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Alex Job Racing Porsche Impresses At Roar Before The Rolex 24

The unprecedented temperatures made the Roar Before the Rolex a very interesting as well as difficult test race. The race was filled with surprises and no one even thought that such weather conditions would lead to break all the previous records. The champion drivers have shown their caliber that they are made of steel and these drivers are going stronger and faster with time. The team which impressed the most was the No. 23 Foametix/Battery Tender/Alex Job Racing/Porsche 997 GT3 Cup as the team showed its determination to outrace others in not only the Roar Before the Rolex but is also looking forward to winning the 2010 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series season opener the Rolex 24 At Daytona. The team ran a record fastest lap for a Porsche in the GT class and had the second fastest time ever in the three day test event. The Alex Job Racing is all geared up for the main race that is season’s opening race the Rolex 24 At Daytona which will take place on the last weekend on the month of January 2010. Rolex has been associated with the Roar Before the Rolex as the brand wants the sport lovers to enjoy more breathtaking and exciting sports. It is an effort by Rolex to bring the world champions of motorsports at one place and help them have a good time with their cars.

The car No. 23 Foametix/Battery Tender/Alex Job Racing/Porsche 997 GT3 Cup has lined up with five drivers and each racer is champion in his own way. The racer Drivers Claudio Burtin, Mitch Pagerey, Jack Baldwin, Dominik Farnbacher and Martin Ragginger have shown caliber to win any race and has been practicing very hard for the Rolex 24 At Daytona. The tracks of Daytona International Speedway has seen racers at their best in the Roar Before the Rolex and enthusiast fans are waiting for the main event that will take place on January 30-31st. The weather conditions brought out the best of Martin Ragginger as he raced the lap in the time of 1:49:627 with an average speed of 117 mph. The speed gave the Alex Job Racing the kick start it was looking for to race in the test event.

The Roar Before the Rolex has roared out the lion out of its den and this year the real lion is the Alex Job Racing. The race has been so smooth for the team that it has amazed the team engineer Greg Fordahl and crew chief Kerry Foote. The crew will be making some small adjustment in the No. 23 Porsche to make it run even faster than what it performed in the previous test race. The entire team has gelled very well and covered 158 laps with flawless performance. The team is hoping for the same flawless performance for the Rolex 24 At Daytona and champion drivers are working very hard to race the car at a higher speed. The crew is bringing in changes in the car so that the car attains that speed and maintains that speed too. The real test for the No. 23 Porsche will be during the 2010 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Season Opener the Rolex 24 At Daytona and fans are waiting to see Alex Job Racing out shine its own previous performance. The coming weekend will be more inciting and rabble-rousing for the fans and all this is possible only because of Rolex.

Thanks Tim, we are going to work hard to get a good result this year. I think we suprised a lot of the other Porsche teams by posting that time with the oldest 997 Cup in the field, as it has a bit less power than the 09 cars even with their inlet restrictor. Greg

Thanks to Tim Pruitt for stopping by today at Daytona...unfortunately we were in the middle of a mad dash to qualify after a crash yesterday in practice. Hopefully he and the other SE 944 racer wi. his son will stop by to get the full tour before the race. We need to get a few pics of a young man with our race car. Greg F

First of all, a BIG congrats to Greg and his team for finishing the race and placing 12th in GT and 19th overall. I'm sure it is a diappointment for any crew not to win but after seeing the race firsthand, to finish at all is most impressive.The pounding these cars take is unbelievable! The difference in the physical appearance of the cars before they take the green and after the checker is hard to describe. To travel about 2600 miles in 24 hours under race conditions really takes it's toll on the cars as well as the drivers and crew. My hat is off to you Greg!

We managed to steal a few minutes of Greg's time and he really came through for my kid. It was one of the highlights of our trip. As it turns out, one of the guys in our party knew Greg from one of his stints with Mike Levitas and Randy Pobst. We got to watch Greg work for a good while and his attention to detail is amazing. It paid off when his car was leading the class for several laps and was clearly one of the cars to beat. I'm not certain but I think the #23 had the second fastest GT lap in the race. After seeing what the TRG guys brought to the table Greg's team had their work cut out for them (strength in numbers but give me a break!). I guess no matter how much work and prep you do, how fast your drivers are, and the capabilities of your car, it all boils down to luck. One episode of adversity makes staying at the top or the climb back that much more difficult.

Greg, thanks for taking the time to talk with us. We will be cheering you on the rest of the season!

They probably didn't know that the transmission broke while we were in the lead up in the booth. We had to install a spare trans back in the garage that was loaned to us by the transmission builder. The mainshaft twisted and would not allow it to go into 2nd or 1st gear. It was killing us in the horseshoe, so we made the call to go back and change it out. Really a shame after paying $30K to have the trans completely rebuilt before the race and have it take us out. We lost 44 laps during the swap, an unrecoverable margin. I am glad some of the Florida guys could come out and I saw Eric Rupert there with Mazda clothing on....( traitor! ) Greg F

Steve,

It was nice to see you and your son at the race. He looked like he was having a great time and Dad seemed to be having fun too.

Greg,

Thanks for the time you spent with my friends and I. We had a great time at the race as always. This race was our 26th anniversary race at Rolex 24hr.

Greg your insight puts our racing budget, if there is such a thing, in perspective. Are you going to be at Sebring next weekend? I plan on going Saturday and seeing the 944 Cup guys.

I think I am scheduled to be at the Sebring 12hr race engineering a pair of 2010 Porsche Cup cars for AJR. I don't know if we will use the PCA or HSR weekends for testing as yet. I thought that some of the people on this list would get a kick out of a $30K rebuild.... here's some more Daytona trivia to make you all appreciate your 44.

Tire bill: $55,000
Engine rebuild for race: $33,000
Valve job after test days when new engine showed high leakage: $22,000
Fuel: $7500
Brake pads: $3500
Bumpers: 3 @ $2300 ea.
Think I will go out and hug my car now.... Greg F

Back in '03 Alex offered me a seat in one of the ALMS cars for 25k (for 1 race). Looking at your budget, that doesn't seem so bad. Still waaaaaaaaaaaaay out of my price range.