DAYTONA APPETIZERS

 

BRAUN X 4, or 5, or 6 or …

Some fine young talent is starting to make waves in the Rolex Sports Car Series Presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16.

Ricky Taylor, Jordan “The Philosopher” Taylor (pictured at far right with big brother Wayne Taylor ((you’re welcome, man)) and Jared Beyer have been around  for awhile but they’re old news (man, imagine, “old news” when one has yet to crack 20 years. By comparison, drivers like SunTrust No. 10’s 25-year-old Brian Frisselle are old men. And, no, MaxAxe, I ain’t gonna go there with you). Such is not to say the preceding aren’t worthy of mention at any time – all of ‘em being outstanding gentlemen as well as up-and-coming racers - but they have been mentioned; above and previously - especially starting last year.

Thinking “young” though has evoked memories of one Colin Braun (left), who at 17 (for at least some of the season) and when “allowed,” paired with Jörg Bergmeister as the two won the 2006 Rolex Series Daytona Prototype driving championship.

Okay, so Braun didn’t actually get the trophy Rolex jewelry (which keeps time) and likely didn’t even get an asterisk-mention alongside Bergmeister’s name. But Braun’s place in the Rolex Series’ history book would’ve been lauded a tad more save interference from a suspension, here, and someone else’s contract, there (which serves as a great example as to how we humans are patently incapable of envisioning unintended consequences and likewise reminds that chilling is a far better idea than legislating at every turn. Oh, and should you take a contrary view and posture the human race as more than this writer claims, why, pray tell, do legislatures still exist if not to “plug holes” previously unforeseen? Now, back to the really important stuff …)

Yet, who among the Rolex Series faithful think Braun wouldn’t have otherwise shared in that championship absent of the unintended consequences encountered? Then again, there was that Watkins Glen Turn-One thing … but, still, it occurred at a ground speed greater than we mere mortals are normally, legally allowed to travel upon the byways. And when one is quickly traveling (1.5-feet X mph = feet per second) in real time, slo-mo replay isn’t exactly a feasible option after the fact.

Whatever, Braun was darn good (as is little brother Travis Braun, too, but in a slightly different manner) and still is, given his recent breakthrough Camping World Truck Series win. Heck, even the old man, Jeff Braun, is good. He needs to be, with him engineering the TRG GT-class Porsches all by his lonesome. I’m sure the family matriarch, Diane Braun, fits in there, somewhere. Mrs. Braun tends toward being a quiet type, but still waters run deep, you know.

In the present, reminding me of “Rolex Series Braun” in many respects is Dion von Moltke (below), an 18-year-old whose roots, while firmly in the U.S., extend similarly to the Republic of South Africa. He’s a sophomore at Florida International University, which has seven campuses scattered around Florida’s Dade and Broward Counties – mostly in Miami, though. Surely, his father and mother, Peter von Moltke and Freya von Moltke, have played as an important role in Dion’s life as that of Colin’s parents. (By the way, Helmuth Karl Bernhard Graf von Moltke back in his day rewrote some sections on the art of warfare; one wonders …)

Having earlier this year jumped fully into all things Grand-Am at Daytona after concentrating on the Koni Challenge in 2008, Von Moltke’s now on a roll by anyone’s standard. With co-driver Mike Sweeney, von Moltke has won Koni Challenge Street Tuner races at Watkins Glen and Mid-Ohio in a car – a VW, for gosh sakes – that hasn’t graced a professional sportscar series’ victory lane in a quarter-century or more.

Kevin Doran, whose ear was grabbed by someone possessing keen eye, listened and decided to give von Moltke, along with Hennie Groenewald (more on him, later) a shot in a DP at the June 22, post-EMCO Gears Classic Mid-Ohio Rolex Series DP test.

Folks at the test, which included the No. 2 Gentleman Jack Pontia…, er, Chev, um, GM (?) Crawford; Penske Racing’s Verizon Wireless No. 12 Porsche-Riley; GAINSCO No. 99 Chevrolet-Riley and others, started wondering aloud just who was driving Doran’s No. 77 Ford-Dallara.

On Saturday, with roughly half-the-world watching, von Moltke and Groenewald will race that DP at Daytona. Here’s hope Doran won’t be shaving anything off his gears this time (to save a few ounces) so that the gearbox’s tendency to return in more pieces than at race start doesn’t occur on the 3.56-mile road course … and in front of roughly half-the-world.

Von Moltke, Beyer and the Taylors are just some of the talent coming into the racing ranks and, being an old guy, it’s kinda fun to live vicariously through them as well as have memories jogged of similar times in your humble correspondent’s life … it was some very good years. Huh, MaxAxe?

