#DetroitGP #Porsche #TullysCoffee
Irish Porsche driver Damien Faulkner and Team GB Autosport (Global Barista Autosport) are off to Michigan this week for the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix. It’s a 100-minute race on this 2.35 miles circuit track, which starts at 5.30pm Irish-time on Saturday, 31st May. For Irish viewers, live coverage starts at 5pm on Motors Sports TV UK (Sky 447) – so make sure to set it to record now!
“This race takes place on Belle Island and is a street circuit,” says Damien. “I really like the street circuit challenge. Usually these tracks are bumpier than a normal road course, requiring a lot of car set-up prep and gusto from drivers. But GB Autosport have come alive now and we are aiming to be at the front”
This will be the team’s fourth race in the new IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship – formed from the American Le Mans Series and the Rolex Sports Car Series. Virtually unknown in December, Team GB Autosport – who are sponsored by Tully’s Coffee – are now perceived to “have all the ingredients of needed for success,” according to their recent glowing write-up in SportsCar365.com:
Founded by former Dempsey Racing partner Michael Avenatti late last year, the Los Angeles-based attorney teamed up with veteran team manager and strategist Cole Scrogham to assemble the upstart GT Daytona class effort.
“Cole had approached me on the potential of us getting a program together,” team principal Avenatti told Sportscar365. “I was very intrigued by that, largely due to his past experiences and involvement in racing.
“I consider him to be one of the most knowledgable and liked individuals in the paddock. He has been instrumental in building this program and the people we’ve been able to bring aboard.”
Scrogham, who previously worked with the Green Hornet and Dempsey squads, had come off a successful run with BAR1 Motorsports, helping take the PC team to class wins in the final three races of 2013.
Building an entirely new operation, though, proved to be one of the biggest initial challenges, especially considering the time scale they were up against. The green light for the GB team – named after the initials of Avanetti’s Global Baristas, the parent company of Tully’s Coffee – was not given until late in the year once its entry request for the championship was finally confirmed. Click here to read the full article…
Practice and qualifiers for the Detroit Belle Isle Chevrolet Sports Car Classic run on Friday 30th May and warm-up begins at 8am EDT on the Saturday.
Belle Isle is a 982-acre island in the Detroit River, Belle Isle and was home to the Detroit Grand Prix from 1992-2001, using a temporary street circuit that was constructed specifically for the CART races. In 2007 and 2008, it once again hosted world-class racing with both the open-wheel cars of the IZOD IndyCar Series and the sports cars of the American Le Mans Series competing at the event. After a four-year absence, the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix returned to the island in 2012.
Race details: click here
Fan schedule: click here