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.