Lining up for next season's GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series will be a new team with some familiar faces behind the wheel, as Magnus Racing will debut the No. 44 Porsche 997 GT3 in the Rolex Series GT class for drivers John Potter and Craig Stanton.
Utah resident Potter, who took his first professional victory in last year's GRAND-AM KONI Sports Car Challenge, and had a highest finish of fourth in the Rolex Sports Car series, will enter his second full season of Rolex competition.
Californian Stanton, a champion in the Rolex Sports Car Series and KONI Challenge, is widely known as a Porsche specialist and has driven with Potter in the Rolex Series in a GT class Porsche since 2008. Together, the two finished fifth this year at Watkins Glen and Miller Motorsports Park.
"There will be a couple of things about this program that will be different from most teams in GRAND-AM," said Stanton. "John has put together the right equipment and staff for us to be fast out of the box and be one of the leading teams in GRAND-AM. One of the great things about John is that, as competitive as we all are and as much as we want to win races for us and for Porsche, he always makes sure that the team is having a great time. I'm sure we will be doing things a little bit differently than everyone else and I can't wait for Daytona."
While Magnus Racing is committed to achieving results on the track, it is equally committed to keeping life exciting and fun off of it. Potter has raised plenty of eyebrows for his unique campaigns, t-shirts, and hero cards - including his "Utah's McDreamy" shirts that were a huge hit at the 2008 Miller Motorsports Park event - or the sponsorship of his Porsche by "Craig Stanton's 'Touch of Grey'" during the 2009 event at Miller.
"Suffice to say that the fans of Magnus Racing and of the Rolex Sports car Series can expect more of the same in 2010," said Stanton.
Formed in 2006, Magnus Racing was formed by Potter to develop race cars and compete in a variety of racing series, from the club level through professional endurance racing. The Rolex Sports Car Series represents the highest level of competition yet for Potter's team.
"It's a big step up to run our own program in the Rolex Sports Car Series," said Potter. "But it is the right move for me and I couldn't be more excited. After driving with Craig for the past season and a half he was the natural choice as my teammate. We work very well together and I am excited to see what the new season will hold for us. We also have a lot of fun stuff planned for the fans of Magnus Racing - having our own program means we can really go nuts this year!"
The team is currently preparing for the Dec. 8-9 test at Daytona International Speedway.
The team will unveil its driver lineup for the Rolex 24 At Daytona ahead of the Roar Before the Rolex 24, scheduled for January 8-10.