enjoyed a lightweight advantage all season, rules changes – including a new tire for the Camaro – were enacted to allow the magnificently prepared but disadvantaged Camaros to finally battle on an even playing field.

The only downside was that the competition adjustments came too late in the season to have an impact on the battle for the GT championships.

At the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, in Montréal, Québec, Canada, both the No. 97 Stevenson Motorsports / Lala Motorsports / VonAllmen Capital Partners / Chevrolet Camaro GT.R., driven by Gunter Schaldach and Ronnie Bremer, and the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports / VinSolutions / VonAllmen Capital Partners / Chevrolet Camaro GT.R, driven by Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell, led the during the race.  It was only a combination of a late race charge – less than six minutes from the end – by Paul Edwards in the No. 07 Corvette, and a broken front splitter on the No. 57 car that caused Liddell to go off line momentarily, that kept either Stevenson car from taking first place.

The race marked the first time this season both Stevenson cars finished on the podium together.

Team Manager Mike Johnson: “It was really a great performance by the entire team.  We had fast cars all weekend and the team had very high hopes with the new tire.  We tested the new rear tire at the Glen during the summer, so we knew it would give us better performance during long runs and allow us to fight for race wins.”

Johnson outlined the way the race was played out when he said, “The race went exactly to plan for us as we took a wave by and the lead without about an hour to go.  The No. 97 crew had a great pit stop that saw them move from 9th to 1st and with Ronnie and Robin in the two cars, we knew we would be very tough to beat.  We had to conserve fuel which the drivers were able to do and we were still able to pull away from the Mazdas that also took the wave by.  The only thing that could stop us was a yellow flag, and it came with about 30 minutes to go.”

In the early part of the race the No. 57 car received a broken splitter when two Daytona Prototypes blocked the track leaving no room for maneuvering out of harm’s way.

Andrew Davis was in the car at the time.

Davis: “On the way into turn one after the second restart, a couple of DP cars got tangled causing quite a jam up.  I couldn’t avoid making slight contact with the car in front of me, causing some damage to the nose of the car.  The damage wasn’t too bad initially, but the repeated curb strikes necessary to keep the car on pace simply took a toll by the end of the race.”

Johnson: “Robin had the lead with 10 minutes to go with Ronnie and the 07 Corvette right behind when all of a sudden the splitter failed completely.  The broken and flailing body part forced Robin off line (and the racing surface)  just long enough to have the No. 97 car back off to avoid contact thus allowing the Corvette to go by both of them and take the lead.

“The good news is that Ronnie was able to hold onto second place while Robin held off the No. 69 Mazda and No. 44 Porsche to pull down 3rd place.”

Liddell described what it was like when the splitter gave way.

“It looked like we had the race under control but with 5 minutes to go the damage sustained to the car after the early race restart incident finally took its toll and the front splitter became completely detached.  It got jammed under the car approaching the final corner. Whilst the car had been tricky to drive for most of the race due to a lack of front downforce and a huge vibration under braking, it now became pretty much un-drivable, so it was really all I could do just to hold off the 69 Mazda to finish on the podium.”

Gunter Schaldach was again joined by Ronnie Bremer for this race, with regular co-driver Jan Magnussen away for another obligation.  The pair proved to be as potent as they needed to be to run at the front and almost nail down a victory.

Schaldach’s story of his weekend north of the border follows here.

Schaldach: “I think this weekend things finally came together in our favor. Throughout the year I have been impressed with the crew during pit stops and this race was no exception. I almost feel bad because they do such a great job you just expect it from them. The stops were flawless and really helped get Ronnie on the track in P1. Even on the first Yellow when we came in for a splash of fuel I came in 4th and went out 3rd ahead of the pre-yellow flag leader.

“The weekend didn’t go like everyone expected and track time was cut significantly. Having only run one lap in the first practice session, and having never been to this track before, I was very eager to get into the car for the entire second session. I could quickly tell that this race we were going to be on pace due to the balanced construction of the new tire.”

Schaldach felt he really needed more time to find his pace on this new circuit, but once he got in some hot laps his optimism level went way up.

“In the second practice session I was able to get into the car for my first real look at the track but there were only 10+ laps before the session was over. I had to bed brakes which took up most of the portion of the session that I had planned to us to learn the track. With that said, I was able to come within 2 tenths of my co-drivers time which was encouraging. To be honest I was actually really shocked at how quickly I got up to speed. Usually it would take me until after the Truman/Akin session to be within .5 seconds of my co-driver. I didn’t turn a lap in Practice 3 and when the Truman/Akin session came around I only had another 10+ laps before I needed to qualify.”

Davis qualified the No. 57 car and came within a whisker’s width of winning the pole.

Davis: “It was obvious to me during my initial laps in practice that the Stevenson Motorsports crew had done a great job preparing a fast car for us!  Although the practice sessions were a bit fragmented in regards to green laps, we were able to improve our Pratt & Miller built Camaro GT.R even further leading up to qualifying.  After coming so close to grabbing the pole at the last event in Watkins Glen, I set out for the qualifying session determined to maximize the performance of the #57 VinSolutions/VonAllmen Capital Partners/Intersil Camaro.  I broke the track record early in the session, and I initially felt that would be enough to keep me at the top of the time sheet.  I continued to push both the car and myself to the limit when Mike Johnson came over the radio to tell me that Boris Said had stolen away my pole position!

“Not satisfied with that message, I threw in another flying lap to regain the top spot.  Unfortunately, that track record would only stand for a couple of minutes before we were nipped from the pole on the final lap of the session.  In the end, it was a great battle and I was pleased to be representing Stevenson Motorsports on the front row.”

The team would still like to take that last shot at a win and they have just that, a last shot, coming up at the season ending round in two weeks at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. Johnson, Davis and Liddell feel that just may be the only shot they need to get it done.

Johnson: “Now that we finally have a tire we can race, I wish we could start the season over again, but obviously that’s not going to happen.  We have not been mathematically outside the championship with one race to go since 2007, so all we can really do is go for the win at Miller and try to end the season on a high note.  Having both cars on the podium at Montreal is still a great result.”

Liddell: “”It was a great weekend for Stevenson Motorsports to get both cars on the podium and for GM Racing to have the podium locked out. Obviously we felt that we had a car that was good enough to win and we did manage to take the lead after the last caution after a good battle with Ronnie in the No.97 car The guys did an excellent job preparing the car and the pit stops were also good, we just lost some track position during the driver change due to the drinks bottle handle breaking off. Overall, it was a good weekend despite the disappointment of not getting the first win for the Stevenson Camaro.”

“I am disappointed that we couldn’t come away with the first victory for the Camaro GT.R, but it was a very special moment to have the majority of the podium represented by Stevenson Motorsports.  The No. 97 Camaro has been working just as hard as we have all season long, and it was great to be able to share the podium celebration with them!  I want to thank John and Susan Stevenson, along with everyone on the Stevenson Motorsports squad for a hard fought weekend.”
The next and final race on the GRAND-Am Rolex Series schedule will be held September 12 at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, UT

More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the Stevenson performance shop, can be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com
For more information on the GRAND-AM Rolex Series, go to www.grand-am.com/rolex/

Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

One Stevenson Camaro Expires On Track After Running in Second Place Sister Car Picks Up Best Season Finish

Aug 20, 2010

Media Contact: Andrew S. Hartwell
ashartwell@att.net
www.ashautomobilia.com

For Release August 16, 2010

GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16

They began the season with two new Chevrolet Camaro race cars and hoped to find the same blend of performance and luck that they enjoyed the last two seasons running Pontiacs.  But for the Stevenson Motorsports Team competing in the 2010 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16, 2010 has delivered a decidedly different outcome.

At last weekend’s race, the Crown Royal 200 at The Glen, the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports / VinSolutions / VonAllmen Capital Partners / Chevrolet Camaro GT.R, driven by Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell looked to finally be in serious contention for a win only to have that dream go up in smoke.  The team’s first engine failure this season came just as Liddell was hounding the GT class leading Mazda for the lead.

For the sister car, the No. 97 Stevenson Motorsports / Lala Motorsports / VonAllmen Capital Partners / Chevrolet Camaro GT.R., driven by Gunter Schaldach and Ronnie Bremer, the outcome was much better as the pair kept charging throughout the race and managed to score their best finish for the car this season.

The team comes away from this race with little expectation they can capture a championship.  There simply aren’t enough races left in the season for them to harness enough luck to break out on top.

Team Manager Mike Johnson: “After the heartbreak at New Jersey, our primary goal at the Glen was to maintain 3rd in the championship, and for most of the race, we had that goal covered……then the engine let go.  Andrew and Robin in the No. 57 fell 14 points behind the 3rd place car of Leh Keen and James Gue in the driver’s championship with just two races to go.  We are going to need some strong measure of luck to be able to catch them by seasons end.

“On the other hand,” he continued, “the No. 97 had its best finish of the year with 5th place.  We struggled for the entire race with blistering rear tires and this eventually caused the No. 97 to go a lap down.  We then got a perfectly timed yellow, unfortunately from the engine failure in the No. 57, and then another yellow and a wave by.  This gave us the opportunity to sticker up and go for it, and it worked out great.”

In qualifying, Andrew Davis just missed getting the pole position by a hair. At two one-hundredths of a second, the gap from first to second was so slight it would take you more time than that just to say two one-hundredths of a second out loud.

Davis: “Everyone at Stevenson Motorsports worked so hard to produce a car that was capable of bringing us our first victory of the year.  Everything felt good during the first practice sessions, and I was confident that we had a chance going into qualifying.  The qualifying session was intense, as I was determined to put the car up front.  I pushed as hard as possible for the entire session, battling for the pole position until the very last lap.  I couldn’t believe that I missed the pole by a mere two one-hundredths of a second, but I was pleased to be starting on the front row.”

Davis continues his recounting of the action on track.

“We improved the car even further during the final practice session, and it looked as if the cooler temperatures in the evening might help us keep the rear tires from blistering.  I got a great jump at the green flag allowing me to grab the lead for a brief moment entering turn one.  After getting a bit loose on throttle, I had to give position to the No. 70 SpeedSource Mazda on the way into the uphill esses.  From there, I just focused on putting as much pressure as possible on the leader until my rear tires began to blister late into the stint.

“It was great to have representatives from both VinSolutions and Intersil join us for the event, and it looked like we were going to provide them with an exciting finish.  Unfortunately, it all went up in smoke with less than 30 minutes remaining.  I was in complete disbelief when I heard Robin come over the radio informing us of the engine failure!  All we can do now is look forward to the two remaining chances to get the Stevenson Motorsports VinSolutions/Von Allmen Capital Partners/Intersil Camaro GT.R into victory lane.”

Liddell provided this accounting of his time at the wheel that ended in a cloud of smoke and a 14th place finish.

“Overall, it was another frustrating weekend for Stevenson Motorsports and GM Racing.” Liddell said. “Andrew had a great run going in the first hour pressuring the No. 70 Mazda for the lead, until for the second race in succession; we were hit by one of the SpeedSource Mazdas. It was pretty clear as the race unfolded that the Mazda was again the car to beat, and after a few laps when the tires started to go off I could see them driving off into the distance.

“We knew that tire blistering was a problem, so we just tried to drive within the limits of the car and not work the tires too hard. Even so, they were starting to blister by the end of the first stint, and as a result the No. 41 Dempsey Racing Mazda caught and passed me quite easily towards the end of my first stint. We did manage to get back ahead after the second round of pit stops with some good pit work.  Unfortunately we had dropping oil pressure throughout the race and two laps into my second stint we lost power going up through the Esses.  With smoke coming out of the hood I just pulled off the track at the Bus stop and parked the car.

“Again, I have to thank Johnny and Susan Stevenson for their continued support and patience with this program, and the guys did a super job in the pits.”

Johnson: “The only good news coming from the Glen is that Grand-Am has finally decided to give us a tire we can race with so we’ll have a new rear tire at Montreal and Miller.  A little too much WAY too late, but at least we can finish a race….hopefully.”

The next race on the GRAND-Am Rolex Series schedule will be held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montréal, Québec on August 28th.

More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the Stevenson performance shop, can be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com

For more information on the GRAND-AM Rolex Series, go to www.grand-am.com/rolex/

Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

One Stevenson Motorsports Sunoco Camaro Finishes On The Podium While Another Finishes Behind The Wall

Aug 19, 2010

Media Contact: Andrew S. Hartwell
ashartwell@att.net
www.ashautomobilia.com

For Release August 20, 2010

GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series

The Stevenson Motorsports Sunoco-Camaro GS.R team looked to improve their record of results for both team cars coming into the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series event, the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres this past weekend. In the end, only the No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports Sunoco-Camaro GS.R, driven by Matt Bell and Jeff Bucknum, was able to secure a podium placing. The No. 9 Stevenson Motorsports Sunoco-Camaro GS.R, driven by Hugh Plumb and Al Carter, finished in 15th place when the engine let go as the end of the race grew closer.

Team Manager Mike Johnson tells the story of the one day race ‘weekend’. “The team felt very good going into Three Rivers – especially since Matt won there last year – and our cars have been very strong recently.  Unfortunately, we crashed the 6 car early in the first practice and the 9 early in the second practice, and with this being a one day event that meant the team had to work very hard to get everything straight for qualifying.

“While our qualifying effort was not our best of the year, we were solidly in the field and we knew we would have great cars for the race.  With about 90 minutes to go everyone came in and changed drivers and then we had another yellow with 60 minutes to go.  We were two of the few cars who came in for fuel.  This stop worked out great as the other teams ran out of gas in the last few minutes.  That gave the No. 6 car another podium finish.

“The strategy was right on for the No. 9 car as well,” Johnson continued, “but the motor let go with no warning and we wound up finishing the third straight race with the car behind the wall.  While the team will have a lot of repairs to make back at the shop, we will also have new engines installed for the last race at Miller.”

Hugh Plumb summed up the team’s Canadian experience this way: “It was an extremely unfortunate weekend for the No. 9 Stevenson Camaro, given that Al Carter did an amazing job qualifying after very few laps.  With very limited time to look at data, it was great to see Al nearly get the car into the top ten.

“Al put together a string of very competitive lap times,” Plumb noted. “He was matching the times of the cars running in the front. He continues to impress me every time he gets in the car and he keeps the car clean which is even more remarkable given the limited amount of time he actually has behind the wheel.
Unfortunately the spate of suspect circumstances that has hounded the No. 9 car this season again took center stage when the engine decided it did not want to keep working.

Plumb continued recounting the unfortunate end for him and Carter: “The second full course yellow dropped at an opportune time for us to make a pit stop and driver change. The crew did an amazing job to get us in and fueled and back out again. We were on pace with the leaders of the race and actually turned the fastest race lap of the field up to that point.”

“I knew that if I could stay out of trouble and keep this pace,” Plumb noted, “that we were going to finish very well. However, as I was entering turn one I felt a vibration, heard a loud noise, and then the engine simply let go.  That was it. I knew right then that our day was done. We had all the pieces in place and the crew had prepared a great car, but it just wasn’t our day.  My heartfelt thanks go to our crew guys Mike and Greg and while we had a good strategy, we just couldn’t capitalize on it.”

Jeff Bucknum expressed his sympathy for Plumb and Carter when he said, “I am really sad for Al Carter, Hugh Plumb and the whole Sunoco Camaro No. 9 team as they were having a great race and if they would not have had the mechanical problem I am sure they would have finished in 3rd and we probably would have finished 4th. “

While Bucknum felt bad for his teammates misfortune, he took great solace in the manner in which the fortunes turned for him and Matt Bell.

“What a crazy day of racing for our No. 6 Car.” Bucknum said. “Unfortunately we had a rough start to the morning on our one day event.   Matt went out in the first morning practice session and he was quickly up to speed posting fast lap times right away.  Racing is a crazy sport because Matt made the smallest of errors coming out of a corner and slid into the wall damaging the right side of the car.  Unfortunately before he could make it back to the pits the steering arm broke which sent him into another wall that crashed up the other side of the car.   Needless to say the Stevenson Sunoco Camaro crew guys jumped on getting the car fixed as quickly as possible.  They did the impossible and got the car back together before qualifying.”

With the delay for repairs, Bucknum had to wait for an opportunity to turn laps.

“The unfortunate part of the accident for me is that I never got the chance to drive the car even once before the race.”

His dismay soon dissipated when Matt Bell took off at the start giving the entire Stevenson crew cause for thinking this one day of racing could become a very good day of racing.

Bucknum: “Matt did a great job to qualify the car in 9th position which was an amazing accomplishment when you consider we didn’t even know if we would make the show. Then, at the start of the race, Matt did a great job of moving up through the field and staying out of trouble to hand off the car to me in good condition.  Fortunately I was able to get in the car under a full course caution situation which allowed me to get a couple of laps in the car to at least look at the track before I had to run laps in anger.

“After the repairs, I would not say the car was back to being perfect, but Grant, Donnie, Adrian, and all the other crew guys did an amazing job to give us a solid and safe race car.  I have to say my engineer Greg Jones was amazing on the radio.  He was the calm, level headed person who kept me under control when I needed to be calm and the motivator when I needed to be aggressive.”

Aggression soon transformed itself into a dose of racing luck.

“With only two laps to go I was in 6th place.” Bucknum said. “With Greg’s motivation and the great consistency the Camaro gives us with brakes and tires over long runs, I was able to move into 4th.  With one lap to go I was able to make a pass in turn two on the third place car giving us the last step on the podium.   I am telling you a 3rd place finish for our team was more like a WIN.”

The last race on the 2010 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series schedule will be held at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah on Saturday, September 11th.

More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the new Stevenson performance shop, can be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com

For more information on the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sportscar Series, go to www.grand-am.com

Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

A Podium For No. 57 Stevenson Camaro At Daytona, No. 97 Finishes in Top 10 After Pit Lane Penalty

Jul 8, 2010

Media Contact: Andrew S. Hartwell
ashartwell@att.net | www.ashautomobilia.com

For Release July 6, 2010

GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16

It was a podium finish at the Brumos Porsche 250, the eighth race of the 2010 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16 season, for the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports / VinSolutions / VonAllmen Capital Partners / Chevrolet Camaro GT.R, driven by Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell.  Both drivers felt the top three finish was well earned and overdue.

Liddell: “it was great to get back on the podium with Stevenson Motorsports; it has been too long! “

Davis: “It’s great to have the Stevenson Motorsports VonAllmen Capital/VinSolutions Camaro GT.R back on the podium where it belongs!”

The No. 97 Stevenson Motorsports / Lala Motorsports / VonAllmen Capital Partners / Chevrolet Camaro GT.R., driven by Gunter Schaldach and Jan Magnussen, made contact with a tire when exiting their pit, costing them a penalty.  They finished in 9th place for the second consecutive race.

Liddell: “A good strategy call put us in the lead with a twenty second lead after the first caution but at the next caution when we pitted we couldn’t close the door and we left the pits in sixth. This also inadvertently caused the 97 car to run over one of our wheels and cost them a penalty.”

Gunter Schaldach expressed some mixed emotions about this particular turn of events that may have kept him and Magnussen off the podium.

“This race had the widest range of emotions of this year so far.” He said. “I brought the car in 5th, which was my best performance this year.  I am still a little puzzled as to the enormous penalty that we received for hitting the tire of the No. 57 car. I originally thought that the penalty would go to the team who left the tire in the way. It was explained to me that if the tire is in the pit box then anyone hitting it is responsible for the contact. If that is not the case then I would love to suggest that after each pit stop we throw our tires into the pit lane so that every other car coming down the pit gets a 60 second penalty.  I’m kidding, of course. I know the penalty essentially gave the No.57 the opportunity to get to the podium and for that I am happy for them. I am not so happy for the No. 97 team!

“The car felt great and I have no complaints about how the crew performed. Unfortunately we missed Ben Johnson (our engineer) who had to head off to a family emergency, but Chuck, who temporarily replaced him, did a great job with the car. Both Jan and I were very happy with the Camaro and felt we had a solid podium car.”

Team Manager Mike Johnson explained the difficulties the team has struggled with up to and through this race.  “Well, the good news is that we finally made it back to the podium and we were competitive with the Mazdas,” Johnson said, “but unfortunately, we carried a few of the same mistakes from Watkins Glen and Mid-Ohio to Daytona.  For the second time in three races, we could not close the passenger door on the No. 57 during a cool box change, which left us scrambling to fix the latch and we lost valuable time.  While the No. 57 was able to recover, the real loser was the No. 97 which hit the right rear tire of the No. 57 leaving the box resulting in a 60 second penalty, virtually taking them out of the race.  We hoped for a yellow, but it never came, so the No. 97 guys had a very disappointing 9th.

“On top of that,” Johnson continued, “we can’t seem to get on top of the driver cooling situation in either car right now.  We are on our third system with no success and we are melting our drivers in the cockpit.  We tested a few things in Homestead on Monday which might give us some progress, but either way, we are running much higher cockpit temps in the Camaro than we did in the Pontiac.”

It gets real hot in Florida in July and even hotter on the surface of black asphalt baking under the strong Florida sun.  After the race, a very heated Liddell recalled what it was like to be inside a rapidly moving metal box, sitting right behind a very hot engine, and speeding along on tires that quickly succumbed to the hot racing surface.

Liddell: “It was a very tough race physically as we had problems again with the cooling system in the car but the balance of the car was good throughout the weekend. Driving for two hours in the heat with no cool suit was very hard and we had no drinks bottle for the last hour; it was one of my hardest races physically. We also had to be pretty cautious with regards to preserving (particularly) the rear tires as they would start to go off after only several laps of hard driving.”

The Independence Day weekend started with an engine issue that found the Stevenson crew working feverishly to correct before the Daytona Speedway management closed the garages for the night.  Davis explains, ““The result certainly did not come easy, for the event started with an engine problem during the first practice session that required the installation of a new one.  That meant missing the qualifying session and thus starting in the back of the pack for the race.  Despite the extreme heat, the Stevenson crew made quick work of the engine change before the garages closed down for the evening.”

With the work successfully completed on time, with no opportunity to qualify the car for the race, Davis took up the last spot on the GT grid.  From there he could only move forward and that is what he managed to do despite the heat and the tire wear issues.

“The next morning the car ran great during the morning warm-up,” Davis said, “so we moved the focus to the race plan.  I am not accustomed to starting in the back of the grid, but I was looking forward to the challenge of working my way up to the front.  It certainly wasn’t easy, but I was able to fight up to 4th place before the first caution period slowed my progress.  I was determined to get up to the front, so I was pleased to see the yellow since it helped close the gap to the leaders.  However, the timing of the caution fell into our strategy window for a driver change, so my work was done for the day.”

Robin Liddell had now reported to the office and he immediately began his heated effort to keep the journey to the front well underway.

Liddell: “We had some good battles and towards the end I had to dig really deep to try and keep the No. 68 Mazda behind as I was pretty done-in physically by this stage. The Mazda actually made it ahead of me going into turn one on the outside but he chopped across a little and we made contact which allowed me to stay inside of him.  We then drove side by side for several corners before I got back ahead. With two laps to go the No.69 Mazda out braked himself in the bus stop and that allowed me to pass him fort the final podium place.  I certainly I didn’t mind taking the good luck for a change! I think without the issues we had we would have been second but it was still a solid result.”

Davis: “I really want to thank John and Susan Stevenson for their unwavering support of the team.  It was very rewarding to represent Stevenson Motorsports on the podium once again, and the hope is that this result will breathe some new life into what has been a difficult season.”

Johnson: “I think all four drivers did an excellent job at Daytona, which has historically been a bad track for us, so I am looking forward to New Jersey.  We definitely have some work to do though if we want to fight for this championship with four races to go.”

The next race on the GRAND-Am Rolex Series schedule will be held at New Jersey Motorsports Park on July 18th.

More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the Stevenson performance shop, can be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com
For more information on the GRAND-AM Rolex Series, go to www.grand-am.com/rolex/

Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

After Winning Pole Position, No. 6 Sunoco Camaro falls back to 18th in race, No. 9 Stevenson Motorsports / Sunoco Camaro finishes 26th after accident

Jun 22, 2010

Media Contact: Andrew S. Hartwell
ashartwell@att.net | www.ashautomobilia.com

For Release June 20, 2010

GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series

Things simply didn’t ‘sway’ the way the Stevenson Motorsports Sunoco-Camaro GS.R team had hoped at the Emco Gears Classic at Mid-Ohio Raceway this past weekend – the seventh round of the 2010 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series.  After Matt Bell qualified the No. 6 Camaro on the pole – the first for the team this season –  handling problems later traced to a disconnected sway bar kept Bell and his co-driver, Jeff Bucknum, from sustaining a fast pace. The pair ultimately finished 18th in class.

Their sister car, the No. 9 Stevenson Motorsports Sunoco-Camaro GS.R, driven by Hugh Plumb and Al Carter, finished in 26th place when they found themselves lying at the back of the pack due to a mix up on pit lane.

Team Manager Mike Johnson: “I think the highlight of the weekend was Matt’s pole in the No. 6 car which was the first pole for Stevenson and the new Camaro.  It was pretty much downhill from there.

“For the last few races,” he continued, “the team has made amazing improvements to the car and we were getting closer and closer to our first win, but today we really let our drivers down with poor race preparation and a strategic error on my part.  After Matt got the pole, we failed to reconnect the front sway bar before the race, and we basically handed him an undriveable car.  Somehow, he was able to hold off Jack Roush Jr. for a half hour and still bring the car to the pits in second place.  He has really proven to me that he is becoming one of the best drivers in the series.”

Bell: “The crippled Camaro was absolutely one of the most difficult race cars I’ve ever driven, but made for one of the most fun races I’ve ever experienced. Sometimes when there’s little chance for a win, you just have to find a way to enjoy what you’ve got. The car had essentially no front sway bar which meant it was sideways entering a corner, sideways at the apex, and sideways on exit. This is not fast at all, but it is quite a challenge to maintain competitiveness in such a close class.”

Bucknum took over for Bell and he soon came to realize what an incredible job Bell had done with an evil handling car.

Bucknum: “Greg Jones along with Grant Ford and the rest of the crew did a great job putting a set up on the car that worked really well for Matt in Qualifying.  Then Matt went out and did a fantastic job putting a great lap together on his first flying lap to not only take the pole, but a new track record.   Now for the funny part, as soon as the race started Matt called in and said the car was super loose again.  Well that was how our weekend was going; the car kept changing all the time.

“Once I got in the car”, Bucknum continued, “I knew I was going to have a long day.  I just wasn’t prepared for how terrible the car was really going to be.  I can honestly say that was the hardest car I have ever had to control during a race.  Ultimately Mike Johnson and Greg Jones figured out from the feed back Matt and I gave them that the car probably had a broken or disconnected front sway bar.  Before they could bring me in to look at it, I had spun the car twice, because the rear tires were getting worn out.  Once I pitted, Matt got back in the car the crew did find that the front sway bar was disconnected and hooked it back up.  Once Matt went back out he not only loved the way the car was handling, but instantly started doing laps almost two seconds faster than we had early in the race.

“Needless to say, that was the race win that got away from us. “

Bell: “The team took everything that chance threw at them and made the best of it, just as Jeff and I did. They always amaze me how hard they work, despite all the setbacks. It is amazing that the car was as good as it was with such a handicap, and that’s all due to the work that Stevenson Motorsports puts into this remarkable machine. It takes a lot more engineering to make a race car out of a hot rod Camaro than it does of a BMW or Porsche, so the fact that we were able to keep those marques behind us for so long is a testament to the versatility of this new Chevrolet platform.”

The No. 9 Stevenson Motorsports Sunoco-Camaro GS.R, driven by Hugh Plumb and Al Carter finished in 26th place after Carter found himself with no place to go causing another race car to smash into him.

Carter: “With the field bunched after a yellow restart, I got collected when a car was spun directly in front of us. I blindly crested the turn five hill with nowhere to go.”

Bucknum: “I feel bad for the No. 9 car as well because I watched the TV monitors as Al carter had no where to go when a car spun right in front of him and hit him with the front of his car.  That ended the race for him and Hugh Plumb.”

Johnson: “On the No. 9 car, it was just a stupid error on my part.  I didn’t hear Grand-Am say the pits were open and I had already called Al in, who was driving great.  When no one else came down pit lane, I thought we could just take the drive through and we’d come in the next lap.  Of course the pits were open for GS and we couldn’t pit the next time around so we stayed out.  We were still on the lead lap and in contention, we were just in the back of the pack where all the craziness happens, and Al got shoved into the gravel.

Carter: “Congratulation to Matt Bell for putting the #6 Sunoco Camaro on the pole at Mid-Ohio. Had the racing Gods shined upon us, and if Hugh could have gotten back into our car I know our racing suits would have smelled of champagne!

Bucknum: “I would also like to add that the No. 6 car was short one of our best Mechanics, Adrian Lindsey, who had a freak knee infection.  He made it out to Mid-Ohio, but had to be admitted into the hospital for immediate surgery or possibly lose his leg.  He had the surgery and is doing fine, but is still in the hospital recovering.”

Johnson: “This weekend was such a shame since we have so much good going on right now with our GS team. But we just keep finding new ways to lose races and we lose them horribly for some reason. This upcoming three week break will be great for us, because most of our issues are in the details.  We’ll be able to go back and build in some new procedures and we also have a lot of work in improving our pit stops.  Grand-Am recently removed 50 pounds from our cars, and we should be able to get that out before New Jersey.  I think that track is going to be great for us since we’ve tested there before and it’s the home track for Al and Hugh.”

Carter: “Our day might have been wrecked, but the remainder of our season has never looked more promising. This team has never been closer as a unit, or more prepared to perform.”

The next race on the 2010 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series schedule will be on July 17th at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the new Stevenson performance shop, can be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com

For more information on the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sportscar Series, go to www.grand-am.com
Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

No. 57 Stevenson Camaro Puts Team In Third In Championship Standings, No. 97 Stevenson Camaro suffers damage losing a lap to repairs

Jun 22, 2010

Media Contact: Andrew S. Hartwell
ashartwell@att.net | www.ashautomobilia.com

For Release June 22, 2010

GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16

With a fifth place finish at the Mid-Ohio round of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16, the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports / VinSolutions / VonAllmen Capital Partners / Chevrolet Camaro GT.R, driven by Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell, moved the Stevenson team into third place in the GT Team points standings.  Davis and Liddell remain tied for the fourth spot in the Driver’s Championship.  While a win is overdue for the pair, the signs are there that a third podium placing should be in their future.

The No. 97 Stevenson Motorsports / Lala Motorsports / VonAllmen Capital Partners / Chevrolet Camaro GT.R., driven by Gunter Schaldach and Ronnie Bremer, found itself proving the fundamentals of physics – two race cars can not occupy the same piece of race track at the exact same time – to the detriment of the car’s front splitter and their chances of a strong run.

Team Manager Mike Johnson was pleased with a recent GRAND-AM Rules change but he thinks the benefit will be greatest at a high speed circuit like Daytona, the next stop on the 2010 calendar.

Johnson: “Grand-Am took 130 pounds off our car for the race at Mid-Ohio which gave us a little boost in performance, but even though it’s only weight removal, it still affects the handling of the car.  At some tracks it would not be a huge issue, but Mid-Ohio is unique in the fact that there are two to three  turns where you are applying throttle over a turning crest and when we remove weight from the back of the car, it greatly effects getting the power down and it also increases rear tire wear.

“I know this sounds weird but I am actually looking forward to Daytona in two weeks.  We were pretty fast in the Rolex and I think the weight removal will make a bigger difference there.”

After a season of chasing the lithe Mazdas, Liddell expressed his thanks to GRAND-AM for the rules changes.  He also noted he is a little ‘tired’ about the advantages enjoyed by others in the GT class.

