GB Autosport Rolex 24 Pre-Race Report

Alton, VA. (19 January 2015) – Success in motorsport requires the perfect combination of hard work, skill, preparation, reliable equipment, and a pinch of good luck.

With a driver and crew lineup brimming with talent and international flavor, GB Autosport hopes to complete that winning recipe next weekend in the 2015 Rolex 24 At Daytona with the No. 81 Tully’s Coffee Porsche 911 GT America.The world-renowned 24-hour event marks the team’s sophomore effort in the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship ranks, and the entire team brings with it the confidence and optimism that only experience can lend.GB Autosport’s first outing around the high-banked 3.56-mile circuit in 2014 saw the team suffer some unfortunate racing luck in the form of multiple hits from errantly-driven GTD machines. But despite the recurring trips behind the wall to fix the damage on the No. 81 ‘Coffee Rocket’, GB Autosport proved their mettle, persevering to complete the race and take the checkered flag despite the difficulties.Now with a year’s worth of valuable experience and data and a stout and expanded driver line-up, Team Tully’s looks to truly make their mark on the iconic Daytona International Speedway.Just two weeks ago at the Roar Before the 24, all five drivers gathered to take their first laps of the season around the track, compiling data to strike a winning chord at the end of the 24-hour race. Familiar Tully’s pilots Damien Faulkner and Michael Avenatti were joined by the new team talent of Mike Skeen, Rory Butcher and Kuba Giermaziak as all made the most of the track time and worked together to tune the ‘Coffee Rocket’ perfectly to the track.“Overall our time at the Roar was very productive,” said Team Manager, Cole Scrogham. “Our team has matured over last season—we have a lot of talent here and we keep getting better as a group. We have a great group of drivers and from an engineering point of view we are fortunate that all five favor a similar feel with the car, so we aren’t compromised there. We had some frustrating issues with the car that we really hope to avoid in the 24, so we are doing all that we can to the car to ensure it is ready to race the full 24-hours, and we will see what happens.”The team will have a busy week of preparation ahead of the event which will go green on Saturday, January 24 at 2:30 PM. The race will be broadcast LIVE on FOX from 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM ET, before coverage switches to FOX Sports 2 from 4:00  PM - 8:00 PM ET and then FOX Sports 1 from 8:00 PM -10:00 PM ET. For the overnight hours, the race will be streamed LIVE with commentary onimsa.com. Television coverage will resume on FOX Sports 1 at 7:00 AM until the checkered flag.Be sure to follow @gbautosport on Twitter for live updates!GB Autosport  2015 Rolex 24 At Daytona DRIVER COMMENTS:Rory Butcher – “It’s really down to making no mistakes, both as drivers and as mechanics in the pit stops, and the car is going to have to last the whole time, so we are going to do our best to have a real smooth run.”Kuba Giermaziak – “Everyone at GB Autosport is here to win the race. No one is here to show off or anything. We are all here to do the same job and at the end of the day it is our result as a team. It isn’t just about one driver so we all need to get along well and we definitely do.”Mike Skeen – “It has been really good for me to have such a great opportunity with such a high-caliber team and I’m really looking forward to the race. I’m happy to get to be a part of the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup races with the team and am focused on securing as many points towards that championship as possible.”Damien Faulkner – “We have all of the components to challenge for victories this year. The car is quick and we are better able to fix issues and attack problems and we have a massive driver line-up, so all in all we are a very well-oiled machine ready to challenge for podiums and victories. It’s very difficult to buy a 24-hour win, they just aren’t for sale.”Michael Avenatti – “I am very optimistic about this race.  We are extremely fortunate to have Cole at the helm with air cover from Mario and the rest of the crew.  And our driver lineup is as good as any entry in the entire field.  If we can be in the mix with four hours to go, I like our chances with Kuba and Damo at the controls.”