SPEAKING OF GIDLEY AND YAEGER

Groenewald and von Moltke have an airline, South Africa Airways, behind them. Memo Gidley and Brad Jaeger (who at least has his very own and very nice airplane) don’t. And that bespeaks the cold, hard reality of racing. In case anyone lacks a clear understanding: it takes money to race. Well, actually, it takes money to live, too. It just takes slightly more to race.

Having gotten advance notice that Groenewald and von Moltke might well displace them, Gidley and Jaeger (at far left with Kevin Doran) could’ve made like a sewer pipe and gotten the crap out of Mid-Ohio after Saturday’s Rolex Series show but nonetheless hung (hanged?) for two days and worked with Groenewald and von Moltke at the Monday Mid-O test to get the latter two up to speed - even to the point of sharing and explaining personal data to the two “new kids.” (Well, one, inasmuch as Groenewald is 37).

Gidley and Jaeger did such even though they were likewise helping themselves out of a seat. Now, that’s true class however one may wish to skin it. I hope still others in the industry recognize it, too.

 

GROENEWALD’s WORK COMMUTE …

… Just about runs from the extremes of one hemisphere to another (they’re separated by a demarcation line called “The Equator” that, on the South American continent runs through Brazil and neighboring countries. Go down to Brazil, shack with Ozz Negri (Helio Castroneves lives next door) and check it out sometime; the line is big, black and how they got it to forever stick to the ground is …).

Every week or 10-days over the last couple of months Groenewald has hopped on a South African Airways plane and cruises. Man, talk about racking up “frequent-flyer” miles. Heck, Groenewald gets more miles in one roundtrip than most folks get in a lifetime (remember, 6 billion humans have yet to fly in an airplane, give or take a few hundred-million.)

Chasing a dream like car racing is a pretty demanding thing at times and Groenewald, at least in the Republic of South Africa, is even more popular than Connecticut’s Ted Christopher. Plus, Groenewald has won about two more national-level titles, too.

A legend in South African racing, Groenewald is South Africa’s Wesbank V8 Supercars’ leading historical race winner - knocking on 50 with a win and a spin just this past weekend - and this year is seeking a fourth-consecutive series championship. (Groenewald’s No. 1 Jag at Killarney in May at right, credit Tony Alves/tracksidepics). 

During an April 2009 Homestead-Miami Speedway Rolex Series GT test, Groenewald bested (unofficially, of course) Boris Said's five-year-old Rolex Series record by 2/10. Not too shabby for an HMS first-timer.

 

OFFICIALLY YOURS

Grand-Am put out a release Monday stating that 2004 Indy 500 and 2009 Rolex 24 champ Buddy Rice will on Saturday pair with one of his three Rolex 24 co-winners, Antonio Garcia, in the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Porsche Cayenne-powered Coyote for Saturday’s race.

The missive mentioned nothing about the two continuing with what will be the two-car Spirit team – at least at Daytona – for the remainder of the season but Garcia, at Mid-Ohio, was plainly looking forward to car developmental work.

Garcia has no illusions about the task and relishes the thought of again being a “test driver” which, he said, is what a “true” driver wants to do in his racing career.

“I’ve won races. I don’t need to prove that I’m a winner,” Garcia said. “Now, I want to test a car and myself. To see what I can get out of it and out of me. I still want to win races,” he continued, “but it will be in a car that I helped build.”

If you’re interested in hearing or asking questions about Garcia, Rice and the Spirit of Daytona, tune in tonight’s 7:05 p.m. ET to 8 p.m.Grand-Am Weekly Radio show, during which SOD-owner Troy Flis will be on hand to answer questions. JJ O’Malley, myself and show producer Wyatt Davis will be firing a few of ‘em but you can pose your on questions by calling (386) 523-1880. Catch the show’s Web stream at http://tiny.cc/00Wdn.

(Above: Darren Law, Buddy Rice and Antonio Garcia hearing every little sound made by the No. 58 Brumos Porsche-Riley as David Donohue drove to the 2009 Rolex 24 At Daytona finish.)

 

ONE LINERS …

The SunTrust car will be your basic silver starting at Saturday’s Brumos 250 in Daytona and lasts through Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, and I still like the 2004 black car best of all …

Scott Tucker’s new Supercar Life No. 95 tested with a BMW engine but the Riley was built for a Ferrari …

The good doctor Jim Lowe returns his Porsche to action Saturday at Daytona with Jim Pace and Johannes van Overbeek …

TRG has four cars entered in Saturday’s Brumos 250 at Daytona and Kevin Buckler won’t have to travel very far between series to see the other car, or two …

Later.

DC