RSR Motorsports Ready for Daytona's Challenge

ORLANDO, Fla.--With more than twenty test days completed, RSR Motorsports is ready to see a green flag during this weekend's GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge season opener at Daytona International Speedway. The trio of MINI Cooper S race cars--sponsored by Cruise America, Thor Motor Coach and US LED--will take on the ST class in hopes of picking up right where they left off last year.

Sarah Cattaneo and Owen Trinkler, driving the new No. 198 RSR Motorsports MINI, are encouraged after Test Days at Daytona just a few weeks ago. "The new car ran really well and we're just ready to go race," says Trinkler. "Our goal is to leave Daytona with a top-five finish. Another top five at Homestead will set us up well heading into Barber."

In addition to his RSR Motorsports driving duties, Trinkler is also competing in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. He will drive the Team Spencer Mazda RX-8 with co-drivers Jim Downing, David Murry, Dennis Spencer and Rich Grupp.

Cattaneo, who also carries sponsorship from Global Jet, feels that the huge ST entry list for Daytona might be a help, not a hindrance. "The test proved what we already knew: that Daytona is a challenging track for a MINI," she says. "But we have a great car and with so many ST cars, we should have a lot of opportunities for drafting through traffic."

Veteran series competitor VJ Mirzayan returns to RSR Motorsports for his third season with the team. He will be teaming up with series newcomer Chris Sarian for Daytona, driving the No. 195 MINI Cooper S. "We've got tough competition in the ST class this year, but I think an RSR car is capable of winning the championship," says Mirzayan. "The guys did a lot of work to rebuild the cars, and we'll be more competitive because of it. I'm really looking forward to this year, and to implementing what we learned last year."

Ron Farmer and Jason Hart, who are making their RSR Motorsports debut this season, will complete the team's lineup in the No. 196 US LED MINI. "We can get through Daytona's infield as well as anyone, but drafting on the high banks will be important," says Farmer. "It's going to be a challenging race, but we want to have a good outing in our first race with RSR Motorsports."

The GRAND-AM 200 at Daytona International Speedway starts at 1:30p.m. EST on Friday, January 28.

Source - News - Motorsport.com