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Created on Monday, 03 June 2013 08:30

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• Robin Liddell and John Edwards drive to their third win in a row at Belle Isle.

• Jordan Taylor wins pole and race with co-driver Max Angelelli and overtakes points lead.

Detroit, MI – June 1, 2013.  In the shortest race of the year, two hours, the Rolex Series did not disappoint when it came to drama, close racing and making history.  The race weekend looked to be marred by rain but when the green flag waved, the sun peeked through the clouds and the teams were able to run the duration of the race on their Continental ExtremeContact R tires.  On a slightly new track configuration, the Daytona Prototype (DP), Grand Touring (GT) and GX classes all put on a show that fans are sure to remember.

In DP action, Jordan Taylor made a big statement early in the weekend by placing the No. 10 Velocity WW Chevrolet Corvette on the pole for Saturday’s race.  Heavy rains Friday night left a green track for Saturday but a brief Rolex Series warm-up session, coupled with some early morning race action, left enough rubber on the track to create the right amount of grip for the start of the Rolex Series race.  Taylor took the lead early and never looked back.  

While several teams gave the No. 10 machine a run for its money, no one could overtake the powerful duo of Taylor and Max Angelelli who gave the team its second win of the 2013 season.  Angelelli held off second-place finisher, and last year’s race winner, Joao Barbosa, by a mere .486 seconds.

“It rained before qualifying, and we went out on a green track, so we kind of knew what to expect,“ Taylor following the race.  “Today was a little more unique because it was dry the whole morning.  It was warmer than it’s been and there was more rubber from our warm-up and Indy Car qualifying so the track had a little more grip, but then the heat kind of compromised it a bit.  I don’t think there was any drop-off in the tires and I think that was good for the racing.  It kept everyone close, whether Riley or Corvette, everything was competitive so it was a classic GRAND-AM race.”

Fan-favorite Max Papis kicked off Ferrari’s weekend with a bang in GT competition when he put the No 63 Ferrari AIM Motorsport w/FXDD on the pole.  Papis was fast from the word go but the Stevenson team of Robin Liddell and John Edwards had other plans.  During his stint, Liddell worked his way from fifth to first at a track that’s notoriously hard to pass on.  When Edwards assumed driving duties, he continued his quest for the win and logged a third-straight victory for the team and maintained the GT points lead.

It was up-and-comer, Tristan Nunez, along with co-driver Joel Miller who took top-honors in GX racing.  The win marked the first career Rolex Series win for Nunez and second in a row for the No. 00 Visit Florida Racing Mazda 6 team in 2013.

“The Continental tires worked great,” said Miller during a post-race press conference.  “The car obviously changes balance over the run but with the tools we had inside the car, we were able to use that and work with the tire.  The degredation was minimal and what we had in the car was able to compensate for that and I believe one of my quickest laps was there at the end.”

The GRAND-AM Series returns to the track at Mid-Ohio June 15 for a double-header that includes the Rolex Series and the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series.  Fans can catch live coverage on SPEED and MRN.  Check local listings for times.

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