It’s been an interesting year so far for the ROUSH Performance road racing team.  With a win at Daytona and a mechanical problem at Barber (resulting from another car going out of control), the team was eager to move on to Homestead for the third race of the season.  We’ve historically performed well at Homestead, with a 1st place finish in 2010 and a 2nd in 2011.

Practice leading up to the race went fairly well.  With a lap time that put us as high as P2 in practice with a 1:26.217, the No. 61 ROUSH Mustang driven by Billy Johnson and Jack Roush Jr., looked fairly strong, as did the No. 51 Mustang, driven by Jade Buford and Shelby Blackstock.  In qualifying, the No. 51 car lead the ROUSH team times and was third fastest in the field with a 1:26.296.

Over the past few years, the ROUSH team has consistently been strong.  In 2011, the No. 61 earned a podium in all but two races.  In one of these two races, the team had an on-track incident at Daytona that ended the race, while in the other the No. 61 Mustang had a mechanical problem that put the car several laps down.  The downside of doing well in racing is that there is a strong tendency of the series to places rules on you to slow you down.  It appears that the Grand-Am rule package present at Homestead finally made it impossible to keep the team’s record of podiums going.  Despite having balanced set-ups, a lack of incidents on-track, and great pit stops, the No. 61 Mustang scored a 5th, the 51 an 11th, and the 49 a 27th place finish.

“Hopefully we will see some changes within Grand-Am heading into the upcoming race in New Jersey,” says Jack Roush Jr.  “Grand-Am has a very difficult job in trying to keep parity between vehicles that are fundamentally different.  The challenge for us right now is that our ROUSH Mustangs have historically run so well.  As a result, it is now mandated by the series that we have the smallest brakes, the highest weight, and a restrictor on an engine that is smaller to begin with than that of the Camaros.  It’s a real testament to the performance of the Ford Mustang in the series that we have done so well despite this, but given the current rules for the other cars, we are now at a significant disadvantage that is very difficult to overcome.”
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http://www.roushperformance.com/blog/2012/05/roush-performance-earns-top-five-finish-at-homestead/ 

Check out the article I co-wrote with Jack Roush Jr. on how to use AIM data acquisition to improve your driving and lap times:
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http://www.roushperformance.com/blog/2012/04/4049/ 

Check out my comments on the 2012 ROUSH RS3 from Laguna Seca:
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http://www.roushperformance.com/blog/2012/04/2013-roush-stage-3-mustang-performing-at-waj-event/ 

Click the image above to read the 4-page article on MotoIQ.com

Billy Johnson makes his Rolex Daytona Prototype Debut during the 50th Anniversary of the 24 Hours of Daytona driving the #77 Doran Racing Ford DP with Paul Tracy, Brian & Burt Frisselle, and Jim Lowe.

Having never driven a DP before even in testing, Johnson was called in at the last minute to fill-in and drive the #77 DP for the first time during the race.

Johnson started the race in the #94 Turner Motorsports BMW M3 with Bill Auberlen, Jorg Muller, Boris Said, and Paul Dalla Lana.  Unfortunately the BMW suffered a mechanical issue and retired before the half-way mark in the race.  Johnson found himself driving back home to North Carolina that night and stopped at a hotel about 45 minutes away. 

The next morning while having breakfast, Johnson recieved an urgent phone call needing him to fill in and drive the #77 Doran DP.  Within an hour of that phone call, Johnson was at the track in an orange Combos racing suit and found himself behind the wheel of a Daytona Prototype on pit lane during the race.  Within 4 laps, Johnson was on pace and finished out a 2-hour double stint turning times within half a second of the cars best time of the race.

"Everyone at Doran Racing were just the nicest people.  They were very welcoming and helpful in getting me familiar with the controls of the DP since I have never even sat in a DP before." said Johnson.  "The car was a complete blast to drive.  I was having so much fun out there that it felt like I was in the car for less than 30 minutes.  I would like to thank Kevin Doran and everyone at Doran Racing and Roush-Yates Engines for the opportunity to drive their awesome car."