Liddell: “I have to say thank you to GRAND-Am for recognizing that the Camaro is at a significant disadvantage to the competition. This was clearly demonstrated by their almost unprecedented decision to take 130 pounds of ballast out of our car prior to the Mid Ohio event. I am sure that they believed that this would be all that was required to put us right up at the front and give us the chance to win races. But as we have seen consistently throughout this season, on new tires we can fight at or near the front for a few laps, although we quickly lose a significant amount of grip and fall backwards down the field. The problem is simple. This year we have a rear tire which offers less grip than the 2009 tire and the Camaro -whilst it is a great car – has inherently less downforce than the car we ran last season. In addition we are forced to run an artificially high ride height which raises our centre of gravity and works the already overloaded rear tires even harder.

“You can go around in circles from an engineering standpoint but when your competition is running on a tire which offers more grip and longevity and is therefore superior, it is basically impossible to compete within the further constraints set by the Series. Taking ballast out of the car is clearly a positive step but sadly it is not dealing with the root cause of the problem. In my view the balance of performance will now be skewed as we will undoubtedly be competitive on the high banks at Daytona due to that reduced weight and aero drag, although as soon as we return to a traditional road course we will again struggle for grip and we will be back to square one.”

Andrew Davis felt the weekend’s results were really not indicative of what could have been.

Davis: “After a string of poor finishes, it was nice to get the Stevenson No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports / VinSolutions / VonAllmen Capital Partners Chevrolet Camaro GT.R. back into a decent points paying position.  However, the amount of effort put forth both on and off the track usually would find us standing on the podium at the end of the race.  The balance of the car felt okay for the first several laps of a stint, but the rear tires just wouldn’t stay under the car for very long.  That left us chasing an ill-handling car for the majority of the race, which is especially difficult at a technically challenging circuit like Mid-Ohio.”

It was hot at Mid-Ohio on race day leaving many drivers feeling as though they had been stuck in a high-speed sauna.  With conditions like that a driver needs his equipment to function properly.  Unfortunately, the heat had no foe on this day.

“Despite an evening start time, the ambient temperature was quite high at the drop of the green flag.  Things were made even more difficult when the helmet blower and cool suit failed to work properly.  There is no time to relax at a track like Mid-Ohio, and the competition was very tight.  So, it was a struggle to stay hydrated and avoid getting overheated during the race.”

Liddell too felt the heat.

Liddell: “The race itself was very tough as the cool suit did not function and the cockpit temperatures were high. We were struggling with a lack of grip after only a few laps so after having a good go at the beginning of the stint with some great racing and getting up the front with some good pit work and strategy we slowly slipped back and for the rest of the race just tried not to make too many mistakes or go off the road. I could not push the car much at all as the tires went off quite quickly which made the handling quite tricky, so I had to work very hard just to bring the car home in fifth place.

At one point, a Corvette spun just a short distance in front of Davis.  He managed to quickly – and barely – make his way around the spinning car but a Mazda following closely behind didn’t enjoy the same bit of luck.  The two collided heavily putting them both out of contention.

Davis: “Things were very close out there, especially as I took to the grass to avoid a spinning competitor near the end of my stint.  As we entered Turn 13, the two cars in front of me made contact sending one spinning towards the inside of the track!  I made a quick decision to drive into the grass at full speed only to miss being collected by a few inches.  The car directly behind me wasn’t so lucky, suffering race ending damage from the incident.”

For the No. 97 car, a bit of ‘bounce-back’ at speed put them a lap down when repairs were required after a Daytona Prototype played ‘me-first’ with Gunter Schaldach.

Schaldach: “I now know what the “DP chop” is. The damage to the car was caused when I entered the last turn onto the straight with a DP on the inside. It seemed like no big deal until there was no more track left for me to go on and the DP was still tracking out. As this turn is relatively slow when two cars are side by side, I didn’t think the contact would be severe so I stayed on track and took some contact instead of going off track to avoid the contact. The contact caused huge problems for the 97. It tore the fender mounts and within two turns the fender ripped off when enough air got under it. The main damage was the cracked splitter. It eventually hung down enough to cause a considerable amount of balancing issues to the car.

“Ronnie got in the car and did an amazing job often matching the lap times of the leaders even with the severe damage to the car. At one point in the race we thought the engine was overheating and Ronnie did an unscheduled pit. On this stop the Splitter was found to have severe damage and unfortunately needed to be fixed which put us a lap down to the leaders. Despite the damage Ronnie was able to match lap times but we were not able to get our lap back.

“I am very excited about the rest of the season as I believe we had a podium car today. With Ben and Mike on the stand running strategy and Chris, Pat, Nick, Marty, Jason and the rest of the crew working the pit, we had the best chance this year for our first trophy. I look forward to the progress we will make in the next race.  Without the damage I am confident a podium was attainable.”

Johnson: “I was very pleased with the performance of the team and the drivers and we seemed to do everything right other than Gunter getting chopped by a DP.  If that had not happened I think Ronnie would have easily been fighting for a top five finish.”

The next race on the GRAND-Am Rolex Series schedule will be the Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona International Speedway on July 3rd.

More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the Stevenson performance shop, can be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com

For more information on the GRAND-AM Rolex Series, go to www.grand-am.com/rolex/

Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

BELL BREAKS CONTINENTAL TIRE SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE TRACK RECORD AT MID-OHIO, GIVING CAMARO FIRST POLE

Jun 21, 2010

David White Becomes First Street Tuner Driver With Multiple Poles This Season

LEXINGTON, Ohio (June 18, 2010) – Matt Bell broke the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge track record Friday at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, earning his sixth career Grand Sport (GS) class pole position and first of the season in the No. 6 Sunoco Chevrolet Camaro.
It also marked the first pole for the new generation Camaro, which began competing in the 2009 season finale. Bell’s time of 1:33.635 (86.813 mph) narrowly bested his record time of 1:33.665 last season on the 2.258-mile, 13-turn track. Bell co-drives with Jeff Bucknum.
“We struggled almost from the time we unloaded, but during qualifying, it was perfect,” Bell said. “This track changes constantly, and it’s a guessing game as to how you’ll run every session. Getting the pole was surprising for exactly that reason. I just want to bring Jeff a car that he can race to the finish.”
Bell also dedicated the pole to crewmember Adrian Lindsay, who suffered a knee injury Thursday and could not make it to the track.
Joining Bell on the front row was Jack Roush Jr., in the No. 61 ROUSH Performance Products Ford Mustang GT, who set a time of 1:33.641 (86.808 mph). He and Billy Johnson are aiming for their second victory of 2010.
Rounding out the top five were Andrew Hendricks (1:33.682; 86.770 mph) in the No. 45 Stable One Racing BMW M3 he shares with Terry Borcheller; James Gue (1:33.722; 86.733 mph) in the No. 37 Trumansburg ShurSave Ford Mustang Boss 302R he co-drives with Bret Seafuse and Steve Jenkins (1:33.736; 86.720 mph) in the No. 38 BRM Watches Porsche Cayman he shares with Jean-Francois Dumoulin.
In the Street Tuner class, David White picked up his second pole of the season in the No. 80 Performance Friction/RAYS Engineering BMW 328i he shares with owner and co-driver James Clay. White turned in a time of 1:37.195 (83.633 mph); he and Clay are shooting for their first podium finish of 2010.
“I’ve had a lot of laps around this track, and this car was just dialed up from the get-go,” White said. “We worked hard between James and I to find speed, and while this track favors a lighter car than ours, we’ll focus on a strong brake package to keep us in contention.”
Second was Paul Gerrard, who gave RRT Racing its first-ever front row start in the series in the No. 18 RRT Racing BMW 328i. Gerrard lapped the track at 1:37.320 (83.526 mph) in the No. 18 he shares with Martin Jensen.
Rounding out the top five in ST were points co-leader David Thilenius (1:37.444; 83.420 mph) in the No. 74 Skunk2/HPD Honda Civic Si he shares with Lawson Aschenbach; Taylor Hacquard (1:37.661; 83.234 mph) in the No. 32 Mazda/Cybernation MAZDASPEED3 he co-drives with Pierre Kleinubing and Mark Congleton (1:37.750; 83.159 mph) in the No. 196 Cruise America/4 Winds RV Mini Cooper S he shares with BJ Zacharias.
A final 30-minute practice session for the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge begins at 8 a.m. ET, with the two-and-a-half hour EMCO Gears Classic scheduled for 1:15 p.m. ET.

For more information:
Contact Michael Harker, GRAND-AM Public Relations, (386) 310-6584, mharker@nascar.com

VonAllmen Capital Partners Teams With Stevenson Motorsports In GRAND-AM

Jun 15, 2010

Media Contact: Andrew S. Hartwell
ashartwell@att.net | www.ashautomobilia.com

For Release June 15, 2010

Private Equity Firm Enters The Fast Track

The GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16 has been the home for intense competition for several years now as the racing action is always close and exciting for both the fans and the teams.  One of the leading private teams competing in the GT class is Stevenson Motorsports. They campaign a pair of Chevrolet Camaro GT.R race cars and now they have a new member of the team who is sure to help them move closer to a championship.

VonAllmen Capital Partners, based in St; Louis, Missouri, is a brand new private equity firm founded by Nick Bellon, Doug VonAllmen and his son David VonAllmen.

Doug VonAllmen is a well respected individual with years of M&A (mergers and acquisitions) experience.  He has owned several successful companies and he is well known in the leverage buyout field. Right now, VonAllmen Capital Partners is in the process of looking for businesses to acquire.  While they are a start up, they begin with an established reputation because of Chairman Doug VonAllmen.

Bellon outlined the VonAllmen Capital Partners business model when he said, “At VonAllmen Capital, we find winning companies that are positioned to sell so that we can help them to continue to grow and succeed.  We are looking to help owners develop an exit strategy when they feel it is time for them to turn over the company to someone else to carry on.  A lot of private equity firms want to buy a company that they can turn around and sell at a profit within a few years.  That is not our goal.  We buy small and medium sized companies and hold onto them for many years.  We would like to keep the existing management in place rather than replace anyone, so we can keep their experience and knowledge working to sustain and grow the business.”

When he isn’t reviewing the company details of a possible acquisition, or working on the fine points inherent in closing a business deal, Bellon is a racing fan right down to his wingtip shoes.

As a Principal in multiple organizations in the financial industry, Bellon has spent many hours with the Stevenson race team as an active supporter of their efforts to win a championship.  With VonAllmen Capital Partners now a part of the team, Bellon expects to continue his close relationship for a long time to come.

Bellon is not the only motorsports fan at VonAllmen Capital Partners.  As an exotic car and motor sports enthusiast, Doug has been on the selection committee for the Robb Report, and he and David have been students at the Skip Barber & Bob Bondurant Racing Schools.

“I have enjoyed being with this team and these great people” said Bellon, “and I am certain my partners in VonAllmen Capital will come to appreciate the kind of commitment Team Manager Mike Johnson and his crew put forth in pursuit of a win.”

David VonAllmen is especially excited about this new sponsorship, “As a new firm in a highly competitive industry we as an organization felt that we needed to make a statement, and what better way to make your presence known than to align yourself with a top tier racing team like Stevenson Motorsports.”

Bellon agrees. “Being involved with a front running championship contending team like Stevenson Motorsports, in a NASCAR-backed top level professional racing series like GRAND-AM Rolex, will give our company exactly the kind of exposure we need to build on.  That is a key tenet of our company – we buy companies to help them grow and continue their own brand of success.”

Stevenson Team Manager Mike Johnson couldn’t be more pleased to have Bellon and his partners on board.  “I have come to know Nick really well these last few years and I really enjoy seeing his high level of energy and enthusiasm on race weekends. It’s great when a person or a sponsor can find an immediate benefit from a relationship in Motorsports and I think VonAllmen Capital Partners will continue with this form of success.  I can’t think of a more interesting, exciting and enjoyable way to entertain current or potential clients than at the race track.”

The Stevenson Motorsports / VonAllmen Capital / VinSolutions 2010 Camaro GT.Rs, No. 57 and No. 97 are looking to move further up in the overall championship standings and recent rules changes by GRAND-AM may help fuel that forward movement.  In a race series that, thus far in 2010, has been dominated by Mazdas, recent strong showings by the Stevenson pair suggest a win may be just around the next sharp curve.  With VonAllmen Capital Partners now along for the ride, that turn seems to be coming up fast.

Visit the VonAllmen website at www.vonallmencapital.com

More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the new Stevenson performance shop, can be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com

For more information on the GRAND-AM Rolex Series, go to www.grand-am.com/rolex/

Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

No. 57 Stevenson Camaro podium shot punctured with minutes to go, No. 97 Stevenson Camaro finishes 8th at The Glen

Jun 10, 2010

Media Contact: Andrew S. Hartwell
ashartwell@att.net | www.ashautomobilia.com

For Release June 10, 2010

GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16

The No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports / VinSolutions / BryanMark Financial Chevrolet Camaro GT.R, driven by Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell, had a shot at catching a place on the podium at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen – the sixth race of the 2010 GRAND-AM Rolex Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 series – when a puncture in a tire, that came with just a few minutes left in the race, forced Liddell to hobble around the circuit dropping him down five places as the rest of the field flew by to catch first sight of the checkered flag.

The No. 97 Stevenson Motorsports / Lala Motorsports / BryanMark Financial / Chevrolet Camaro GT.R., driven by Gunter Schaldach and Ronnie Bremer managed to come home one position ahead of their sister car after Liddell had to nurse his three-wheeled racer all the way around the circuit.

The weather included both sunshine and rain, with the wet conditions aiding the run of the No. 57 car for a short period.  But it wasn’t quite wet enough long enough to prevent tire wear from becoming an issue for the heavy Chevys.

Team Manager Mike Johnson: “Man, what an emotional roller coaster.  We led at the beginning with the No. 57 and were actually running quicker than the DP cars in the light rain, but we knew tires were always going to be the downfall, and they were.  As the biggest, heaviest car in the field, we have always had tire blistering problems at Watkins Glen, and this year was no different.  We could get around 10 laps before the drivers complained and then we always had to pit earlier than our competitors.  We could conserve tires if we ran two seconds off the pace, but that was not effective either. “

Conservation efforts may work to reduce waste and that is a good thing for the environment, but conserving speed is never good for a racer.

Johnson: “Both cars eventually went a lap down, but with some great driving by Robin and a lucky yellow, we got him back on the lead lap and were all set for the cooler temps.  Robin ran the pace of the leaders even with blistered tires, and was set for a 4th place finish which would have been as good as a win for us, until the last lap when the tire failed. “

Davis: “After the disappointing result at Lime Rock last week, we were really focused on getting the most out of the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GT.R at Watkins Glen.  I was really pleased with the initial balance of the car in the practice sessions, but it was quickly apparent that we would not be able to run competitive lap times with the front running Mazdas and Porsches.  Obviously, we have struggled to keep up all season long in regards to pace, but the extreme tire issues that we faced during this event really changed the complexity of the race.

“The Six Hours of the Glen is normally a race that sees varying weather conditions, and this year was no different.  The rain had come and gone by the time I got in the car to drive a double stint.  The conditions in the cockpit were very hot, but I was quite pleased with the performance of the car during my first stint.  I was able to keep a strong pace without blistering the rear tires.  Approaching my second stint in a similar manner, I expected to see the same performance and tire wear.  However, I quickly realized that my left rear was not in very good shape, so I had to back the pace off to keep from experiencing a failure.”

Robin Liddell was in the No. 57 car when the tire let go with so little time remaining.  He recounts the weekend as follows:

“This was obviously another disappointing weekend in what were very difficult circumstances, given the continued advantage of the Mazdas and Porsches and the problems we were suffering with excessive tire wear and blistering throughout the weekend.

“After qualifying – when I ran only a few hard laps – the tires had blistered quite badly and so we realized we had to drive slowly in the race to try and save the tires for a stint of fuel. Despite this we were still able to lead the race thanks to the rainfall which only lasted for a short time but made the track very slippery and allowed me to get ahead and get a sizeable advantage over the competition. When it dried out the Porsches and Mazdas caught us very quickly and there was not much we could do except drive around and try to hang on.

“With two hours to go I had to start pushing hard to make up the time lost by the penalties we got in the pits, and fortunately we got the lap back and were able to close in on the lead group. For the last hour, with the ambient and track temperatures dropping rapidly, we opted to go for a new set of tires to try and maximize performance, and whilst we battled very hard with some of the leading cars for the last part of the race, unfortunately, with two laps to go and while running in 4th place the left rear tire failed going into turn one and we had to crawl all the way back to the pits.  We finished with some bodywork damage and by crossing the finish line on pit road.”

Davis: “The race was grueling, and the competition was fierce.  So, we were excited to have the VinSolutions BryanMark Financial Camaro in position for a solid top five finish despite all the obstacles that we had to overcome.  It was absolutely heartbreaking to hear Robin on the radio with just minutes remaining informing us of the puncture.”

Johnson: “The No. 97 had a solid run as well, but they just could not compete with blistered rubber.  Grand-Am says we will be allowed some updates for the next race (Mid-Ohio), so I guess we’ll see,”

The next race on the GRAND-Am Rolex Series schedule will be the EMCO Gears Classic presented by KeyBank, on the Mid-Ohio Circuit, in Lexington, Ohio on Saturday, June 19th.

More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the Stevenson performance shop, can be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com
For more information on the GRAND-AM Rolex Series, go to www.grand-am.com/rolex/

Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

No. 9 Stevenson Motorsports / Sunoco Camaro finishes 4th No. 6 car in accident after running in top five – finishes 24th

Jun 9, 2010

Media Contact: Andrew S. Hartwell
ashartwell@att.net | www.ashautomobilia.com

For Release June 9, 2010

GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series

At the Continental Tire 150 at Watkins Glen this past weekend – the sixth round of the 2010 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series – the No. 9 Stevenson Motorsports Sunoco-Camaro GS.R, driven by Hugh Plumb and Craig Stone came home in fourth place. After running in the top five, the No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports Sunoco-Camaro GS.R, driven by Matt Bell and Jeff Bucknum, was put out of contention when it was involved in an accident.
Team Manager Mike Johnson: “I really thought today was going to be our day. Right before the accident with the No. 6 car, I felt so confident we would get two cars on the podium. The team and the drivers have really come together since we finally got the gearboxes to work and it has really shown.
“At the last stop, with Hugh in the No. 9 car, we dropped a bunch of spots in the pits due to our slow fuel delivery time and he had to really drive through the pack to get that 4th place. He did an awesome job.”

Plumb: “This was one of those races I wished there were a couple more laps. We had a problem with the fuel delivery taking more time to fill the car than it should have. Coming out of pit lane we ended up in fourteenth, and this after Craig Stone did a great job bringing me a clean car that he had moved forward a bunch of positions.
“At this point I had approximately an hour and forty minutes to get to the front. Given that this was a race filled with three yellows, that didn’t give us a whole lot of time to do what we needed to do. This meant that on every lap I needed to take as many opportunities to move forward as I could. After the last full course yellow, there was approximately fifteen minutes to go and we were in sixth. I had a faster car than the top five cars and I got around two more to end up fourth. I feel I simply ran out of time to improve further, with the race ending under a full course yellow.
“The Stevenson guys did a great job. The Camaro has come a long way since the beginning of the year. This is a true testament to the team with a brand new car at the beginning of the year, now being able to race at the front of the field. This requires a team of talent and that is what we have. Every practice, every race this car continues to get better.”
Stone: “I too can’t say enough about the team at Stevenson Motorsports and the work and effort they put into all our cars. The setup again was right on by Larry Hahn and Greg Jones, and Mike Johnson called a perfect race for us in the No. 9 Stevenson Sunoco Camaro. Hugh Plumb really drove the wheels off the car coming up through the field twice after pit stops and the issues with our fueling rig.”
Stone was behind the wheel for the green flag and he soon found his competition had him surrounded by the time they got to the first turn.
“The start was a little wild with cars all over the place into turn one — luckily we were able to fight our way down to the inside and get a good run into the esses and pick up a few spots on the first lap. Traffic was difficult throughout my stint but manageable.
“My goal was to deliver Hugh a good car for the finish and gain a few positions in my run. We didn’t have any real issues with the way the car was running and while I am happy for our result, I still want to see Mr. and Mrs. Stevenson get that podium! With Al Carter and Hugh Plumb driving the rest of the season I expect it will happen. Again, many thanks to all at Stevenson Motorsports for the opportunity to drive the car this year.”
The No. 6 Sunoco Camaro suffered a fast disagreement with a guardrail and soon the suspense of a possible high finish evaporated with a crunch of the suspension. A hard charging drive to the front went off track with a bang.
Bucknum: “We had another great weekend that ended poorly.    Matt did a great job qualifying the car and starting it up front. On the first lap, Matt spun the car in the bus stop trying to avoid another car that had spun right in front of him.”
Bell: “An M3 spun in front of me in the bus stop and I was left with few options but to slow down. The caboose on our train didn’t get the brake light message and hit me quite hard, sending me spinning off track. I then had the familiar job of playing catch-up!”
Bucknum: “Once Matt got going again, he found himself in 19th position and it was a lot of work to get back up front. As usual he drove a great race and got the car all the way back up to 4th position before handing it off to me. I came back out after our pit-stop driver change in 9th position knowing we had a good car. I quickly worked my way back up to the 4th spot and set the 2nd fastest race lap along the way.
“I knew then that we had a winning car and I was getting anxious to move up to first. I started pushing harder and harder setting up the third place car for a pass. As we went through the esses, I let my car run too wide and I hit the guard rail making contact with the right rear of the car. I broke the rear suspension. The crew fixed it quickly but the stop put us four laps down.
“I am very disappointed that I broke our car like that after all the hard work Matt and the crew had done to get our car in a position for a win. I want to thank our engineer Greg Jones for giving us such a great car and I hope to redeem myself at Mid-Ohio for the whole team and Johnny and Susan Stevenson, the best team owners in the paddock. I also want to congratulate Craig Stone and Hugh Plumb for a great 4th place finish in the No. 9 car.”

Johnson: “We have some repairs to make to the cars this week which is no big deal in Continental Tire racing, but we are now going to have to work on the details and fuel delivery if we are going to be ready to win.”
After Watkins Glen, Bucknum and Bell are currently in 11th place in the Drivers Championship. Plumb is in 12th place. Carter is in 27th and Stone is in 34th.
The next race on the 2010 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series schedule will be on June 19th at Mid-Ohio.
More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the new Stevenson performance shop, can be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com
For more information on the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sportscar Series, go to www.grand-am.com Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

No. 9 Stevenson Motorsports / Sunoco Camaro finishes 7th after losing speed late in the race, No. 6 car suffers suspension damage in collision finishing 19th

Jun 1, 2010

For Release June 1, 2010

GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series

The No. 9 Stevenson Motorsports Sunoco-Camaro GS.R, driven by Hugh Plumb and Al Carter, came home in 7th place at the Lime Rock round of the GRAND-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series this past weekend.  The finish, while still too many places from a podium, marked the highest placing yet for the blue and yellow Camaro in its maiden year of racing.  The No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports Sunoco-Camaro GS.R, driven by Matt Bell and Jeff Bucknum, struggled home to a 19th place finish after making contact with another car causing suspension damage.

Team Manager Mike Johnson: “In one sense, I am very happy that we had fast and reliable cars for the first time this season.  The crew worked very hard over the break to get the cars to where they needed to be and Greg and Larry got them dialed in by race time.  Matt and Al put down some amazing laps in qualifying to give us our best starting positions of the season and they fought for the lead the whole time. Unfortunately for Matt he made contact with the No. 37 car which bent the lower control arm and effectively took them out of the race.”

Bell: “Lime Rock Park has always been one of my favorite tracks. It is one of the few that I can say I’ve been to enough times to truly know some tricks to make my way around.

“Bad luck and silly mistakes, if by myself or other drivers, this time caught us out. When you race close and fast, sometimes a small slip can depict the outcome of the race weekend. Unfortunately, I had a run in with this type of situation and made contact with a fellow competitor, breaking a front suspension component early in my stint.

“I did my best to make the most of my situation, but could not make up much ground. I handed off the car to Jeff and even his amazing charge could net only a 19th place finish. The car and the team were both amazing, as usual. I have never dealt with such a professional team and am excited to get back in the car at Watkins Glen this weekend!”

Bucknum: “I feel very bad for the team as we did not get a finishing result that matched how good our Sunoco Camaro is right now.  Grant, Adrian and the other guys on the No. 6 car did a great job fixing the car after Matt’s accident but we lost eight laps in the process.  Once I got in the car I drove it like we were fighting for the win.  In the real world of racing you don’t get too many opportunities to actually race a car, so it was good for me and the whole team to push as hard as we could to be ready when we are in the lead.

“Before the race, Greg Jones and Larry Hahn did a great job engineering the cars over the short two day race weekend.   Our cars did not roll of the track in great shape but Greg and Larry came up with a whole new setup just before qualifying which paid off because our cars were very good after that.

“I am very excited about how far we have come in a short amount of time so far this season, and I look forward to the rest of the year.  We started with cars that were slow and constantly braking parts.  Now we have cars that are always in the top five and have good reliability.   I feel very good that the second half of this year will bring us more podiums and hopefully a race win or two.

“I also want to mention how excited I am to have Matt Bell as my teammate this year.  He is probably a better driver than he even realizes which gives me so much confidence in our chances the rest of this year.  Our first race win is not far away I can assure you!”

After the contact, the team still had one car with a shot at a podium and Johnson was optimistic this could be the race that saw the No. 9 car reach the podium, as the No. 6 car had done with a 2nd place finish at the previous round held at Virginia International Raceway.

Johnson: “Al and Hugh had a pretty flawless run and were fighting for the podium, but towards the end of the race, their car starting losing speed and Hugh dropped back to 7th at the end.”

Plumb: “This was an extremely short race weekend with practice on Friday and the race on Saturday.  The Stevenson guys did a great job rolling a good car right off the trailer, especially when you consider Lime Rock was not going to be the best track to suit the Camaros.

“In qualifying, Al did an amazing job putting the car sixth on the grid, in only his fourth Grand American Continental race. As his coach and co-driver this makes me extremely proud, he has come a long way in a very short time. To back this up, he quickly moved up to fourth place in his hour long stint, running as quick as the leaders, doing everything he needed to do handing me a good car in the top five.

“We had some rain early on in my stint, where we moved up after coming out of the pits 11th. We had a strong car. Moving up through the field early on, within the first 40 or so laps, then something changed drastically in the car and I found myself really working overtime to keep the car balanced.

“Overall we had a fairly decent run, given some of the unfortunate circumstances that we have had, a 7th place finish I was fairly happy with. Yes I want to be on the podium more than anyone, but a lot of really good things happened this weekend.  I know more strong finishes are ahead. I say ‘great job’ to all the guys at Stevenson, and the boys on the No. 9 car.”

Carter: “I couldn’t’ be more psyched about our Lime Rock race weekend and this whole Stevenson Motorsports Sunoco Camaro operation.  I think that I and this Camaro team continued to gain a ton of respect in the GS paddock this weekend.  Having raced at Lime Rock before, and now with a couple of Grand-Am races under my belt, I felt comfortable with the car just as it came off the trailer. With every adjustment the crew made, the Camaro only got better.

“Being able to qualify up front and back it up with keeping the car in the top five during my race stint, was an incredible feeling and a personal season highlight.  Our team shared a bunch of high-fives, as we qualified 6th and ran much of the race in the top 5. Coming home with a solid top-ten finish only shows the direction the No. 9 team is heading.”

Despite the off-podium finish for both cars on the 1.53 mile Lime Rock circuit, Johnson sees progress being made on two fronts – the set up of the cars and the allowances provided by GRAND-AM to level the racing field.

Johnson: “I think Grand Am has now given us the chance to be competitive and I think we now have something really good to build on. We are looking forward to taking this momentum to Watkins Glen this week and then to Mid-Ohio in two weeks.”

The next race on the 2010 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series schedule will be the Continental Tire 150 on Saturday, June 5th, at Watkins Glen International.

More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the new Stevenson performance shop, can be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com

For more information on the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sportscar Series, go to www.grand-am.com
Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

No. 57 Stevenson Camaro punted off track by a charging Daytona Prototype, No. 97 Stevenson Camaro finishes 6th in hot Connecticut race

Jun 1, 2010

For Release June 1, 2010

GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16

The No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports / VinSolutions / BryanMark Financial Chevrolet Camaro GT.R, driven by Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell, had muscled its way up to fourth place at Lime Rock Park when a hard charging Daytona Prototype – itself in a race for the lead in its class – ran into the car at speed forcing it off the racing surface and into the barriers.  The resulting damage to the Stevenson car took it out of the race

In the No. 97 Stevenson Motorsports / Lala Motorsports / BryanMark Financial / Chevrolet Camaro GT.R., season-long driver Gunter Schaldach was joined by Champ Car racer Ronnie Bremer –replacing Schaldach’s regular co-driver Jan Magnussen. (Bremer will also team with Schaldach for the Watkins Glen and Mid-Ohio rounds.) They managed to bring home a 6th place finish in a race hotly contested on a searing hot race track.

Race day was Monday, Memorial Day, and it was hot in the Connecticut Berkshires.  Lime Rock Park, celebrating 53 years nestled in a valley amongst the mountains, hosted an enormous crowd of race fans, most of who knew to bring umbrellas and sun block lotion to keep them from baking in the hot sun.

While the thousands of fans sitting on the hills both inside and outside of the circuit tried to keep cool, there was no cooling a race track that measured temperatures of 115 degrees plus.  There was also to be no cooling down the pace of the Mazdas as the top five of six qualifying positions were taken by that marque.  The heat continued for the fans and the competition as the Mazdas went on to finish 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the race.  How much of an advantage do the Mazdas currently enjoy in this series?  The race winning car was a brand new chassis and it had never even been on the track before this race.

Schaldach: “I don’t believe at this point there is anything to say about the performance of the Mazda. It is obvious to anyone watching the race that the Mazda has an absurd advantage. The drivers in this series are all extremely experienced and talented. The way things stand right now is not a fair representation of the performance of each brand or driver.”

Liddell: “It was a disappointing day to say the least. Obviously going into Lime Rock we were confident for a good result what with the upgrades to the car since VIR. At the same time it was a bit optimistic to hope for too much given the very limited track time in which to understand the effect those upgrades had upon the car. With the track being resurfaced, I would say our old Lime Rock advantage has gone, and the speed of the Mazdas once again proved that we are not balanced in terms of performance right now. Having said that, I was able to legitimately run in the top four and had it not been for the stupid move by the Daytona Prototype – which effectively took us out of the race, a move for which he received a penalty for avoidable contact – I think we would have been in the top five.”

That is top five as in one place behind the speedy Mazdas.

Davis: “We seemed to struggle to find the pace from the very beginning of the day in the Stevenson Motorsports VinSolutions Camaro GT.R.  The car was just at the Pratt & Miller factory for some updates last week, so we came into the event with an optimistic view of closing the gap to the championship leaders.  Unfortunately, we were forced to watch that margin grow larger thanks to another driver’s impatience.

“I pushed the car as hard as possible during qualifying, and I was able to find quite a bit of time from the previous practice session.  However, it simply wasn’t enough to get our No. 57 Camaro any better than mid pack.  Overtaking is very difficult at Lime Rock, so I knew that I would have to rely on other’s mistakes to gain positions.  It was a very physical race, and I found myself driving through the grass several times to avoid accidents.  Although I had several instances of contact with the aggressive DP traffic, I was lucky enough to survive my stint relatively unscathed.”

“We are still third in the championship with more than half of the season remaining.  Stevenson Motorsports has proven time and again that we will never give up!”

Team Manager Mike Johnson: “We are obviously pretty disappointed with the result.  Not so much for the accident, but more for the lack of pace we have seen with the Camaro since Daytona.  Pirelli developed a new tire for all the cars this year and they have given the Mazda a distinct advantage.  We have been working flat out as a team to build, test and develop new components, but they seem to offer no benefit and we just continue to have the speed fall off as the tires go away.  I think Grand-Am is going to be in serious trouble if they don’t do something soon to help all the V-8 cars and the Porsche get competitive again or it will just turn into a Mazda shootout.

