driver debrief: Patrick Carpentier
What is the significance of your helmet design?
It used to be white and gold, but now it's red, white and gold. The red is because it's an aggressive color and I like to be more aggressive on the track. The white is for purity and the gold, of course, is for the top step on the podium. It has a couple of number sevens on the side that you can't really see; they're in the design [for luck]. There's a castle at the back because I used to do martial arts and meditation; that's like the Zen castle.
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Rolex 24 At Daytona Preparation Begins
The race to prepare for the 45th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 27-28, 2007 began on Tuesday at Daytona International Speedway, as CITGO Racing by SAMAX tested at the 3.56-mile, 14-turn road course.
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SAMAX - Utah race final
SAMAX/ Doncaster Racing finished the 2006 season fourth in the Rolex Sports Car Series GT championship, bolstered by a fourth-place class finish in the nine-hour season finale at Miller Motorsports Park on Saturday night. Rob Bell, Dave Lacey and Greg Wilkins raced as high as second in class during the final 4.5 hours of the race, but settled for fourth in the final half-hour.
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SAMAX - Utah race half
SAMAX/ Doncaster Racing posted a strong performance during the first half of the Rolex Sports Car Series season finale at Miller Motorsports Park on Saturday. Rob Bell, Dave Lacey and Greg Wilkins drove a steady pace to move from ninth to third in the GT class in the first 4.5 hours of the nine-hour race. The team anticipated ambient temperature changes after the noon start, so were able to adjust the car to match the conditions.
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SAMAX - Utah preview
SAMAX/ Doncaster Racing will enjoy local support during the nine-hour Rolex Sports Car Series race at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, on Sept. 2. Dave Lacey and Greg Wilkins of Toronto and Rob Bell of Northampton, England, will race the No. 17 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car with a boost from employees and suppliers of Barrick Gold Corporation – the biggest gold-mining company in the world – based in nearby Salt Lake City. Wilkins is chief executive officer of Barrick, so, he noted, "In some respects for me, this is a home race."
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SAMAX - Utah preview
SAMAX/ Doncaster Racing will enjoy local support during the nine-hour Rolex Sports Car Series race at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, on Sept. 2. Dave Lacey and Greg Wilkins of Toronto and Rob Bell of Northampton, England, will race the No. 17 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car with a boost from employees and suppliers of Barrick Gold Corporation – the biggest gold-mining company in the world – based in nearby Salt Lake City. Wilkins is chief executive officer of Barrick, so, he noted, "In some respects for me, this is a home race."
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SAMAX - Infineon race
SAMAX/ Doncaster Racing notched a strong seventh-place GT finish in Saturday's Rolex Sports Car Series race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. Toronto drivers Dave Lacey and Greg Wilkins quickly learned the challenging 2.52-mile road course through the race weekend, posting consistently faster lap times in the No. 17 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car.
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SAMAX - Infineon qualifying
SAMAX/ Doncaster Racing will start the Rolex Sports Car Series race at Infineon Raceway from 12th on the GT grid. Greg Wilkins qualified the No. 17 SAMAX/ Doncaster Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car that he shares with Dave Lacey, lapping the 2.52-mile road course in Sonoma, Calif., in one minute 41.481 seconds. Wilkins will drive the first race stint on Saturday, followed by Lacey.
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SAMAX - Infineon preview
The Aug. 26 Rolex Sports Car Series race will be the first at Infineon (Sears Point) Raceway for the SAMAX/ Doncaster Racing drivers, but they will be ready – both on and off track. Dave Lacey and Greg Wilkins of Toronto will drive the No. 17 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car in Saturday's two-hour 45-minute race on the 2.52-mile road course in Sonoma, Calif.
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CITGO/SAMAX and Patrick Carpentier
Patrick Carpentier will join CITGO Racing by SAMAX for the Aug. 26 Rolex Sports Car Series race at Infineon (Sears Point) Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. He will drive the No. 11 Pontiac-powered Riley Mk XI with Milka Duno of Caracas, Venezuela, replacing Olivier Beretta of Monaco, who was called away for a Michelin Formula One tire test.
