All-New Pirelli Cayman Interseries Endurance Cup Championship Debuts This Weekend at Palm Beach Grand Prix

Third Full-Season of Competition Kicks Off With Pirelli as New Sponsor and Exclusive Tire Supplier 

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (February 16, 2012) – The all-new Pirelli Cayman Interseries Endurance Cup Championship will make its official debut at this weekend’s Palm Beach Grand Prix at Palm Beach International Raceway (PBIR), February 17 – 19, where the world’s only racing series that pays tribute to Porsche’s accomplished motorsports history will begin its third full-season of competition.In addition to the first appearance of the series at PBIR, this weekend’s race marks the debut of Pirelli Tire North America as the new title sponsor of the Pirelli Cayman Interseries Endurance Cup Championship.  The new partnership calls for the Pirelli P Zero racing slick to become the official and series-standard tire in all series races, and for Pirelli to work closely with series organizers in enhancing both competitor incentive programs and series-related marketing and advertising initiatives.A competitive field of both returning and debuting drivers this weekend will be led by two-time reigning Pirelli Cayman Interseries Champion Lee Davis and multiple series race winner Mark Sandridge.Davis, who lives in nearby Highland Beach, Florida, is back behind the wheel of his black and red No. 33 Cayman S that carries the colors of a Brun Motorsport Porsche 956 and Luna-C Clothing.  Davis, partnering with coach and co-driver Ryan Eversley, won both the Pirelli Cayman Interseries Sprint and Endurance Championships last year in addition to garnering his first Endurance title in 2010.Sandridge, who drives a white and red-and-yellow striped No. 49 Cayman S that is modeled after his 1994 IMSA Champion Team Salad Porsche 911 RSR, is expected to run his first full Pirelli Cayman Interseries season.  If so, Sandridge, and his coach and co-driver Joe Varde, will certainly give Davis and Eversley their strongest challenge as they seek another set of series championships.A debuting driver who could factor into the race-winning mix from the beginning is veteran and winning road racer Chris Gleason.  He will race the yellow No. 55 Cayman S, which is themed after a David Piper Racing/Sandeman Porsche 917K, a car that was driven to five race victories last season.

February 15, 2012 - The Mission Foods GT3 Cup Trophy USA by Car Amigo is preparing for another successful season featuring new venues, an expanded field, and another year of exiting side by side exclusive Porsche GT3 Cup races with its 2012 season opener at the Palm Beach Grand Prix at the Palm Beach International Raceway.

The series will hold its first event of the year during the Palm Beach Grand Prix on February 16 - 19 giving current and new teams and drivers the chance to get their racing season started early by taking advantage of the sunny Florida weather. The double-header weekend will kick off a five-event, ten-race championship which will take competitors from Palm Beach, to the historic Mitty at Road Atlanta followed by the rolling hills of Road America, coming back to Florida for the bumpy and trick Sebring circuit, and finishing in the high banks of Daytona.

The Mission Foods GT3 Cup Trophy is open to all Porsche GT3 Cup cars from 2000 to 2012 and will feature not only exclusive double headers at each of its events, but also trophies, prizes, and various contingency programs which will be announced shortly. Porsche GT3 Cup owners in an exclusive and competitive way at some of the top racetracks in the United States. 

Juan Gonzalez: Owner, Car Amigo

"We are excited to get our second season started at Palm Beach in only a few weeks and we are looking forward to another successful year after a great debut in 2011. We have put together a very interesting schedule that will give our competitors a chance to race in some of the best tracks in the county. We hope to keep growing our entries and woul dlike to invite all Porsche GT3 Cup owners to join our championship and make the most of their cars in a competitive, yet friendly and exclusive racing environment!"

About Mission Foods GT3 Cup Trophy USA by Car Amigo

The Mission Foods GT3 Cup Trophy USA by Car Amigo is a Championship for 911 996/997 GT3 CUp cars which is run as a class or stand-alone race. The series is part of the Porsche one make network and is positioned below the GT3 Cup Challenges to give owners of elder GT3 Cup cars the possibility to compete with their cars. It will be open to Porsche Cup GT3 RS/RSR cars from 2000 to 2012.