“Saying all that, I am very happy for Gunter and the No. 97 team for their best result ever this season.  Ronnie Bremer will be with the team for the next few races and he did great in his debut.”

Gunter Schaldach describes his hot time in the driver’s seat: “I learned quickly at Barber how important it is to conserve the tires and not push too hard at the beginning of the race. I was very proud of myself for pacing myself and having plenty of tire left at the end of my stint. I did go off track when the No. 94 Turner BMW got spun around. The two cars in front of me avoided contact. By the time I got there he was rolling back and with such a narrow track the only thing I could do was to go into the grass to avoid contact.

“DP traffic played a huge roll in my stint. The first time the DP’s came by I thought I picked a good spot to let them go but I soon realized all the GT cars were pulling away through traffic. The next time the DP pack came by I watched Andrew Davis in the sister car #57 keep the DP cars from passing until after the chicane and it seemed to work well. I followed his example and was able to catch up quickly.

“I was also very pleased with my new co-driver Ronnie Bremer who stepped in for Jan Magnussen. Jan could not join us due to having kidney stones. Ronnie got up to speed quickly and was able to bring the No. 97home to a 6th place finish, which was the highest finishing position for the No. 97 this year.
Once again I was very pleased with my crew as well as they performed flawlessly. We had zero mistakes in the pits and the car performed as expected.”

The next race on the GRAND-Am Rolex Series will be the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, at Watkins Glen International on June 6th.

More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the Stevenson performance shop, can be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com

For more information on the GRAND-AM Rolex Series, go to www.grand-am.com/rolex/

Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Stevenson Camaro Pair Finish 7th and 10th At VIR Grand-Am Rolex GT

Apr 28, 2010

The No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports / VinSolutions / BryanMark Financial Chevrolet Camaro GT.R, driven by Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell, finished in seventh place in the fourth race of the 2010 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16.  Season-long driver Gunter Schaldach was joined by veteran racer Spencer Pumpelly –replacing Schaldach’s regular co-driver Jan Magnussen for this one race – to finish in 10th place in the No. 97 Stevenson Motorsports / Lala Motorsports / BryanMark Financial / Chevrolet Camaro GT.R.  Magnussen was unable to attend this event due to another commitment in Denmark.

The rolling countryside through which Virginia International Raceway winds has provided very pleasant environment indeed for the Stevenson team the last two years.  They enjoyed back to back wins here with the Pontiac GXP.R and it was hoped the new Chevrolet Camaros would give them a three-peat.

“Obviously, the last two seasons have provided Stevenson Motorsports with exciting victories at Virginia International Raceway.” Andrew Davis noted.  “We were very anxious to get back to our ‘home track’ for a shot at three in a row.  Despite struggling for pace in the last several events, we entered the event with the confidence that we could return to the podium.

Davis continued, “The No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports / VinSolutions / BryanMark Financial Chevrolet Camaro GT.R, rolled off the trailer in good form when we arrived at VIR.  We were able to make good progress with the set-up in the short amount of time given during the practice sessions.  So, I was confident that we had a solid car as we headed into qualifying.  I was very happy with my quick lap during the qualifying session, for I really felt like I got the most out of the car.  However, we still fell short of the pole position by quite a margin.”

Davis qualified the car in fourth place on the grid, 1.2 seconds behind the pole-sitting Racers Edge Motorsports Mazda.  It was not much of a surprise to see a Mazda up front as, coming into this round of the series, the Mazda’s and Corvettes have enjoyed a speed advantage over the Camaro and Porsche cars in the GT class.  GRAND-AM added weight to both the Mazda and the Corvette chassis in an attempt to try and bring the field closer together but the answer to the problem seems to be ‘weightier’ than first believed.

Davis relates his time at the wheel and the reality that what GRAND-AM has set out to do regarding closer competition still needs to be tweaked further if the desired result is to be achieved.. “During the race, the balance of the car felt better than it had all season.” Davis noted, “The Pirelli tires performed well throughout my stint, but it was not possible to keep pace with the lead Mazda’s.  Despite missing a wave-by during the last caution, we were able to position ourselves to score another top four finish in the closing laps.  Unfortunately for us, the late race cautions made Robin a “sitting duck” on the long back straight where there is no match for straight line speed.”

Liddell had an extremely difficult time getting to VIR from Europe because of the ash clouds that shut down air traffic in and out of that region. He traveled nearly 6,000 miles with over 17 hours driving time from England to Spain before he boarded a flight to the US. He may have felt that his trip around the 3.27 mile VIR circuit took even longer – or seemed to anyway – as he found he was always chasing but never catching the Mazda’s or Porsches. At least he got to the US. He never got to the podium.

“Porsche has done a really good job of getting the right breaks, especially the 3.8 liter engine which allows them to drive right by on the straights.” Liddell noted. “The Mazda is still very fast and judging from the qualifying times the weight added by GRAND-AM made next to no difference to their performance.”

“The problem is we can not race with anyone at the moment.” Liddell continued. “I was unable to challenge a single car ahead of me all day.  For the last three races I have just been defending my position. We are simply waiting for everyone else to make mistakes. I don’t see the challenge or spectacle in watching all of your competition simply drive away on the straights. For example, on the last lap the No. 44 Porsche was about three car lengths behind me coming onto the back straight and he was three car lengths ahead by the end of the back straight; there was no way I could keep him behind. I tried to retake the position but couldn’t quite make the right hander and ran wide onto the grass. My frustration boiled over but unfortunately I don’t feel that we can race fairly right now.”

The No. 97 Stevenson Motorsports / Lala Motorsports / BryanMark Financial / VinSolutions 2010 Chevrolet Camaro GT.R could only manage a 10th place finish.  In a field of 19 GT cars, one might still consider this to be an accomplishment based on competitive speed, but a closer look at the final results adds a degree of clarity.  Of the nine cars that finished behind the No 97 car, only one finished on the lead lap.  The rest experienced varying degrees of difficulty putting them anywhere from one lap off the pace to as many as 37 laps down.

Spencer Pumpelly enjoyed his one-time ride with the Stevenson team and the experience of moving from his regular mount, a Porsche, into the American Chevrolet Camaro.  “I had a great time being part of the Stevenson team.” Pumpelly commented. “Gunter did a great job in the opening stint and the car was easy to drive. Coming from a Porsche it was a big transition but certainly a lot of fun.”

Team Manager Mike Johnson is pleased with his team’s performance, but his feeling is simply that, without some appropriate competition adjustments to the lighter Mazda cars even the Stevenson team’s best efforts will never be enough to overcome the on-track advantage the Japanese make enjoys.

“I am very happy with our team right now,” Johnson said, “but we just don’t seem to have the race car to compete with the others.  While we can put down the occasional fast lap, we are too slow on the straights to do anything about it and the other cars are so fast that we can’t gap them in the twisty sections.  Right now our entire race plan is to just take whatever the other cars leave for us to pick up and right now there isn’t much.  We’ll still up in the points, but we don’t have any other tricks up our sleeve.  We missed a wave by at the end of the race, but with the restarts, it didn’t seem to matter anyway.  We just can’t pass.”

More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the Stevenson performance shop, can be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com

For more information on the GRAND-AM Rolex Series, go to www.grand-am.com/rolex/

Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports / Sunoco Camaro Scores First Podium No. 9 Sister car finishes 17th after mechanical problem

Apr 28, 2010

The No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports Sunoco-Camaro GS.R driven by Matt Bell and Jeff Bucknum and the No. 9 Stevenson Motorsports Sunoco-Camaro GS.R driven by Hugh Plumb and Craig Stone finished 2nd and 17th respectively in the Bosch Engineering VIR 200 held at Virginia International Raceway.

The second place finish marked the first time the new 2010 Chevrolet Camaro had reached the podium. Unfortunately, one of the other two podium spots could not go to the No. 9 Stevenson car as a mechanical problem caused the car to run out of gas on the last lap. A podium placing was a real possibility – perhaps even a win – as the car was running in third place for quite some time before the problem.

Hugh Plumb complimented his teammates in the sister car, and his co-driver, when he said, “First off I have to say Matt and Jeff had a great run. Craig Stone did everything he was supposed to do to bring me a good car unfortunately we broke an exhaust tube in the middle of his stint which caused the car to lose a good amount of power. At a track like VIR being down on power can really hurt you. The problem also hurt us with fuel consumption. When I got in the car we where able to run in the top three for a number of laps but we had to stop one time more than we should have had to just to keep gas in the car. We were using twice the fuel we should have been using, so we had to make an extra stop. Ultimately we ran out of gas on the last lap giving up three or four positions.

“With this being said, I think Grand Am has now given us the chance to be competitive and I think we now have something really good to build on.”

Craig Stone: “Our team showed its resolve this weekend; despite numerous set backs we rallied to capture the first podium for the new Camaro. It was evident driving the car that both Larry Hahn and Greg Jones made the right set up calls to put both cars in contention to win. While the No. 9 car was in a clear position to win the race, a minor part failure took Hugh and me out of the fight for the win. For me personally, it was good to see Hugh and the No. 9 car battling up front. I am very confident that everyone at Stevenson Motorsports will once again roll up their sleeves and work even harder to put both team cars on the podium at the next race!”
Jeff Bucknum in the No 6 Camaro echoed Plumb’s sentiments when he said, “I just want to mention how sorry I am that Craig Stone – who was filling in for Al Carter – and Hugh Plumb in the No. 9 car didn’t get to finish out their race as strong as we did. I think they would have had a podium or maybe even a win if they didn’t have that mechanical problem.

“What a crazy race weekend we had!” Bucknum continued. “I am so happy we finished our weekend on a positive note. I am not surprised at all by our second place finish. I came to this Stevenson Motorsport team because I knew they have that ‘never give up until we win’ attitude. Our 2nd place finish in the No. 6 Sunoco Camaro is just an example of what this whole team is capable of doing at every race.

“The first 2 days of our race weekend was very difficult and frustrating to say the least,” Bucknum continued, “as we had to change out motors and two gear boxes because we needed to have fresh ones in the car before our race. My teammate Matt Bell has done a great job all year, but the funniest thing is he seems to do his best driving when he is put in a spot where he has to start in last place! He just puts his head down and drives the car all the way to the front before he hands it off to me!

Bell agreed. “This weekend was a very busy one for the Stevenson team. They made two engine changes and a two transmission swaps and that kept the crew under the car for most of the weekend. I was unfortunately unable to qualify, but, as Jeff noted, the No. 6 Sunoco Camaro seems to enjoy a challenge like starting dead last in class.

“For me” Bell continued, “It was one of those magical moments in racing where our car, completely unchanged from two days before, turned out to be perfectly balanced during the race while the other competitors struggled for grip. I fought through the field and made my way up to 4th place when I got out to hand the reigns over to Jeff.”

Bucknum: “Before I even got in the car I reminded myself that every lap was going to have to be like a qualifier if we wanted a chance to win. The great thing about the car is it stayed good during the whole race. Even as the tires wore out I could still turn laps almost as fast as when they were new. The brakes never faded at all and I can tell you I was braking as late and as hard as I could into every corner of every lap.”

Bell: “The lead was ours for a solid chunk of the race when finally we had to make one last stop for fuel, demoting us to 2nd. Even though the top step wasn’t ours this weekend, I feel that the Stevenson Camaro has made very large strides toward being a very competitive race car in this series.”

Bucknum: “What a great finish to a long hard fought weekend by everyone on the team. I am super excited about the outlook for the remainder of this season with both of the Stevenson Motorsports Sunoco Camaro race cars.”

Team Manager Mike Johnson – is also looking for some great finishes for the twin Chevrolet Camaro GS.Rs now that the mechanical woes seem to have moved from a present to past tense.

“I could not be any happier with our GS team right now.” Johnson noted. “They have worked so hard to find the improvements and make the changes the cars needed. I don’t think they have had one day at the track this year when they didn’t have to pull a gearbox or a clutch, or an engine, or something. Finally all the hard work came together Saturday afternoon and we got the result we deserved. The No. 9 car was actually in a better position to win the race, but we cracked an exhaust tube which lost some power and doubled our fuel mileage. With an hour to go the No 9 car was 40 seconds ahead of the 4th place finisher, but the car simply lost too much power and needed to make another stop for fuel.

“The good news is that I think we’re finally at the point where we can show up to the track and just work on the handling of the car without having to replace broken parts for so much of the time. I think a win is right around the corner.”

The next race on the 2010 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series schedule will be held on Saturday, May 29th at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut.

More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the new Stevenson performance shop, can be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com
For more information on the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sportscar Series, go to www.grand-am.com

Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Stevenson Camaro Pair Finish 4th and 8th At Barber Grand-Am Rolex GT

Apr 15, 2010

The No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports / VinSolutions / BryanMark Financial Chevrolet Camaro GT.R, driven by Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell, finished in fourth place in the third race of the 2010 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16.  Drivers Gunter Schaldach and Jan Magnussen came in eighth place in the No. 97 Stevenson Motorsports / Lala Motorsports / BryanMark Financial / VinSolutions 2010 Chevrolet Camaro GT.R.

Held at beautiful Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, the skies were blue and the temperatures much more pleasant than previous Grand-Am events run here in the middle of summer.  Despite the nice weather, the oh-so-hot Mazdas were the cars that ran up front all day, a circumstance Robin Liddell knows all too well having spent three consecutive races watching them race ahead.

“The Mazda clearly has an advantage at all the tracks simply because it is a faster and lighter car.” Liddell said after the race. “I believe it has always enjoyed an advantage but now there are more Mazdas so there is more competition from within and they are having to raise their game. It is a shame for the fans when they watch Mazda driving away at every track and a great car like the Camaro not being able to race because the Series apparently has an agenda. It’s not just the Mazda actually, lets not forget the Corvette is 100 lbs lighter weight with the same chassis, engine and gearbox as the Camaro but a more aerodynamic body, work that one out if you can!”

“The competition was very fierce in the mid field in GT yesterday,” he continued, “and we had some hard fought battles, but as for fighting for the lead there was no chance.”

Liddell’s co-driver, Andrew Davis, also vented some frustration over the apparent advantage the Mazda cars have enjoyed in the series after three of twelve races, or one quarter of the season completed.  The climb to the top of the championship points scale seems to get a bit longer with each race.

“We accomplished our goal of running a mistake free race with the #57 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GT.R,” said Davis, “but the end result failed to find us standing on top of the podium.  Unfortunately, despite all the hard work and effort put forth by every member of the team we simply did not have the pace to keep up with the freight train of Mazdas.  For the second event in a row, we have run our car to the ragged edge only to watch the Mazdas drive away in the distance.  Although I am very pleased to come away from the event with significant points for the championship, I just feel that the final result is not a direct representation of how hard the Stevenson Motorsports crew has worked.”

Gunter Schaldach, co-driver with Jan Magnussen in the No. 97 car started the race and he too made note of the Mazda’s higher level of performance when he said, “The Mazda’s passed whenever they wanted. It was insane to be passed like this so close to the beginning of the race. It was also obvious how the weight advantage plays out as the race goes on.”

Team Manager Mike Johnson feels the time for GRAND-AM to review the disparity in performance between the Mazda entries and the rest of the GT field is now, before the season gets any deeper.

“I think this is the first weekend since we have been running the Pratt & Miller chassis that we just got beat.  With the current rules package, we have nothing on the Mazdas and since we are 100 pounds heavier than the Corvettes and the BMW M6, we are pretty uncompetitive.”

Johnson related the story of the race as follows:

“We ran the No. 57 and No. 97 on different strategies and in the end they both would have finished 4th and 5th without the penalty on the 97.  The 97 got a penalty for coming down pit lane when the pits were closed.  While the call at pit entrance is a judgment call by the official, Grand-Am has always notified the teams as they entered pit lane that the lane was closed.  This time we were not told until a lap and a half later.  Once again, Grand-Am apologized for the mistake post race, but it was too late.”

The weekend started out with Davis demonstrating real determination to stay as close as possible to the Mazdas when he qualified the No. 57 Stevenson Camaro fourth on the grind.  The top three spots went to a trio of Mazda RX8’s, but Davis pressed ahead to qualify ahead of the remaining twelve GT cars.

Davis: “”Our qualifying session was cut short to only five minutes due to an accident during the Daytona Prototype session, so I knew there would only be two flying laps to make it happen.  I worked to find a gap on the out lap, and then kept my head down until I saw the checkered flag a few minutes later.  I was quite happy with the balance of the car, and we were able to run a lap that was over a second quicker than last year’s time!”

Schaldach continues to find his stride as the newest member of the Stevenson team, along with his co-driver, Jan Magnussen, who joined the team in the No. 97 car at Homestead-Miami, the second race of the year.

Schaldach: “I am actually very happy with my personal progress this weekend. I am getting very comfortable with the car and getting used to it quickly. When I got back into the car at the end I came out of the pits in 8th position. Even with us serving one 20 sec penalty for Jan coming in under yellow, and one other drive through penalty, I was still able to keep the position I got the car in. I was then competing against the fastest guys at that point and I’m proud of myself for bringing it in 8th against such top competition. I am sure that once we get to a track that I already know things will improve tremendously.”

Johnson would like to see an improvement in the fortunes of the Camaro GT.Rs as well, and he is hoping GRAND-AM will revisit the outcome of the first three races and take appropriate action to level the playing field.

Johnson: “We have won the last two years in a row at VIR (with the Pontiac GXP.R), but if Grand-Am doesn’t allow us to race, this championship could be over before half way.”

More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the Stevenson performance shop, can be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com

For more information on the GRAND-AM Rolex Series, go to www.grand-am.com/rolex/

Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Stevenson GS Camaro Twins Move Up At Barber

Apr 15, 2010

The No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports Sunoco / Camaro GS.R driven by Matt Bell and Jeff Bucknum and the No. 9 Stevenson Motorsports Sunoco / Camaro GS.R driven by Hugh Plumb and Al Carter finished 14th and 26th respectively in the Barber 200 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.  This was a marked improvement from the prior race where they finished 32nd and 35th respectively, but the Stevenson Team – and Team Manager Mike Johnson – is looking for much greater finishes for the twin Riley Technology built Chevrolet Camaro GS.Rs

Johnson has previously appealed to GRAND-AM that the driveline in the Camaro is a stock unit, as per the rules, but one unable to withstand the stress of racing.  Coming out of the Barber round of the series, Johnson feels there may finally be a concession on the part of GRAND-AM to allow the team to use a substitute driveline.

Johnson: “Through all the ups and downs of the weekend, the best thing to come out of it is a new appreciation from Grand-Am to help the Camaro.  I think we are finally going to get some changes in the driveline for VIR (the next race in the series) which could finally give us a competitive race car.  We’ll be testing several new parts this week at New Jersey Motorsports Park which should finally help.”

In the Barber race, tire wear played a role in keeping even the fastest cars from reaching their full potential.  Jeff Bucknum relates his experience with rubber and road.  “Tire wear was a big factor during the race. We probably lost twice as much time as we normally do over the life span of the tire life.  At most tracks we might see a drop in times around 1 second per lap as the tires wear out, but at this track we saw at least a 2 second per lap drop in lap times.”

Besides the tires on his car, Bucknum had to serve a penalty for a tire not on his car.

“Traffic became a real problem after I had to serve a 60 second penalty for hitting a tire as I left the pits.”  Bucknum noted. “That put me at the back of the pack where all the ST cars and slower GS cars are. This track doesn’t have many passing opportunities so you have to take chances which can pay off nicely or become a real crash fest.  I ended up getting banged around a lot with that crowd so I was forced to work that much harder to get back up to 14th place at the end.”

“Our finishing results our not representative of what progress we actually made over the course of the race weekend.” Bucknum said, “I feel we did learn things on the Camaro that worked and didn’t work giving us valuable information to ultimately go faster for future races this year.  I still believe that with this talented team, and a little more help from GRAND-AM, we should be able to win races before the end of this year.”

Johnson: “This has been a very long month with two tests and two races and we’re only halfway there.  I can’t say enough for the determination and work ethic of our crew.  We are basically changing a clutch, slave cylinder or gearbox every day and the guys just keep pounding through.  We have two days to change an engine and fix the front of the No. 6, but we’ll be ready for New Jersey!”

The next race on the 2010 GRAND-AM Continental Sportscar Challenge Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16 schedule will be held on April 24 at Virginia International Raceway in Danville, VA.

More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the new Stevenson performance shop, can be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com

For more information on the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sportscar Series, go to www.grand-am.com
Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Stevenson Motorsports Claims First Race Podium Finish For 2010 Chevrolet Camaro in Rolex GT

Mar 10, 2010

Stevenson Continental GS Team Ends Race In The Garage With Mechanical Failures, But New Parts Are On The Way

GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16

The No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports / VinSolutions / BryanMark Financial Chevrolet Camaro GT.R, driven by Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell, came home in second place in the second race of the 2010 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16, held at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Miami, Florida.  Moving up from fourth to third as the race was nearing the end Liddell then passed the No. 70 SpeedSource Mazda with less than seven minutes left to move up into the second spot.  This marked the first podium finish for the team in 2010 and the first for the new Chevrolet Camaro in a professional racing series.

Team Manager Mike Johnson: “We feel great about being the first team to give the new Camaro a podium finish. The No. 57 car ran great all weekend but we knew we’d have issues with tire wear in the race.  Andrew got off to great start but it soon became apparent we would have to stay on top of the tires.”

Davis: “The car felt pretty good for qualifying, and I was able to run a lap that was more than a second faster than last year’s time.  Unfortunately, we had nothing for the top speed of the Mazda contingent, and I found myself surrounded by them on the starting grid.  During my race, I was able to apply big pressure through the challenging infield section only to watch the lightweight Mazdas simply drive away on the straights.  About half way through my stint, I realized that tire management was going to be of utmost importance.  So, my focus changed to conserving the rear tires to ensure that I brought the car back to the pits in good form.”

Liddell: “Tire wear was a big problem for us. We ran a conservative setup and although we didn’t run the tires off the car the wear was very high and I am certainly worried about that going to Barber. When you are generating that amount of load on the tire for that long you are bound to wear the tires pretty quickly.”

Johnson: “As Andrew said, once the tires go off we lose our infield advantage to the Mazda’s, BMW and the Vette.  With good rubber we can somewhat offset the high speeds they can reach on the straights.  That was pretty much what happened for the entire race.

“We were content to know we would probably finish around fourth or fifth but at our second green flag pit stop the guys did a flawless job while our competitors struggled.  That was just enough to give us a run for the podium.  We came out in third place and decided to just stay in position because we knew if there was going to be a yellow that we’d be sitting ducks for the cars behind us.

“When we got the full course yellow with about 15 minutes left in the race, Robin found he had just enough tire left to catch and pass the No. 70 Mazda and move into the second spot.  I chalk up our success this weekend to Robin’s conserving the tires at the end, and to the two flawless pit stops we had.”

Liddell: “We were really at a disadvantage to the quickest Mazdas and the BMW. On new tires I could just about stay with the 69 winning Mazda and the BMW, but after a few laps they were gone. Overall though the car performed very well throughout the weekend; we had no problems to speak of so congratulations to the guys again for preparing an excellent car for us to drive. Again, thanks to Johnny and Susan for putting together a fine team. It was a difficult day for them so being able to get 2nd in GT hopefully helped to make amends!”

Davis: “I am very pleased that we were able to get Stevenson Motorsports back onto the podium, and collect some very valuable points for the 2010 season.  This season is shaping up to be the most competitive yet, so we realize that we will need to continue to improve the car to reach our goal of winning the championship.”

However, there was not much to celebrate about with the second team entry.  The No. 97 Stevenson Motorsports / Lala Motorsports / BryanMark Financial / VinSolutions 2010 Chevrolet Camaro GT.R with Gunter Schaldach and Jan Magnussen aboard started the weekend on a sour note and never had the chance to compete at full strength. A broken suspension kept them off the pace with only a 15th place finish to show for a weekend spent looking for answers.

Johnson: “For some reason, the No. 97 car rolled off the truck with a problem and we just couldn’t isolate it.  We ripped the car apart but could not find the problem.  In the race, a bearing in the upper control arm failed and we finally learned why the car just wasn’t right.  When the car was on track the part was flexing and bending but it took the weight of the car to induce the flexing.  It wasn’t anything we could find just using hand pressure.  We just couldn’t get the car to go fast or handle properly up to the time it broke.”

Schaldach: “I was looking forward to my first experience with my new co-driver, Jan Magnussen, but we really didn’t get off to a great start. Our car had some bugs that we couldn’t shake off. We did not have enough time to diagnose the root cause of the problem and of course, it only showed up after Jan got in the car and the bearing got hot under load.  This was a hard problem to diagnose until it ultimately failed during the race.”

Johnson: “We are disappointed because we know the No. 97 car is just as capable of winning as is the No. 57 car.  We have work to do as we are still experiencing some growing pains with bringing on a second car and that dynamic.  But the part that failed was a new part. In hindsight having a good race might have hidden a problem like this so having a bad run probably showed us the kinds of things we need to address going forward.”

GRAND-Am Continental Tires Sportscar Challenge Series

After Two Top 10 Finishes At Daytona, The GS Team Ends Homestead Before Halfway

The No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports Sunoco / Camaro GS.R driven by Matt Bell and Jeff Bucknum and the No. 9 Stevenson Motorsports Sunoco / Camaro GS.R driven by Hugh Plumb and Al Carter finished 32nd and 35th respectively in the Homestead 200.  Since taking delivery of the new Riley built 2010 Camaro GS.R there have been continual issues with the clutch and slave cylinder which took the team out of the race at VIR last October.  Grand-Am rules do not allow teams to modify the stock systems in the Continental Challenge, so the team is a bit helpless until a solution is found.

Johnson: “All of the Camaros in this race finished either in the garage or at the end of the pack.  Our No. 9 car lost a pulley on the oil pump.  The No. 6 car had a slave cylinder fail which is the same problem we had when we first ran the car at VIR.  I think GRAND-AM has finally realized they were way off the mark with the new Camaro.  The weight we carry keeps the car 2-3 seconds off the pace, but until we are allowed some new driveline pieces, it won’t matter anyway.  We have put 8 new slave cylinders in this year and Grand-Am has finally agreed to give us new parts by Barber.  The problem now is getting them and developing them in time.  Bill Riley and GM Racing are hard at work so I do have some confidence, but taking a blow this early in the season is not fun.”

With an eye towards finding a workable solution to the slave cylinder issue, the Stevenson team will simply continue to move forward with the twin Sunoco Camaro GS.Rs.  They will work that much harder to find the same success for the Chevrolet marque in the Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge Series as they have begun to enjoy in the Rolex Series.

The next race on the 2010 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16 schedule will be held on April 10 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.

More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the new Stevenson performance shop, can be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com

For more information on the GRAND-AM Rolex Series, go to www.grand-am.com/rolex/

Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Jan Magnussen Joins Stevenson Team In Rolex Series Camaro GT.R

Feb 19, 2010

Will share driving duties in the No. 97 car with Gunter Schaldach

The name Jan Magnussen is well known in the world of sportscar racing.  Any team fortunate enough to sign him enjoys the benefit of having his significant talents working solidly for them in their quest to quash the competition.  Too many teams know the challenge of racing against him. Today, Stevenson Motorsports Manager Mike Johnson announced that Magnussen will be joining the team to co-drive the No. 97 Stevenson Motorsports / Lala Motorsports / BryanMark Financial / VinSolutions 2010 Chevrolet Camaro GT.R with Gunter Schaldach for the balance of the still young 2010 race schedule. Continue reading

Twin Stevenson Camaro GT.Rs Finish In Top Ten At The Rolex 24

Feb 2, 2010

In debut race, after leading through the night, No. 57 car suffers gearbox problem and No. 97 car loses most of its front bodywork.  Despite setbacks, both cars finish at speed.

When the twin Stevenson Motorsports / BryanMark Financial / VinSolutions 2010 Chevrolet Camaro GT.Rs began their racing life in the 48th running of the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona International Speedway, it looked like a shot at immediate success was in the offering.  The No. 57 car, driven by Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell – joined at this race by Jan Magnussen – took the GT class lead in the early evening hours and held first place right through to the light of morning.  Then, as the dawn of a new day came around, Davis reported a problem with the gearbox as he exited the bus stop chicane and brought the car into the garage for repairs.

After replacing the gearbox, and going down a good number of laps to the new leaders in the process, Liddell, Davis and Magnussen steadily climbed back up in the standings bringing the now battle-scarred Chevrolet Camaro across the finish line in fourth place.  The trio completed 683 laps of the 3.56-mile, 12-turn road course for a total of over 2,400 racing miles.

The second Stevenson Camaro, No. 97, driven by Gunter Schaldach, Mike Borkowski, Matt Bell and Brady Refenning, ran a steady pace that kept them in the top 10 throughout most of the race, climbing as high as fifth in the GT class at one point before crashing out on cold tires, resulting in a race to the finish line sans a good portion of the car’s front bodywork.

Team Manager Mike Johnson wishes the time lost to repairing the cars could have been invested in track time instead but he came away from this grueling contest with a positive attitude about what had taken place overall.

Johnson: “I could not be more pleased about the performance of our team this weekend.  We looked the part and we ran the part from the minute we unloaded the trailer.  The cars ran flawlessly and our pit stops were consistently fast and without mistakes which is a huge achievement for a growing team.  On top of that, our engineers scrubbed 8 sets of tires per car on Thursday which allowed us to gain 15-20 seconds on the out laps to our competitors in the cold weather. That advantage gave us the ability to run everyone down.  Saying all that, you’d think we won and well, we should have.  We led more laps than anyone else in the No. 57 car.  This marked the first time we ever led at Daytona, which was great.”

Johnson explained the team’s decision to come in and surrender the lead to make repairs rather than soldier on at a reduced speed.

“The No. 57 was pulling away (after having led all night long) and then, at 7:00 in the morning, Andrew called in to say 5th gear wasn’t working.  We did the math and figured we’d be better off changing the box instead of running around 10 seconds a lap off the pace, so we brought him in.”

Davis: “I have to say that this team and this crew have demonstrated time and again how hard they will work at getting the job done. I was simply amazed at how fast they changed the gearbox on the No. 57 car.  Fans standing around the garage watching them work the whole time were actually applauding them when they finished!”

While one Stevenson Camaro was forced to slow down, the other one was picking up places at speed.

Johnson: “What was bad for the No. 57 was good for the No. 97 as it moved into a podium position until Mike hit the wall in turn five on cold tires.  It was in the low 40’s on Sunday morning and I think he just got caught out by the tricky conditions.  We sent both crews to the garage to fix the car and we would have had it on the track in about 15 minutes, but our spare radiator sprung a leak and we had to start over.

“Once the No. 97 was back on track, we put our emphasis back into the No. 57 and the driver’s gave it everything they had to run down the competition to finish 4th.”

Mike Borkowski was making his debut as a new member of the Stevenson team.  This former Trans-Am Rookie of the Year and veteran competitor felt terrible about his shunt and how it pushed the No. 97 car out of a possible podium placing.

Borkowski: “”I feel horrible for having the incident and costing us time and what would have been an even greater finish.  A GT car crashed and was stuck in the wall. The next lap, he drove back on track with his broken car and was creeping very slowly at the apex of the kink.  I went around the outside cleanly but then I locked the brakes when I came to turn 5.  I think I got a lot of pickup on the tires from running wide at the kink.  I should have slowed even earlier for the turn after running in the marbles. I blame myself and I feel terrible because everyone on our team deserved a better finish.  I am more motivated than ever to redeem myself.”

Matt Bell too joined the Stevenson team for the 2010 season, to co-drive the No. 6 Sunoco Camaro with Jeff Bucknum, in the Continental Tire Challenge Series.  At Daytona, he was also pressed into service to support Gunter Schaldach, Borkowski and Brady Refenning in the No. 97 car for the Rolex 24.  Bell found his new team to be quite an interesting and appealing environment in which to drive a race car – or two.