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SAMAX - Barber race
The SAMAX/ Doncaster Racing crew prepared a strong race car for the Rolex Sports Car Series race at Barber Motorsports Park, but their potential was zapped by a wheel problem. Dave Lacey and Greg Wilkins drove the No. 17 SAMAX/ Doncaster Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car to a 14th-place finish, despite missing the first 32 minutes of the two-hour 45-minute race.
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SAMAX - Barber qualifying
SAMAX/ Doncaster Racing will start 11th on the GT grid for the Rolex Sports Car Series race at Barber Motorsports Park on Sunday.
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SAMAX - Barber preview
SAMAX/ Doncaster Racing will be back on track this week, after a four-week summer hiatus between races. Dave Lacey and Greg Wilkins, both of Toronto, will drive the No. 17 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car in the July 30 Rolex Sports Car Series race at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Ala.
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SAMAX - Mid-Ohio qualifying
SAMAX/ Doncaster Racing will start Saturday's Rolex Sports Car Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course from ninth on the GT grid. Dave Lacey qualified the No. 17 SAMAX/ Doncaster Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car that he shares with Greg Wilkins, posting a fast lap of one minute 29.904 seconds on the 2.258-mile road course (90.416 mph). The qualifying session was the team's first on the new track surface in dry conditions.
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CITGO/SAMAX honorary team captain
CITGO Racing by SAMAX will introduce a young team leader during the Rolex Sports Car Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Bailey Dull of Ashland, Ohio, age 4, will be the CITGO/SAMAX honorary team captain for the June 24 race. He and his mother, Trish Baxton, will carry the team's flag during pre-race ceremonies.
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SAMAX - Watkins Glen qualifying
The No. 17 SAMAX/ Doncaster Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car will start fourth on the GT grid for the June 3 Rolex Sports Car Series six-hour race at Watkins Glen International. The grid was set by team standings when the Friday qualifying session was replaced by a practice session to compensate for track time lost on Thursday due to legal issues.
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SAMAX - Watkins Glen preview
The SAMAX/ Doncaster Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car will carry a new number in this week's Rolex Sports Car Series race, but the same talented team will be behind the wheel. The Toronto trio of Dave Lacey, Greg Wilkins and Mark Wilkins will switch from No. 71 to No. 17 for the six-hour race at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International on June 3.
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SAMAX - Lime Rock race
SAMAX Motorsport had a short track day at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn., as both team cars made an early exit from the May 29 Rolex Sports Car Series race on the 1.53-mile road course.
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SAMAX - Lime Rock qualifying
Greg and Mark Wilkins have bettered their lap times every session in preparation for Monday's Rolex Sports Car Series race at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn. The Toronto father-and-son pair are rookies on the 1.53-mile road course, but they're learning the track quickly. Their task is less complicated this weekend because the race will feature GT-class cars only, without the Daytona Prototypes that usually share the track in Rolex Series races.
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SAMAX - Lime Rock Preview
SAMAX Motorsport will spend the U.S. Memorial Day holiday on track, competing in the May 29 Rolex Sports Car Series race at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn. Mark Greenberg of Boston will join Ryan Hunter-Reay of Boca Raton, Fla., in the No. 17 SAMAX Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car. Father and son Greg and Mark Wilkins of Toronto will drive the No. 71 SAMAX/ Doncaster Racing Porsche.
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SAMAX - Phoenix race
SAMAX Motorsport had a disappointing finish to a strong Rolex Sports Car Series race weekend at Phoenix International Raceway. Ian James started the No. 17 SAMAX Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car third on the GT grid, based on Ryan Hunter-Reay's qualifying race result. James dropped back with handling issues, but stayed in the top five through his stint. He pitted on the last of his fuel reserve - unfortunately, one lap before a caution period that would have provided ideal pit timing. Hunter-Reay took over, returning to the track seventh in class. He was charging ahead when he was hit by another GT car. The contact broke the right and center front radiators on the car, taking him out of the race. The pair were scored 12 th in class.
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SAMAX - Phoenix qualifying
The No. 17 SAMAX Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car will start the Rolex Sports Car Series race at Phoenix International Raceway on Saturday evening from third on the GT grid. Ryan Hunter-Reay earned a third-place start position and also finished third in the Friday evening qualifying race on the 1.51-mile infield road course. He grabbed second place after 20 minutes of the 30-minute race, but was forced back to finish third.
