Battling around a demanding 3.56 mile circuit for 24 hours is no small task. Doing it with 52 hard charging competitive racecarse and drivers is nearly impossible. The 53rd running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona was just that… nearly impossible. BAR1 Motorsports met the challenge. Taking on this unforgiving test of machines, drivers and teams requires preparation, perseverance, skill and maybe just a dash of luck.
The weekend started off with Johnny Mowlem putting the No.16 Autosport Designs / Southwest Realty Advisors / SpongeBob [The Movie] prototype challenge car on the class pole. Johnny locked up the pole position in the final lap of Friday’s qualifying session. Mowlem turned in a blistering time of 1:42.318 averaging 125.257 mph. The car started Saturday’s race 12th overall on the grid. The teams sister car, No. 61, sponsored by Southwest Realty Advisors / Autosport Designs Inc / Delta Powerboats, driven by Martin Plowman qualified 5th.
On race day, the car, crew and drivers were all in lockstep and launching an all out attack on the Prototype Challenge field. At one point, the team fell 11 laps back. Undeterred, the team fought back and when the checkered flag dropped, Martin Plowman was streaking across the finish less than one minute behind the leader to secure the second step on the podium. Job well done!
Unfortunately for the drivers and crew of BAR1’s sister car, the No. 61 Southwest Realty Advisors / Autosport Designs Inc / Delta Powerboats, an early engine failure on race day left them chasing the clock making repairs while losing valuable track position.
“To finish a 24 hour race is an accomplishment in itself,” noted team owner and No. 16 car co-driver, Brian Alder. “To stand on the podium in 2nd place, less than 1 min behind our class winner was truly the icing on the cake. And, there’s nothing like starting off the season with such a great result. In racing, seasons where everything comes together perfectly are few and far between. I feel like this year is going to be one of those years.”
“Heading home with a 2nd place finish in class and placing 10th overall is a great,” added Alder. “But I’m more excited about how well our drivers and crews worked together as a team… from both cars. Our guys have always had a never give up attitude… this past weekend that really showed. It was due to their effort in the early hours of the race that we were able to battle back from 11 laps down.”
“All of our drivers,” said Alder, “Tom Papadopoulos, Marc Drumwright, Martin Plowman, Johnny Mowlem, Tomy Drissi, Shelby Blackstock, Ivo Breukers, and Remo Ruscitti deserve a huge thanks for their great effort during the race. They were great”
Thanks to all of our crew who never gave up and fought till the very last lap:
Crew Chief – Mark Chittenden
Engineers – John Travis and Michael McLaughlin
Lead Mechanics – Colin Adams, Bobby Groner
Mechanics – Tomi Takase, Chad Simms, Grey Schneider, Kevin Ganey, Dan Nowacki
Pit Crew members – Rich Vance, Aaron Jackson, Jon Morgan, Jay Cottrell, Dirk Ehmann, John Keller, Chris Keller,
Spotters – Jason Renier, Brian Delaney, Frank Bloter, Sean Rayhall
And thanks to all of our sponsors…. Autosport Designs Inc. Southwest Realty Advisors, Top 1 Oil, and The Spongebob movie.
The BAR1 Motorsports team will be back in action for the 63rd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida on March 21 at Sebring International Raceway.