The 2009 edition of the Rolex 24 Hours held at the
Daytona International Speedway was a fantastic
event......well at least for 17 hours of racing that actually
took place. But the abundance of Full Course Yellows
aside, the racing was as good as it gets.
There were emotional scenes as David Donohue in the
Brumos Racing Riley Porsche managed to hold off the
Riley Lexus of Chip Ganassi Racing as it was being
driven off its wheels by Juan Pablo Montoya. Less than
a second separated the two cars at the race end, even
those of my colleagues normally indifferent to Grand-
Am's charms reckoned this was a brilliant race.
It was a stellar performance by David and his Tres
Amigoes, Buddy Rice, Darren Law and Antonio Garcia.
Brumos have a proud tradition in the Daytona Enduro
with three outright wins back in the 1970's and they have
been great supporters of the Grand-Am project since the
beginning. The joy that the team felt was tinged with
sadness that Bob Snodgrass, the team's founder, was
not on hand to witness the return to Victory Lane. Bob
passed away just under two years ago. The victory was
dedicated to him and his memory.
The win was also dedicated to Bob Carlson, Porsche's
former PR Manager in North America and one of the
main influences in Porsche's motorsport programmes
over the past 25 years. He lost his struggle with cancer
just before Christmas and is much missed by the
motoring community.
Great events such as the Rolex frequently bring out the
best in people and that was certainly true of the Brumos
Racing crew who have worked so hard to get ready for
the Rolex. Even faced with such strong opposition as
the Penske and Ganassi teams there was always a
sense that this would be their year.
In a sad contrast Montoya's post race comments did not
show in him in a gracious light. He would do well to look
at how Felipe Massa handled the crushing
disappointment of failing to be crowned F1 World
Champion at the last moment during last year's
Brazilian Grand Prix.
"I know how to win. I know how to lose. That's racing"
That's also class...............
And speaking of class once again we are fortunate
enough to have Rick Dole's pictures......enjoy.
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