Bell: “The weekend was truly amazing. Going from the No. 6 GS car in Continental to the No. 97 Rolex GT car for the 24 Hour was truly a difficult but unforgettable experience. The switch between the two classes would not have been easy had Stevenson not prepared such an easily-driven car. The professionalism expressed by the team is second to none. I have never before seen such mental and strategic agility applied to this sport, regardless of the hour of day and distance traveled. Everyone on the radio knew exactly what to do under any circumstance, this is a huge confidence booster in a driver, and it is the first time I’ve felt this way behind the wheel.”

Bell also noted the track and weather conditions that played into Borkowski’s off-track excursion.

“The track conditions left something to be desired. Every stint I took, the course would change slightly. Due to the extreme cold, the racing surface never dried off the common “dry line”, which meant every lap around every turn had to be taken very carefully. Just a few inches off the beaten path could very dramatically reduce traction. Driving on fresh slicks was also something I’m sure all the drivers in the 97 car had to get used to. These Pirellis are nothing short of brilliant once they’re warm, but with barely any heat in them from pit lane, more extreme caution had to be taken.”

Like Bell and Borkowski, Gunter Schaldach was making his first run as a member of the Stevenson team, and his first run in a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro, and he had nothing but praise for both.

Schaldach: “The car performed exceptionally. I love the 2010 Camaro and am very proud to be driving such an awesome car. The Pratt & Miller guys have built a performance machine and I am looking forward to learning how to get that Camaro around the track.

“I also regret not yet knowing the names of all the guys on the team. I hope by next race I have all the names sorted out. I do appreciate all the energy these guys put into the team and the car. The teams I have worked with before really didn’t have the pride in their work like the Stevenson group.”

Team owner John Stevenson expressed his pleasure with how the 2010 season – the biggest effort he has ever put forth in racing – has gotten started.

“Our transition from one to four cars for the 2010 season is off to a great start! I am extremely proud of our leader and team manager, Mike Johnson.  Michael Hoffman and Chris Vallely, crew chiefs of the #57 and #97 respectively, lead their crews flawlessly throughout the weekend and the 24 hour race.  Robin Liddell showed his normal outstanding driving skills, especially starting in the rain, and Andrew Davis and Jan Magnussen both drove perfect races.

“We introduced the 97 team with Gunter Schaldach joining our organization for our first race.  He did an outstanding job, as did Matt Bell and Brady Refenning.  I am excited about our performance at Daytona and look forward to campaigning these two new Camaros for the 2010 season.

“I want to say thanks to all of my guys and drivers for an outstanding showing at the Rolex 24 hours at Daytona.”

Liddell found comfort in knowing this Rolex 24 Hours ended with both cars still running and with the No. 57 car bringing home the highest ever finish for the team.

Liddell: “This was by far our best performance to date at Daytona and whilst the result was a little disappointing the pace and execution was encouraging.  I think we made the most of the opportunities which came our way; in a long race like that it will not always fall your way but Mike and the team did a super job in the pits and allowed us to drive fast on track and show what we could do.  I also have to say it was a real pleasure to have Jan on the team and I hope to be able to drive with him again sometime.”

After two consecutive seasons of coming close to winning the GT class Team and Driver’s Championships, the Stevenson team went into the first race of the 2010 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16 season with high hopes for an even better finish in 2010.  While they didn’t come away from Daytona with a win, they did score some very important championship points.

Davis: “We picked up some big points in this race and that puts us in a good starting position for the rest of the season. We found we had a great run going, with us staying in the lead for so many hours.  It was a shame we had trouble with the gearbox but we came back strong and never stopped pushing hard to move back up.

Johnson: “In the end, we will look at this race as a lost opportunity.  We had the goods to win and podium and we spent the time we should have been celebrating in victory lane in the garage fixing broken race cars.”

The 2010 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16 schedule begins with the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona on January 30th

Twin Stevenson Camaro GS.Rs Finish In Top Ten At Daytona

Feb 1, 2010

First race of 2010 a smashing success

When the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge Series began with the Fresh from Florida 200 at Daytona International Speedway, on January 29, 2010, both brand new Chevrolet Camaro race cars from Stevenson Motorsports scored top ten finishes. The No. 6 and 9 Stevenson Motorsports entries started 45th and 24th on the grid and after a hard fought, and well planned run they finished 5th and 8th respectively.

Jeff Bucknum and Matt Bell were paired in the No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports / Sunoco-Camaro GS.R and after a technical infraction forced them to start at the very back of the GS grid, the pair managed to plow their way through the rest of the 77 car field. Along the way they were nudged by eager competitors resulting in bodywork damages, but fortunately the hits were not hard enough to knock them out of contention.

Bucknum: “We had to start at the back of the pack because our camber settings were out of spec. Matt had qualified in ninth despite problems with the gearbox. Matt did a really good job. I had seen him race before and I knew he probably would do a good job and he did a great job of staying out of trouble and putting in good solid laps. We were also fortunate in that the rest of the field was throwing the cars off the track and making all kinds of mistakes.

“The other significant factor in our favor is our Team Manager, Mike Johnson. He is probably one of the best in racing when it comes to making pit calls. His management of when we should come in helped us pick up a few spots as well. His last call was the best because once we got into our last fuel window he made the decision to come in sooner rather than later and hope for a yellow. That move allowed us to stay out when the yellow eventually came and everyone else had to pit. We made up a lot of ground with that move.”

Team Manager Mike Johnson has increased his workload 300% with the growth of the Stevenson Motorsport entries from one Pontiac GXP.R in the Grand-Am Rolex Series to four new Camaros. The team is running a pair of cars in the Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge and in the Grand-Am Rolex Series this season. The Daytona race marked the 2010 debut of the twin Sunoco Camaros and Johnson is pleased with the team’s results.

Johnson: “I am really pleased. We knew we were going to be down on top line speed. Our job here was to stay on the lead lap, run a conservative race and not get too beat up, or beat up anyone else. The drivers did a fantastic job. At the white flag we were actually at 5th and 6th. Hugh made a great pass on a BMW going into turn one putting us in 6th but the driver of the BMW put all four wheels on the grass trying to get his position back. He ran right into us and Grand-Am immediately penalized him for the move. Hugh managed to keep the car moving and he was actually coming down the front straight a bit sideways!”

Plumb: “This was the first race for the No. 9 car. I was really pleased with the consistency of the car, given all the weight that has been thrown at us. Al did everything he was supposed to do keeping the car clean, and running a great first stint. We got out of the pits a little farther back then I would have wanted but we got up to sixth in the final lap and unfortunately got hit by someone that forgot where the middle pedal was.”

Johnson: “With the rules and the amount of championship contenders who didn’t finish well, you need to be consistently in the top ten to stay up front. Anyone can easily end up with a 20th place finish and be out of the points. At a track we knew we were going to be horrible at, to come out with a good start is great.”

Matt Bell agreed with Johnson when he said, “Considering the weight of the car and what it takes to go from a BMW or Porsche to a race car compared with a Camaro turned into a race car I would say we did really well. Going into the race I had an idea of how I might be able to make up some time and I was able to put that into practice.”

Two BMW M3s took the top two spots. Johnson noted that wasn’t an entirely unexpected outcome. “I think BMW has shown they are so much faster then we are. It was obvious to everyone. The Mustangs were quicker too but they all had trouble. I don’t think we got beat by any Mustangs which surprised me. I think our drivers were very happy with the performance of the cars in the infield and the first half of the straightaway, but we hit the ‘Camaro wall’ were we just couldn’t match the top speed of the BMWs. I don’t think Grand-Am will let any car walk out on their first time and stomp on the competition without making some adjustments. I also know that they recognize that we have been testing and that we give it our best effort every time out. We may not have the outright speed for a while but I do expect their will be an adjustment for the BMWs. “When Grand-Am ran the first tests on our motor they did it without the airbox. They will dyno it again with the box this time and I would think the small hole (restrictor) of the stock airbox will show we lose some of our quickness. I think they will allow us to run a larger restrictor and a smaller one for the BMW. They also need to take back some of the weight they had us add to our car after we ran that first race at the end of last season.”

The ground the cars race on can sometimes be a bit less wide than some drivers need it to be, hence there is a tendency sometimes to go off the pavement in pursuit of an advantage. The practice is dicey at best and many times it can mean your paint scheme will be subjected to a quick revision. Bucknum was a first hand witness to how quickly that can happen. “I got hit three times during the race. I don’t know who was driving it but an orange Porsche clobbered me in the door three times. I was able to keep going and in fact, the next three laps were my fastest of the race! The Porsche suffered a cut tire and had to pit.”

Bell: “For the record, I brought the car in completely clean!”

Johnson: “Jeff came over the radio and said, ‘I just got hit three times in turn one!’ I said he was lucky it wasn’t four times! That is what makes our racing so much fun and so great. We take the cars back to the shop and pound out the dents and slap on some new paint. Our cars actually get heavier throughout the season because of all the bondo and paint!”

Al Carter is a rookie to this series and to racing in a closed fender race car. He was all smiles after finishing in the top 10 in his first race.

Carter: “This is my first time with any team in professional racing and I feel very lucky to be with the Stevenson team. All my experience is in open wheel racing with Skip Barber. I am really impressed with this organization and they had me calm and ready to go and I am so glad I kept the car in good shape during my stint. As a rookie there were a few moments where they gave me a few love taps to let me know there was racing going on! “Being here has fulfilled a dream of mine since I was six years old. I was happy with the speeds I ran at. We had one unfortunate pit stop that came right before a yellow but Hugh came in and we are really proud we ended up in the top ten. I am really looking forward to a full season in this series and with this team. I feel like I can really learn and grow with the great people here.”

With a full season ahead, starting off on the right foot can set the stage for even greater things to come. The drivers on the Stevenson team are very optimistic about what lies ahead. Bucknum: “It is a tribute to this team and to Mike’s strategy that we did as well as we did. Matt and I drove the crud out of this car! When I checked the lap times after the race I found that we were the 15th fastest GS car (out of 45). We didn’t have a chance to work on the balance of the car because we had to change the gearbox before the race. We knew our car wasn’t going to be a front running car but that is why you race. The secret is to go out there and try to do all the right things and be the one who finishes the race.”

Bell: “One great attribute with these cars is that they brake much better than you would expect them too. Drivers in the smaller cars probably see us coming and think they can ‘out brake that school bus’, but we are able to out brake just about everyone. We aren’t up to where we want to be just yet with our overall speed but we will keep working on it. The Stevenson team is great to be with and Mike Johnson is just a great strategist.”

Plumb: “Stevenson Motorsports really has worked hard on this car, all the way up to the race, and it showed. I am really proud of the guys for working hard all week. We keep making this car better every session.”

The next race in the 2010 Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge Series 10 race schedule takes place March 6 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the new Stevenson performance shop, can be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com

For more information on the Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge Series, go to www.grandam.com

Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

BryanMark Financial Returns For Third Season With Stevenson Motorsports

Jan 19, 2010

Firm that caters to exclusive clientele finds rewards in racing

The 2010 season of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask
No.16 will mark the third year that sponsor BryanMark Financial will be on board with the
Stevenson Motorsports Team. The firm’s support has been a major factor in the success the
team has enjoyed the last two years, with second and third place finishes in the season
championships the end result.
For 2010, the Stevenson Team has expanded from a single car to four brand new Chevrolet
Camaro race cars. Two cars will compete in the Grand-Am Rolex Series and two will run the
full season of the Continental Tire Challenge Series. The continued support of BryanMark
Financial was a key to team owner John Stevenson’s decision to expand the team.
Team owner John Stevenson: “It’s great to have Nick Bellon and BryanMark Financial Group
back again this year as a sponsor! Nick’s sponsorship will certainly help in our team’s success.
His involvement in Grand-Am racing has opened a lot of new doors for the BryanMark Group
but Nick is also a serious race enthusiast. The Stevenson team and I enjoy having Nick as part
of our organization and we wish Nick and BryanMark a successful 2010!”
BryanMark Financial Group was founded with the mission of providing sophisticated planning
solutions to affluent and ultra-affluent clientele. Nick Bellon is a Principal of the firm and he led
the corporate racing sponsorship initiative that brought the firm to Stevenson Motorsports.
Bellon: “We couldn’t be more pleased to have been a part of the Stevenson success story the
last two years. John and Susan Stevenson, and the whole Stevenson team, have shown time
and again that they are committed to putting forth a professional effort each and every race
weekend.
“At BryanMark, we pride ourselves on developing strong personal relationships with our clients.
As sponsors of the team we have come to know that John and Susan are great people who
deserve to win a championship. We value our relationship with them just as we do with our
clients. I know that everyone on the Stevenson team is going to work hard to make John’s
dream of winning a championship come true this season and we are proud to be associated
with them as they move towards that goal.”
More than just a corporate sponsor, Bellon is also a fan of sportscar racing and his involvement
as the face of BryanMark brings with it some personally satisfying rewards.
“I personally try to attend every race – I think I only missed one or two. I love the atmosphere on
race weekends and just being able to spend time with the team and marvel at how well they
work to keep the team competitive.”
That same competitive spirit exhibited by the Stevenson team is mirrored in the professional
approach taken by BryanMark towards its exclusive clientele.
“BryanMark was cited as the fastest growing independent company in the St. Louis area in 2008
and in the top ten in 2009. We can both appreciate and enjoy the growth that the Stevenson
team is experiencing. We look forward to supporting them again this season and for the
foreseeable future.
“I like to consider Grand-Am the perfect fit for any company that wants to market to an affluent
fan base,” Bellon added. “Sports car racing appeals to our demographic, and we are committed
to building our brand within the Grand-Am community.”
The 2010 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16 schedule
begins with the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona on January 30th
More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the new Stevenson performance
shop, can be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com
For more information on the Grand-Am Rolex Series, go to www.grand-am.com/rolex/
Please visit the BryanMark Financial Group website at www.bryanmarkgroup.com
Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Stevenson Motorsports To Field Four New Camaros In 2010 Season Two Cars each in the Grand-Am Rolex and Continental Tire Series

Jan 8, 2010

When the 2010 racing season opens at Daytona International Speedway at the end of January, Stevenson Motorsports will introduce four brand new Chevrolet Camaro race cars. At the January test days – ‘The Roar Before The 24’ – the team will debut two new Pratt & Miller built Camaro GT.Rs for the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16. They will also compete in the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge Series with a pair of Riley Technologies built Camaro GS.Rs.

All four cars – and the drivers – will be introduced to the media at Daytona International Speedway during the “Roar Before The 24” test days to take place from January 8th through the 10th.

For fans of the Chevrolet marque, the return of the Camaro could not be a more welcome sight as the cold days of winter temporarily give way to a weekend of Florida sunshine. With the proven performance of the Stevenson Team – led by Team Manager Mike Johnson – preparing the cars, those fans should experience plenty of warm moments throughout the entire season.

Johnson is optimistic that the pieces of the new racing puzzle are coming together and will, in the end, present a picture of success. “I really have no idea how we went from running one car last season to now having four cars seemingly overnight, but the good news is that we have two seasons of experience with the Pratt & Miller chassis and we have the VIR race and a bunch of testing behind us with the Riley GS car. I feel we have a good knowledge base to work on. Unfortunately, we didn’t receive the 3rd and 4th car until right before Christmas, so the crew has been working many late nights in preparation for the Daytona Test.”

Andrew Davis complimented the crew on their dedication to preparing for what promises to be an exciting season. “I can’t say enough about the effort that the Stevenson Motorsports crew – along with everyone up at Pratt & Miller – has put forth to get the new cars ready for the first test of the new year. They have worked tirelessly through the holidays to complete the VinSolutions/BryanMark Financial No. 57 Camaro GT.R, and I am looking forward to getting behind the wheel at Daytona.

“This commitment to success extends all the way to the top of the organization, as evident by securing Jan Magnussen’s services for the Rolex 24. It’s going to be a great start to the 2010 season!”

Robin Liddell is eagerly anticipating a good run at the 2010 GT Championship for the new Camaro and he feels the first race at Daytona will work in the team’s favor for two solid reasons. “First, I couldn’t think of a better driver to join Andrew and me than Jan Magnussen. The man has an incredible record of performance and is just an incredibly quick driver. Next, I feel the aerodynamics of the new Camaro will help us on the banking at Daytona. We gave away some top speed there with the Pontiac and I am hoping the new wider and lower Camaro will help us gain some of the top speed we had been giving up in the past.”

The rapid expansion of the Stevenson operation comes with a challenge to manage all the resources it takes to compete in two series with four cars and eight plus drivers. Johnson provided an overview of what it takes to unite and direct those resources into a straight line aimed to bring the team success.

“We’ve been very fortunate to get some great people that have all worked together. Our crew has grown from 10 people to 27 just to manage the four cars. We also now have three trailers and a hospitality staff. So far the hardest part is just getting everything situated with so many moving parts at play. We are working out making sure everyone knows what to do and that they have the tools to do it.

“I start every day in my office with a plan of attack and yet I never seem to get to the plan until after 5:00 PM, when I finally get some work done. We’ve had a lot of help from Pratt & Miller, Riley and CRD to make all this happen, plus our suppliers have been putting in the hours getting us wheels, brakes, gearbox parts, etc.” Johnson also notes his driver lineup benefits from having a combination of experience and young talent that will mesh into a cohesive and productive powerhouse.

“Another great thing about our program this year is the driver line-up. In GS, we have two race winners in Matt Bell and Hugh Plumb, plus our second GT car will be very strong with series rookie Gu¨nter Schaldach running with Mike Borkowski. Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell will be back in the 57 again which is great for the consistency they bring to the program. Jeff Bucknum, another veteran racer and team owner, will return to the Sunoco-Camaro livery which his father made famous. Finally, Al Carter, another series rookie will do 5-8 Continental races with Craig Stone filling the gaps. I think we have four cars that can win on any given weekend.”

The 2010 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16 schedule begins with the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona on January 30th.

The 2010 Grand-Am Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge Series schedule begins with the Fresh From Florida 200 at Daytona International Speedway on January 29th.

More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the new Stevenson performance shop, can be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com

For more information on the Grand-Am Rolex Series, go to www.grand-am.com/rolex/

Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Stevenson Pontiac Again Knocked Off Top Step In Closing Laps

Oct 10, 2009

With 5 minutes to go, DP crash forces Robin Liddell onto grass, allowing No. 07 car to pass for win

With just a few minutes to go in the final race of the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series
presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16 – the Miami Grand Prix at Homestead-Miami Speedway
- the GT class leading Stevenson Motorsports / BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R took to the
grass to avoid being damaged by a Daytona Prototype that crashed right in front of their car.
Unfortunately the No. 07 Pontiac, driven by Paul Edwards, took a different path through the
greenery and came back on the track immediately in front of Stevenson driver Robin Liddell.
The DP accident brought out a full course caution which meant Liddell could not attempt a pass
to reclaim the lead. The race ended under caution thus sealing the fate of the hard charging
Stevenson entry. The net result was a third place finish in the season championship for the
Stevenson car. Had Liddell been able to recover sooner, or had Edwards path around the
spinning DP been obstructed in the least, the team would have clinched second place.
Team Manager Mike Johnson: “Pretty early into the race, we realized we had lost some power
and had to adjust our strategy accordingly which meant we couldn’t pit at the last yellow for
tires. We had to try to hang onto track position which would have worked out perfectly had the
07 car not made it through the accident. Either way, it was one of the most disappointing 2nd
place finishes we’ve ever had, not because we lost the race, but because we dropped from 2nd
to 3rd in the championship. We had to beat the 07 and 66 and we just came up short by about
6 inches on a crazy last lap. “
Liddell: “Our team did a great job at our first pit-stop and we managed to jump ahead of the
competition and get into the lead. It was a very hot race throughout and all the drivers had to
concentrate on preserving their tires, and themselves, for the closing stages. I had high oil
temperature alarms for the whole race and we were just trying to stay out of the draft and
preserve the car.”
Liddell’s co-driver, Andrew Davis qualified the No. 57 Pontiac in third place. “The BryanMark
Financial GXP.R was very quick throughout the event,” said Davis, “with both Robin and me
running the quickest laps during the initial practice sessions. We seemed to lose a bit of pace
for qualifying, but I was still able to start from the inside of the second row. The start was rather
uneventful, and I was able to quickly build a gap to the cars behind. I was able to keep good
pressure on the #70 car for the first several laps, but after about 15 minutes I noticed that the
motor started to feel a little soft. I spent the rest of my stint simply trying to maintain pace until a
caution period brought me into the pits for our first stop.”
Liddell: “It was a disappointing finish but going into the race I felt that a podium would have
been a pretty good result. As always, the guys executed great stops, we had good strategy and
the car performed well.”
Reflecting on the season, one filled with triumphs and travails, Johnson, Davis and Liddell find
they can take comfort in knowing the team has logged a significant number of positive entries in
the record books, and that next year will provide ample opportunity to increase the number of
accomplishments listed under the Stevenson name.
Davis: “It was nice to get the Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP.R back on the podium in the
final race of the season; however, it was probably the most disappointing 2nd place in the
team’s history. Our primary goal was to finish ahead of the #07, and the incident with 5 minutes
left allowed those guys to get in front. The end result was that we lost a spot in the team
championship, but I am still extremely proud of what we were allowed to accomplish this
season. It was certainly a season of highs and lows, but we were able to persevere and fight
our way back up to the top three in points. I want to take this opportunity to thank John and
Susan Stevenson, along with everyone involved with the Stevenson Motorsports organization
for all of their efforts to make this program a success.”
Liddell “I would like to thank John and Susan Stevenson for all their support for me this year and
the entire team and I’m already eagerly looking forward to returning with them next season in
the new Chevrolet Camaro which we will run in 2010.”
Johnson: “I wish I had a good way to describe what went wrong this year, and the only analogy I
can come up with is a NASCAR race at Talladega. Sometimes you avoid the big one and
sometimes you’re in it. This year, we just couldn’t seem to avoid the wreck. From mechanicals,
to sick drivers, to post race penalties, to Grand-Am errors, to last lap contact, it just didn’t
happen.
“Saying all that, I was really happy with how our team performed as we were a lot faster this
year than we were last year and having two years with the same crew made a big impact. It is
reassuring to say that over the last two years, we scored more wins than any other team and we
scored the second most championship points, so the pieces are there. Championships are hard
to win, and when it’s your year, it’s easy.”
The Stevenson Team is already looking to put the roller coaster 2009 season behind them and
concentrate on what could be a considerably more challenging year ahead. Plans are in the
works to return to the Rolex GT series with a Camaro built by Pratt and Miller Engineering and
to enter the KONI Challenge series in the Riley Technologies Camaro the team debuted at VIR
a few weeks ago.
Johnson: “Even though it’s October, it’s the first day of 2010, and we are already testing for
Daytona and we hope to have the new cars at Daytona. We have a driver test later this week
and hope to make our 2010 announcement by the end of November. All I can say is we’ll be
busy.”
The 2010 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16 schedule
begins, as always, with the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona at the end of January, 2010. As noted,
Stevenson Motorsports will campaign a new Camaro body at that race, with the Pontiac marque
now fading into history both on the track and off.
More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the new Stevenson performance
shop, can be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com
For more information on the Grand-Am Rolex Series, go to www.grand-am.com/rolex/
Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

A Potential Victory For Stevenson Pontiac Ends After Late Race Contact

Sep 21, 2009

Robin Liddell’s Incredible Charge To The Front Ends With A Bang

With a lap and a half remaining in the 2 hour 45 minute race at Miller Motorsports Park in Toole,
UT, the GT class leading No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports / BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R
was broadsided by Dirk Werner driving a Farnbacher-Loles Porsche. In an aggressive move
that would have been seen as simple hard racing in an earlier season contest, the Porsche
collided with the Pontiac resulting in tire blowouts on both cars. Instead of a 1-2 finish for the
pair, they both fell to the sidelines as the rest of the field passed them by. In the end, the
Porsche finished in sixth place and the Pontiac in seventh.
In the laps leading up to the collision, Robin Liddell, Werner, and Andy Lally, had been running
almost as if connected together through every corner before Liddell finally found a way to get
past Lally to take the lead. Liddell: “I did everything I could to keep it clean. I was very
conscious of not touching Lally when we were battling. I knew I was faster then he was, but I
wanted to make sure I made a clean pass – I didn’t want a penalty for contact.”
Soon thereafter Werner too was able to pass Lally and in short order he and Liddell were
making it a two car run to the end. The action on the track was electric as the two cars battled
through every corner running over curbs and at times, side by side, with neither willing to back
down in the slightest.
Liddell was somewhat hampered as he was battling severe tire wear in the closing laps and it
was only his sheer talent and determination that allowed him to stay ahead of Werner. For the
Stevenson Pontiac, the road to their fourth win of the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Series Presented
by Crown Royal No. 16 season seemed to be open to them, if Liddell could just hang on.
Liddell: “I didn’t expect (Werner) to be so aggressive, knowing that he was in a position in which
he could clinch the title, but he kept pushing. At one point, I couldn’t see him behind me, so I
knew he was coming up beside me. I instinctively knew he was coming up on my right side, so I
tried to give him enough room so we wouldn’t touch, but all of a sudden I got hit real hard.
“We’d worked very hard to come back through the field so I was not about to give the position
up easily but I guess he wanted to finish on a high so he made a move.”
The resulting collision deflated not only the tires on both cars, effectively ending the race for
both drivers and teams, it shredded the Stevenson team’s last championship hopes as well.
Team Manager Mike Johnson: “In the end, we are obviously very disappointed with the result
and we took another big hit in our race for the championship, but I don’t think I could be any
prouder of the way our drivers performed on the track, and I would not have asked Robin to
drive those last five laps any differently. Unfortunately as a team, we did not have our best
race. I missed a potential wave by, our pit stops were sloppy, and we gave the drivers a car
that overworked the tires in the long run. Andrew and Robin made us look a lot better than we
really were and Robin was as far down as 6th when we pitted for fuel at a track that is very
difficult to make a pass on.”
Liddell’s co-driver, Andrew Davis, started the race and he noted that handling woes had befallen
the team throughout the weekend. After several changes made to improve the car’s handling
and tire wear simply did not deliver, it was all the two professional drivers could do to keep the
Pontiac moving forward.
Davis: “The car was very sensitive to our adjustments this weekend. It was hard to find that
perfect balance. We struggled with both ends of the car early on in the race. We had some rear
grip issues early on during my stint and at the start of Robin’s stint as the car wanted to over
steer. The car was really good for the first few laps but then it went into over steer so we made
a change on Robin’s first stop, adding a Gurney flap in the rear. That finally gave us some grip.
In the end, we obviously had a car that was good enough to win.”
This season, the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports / BryanMark Financial Pontiac took home the
win in the Virginia, Quebec and Alabama races, and they scored a second place at Mid-Ohio.
Overall, after 11 races, they have finished in the top 10 in every race except the July race at
Daytona, when an engine expired shortly after the race began. While they had hoped to build
on the momentum of having finished second in the 2008 overall GT Team and Driver
Championships, sometimes the realities of the racing game can drive you off course.
The Stevenson Team is in a tight battle to secure second place in the overall GT Team
Championship with the No.07 Team Drinkin’ Mate Pontiac and No. 66 TRG Porsche. With one
race left to secure the second spot, the Stevenson team is heading down to Miami, Florida with
high expectations, a positive outlook, and even a bit of good humor.
Davis: “We have one race left with one more chance to get the Stevenson Pontiac up on the top
step of the podium one last time. We feel very confident in what we have been doing as a team.
We have raced hard and unfortunately sometimes you have results like we had here. All we
can do now is focus on winning the next race.”
Johnson: “With the up and down season we have had this year, it has all come back on us to
the point where there are just three points separating second and fourth place in the
championship, so we are going to take these next two weeks very seriously. We have no
choice but to go out and beat the No. 07 Pontiac and No. 66 Porsche at Miami. If we don’t, our
team will be at the season ending Grand-Am banquet watching from the cheap seats!”
The final race on the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask
No.16 will be held at Miami International Speedway on Saturday, October 10th.
More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the new Stevenson performance
shop, can be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com
For more information on the Grand-Am Rolex Series, go to www.grand-am.com/rolex/
Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Stevenson Motorsports To Debut Retro Sunoco Camaro At VIR

Sep 8, 2009

KONI Challenge entry to be driven by Donohue And Bucknum

In 1969, Roger Penske, Mark Donohue and Ronnie Bucknum teamed up to bring home the SCCA Trans-
Am Championship for Chevrolet. They drove 1969 Camaros that year, with the dark blue cars sponsored
by Sunoco. This year, exactly 40 years after that championship season, another pair of drivers named
Donohue and Bucknum will once again race in a Camaro wearing Sunoco blue colors.
David Donohue is the son of Mark Donohue. Jeff Bucknum is the son of Ronnie Bucknum. Both sons
have well established credentials in the world of racing and, at the October 4th final round of the 2009
Grand-Am KONI Challenge season, they will join forces at the wheel of a brand new Camaro, built by
Riley Technologies of Mooresville, North Carolina.
With a paint scheme created by ESBG Designs, the new Camaro will look very much like the 1969 model,
which is as Chevrolet intended with the introduction of their new street version of the car.
Just as the fans will be excited to see the new Sunoco Camaro on track, Jeff Bucknum is already excited
to be involved with this project, and with David Donohue, Team Manager Mike Johnson, and the whole
Stevenson Motorsports organization.
Bucknum: “I am so excited to be a part of a program that brings so much history together in today’s sports
car racing. I have enjoyed working on setting up this program not only for personal reasons but also for
the chance to get to know David Donohue. Although David and I have raced in the same circles for many
years, and knew of each other, we never got to know each other. I now can say David is one of the true
genuine nice guys in the racing industry and it’s been my pleasure to work with him on getting this
program going.
“To finally get the chance to have this program come together to race with David as my teammate is
awesome. I really want to thank Johnny Stevenson and Mike Johnson for keeping the faith on getting
this program off the ground as we have all been working on this for a long time!”
Mike Johnson is the Team Manager for the No. 57 Stevenson Pontiac GXP.R that races in the Grand-AM
Rolex Series GT class. Johnson will head up the KONI effort as well, with the same professional crew
members working with him to get the most out of the new Riley chassis.
Johnson: “The 69 Sunoco-Camaro is one of the most recognized race cars in the world and to be a part
of its return is truly special. Having Donohue and Bucknum behind the wheel is really a once in a lifetime
opportunity and I think the fans new and old are going to really appreciate this effort.”
David Donohue has never been one to trade on his famous father’s name, preferring to put together a
resume built on his own talents. He has succeeded in doing just that with his most recent triumph coming
at Daytona with his win in Rolex 24 Hours, driving a Brumos Porsche-Riley prototype.
For this unique opportunity to write a new chapter in the history of the Sunoco Camaro, Donohue has let
himself embrace the idea of following in his father’s footsteps.
“We are excited to have Sunoco on board with us,” said Donohue, “and, for the first time in my career I
am more comfortable with playing off my dad’s reputation than I have ever been in the past. When I first
started driving I really didn’t understand my place or his place in racing or how his reputation might affect
mine, or vice versa. Over time I have come to be more comfortable with my own abilities and
accomplishments, and if I am a flop in this, I won’t see it as a reflection on my father’s record. All I can do
is go out and do the best job I can and I am OK with that.”
Donohue and Bucknum share an enthusiasm for working with the Stevenson Motorsports team, and this
collaboration also marks the first time they have shared driving duties together.
Donohue: ““I think this experience is going to be a lot of fun. I think Johnny Stevenson and his team have
done a fantastic job in the Rolex Series. He has a great crew and I am looking forward to working with all
of them. Johnny has always struck me as one of the ‘good guys’ in the paddock and someone who is
sincere. I’m also excited for Jeff to see this finally come to be reality after putting so much effort into
making it happen.”
Bucknum: “I think Mike Johnson is currently the best race strategist in sports car racing! All you had to do
was watch the Montreal Grand-Am race this last weekend to see him magically make the right call again
to position the Stevenson Motorsports team for the WIN!”
Winning takes practice combined with experience and more than a dash of good fortune. To try and align
these elements in a winning pattern, the team has scheduled a shakedown session at Kershaw on
September 28th, a week before the VIR race.
Donohue: “I think the new car looks fantastic and I have driven the street car already. I am looking
forward to the race version, especially since it is being built by Bill Riley. He is pretty efficient in the way
he puts things together and he will be with us at VIR for track support. Unfortunately the car will only be
ready very close to race day which means we will really be shaking the car down in the public eye. That
can easily backfire on us but we need to get it out there this year. I think it is an ambitious goal but an
admirable one.”
Bucknum: “It’s going to be very interesting for us to debut this car at the last race of the year in the Koni
Series. I believe we have all the right pieces in place to be a winning effort with a winning team like
Stevenson Motorsports, a great crew of guys and a great driver lineup with David and myself. The only
factor now is seeing how well the car will perform right out of the box. I know the Camaro will be a
winner, but it’s always hard to say in racing how a car will perform in its debut race.”
“I am really happy we are getting a chance to test the Camaro at Kershaw before the debut race at VIR
for the Camaro. It’s always nice to have a chance to get even a few laps around a race track with a new
car just to make sure all the components are working properly before you drive it in anger. I have no
doubt that between Riley technologies and the Stevenson Motorsports team we will be able to get the
Camaro dialed in quickly.”
Johnson: “Right now, we don’t even have a race car, so I don’t have the highest hopes for a good result.
We are just going to use the race as a very long test session to prepare the car for next year. I think VIR
should be fun!”
The Grand-Am KONI Challenge Bosch Engineering Octoberfest race at Virginia International Raceway
(VIR) will take place on Sunday, October 4.
More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the new Stevenson performance shop, can
be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com
For more information on the Grand-Am Rolex Series, go to www.grand-am.com
Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Stevenson Pontiac Crosses The Bricks At Indy

