Daytona II: G&W Motorsports qualifying report

Rx.com G&W Motorsports Qualifies in Top 10 for Paul Revere 250

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 30, 2004) -- Brent Martini (Laguna Beach, Calif.) secured Rx.com G&W Motorsports a top-10 starting position for tomorrow night's 'midnight running' of the Paul Revere 250 featuring the Rolex Sports Car Series at Daytona International Speedway. In his first qualifying effort since recovering from shoulder surgery, Martini clocked a 1:50.649 lap averaging 115.826 mph around Daytona's 3.56-mile road course to qualify the Rx.com No. 81 BMW Doran in ninth.

"My qualifying lap was a second and a half faster than I've gone today," said Martini, who is partnered with his 2003 Rolex Series GT co-champion Cort Wagner (Los Angeles, Calif.). "Not having been here (in the Daytona Prototype), I feel pretty good that every time out I went faster. I think I know how to get a 1:49, so we'll look at some data, and I'll make sure I have a good race pace.

"The goal here is to be in it, do a good first stint, hand the car over to Cort, and let him work some magic," Martini continued.

Martini is no stranger to Daytona with three trips to Victory Lane already under his belt. However, all his previous wins came at the wheel of a GT entry, and this weekend is his first time in a Daytona Prototype at the historic track.

"It helps to know where you are going, but it's like a whole different track when you drive it in a different car," Martini explained. "I thought that with the traction control getting off the corners, which is notorious bad here, would be pretty handled, but its not at all. So getting off the corners is still an issue. And I'm just getting comfortable with the brakes in the car. I see where people are going a little bit faster. I know where I need to be and the things I need to do, so during the race I'll do it and stay out of trouble."

G&W Motorsports other Daytona Prototype entry, the No. 80 BMW Picchio of brothers Steve Marshall (Blacksburg, Va.) and Virginia House Delegate Danny Marshall (Danville, Va.), was unable to record a lap time during the qualifying session. Although Steve Marshall took the car out during the session, he was forced back into the pits before completely his first lap.

"I think we have some bad fuel in there," said Steve Marshall. "We haven't raced the car since Canada (Mont-Tremblant on May 23), and I think there is still fuel from up there that has been sitting in the car. It just froze up everything. I just wouldn't go. Hopefully the guys will be able to work it out."

In addition to its pair of Daytona Prototype entries, G&W Motorsports is also fielding the No. 86 Porsche GT3 Cup in the Super Grand Sport class. Car owner and lead driver Mae Van Wijk (Kingwood, Texas) qualified the car 10th in the class with her 2:09.672 lap averaging 98.834 mph. Van Wijk, the only female car owner running in the Rolex Series, is sharing driving duties this weekend with Skip Barber Racing School, LLC Chairman Michael Culver.

"It was a pretty good lap," Van Wijk said. "I still feel like I could make a few changes, but definitely the changes that we did make are really good. The infield is real slippery, so it's never going to be completely exactly like I want it. But, we improved, so that's good."

The Paul Revere 250 is part of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Pepsi 400 race weekend at Daytona International Speedway. The historic 'midnight running' of the Paul Revere 250 will get underway immediately following Nextel Cup qualifying on Thursday night at approximately 11 p.m. Tickets and additional information about the event are available at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com.

G&W Motorsports, based outside of Danville, Va., at Virginia International Raceway, is the most successful team in the Rolex Sports Car Series, capturing the inaugural GT championship in 2000, both the GT and GTS championships in 2001 and the SRP II championship in 2003. G&W Motorsports is the only team to compete in every Rolex Series race since the series' inception, accumulating 15 class wins and 45 podium finishes in class. For additional information on G&W Motorsports, visit www.gandwmotorsports.com.

-g&w-