The series is divided into three group sthat will compete for their own championship points and prizes. Group 1 will be for all 997 GT3 Cup cars, Group 2 will be for the older 996 GT3 Cup cars, and Group 3 will be an open category for any other GT3 Cup car that does not apply to the first two groups including RSRs, GT3Rs and Rolex cars.

From amateur drivers to professional racing teams, the series will be able to accommodate all GT3 Cup owners by offering a wide array of customizable services including car preparation, driver coaching, data acquisition services, catering and hospitality, among others. The newly formed Championship will join a variety of sanctioning bodies as it forms a unique and exciting exclusive Championship throughout the United States.

The series will hold its own season long championship and will feature exclusive sprint and enduro races at every race weekend. Prizes and trophies will be provided by Mission Foods and Car Amigo and will be given to the top championship and individual event top finishers. For more information: www.gt3cuptrophyuse.com

About Mission Foods

Mission Foods, headquartered in Irving (Dallas area), Texas and Gruma S.A.B de C.V., a Mexican corporation, was founded in 1949, and is one of the largest tortilla manufacturers in the United States. Gruma S.A.B. de C.V. is the parent company of Mission Foods (Gruma Corporation) and is a leading Mexican producer of corn masa flour and tortilla products. It has operations in Mexico, the United States, Central and South American, Europe and Asia. For more information please visit: www.missionmenus.com

About Car Amigo

Car Amigo is a motorsport restoration and preparation business specializing in restoring racing, muscle and historic cars. This Dallas, Texas based company offers complete rebuilds and custom fabrication as well as consignment and sales of history's finest automobiles. For more information: www.caramigo.com

PALM BEACH, Feb. 13, 2012-SSS Points now available at RACEPBIR.com. Download them here.

The Palm Beach Grand Prix returns for its second year with three full days of racing at Palm Beach International Raceway the weekend of February 17 through 19. At the facility-wide motorsports event spectators can enjoy up-close action at various events from racing to car shows throughout the weekend.

The Palm Beach Grand Prix is an event where the roar of vintage and modern race cars collide featuring the racing action of the Historic Sports car Racing (HSR) Series, the Historic Moto Gran Prix Motorcycles, The Louis Chevrolet Endurance Series, and the Nordic Camaro US Race. Of these several classes racing during the weekend fans can see everything from historic sports racing cars to fifth generation Camaros in the Camaro only racing series.

When fans aren’t watching the raceway they have plenty to explore including the Palm Beach International British Car Show on Saturday and the SuperCarWeekend.com ShootOut on display on Sunday.

“At Palm Beach International Raceway it’s all about the fans… After the success of the inaugural Palm Beach Grand Prix in 2011, we’ve once again worked this year to offer nothing less than a thrilling and entertaining experience for motorsports enthusiasts in 2012,” said Jason Rittenberry, President of Palm Beach International Raceway. “We can assure our fans that the Grand Prix will be a weekend of non-stop action, and that there will never be a dull moment of on-track activity.”

The Palm Beach Grand Prix will feature the perpetual HSR LeMans Trophy donated by five-time LeMans Champion, Derek Bell, to raise money for the Boys & Girls Club of Delray Beach. The trophy, which Bell hoisted in the winners circle at the Sarthe circuit, will be awarded to the team that accumulates the most points during the weekend for on-track performance, participation in kart races and participation in charity track rides. Spectators will have the opportunity to take rides around the Palm Beach International Raceway’s two-mile, 11-turn road course in a sports car where all proceeds will be donated to the charity.

“Once again, it is great to start the 2012 HSR seasons at Palm Beach International Raceway,” said Ken Fengler, Vice President of Race Operations for HSR.