Sep 4, 2009

Grand-Am Special Test Session Hosts DP and GT Teams At The Brickyard

“That was one of the neatest things I’ve ever done. It was a lot of fun. It was cool, going though
the banking coming into Turn 1 and coming down the front straight was quite a thrill!”
Who said that? Was it Andrew Davis or Robin Liddell, the regular co-drivers in the No. 57
Stevenson Motorsports / BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R? Nope. It was none other than
Stevenson Team Manager Mike Johnson! He completed five fairly quick laps around the
vaunted Indianapolis Speedway circuit just to – you know – audit the capabilities of his drivers
(or something like that). It had nothing to do – we are sure – with simply wanting to add a few
laps at Indy to his racing career or simply air out his long dormant driving suit. No, those can’t
be the reasons.
Whatever prompted him to drive, team owner John Stevenson learned something from the
experience of having his team manager at the wheel. “When I found out Mike was in the car I
learned I could hold my breath for five laps! I sure am glad that’s over!”
In a serious vein, Johnson appreciated the significance of bringing the Stevenson crew to a
circuit at which so many years of racing history have been written.
“It doesn’t matter who you are and whether you work on, under or in a race car,’ he said, “you
always want the opportunity to go to Indy. Hopefully, Grand-Am and IMS can make that dream
a reality for all of us next year and let us put on a great show.”
Grand-Am reported that “Nine Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal
Cask No. 16 teams participated in the test, which included a pair of two-hour sessions. While
the bulk of the time was spent on the 2.534-mile, 13-turn Formula One road course, teams also
spent a short time on the modified 2.621-mile, 16-turn MotoGP layout.”
While no official announcement has yet been made about a possible 2010 race date at this
most historic racing venue, the drivers who participated in the tests certainly came away
thinking it could – and probably should – happen.
Davis: “The course is a blast! Right now, it’s pretty green because no one’s been on it for a long
time, so the grip level is low in the infield. The high speed stuff is a kick. It’s really fast and really
fun. You get a good run down the front straight into turn one. There are some good heavy brake
zones, and I think it’s going to be good for racing.”
Liddell on testing and the future: “At the end of the day, it’s a great opportunity to be here. It’s
history here. It’s special. Everybody knows this place; it’s globally known, not just here in the
U.S. It’s a big deal. But at the same point and time, we owe it to ourselves and our fans to come
here and put on a good event. I think there’s a lot of enthusiasm here at this point and time. We
also need to be pragmatic and deal with any issues that we find. The reasons we’re here today
for are just that. We’re not here to stir up anything. We’re here to establish what we need, that
way we can come back here and put on a good show.”
“”We’re certainly very happy to be here. Liddell continued, “We hope we can put on a good
event here. There is already a lot of interest here today from the fans over there on the grass
banks watching the cars. They seem to be enjoying the cars and so on. They’ve seen it on TV,
and they known that we put on a good show.”
That third Stevenson jockey, a certain Mr. Johnson, came away from the tests with a smile as
wide as the business end of a Porsche, oops, make that a Pontiac. But his driving suit will soon
be back in the closet.
Johnson: “As for me driving again in the near future…..I think I like my seat on the engineer
stand.”
The next race on the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask
No.16 will be the 11th of the season with the series moving to Tooele, Utah at Miller Motorsports
Park. There is just one more race after Miller to wrap up the 2009 season.
More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the new Stevenson performance
shop, can be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com
For more information on the Grand-Am Rolex Series, go to www.grand-am.com/rolex/
Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Stevenson Pontiac Takes Another Top 5 Finish At The Glen

Aug 9, 2009

Robin Liddell unable to race – Andrew Davis joined by Spencer Pumpelly

With a man down, the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports / BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R, still
managed to land a top five finish at the Crown Royal 200 at The Glen, the 9th race of the 2009
Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16. Driving almost the
entire race alone, Andrew Davis kept charging hard but simply could not match the outright
speed of the Porsche and Mazda entries on the ultra fast Glen ‘short circuit’.
Robin Liddell is Davis’ co-driver on any other day but having contracted a severe case of the flu,
Team Manager Mike Johnson sought the assistance of another seasoned and professional
driver to take Robin’s place. Previous Rolex 24 GT class winner Spencer Pumpelly put in a
short stint turning the car back to Davis to run to the end.
Johnson: “When Andrew and Robin arrived at the track around lunch time, Robin was already
quite ill. He went to see a team doctor who gave him an IV to replace fluids and since the race
was so late we just waited around to see how Robin was feeling. About 4 o’clock Robin was not
in good shape, so we asked Spencer to fill in for him and he came by the trailer to make sure he
fit in the car and the belts and everything worked.”
Liddell: “Around 6pm I felt a little better and wanted the doctor to give me another IV but he
believed that I was too ill to race so that was that. First time I’ve ever had to withdraw like that.
And I don’t ever want it to happen again.”
Davis: “Robin is one of the toughest guys I know, so for him to miss the race altogether gives an
indication to how seriously ill he was feeling. I was actually not aware that Robin was unable to
drive until I saw Spencer hopping into the car during our first driver change. Mike Johnson told
me to stay ready, for I would be getting back in the car at the next opportunity. That opportunity
came about two laps later with another caution period.”
Johnson: “For most of the day, we were hoping Robin would pull through as he is such a fighter,
and I think he believed he would be ok by race time. I think about 10 minutes before the start of
the race, he knew there was no chance and we had to scramble around getting Robin to a
doctor, get the driver change paperwork filled out and teach Spencer where all the switches
were and where the shift points were. We were lucky that Spencer was available since he
knows how to win at Watkins Glen and he’s driven the Pontiac before. I wish he would have
had a few laps to show his talent and I think we all would have been amazed at how well he
would have gotten to pace.”
Davis describes the start of the race: ““The team worked very hard during the practice sessions
on Thursday to improve the car for qualifying. I was pleased with the balance of the car, and we
were able to secure a front row starting position. I had a good jump at the green flag, but I got
hung out on the outside of the first corner. Keeping close in tow to the lead Porsche, we were
able to pull away from the rest of the field.
“The Stevenson Motorsports GXP.R was strong, but we just didn’t have enough to fight for a
podium spot. We were experiencing some tire blistering on the left rear during my second and
third stint which made it difficult to push as hard as possible. I spent the final hour of the race in
a battle with the #66 and #07. The crew did a stellar job in getting me out of the pits in front of
those two, so I knew it would be on my shoulders to make sure we stayed in front of them.”
Pumpelly’s services were much appreciated but an extra stop for a driver change did not help
the team in their struggle to stay at speed with the rest of the GT field.
Johnson: “After 20 minutes or so, we got the OK from Grand-Am for Spencer to drive and we
put him in at the first yellow at around 28 minutes. We lost all of our track position in the driver
change and fell back to 12th and Spencer got hit on the green flag lap by a DP that did not
notice the yellow right after the restart. When the pits re-opened, we thanked Spencer for his
assistance and put Andrew back in the car. From there Andrew worked his way up through the
field and at the last pit stop – which was under green – we took two tires while the rest of the field
took four which allowed us to jump two positions and finish 4th.”
Grand-Am racing is so competitive that teams can not give up any time to the competition and
expect to do well in the end. Johnson lamented the need for a second driver change but holds
that the short Glen circuit (used for NASCAR racing taking place the same weekend) simply
favored the Porsche and Mazda cars overall. That aside, there is simply no quit in this team
and Johnson remained optimistic.
Johnson: “The short course is just so hard to pass on and after we lost all the track position with
the two driver changes, I knew we were going to have to be creative at the final stop. With
about 55 minutes to go, teams were diving into pit lane for their final splash and 4 tires. When
we saw that, we knew we would have to change two to make up any ground. Unfortunately, at
the last stop when we took the left side tires off, the left rear was blistered, so Andrew had to be
cautious on the final stint.”
The fourth place finish marked the fifth top five and eighth top ten finish for the No. 57 Pontiac
this season. While the championship aspirations may have all but melted away, the fight to
finish first in each of the remaining three races continues.
Johnson: “I was really proud of how well Andrew drove today, especially with the tire situation.
When you can hold off Andy Lally and a factory GM driver for more than an hour, you have
definitely earned your paycheck. Even with a healthy Robin, I’m not sure we would have caught
the Mazdas and Porsches today. The short course is just too high-speed for our car, but we are
quite happy for the result and we were able to get 2 points closer to the 07 in the team
championship.”
Davis: “I am glad that we were able to make up a little ground in the points championship to the
team currently in second place. However, I am sorry for Robin since he was unable to take
advantage of a points scoring opportunity. He is going to be extremely hungry for results when
we arrive at the next event in Montreal, so I am looking forward to having him back in the car.”
The next race on the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask
No.16 will be the 10th of the season with the series moving to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in
Montreal, Canada.
More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the new Stevenson performance
shop, can be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com
For more information on the Grand-Am Rolex Series, go to www.grand-am.com/rolex/
Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Stevenson Pontiac Makes Commanding Run Back Into Championship Race

Jul 20, 2009

No. 57 Pontiac GXP.R Comes All The Way Back From DNF In Last Race

After failing to finish at the last race, held at the Daytona International Speedway, the No. 57
Stevenson Motorsports / BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R, driven by Andrew Davis and
Robin Liddell turned the team’s fortunes around by winning at the next race, the Porsche 250 at
Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama. This was the eighth round of the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex
Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16, and it marked the second win and
third podium finish of the season for this Jacksonville, North Carolina race team.
Andrew Davis pushed his way to the front of the pack in the opening few minutes and his
efforts, combined with excellent race strategy and the always-outstanding driving ability of Robin
Liddell, allowed them to pull out a comfortable lead over the rest of the GT field. By the time the
checkered flag waved the Stevenson car had led over 70 laps of the 103 lap race.
Team Manager Mike Johnson: “What a great comeback for our team after the huge
disappointment of Daytona. We had one of those perfect weekends where the car was really
fast, the drivers were fast, pit stops were awesome and we used a unique strategy that proved
to work out as we planned. We actually changed strategies mid-way through the race once we
realized that the difference in lap times between new and used rubber was so large. We told
both drivers to push as hard as they could and made one more stop than the rest of the field.
The gap between new and used rubber was about 3 seconds per lap and the other teams were
running over an hour on rubber while we never went longer than 40 minutes.
“At the last stop, we waited to hear when the 70 (SpeedSource Mazda) was coming down pit
lane, and once they did, we pit as well making sure we kept the lead and had the same rubber
as the rest of the field. It worked out great.”
Liddell agrees this was a fantastic turn around for the team that came so close to a
championship in 2008 only to see so much go sour in 2009.
“Having retired from the last race, this was the perfect comeback,” confirmed Robin. “I’m
delighted with the job which the team did in the pits and with Mike and the guys for figuring out
the winning strategy.”
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Andrew Davis is very familiar with the Barber circuit and he was able to put his experience and
talent to good use within a few laps of the start. His charge to the font set the tone for what was
to come.
“Qualifying was extremely close,” said Davis, “so I knew that the start of the race was going to
be a battle. It certainly was for the first 10 laps, as I tried to put as much pressure as possible
on the leading Porsche. I was able to get by at the end of the back straight, and from there I
was determined to drive away. The BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R was well balanced for
the greasy track conditions, so I found myself able to gap the field by 10 seconds before our first
pit stop. It was great fun to lead at what has become my home track!”
The racing surface proved hard on tires as the aggregate in the asphalt was quite abrasive thus
making tires a primary concern for every team.
Johnson: “We could not go an hour and 10 minutes on a set of tires so we waited to the 45
minute mark for the first stop to change tires, driver and add fuel. Andrew did an amazing job
getting the lead and, since we knew when we were going to pit, he could charge as hard as he
wanted and not conserve rubber. Robin got in and now had fresh rubber which allowed him to
run 2-3 seconds per lap faster than the field and it started making sense to the team that if he
got to a 50+ second lead, we could change the strategy and make it a 3 stop race. When Robin
left pit lane it was just as the 70 was coming in, and we carried that to a 50+ second lead when
the last yellow came out.”
Liddell: “Tire wear was always going to be the main issue and in a way losing this race in the
closing stages last year caused us to think outside the box this time around. Rather than
conserve our tires, we opted to push hard and made three pit-stops to change tires which, as it
turned out, was the correct decision.
“We could potentially have lapped the field such was the lead which we managed to extend but
we played it safe, to the extent of pitting with 40 minutes remaining to take on fresh rubber in
case a late caution gave us a battle on our hands in the closing stages of the race.”
Davis expressed his thanks for the team’s efforts when he said, “I am very proud of the effort
put forth by the entire Stevenson Motorsports team. I would say this was our most complete
race to date. The crew worked extremely hard to get us a great car, the pit stops were
excellent, and Mike Johnson’s race strategy played out perfectly.
“Coming into this event we realized the importance of keeping good tires under our #57 GXP.R,
so we focused on optimizing the set-up to maximize front grip. By making an extra pit stop
during the race, we were able to keep the freshest rubber on the car throughout the duration of
the event. Everything else just seemed to fall into place to get Stevenson Motorsports back to
the top of the podium.
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“It feels great to get back into victory lane! I want to thank John and Susan Stevenson, as well
as everyone at Stevenson Automotive for their unwavering support of the team.”
Johnson too had his words of praise for the ‘comeback crew’: “Finally, a huge credit goes to
Michael Hoffman and to Chris Vallely and Chris Minot who basically redesigned the entire
cooling system to solve the problem we had in Daytona. We are now able to control our engine
temps and water pressure a lot more which allows us to run harder and in traffic. “
Team owner John Stevenson couldn’t have been more pleased with the rapid turnaround in the
team’s fortunes.
“I am so proud of this great team’s effort to come back and win the race after our adversity at
Daytona” said Stevenson. “This win was truly a team effort as everyone was a part of our
successful weekend…..Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell’s driving were flawless, Mike Johnson
called a brilliant race, Michael Hoffman and the crew did an outstanding job of preparing the car
and flawless pit stops and our engineers, Kyle Millay and Greg Jones, contributed to our first
place podium finish. We’re back in the hunt and we will certainly try to win all four of the
remaining races.”
With so few races left in the 2009 season the chances of winning an overall championship have
all but dissipated for this team. But just as was the case at Barber after Daytona, no one will
concede the race – or any of the remaining races – just yet.
Johnson: “We all know the championship is out of reach, but someone’s going to win the last
four races and, as John said, we are going to do everything we can to make sure it’s us.”
The next race on the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask
No.16 will be the 9th of the season with the series moving back to upstate New York at the
Watkins Glen circuit.
More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the new Stevenson performance
shop, can be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com
For more information on the Grand-Am Rolex Series, go to www.grand-am.com/rolex/
Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Stevenson Pontiac Records First Ever DNF At Daytona

Jul 6, 2009

New Motor In The No. 57 Pontiac GXP.R Expires In Florida Heat

The second race of the season at Daytona International Speedway, for the 2009 Grand-Am
Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16, was supposed to be much
shorter than the first one. For the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports / BryanMark Financial Pontiac
GXP.R, driven by Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell, the motor in the car suffered from internal
failures after just six laps.
Liddell: “Andrew had made a good start but was in traffic for the first couple of laps and the
water temperature was already running very hot. Once he was in clear air we thought that the
temperature would drop but suddenly it got even hotter and Andrew reported the engine starting
to tighten up.”
Team Manager Mike Johnson: “We had really high hopes for the Brumos 250 as we finally had
our brand new race spec LS6 from CRD that we had been developing for the last four races.
Immediately we had more top speed than we ever had at Daytona and were solidly in the top 4
of all practice sessions with both drivers. Unfortunately after the final practice, the team found
water in the oil catch tank, which meant we had a problem with the engine. “
The Grand-Am series had to compete for track time with NASCAR races which meant there
were precious few hours available for any sportscar team to react to a problem. The Grand Am
teams had to set up, practice, qualify and race all in the same day. Problems like the ones the
Stevenson team encountered required more time to resolve than the tight track schedule would
permit.
Johnson: “With the short weekend, and having the race start an hour after the last practice, we
didn’t have enough time to change the engine and the crew worked hard to make modifications
to the radiator inlets to see about getting more air into the engine. Andrew had a great start and
immediately reported high temperatures, but nothing higher than we had seen in the past, so we
were hopeful, but of course a lap or two later, he reported the engine was tightening up, and we
knew we were done.”
Davis: “Obviously, we are bitterly disappointed with our result in the Stevenson Motorsports
GXP.R. This particular race is very demanding in that the schedule is so compact and intense.
The day started out very promising for us, with our newly developed motor from CRD
performing exceptionally well. For the first time at Daytona, the BryanMark Financial Pontiac
flirted with the top of the time sheets.
“The car was very strong for the start of the race, and I made quick work of the Mazda in front of
me. I noticed that the engine temperature was a little high when we were running nose to tail for
the first two laps, but I had hoped that would improve once I was able to get a little clear air on
the front of the car. Unfortunately, the engine problem was much more severe and resulted in a
terminal failure only a few laps later.”
Liddell: “We are naturally very disappointed particularly as we had a new engine and it looked in
practice at least, that we had a competitive car. The temperatures we saw early on were not
dissimilar to what we ran at during the 24 Hours at this track in January so we need to get back
to team base and diagnose what went wrong.”
For a team that challenged the competition at every race in 2008, finishing just nine points shy
of the overall team and driver’s championships, this season has instead been one filled with
disappointments and frustrations. With this did-not-finish (DNF) result, Davis and Liddell did not
earn a single championship point however, tomorrow always brings another shot at redemption
and no one on this team is turning in their helmets and driving gloves just yet.
Davis: “The guys have been working very hard over the last few weeks to make improvements,
and we really felt like we turned a corner with the strong performance at Mid-Ohio. This is a big
set-back for us in terms of championship points, but Stevenson Motorsports is not a team that
will simply lay over. We will continue to bring the fight to each event for the remainder of the
season.”
Johnson: “At this point, all we can do is race for wins over the last 5 races and re-establish
ourselves as one of the top GT teams in the Rolex Series.”
The next race on the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask
No.16 will be the 8th of the season with the series moving to Alabama and the Barber
Motorsports Park.
More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the new Stevenson performance
shop, can be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com
For more information on the Grand-Am Rolex Series, go to www.grand-am.com/rolex/
Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Stevenson Pontiac Moves Back Into Championship Race

Jun 22, 2009

No. 57 Pontiac GXP.R Charges From Back Of Pack After Wave-By Comes Too Late

While everyone enjoyed some beautiful weather at the EMCO Gears Classic at Mid-Ohio, the
sixth race in the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask
No.16, for one team at least, the clear blue skies served to dissipate some dark clouds of
frustration. The No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports / BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R, driven by
Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell, had been struggling of late but under a Midwest sun they
finally found their way back onto the podium. It took some luck of both the positive and negative
variety but in the end they were in second place for only their second podium visit this season.
Davis qualified fourth on the grid and with some solid driving he quickly found his way to the
front of the GT field where he kept the lead for 11 laps before coming into the pits to hand the
car over to Liddell. While in the pit stall, a yellow caution came out and when Liddell exited the
pits he was right behind the safety car, but was not allowed to pass the safety as allowed by the
rules. Liddell explains: “We should have been able to pass the Safety Car straight away under
Grand Am protocol, as we were not the leading GT car at that stage, Team manager Mike
Johnson immediately asked the officials for clarification. Grand-Am finally allowed me to
overtake the Safety Car just as the caution period was ending so I effectively ‘lost’ half a lap on
our competition dropping us to eight place.”
Team Manager Mike Johnson: “We had a tough break with the wave-by incident. Grand-Am
simply didn’t recognize that we were in the pit lane when the yellow flag came out. We should
have gotten the wave by and gone around to come up behind the pack. This would have put us
in the perfect position to move back to the lead once all the other GT cars made their pit stops.
“Being in front of the Porsche and Mazda cars is a key for us as we don’t have the straight line
speed that they do. We do very well in the corners but at Mid-Ohio, if you don’t have a car that
is faster on the straights you are never going to pass anyone. We needed to be in the lead for
strategy so that our cornering speeds would balance out their straight line speed.
“We had no mechanical failures. We had a good car for the race. We had perfect race strategy,
although it wasn’t allowed to come into fruition the way it should have but in the end we were
able to get results. “
As the race entered the final few laps, Liddell had been charging towards the front when the No.
86 Farnbacher-Loles Porsche that was running in second place was bumped by a Daytona
Prototype. The impact cut a tire on the Porsche causing it to slow down. Liddell then passed
the ailing German chassis and held on to the second spot until the checkered flag waved.
Davis was not surprised the Porsche and the Prototype came together on the twisty course.
“Mid-Ohio is a tough track to pass on. The traffic can be insane there, whether it is a DP car
passing you or you passing a slower GT car. Either way it really affects the ebb and flow of the
battle you are in. There were a lot of instances of cars bumping into and off of one another
throughout the race. Robin had been in a tough fight to move up to third and getting a little help
with the cut tire on the Porsche was just great for us.”
Johnson could take solace in the final outcome of the race, but in the hours that followed his
consolation diminished a tad when Grand-Am decided to penalize the team several hard-earned
points for a minor technical infraction.
Johnson: “After the race we have to go through Grand-Am tech inspection to ensure we are
legal, but it wasn’t until two hours after the end of the race that they finally rolled our car onto the
tech inspection scales. By then our tire pressures had dropped four pounds below what we
started with and so the bottom of the chassis barely scraped the height bar. They fined us three
points for a ride height violation.
“Putting that and the earlier wave-by issue aside, I am really proud of the way Andrew and
Robin drove this race. That was probably one of Andrew’s best drives this season. After the
last few races where we seemed to be going backwards, finishing second here was a great
boost for us. It felt good to be back on the podium where we belong. “
Looking ahead to the next race, Johnson noted that the Stevenson Pontiac held no advantage
on the high banking at Daytona – where top speeds are reached for a major portion of every lap
- but it was time to move forward and he intends to build on their recent good fortune.
“Daytona will find us at a disadvantage to the Porsche and Mazda cars but we are going into
that race with the feeling that we might have just gotten our MoJo back, We will be looking to
put together a string of podium finishes for the balance of the season.”
Davis and Liddell agree.
Davis: “The team has had some problems and issues in the last few races. When we stepped
back and took a look we realized we were actually causing the problems. You can put our
fortune up to bad luck but it is really true that you have to work to make your own luck. We
know how to win and while this race didn’t give us a win in some ways it felt like one. We got
back on the podium and scored some important points for the championship.
Liddell: “After some recent disappointments we are very happy to get back on the podium. Last
year we were very consistent especially in the second part of the year and we were desperately
trying to find our form again after some tough results so this result is really important to us.
“The team did a great job and now we are looking forward to getting back to Daytona in a
couple of weeks where we will be the support race to the main NASCAR event.”
The team’s second place finish put them right back into the thick of the point’s race for both he
Team and Driver’s Championships.
The next race on the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask
No.16 will be the 7th of the season with the series returning to Daytona International Speedway
on July 4.
More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the new Stevenson performance
shop, can be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com
For more information on the Grand-Am Rolex Series, go to www.grand-am.com/rolex/
Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Snapped Belt Breaks Championship Momentum For Stevenson Motorsports

Jun 8, 2009

Fluid leak puts No. 57 Pontiac GXP.R into gravel with minutes to go

The fight for the season championship went off track for the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports /
BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen, the fifth race of the
2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16. After starting
third on the grid in the GT class, drivers Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell were charging hard
when, late in the race, a belt snapped taking the power steering line with it. Fluids leaking onto
the tires led to a spin into the gravel traps with just a few laps remaining in the race.
Coming into this weekend, the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports / BryanMark Financial Pontiac
GXP.R had been struggling to finish in the top five. In the first four races they took one win (at
VIR) and had to settle for two 6th and one 5th place finish in the other three races. At The Glen,
the team once again found they had to deal with several niggling issues just to finish in the top
ten.
Team Manager Mike Johnson reflects on the difficulties the Stevenson Motorsports team
encountered this weekend. “Last year it seemed like we could do no wrong, and this year we
can’t do anything right. Right off the bat, we had a master cylinder lock up on us which caused
us to miss a majority of the first practice and then we had to play catch up from there. We were
able to give Robin a very fast car for qualifying and we felt pretty confident for the race, but we
learned after about seven laps into the first stint that we were too stiff in the rear and blistered
our first set of tires. From there the team worked extremely well together to get the tires to last.”
Davis: “We certainly made it quite difficult on ourselves by starting out the weekend with
mechanical problems. However, we were able to fight back and develop a strong car for
qualifying. The team was optimistic heading into the race, and the initial laps only fueled our
excitement as Robin took the lead and pulled away.”
Liddell: “”We missed a chunk of practice time due to a mechanical issue so we were making
changes to the car during the first few pit-stops. After the first few stops, and with a few tweaks
to the set-up, we had a car which was working quite well over a stint, although we just didn’t
seem to have the pace of the Porsches. Andrew and I split the first half of the race and I got
back in at the three hour mark to do the last three hours.”
Davis: “Probably the biggest disadvantage to losing the time in the first practice session was our
inability to put together any long runs to evaluate tire wear. Early into the first stint, we realized
that our BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R was seriously blistering both rear tires. The
middle stints of the race were spent managing the rear tire wear, and continuing to make
changes to the car at each pit stop.”
Johnson “After making continuous tire changes during pit stops, and with a few hours remaining
in the race, we worked our way back into the lead. Unfortunately, we dialed a bit too much push
into the car to save tires, and fell back to fourth with just a few laps remaining, and then we
received the final blow when we lost the belt that runs the power steering and water pump.
Robin lost control of the car when the belt tore the power steering lines and oiled up the tires
and we finished in the gravel.”
Liddell: “I was in a comfortable fourth position but with two laps to go, the power steering/water
pump belt broke. This resulted in power steering fluid spraying on to my tires and I spun off into
the gravel trap. Unfortunately I couldn’t drive out of the gravel, although to be honest we couldn’t
have finished anyway as the water temperature had rocketed up due to the water pump belt
having come off. The engine was cooking.”
The team’s eighth place finish pushed them downwards in the point’s race for the Team and
Driver’s Championships. After finishing second overall in 2008 – with just 9 points keeping them
from winning both championship titles – this team knows they need to concentrate on collecting
every possible point for the balance of the season. There are seven races remaining and
Johnson sees each race to come as a new opportunity to begin again the process of garnering
enough points to put the team back on course for the top spot.
Johnson: “Right now, all we can do is look forward and figure out how we are going to get
ourselves out of this rut. We have had podium cars for every race this year, but have only been
able to close the one race at VIR. It’s going to be very important that we roll off the truck at Mid-
Ohio fast and reliable and get back to our winning ways.”
Liddell and Davis both agree with Johnson that a turn of fortunes is needed to invigorate the
team’s championship aspirations.
Liddell: “We actually led the race for 31 laps, the second highest number of any car. But we’re
not out of the title race by any stretch and we will keep on fighting! Thanks again to the guys for
their hard work and to John and Susan Stevenson as well as our sponsor, Bryan Mark
Financial.”
Davis: “We have been going a bit backwards in the points standings since our win at VIR, and
we realize that we have to return to proper form in order to stay in contention for this
championship. Our focus for the remainder of the season is to minimize mistakes, and focus on
getting Stevenson Motorsports back into victory lane.”
Team owner John Stevenson has not lost faith in his team to overcome the deficit of good
fortune they have experienced thus far this season. He is convinced his team will be spraying
champagne from the podium once again.
Stevenson: “Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis both drove a flawless race. Mike Johnson’s race
strategy was dead on the money but multiple mechanical failures throughout the weekend lead
us to a dismal eighth place finish. We have lost our luster due to these mechanical failures.
However, I, as well as the entire team, are determined and committed to address our
mechanical issues and return to Mid-Ohio in our traditional full force position. We will back on
the podium.”
The next race on the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask
No.16 will be at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on June 21st.
More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the new Stevenson performance
shop, can be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com
For more information on the Grand-Am Rolex Series, go to www.grand-am.com/rolex/
Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Stevenson Team Suffers Broken Heart And A Broken Part at Laguna Seca

May 18, 2009

No. 57 Pontiac GXP.R soldiers on to 6th place despite passing of family patriarch