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SAMAX - Phoenix update
Ian James of Paradise Valley, Ariz., will drive three race cars at Phoenix International Raceway this week. As previously announced, he will race the No. 17 SAMAX Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car in the Rolex Sports Car Series race on Saturday evening. He will also qualify the No. 11 CITGO Racing by SAMAX Pontiac-powered Riley Mk XI in the Daytona Prototype class for the same race. He will warm up Saturday afternoon, racing a Mustang in the Phoenix Grand-Am Cup race.
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SAMAX - Phoenix preview
SAMAX Motorsport will make a fast change from racing on the rolling natural road course at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, Calif., to the tight infield track at Phoenix International Raceway. With just six days to change car setup, travel and prepare for the next Rolex Sports Car Series race on May 13, team time will be at a premium.
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SAMAX - Homestead preview
The SAMAX Motorsport crew made a fast change from international mode to hometown, returning from the Rolex Sports Car Series race in Mexico City to prepare for the next event at Homestead Motor Speedway in Homestead, Fla. The team is based 70 miles north of the track in Pompano Beach, Fla., ensuring a quick commute for the March 25 race.
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CITGO/SAMAX - Mexico race
Milka Duno and Marino Franchitti raced to a hard-fought 16th-place finish in the March 4 Rolex Sports Car Series race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. Duno started the No. 11 CITGO Racing by SAMAX Pontiac-powered Riley Mk XI from 20th on the 37-car grid. She moved up to 17th after 17 minutes of the two-hour 40-minute race and stayed in the top half of the field throughout her stint.
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SAMAX - Mexico qualifying
Two Tuttle Team Racing by SAMAX cars will take the green flag for Saturday's Rolex Sports Car Series race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City - one driven by Brian Tutttle and Jonathan Cochet, the second in the hands of Oswaldo Negri and Mark Patterson, driving for Michael Shank Racing. Tuttle offered his backup car after MSR's primary car was damaged beyond timely repair in a crash Friday morning. Although Patterson is a key rival for the Jim Trueman Award, Tuttle felt it was important to share his second car.
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CITGO/SAMAX - Mexico qualifying
The No. 11 CITGO Racing by SAMAX entry will start 20th on the 37-car grid for the Rolex Sports Car Series race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City on Saturday. Milka Duno qualified the Pontiac-powered Riley Mk XI with a lap time of one minute 25.581 seconds on the 2.5-mile road course. She will drive the first stint of the two-hour 45-minute race, followed by her co-driver Marino Franchitti.
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CITGO/SAMAX - Mexico preview
The international strength of Milka Duno and Marino Franchitti will pace the CITGO Racing by SAMAX entry in the 2006 Rolex Sports Car Series, continuing their partnership in the next series race, set for March 4 in Mexico City. Duno, of Caracas, Venezuela, and Franchitti, of Bathgate, Scotland, have driven together in two Rolex 24 At Daytona races. They are looking forward to a full season as co-drivers of the No. 11 CITGO/SAMAX Pontiac-powered Riley Mk XI.
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CITGO/SAMAX - Rolex 24 final
The No. 7 CITGO/SAMAX Pontiac-powered Riley Mk XI finished eighth in the 2006 Rolex 24 At Daytona - the first 24-hour race for the new team. During the final six hours of the race, Milka Duno, Dario Franchitti, Marino Franchitti and Kevin McGarrity paced a strong recovery from an earlier drive-shaft failure and a broken right-rear suspension. Only half of the 30 entered Daytona Prototypes finished the race, putting the CITGO Riley in elite company.
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SAMAX - Rolex 24 final
The No. 17 SAMAX Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car recovered from an eventful night to finish seventh in the GT class in the 2006 Rolex 24 At Daytona. The team lost valuable track position while the car's radiator was replaced, but driver Johnny Mowlem also set the third-fastest GT lap of the race during a double night stint. The mixed fortunes continued with the loss of power steering late in the race, balanced by consistent drives by Mowlem, Lance David Arnold, Bryan Sellers, Jan Seyffarth and David Shep.
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