The Racer's Group announce Daytona entries

six-car fleet

The Racer's Group (TRG) will field six Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars in the 2005 Rolex 24 At Daytona. The fleet will be driven by a talented international group.

TRG team owner Kevin Buckler of Sonoma, Calif., will join 2004 Rolex Sports Car Series SGS champions Marc Bunting of Monkton, Md., and Andy Lally of Dacula, Ga., in the No. 65 (champions) Porsche. Carlos de Quesada of Coral Gables, Fla., and Hugh Plumb of Chadds Ford, Pa., will also drive with them in the 24-hour endurance race.

Father and son Joe and Jay Policastro of Latrobe, Pa., will return to defend their 2004 GT win at Daytona, this time driving the No. 64 (Daytona defenders) Porsche. In 2004, their Classic Industries Porsche led all but 97 minutes of the 24-hour race, won the GT class and finished second overall. Their 2005 Daytona partners will be Miguel Amaral and Pedro Couceiro of Lisbon, Portugal, who finished third in the 2004 Spanish GT Championship.

The No. 61 (Canadian) entry will also feature a father-and-son duo. Greg and Mark Wilkins of Toronto will drive with Dave Lacey of Toronto and David Shep of Caledon, Ont. The Wilkins and Lacey scored an SGS podium finish at Daytona in 2004.

Top Porsche Club of America drivers Derek Clark of Corona del Mar, Calif., Pat Flanagan of Aliso Viejo, Calif., and Dave Master of Houston, Texas, and Santa Fe, N.M., will team with Marc Sluszny of Antwerp, Belgium, in the No. 63 (traders) Porsche. All four work in the financial industry, so they will be able to trade driving and business tips between race stints.

TRG will also welcome an all-Japanese driver lineup -- Akira Fujita of Yokohama, Akira Hirakawa of Hiroshima and Takashi Inoue, Kiichi Takahashi and Hiroshi Wada, all of Tokyo, will share driving duty in the No. 62 (Porsche Club Japan) Porsche.

As previously announced, the No. 16 (Team16) Porsche will be driven by Brad Coleman of Martinsville, Va., Colin Braun of Ovalo, Texas, Adrian Carrio of Monument, Colo., and Ross Bentley of Redmond, Wash.

"After 11 years of competing at the Rolex, TRG just keeps gathering more and more momentum. I'm really excited about putting together this fantastic group of drivers and friends under our banner," Buckler said. "This will definitely be no easy task, but I think the size of our team will serve us well in sharing a lot of technology and resources. From our engineering to our catering, the whole effort will be first class, and I'm looking for a real strong result."

The Rolex 24 At Daytona is scheduled for Feb. 5 and 6 on the 3.56-mile Daytona International Speedway infield road course in Daytona Beach, Fla.

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