While practicing for the Laguna Seca round of the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by
Crown Royal Cask No.16, the Stevenson Motorsports Team received some very sad news. Leonard
O’Rion “L.O.” Stevenson, the father of team owner John Stevenson, passed away that weekend. In his
honor and his memory, the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports / BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R carried
on the fight for the championship. It would have been his wish for them to do so. Had it not been for a
bout with misfortune they likely would have finished on the podium.
Team Manager Mike Johnson: “I think more than anything right now, our hearts go out to not only John,
Susan, Booth and Shelley, but the entire Stevenson Auto organization. While I never met L.O., I
understand he was a great man that served his country in WWII as a B-29 pilot and loved the car
business more than anything. They tell me he was still conducting business via phone until a few days
before he died and I think his dedication to doing the job right the first time has been very influential to the
way Johnny wants this race team to perform.”
Drivers Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell pushed their Pontiac as hard as possible in pursuit of the
Porsche and Mazda racers that took an early lead at the start. At one point, the Stevenson car was up to
second place only to suffer a part failure that put them in the pits for repairs, ultimately costing them a
podium placing.
Johnson: “Unfortunately today, we had a podium car that should have easily finished second, but our
front sway bar broke which made the car very difficult to handle.”
Liddell: “The Pontiac had been a really good car all weekend until the problem so the fact that we could
not capitalize and get a (podium) result is frustrating. We did not have the outright pace of the Mazda,
which ultimately won, but were on top of the rest of the Porsche and Pontiac competition in the first hour.
However, if our worst result this year turns out to be a sixth then I would say that is not too bad.”
Davis: “”It was unfortunate that we had the mechanical failure, but we feel a bit lucky to leave the event
with some points. It certainly could have been much worse in terms of the effect on the championship.
We will be working extra hard for the remainder of the season to maximize points and get Stevenson
Motorsports back on the podium where we belong.”
Johnson feels the heart of the team exuded strength despite the sad news that could have turned them
away from a run to the front.
“At the end of the day, we had nothing on the 70 car, but I think the hard work that the team and our new
engine partners CRD have done have given us the ability to fight for wins every weekend.” Johnson
continued: “When you have a failure like we had today, there is no reason to blame the rules makers or
anyone else since we didn’t perform to our maximum ability. With the recent rules changes, the Mazda
should have the ability to dominate the Glen like they did last year, but hopefully our race execution will
get us back to victory lane very soon.”
Liddell too feels the team needs to continue moving forward and seize every opportunity to strengthen
their position in the championship chase.
“We need to look forward to the next race and really try to maximize our points at the Glen. We are onethird
of the way through the season and are still close to the top of the points but we need a couple of
strong finishes to really put pressure on our competition by the midway point.”
An interesting, poignant and ironic coincidence regarding L.O. Stevenson and the No. 57 on the
Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac is that MR. Stevenson was in the automobile business (Lincoln-Mercury
and Honda) for 57 years.
Top six results in the GT class for The Verizon Festival of Speed at Mazda Raceway – Laguna Seca:
1. #70 Ham / Tremblay SpeedSource / Mazda RX-8
2. #07 Collins / Edwards Banner Racing / Pontiac GXP.R
3 #87 Keen / Werner Farnbacher Loles Racing / Porsche GT3
4. #66 Ballou / Pumpelly TRG / Porsche GT3
5. #69 Assentato / Segal SpeedSource / Mazda RX-8
6. #57 GT 6 Davis / Liddell Stevenson Motorsports / Pontiac GXP.R
The next race on the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16 will
be the Sahlen’s Six-Hours at Watkins Glen on June 6th.
More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the new Stevenson performance shop, can
be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com
For more information on the Grand-Am Rolex Series, go to www.grand-am.com
Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Stevenson Motorsports Powers Up For 2009

Apr 28, 2009

Team moves from the LS2 to LS6 power plant

After running in the 2009 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona season opening round with the same chassis and
engine combination they campaigned with in 2008, the team decided to make a change for the balance of
the season. The change paid off immediately when the team delivered the first win for the GM LS6
engine in a Pontiac at the Robert Bosch Engineering 250 at Virginia International Raceway (VIR), on April
25th. This was the first win for the LS6 and it came in the first race the Stevenson team ran with that
motor.
Going into the 2009 season, the Stevenson team was determined to kick their performance development
up another notch by moving to the GM LS6 V-8 engine. Stevenson Team Manager Mike Johnson
explains the reason for the switch;
“When we started the GXP.R program, our initial goal was to use the same basic package as the factory
(Banner Racing) to learn and score points for Pontiac since we knew it was a race winning combination.
If we could put together a good pair of driver’s, great reliability and some good race strategy, I figured we
could be just as strong as anyone else.
“Of course at the last race, we realized they had upped their game and even without the flat shift, we
couldn’t touch them in the straights. We pretty much knew right then that we were going to have to do
something different if we were going to have an advantage in 2009.
“With the LS2 engine, you can only use KATECH to build the engines which is also the engine builder
used by Banner. For us to try and find a competitive advantage against our number one competitor, we
really had no choice but to go to the LS6 so we could set our own course for developing and controlling
engine mapping and so on. We felt the only way to control our own destiny was to work with alternate
engine builders to get us moving forward. Leaving KATECH was very difficult since we had a great
season with them, and our reliability was 100%, but at the end of the day, their check is written by the
same guy that writes the checks to the 07 car, and we don’t plan on losing to them again this year.”
At the Daytona test days session prior to the opening round of the 2009 season – the Rolex 24 hours at
Daytona – the team decided to run a test using an LS6 V-8 engine in their Pontiac chassis. They had one
readily available in the dormant Stevenson Corvette and since the rules had always allowed either an LS2
or LS6 in both the Pontiacs and the Corvettes, the team installed the motor in the Pontiac chassis and ran
some laps. They were encouraged by the performance of the LS6 and this experience then whet their
appetite for a trial run in a race.
Further testing of the LS6 at the Homestead test in March convinced the team that they wanted to run the
LS6 engine in the Pontiac for the balance of the season.
So at VIR, the team installed the LS6 but this time the engine was slightly less powerful than it had been
when tested before the start of the season. Johnson estimates they were down about 20 horsepower
resulting in a loss of a few miles per hour down the straights to the Banner car.
The reason for the drop in power was that – during the long break in the season – a request had been
made to Grand Am to change the rules to eliminate the LS6 option all together or to replace some of the
particular internal components in the LS6 engine to reduce its performance potential. The request was
made in an effort to remove the viability of installing an alternative motor into the Pontiac chassis. The
avenue chosen was to seek a reduction in available horsepower thus negating a team’s desire to make
the switch from the LS2 engine.
Grand-Am officials subsequently ruled that changes to the LS6 engine would have to be made if a team
wanted to run that power plant in a Pontiac or Corvette chassis. The Stevenson team reluctantly sent
their LS6 to Cronin Engineering for another rebuild, replacing the previously approved internal
components with the newly defined parts. This was done to comply with the new rules, but the team
noted that the changes were viewed as being in contrast to what Grand-Am had allowed in prior iterations
of the LS6.
Right before the VIR race, the Stevenson Team approached Grand-Am and asked that they revisit the
decision to force the changes to the motor and that the team be allowed to run the LS6 in the same
previously approved configuration it had been run in last year, in the Stevenson Corvette. Upon
extensive review, Grand Am agreed this was the fair and appropriate thing to do and so they rescinded
the changes they had ordered and allowed the engine to be restored to its pre-approved state.
Johnson: “It was unfortunate that we had to go through the rules change and subsequent reversal in
order to get to this position, but we are extremely pleased with the decision of the Grand-Am officials to
allow us to rebuild the LS6 back to the original specs. They want fair and open competition and
understand that when your primary competitor also controls the engine development, outside teams
should have the ability to develop their own package. Their decision has opened up a whole new avenue
of opportunity for us to move forward with our development of the LS6 engine and chassis combination.”
The rebuilding of the LS6 is currently underway.
Johnson: “Right now our stock LS6 is back at CRD being updated to the original Grand-Am
specifications. Of course we can’t get it all done in one day, but we should see a slight improvement for
New Jersey. By the time we get to Laguna Seca we hope to be stronger than when we first tested the
LS6 at Daytona and Homestead. We feel we are now finally moving forward with our quest to come out
on top this season. At the banquet last year, John Stevenson made the point that he wanted his car to be
showcased on stage and that’s what we’re planning to do.”
The third round of the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Series will take place on Sunday, May 3rd at New Jersey
Motorsports Park.
More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the new Stevenson performance shop, can
be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com
For more information on the Grand-Am Rolex Series, go to www.grand-am.com/rolex/
Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Stevenson Motorsports Wins Again at VIR

Apr 26, 2009

At the second round of the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask
No.16. at Virginia International Raceway, the No 57 Stevenson / BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R,
driven by Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell came across the line ahead of the rest of the GT field for the
second straight year at VIR.
After putting the pressure on Banner Racing driver Paul Edwards for almost 2 hours, Robin Liddell finally
forced last years Champion into a mistake and was able to drive by for the win, setting fast race lap on
the way. For the first time in their short racing history, Stevenson Motorsports is now in a two way tie for
the points lead with Banner Racing after scoring their 4th Series win.
Davis: “It was one of our best races. There were no big dramas or events that gave us extra luck, and
we ran a mistake free race outside of a minor problem with the belts during the first driver change. We
lost a little bit of time there but Robin got back the positions soon enough in a great battle with Paul
Edwards. When Paul made a slight mistake Robin passed him and we held the lead from there.
Liddell: “The car was good but we didn’t really have a car that in normal circumstances could have
beaten the Banner car. With about 10 laps or so to go, Paul was being pressured by me coming down
the hill into the last corner and he made a small mistake, dropping a wheel off. I was so close behind him
that I could not help but hit him and push him off. I tried not to and I think the replay showed it was
unavoidable.
“We then had a clean restart. I thought I might come under a bit of extreme pressure but that didn’t
happen and I was able to keep the lead through to the end.”
It was unexpectedly hot at the Southern Virginia racing circuit, a marked contrast from the cold weather
winter months that went by with no racing action in this series. Davis and Liddell found the driving chores
to be a bit taxing due to a helmet and seat blower failure that prevented them from driving with cool
helmets.
Liddell: “It was a hard race for everybody because it was hotter than expected. It was pretty tough
really. I think the heat caught everybody out, I think people struggled a bit with it.
Davis: “The air flow into my helmet failed right at the start of the race. The blower in the car wasn’t
working so no cool air was coming in. It got pretty warm after a few laps. You don’t realize it is there until
it stops working and no cool air is coming into the helmet. It can take a toll and I know it bothered both
Robin and I during the race.”
Liddell: “You don’t realize how important the driver cooling aids are until you have a problem. It was like
breathing fire in there! But we just kept our heads down and pressed on, as we knew we might have a
chance at the closing stages.”
Johnson attributes Edwards miscue to the consequence of a heated cockpit as well.
“As for driver comfort, the team worked very hard last year in cooling the cockpit and we have three
systems in place. In the event that one system fails, our drivers can still survive.” Johnson said. “We won
yesterday because the AC unit on the 07 car failed and since that is their only system, Paul couldn’t run
the times for two hours and eventually he made a mistake. In the No. 57 car, we have a helmet/seat
blower system, and the drivers wear a cool suit, and we added a lot of cockpit cooling materials and have
directed a lot of airflow around the headers. That was all done in the event that if something fails – like
the helmet blower – our drivers can still tolerate the heat. The additional driver comfort makes it so that
we can not reach the maximum 50% weight bias, but in the end, the additional cooling features allowed
us to win the race.”
The Stevenson team finished second in the 2008 Drivers and Team Championships behind the Banner
Pontiac. With just less than 10 points separating the two teams and driver pairs at the end, the
Stevenson team came into this season with a fervent desire to reverse the fortunes of the two leading
Pontiac teams.
Liddell: “We did not know what to expect coming into this season, having chased after a championship
last year and just coming up short. Last year we were pumped up and it is hard to better that. It is really
nice to get a win under our belt this early in the new season.
”The Stevenson crew did an excellent job as always and it was great to be back on the top step of the
podium, particularly as it is the team’s ‘home’ race and we had so many supporters present.”
Davis: “Our teams have the strongest Pontiacs in the field and we both use each other as a benchmark
against the Porsches and Mazda’s because of the differences in the rules. In qualifying we didn’t have
anything for the Mazda’s but in the longer runs we were better. We basically keep trying to work harder
than the Banner team including ongoing development work on the motor. It looks optimistic that we will
be making some real progress in the motor department. And our engineering with Kyle Millay combined
with Mike Johnson’s race strategy just gave us the edge this time and had us running a little better race
than them.”
The next race on the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16 will
be held at New Jersey Motorsports Park on May 3rd.
More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the new Stevenson performance shop, can
be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com
For more information on the Grand-Am Rolex Series, go to www.grand-am.com/rolex/
Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Stevenson Motorsports Announces New Stevenson Performance Shop

Apr 4, 2009

Jacksonville, North Carolina is now home to the new Stevenson Performance shop. Stevenson
Performance can meet the needs of anyone looking for high performance parts and accessories
for their street or race car, and their highly skilled and experienced staff can provide the kind of
custom installations and customer support that will insure their complete satisfaction.
Stevenson Performance is a division of Stevenson Motorsports, a professional sports car racing
team. Stevenson competes in the NASCAR-owned Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series,
where they campaign a Pontiac GXP.R in the GT class. In 2008 they won several races and
finished less than 10 points out of first place in the overall season championship in what is
arguably the most competitive professional road racing series in North America.
Stevenson Motorsports Announces New Stevenson Performance ShopThat level of performance could only have been achieved through a combination of talent,
experience and professional commitment, and now, that same level of professional performance
and racing experience is being made available to everyone through the opening of the brand new
Stevenson Performance shop, located in Jacksonville.
The Stevenson Automotive Group- with 16 new car dealerships located across North Carolina –
has created a 600 square foot showroom stocked with all the performance enhancements any
avid car buff could want. Anyone who loves their car is invited to stop by and meet General
Manager Donnie Marshburn and his team of professional installers.
The Stevenson Performance Team can provide a wide variety of services including truck and
jeep lift installations and street and race performance modifications. They are also experts in
installing high-performance stereo units, DVD players and GPS navigation units.
Marshburn: “We provide a wide range of services to our customers including a vast inventory of
wheels and tires and we have access to an enormous range of performance and customized
parts for almost every make and model of car. We are currently working on an on-line ordering
system but we can get almost any part for almost any car right now. If someone were to come
into the shop and order a part we do have drop-ship capability so the parts can be delivered right
to their door.
“We can sell and install all types of performance and custom styling parts and accessories here in
the shop. Our installers include members of the race team who maintain our Pontiac race car.
We can install grill inserts, superchargers and just about anything someone might want to
improve the looks or the performance of their street cars.”
Customers of Stevenson Performance can count on having a positive experience whether they
have the shop install new parts or choose to do it themselves.
Marshburn: “Anyone is welcome to come in and buy a part over the counter and install it
themselves. If they encounter any issues during the install we are here to answer their questions
and help them through the process. One of us in the shop has probably run into the same issues
before and we are more than happy to lend a hand to help the customer finish the job.”
Parts manager Scott Zimmerman is on hand and ready to help automotive enthusiasts of every
kind find the right parts to dress up their cars or help with the selection of the right lubricants to
keep their cars in top condition. The shop carries a full line of ignition components, brake and
safety components, driving suits, high performance spark plug wire sets, valve covers, NGK
plugs, Royal Purple lubricants and more.
New parts are received in the shop every week. Any high performance part anyone could want is
either in the shop now or readily available. The variety of performance parts available exceeds
what can be found at any shop in the area. In addition, the Stevenson Performance shop is
staffed by professionals who know what it takes to improve the looks and performance of almost
any car.
Marshburn: “We have people on the team here who are extremely experienced in pretty much
any aspect of automotive performance. Michael Hoffman, for example, is our race team Crew
Chief and he is extremely knowledgeable about the more exotic end of the automotive spectrum.
Chris Vallely is very familiar with the world of street tuners. I have years of experience building
chassis for drag racers and street rods and Scott Zimmerman, our parts manager, is also well
versed in the language of street rods and oval track racing. We pretty much have all the bases
covered plus we back up our experience with our ongoing championship race team efforts.”
The shop is located at 127 Garnet Lane, Jacksonville, NC 28546. It shares space in the same
building that houses the Stevenson Motorsports racing operations. When you come to the
Stevenson Performance Shop you always receive the benefit of all the knowledge and
experience of the professional race team.
Everyone is invited to stop by and say hello to Donnie and Scott and the rest of the Stevenson
Performance team. When you want the best for your car, come to the pros at Stevenson
Performance!
Follow the championship run of the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP.R during the
2009 Grand-Am Rolex racing season on the team’s website at www.stevensonmotorsports.com

Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac and Corvette Endure At Rolex 24

Jan 28, 2009

At the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, the opening round of the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series
presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16., Stevenson Motorsports fielded a Pontiac and a Corvette in the
GT class. Both cars ran strong through to the end of the race with the Pontiac finishing 6th in class and
the Corvette coming across the line in 12th.
If not for a few issues late in the race, the No 57 Stevenson / BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R
Pontiac, driven by Andrew Davis, Jeff Bucknum and Robin Liddell, looked good for a possible podium
finish. The car was up to third place near the end, despite a speed deficit to the Mazda’s and Porsche’s
in the field.

No. 57 Stevenson / BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R Race Report:

Team Manager Mike Johnson: “Robin started the race and in the first stint he was complaining of his
feet being hot. When we did the driver change we had an extended stop to add a hose to the car to get
more air to the pedal area. Robin had blisters on his feet so we put Andrew in the car.”
Robin Liddell: “My opening stint at the start of the race was really tough as the blower fan near my feet
wasn’t working and as a result I blistered both feet. The fan problem was later rectified but they were
pretty sore for the rest of the race.
Johnson: “We went through the rest of the driver rotation without any real problems except that we had
to do two brake rotor changes. We have never had to do that before but, since we are carrying all this
extra weight Grand-Am forced us to add, the ears on the rotors were actually breaking off. The rotors
were coming disconnected from the rotor hat, which is a dangerous situation. And this problem
happened on both our car and the No. 07 Banner Pontiac. Both times that we stopped to change rotors
we lost a lap.”
Liddell: “We were fourth at mid-distance and looking in very good shape but Andrew picked up a left front
tire puncture which cost us four laps. With the pace at the front being so strong, we were never going to
make that back up.”
Johnson: “During Andrew’s second stint the left front tire failed at turn five and he had to drive all the way
around to the pits and that lost us time. When the tire came apart it ripped the canister off the left front
shock. The car then had no working left front shock absorber for the duration of the race.
“We continued to move up as other cars had problems and we were running in fifth. We were content
with that but then the No. 07 Pontiac had exhaust problems and when they went behind the wall to fix that
we moved up into fourth place.”
Andrew Davis: “I am very proud of the effort put forth by the entire Stevenson Motorsports organization
during this challenging event. We knew that we were up against a virtually unbeatable field of Porsches,
since the rule book doesn’t favor our BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R in terms of top speed. So, our
strategy was to simply outlast the others by running a mistake free race. It seemed that our strategy had
worked perfectly as we entered the final hour of the race in good position for a podium finish.”
Johnson: “With about an hour and ten minutes to go, we were about 45 seconds behind the No. 33 car
and two laps ahead of the No. 07, and then we got a full course yellow with about an hour to go and when
the wave-bys were settled, we were only nine seconds behind. We were just outside of our fuel window
but we decided to pit anyway. Robin stayed in the car and we told him to go get the No. 33 car.”
Liddell: “We had been pushing throughout the entire race and it looked like we were getting a break
towards the end but incredibly on the very same lap that I snatched third place, I exited a slow corner and
suddenly lost all drive changing from second to third gear.
Johnson: “When the restart came we heard over the radio that the 33 car had jumped the restart and
would be penalized. We all just jumped out of the timing stand, cheering and hugging and almost crying
because we looked like we were going to be in third place! I got on the radio and told Robin to just bring
it home, but as he was shifting from second to third gear, the tripod broke on the right rear upright! He
brought the car in and the guys did a great job to replace the axle and upright in 12 minutes time. But in a
matter of 30 seconds we went from a feeling of incredible euphoria to shock and disbelief! But no one
gave up and once Robin got the car into the pits the guys jumped right on it and got it back in the race.”
Davis: “I can’t say enough about our pit stops during the race. The Stevenson Motorsports crew did a
phenomenal job of making quick stops, including one of the fastest axle changes that I have ever seen!
Keep in mind that the guys had been awake for well over 24 hours when they were forced to make that
change.”
The Stevenson crew once again demonstrated the depth of talent they possess as they quickly affected
repairs each time they were called upon. The team’s performance overall gave them a result that, while
not as satisfying as a win, Johnson found to be very rewarding.
“I am really happy with the performance of the team, the drivers and the car. To start with a car in 19th
and having it running in the top five for most of the race is truly amazing. 6th is great and gives us a great
starting point for the championship.”
Jeff Bucknum: “Racing is about winning races, but this team is also very hungry for a Championship,
and I think we did a great job finishing in 6th place after 24hrs of racing. I know the Pontiac GXP.R is a
very fast and strong car for a run at the championship this year, but unfortunately Daytona is its weakest
track for fast lap times. The good news is Pratt and Miller builds a fantastic race car that is so solid and
reliable that we were able to keep pushing the car every lap like it was the first lap for 24 hours.”
Liddell: “Overall, we are not too disappointed as a top-six finish at this race is a good start to the season,
especially when you consider all the variables in a long distance race such as this.”
Davis: “Although disappointed to miss another podium appearance, we are pleased to leave this gruelling
event with solid points to begin our run at the 2009 GT championship.”
Bucknum: “It was really great running with the Stevenson Motorsports Team at the 24 hours of Daytona.
I can honestly say this was the first time I have done a 24 hour race where I was a part of a team that had
all the elements to have a great race. (Team owners) Johnny and Susan Stevenson are such great
people. They are truly people that take racing seriously and know what it takes to be winners. It is hard
to find team owners like them who make sure that have the best of everything from equipment crew
members to drivers. And I felt so honored to be a part of their Pontiac GT team this year, driving
alongside such great drivers as Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis.”
Johnson summed up the race with a caution about what lies ahead for the team that finished second in
last year’s team and drivers championships, and received a weight penalty for their efforts.
“On the final results it will say the Pontiac’s finished fourth and sixth but I think the real story is that, for us,
with all the weight we are carrying and the wear on our rotors, we did really well here. We really don’t
know what else we could have done. When you have the two best teams from last year – and the four
best drivers – and the only reason they finished that high is because the other guys made mistakes or had
problems, tells you something is wrong. We made no mistakes but our weight penalty kept us from the
podium.”
For the balance of the season, Stevenson Motorsports will campaign the Pontiac, with Davis and Liddell
aboard. Johnson would like to see Grand-Am turn back the clock on rule changes made last season in an
attempt to balance the competition in the class.
“For us to really start becoming more competitive, we are going to need some help from Grand-Am. To
have all the Pontiacs run consistently over a second off the pace is ridiculous. We are still being
penalized for doing a good job last year and the Porsche’s and Mazda’s have been allowed to update
their cars over the winter.”

No. 97 Stevenson Motorsports Corvette Race Report:

Prior to switching to the Pontiac GXP.R for the 2008 season, Stevenson Motorsports ran a pair of
Chevrolet Corvettes in the GT class. One of these, a car built by Crawford Engineering, was retained by
the team and entered into the 2009 Rolex 24. It was driven by James Gue, Tom Long, Ryan Eversley
and Galen Bieker. They completed 650 laps, finishing the grueling contest 45 laps off the GT leader’s
pace.
Johnson: “The Corvette started off well. They went through a full rotation one time and then the driver’s
started to double stint. They later had a lower ball joint failure which we had never seen on that car
before. We took the car behind the wall and repaired it and after that they pretty much just kept moving
along.
“After some time the engine started to burn oil and they had to add oil on every pit stop. With about eight
hours to go Michael Gue told me the motor was getting worse and asked if we should stop the car or
keep going and see what happens with the motor. We decided to keep going and so we just kept putting
oil in it.”
James Gue: “I was pleased with the result considering all of the factors we were up against. For most of
the second half of the race we were missing 2nd gear and the engine was slowly dying due to being overrevved
earlier in the race. We managed to continue on; the only other set back was a ball joint that failed
at about 6 in the morning.
“All things considered, to finish the race was a great accomplishment. The team did a great job preparing
the car; it ran faultlessly other than the self-inflicted problems. I just need to thank the whole crew and
everyone at Stevenson Motorsports for the great job they did.”
Tom Long: “Running with the Stevenson Crawford Corvette No. 97 was a great experience. Michael Gue
(crew chief) & Scott Besst (engineer) made great calls on the radio, while our spotter helped keep our
concentration and pace up over the night hours. I say ‘hats off’ to the entire crew for their determination
and clockwork-like pit stops. I really would like to thank the Stevenson’s for their hospitality and
congratulate the entire team for a strong start to the ’09 Rolex season!”
Johnson: “The guys had a good result and I think John and Susan (Stevenson) were pleased that the
car finished. I was a little disappointed that we didn’t have the speed we had in the last two races, but
this whole deal came together so late. Two of the drivers signed up just a few days before the race, while
the cars that finished in front of our Corvette were running programs that had been put together months
earlier. To have such a good result given the circumstances was something we are happy about. After
this strong showing perhaps someone will want to buy the car or come on board with us for the rest of the
season.”
The next race on the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16 will
be held at Virginia International Raceway the weekend of April 24 – 26.
More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the new Stevenson performance shop, can
be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com
For more information on the Grand-Am Rolex Series, go to www.grand-am.com/rolex/
Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Stevenson Motorsports To Race A Pontiac and A Corvette At Rolex 24

Jan 18, 2009

New Team Logos And New Stevenson Performance Shop Ready For 2009

The Stevenson Motorsports team is pleased to announce their car and driver lineup for the Rolex 24
Hours at Daytona, the opening round of the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by
Crown Royal Cask No.16. Daytona International Speedway will see the return of the No 57 Pontiac
GXP.R that finished second in the overall GT class driver and team championships last year. This race
also marks the return of the No 97 Chevrolet Corvette, a fast racecar that seeks another opportunity to
show its potential. The tested and durable Crawford built Corvette is definitely considered a dark horse
candidate for a podium placing
In a closely contested season-long battle in the GT class last year, drivers Robin Liddell and Andrew
Davis collected a number of wins and finished on the podium nine times in the No 57 Pontiac GXP.R. For
2009, this successful pairing will once again chase the championship with an able assist at Daytona
coming from veteran racer Jeff Bucknum.
Andrew Davis: “I’m thrilled to be back with Stevenson Motorsports for the 2009 season. We had a great
season last year, in which we really displayed the ultimate potential of the team. With all of the core team
members returning, we are looking forward to building on last season’s momentum with the sole objective
of capturing the Rolex GT championship.”
Team Manager Mike Johnson:
“We had a very successful test in January and while the Pontiac has never been very fast at Daytona, if
we can keep it out of pit lane we should be a strong contender for the podium. Jeff has fit right in with
Robin and Andrew and our crew is relatively unchanged from last year so we should be in a better
position now that our guys have had a year to familiarize themselves with the car. Grand-Am made some
rule changes last year to help the Porsches and Mazda’s and that’s most relevant when we come to
Daytona. If they have perfect races, we can’t do anything to beat them, but our 9 podiums last year
proved we are always there when they hand out the money.”
Davis: “We have made a lot progress with the BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R during the recent test
days at Daytona. So, the team is entering the Rolex 24 with the confidence of having a strong and
reliable car that will be good for the long haul. This will be my third Rolex 24 running under the guidance
of Mike Johnson, and I can’t think of anyone else I would rather have calling such a grueling event. Our
focus will remain on staying out of trouble, in order to leave something left for the inevitable battle in the
waning hours of the race.”
2
Robin Liddell: “Daytona is still one of the great endurance races which every sportscar driver wants to
win. The combination of the high banked oval with the tight and tricky infield section makes it a great
challenge.
“We’re a second or so off the pace of the Porsches and Mazda’s at Daytona which is mainly due to
weight and high drag but we are not worried. With a smart approach, good pit work from the crew and a
little good fortune we will be up in the top three by dawn. When you are in a Porsche you tend to push
from the start and control the pace of the race from there but in our case we will try to play more to our
strengths and let the race come to us.”
The No 97 Stevenson Corvette will be driven in the 24 hours by James Gue, Tom Long, Ryan Eversley
and Galen Beiker. Johnson is convinced the outright speed of the Corvette will be amply demonstrated on
the banking at Daytona, perhaps surprising some people.
Johnson: “I don’t think the Corvette is presently on anyone’s radar because it has never shown its true
potential, but I have a feeling this year could be different. It was very fast in the July race and Michael
Gue has had 3 months to make further improvements so it should be strong. And while we don’t have
any ‘superstars’ of Motorsports behind the wheel, the guys driving the car are as good as anyone in the
field and have proven to be very fast and very consistent. If there’s a dark horse for the race, it’s
definitely the 97 car.”
Over the winter, the Jacksonville, North Carolina based Stevenson team made a number of changes
designed to set them on the road to the championship and position them as a top level resource for those
who like to get the most performance possible from their cars. Among these changes are new team
logos, which will appear on their new High Tech transporter for the first time at Daytona, and a new
revised website that will also highlight both the race team and the new performance racing shop that has
just been opened in Jacksonville. The shop services both cars and trucks offering performance and
aftermarket options for the Stevenson Automotive Group and retail customers.
More information about the Stevenson Motorsports team, and the new Stevenson performance shop, can
be found at www.stevensonmotorsports.com
For more information on the Grand-Am Rolex Series, go to www.grand-am.com/rolex/
Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.
Fans of the Stevenson Team are invited to visit the team’s website at
www.stevensonmotorsports.com

Stevenson Motorsports To Race A Brand New Chevrolet Camaro In The Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series

Nov 13, 2008

In the 2008 Grand-Am Rolex Sportscar series, the Stevenson Motorsports team made an indelible mark in the record books when they finished the racing year just a handful of points out of first place in the GT class. In 2009, this independent team from Jacksonville, North Carolina will expand into the KONI Challenge Series, running a brand new Chevrolet Camaro built by Bill Riley’s Riley Technologies (www.rileytech.com) located in Mooresville, North Carolina.

Mike Johnson is the team manager for Stevenson Motorsports. “We are genuinely excited about being among the first to race the all new Chevrolet Camaro in KONI Challenge.” Johnson said, “Bill Riley is one of the top builders of race cars anywhere and we know that when he delivers chassis number 001 to our team we will already have a head start on the competition.”

Bill Riley expressed his pleasure at having Stevenson be the first team to order the new Camaro from his shop when he said, “I am looking forward to working with the Stevenson Team on developing the car this year. I was very impressed with what they accomplished with the Pontiac in the Rolex GT Series and I have every expectation we will work together very well in getting this new car up to speed. The lines of the new Camaro and the engineering that has gone into it all suggest it has the makings of an excellent race car and the Stevenson Team is an outstanding choice for developing the new Chevrolet Camaro. I am very pleased we will be working together to bring this great name back to professional sports car racing.”

Team owner John Stevenson runs a network of auto dealerships in North Carolina, under the Stevenson Automotive Group banner. One of these is a Chevrolet store located in Swansboro. He is expecting his new Camaro race car will come out of Bill Riley’s shop right around the same time Chevrolet sends its first batch of new street Camaros to his store. The anticipated date is in March of 2009, just after the start of the 2009 KONI Challenge Series season.

“We are working on the issues of sponsorship and drivers right now for the Camaro program.” Team owner John Stevenson said, “We intend to run the Camaro with a crew of seasoned pros, including having Mike Johnson handle the strategy. I can also tell you that we are working with veteran racer and team manager Jeff Bucknum to put together all the pieces we will need to run at the front in the KONI Series. With Bill Riley building our new Camaro we can only assume the best is yet to come for us in the KONI Challenge.”

Fans of road racing will remember the years when the Camaro was such a potent force in the old SCCA Trans-Am series. Names like Donohue, Bucknum, Hall, Elford and Fellows can be found in the history books as race winners driving Chevrolet’s ‘other sportscar’. The rebirth of the Camaro street car – with styling very reminiscent of the 1969 model – provides an exceptional opportunity for the Stevenson team to add even more lines to the pages of the Camaros glorious history.

While it is still too early to reveal all the plans in the works for the new KONI Challenge effort, what John Stevenson is working on behind the scenes right now could result in the reuniting o some of the greatest names in racing ever associated with the Chevrolet Camaro. Fans are
advised to stay tuned to the Stevenson Motorsports website (www.stevensonmotorsports.com) for more information about what just might be the biggest news to hit North American road racing since a few highly skilled men hailing from out of the northeast “blue” the doors off of a few FORD products nearly 40 years ago.

Stevenson Pontiac Locks Up Second Place In Rolex Championships

Sep 28, 2008

It was a great first season for the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports – BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R, driven by Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell, in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16. Davis and Liddell finished second in the GT Driver’s Championship and Stevenson Motorsports claimed second in the GT Team Championship.

When you consider the car was brand new at the start of the year, to have pulled down second place is a remarkable achievement. Even more remarkable is that, had they scored just 10
points more, first place would have been won by the Jacksonville, NC based Stevenson team.

The 13th and final race of the 2008 season was the SunRichGourmet.com 1,000 at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. Paul Edwards and Kelly Collins, driving the No. 07 Banner Racing Pontiac GXP.R picked up the win and, having finished ahead of the second place Stevenson car, they wrapped up the championship with a slim 9 point lead.

