Daytona24: Mitchum Motorsports preview

Mitchum Motorsports WeatherTech GT3 Porsche Supporting the Semper Fi Fund at 49th Rolex 24: Atterbury, Pobst, MacNeil and Whitis Racing to Win and to Raises Awarenes for Injured Troops

Virginia Beach, VA (January 26, 2011) - The Mitchum Motorsports #86 WeatherTech Porsche is proudly supporting the Semper Fi Fund as the team races twice around the clock at historic Daytona International Speedway. The Semper Fi Fund is a non-profit organization that provides financial assistance to post 9/11 injured servicemen and women and their families. The #86 car will proudly carry the flag of the Semper Fi Fund on the side of the car, raising awareness for the financial needs of injured servicemen and women who have served our country.

Racing the freshly prepped Porsche 997 GTS are Joey Atterbury, Randy Pobst, Cooper MacNeil and Derek Whitis. The four drivers will alternate driving throughout the 24 hours while staying rested and hydrated in between stints. The grueling race can take its toll on drivers and crew alike, but that is nothing compared to what many of our military heroes have to go through after being injured in combat defending our nation. Mitchum Motorsports is honoring these veterans the best way they can, by letting the racing community know there is a way to help. The team has asked all of its supporters to make a donation at www.semperfifund.org.

Team principal Chris Mitchum has had the team hard at work preparing the #86 car for the Rolex 24 at Daytona since returning from the test days earlier this month. Several final updates as well as a fresh, eye catching paint job have the car ready for the race. "We are ready to go racing. The Porsche showed great speed at the test days and all four drivers looked good in the car", said Mitchum. "The whole team is really excited about the performance of the car, our new sponsor (WeatherTech) and our association with the Semper Fi Fund. There isn't a more worthy cause to be involved with and I am proud and honored to do our part in raising awareness for our nation's heroes."

Pobst, who is trying for a third class victory at the Rolex 24, is very optimistic going into the race. "I am very pleased with the handling and performance of the Mitchum Motorsports WeatherTech Porsche. We are clearly on the pace of the lead pack based on the time sheets from the test days. Joey, Cooper and Derek make great teammates as we all are extremely focused on the task at hand" said Pobst. "The spirit and organization of the entire Mitchum team is the stuff of winners."

"You couldn't be more prepared for the Rolex 24 than we are", added Mitchum. "The car is ready, the drivers are relaxed and the crew is hungry for a win. We have all the bases covered including having Billy Johnson available to us as a back-up if we need him. We have raced against Billy in the Continental Tire series so we know how strong a driver he is. It's really nice to know he is on standby if we need him for this demanding 24 hour race."

Mitchum Motorsports will also be fielding two Chevrolet Camaros in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge GRAND-AM 200 race held on Friday January 28th. The #6.2 car will be driven by Joey Atterbury and Lawson Aschenbach while the #6 car will be driven by Jeff Bucknum and Robert Stout.

-source: mitchum mmotorsprots