Author: tanya

The teams returns with the hugely experienced driver pairing of Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis.

The team return to action with a switch from their traditional Porsche machinery to bring the Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R to CTSC action for the first time this season, their #71 Rebel Rock Racing/Urban Grid/MVP Capital Camaro GT4.R committed for the final three races of this season ahead of an anticipated two-car effort in 2019, the team now owned by Frank Depew.

“Rebel Rock Racing is very excited to be returning to race action in IMSA, and particularly to be doing so at my home track, VIR,” said Depew, who is also an avid vintage racer. “We are focused on being fully prepared for a two-car effort starting at Daytona in 2019, and these next three races will be key for those preparations. We are happy to be running the Camaro GT4.R and feel like we’ve got the potential to have a top-level program so everyone is looking forward to getting to the track this weekend.”

While best known for his efforts behind the wheel, Liddell has an established resume as a team manager, including acting in that regard in the British GT Championship this season for Barwell Motorsport – and he has been putting that experience to work behind the scenes at Rebel Rock Racing.

Liddell and Davis not only have three years as co-drivers under their belts, but they have also had major success competing in multiple generations of Camaros (GT.R, Z/28.R and GT4.R).

“Frank (DePew) has a very clear vision of what he would like Rebel Rock to become as an organization, and as a result the team has gone through quite a transformation since we last raced,” said Liddell.  “So it is tremendously exciting to be going back to VIR for what is a debut of sorts. Having Andrew (Davis) as my co-driver will give us the chance to get up to speed very quickly. The IMSA Continental Tire series is incredibly competitive but we’ve been working to put the right people in the right place, and we know the Camaro is quite capable.”

“I am extremely excited to be making a return to the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Series,” said Davis.  “I want to thank Frank Depew and Robin Liddell for awarding me the opportunity to join the team.  Everyone involved has been working so hard to ensure the return of Rebel Rock Racing will be a success. We have all the right personnel in place, and a tremendous machine in the new Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R.   We understand the challenge of running up front, however we feel that competing against the best is the most direct way to ultimate success.”

The duo has an outstanding record at VIR including back to back Rolex GT class wins in 2008 and 2009, a big run to second place in 2014 after starting from 21st as well as taking third in IMSA WeatherTech GTD competition onboard an Audi R8 LMS in 2016.

“Robin Liddell and I have both a professional and personal relationship that spans nearly two decades,” said Davis. “It’s a true honor to have an opportunity to once again share the car with him.  We have enjoyed a great deal of success including victories and championships in multiple disciplines of the sport.  I can’t wait to see what’s in store next!”

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The Rebel Rock Racing certainly is a team that’s embracing their own evolution within the sport this season.  This race season the new team owners, Frank DePew and Tom FitzGerald, are determined to ensure a great experience for their fans and sponsors, but also their crew and drivers that have to spend so much time in that team environment.

This weekend at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) for the eighth round of the 2016 Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Series the process continues.  Again the team will be fielding their two Porsche Cayman’s in the Street Tuner (ST) class, with drivers Robin Liddell and Theo Bean once again behind the wheel of the #8 Urban Grid machine.  In the #7 however, the team welcomes for the first time 2009 World Challenge Champion and 2011 All American State (California) Champion Brandon Davis to the fold to share the #7 Urban Grid backed entry with team owner Frank DePew.

Team owner Tom FitzGerald states, “We’ve done a lot of development on the cars this year, and feel we have a pretty good product going on the track these last few races. We’ve also done a lot of development within the team itself, and have a number of people within the team now that have come from top programs that are really gelling together as a cohesive unit.  We’re really excited about where we’re going as a team towards the later part of this season to be in a position to fight for a championship in 2017.”

About this weekend in particular, driver Theo Bean adds, “I’ve never been to VIR, but I’m excited to finally drive there as I’ve heard great things about the track.  I think our car will be strong here, and all the work this team has put into the car during the break will pay off.”

Frank DePew mentions, “VIR was repaved in the offseason, it’s a really smooth and fast surface.  It’s also my home track, so I’m really excited to drive this weekend in front of our local friends and family.  I look forward to driving with Brandon (Davis), I know he’ll do a fine job in our car.  The crew has been working very hard since Road America, it’d be great to reward them with some good results this weekend with both our cars, and we have the drivers to do it with Theo, Robin and Brandon.”

The Oak Tree Grand Prix at Virginia International Raceway kicks off with practice today at 10:25 am EDT.  The race will drop the green flag at 1:55 pm EDT on Saturday, August 27, 2016 and can be viewed live on IMSA.tv or via tape delayed broadcast on Fox Sports 1 on Sunday, September 4^th at 10:00 am EDT.

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Returning behind the wheel would be local driver Sam Adams and Elliott Skeer in the #7 Urban Grid Cayman with Robin Liddell and Theo Bean once again in the #8 machine.