In part, Johnson helped the #77 DP to finish 7th over all in the race.  Unofficially, Johnson was the only driver to turn laps in both GT and DP for the 50th Anniversary of the 24 Hours of Daytona.

ROUSH Performance NASCAR-style podium celebration.

CONCORD, N.C. (Jan. 23, 2012) - The ROUSH Performance road racing team is proud to announce its plans for Daytona and the 2012 Grand-Am Continental Tire Series season.  For the first time in its history, the team will field three cars in its stable at the BMW Performance 200 at Daytona International Speedway on Jan 27; The No. 61 Mustang driven by Billy Johnson (San Clemente, Calif.) and Jack Roush Jr. (Livonia, Mich.), the No. 51 Mustang driven by Shelby Blackstock (Nashville, Tenn.) and Jade Buford (Brentwood, Tenn.) and the No. 49 Mustang Driven by Roly Falgueras (Fajardo, Puerto Rico) and Bryan Ortiz (San Juan, Puerto Rico).

The #61 ROUSH Mustang has had great in the series.  In the last two years (since Miller Motorsports Park in 2009), Billy Johnson and Jack Roush Jr. have earned 6 wins, 14 podiums, and 17 top five finishes.  "I'm really looking forward to be back with Jack in the #61 Roush Performance Mustang this year sporting the brand new 2013 bodywork," says Billy Johnson.  "Jack and I have had two amazing seasons in 2010 and 2011 finishing 3rd and 2nd in the Championship respectively and we look to continue the consistency and trend to finish 1st in the Championship this year in 2012."

"In the past, I've always taken great pride in the effort put forth running as a single-car team,” said Jack Roush Jr.  “Bringing in such a quality collection of drivers to work alongside with takes the program up a notch even higher.  I look forward to collaborating with them all on set-up, strategy and driving technique.”

However, this is not the first time that the ROUSH Performance team has fielded a two-car effort.  Last year, Blackstock and Falgueras competed against Roush and Johnson in the Continental Tire Series.

“We are very happy to again be part of the Roush family, continuing our more than 15-year relationship with them,” said Falgueras.  “It's also a real treat to once again work with Jeff Campey, who served as our crew chief in the 1995 Daytona 24 Hour race.”

"I am very excited to be driving the No. 51 Roush Performance Boss 302R with Jade, it is a huge opportunity and we are looking forward to a great season,” said Blackstock. “Last year was a great opportunity for me to be able to drive the Roush-prepared No. 51 Mustang with Roly Falgueras and we can’t wait to build on that in 2012. I want to thank Jack Roush Jr., Roush Performance and Ford for giving me this opportunity to be able to drive this amazing race car with a top team."

Buford and Ortiz have yet to run in a race with ROUSH Performance, but they both have years of experience running in Grand-Am, and both tested with the team at Daytona earlier this month. 

"Shelby and I work very well together," said Buford. "This showed itself during the Daytona test earlier this month where our lap times were near the top of the charts.  The new Boss 302R is an outstanding car to drive.  We are looking forward to a great season."

"For me it's an honor being able to drive with the ROUSH Performance team," said Ortiz.  "I’ve driven against them many times in the past as part of the NASCAR Diversity Program.  Now, thanks to Roly Falgueras, I will finally have the chance to drive with him.  I watched Roly race as I was growing up in Puerto Rico.  He is a smart driver with a lot of experience, and I'm sure that he will make a great teammate.  I can't wait for the race at Daytona!"

Buford and Blackstock will be driving the No. 51 Mustang for the entire 2012 season, while the list of races where the No. 49 Mustang will compete is still being determined.


The No. 61 Mustang is sponsored by Gary Yeomans Ford Lincoln (www.garyyeomansford.com), 
USANA Health Sciences (www.usana.com) ROUSH Performance (www.roushperformance.com)
Strategic Brand Solutions (sbsolutionsllc.com)
Performance Friction (www.performancefriction.com)
 Mechanix Wear (www. mechanix.com)
OMP (www.ompamerica.com)
Kooks Custom Headers (www.kookscustomheaders.com)
PWR (www.pwrradiators.com)
BMRS (www.bmrs.net)
GoPro (gopro.com).  