The Stevenson team accomplished the remarkable feat of ending 9 of the season’s 13 races on the podium, with a balanced record of first, second and third place finishes. That is, they finished 1st three times (Mexico, Virginia, Montreal) 2nd three times (Watkins Glen, New Jersey, Utah) and 3rd three times (Lime Rock, Mid-Ohio, Daytona). In the other four races, they were knocked out of contention by other cars twice (Daytona Rolex 24, Laguna Seca), they had just one mechanical failure all season (Homestead), and they finished just off the podium in 4th one time (Alabama).

Change their fate even slightly in any one of those four races and this team might have gathered up those 10 additional points. That is how close this battle between the Banner Engineering and Stevenson Motorsports teams was this season.

Accepting that fate and circumstance will not always rule in your favor, Team Manager Mike Johnson congratulated the overall champions and made it clear that the Stevenson team intends to build on this incredible foundation in 2009.

“First, my congratulations go to Banner Racing on winning the Championship. “ Johnson said, “They did exactly what they had to do today and that was to go out and win the race. As for us, I can’t imagine a better season for our little team. We have many great things to be proud of like most podiums by ANY team (GT or DP) for the season and unbelievable reliability and race execution.

“This is, of course, the time of year when you look back and say to yourself if only this would not have happened or that would not have happened we would have won the championship, but that’s racing. You even start counting the points as if we used the NASCAR, F1, or IRL Points system to see if we would have won, and yes we would have, but again it doesn’t matter. Right now I am just so happy for John and Susan Stevenson, they showed the commitment to me and the team, and we were able to deliver for them. My goal at the beginning of the year was to put them on the podium at the banquet and we achieved it, and next year we will do one better.”

The SunRichGourmet.com 1,000 also marked the 11th time the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports – BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R has finished in the top ten.

The race at Miller was interrupted by Mother Nature as the skies opened to unleash a torrential rainstorm in the desert basin in which Miller Motorsports Park was built. With nowhere for the rain water to go, hydroplaning of race cars became all the rage. Cars went off course everywhere, leading to a caution period that saw everyone diving (surfing?) into the pits to put on rain tires. Thankfully the rain subsided quickly and the track began to dry out before any of the involuntary surfers could wipe out completely.

Despite a brief spin in the wet, the No. 57 Pontiac escaped damage and went on to finish a strong second behind the Banner car.

Andrew Davis offered these comments on the race and the remarkable season he enjoyed with this team.

“That was a great race. We did all we could. The No. 07 car with Kelly (Collins) and Paul (Edwards) did a great job. Congratulations to Pontiac and GM for the manufactures title. Congratulations to Banner (Racing) and those guys for the championship and driver’s championship.”

Davis continued, “We’re just thrilled. Stevenson Motorsports and the Pontiac GXP.R raced great today. To finish second in the championship is huge for us – and (we picked up) another podium finish! We have the most podiums out of all the GT teams this year. Robin was on slicks in the
rain, which was actually a mistake but we ended up being able to come back and get a strong podium finish, so we’re really happy and excited.”

Robin Liddell too felt this team had much to be thankful for when he said: “To be honest I’m pretty happy. We obviously lost some time with the wet cautions there. We came in wet-to-wet and the Banner guys stayed out on slicks for another lap or so and then they went to rains, so that’s how they got the break on us, but I’m really happy with the race we did. I think we did a great job with what we had underneath us. The car was good, but it wasn’t enough to be able to push it and get more out of it. “Second in the race and second in the championship – it’s a great result for us. If you look at the whole season and where we’ve come from, we’re very happy.”

Team owner John Stevenson expressed his sense of pride in his team’s accomplishments, and offered his congratulations to the Banner Engineering team, when he said: “First of all, my congratulations to Leighton Reese and the entire Banner Team for winning the GT Championship. Congratulations are also due to Pontiac for taking the Manufacturer’s Championship. Thanks to Pontiac and Pratt & Miller for providing with such a great car.

“WOW! What a year Stevenson Motorsports had and it was a great ride!

“I would like to thank Nick Bellon and Bryan Mark Financial Group for their support this season and Team Manager, Mike Johnson, for calling some great races. Our engineer, Kyle Millay, and Data Acquisition, Greg Jones, performed flawlessly all year. I also send kudos one more time to
our superior crew, Randy Kuyoth, Michael Hoffman, Chris Vallely, Grant Ford, Andy Maxwell, Steve Henderson and Dexter Johnson.

“What more can I say about our drivers, Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell, as we have the best driver team in GT. We will be back for the 2009 season in full force!”

Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Fans of the Stevenson Team are invited to visit the team’s website at www.stevensonmotorsports.com

Stevenson Pontiac In Second Place In Championship With One To Go

Sep 1, 2008

On Labor Day weekend, the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 came to the New Jersey Motorsports Park venue for the next to last race of the 2008 season. For the championship contending No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports – BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R, driven by Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell, the Supercar Life 250 was a rewarding effort as they pulled down a solid second place finish.

The great run here moved the duo up into second place in the driver’s championship with just 5 points now separating them from the top pair of Paul Edwards and Kelly Collins, driving the No. 07 Banner Racing Pontiac GXP.R. A series of misfortunes pushed the Banner boys down to a 10th place finish in this race. With just one race left on the schedule – the SunRichGourmet.com 1,000 at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah – the opportunity for the Stevenson teammates to overtake Edwards and Collins is very real.

While a win at New Jersey was never guaranteed, a close battle with another GT car lent credence to the possibility. Liddell and Andy Lally, driving a TRG Porsche, were running nose to tail for the last half of the race with both taking turns at the front of the pack. In the closing laps a hard charging Daytona Prototype came inside Liddell at the end of the straight, forcing him into the marbles at the edge of the track. Liddell was forced to lift just enough to stay on the asphalt but the momentary bobble allowed Lally to pull out enough of a lead that Liddell could not catch him in the few minutes remaining. They crossed the finish line just a few car lengths apart.

Team Manager Mike Johnson was very satisfied with second and pleasantly surprised that his team now heads into the last race just five points out of first.

“Andy Lally was very strong. The Porsche had the edge on the straight and we had a little bit on the infield. We knew it was just a matter of time before he would be able to drag by us. We had gotten one warning earlier in the race when we had a few wheels go off in the dirt. We never put the pressure on hard enough after that because we had too much to loose. If we had dropped wheels off again we would have had a penalty and probably ended up finishing 10th or something like that, and that would not have been good at all. I think we feel that second is great since the No 70 Mazda and the 07 Banner car both had not so great days.”

This weekend’s event marked the first time the Grand-Am Rolex series – or any major road racing series – came to this new circuit located outside the city of Millville, in southern New Jersey. Recently completed, the circuit was lined with loose dirt on which grass had not yet taken hold. Several caution periods ensued as cars would go off time and again, raising enormous clouds of dirt each time. And each time some of that dirt would land on the racing surface which meant other cars would come to slide off the racing line and kick up still more dirt.

Andrew Davis commented on the race conditions and outlined the rules that Grand-Am laid down for the racers at this new race circuit.

“The track is really narrow but I have to tell you, after the first day I found I loved racing here. There are a few elevation changes and sweeping curves that really suit our Pontiac. The dirt and marbles made it tough to stay on the track if you were moved off line. At the driver’s meeting Mark Raffauf (Managing Director of Competition) told us to think of this as driving on a street circuit. If you go off onto the dirt think of it as if you had hit a concrete wall on a street circuit. That is why they imposed a penalty if you went off more than once.”

Liddell noted that the track conditions, and the misfortunes that befell the two teams closest to the Stevenson team in the standings, gave the No. 57 squad a new focus for this, the penultimate round of the season.

“Andy Lally and I did have quite a little battle going”, Liddell said, “but our overall approach to this race was to be a bit conservative. I felt that, with the dust flying around and all, it would make it difficult to keep our car on the pavement. I was therefore reasonably cautious, and since the Porsche’s were a little bit quicker I let them by.

“I felt we had a good car but not a great one. Andy passed me at one point and I was able to pass him back again. But at that late stage in the race we knew where the 07 and 70 cars were so our first priority was to consolidate our point’s position going forward to Utah. What really made a difference for us were our pit stops. The crew did a fantastic job of getting us out quickly on both stops.”

As the team prepares for the last race of 2008, Davis and Liddell are very satisfied with what has transpired this season, and with the somewhat unique game plan they intend to follow for the 1,000K endurance race.

Liddell: “We feel we are going into this race in a nice position because we have pressure on the 07 car, and the Mazda team (SpeedSource drivers Nick Ham and Sylvan Tremblay) is quite a bit back so they have nothing to lose and will go for it. If we had gone into Utah like we were going into this weekend, it would have been unrealistic to think we had a chance of winning without some drastic problems. But now we are in the hunt and we can actually make it happen.”

Team owner John Stevenson expressed his sense of pride in his team, and his optimism that they can prevail in the end, when he said, “I am extremely proud of our entire team. Our drivers, Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell, have performed flawlessly. Team manager, Mike Johnson, has had great strategy, and the best pit crew in the Rolex GT series has performed with top precision all year. We just need to do this one more time at Salt Lake City.”

Andrew Davis explained just how this solidly successful team intends to approach the championship-deciding Utah race.

“Robin and I asked team owner John Stevenson to let us run the last race without a third driver. We feel we can and should tackle this last shot on our own, without a third driver possibly having an impact on the outcome. There are some tremendously talented people out there who could join us and perhaps give us a boost, but we asked if we could finish the job on our own and John said we should go for it.”

And Mike Johnson couldn’t agree more with the idea of ‘going for it’.

“We are really happy to get out of here with second place and go into Miller just five points out.” said Johnson, “I never would have expected us to be that close with one race left. And when we are six hours into the race at Miller, well, we might just handle the last 10 laps a little differently!”

The Supercar Life 250 was the 12th race of the Rolex Series 2008 season for the GT class. It marked the 10th time the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports – BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R has finished in the top ten. In eight of those races, Davis and Liddell have stood on the podium, including three wins, two second, and three third place finishes.

Stevenson teammates Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis have moved up into second place in the standings for the GT Driver’s Championship. They cut the deficit from 16 down to jut 5 points out of first place. The Stevenson Team also moved into second place in the GT Team Championship standings.

The Grand-Am GT class wraps up the season at the 1,000 K SunRichGourmet.com event at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. The race date is September 20th.

The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 includes cars competing in two classes, Daytona Prototypes and GT. The #57 Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP.R competes in the GT class against teams running cars from Porsche, Ferrari, Mazda as well as the Ford Mustang Cobra.

Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Fans of the Stevenson Team are invited to visit the team’s website at www.stevensonmotorsports.com

Risky Second Pit Stop Fuels A Win For Stevenson In Montreal

Aug 2, 2008

In the Montreal 200 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montréal, Canada, at least one GT Team Manager made sure his car had enough gas to go the distance. A risky stop for additional fuel during the second caution period led to a late win as the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports – BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R, driven by Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell, passed the leading Porsche on the main straight just a few hundred yards from the finish line as the German marque coasted to a stop out of gas.

Liddell was aboard the Pontiac as it zoomed over the line first in class, after passing a number of cars that had gambled and lost on the game of fuel mileage.

“I feel great now.” Liddell commented at the post race press conference. “I felt pretty crummy about 10 laps from the end because we started to wonder if we’d done the right thing. I’ve seen in races like this, when the time is a little different, a few oddities appear. When I drove through during the end lap, the number of cars that ran out of fuel was pretty amazing. People take gambles that perhaps they wouldn’t normally take. You try to come up with different strategies to win. For some people that plays out and for others it doesn’t. But at the same time, it gives you an opportunity to do a good job.

“I must say the team did an excellent job today.” Liddell continued, “Mike (Johnson) did a great job with the strategy. The guys did a super job in the pit stops. Had it run yellow for long periods, we would have not had that position at the end. To win is outstanding. We’re over the moon. Hopefully we’ll keep fighting for the championship in the last couple of races.”

Team Manager Mike Johnson relayed his concern that, perhaps the late stop for fuel was a mistake. “I knew we would be short of fuel if the race went green, but when the No. 57 and No. 70 (SpeedSource Mazda) were the only cars to come down pit lane, I was worried. With 5 laps to go, I began apologizing to the team that I cost us a good finish, but as the first car came into the pits with three laps to go, I knew we had a chance. We got beat by late yellows at Barber after leading most of the race, and this weekend we won because there wasn’t a late yellow and after having only led for about a half mile. It just goes to show that it’s never over until it’s over.”

Andrew Davis had taken the Pontiac from third on the grid into the opening laps with a pair of pesky Porsches in front. He was able to stay in the front pack of cars throughout his stint before turning the GXP.R over to Liddell.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the Stevenson Motorsports team for this thrilling victory.” Davis commented, “We worked very hard trying to maximize our progress with the plentiful practice time that we had on Thursday afternoon. The car was working nicely at the end of practice, enabling us to put the No. 57 Pontiac GXP.R up near the front on the time sheets. Despite the progress made, the crew stayed up very late on Thursday night making changes to improve the car further. Heading into qualifying, I was confident that we had a car that was capable of starting up front. We were able to place the car on the inside of the second row for the start ofthe race, and so began one of the most exciting races that I have been a part of in quite some time.”

When the Stevenson car pitted, the pit lane wasn’t as busy as you might expect during a caution period. By coming in when they did to add fuel the team positioned themselves to literally run away from the race leaders in the end.

“Mike Johnson made the call during the race to bring us in during a mid race caution period for fuel. It seemed like the right call, but we were surprised to see that most of the front runners opted not to pit. I was quite worried with about five minutes remaining because it looked like those in front were not running out of fuel. However, the last two laps were simply amazing finding us on the top step of the podium!”

“This was a big win for Stevenson Motorsports.” Davis continued, “The celebration in the pits was out of control, we were jumping up and down like mad men on the pit lane. We were in complete disbelief of how the race came to us on the final straight.”

As a result of the team’s success in Canada, Davis has developed a taste for competition outside the United States. “We seem to do really well when the Rolex Series races outside the United States, so hopefully they will add some more international races to the schedule in the future.”

The Montreal 200 was the 11th race of the Rolex Series 2008 season for the GT class. It marked the ninth time the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports – BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R has finished in the top ten. In seven of those races, Davis and Liddell have stood on the podium, with three wins.

With this, the third win of the season, Stevenson teammates Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis strengthened their third place standings in the GT Driver’s Championship by reducing the gap to second to just six points. And they are now just 16 points out of first. The Stevenson Team also remains in third place in the GT Team Championship standings.

Liddell let the rest of the GT field know the Stevenson Team is out to get the top spot in the championships when he said, “This victory now really opens up the championship – bring on thefight!”

The Grand-Am GT class next moves to the brand new Thunderbolt Raceway located in the New Jersey Motorsports Park complex in Millville, New Jersey. The race date is Sunday, August 31st.

The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 includes cars competing in two classes, Daytona Prototypes and GT. The #57 Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP.R competes in the GT class against teams running cars from Porsche, Ferrari, Mazda as well as the Ford Mustang Cobra.

Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Fans of the Stevenson Team are invited to visit the team’s website at www.stevensonmotorsports.com

Alabama Heat And Excess Pounds Burn Up A Likely Win For Stevenson Pontiac

Jul 21, 2008

If you have never wondered why the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 would schedule a race in Alabama in July, you most certainly would ask the question now, after a grueling race that ran in 100 degree heat and took its toll on drivers and tires.

After holding onto the lead in the GT class for almost the entire race – the Porsche 250 by Bradley Arant – the rubber on the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports – BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R, driven by Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell, simply burned off with a few laps still left in the race. Liddell was doing all he could to hold onto the lead but he simply had no grip left and over the last few laps he found his lead burning away. He was first passed by the #70 SpeedSource Mazda, driven by Nick Ham, with just a handful of laps remaining. Shortly thereafter Dirk Werner in the Farnbacher Loles Porsche managed to slip past into second. Andthen, with just a little under a single lap to go, Liddell went wide in a turn – for lack of grip – and his momentary slide off onto the grass gave Andy Lally in a TRG Porsche just enough room to slip by on the inside and take the last podium step away from the otherwise dominant Liddell. Liddell: “The car was not close to being a perfect handling racecar, except for the first few laps on new tires, but overall the car was obviously competitive. That being said, we had built a good lead but with the late cautions and the Mazda right behind us we were just a sitting duck.”

The heat was a factor in tire wear and driver wear as well.

Liddell: “The work that the team has done on cooling the cockpit since Watkins Glen has improved the foot well / pedal box temperatures a lot, but overall the heat in the car is still pretty unbearable after an hour or so. We had a larger drinks bottle fitted which also helped. “In general the tires performed very well, it’s not like the tire was destroyed at the end, simply that it was not offering enough grip on a car 600 lbs heavier than another on the same piece of track at the same time.”

Since the Lime Rock round, the added weight and 51/49% weight ratio adjustment imposed by Grand-Am has prevented any of the Pontiac teams from taking a win. At Barber, the Stevenson team applied all of its strategic strength and crew capability to the task but in the end the penalty – and the heat – combined to push them off the podium.

Team Manager Johnson is disappointed that Grand-Am has yet to see the adjustments have not leveled the playing field, but instead have put the Pontiacs at a real disadvantage.  “It’s a shame when the entire team performs perfectly and we still have no chance of winning.” Johnson said, “Our strategy, pit stops, and drivers were perfect which gave us a huge lead, but the late yellows brought the Mazda’s and Porsches right up to our bumpers, and no driver can block against a 7 mph disadvantage. The rules are so upside right now that we can only drive around and hope other teams make mistakes, (an approach that has) worked since Watkins Glen. Hopefully Grand-Am will finally realize the Pontiac is at a disadvantage and let us go racing the last 3 races.”

Davis summed up the race this way: “Obviously, we are disappointed with the end result considering the manner in which the Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP.R dominated the majority of the race. At the start, I was able to match the pace of the lead Mazda as the both of us simply left the rest of the field behind. At that point in time, the car felt great and I knew that we were going to have a shot at the win. Not surprisingly, the pit strategy and stops were flawless which enabled us to build an even bigger lead. The race was really looking good for us until the late race cautions closed up the field. Unfortunately, we were unable to hold onto the top spot in the end.”
The Porsche 250 by Bradley Arant was the 10th race of the Rolex Series 2008 season for the GT class. It marked the eighth time the #57 Stevenson Motorsports – BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R has finished in the top ten. In six of those races, Davis and Liddell have stood on the podium.

With this fourth place finish, Stevenson teammates Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis sustained their third place standings in the GT Driver’s Championship, and the Stevenson Team also remains in third place in the GT Team Championship standings.

The Grand-Am series next moves North across the border to Montreal, Canada, to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for the next race, on Friday, August 1.

The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 includes cars competing in two classes, Daytona Prototypes and GT. The #57 Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP.R competes in the GT class against teams running cars from Porsche, Ferrari, Mazda as well as the Ford Mustang Cobra.

Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Fans of the Stevenson Team are invited to visit the team’s website at www.stevensonmotorsports.com

Despite Handicap, Stevenson Pontiac Lands On Fourth Podium In A Row At Daytona

Jul 6, 2008

The No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports – BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R, driven by Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell, has been on a tear to collect championship points in the 2008 Grand- Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 season. They have racked up four consecutive podium finishes, and six out of nine, so far this season. Despite a weight adjustment mandated by Grand-Am after the Lime Rock race, they still picked up that sixth podium placing with a solid third place finish at the Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona International Speedway.

The Stevenson team has made it clear to the competition that they are in this to win the championship and will apply all the energy necessary to stay out in front. That energy comes from what the drivers do when the car is moving, and what the crew does when the car is stopped.

Andrew Davis summed up the teams expectations coming into this race. “Although we had a tremendous amount of momentum coming into The Brumos 250, our goal was to minimize the potential damage to our championship points. We knew that the Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP.R would be at a tremendous disadvantage on the high speed banking of Daytona International Speedway in terms of the car’s ultimate top speed. However, if there is one thing the Stevenson Motorsports team has proven this year it is that we should never be counted out. We were able to keep the car out of trouble the entire race, which put us in a perfect position to capitalize on some of our competitor’s misfortunes.”

Qualifying for the race bore out Davis’ assertion about being down on speed at Daytona to the Mazda’s and Porsche’s, as the best time he could muster placed the Stevenson car eighth on the starting grid. But the race isn’t won on the grid. It is won on the track and, often times, in the pits.

Once the green flag fell, Davis was able to move up a few places during the first lap but the weight adjustments recently imposed by Grand-Am contributed to a deficiency in outright speed on the banking.

“We were a bit further back in qualifying than we consider normal,” said Davis, “but the Bryan Mark Financial Pontiac GXP.R showed promise for the race. The start was very hectic, and I was able to take advantage of some others miscues. It was very frustrating to make up so much time in the infield portion of the track, only to see it disappear on the banking. It took some patience to let the first stint play out, but we were able to bring the car into the pits in the top five.”

Davis continued, “The crew performed at an optimal level during the pit stops, helping to move the car up three positions in our final pit stop. I must say that the last pit stop was the best I have seen all year, and we were all very pumped up afterward. I am very proud of what we have been able to accomplish thus far, and we are looking forward to an even stronger finish to the season.”

While there are some tracks at which a specific marque enjoys some advantage, there is little dispute about the Daytona track being one of the worst tracks for the Pontiacs, with its high speed banking where excess weight is clearly a deterrent to achieving top speeds. Team Manager Mike Johnson feels that it is time for Grand-Am to take a second look at the weight imposition placed on the Pontiacs.

“The Pontiacs have all really struggled since the weight penalty after Lime Rock,” Johnson said, “and with our straight line deficit at Daytona – over 10 mph – I would have taken 7th place points and never unloaded the car, so 3rd is another fantastic result. This team just continues to find ways to properly execute races and we really have some momentum. I think everyone in the paddock agrees that it’s time for Grand-Am to take the percentage penalty off our car and let us go race in these last four races. Right now our strategy is just wait for everyone to make a mistake, but we want to race for results. Hopefully Grand-Am will allow us to do so shortly.”

For the Brumos race, Stevenson Motorsports ran both the current No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports – BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R, driven by Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell, and the No. 97 Corvette they campaigned in 2007. The Corvette was driven by James Gue and Jeff Bucknum. The Corvette was performing brilliantly until it collided with a disabled Mazda RX-8 sitting across the middle of a blind corner. The impact occurred with just 10 laps remaining in the race, and the damages caused the Corvette to suddenly drop down in the standings from fourth to 18th in the end. It was an awful way to end what had been a stellar performance that clearly demonstrated just how competitive the Crawford-built car still is in this series.

The Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona was the ninth race of the Rolex Series 2008 season for the GT class. It marked the seventh time the #57 Stevenson Motorsports – BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R has finished in the top ten, and, again, the sixth time Davis and Liddell have stood on the podium.

With this third place finish, Stevenson teammates Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis have kept a grip on third place in the GT Driver’s Championship The Stevenson Team also remains in third place in the GT Team Championship standings, just six points out of second.

Team owner John Stevenson assembled this dynamic team and he has witnessed a consistently cohesive and determined effort from them this season. His sentiments fully express his appreciation for what they have accomplished.

“I am extremely proud of this team.” Stevenson said, “From the leadership of our team manager, Mike Johnson, the stellar performances of our drivers, Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell, the Pratt and Miller Pontiac GXP-R and the excellence of our pit crew, we have proven that we are a professional team in the GT category. I would like to recognize our pit crew – Crew Chief, Michael Hoffman; Lead Technician, Chris Vallely; Technician, Grant Ford; Shop Manager and Fueler, Randy Kuyoth; Data Acquisition, Greg Jones; Engineer, Kyle Millay; Tire technician, Andy Maxwell; and our truck drivers, Dexter Johnson and Donald Wise. Our pit crew is by far the very best in Grand-Am GT and they show this excellence with their consistency race after race.”

The Grand-Am series moves to Alabama for the next race, the Porsche 250 presented by Bradley Arant at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, on July 20th.

The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 includes cars competing in two classes, Daytona Prototypes and GT. The #57 Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP.R competes in the GT class against teams running cars from Porsche, Ferrari, Mazda as well as the Ford Mustang Cobra.

Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Fans of the Stevenson Team are invited to visit the team’s website at www.stevensonmotorsports.com

Stevenson Pontiac Comes Second At The Glen, Just Seconds Behind

Jun 8, 2008

This past weekend saw the start of the 60th anniversary year of sportscar racing at Watkins Glen with the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen race, held on Saturday, June 7th. In a thrilling endurance contest carried out in 93 plus degree heat and high humidity, the #57 Stevenson Motorsports – BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R, driven by Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell, finished second in class to the No. 69 SpeedSource Mazda RX8 driven by pole winner Jeff Segal, Emil Assentato and Nick Longhi. After six hours of hard, hot racing, the gap from 1st to 2nd was just under six seconds.

In the closing laps it looked as though Liddell might be able to close on the Mazda, but he was himself being chased hard by the No. 07 Banner Racing Pontiac GXP.R of Kelly Collins and Paul Edwards. The No. 69 Mazda kept the lead in the end with the Stevenson car passing the finish line a few seconds later with the third place Banner Pontiac trailing a short distance behind.

“We sadly didn’t have anything for the 69 car,” Liddell said. “I had some good battles with a lot of cars today. I had a good run with Edwards at the end of the race, but didn’t have the car to get by the winner. “

The Sahlen’s Six Hours marked the first time the Pontiac GXP.Rs carried a 100 pound ‘competition adjustment’ invoked by Grand-Am in response to the Pontiacs having taken five of six Rolex Series GT wins this season. The weight balance front to rear also had to be adjusted to a 51% front / 49% rear state. This new sanction meant the teams running the Pontiac GXP.R had to work to find ways to maximize the potential of what Liddell feels is the best car in the GT class. He made these comments in the days leading up to the race.

“At the end of the day, the Pontiac GXP.R as built by GM Racing and Pratt & Miller is fundamentally the best racecar in the field and so in one respect it is always going to be penalized in order that the other cars can compete. The challenge for Grand-Am is not overdoing that process so that they handicap a good team package and hand an unfair advantage to a lesser team package. The penalties will clearly slow the car down, of that there is no doubt. How much they slow it down and how it affects the balance and handling of the car remains to be seen.”

Liddell noted that while the finish was a good one, the team had been leading the class earlier but suffered an immediate drop in the standings when contact occurred with another car. “The rear tires blistered at the beginning for Andrew so that cost us time and ultimately we lost a lap. Under caution we got a wave by past the safety car which got us back on the lead lap and two hours into the race, we were in the lead. But then a DP [Daytona Prototype] car made contact with the left rear of my Pontiac and spun me around losing us a number of places.”

The slight set back was overcome with a stirring drive by the talented – and very thirsty – Scotsman, resulting in a strong finish at the end.

Liddell: “We had to deal with the weight penalty and change in weight percentage from rear to the front. As a result we are working the rears a lot harder. But we are happy with second. We just look for solid results. I thought our last race at Lime Rock was tough when we had to come from the back to finish third but this was even harder – especially as my drinks bottle was not working for the last two hours. Two podiums in a row is good for us and solidifies what we are doing as a team.”

Many of the teams have stayed at the Glen for Monday’s test day. The Pontiac teams will especially be focused on balancing their cars under the new sanctions.

Liddell: “The Pontiacs have all had the same problem with blistering. Part of the testing will be an attempt to establish whether we can limit that issue going forward. Pirelli will be looking at aspects of what they are doing to see if they can limit that as well. In essence what Grand-Am has done in penalizing us with weight, in trying to help the competitors, caused us a problem now as well. And the change in balance is something people have tended to overlook. We will be working hard to try and balance everything to reduce our tire wear, which has increased significantly since our last race (before the sanctions).”

The Sahlen’s Six Hours at the Glen was the seventh race of the Rolex Series 2008 season for the GT class. It marked the fifth time the #57 Stevenson Motorsports – BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R finished in the top ten.

Andrew Davis feels the Stevenson Team has demonstrated a commitment to high performance that should carry over into the next race and beyond.

Davis: “I think the team has performed great. We came here not knowing what to expect with the changes in the weight and balance and we worked hard together to make changes as quickly as we could, given the short amount of track time. Everybody on this team did a great job adapting to the changes and they made this car one of the quickest cars out there on the track in a relatively short time. I am really proud of the guys. Everyone worked really hard through the entire weekend and we were able to make progress rather quickly.”

The strong result at the Glen, combined with the third place finish of the driver’s championship leading duo of Kelly Collins and Paul Edwards, and the eighth place finish of Nick Ham and Sylvan Tremblay in the No. 70 Mazda, has Stevenson teammates Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis moving up into third place in the driver’s championship. The Stevenson Team remains in fourth place in the overall Team Championship standings, just two points out of third.

The next race is the EMCO Gears Classic at the Mid-Ohio Raceway, on June 22nd.

The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 includes cars competing in two classes, Daytona Prototypes and GT. The #57 Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP-R competes in the GT class against other teams running cars carrying such vaunted names as Porsche, Ferrari, Mazda and the Ford Mustang Cobra.

Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Fans of the Stevenson Team are invited to visit the team’s website at www.stevensonmotorsports.com

Stevenson Pontiac Stutters And Then Storms To A Podium At Lime Rock

May 27, 2008

The Memorial Day weekend started off very well for the #57 Stevenson Motorsports – BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP-R, running in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16, at beautiful Lime Rock Park in northwestern Connecticut. The team transporter arrived on Thursday, after a 3,000 mile trip across country from Laguna Seca, scene of the last race just one week earlier. Once they arrived at this soon to be remodeled facility (a vast amount of paving and related construction activity will find the park closed for the next six weeks) the crew immediately set about repairing the suspension damage incurred at Laguna.

With the red, white and blue Pontiac restored to race-ready condition, Andrew Davis went out and qualified second on the grid, putting him on the outside pole for the start of the Grand-Am Classic GT 250. As the field completed the pace lap and came down the hill and onto the front straight, the green flag waved and suddenly 18 engines were roaring their loudest as the pack headed for the starting line…with one exception.

A plug wire had come loose on the Stevenson mount which put Davis down on power so much so that he immediately fell back from second to eighth as the field entered the first turn. As the lap progressed on the bumpy 1.53 mile circuit, Davis found he simply could not keep up with anyone because of a misfire in the engine, and he began dropping back quickly until he was in secure possession of last place.

As the race progressed, Davis went down a lap to the leaders. Team Manger Mike Johnson outlined what happened and why the team decided to leave Davis out on the track.

“Andrew went down one lap on track and was running very good lap times (.55) with only seven cylinders, so we decided to leave him out until the mandatory 30 minutes at which point we lost another lap in the pits. When the other cars came in for their mandatory first stop in the first 45 minutes we went back to one lap down and only had one stop left, like everyone else. We stayed one lap down from the 07, 06 and 70 all race, but were able to catch everyone else.”

Several in-car attempts to rectify the problem – such as rebooting the on-board computer – failed to correct the issue. When Davis finally brought the car into the pits it was discovered that a spark plug wire had worked its way loose. The crew immediately set the problem right and Davis’ co-driver, Robin Liddell, took the newly energized race car back out to chase down the competition.

Liddell clearly demonstrated that the crew had indeed rectified the problem as he began a stirring charge to get back to the front of the pack. Setting several fastest laps along the way, Liddell had worked his way up to fifth place and then, after stopping for fresh tires and fuel, he charged back out and drove like a man in search of championship points to move up into fourth place with just over a dozen laps remaining in the race.

And then the luck that had eluded them at the start delivered the goods with three laps remaining in the race. Ron Fellows, driving the race-leading #06 Banner Engineering Pontiac, uncharacteristically spun exiting Big Bend (turn two) putting him off onto the grass. He sat there for over a minute as the field stormed past. On this short circuit, laps took less than a minute to complete and so his misfortune allowed the still hard-charging Liddell to move up into the third place position on the last lap of the race.

