Image by Levitt/LAT
Lally, Pumpelly reunited in Magnus Lamborghini for Rolex 24
Andy Lally confirmed on Tuesday that he will co-drive with long-time Atlanta buddy Spencer Pumpelly in the new No. 44 Magnus Racing Lamborghini Hurcan GT3 EVO for the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
“The last time we were teammates at Daytona, we won the 2011 Rolex 24,” said Lally, a five-time class winner of the event. “In fact, that was the last time we co-drove together.”
Image by Michelin North America
Lally and car owner/co-driver John Potter were testing their new Lamborghini at Daytona for the first time in preparation for a full season in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Daytona class.
“Today was a very important day for us,” Lally said. “It was great to be able to roll out the new Lamborghini at a low-pressure setting, and slowly get up to speed without being out there with 50 other cars, worrying about lap times and trying to break in other drivers. We’ve got a good group that’s been working hand-in-hand with Lamborghini since before we even took delivery of the new car. It made for the first few laps to be very easy. It took me about three laps to be comfortable in the car.”
While he admits that the Lamborghini has a similar feel to the Audi the team campaigned last year, the new car comes with a special mystique.
“It’s quite an impressionable name,” Lally said. “Over the years, I’ve raced for Porsche; I’ve raced for Audi; different prototypes and stuff, and when you say the name, people say, ‘cool.’ But when you respond with ‘Lamborghini,’ it’s always an eyebrow raiser. I learned what a Lamborghini was when I watched ‘Cannonball Run’ when I was five, so I always thought that was pretty cool. So to actually race a Lamborghini in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship is very cool. I was very fortunate to race with Robby Benton and Change Racing in 2015 in my first taste of a Lamborghini, and it was a success. I’m looking to have a similar finish with a different team in the 2019 Rolex 24.”
J.J. O'Malley
J.J. O’Malley became news editor for Chris Economaki in 1977, launching him on a career covering all facets of motorsports in many capacities. He did public relations at Watkins Glen International for 14 years; followed by four seasons at Homestead-Miami Speedway; news editor at ISC Publications (now Edgeset Marketing); and communications manager for Grand-Am and IMSA. He’s currently completing his 13th book on racing – a history of the Daytona Prototype – in addition to covering events for RACER.com, Edgeset Marketing and Sunday Group Management. O’Malley is an honorary member of the prestigious Road Racing Drivers Club.
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