EAST LANSING, Michigan (March 11, 2011) - JaguarRSR finalizes its driver lineup for the first endurance event of the year, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida, which kicks off the team's two-car assault in the 2011 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrόn. Completing the world renowned driver line up for JaguarRSR is Rocky Moran Jr., Kenny Wilden, and Oriol Servia.
Joining P.J. Jones behind the wheel of the #98 JaguarRSR XKR GT will be Moran Jr. and Wilden. This trio has similar career backgrounds and has had the opportunity to compete against each other in the past. Moran Jr. has won at every level of competition from national karting championships to the Barber Dodge Pro Series and Toyota Atlantics. The Californian has tested and/or raced Champ Car, IRL, Daytona Prototypes, NASCAR Busch, Winston West, Late Models, Indy Lights, Sports racer, F3 Martini, Palmer Audi, Infiniti Pro Series, Formula Fords, Pro Mazda, FF2000, and all karting classes.
Wilden has established himself as one of the best drivers and coaches in North America. The Canadian has earned four national championships with wins in many types of cars from showroom stock to endurance to open wheel, oval and prototype. His resume includes claiming the Players GM series crown in 1992, Michelin Enduro Series champion in 1994 and back-to-back runner-up positions in 1995-1996, multiple wins and podiums in the Atlantic Series and second overall in the championship in 1999, success in Trans-Am and Grand-Am series. His most recent accomplishment was winning the 2009 Grand-Am Koni Challenge GS.
Servia joins fellow open-wheel competitors and friends, Cristiano Da Matta and Bruno Junqueira, co-piloting the #99 car. Teaming up with Da Matta is nothing new for Servia, as they were teammates back in 2000 driving in Champ Car, and has had many years competing against each other and Junqueira. The Catalonian's racing resume highlights include finishing second in the Formula Renault championship in 1993, Indy Light champion in 1999, and finishing second in the Champ Car World Series championship in 2005.
All drivers were able to get acclimated with the XKR racer during a recent two-day test at Sebring International Raceway late-February. All were able to post lap times very close to one another and in the competitive range of times established at the Series Winter Test.
"It was an excellent opportunity to run as a two car team recently and give these candidates an opportunity behind the wheel," said Paul Gentilozzi, JaguarRSR Principal Partner. "We had the chance to evaluate their abilities, let them experience the car and get valuable feedback. I am confident in our driver lineup; I know each one of these guys has the talent and desire to put our JaguarRSR XKR GTs in the fight for results in the very competitive GT category."
The 59th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida takes the green flag at 10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, March 19. The race will be shown live and in its entirety on ESPN3.com and americanlemans.com starting at 10:15 a.m. ET. ABC will provide coverage from 12:30 to 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 20. Visit the American Le Mans Series' schedule page for more information.
WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY
Rocky Moran Jr., co-driver of the #98 JaguarRSR XKR GT
"I'm elated to have the opportunity to drive for the RSR Jaguar ALMS GT team and Paul Gentilozzi. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me and I am ready to make the most of it. It was so good to be back in a car for the first test we did at Sebring last week. I was instantly impressed with the team that Paul has put together from the moment that I arrived at the race track. Everyone was awesome to work with and I am very grateful to Paul for thinking of me and giving me this shot to re-emerge onto the sports car racing scene in such a competitive series. It is also really cool to drive alongside P.J. Jones as we have been friends since the mid 90's. P.J. has a lot of history with my dad, Rocky Moran Sr., having almost won the 12 hours of Sebring in the IMSA GTP era with Toyota's All American Racers. They went on to win the 24 hours of Daytona together. I hope to have the same success with P.J. in the ALMS series this year and am honored to pilot a Jaguar. I am looking forward to the race and sincerely feel that P.J., Kenny and I will make for a great combination for this first event of the year."
Oriol Servia, co-driver of the #99 JaguarRSR XKR GT
"I am truly excited to race the 12h of Sebring with the JaguarRSR team. To be part of the Jaguar family is an honor. I know that the team has been working hard all winter preparing the cars for this season and Sebring will be the perfect place to show the progress made. Teaming up with Da Matta and Junqueira only makes it better, not only are we great friends, but we have all raced for the same teams in the past and we have the utmost respect for each others abilities. It sounds to me like Mr. Gentilozzi is putting together a recipe for success and I cannot wait to get the first taste of it."
Kenny Wilden, co-driver of the #98 JaguarRSR XKR GT
"I am thrilled to be racing for Paul Gentilozzi and the JaguarRSR team. Paul and I raced together in Trans-Am; we had a lot of good battles on track and I look forward to working with him and I know he has a good team that can get the job done. It was a great opportunity to test the JaguarRSR XKR GT recently; we learned a ton during the two-day test. I look forward to getting back out there taking that information and continue to move forward with the car. The main thing for a race like Sebring will be focusing on longevity, keeping a good pace since it is a long event. I think pairing up with Rocky (Moran Jr.) and P.J. (Jones) is a good fit. We all have raced against each other at once point in our careers so I know they are competitive and good guys on and off track. We seem to have the same kind of liking in a car (setup), so that will be vital during testing and practice sessions to ensure we create a good, comfortable car for the race for all of us."
For more information, please go to:www.RSRJaguar.com; www.americanlemans.com
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