Murphy’s Rolex Punting Rools
For the third year, the Bear’s picking five entries likely to contend for the win in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. In 2008, his list of five captured 1, 2, and 3. Last year, they grabbed the top two steps.
Before he picked, Murphy gave away the five rools that will let his friends pick the Daytona Prototype winners, too. Not much has changed, so here they are again:
1. Riley only. The first non-Riley in 2008 was 15th. Last year, a Dallara snuck into 4th, a Crawford into 8th. That’s not enough to change the rool.
2. Teams you’ve heard of. Ganassi won its third in a row in 2008, another of Murphy’s teams, Brumos won in 2009 – and took third, too. Ganassi was second and fifth, Penske sixth, GAINSCO seventh. The Bear didn’t mention SunTrust, which was fourth; they’ll replace the departed Penske among our picks. Murphy thinks “nicely turned out” counts for a lot. It’s a team that does that.
3. No oil billionaire drivers, no scrawny girls. No drivers with the same name as the team. No brain doctors or heart doctors. In other words, absent an LMS-type ‘gentleman driver rool’ DP is a “pro only need apply” class.
Rolex Favorites
The Bear had no trouble picking four, but his fifth turn out to be ‘a bear,’ so to speak. After Ganassi (2), GAINSCO, and Brumos, it came down to SunTrust Racing, a familiar (and successful) team (see rool 2.) but with a Dallara (rool 1.). It was the SunTrust Dallara that snuck into 4th last year, too. On the other hand, there’s Action Express Racing, a “rookie” team (that runs afoul of rool 2.), while meeting rool 3. (drivers), and rool 1. What to do? The elves told the Bear it was time to do a little research.
A little digging uncovered that Action Express is the ‘second Brumos entry,’ owned by long-time Brumos associate Bob Johnson, with a number Brumos staff and crew, and with drivers Barbosa and Borcheller. So, with good leadership, it might meet rool 2. after all. SunTrust’s 4th was a break-through for the non-Riley Dallara, three of four drivers return – Ricky Taylor (son of team owner Wayne) replaces veteran gentleman Brian Frisselle. Is that an improvement? Was last season’s Dallara break-through a trend or an aberration?
Here are Murphy’s by-the-rools five favorites for the 2010 Rolex. Last year we asked if this ‘Looked familiar?’ This year, it’s ‘Look familiar – again?’
01 Ganassi Papis, Wilson, Pruett, Rojas – BMW / Riley
02 Ganassi Dixon, Franchitti, Montoya, McMurray – BMW / Riley
9 Action Express Barbosa, Borcheller, Dalziel, Rockenfeller – Porsche / Riley
59 Brumos Donohue, Haywood, Law, Leitzinger, Matos – Porsche / Riley
99 GAINSCO Fogarty, Gurney, Johnson, Vasser – Chevrolet / Riley
If anything, Ganassi is fielding even better driver lineups. Brumos returns without the drug felon, and with Leitzinger and Matos – a huge upgrade in talent (and sense) if a Bear ever saw one. Two-time Grand Am champion GAINSCO returns with drivers as good as anyone – intent on capturing the prize that’s eluded them. Action Express – as we’ve explained – is ‘Brumos Lite’ with a better roster of pilots.
Murphy makes SunTrust his “dark horse.” Level 5 having morphed into NPN Racing might have made the Bear’s favorites list, until Tucker, the designated rich guy, listed himself in both cars, diluting otherwise stellar driving lineups. If you can figure out which car will not get Tucker’s driving help, pick the other one.
Taking a Flyer on GT with the Bear
The Bear decided it’s time to pay some attention to the GT field. Just in time for the faux Mazdas to drop from contention, now having fallen to second tier teams and too many otherwise-employed drivers out for a weekend fling. That doesn’t rule out other bodies on the tubers – the odd BMW and Corvette look-alike.
So, what are Murphy’s GT rools?
1. At least 3 pros to carry a weekender. If so, doctors and CEOs are O.K. here.
2. Teams with experience and talent. Some of these are easy to pick out: TRG and Turner Motorsports, for instance. Others aren’t so obvious.
3. Current or former ‘factory’ drivers. They don’t go – or aren’t sent – where they have no chance.
23 Alex Job Baldwin, Burtis, Farnbacher, Pagerey, Ragginger – Porsche GT3
44 Magnus Bleekemolen, Lietz, Potter, Stanton – Porsche GT3
67 TRG Bergmeister, Long, Neiman, van Overbeek – Porsche GT3
71 TRG Bernhard, Dumas, George, Labonte, Pumpelly – Porsche GT3
94 Turner Auberlen, Dalla Lana, Hand, Said – BMW M6
07 Godstone Ranch Corvette is the Bear’s GT dark horse. Young up-and-comer to watch is Thomas Merrill, Salinas California, Corsa Team PR1 BMW.
Murphy’s Predictions
A smaller field gets less opportunities to hit the favorites, so the good ones will mostly be there at the end. If it rains – and it seems it might – all such bets are off.
Matt Connolly Motorsports will be relevant in Matt Connolly’s mind and among the cogs.
We’ll see more of McDreamy than we do on Grey’s Anatomy.
