The “Roar before the 24” is the last chance for teams to shake down their race cars before the big ROLEX 24 at Daytona that is held at the end of January

For Team Sahlen, this test was another step in the process of learning a new race car and class.  Although not new to the ROLEX series, 2013 marks the team’s transition into the Daytona Prototype class with their 2 BMW-Rileys.

“Entering the weekend, the crew worked flat out to get the cars prepared for the “Roar” Test.  We didn’t take possession of the DPs until the season was over in September.  Then we proceeded to test on 3 different occasions in preparation for this jump.  I am so proud of the entire crew for how both the #42 & #43 rolled off the trailer for this event.” – Shared Jay Chapman, Team Manager

At the start of the test on Friday, the Florida skies opened up with some very nice rain showers to soak the track.  Team Sahlen wisely choose to sit out the session, in preparation for dry time later in the test.  In the afternoon session, both Team Sahlen DPs faced a few issues each from some new items being tested at the event.

Come Saturday morning, Team Sahlen had worked through their issues and was ready to see how the pace of the #42 & #43 BMW-Rileys compared with the competition.  At the conclusion of the session, the answer to this question seemed to be “on pace”, with Dane Cameron setting the fastest time of the day in the #42 DP.  And to prove that this time was not a fluke, Dane then turned around and set the 2^nd fastest time in night practice.

Dane Cameron shared his thoughts in the Daytona International Speedway Media Center on Saturday night – “We’ve got a lot of catching up to do, because many of the DP teams have in years of experience what we have in days. Today is our eighth day with the car, and we’re still learning. We’re working on a few science projects here and there, and seeing what works.”

After the Test, Dane futher added - "We were able to get through a lot of really big changes during the ROAR and explore some new areas on the car so a big thank you to the guys for hustling through them! I think we have a good consistent car for the race so we took the opportunity to do some large changes to the chassis just so we can begin to understand what our Riley BMW likes as we look towards the sprint races later in the year. I think we should be in good shape for the race, in terms of speed and reliability everything is coming together nicely."

Also getting some time behind the wheel was the other half of the “Wayne & Dane Show”, this being Wayne Nonnamaker – “It was great to get behind the wheel.  I felt very comfortable, which says a lot about the great set up that our Engineer Catherine Crawford has put in place on the DP”

In the #43, a full complement of drivers were taking turns behind the wheel.  This included regulars Joe Sahlen, Joe Nonnamaker and Will Nonnamaker, as well as newcomers Tomy Drissi and Bruno Junqueira.  All 5 Drivers took turns behind the wheel, with former IndyCar start Bruno Junqueira leading the way, placing the #43 well up the time sheets at the end of many of the sessions.

Team owner Joe Sahlen shared - “I continue to really enjoy driving the Daytona Prototype.  It is so much fun to get behind the wheel and charge around the high banks. I am proud of the whole team for their efforts to be able to bring 2 BMW-Rileys to this event ready to go.  I can’t wait for the ROLEX 24 Hours at Daytona that will be at the end of this month.”

The ROLEX 24 Hours at Daytona will be start at 3:30 pm on Saturday January 26^th.  The event will be televised live on SPEEDTV.

About Team Sahlen

The 1^st Professional season for the team was in 1984.  Since that time, the team has recorded 53 victories, 158 podiums, 40 Pole Positions and 41 fastest race laps.  Dating back to 2001, Team Sahlen has a rich history in Grand American Competition, highlighted by championships in the Continental Sports Car Series.  This includes ST class Championships in 2001 & 2002, and then GS titles in 2003 & 2004.  Most recently in ROLEX series competition, Team Sahlen has captured the 2005 and 2011 Bob Akin Sportsman Awards in the GT class.  During the 2011 and 2012 race seasons, Team Sahlen captured 1 victory, 5 podiums, 2 pole positions and 2 fastest race laps and well as the most entered team in the ROLEX series. Check out the latest Team Sahlen news at:  www.TeamSahlen.com

GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series is supported by:

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