Advanced discount tickets can be purchased online at www.racepbir.com. A special three-day advanced adult ticket can be purchased online for only $45. Adult single day tickets are $15 for Friday and $25 for Saturday or Sunday and children 12 years and under are free all weekend. 

Gates for spectators will open at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

February 12, 2012 (Palm Beach, FL) Rising American star Spencer Pigot swept all three races this weekend at Palm Beach International Raceway to emerge a clear winner of the Cooper Tires Winterfest Championship. The 18-year-old Team Pelfrey driver from Orlando, Fla., won Round Five this morning in style, taking the checkered flag 5.116 seconds clear of Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing teammate Trent Hindman, but had a much tougher time in this afternoon's final race as he was forced to fend off a determined challenge from the third Cape Motorsports entry, driven by Matthew Brabham.

“It was a great week here at West Palm winning all three races plus the other two back in Sebring,"declared Pigot. "It is a great way to start the season off with a lot of momentum and confidence going into the first race of the regular season in a few weeks. It hasn't been easy for sure even though we have been able to win a lot of races. With all the competition, there are a lot of really good drivers. We were able to put everything together when it mattered most. It has been a good few weeks with the team and I think we are just going to keep getting better and better.”

Pigot had a helping hand this morning when Neil Alberico (JDC Motorsports) snuck past Hindman into Turn One to claim second place. After a full-course caution to remove the stalled car of Michael Johnson (#54 Universal Coating/Coloplast/FlatOutNation.com/Red Line Oil), Pigot, who had started from the pole, took off at the restart and was never seriously threatened.

Hindman found a way past Alberico soon afterward, then pulled away to cement his runner-up position. Worse was to follow for Alberico as he came under intense pressure from Andretti Autosport teammates Shelby Blackstock and Thomas McGregor, both of whom managed to find a way past by Lap 15, leaving Alberico to fend off Australian-born Roman Lagudi in Belardi Auto Racing's #4 Champion Stone/Tool and Supply/High Performance Distributors Van Diemen-Mazda. Blackstock held on to third to claim his first podium finish in the Winterfest Championship.

The sixth and final Winterfest race began in familiar style as Pigot leapt directly into the lead from the pole. He was unable to hammer home his advantage, however, due to a pair of lengthy caution periods caused by heavy accidents that befell both Lagudi and Jason Wolfe, in the #23 Wolfe Trucking, Inc./JAY Motorsports/ProMotion Driver Development entry.

Brabham, who had dropped out of this morning's race with a gearbox problem, lost a place to Blackstock on the initial start, but repassed the Nashville, Tenn., native on the first restart, then out-braked Hindman for second place into Turn One at the final restart.

Brabham pressured Pigot as hard as he could over the remaining three laps but was unable to find any chinks in Pigot's defensive armor, so had to settle for second place. Pigot also snared the bonus point for fastest race lap to secure a maximum 99-point haul from the weekend.

Hindman ensured another 1-2-3 sweep for Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing, while Blackstock drove another strong race to take fourth ahead of the JDC MotorSports duo of Alberico and Scott Hargrove.

Hindman secured second place in the Winterfest by a five-point margin over Brabham, 140-135, and Blackstock finished fourth on 103 points. Pigot's winning tally was 187.

James Dayson, from Vancouver, B.C., Canada, took the National Class spoils this morning in the #12 Jensen MotorSport Van Diemen, and even though he was unable to start this afternoon's race due to a starter motor failure, he had already done enough to clinch the Winterfest National Class title.

The season-long Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda will commence with two races in support of the 60th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida at Sebring International Raceway on March 15-16.

PALM BEACH, Feb. 07, 2012-Relive history at Woodstock South. 1969 Music Festival ‎held at Palm Beach International Raceway.

PALM BEACH, Feb. 03, 2012-USF2000 Back In Action With Cooper Tires Winterfest Championship ‎

PALM BEACH, Jan. 26, 2012-Warming Up in Florida

PALM BEACH, Jan. 24, 2011-Testing / Practicing lines blurred at PBIR