ROLEX 24: F1's Perez crosses over with TRG-AMR

TRG-AMR owner Kevin Buckler hopes the involvement of Force India Formula 1 driver Sergio "Checo" Perez (LEFT, LAT photo) and Mexican industrialist Carlos Slim will bring business opportunities and the spotlight to his team.

Buckler, Perez, and Slim have combined to field an (almost) all-Mexican lineup for IMSA's season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona, where Perez's younger brother Antonio will share the car with countrymen Ricardo Pérez de Lara, Santiago Creel, and England's Lars Viljoen. While Checo won't be driving, his presence on pit could help the California-based team to draw more international interest than its competitors.

"It's great that Checo's coming, and having one of the current Formula 1 drivers, one of the biggest superstars in Mexico, sitting on the pit box with us during the race is a big development for our team," Buckler (BELOW RIGHT, with Antonio Perez, Brian Cleary photo) told RACER. "He and his father have really been helping to organize this, he brought out all the drivers together, and his younger brother, Antonio, is a star in his own right. The kid's really, really fast."

Buckler's TRG-AMR team, which fields Aston-Martin V12 Vantages in the GT Daytona class, is coming off a promising but challenging 2015 season. The GTD Drivers' championship faded from sight at the final race, and after a brief offseason where negotiations to keep the Aston Martin brand in IMSA sapped his energy, Buckler says the new union with the Perez family and Slim has been a welcome relief, and if they can do a few deals in the hospitality suite during the race, multiple victories are possible this weekend.

"Everything eventually came together in exactly the kind of way we needed," he said. "We're good at running a race team, we're good at attracting top drivers. Then the icing on the cake, Carlos Slim is coming with us. His Telmex company is one of the sponsors on the car and Carlos is here to help us work our magic in having the potential of some of our awesome partners and sponsors do some more business in Mexico.

"We put together this wonderful partnership, and this is truly a partnership where they come here, they get to drive, we provide them with a fantastic platform, and hopefully beyond that we can fill this car up for the rest of the year. Have the Perez brothers, and Antonio, for sure, in the car the rest of the year, with some other drivers. That is the goal."

Although Buckler's TRG team is involved in a factory tie-up with Aston Martin, he says the alliance with Checo, whose F1 team has been linked to a possible partnership with the British brand, is unrelated.

"It's an absolute coincidence, and what a great coincidence it is," he added. "What they're trying to do in terms of lending their need to the team an Aston Martin pedigree I think is brilliant if they can pull it off. Ours is just coincidence, but also may be icing on the cake."

The TRG-AMR is focused on winning its class at Daytona, but with 21 competitors vying for the same honors, it won't be easy for the No. 007 car. The real measure of success, no matter how the team fares in the race, could be how much progress Buckler and his guests make in their business dealings. Capturing a Rolex 24 win in 2016 would be fabulous, but securing the team's future for years to come might be the greatest opportunity in front of TRG's founder.

"We're really excited, and Carlos [Slim] is coming and spending the day with us on Saturday, visiting with our sponsors and friends and fans," Buckler said. "It's an honor for us to have those guys in the car. I know in some way they feel the same in reverse, so it's a really big partnership. The hope is we find more ways to work together in the future."