Liddell commented on the stirring drive “We got lucky at the finish to get third but it was a case of hammering away after the early problem to see what kind of result we could salvage. Andrew drove well when we had the mechanical issue and the race ran caution-free without a safety car period which aided our recovery. It was made additionally hard because the cooling unit inside the car wasn’t working and it was a hot old day which made life a wee bit more challenging.

“Third place is fantastic in the context of what we suffered and the time we lost at the start but in reality it’s frustrating because we definitely had a car capable of winning today.”

From misfire to spitfire, the #57 Stevenson Motorsports – BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP-R crossed the finish line greeted by an exuberant (and relieved) crew.

Johnson: “We win as a team and lose as team. Sometimes the crew makes the drivers look good and sometimes the drivers make the crew look good. Robin and Andrew definitely made the team look good, and we all feel bad that we were not able to give them the finish they deserved. They both stayed focused and drove their hearts out in difficult conditions. We will make it up to them at Watkins Glen next weekend.”

The fortunate result at Lime Rock, combined with the win by the points leading Banner Racing #07 car, kept the Stevenson Team in 4th place in the overall Team Championship standings. Davis and Liddell moved up from 7th place to 4th place in the overall driver standings behind the driver pairings of Collins / Edwards (Banner Racing Pontiac), Pumpelly / George Jr. (TRG Porsche) and Ham /Tremblay (SpeedSource Mazda).

The next race is the Sahlen’s Six Hours At The Glen, to be held at Watkins Glen International Speedway on June 7th. 27 GT class cars appear on the current entry list, 9 more than ran at Lime Rock. And this race marks the return of the blending of the Daytona Prototypes and the GT classes, which should prove to make for an interesting and challenging endurance contest.

The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 includes cars competing in two classes, Daytona Prototypes and GT. The #57 Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP-R competes in the GT class against other teams running cars carrying such vaunted names as Porsche, Ferrari, Mazda and the Ford Mustang Cobra.

Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a new facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Fans of the Stevenson Team are invited to visit the team’s website at www.stevensonmotorsports.com

Stevenson Pontiac GXP-R Knocked Out At Laguna Seca

May 18, 2008

After setting a winning pace two races in a row, the #57 Stevenson Motorsports – BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP-R, running in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16, suffered a debilitating blow when another GT car collided with them on track during the Rum Bum.com 250 race at Mazda Raceway – Laguna Seca.

On lap 34, Thomas Merrill, driving the #32 PR1 Motorsports Pontiac GXP-R, ran into the left rear of the Stevenson Pontiac. The impact put Merrill into the gravel trap and severely damaged the rear suspension of the Stevenson car. Andrew Davis was aboard at the time of the impact and he had no choice but to bring the wounded eagle-adorned Stevenson car into the pits for repairs.

Davis: “I was hit by the #32 Pontiac entering turn 11. It was an awfully optimistic move on his part so early in the race. The guys did a great job to replace the left rear corner, but we obviously lost any chance for a decent finish.”

A review of the SPEED coverage of the incident shows Merrill simply driving straight into the left rear wheel of Davis’ car as they were braking for the left hand turn. Merrill then went straight off into the gravel trap while Davis was able to keep the car moving forward on the road surface, eventually nursing the car back to the pits for repairs.

Davis’ co-driver, Robin Liddell commented on the incident and the resultant impact on the team’s overall performance when he said, “The damage was pretty extensive, especially to the left rear suspension, but the Stevenson mechanics did an awesome job to get us back into the race again. We lost over six laps getting repairs made but, despite the handling of the Pontiac being tricky after the shunt, we importantly brought it home to earn some valuable points in the championship.”

The time lost to repairs was felt most in the 17th place finish, the second lowest for the team this season. They finished 24th at Homestead-Miami Speedway due to a faulty bushing in the steering rack. The team then took back to back wins at Mexico and Virginia, and they were running extremely well at the season opening Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona before being pushed off track by a Daytona Prototype with just a few hours remaining in the race. The car has been competitive at every race and when not impacted by a mechanical miscue, or the miscue of another driver impacting the #57 mount in a physical manner, it has been in contention each time.

The disappointing result at Laguna Seca temporarily pushed the Stevenson Team down one place in the overall Team Championship standings, moving them from 3rd to 4th. And Davis and Liddell also dropped down from a three way tie for 3rd place in the driver standings to 7th place overall. With eight races left on the GT class schedule, starting with the Lime Rock GT Classic 250 on May 26th, there still remains many opportunities for this resilient team to bounce right back into serious contention for the overall championship.

The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 includes cars competing in two classes, Daytona Prototypes and GT. The #57 Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP-R competes in the GT class against other teams running cars carrying such vaunted names as Porsche, Ferrari, Mazda and the Ford Mustang Cobra.

Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a new facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Fans of the Stevenson Team are invited to visit the team’s website at www.stevensonmotorsports.com

Stevenson Pontiac GXP-R Repeats First Place Finish At VIR

Apr 28, 2008

The #57 Stevenson Motorsports – BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP-R, running in the Grand- Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16, was once again the first GT class car to fly under the checkered flag. After the team’s first ever win at Mexico City last week, drivers Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell, along with Team Manager Mike Johnson and team owners John and Susan Stevenson combined winning strategy and winning driving talents to take their second win of the 2008 season. The win gives them a ‘batting average’ of .500 which any baseball player would love to possess. And if not for luck having stayed away at the first two races this team could be perfect.

But perfection takes many forms and for one, the pit strategy employed by Mike Johnson at Mexico and VIR proved to be as perfect as can be.

Johnson: “It was a shame getting our first win without John and Susan at the track, but to win again at our ‘home’ track with their friends and family was very special as well. As for the car, tires, strategy, we are not doing anything different or better than we did at Daytona or Homestead. We have a great car, with two great drivers and we are executing very well with great pit stops, no contact and calculated pit decisions. We were only 7th quick in the race and we realized we were not going to win unless we took a gamble and the gamble paid off.

“Everyone in the paddock has the same opportunity to pit when we do and do what we do, but it’s a real gut check to pull your car out of fourth place, under green to add fuel only on 40 mile tires, but someone was going to do it, and I am just glad it was us. The new yellow flag rules open up some different opportunities and I am sure people will figure it out soon enough.”

Davis qualified the car second on the grid, giving him a front row starting position. He ran with the leaders throughout his stint, bringing the car in during a full course caution before 15 minutes of the race had been run. He brought the car in a second time after an hour and turned the driving chores over to Liddell. After a quick splash for fuel only during green conditions, Liddell was able to go into the lead while everyone else pitted under yellow. The lead was then his and he never gave it up.

For this race, where the Stevenson’s had a full complement of guests to entertain, John Stevenson elected to also run the Crawford-built Corvette the team ran in last year’s Grand-Am series. James Gue and Randy Pobst were brought on board to drive and they finished 12th in class after Gue had qualified the car right behind Davis, in 3rd on the starting grid.

Pobst enjoyed his return stint with Stevenson, after having run with the team at the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona as the start of the season.

“I had a ball! It was so nice to be back with Stevenson Motorsports and I thank them for this opportunity. They are a first class effort. The car was very well prepared. Stevenson and Crawford really worked to develop the car over the winter. Crawford re-engineered the rear suspension and Stevenson put the car together and it showed promise at the test session at Homestead Miami. The car handled great during the race. Our finishing position doesn’t indicate how good the car was.

“I had a very satisfying stint. I did not have much practice in the car, so I learned how to drive it during the race. Our times were competitive with the lead pack. We just needed another yellow flag for our pit strategy to pay off and we didn’t get it.

Andrew Davis shared the joy of bringing home a win in front of the team owners. “Our first victory in Mexico City was very special, but being able to stand on top of the podium again on home soil was exceptional! The only thing missing from last week’s win was that fact that John and Susan Stevenson were not there to share in the celebration. So obviously, they were the first targets to get sprayed with the champagne from the podium.”

“The race played out perfectly due to another great race strategy implemented by Mike Johnson. I started the Bryan Mark Financial Pontiac GXP.R from the front row, and I was able to get a good jump at the green flag. We had a pretty uneventful run to the first caution period before stopping for fuel and tires. The next part of my stint was a bit more difficult due to some nasty GT battles going on in front of me. However, I was able to get the car back up into the top five before handing it off to Robin. The big gamble came when we reached the pit window in terms of making it to the end of the race on fuel. Mike Johnson made the call to come in early for fuel, leaving the Stevenson Motorsports GXP.R to inherit the lead on the next caution period.”

“VIR is basically the home track for Stevenson Motorsports, so it was great to have a crowd of friends and family to support the team. We were able to put on a good show for everyone, and prove that our first victory in Mexico City was not a fluke. Two wins in a row really breathes some life back in our fight for the championship, and we are all looking forward to the next round at Laguna Seca.”

Liddell too expressed his satisfaction with the fortunate turn this season has taken when he said, “The Pontiac ran beautifully throughout the race while Stevenson Motorsport’s race strategy was first class. We’re the team to beat and this form bodes well for the remainder of the season.”

The win moved the Stevenson Team up into a 3rd place tie (With SpeedSource – running a Mazda) overall in the Team Championship standings. The win at VIR catapulted the team up five places in this still early point in the season. And Davis and Liddell are also enjoying time near the top as they are now in a three way tie for 3rd in the Driver standings.

The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 includes cars competing in two classes, Daytona Prototypes and GT. The #57 Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP-R competes in the GT class against other teams running cars carrying such vaunted names as Porsche, Ferrari, Mazda and the Ford Mustang Cobra.

Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a new facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Fans of the Stevenson Team are invited to visit the team’s website at www.stevensonmotorsports.com

Stevenson Pontiac GXP-R Takes First-Ever Win In Mexico

Apr 20, 2008

The #57 Stevenson Motorsports – BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP-R made history this weekend at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit in Mexico City, Mexico. Running in just its third race ever, in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16, the Stevenson Pontiac led the GT field throughout most of the race and when it counted the most: on the final lap. Drivers Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell capitalized on all the hard work the team has applied to the goal of winning a race and it all came together this weekend in front of thousands of enthusiastic Mexican fans.

Viva Mexico!

Viva Mexico!Early indications of the winning potential of the #57 Pontiac GXP-R were provided by a strong run at the season opening Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, followed by a second place qualifying position at Miami-Homestead. The team was knocked out at Daytona by an errant prototype, and an unexpected defect in a bearing in the steering rack took them out of a podium placing at Miami-Homestead. But those earlier difficulties did nothing to dissuade Andrew Davis of the potential of this car and this team to lead the GT field across the finish line.

“I am absolutely thrilled to share my first Rolex Series victory with the Stevenson Motorsports team. I am so proud of what we have been able to accomplish in a relatively short period of time. Our BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R was strong during qualifying, allowing us to start on the second row. During the race, the car was very good over the long stints making it difficult for anyone to challenge us for the lead.”

Davis and Liddell ran at the front of the GT pack for most of the race in what must be considered a remarkable display of what a consistent and committed team effort can yield. They were able to hold off the determined advances of an extremely competitive field right through to the final lap. And it was Liddell behind the wheel when the red, white and blue Pontiac took the checkered flag, a mere 2.477 seconds ahead of the hard charging – but second placed – Paul Edwards in the #07 Banner Engineering Pontiac GXP-R. Closing out the top three in GT was Dirk Werner in the #87 Farnbacher Loles Porsche.

Liddell: “I’m delighted with this success! It’s been a long time coming for me since August 2006, while it’s the first GT class win for the Stevenson Motorsports team in only the third race for its Pontiac GXP-R.

“My car was superb from the moment I got in it while the team, both in terms of servicing us at our pit-stops and the race strategy, when I opted not to take a splash of fuel which meant I had to conserve fuel quite a lot, was absolutely magnificent.”

Davis too concurs that the team truly worked in unison to make this first victory happen.

“Every team member played an integral role in making this happen”, said Davis. “(Team Manager) Mike Johnson and (Pratt & Miller Engineer) Kyle Millay put forth a superb race strategy that enabled us to control the second half of the race. The crew really were the stars with two amazing pit stops that helped us to gain positions during the caution periods, and Robin fought very hard to keep the #57 out front all the way to the checkered flag.

“This was a long overdue victory for Stevenson Motorsports, and I really want to thank John and Susan Stevenson for this opportunity.”

As you would expect, Team Manager Mike Johnson thoroughly enjoyed this first win for the team. He also enjoyed racking up the frequent flyer miles this week as well. Shortly after he arrived in Mexico mid-week, he received a call from his wife Cheryl that she was going into labor. Johnson immediately turned around and flew back home to St. Louis, Missouri to meet Olivia, his second child but his first daughter. A day and a half later he was back on a plane to Mexico to head up the team’s tremendous run to the flag.

Johnson gave us this rundown of his long weekend of many firsts.

“For me it was a really long weekend! As soon as I arrived I ate dinner and then got right back on a plane to get home for my daughter’s birth. I missed the birth but I did get to stay the day and the night with my wife and our new daughter Olivia. She is our second child but our first daughter. I then flew back out on Friday afternoon. I got to the track in time for the warm up and final set up.

“For us, the key to the race was our pit stops. We just could not pass the Porsche’s and the Mazda’s on the straights. We were in fifth when the first yellow came at the 30 minute mark. We didn’t want to take Andrew out that early but the option presented itself. We came down the pit lane in fifth but we left in second place. The pit stop was unbelievable! The guys were fantastic! That gave us the opportunity to go for it.

“We pitted again on the second yellow, taking fuel and tires. Again we did such a great job with the stop that we were able to hold onto our second place spot. Both Banner cars didn’t pit which I found very surprising. When the #06 car came in later, we inherited first place and Robin never gave it up the rest of the way.

“We have had so much bad luck this year that it felt wonderful to finally have luck be on our side. We had the #16 Cheever prototype spin out right in front of Robin yet he managed to avoid contact. We couldn’t believe it! We finally had the luck in our favor.

“We are all just so happy for John and Susan Stevenson because they have put so much of themselves into this program. They are two very deserving people and without them none of this would have been possible. And this win gives the team real credibility in the paddock. We have had moments of brilliance but we’ve faltered come race time. I think we are now establishing ourselves as a quality team and one of the highlights for me after the race was the comments from the Pratt & Miller engineers. (Pratt & Miller built the #57 Pontiac GXP-R) They told me this was the first time a privateer Pontiac team has ever won. Before, it was either TRG or Banner that won a Grand Am race with the Pontiac. That was a cool testament to how hard this team has worked this season.”

The weekend saw several other firsts for this Jacksonville, North Carolina based team. Johnson ran down the list for us, and then filled us in on his top two priorities for the next few days.

“We had the team’s first win in Grand-Am, the first win for the Pontiac by a privateer team – and for us – the first time we led a lap in competition, the first win for Andrew Davis, and Olivia is my first girl! And now that I am finally home I can get a real good look at my daughter, right after I get some sleep!”

Team owner Johnny Stevenson expressed his sincere gratitude for the unified efforts of all the people that made this dynamic moment in the history of his racing career possible when he said: “I want to congratulate the whole team’s effort. The team manager, Mike Johnson, our drivers, Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell , our crew chief, Michael Hoffman, and the stellar performance of the entire crew proved just how committed this team is to being a championship winning team. I would also like to thank our sponsor, the Bryan Mark Financial Group. This victory has been a long time coming as so many times we were so close. We look forward to many more podiums in the future.”

The win moved the Stevenson Team up into 8th place overall in the team standings. And now that the first win has come for the Jacksonville, North Carolina based team, one can only surmise the team’s ascent up the standings ladder has just begun.

The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 includes cars competing in two classes, Daytona Prototypes and GT. The #57 Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP-R competes in the GT class against other teams running cars carrying such vaunted names as Porsche, Ferrari, Mazda and the Ford Mustang Cobra.

Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a new facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Fans of the Stevenson Team are invited to visit the team’s website at www.stevensonmotorsports.com

Stevenson Pontiac GXP-R Homestead Race Report

Apr 2, 2008

Bad Bushing Belts Pontiac Off Track

The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 GAINSCO Grand Prix at Homestead Speedway marked two significant milestones for the #57 Stevenson Motorsports – BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP-R that competes in the GT class. One will be remembered for the positive results in qualifying and the other for the negative results in the race.

Andrew Davis qualified in second place on the starting grid, the first time a Stevenson Motorsports entry has ever qualified that high. Davis’ lap time was 1:19.841 or 103.706 mph. Understandably, he was enthusiastic about the team’s prospects when he spoke at the post qualifying press session.

“We have been upfront all weekend,” Davis said. “Right off of the truck we were fast. We actually went faster this morning. The track is slippery from the heat. The Stevenson team has prepared a great car. Robin (Liddell, his co-driver) and I are able to run fast consistent laps and we hope to carry that over tomorrow. It is an all GXP-R front row, a great effort for just our second race with the car.”

Alas, despite a good start and a great run that had Davis and his teammate Robin Liddell charging at and near the front, the second milestone – in the form of an unexpected mechanical failure – knocked the duo out of the race with just 58 laps completed. A bushing in the power steering rack failed and, as Team Manager Mike Johnson explains, that part had never failed in any other trials of any of the other Pratt & Miller built Pontiac GXP-R’s, for any team.

“There is a bushing on the power steering rack that failed. The belts, the pumps, and the rest of the elements in the system were fine. It was a manufacturer defect and nothing the crew could have tested or fixed ahead of time. No one has a reason or explanation. Pratt & Miller has said they have had some problems with the rack on the GXP-R but even they said they never saw this particular problem before today. I know that they put many hours into disassembling new racks they receive from their supplier, installing new pistons and new internals and torque settings and so on. They spend a lot of time to get those racks ready. We are all disappointed and Pratt & Miller are going to thoroughly examine what happened and see what can be done to prevent this from happening again.”

Robin Liddell, like Davis and the rest of the Stevenson Team, entered the race full of optimism for a strong performance. Despite the setback, he remains upbeat about what is to come for this continually developing team and car.

“We’d been quickest in trials on Thursday, Andrew qualified second and then we ran very competitively in the race and were challenging for the lead so it’s disappointing. But it’s a new car and we’re going to get frustrations along the way. The team did a very good job and I’m now just focusing on Mexico.”

Johnson wasn’t surprised at his team’s performance compared to the other teams running Pontiac GXP-R’s in the race. But the Mazda’s and Porsches’ did seem off the pace.

“I was more surprised that the Porsche and Mazda cars weren’t as fast. In qualifying I can understand that maybe they don’t have their lead drivers, and we have two very strong drivers in Robin and Andrew that might give us an edge, but even in race trim, when we had our failure we were in second place. We were ahead of the car that ended up winning. We all made the pit stop at the same time. All we would have needed to do is stop one more time for tires and fuel and that should have been an easy stop. But, unfortunately that never happened.

“The part failure took us out of second place and a sure podium, perhaps even a win.”

For just its second time up against competition, the Stevenson Pontiac has shown what a commitment to excellence can yield. A strong run at the Rolex 24 followed by an even stronger run at Homestead are proof positive the team’s efforts are sure to pay off soon.

“We are getting better with the car. Every weekend we learn more about the car. And we have an outstanding working relationship with Kyle Millay, the engineer from Pratt & Miller who works with us. Having him on board has been a huge help. And the team is just gelling real well. But I know that a problem like this has to be so disappointing to John and Susan Stevenson. Every weekend we seem to be in line for a good finish and then something that never happened before happens.”

At the Rolex 24 hours at Daytona – the first race of the 2008 season, and the debut race for the Stevenson Motorsports BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP-R – the team made it into the wee hours of the morning when an overzealous Daytona Prototype crashed into the car putting them out of contention. With two races down and lost to issues out of the team’s control, Johnson sees any hopes of a championship season perhaps slipping away.

“There is no question in my mind that we are going to win a race or two this year. If we could have gotten back on track with repairs that would have allowed us to salvage a 10th or 12th place finish (the team was credited with 24th place in this race) then we could have still salvaged a championship run. The biggest disappointment for us is this failure may have removed any championship hopes for this season.”

But there are 13 races left on the schedule and he, and everyone else on the team, expects positive results will yet come, starting with the very next race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, Mexico.

“Our problem is that you can sit back and look at Stevenson Motorsports the last three years and say, ‘Yeah, they are fast and can put a good lap time down, but they won’t be around at the end so don’t worry about them. But we need to change that mindset and get people to know that we are going to be a threat right through the last lap! We are definitely going to Mexico not looking for a podium, but instead to kick some butt!

The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 includes cars competing in two classes, Daytona Prototypes and GT. The #57 Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP-R competes in the GT class against other teams running cars carrying such vaunted names as Porsche, Ferrari, Mazda and the Ford Mustang Cobra.

Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a new facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Fans of the Stevenson Team are invited to visit the team’s website at www.stevensonmotorsports.com

Stevenson Team Pontiac GXP-R Homestead Test Days Report

Mar 1, 2008

Florida has proven to be a reliable place for the Stevenson Motorsports Team as two days of successful testing for the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 at the Homestead Miami Speedway came to a close this week. The team followed up a solid finish at the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, at the end of January, with quality time spent getting more familiar with their 2008 #57 Pontiac GXP-R, sponsored by the BryanMark Financial Group.

Team Manager Mike Johnson: “The test was good for the team to start learning how changes affect the car since at Daytona we only worked on reliability. “

And that work paid off at Daytona as the brand new Pontiac made it all the way around the clock – despite being hit by an overzealous Daytona Prototype driver and being forced to pit for repairs in the waning hours of the race.

At the Homestead test days, Johnson feels the team further demonstrated their commitment to progress when they were able to set very competitive lap times.

“We ended up running a 1:20.050 in the last session on new tires which is probably good for top 5 overall, but the Rolex Winning Mazda was not there, and the Porsches didn’t seem to show their true potential. I think we have a lot still to learn about the car, but once again it ran flawlessly for both days.”

Andrew Davis will co-drive the #57 Pontiac GXP-R with Robin Liddell for the full season. Davis came away with an enhanced appreciation for what the car can do, and what the team has done.

“It was great to have two days of testing at Homestead to prepare for the upcoming Miami Grand Prix. We were able to make a lot of progress over the course of the test, working to maximize the performance of our Pontiac GXP-R. Since the completion of Daytona, the Stevenson Motorsports crew has been working hard on the continued development of the car. It’s really a continuous evolution with the new car, and we were able to successfully complete our test plan.” Johnson was also pleased with the performance of the Pirelli tires, something he considers to be a key factor in achieving success at the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 – GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami.

“Tires will definitely be a key factor for the race at the end of the month as new tires seem to count for quite a bit of track time. I think the team that puts the power down best will have the best advantage.”

And Davis expects he and Liddell will put down the power of the Pontiac come race day.

“I was very happy with the performance of the Pontiac GXP.R at Homestead Miami Speedway. The weather conditions were fairly warm, so we were able to work on finding grip on a less than optimal track service. I would suspect that the weather conditions will be similar upon our return. And although this circuit does not play into all the strong points of the car, we will be much more competitive in terms of lap times as compared to Daytona.”

The GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami will take place on March 29th at the Homestead Miami Speedway.

The GT class of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 includes cars carrying such vaunted automotive names as Porsche, Ferrari, Mazda and the Ford Mustang Cobra.

Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a new facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Fans of the Stevenson Team are invited to visit the team’s website at www.stevensonmotorsports.com

New Stevenson Pontiac GXP-R Goes Around The Clock At The Rolex 24

Jan 28, 2008

Brand New Racecar Demonstrates Stamina And Performance In First Race

Team owner John Stevenson is convinced he made the right choice of racecar when he opted to run a brand new Pontiac GXP-R – built by Pratt & Miller Engineering – in the 2008 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16. And in its first ever run against competition – in one of the most grueling and demanding races on the planet, the Rolex 24 hours at Daytona – the #57 Pontiac GXP-R, sponsored by the BryanMark Financial Group, showed it has the stamina, handling and overall performance needed to go the distance this season.

“I knew the Pontiac would be a strong racecar for this series and I knew Pratt & Miller would build us a car capable of winning against the Porsches and Mazdas we race. Having our new car go the distance in the Rolex 24, and running strong the whole way, just confirms for me that I have made the right choice for this season. My driver lineup and the whole team deserve to be recognized for the effort they put forth this weekend. I couldn’t be prouder of how well we performed as a team in this demanding race and I am very optimistic about this season!”

Under the direction of Team Manager Mike Johnson, the team managed to place 19th overall in a combined field of 66 cars in both the Daytona Prototypes and GT classes, and 9th in their class, ahead of 32 other GT cars. They made it through to see the checkered flag when many others had retired through mechanical problems or on-course incidents. The new Pontiac was bullet proof and going strong until it was hit by a Daytona Prototype, almost certainly robbing it of a podium placing.

Team Manager Mike Johnson was disappointed with the final results, but overwhelmed by the performance of the car until fate intervened.

“The biggest highlight for me is that when that car crossed the finish line it was perfect, except for the damage caused by being hit by another car. Other than the parts damaged in the contact, not a single bolt had come loose. Not a single part failure. The gearbox and engine were like brand new. The temperatures were within five degrees of where we started the race. There was not a drop of oil on the back of the car.

“The way you run a 24 hour race, especially at Daytona, is you race at the beginning, you survive the night and you survive the morning, and then you just try to bring home whatever you have left for the last six hours. For us, we would not have had to just survive the last six hours. Without the accident, we could have run the last six hours at qualifying speeds and run another 24 hours, but with the accident we could not get the car back to 100% since the RR upright was damaged and leaking grease at an accelerated rate. Before that, the car was flawless and the crew did that great of a job getting the car ready for this race. “

The beautiful new racecar had performed brilliantly around the clock until an 18th hour move by an aggressive DP driver who collided with the #57 Pontiac as they were entering the horseshoe curve. The impact spun the car – with Gunnar Jeanette aboard – and damaged the suspension control arms. Jeanette was able to get the car back to the garage area for repairs and then the red, white and blue racecar with the flying eagle graphics returned to the race. The car was running in a solid fourth place in the race and the time lost to the incident – and the subsequent pit stops required to fully assess the damage to the cars handling – eventually dropped them down to 9th place in the end.

Randy Pobst and Gunnar Jeanette joined the Stevenson Team for this race, partnering with team regular drivers Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell. Pobst had this comment about the car’s performance: “We were having a really great run until the crash. I had an enjoyable session after the incident even though the car was still bent. I actually ran my fastest lap after the crash. The crew did a very good job of repairing the car and getting us back out there”

Andrew Davis commented on what the collision with the DP meant in terms of an overall finish. “We were hit pretty badly. When I got out of the car at 6:30 AM, we were in fourth place about three laps up on the fifth place car and about a lap back of second and third. We thought we had a strong top five car and with a little luck we thought we could sneak up onto the podium. The guys fought so hard to get the repairs done quickly. We really only lost a few laps to the initial repairs but we had to come back in to the pits a second time. In the end, the handling was definitely compromised. The last four hours of the race were tricky. We could no longer push the car hard because the damage was pretty severe.

“Once we realized we didn’t have time to get the car 100% back to where it was we just kept running it as prudently as possible and we still wound up with a strong top ten finish. It was a good way to start the year except that, before the hit we felt we had a real shot at getting on the podium.”

After the outstanding performance of the all new chassis, Davis can’t help but be enthused about the season to come. “Everybody is pretty tired and worn out from this weekend but we are really proud of what we accomplished our first time out with the Pontiac. The potential of this car and this team is tremendous. Everyone worked well together and I am really excited about our potential for this season. We got some points to start the season but I really think it won’t take long for Robin and I to get the Stevenson Pontiac GXP-R up to the front and in contention for championship points. I am really proud of this team!”

Johnson agrees.

“We are happy with our first run. We learned a lot about the car, and the drivers now feel confident about what they can do with the car. We knew we weren’t going to be the strongest at Daytona anyway, and probably won’t be at Homestead either (speedway circuits), but when we get to VIR and Mexico we should really have it all together. The drivers were saying they couldn’t wait to get the car to a challenging road course, like Mid-Ohio.”

The car is headed back to the Jacksonville, North Carolina Stevenson Motorsports shop for a complete strip down and repairs. The team will have the car ready in time for the February test days on the 25th and 26th at Miami-Homestead.

Johnson: “We will use the Miami test days to try out a few different brake packages and try to find what the drivers want. We met our first goal at Daytona, which was to have a bullet proof car for 24 hours, but we never had outright speed. Now that we have achieved our first goal our second goal is to concentrate on our two drivers and let’s go find out where the rest of the speed is.”

The next race on the Rolex schedule is the Homestead-Miami Speedway 250 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 29th.

The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 includes cars competing in two classes, Daytona Prototypes and GT. The #57 Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP-R competes in the GT class against other teams running cars carrying such vaunted names as Porsche, Ferrari, Mazda and the Ford Mustang Cobra.

Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a new facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Fans of the Stevenson Team are invited to visit the team’s website at www.stevensonmotorsports.com

Stevenson Team Puts New Pontiac GXP-R On Track At Daytona Test Days

Jan 8, 2008

Pratt & Miller Constructed Race Car Proudly Wears An Eagle To Honor America

It was a good weekend to be in Florida for the Stevenson Motorsports Team as they took to the track for the very first time in their brand new Pontiac GXP-R. The #57 Pontiac GXP-R, sponsored by the BryanMark Financial Group, was picked up from the Pratt and Miller race shops just a few days before the Daytona tests and – fully adorned with the All-American paint scheme the car will wear this season – the new car had team members smiling right out of the box.

Team Manager Mike Johnson: “I am very pleased with the test and the way the car ran and how well the team worked together. We knew we would have a slow car due to the high speeds of Daytona, so we just concentrated on de-bugging the car and working through any potential problems.”

Johnson is looking ahead to qualifying for the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 Rolex 24 at Daytona with minimal expectations of setting the track ablaze. But in a 24 hour race it isn’t enough to be fast at the start, you have to last.

“I expect a top 15 in qualifying which is nothing to write home about, but for us, our concerns are on the finish and that is what we are working on.”

Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis will co-drive the #57 Pontiac GXP-R during the regular season and will be joined by Randy Pobst and Gunnar Jeanette for the Rolex 24. Liddell came away from his first outing with his new team with a strong sense of anticipation for what was to come.

“I think the test was very successful, especially given that the car had not turned a wheel before arriving at Daytona. It is a credit to the Stevenson team and all the guys at Pratt and Miller for putting together a car which ran so well over the three days. The quality of engineering on the car is very high, as you would expect, and it is very adjustable and reactive to change. The tires also performed well giving a good level of grip and durability. This was my first time running on Pirellis since 2005 and they performed as well as I remember.” Davis too came away from this first ‘trial by tire’ with a similar level of enthusiasm about the teams prospects in the GT class in 2008.

“I agree with Robin. Our initial test of the new Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP-R went really well. I was very impressed with this race car, and it was exciting to get the car on the track for the first time. Pratt and Miller have built an exceptional race car. It was great right out of the box, and we were able to quickly learn how nicely the car responds to changes.

“And I am equally excited to be a part of the Stevenson Motorsports team this season. There is a very cohesive personality to this team, and everyone is eager make things happen.”

Obviously the Stevenson team did not have the Daytona circuit to themselves this past weekend. And the strong showing by several other GT teams clarified in no uncertain terms just how difficult it will be for a new car to make an immediate impact. Davis concurs.

“It is obviously going to be a very tough season due in no small part to the pace shown by the Porsches and the Mazda’s in particular. That said, we managed to gather quite a lot of data on the car, and everyone had a chance to get comfortable. Despite the odds for a new car in its maiden season, I am really looking forward to the Rolex 24 and to the rest of the season.”

The Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona will start on Saturday, January 26, 2008 at the Daytona International Speedway. The race will include cars competing in two classes, Daytona Prototypes and GT. The #57 Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP-R competes in the GT class against other teams running cars carrying such vaunted names as Porsche, Ferrari, Mazda and the Ford Mustang Cobra.

Stevenson Motorsports operates out of a new facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Fans of the Stevenson Team are invited to visit the team’s website at www.stevensonmotorsports.com