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Daytona 24: Synergy Racing preview

Competing in Rolex 24 At Daytona truly a family affair for Synergy Racing Three sets of brothers in Synergy line-up for historic race ALTON, Va. (January 24, 2006) -- Competing in the Rolex 24 At Daytona can be one of the most challenging events ...

Competing in Rolex 24 At Daytona truly a family affair for Synergy Racing
Three sets of brothers in Synergy line-up for historic race

ALTON, Va. (January 24, 2006) -- Competing in the Rolex 24 At Daytona can be one of the most challenging events in a person's life. In order to be successful, it's imperative that drivers be able to rely on their teammates and crew--almost as though they are family. But in the case of Synergy Racing, many of them actually are. Synergy Racing will campaign five race cars in this weekend's Rolex 24 At Daytona, and three of those entries have sets of brothers in the driver line-up.

Frisselle brothers enjoy support from entire family Perhaps the most notable are brothers Burt and Brian Frisselle, of Kihei, Hawaii, in the team's No. 8 Rx.com Porsche-powered Doran Daytona Prototype they will share with Dutch racer Patrick Huisman. At 24 and 22 years old, the brothers are the youngest driver pairing in the Rolex Sports Car Series' premier Daytona Prototype class. Although they have both been racing for many years, last season marked the first time the two competed as teammates.

"This year is exciting because we both have experience in the Daytona Prototype category and we both have a 24-hour race under our belt, so I feel like instead of discovering what it's like for the first time, we know what to expect," said elder brother Burt. "We both love racing with each other. This time we can really make a run for the win."

"I think we are both still learning off of each other so much," Brian added. "It's nice to have a teammate that's your brother. In racing, you always kind of have to watch your teammate closely and strive to be better than him. But when it's your brother, it's not like that. We're still competitive with each other, but we're not trying to beat each other--we're trying to make each other better."

The Frisselles' family support reaches far beyond each other, as their entire family is actively involved in their racing career. Their father Brad, a former IMSA champion, has been with his sons every step of the way, traveling to test sessions, races, and appearances to help his sons through a sport he knows quite a bit about from his time as a championship racer.

"Our dad's passion for racing was passed on to both of us," Burt and Brian explained. "And we are thrilled to have the opportunity to continue in his footsteps and pursue our dreams with him by our side."

The Frisselle women are also a standard at the racetrack, with sister Stephanie actively involved in marketing her brothers while their mother Terrye is constant pillar of support for her sons. Even the family's German Shepherd has been known to make an appearance at a race or two.

"It's huge having my family's support," said Brian. "I don't think I would have been able to do this without them. To be able to fall back on their support when you can't really support yourself and you feel down, it's really big."

Hill twins racing for Seattle Children's Hospital Also set to race in this weekend's Rolex 24 At Daytona are twin brothers Ken and Wes Hill, of Snohomish and Bellevue, Wash. The twins will team up with David Gaylord of Graham, Wash., and Will Diefenbach of Kirkland, Wash., in the No. 87 Strobe Data/Kid's Country Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, part of the Team Seattle charitable racing effort to raise funds for Seattle Children's Hospital.

"We could have done this without each other, but it makes it easier to do it together," admitted Wes.

"If he couldn't have made it, I'd still be here, but it is nice to do it together," said Ken. "We're the youngest in the family, so we've got older brothers and a sister. They are all turning out for this as well."

Marshall brothers put joy into work Another set of brothers taking the track together for this weekend's Rolex 24 At Daytona are Steve and Danny Marshall, of Blacksburg and Danville, Va., The Marshalls are not only teammates in the No. 81 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, but also co-owners of Synergy Racing with Cole Scrogham.

"Danny and I actually started racing so we could have something fun to do together," explained Steve. "We were in business together with our family's concrete business. Danny was involved in vintage racing, and I thought it was an opportunity for us to do something together that wasn't business. Of course that was when we first started racing, and now we've turned this into a business too, but it's still something we enjoy doing together."

"Steve and I are good teammates because we communicate well with each other," said Danny, who will partner with his brother Steve, as well as Hal Prewitt of South Miami Beach, Fla., John Pew of North Palm Beach, Fla., and Ben McCrackin of Corpus Christi, Texas in the No. 81 Porsche this weekend. "Our driving style is very similar and our lap times tend to be alike. We recognize this is a 24-hour race, not a 24-minute race, and it's important to make sure you're around at the finish."

When creating Synergy Racing, the Marshall brothers and Scrogham agreed that their key to success was making sure the family camaraderie between them was extended to the entire family. "We try to create an environment where everyone is able to have fun and enjoy their job--whether you're changing a tire, repairing an engine or racing the car--we want to make sure everyone is enjoying what they're doing," remarked Steve. "That's especially important in a 24-hour race. When 3 a.m. rolls around, you've got to enjoy what you're doing to want to be there and be effective at your job."

And according to their crew and drivers, the Marshalls and Scrogham have been successful in their mission. "This team is really like a family," noted Brian. "This is my third year with the team and a lot of them have become like family to me."

Several members of Synergy Racing's team are actually family. Price Cobb, the director of racing operations, is married to Charissa Cobb, the team's director of marketing. Husband-and-wife duo JT and Patsy Tatum are at all of the team's races with JT working on the GT cars while Patsy coordinates all the drivers' needs at the track. Scrogham's father, Weldon, can often be spotted at races. It was after years of working at Weldon's G&W Motorwerkes, which preserves and restores Porsches, that Scrogham decided to establish a race team with the Marshalls.

The Synergy Racing family will take to Daytona International Speedway on Thursday for practice and first-round qualifying for the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Additional practice and second-round qualifying will be held on Friday, and Synergy Racing will participate in the Grand-Am Cup 200-mile race on Friday afternoon. The Rolex 24 At Daytona will kickoff at noon on Saturday, wrapping up 24-hours later at noon on Sunday. Thirteen hours of the race will be broadcast live on SPEED.

About Synergy Racing
Team owners Cole Scrogham and Danny and Steve Marshall introduced Synergy Racing in December 2004. Based at Virginia International Raceway, Synergy Racing is an evolution of G&W Motorsports, which had catered to Porsche racing since 1996 and became the most successful team in the Rolex Sports Car Series with three team championships and four driver champions, 15 class wins and more than 50 podium finishes. The team underwent a major transformation that included a name and logo change, as well as a complete restructuring into a customer-based championship racing business, which concentrates on the needs of the customer rather than the desires of the team. For more information on Synergy Racing, visit synergyracing.com.

-sr-

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