The No. 51 Mustang is sponsored by 
Starstruck and ViON (www.vion.com), 

The No. 49 Mustang is sponsored by MicasaFord.com.

The Continental Tire Series race takes place at 1:30pm (EST) on Friday, Jan. 27th.  For more information on the event, please visit www.Grand-Am.com.

Catch the Turner Motorsports LIVE webcam for the entire 24 Hours:

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/live-streaming-rolex-24-daytona.aspx 

Amesbury, Mass. - December 15, 2011 - Will Turner announced today that Dirk Mueller, Joerg Mueller and Dirk Werner will drive for Turner Motorsport's 2012 Rolex 24 at Daytona effort. The three BMW Motorsport drivers will join Bill Auberlen, Billy Johnson, Paul Dalla Lana, Michael Marsal and Boris Said in two Prep 2 GT class BMW M3s for Turner's third run for a Rolex watch in the twice-around-the-clock endurance classic. 

"For the 50th Rolex 24 at Daytona I wanted to assemble the strongest BMW driver lineup I could," said Will Turner. "I think the Turner Motorsport roster stands on its own as one of the strongest ever. I want to thank BMW Motorsport for their support and assistance. Last year we ran strong in the opening hours of the race before gearbox problems set us back. This year we return with two M3s on the back of a very successful 2011 Grand-Am season that included two GT victories. With luck we will add the team's biggest win to date." 

The Turner driver roster represents many of BMW's greatest 24-hour race victories worldwide. Synonymous with BMW racing for many years in the United States, Auberlen and Said co-drove a BMW M3 to the GT class win at the Rolex 24 in both 1997 and 1998. Said became the first American to win the 24 Hours of Nurburgring with his BMW Motorsport drive in 2005. One year earlier, Dirk Mueller, Joerg Mueller and the legendary Hans J. Stuck won the Nurburgring 24. Joerg Mueller was also part of the driving team that won the race in 2010. His first 24 hour win for BMW came at the Spa 24 in 1996. Dirk Werner has three 24 hour race victories in a BMW Z4 ; the Silverstone 24 in 2007 and the Dubai 24 in 2007 and 2008 driving a Z4 M Coupe. 

Dirk Mueller and Dirk Werner are also no strangers to Grand-Am competition. Werner won the GT driver's title for Porsche in both 2007 and 2009. Mueller has twice finished second in the Rolex 24 in 1998 and 1999, also driving for Porsche. Joerg Mueller has one previous start in the Rolex 24. 

Billy Johnson began his professional racing career as one of the first group of Formula BMW USA junior scholarship drivers in 2004. Johnson co-drove with Paul Dalla Lana in three GT races for Turner Motorsport last year with a best finish of fourth at Montreal. 

Paul Dalla Lana won the 2011 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Grand Sport driver's championship with Turner Motorsport. He also bested 235 BMW drivers to win the 2011 BMW Sports Trophy for the most successful privateer BMW driver in the world. 

Michael Marsal ran his second full CTSCC season with Turner last year and made two starts in the GT car. He finished second in GS points in 2010 with co-driver Joey Hand. 

The 50th Rolex 24 at Daytona will take the green flag at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 28th. The race will be televised on SPEED television. 

www.turnermotorsports.com

This season Jack Roush Jr. and Billy Johnson finished on the podium 8 times, with 3 wins.  Out of the past two years, this pairing has earned 17 top five finishes, 14 podiums, and 6 wins out of 20 races and finished 3rd and now 2nd in the Drivers Championship.  With 2012 on the horizon, they look to continue this consistency and finish on the top spot at the end of the 2012 season.

In his second race with Paul Dalla Lana in the #94 Turner Motorsports BMW M3, Billy Johnson passes the race leader to get back on the lead lap to power his way through the field for a 4th place finish at Montreal.  During this hard charge to the front, Johnson turns the fastest lap of the race with an average speed of 96.050mph.