No one will mention that Krohn Racing is in a dust-up with Lola. Krohn, who shouldn’t want to bend the Lola with few spares (and none in the pipeline) will drive anyway, and bend the Lola.
Sebring and Le Mans will disappear into a parallel universe for the duration of the coverage.
Jack Baldwin and Hurley Haywood, separated at birth in May 1948, will insist senior discounts at Hooters on International Speedway Boulevard. Well, Jack will, anyway.
With only six NASCAR drivers on hand, that story line should be a bit more subdued in this year’s telecast. Those seats are filled by current and former German factory pilots.
Kia Goes Grand Am Racing
When it came time to pick a ‘platform,’ the fast-growing manufacturer ‘passed’ on the Global Leader Green Racing to field a new factory team. It’s particularly interesting that a manufacturer intent on building a new ‘luxury’ image would consider, then reject, the American Le Mans Series. Wouldn’t it’s market strategy have fit ALMS’ ‘World Class’ image? Too bad it was abandoned to chase a green strategy.
Perhaps the Braselburger boss has been too busy with alternative energy mucky-mucks to waste time with automobile manufacturers. After leaving Phoenix, he went hobnobbing in Toronto chatting up “alternative fuels” this past weekend.
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Tags: Action Express, Alex Job, ALMS, BMW, Brumos, Cogs, Corvette, Dallara, GAINSCO, Ganassi, Godstone Ranch, Grand Am, Gray's Anatomy. Krohn Racing, Hurley Haywood, Kia, Magnus, Matt Connolly, McDreamy, NASCAR, Penske, Porsche, Riley, SunTrust, Thomas Merrill, TRG, Turner Motorsports
Good job Mr. Bear. With a Chevrolet replacing the Pontiac at Gainsco, I like their chances. I am assuming the Ford’s will make it this year after all their woes last year. The real wild card is how will the BMW’s hold up at the front. They really haven’t spent to much time at the head of the field for the big one. My money is on the 9, 59 and the 99.
Speaking of BMW, the M6 in GT??? I remember the Bear had a rool for this class, Porsche’s only! After last year, I was expecting a Mazda ammendment, but now you have a bimmer in there. No doubt it may be the best driver lineup, but my guess is the car has some gremlins and doesn’t have the power on the long straights to match the Porsches and Mazdas (see the GT Pontiac rool). Please reconsider.
Excuse me, the Mazda win was 2 years ago. My argument still stands.
Bear, I think you have your manufactuers confused. Hyundai is moving “up market” with their Genesis coupe and sedan. The only other place for Kia to race their Forte Koup (what a gawd awful name) would have been in SCCA Touring (nee SPEED), not GT-2. And with their TV package moving to Verus, it basically fell off the viewing landscape. A shame really, as the GT class was looking pretty good last year. Hyundai uses Rhys Millen in drifting to bring the Genesis coupe to the masses.
Things on Broadway are not as bad as your last two columns portray.
Hyundai, Kia, Murphy doesn’t see a difference. Perhaps Kia’s decision doesn’t portend anything for big brother’s Genesis. More likely the Group will stay with the gang at the World Center if and when the ‘upmarket’ brand goes racin’.
If there’s good noos in Braselburg, the Bear would love to hear about it.
As for BMW, you plunk a new body on the same tube frame with minimal mods (the frame for the new Chebby entry was shortened 7 inches to accommodate the Vette body, that’s about as radical as it gets).
So gremlins aren’t quite at likely as with a whole new car – most of it, running gear, etc., is the same. As for the Bimmer engine, it’s had plenty of development, as the DP teams entering indicate.
All that aside, it’s drivers, drivers, drivers (and team engineering/management).
Wait for my post on Sunday Mr. Bear, if the M6 lasts that long.
How many gremlins can there be? The screaming part was removed from a real M6 purchased at a dealership. The other part came from the tube shop. So I was told….
I can’t believe I am saying this, but the debate over the 94 car’s chances has me interested in the race this weekend.
Hopefully the car makes it a few hours to keep me entertained.
The No. 94 “M6″ is a Pratt & Miller tube frame with the same M5 V8 (including the same Dinan cams) that’s run in Grand Am M3′s. (Check the Grand Am GT rules, the detail is there.)
In other words, there is nothing new and exotic about this car that would cause it to have “teething” problems. If it fails, blame Turner for not being able to prepare an already reliable car and engine.
This entry is no different than those that went from Pontiac to Chebby, engine, body, or both
Ok, well hopefully we can have three makes up at the front for the race in GT.
I hate to say I told you so………but I told you so. The 94 car didn’t even make it 3 hours before the Daytona Gremlins got it.
Rools for winning GT:
Rool #1: Porsches only!
Rool #1B: AKA the Mazda exemption (if run by a professional team),
Rool #2: Refer to Murphy’s rules above.
It will be interesting to see if these Camaros prove me wrong.
Observation:
This series is by far more Green then the Georgia based series.
I don’t see any race fans in the stands, Management must of
instructed fans to stay at home watch it on T.V. and save
gasoline !
Observation No. 2 (no satire intended)
That Camaro does look interesting…
Heck of a call on Action Express Racing. That Murphy is way smarter than the average bear!