For Immediate Release
Contact Laz Denes
True Speed Communication
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Date: Jan. 28, 2010
Event: The 48th Rolex 24 At Daytona (Round 1 of 12)
Series: Daytona Prototype division of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series
Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (3.56-mile, 14-turn road course)
Pole Winner: Max Angelelli of SunTrust Racing (1:40.681 at 127.293 mph)

Picking up right where it left off after last summer’s win in the Brumos Porsche 250, and having clocked the fastest lap in the three-day Roar Before the Rolex 24 test earlier this month, the No. 10 SunTrust Ford Dallara of Wayne Taylor Racing is at the front of the pack once again after Max Angelelli qualified the SunTrust Racing machine on the pole Thursday for this weekend’s Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Angelelli, who won this event in 2005 co-driving with team owner Wayne Taylor en route to that season’s Rolex Series championship, toured the 3.56-mile, 14-turn superspeedway road circuit with a fast lap of 1 minute, 40.681 seconds (127.293 mph) to earn the team’s first pole since August 2008 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. Angelelli’s lap today was more than three-tenths faster than fellow front-row qualifier Oswaldo Negro, who turned a 1:41.100 (126.766 mph) in the No. 60 Michael Shank Racing Ford Riley.

“I was pretty confident because our SunTrust Ford Dallara has been so good here,” said Angelelli, who’s joined for this weekend’s twice-around-the-clock marathon by newly named fulltime co-driver Ricky Taylor, as well as Wayne Taylor and Portuguese former Formula 1 competitor Pedro Lamy. “We have a good car, it’s been fast here, and we won the race in July. So now it’s up to us as drivers to make it happen in the race. We are at Daytona, where our Dallara has always been good, like last year if you remember at the 24-hour, and in the middle of the season when we won. So, this track suits our car. At the same time, we have finished all of our developmental stages with the Dallara in the last year, so now we can concentrate on setting up the car for the racetrack. Last year, every race was something new to test, so there was no time to set up the car for the race. We finally got the package right and we can finally concentrate on setting up the car for the racetrack. After everything we went through last year, and losing out on the championship at the last race, this is great. It’s good for morale, and good for everybody.

“We wanted this pole. Of course, in racing, you have to make things happen, and we worked hard for this pole, preparing ourselves and the car. There is an advantage starting up front, no matter how long the race is. It was important for all of us. For me, I can’t deny it. It’s important, the Daytona 24-hour, with all the cars, all of whom are racing at a very high level. It’s very competitive, and that makes it that much better for everybody, for SunTrust, for Dallara, for Ford, for everybody.”

Angelelli’s previous best qualifying effort for the Rolex 24 came in 2007 and 2005, when he was second. Today’s pole was the 11th for SunTrust Racing since it joined the Rolex Series in 2004.

“Well, I’m ecstatic with the result,” said Wayne Taylor, who in addition to 2005 won this race in 1996. “Max was incredible. Travis (Jacobson, technical director), Simon (Hodgson, general manager), everybody on this team, they made a really good car. We have great engines from Roush Yates. Dallara has been working tirelessly to give us what we need. Even though in the big picture of things it only counts where we are on Sunday at 3:30, to start the weekend on the pole puts everybody in such a better frame of mind. Now, we know we have a fast car. Now, we can concentrate on how we can make it easy for everybody to drive and how we can take care of everything and make it last.

“It’s the biggest race of the year, it’s the first big race anywhere in the world this year, so to be on the pole is important. And for me, it’s for SunTrust. They have backed me from the beginning. We have gone through tough times and a lot of good times. Everybody in this organization is motivated to promote their brand, as well as that of Toshiba, Dallara, Roush Yates Ford engines, Pirelli tires. Now, we look forward to the race, where anything can happen. I said to someone the other day that I don’t believe I’ve ever come to a 24-hour race more prepared than this one. That said, I also know that the slightest thing can go wrong – a 30-cent wire can break – so you need a lot of luck, too. But starting on the pole certainly sets the tone, and I like it.”

The top-five in qualifying were the following teams:

1. SunTrust Racing (No. 10 Ford Dallara) with Max Angelelli, Ricky Taylor, Wayne Taylor and Pedro Lamy (1:40.681 at 127.293 mph)

2. Michael Shank Racing (No. 60 Ford Riley) with Oswaldo Negri, Burt Frisselle, John Pew and Mark Wilkins (1:41.100 at 126.766 mph)

3. Michael Shank Racing (No. 6 Ford Riley) with Michael Valiante, Brian Frisselle, Mark Patterson and A.J. Allmendinger (1:41.110 at 126.753 mph)

4. Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (No. 02 BMW Riley) with Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti, Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya (1:41.147 at 126.707 mph)

5. Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (No. 01 BMW Riley) with Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas, Max Papis and Justin Wilson (1:41.164 at 126.685 mph)

Race time Saturday is 3:30 p.m. EST, with SPEED-TV’s 16 hours of live coverage kicking off at 3 p.m. Practice resumes this evening and concludes Friday afternoon. Complete results from all on-track sessions, as well as live timing and scoring during the race, can be found at www.grand-am.com.

– SunTrust: The Official Bank of Motorsports –

SunTrust Banks, Inc., headquartered in Atlanta, is one of the nation's largest banking organizations, serving a broad range of consumer, commercial, corporate and institutional clients.  As of September 30, 2009, SunTrust had total assets of $172.7 billion and total deposits of $119.3 billion.  The Company operates an extensive branch and ATM network throughout the high-growth Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states and a full array of technology-based, 24-hour delivery channels.  The Company also serves clients in selected markets nationally.  Its primary businesses include deposit, credit, trust and investment services.  Through various subsidiaries the Company provides mortgage banking, insurance, brokerage, investment management, equipment leasing and capital markets services.  SunTrust’s Internet address is suntrust.com.