DAVY JONES ROLEX 24 RACE REPORT
Daytona, Florida – January 31st, 2012 – Davy Jones completed a difficult 24 hour event during the 50th anniversary of the Rolex 24 at Daytona this weekend with the Godstone Ranch Motorsports team, finishing 26th in the GT class after a trouble-filled race in their #18 Texas Heart Institute Porsche GT3 Cup.
For Jones the 2012 season opener of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series was busy not only on track, but also throughout the week as he was part of the 50th anniversary of the event and participated in all of their past Champions events after winning the historic race in 1990.
The team took the green flag at the Daytona International Speedway after qualifying on the 32nd spot of the GT field and got off to a strong start with Mark Thomas behind the wheel slowly picking up positions. As Jones was last in the driver rotation, he waited patiently on the sidelines until Saturday night while teammates Bill Lester and John McCutchen completed their first stints of the race.
Only minutes before it was his turn to get in the car, the Muhlner Motorsports America operated team suffered its first set back after a contact in the bus stop which forced the car into the garage for repairs. This set the #18 Porsche GT3 many laps down and started what would be a series of setbacks. As soon as the team got their machine back out on track Jones got behind the wheel and completed a strong first of three stints during the grueling 24 race.
DAVY JONES ROLEX 24 QUALIFYING REPORT
After missing the valuable testing time of the Roar Before the 24 earlier this month, Jones and his team have had to quickly adapt to a new car while dealing with the heavy traffic of the impressive 60-car GRAND-AM field that has gathered for this year’s 24hr race. For Jones his only experience so far behind the wheel of his Porsche GT3 Cup machine came this morning during the first official practice session where he had a chance to do a handful of laps and acclimate himself with the new car. He will be back on track for night practice tonight as the Muhlner Motorsports America operated team continues to work on their race setup for the grueling endurance event. There will only be two more practice sessions on Friday before the cars are taken back to the garage to go through the final preparations before the race.
Godstone Ranch Motorsports Teams With Muehlner Motorsport for the 50th Running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona
Muehlner Motorsports, headquartered at the famed Spa Francorchamps track in Belgium, made their Rolex 24 debut in the 2011, running as high as P5 during the night when an accident dropped them to last. In the closing hours of the 24 hour event, the team clawed their way back to the Top 10, eventually finishing 9th. Author, actress, director Lisa Niemi Swayze, whose new book “Worth Fighting For” is a NY Times bestseller, will be supporting the team in the pits. Ms. Niemi Swayze, who is taking a few days off her national book tour, will be joined by Houston’s Honorable Mica Mosbacher, Honorary Consul General of Iceland, the widow of the late Honorable Robert A. Mosbacher, the former Secretary of Commerce.
DAVY JONES RETURNS TO THE ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA
Jones will look to score his second career Rolex 24 victory around the high banked 3.56-mile, 12-turn speedway road course and preparations have started on the right foot as the Belgian team showed impressive speed at the Roar Before the 24, clocking the second fastest lap of the three day test. Jones is no stranger Porsches and endurance races as in 1996 he became the last American to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans while driving a Porsche LMP1 car. This year he will look to repeat that feat at Daytona by taking the win in the GT category.
STRONG THIRD PLACE FOR DAVY JONES AT THE BAJA 1000
Considering the difficulties and grueling conditions of the historic off road race, Jones and teammates Steve Lisa, Tony Lisa and Chuck Hemmingson had a reasonably trouble free run and completed the rugged 692.82-mile event in 23h55m45sec. One of the team’s main complications during their run presented itself early when some of the electronics in the car got wet which caused the drivers to lose communication between themselves and with their chase vehicles, but the Patent It! Race Team carried on to the finish line with Jones and teammate Steve Lisa taking control of their VW powered machine for the first 270 miles of the course.
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Daytona, Florida – January 26th, 2012 – Davy Jones and the Godstone Ranch Motorsports team will start the 50
Dallas, Texas – January 21, 2012 – Godstone Ranch Motorsports and founder Karen Garrett confirmed today they have partnered with European Porsche GT specialists, Muehlner Motorsport, to field a Porsche GT3 Cup Car in the Grand-Am Rolex season opener at Daytona Speedway for the 50th anniversary Rolex 24 at Daytona, January 28-29.
Daytona, Florida – January 20th, 2012 – Davy Jones announced today that he will compete in the 50th anniversary of the Rolex 24 at Daytona with the Mühlner Motorsports America team on January 28th and 29th at the Daytona International Speedway. He will be behind the wheel of the #18 Texas Heart Institute Porsche GT3 Cup car which he will share with co-drivers John McCutchen, Bill Lester and Mark Thomas during the 24 hour event.
Genoa, Nevada – November 23