A great deal of time was dedicated to the set-up of the cars during the promoter test, which continued well into practice.  Due to red flag conditions during practice meant less time on track, and the Rebel Rock crew had to make do with the time they were allotted to get ready for qualifying.

Adams and Bean would qualify the #7 and 8 respectfully in the Street Tuner (ST) class Porsche’s.  An immediate issue forced the #7 to stop on the circuit during qualifying, ending its’ session prematurely.  The rest of the field would have a one-lap shoot-out to finish qualifying, and Bean had a Top-10 run going, but a miscommunication thwarted his effort and left him with a time fast enough for 18^th in the ST class.  With that, Adams would start from the rear of the field, but being his home track, and confident in the car the team put under him, knew he’d be able to make up spots once the green flag dropped.

At the start, both drivers immediately began picking up positions on their competition, and setting up their teammates for strong results.  Adams would go from 24^th in class to ninth before turning over to Skeer, while the team had a great strategy call to pit the #8, and when the field cycled through their stops, Liddell would be up to fourth in the ST class with a great shot at a strong result to finish it out.

As Sam was about to turn over the car to Elliott, he noticed a brake issue, and the car had to go behind the pit wall to render a quick repair.  Liddell had an incident where one of the Audi’s checked-up in front of him in one of the turns, Robin had nowhere to go, and hit the S3 in the rear, damaging the front of his Porsche Cayman.  The nose damage sustained would hinder the car’s performance the balance of the way, but Liddell was able to hold on for a very respectable 11^th place finish, while Skeer was able to pick up a few more spots during his stint to bring the #7 home in 17^th.

“When the car was at its best, the weekend went really well.  I had limited time in practice and wasn’t able to get a qualifying lap, but the Rebel Rock crew gave me a really fast car for the race, that allowed me to drive from 24^thto ninth during my stint.” Adams continues, “Unfortunately on my pit-in lap we had a problem with the brakes, which put us down a few laps from the leaders.  I’d like to thank the Rebel Rock Racing team for giving me the opportunity to drive with them this season.”

Skeer adds “Road America was another strong race where the result doesn’t show the performance.  We were able to sort out the car for the race, and Sam did a great job getting through the field on his stint.  The Rebel Rock guys performed an amazing pit stop, but mechanical issues brought down the performance after that.  I’d like to thank the team for all their hard work.”

Bean sums up his weekend, “The car has made huge gains since Watkins Glen, and due to a bold strategy call we were able to get the car up to fourth place, but weren’t able to hold on in the end.”

Having been with the team since the start of the season, Liddell has seen how far the program has come in a short time.  “As Elliott mentioned, the results don’t show how competitive the program was this weekend.  We had a few little issues come up that held us back, both in qualifying and the race, but I know this teams’ on the verge of coming through the other side and get the results to reward them for all the hard work.”

The Continental Tire Road Race Showcase at Road America can be viewed via tape delayed broadcast on Fox Sports 1 on Sunday, August 14^th, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. EDT.

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Rebel Rock Racing will again be on track with their two Street Tuner (ST) class Porsche Caymans.   Sam Adams and Elliott Skeer return behind the wheel of the #7 Urban Grid backed entry with Theo Bean and Robin Liddell piloting the #8 machine.

The team looks forward to Road America, a circuit that should suit the Porsche well with its long straights and high speed turns.  They’re ready to get back on the podium again as they were earlier in the season, following an outing at Lime Rock Park that saw the Rebel Rock crew work through the night to repair the #7 that was badly wrecked in practice.  Not only did the team make the race after working through the night to render repairs to the significant damage, but ran the entire race with solid lap times to a respectable finish.

About his return to the drivers’ seat at his home track, Sam Adams states, “I’m really excited for the opportunity to race with Rebel Rock Racing at my home race at Road America.  This is a really special race for me personally, and I feel like I’m prepared well for it.  I know the Rebel Rock crew has been hard at work getting the #7 car ready for battle, and can’t wait to get behind the wheel!”

Adams teammate in the #7, Skeer mentions, “I think that Road America can be a promising race for Rebel Rock.  I enjoy racing there, and will do what I can to bring home a good result for Sam in his home race, and reward all the hard work this crew does for us every weekend.”

Theo Bean is happy to return to some familiar confines this week, after having to learn some new tracks so far this season.  “I’m excited about Road America.  It’s a track I’ve always loved, and I think the race will be both fun and exciting with all the straights allowing for some drafting and passing throughout.”

Liddell is also no stranger to the Road America circuit, and is looking forward to continued success at the famed circuit, “Doing some testing and development recently we feel will benefit us as the season wears on.  Road America is very different than recent tracks; it’s a long lap with low grip.  We’ll just keep developing the car to be able to compete at the front of the ST field again.”

The Continental Tire Road Race Showcase at Road America kicks off with the first practice session on Friday, August 5^th at 9:00 a.m. EDT and drops the green flag to start the race on Saturday, August 6^th at 12:35 p.m. EDT.  The race can be viewed live on IMSA.tv or via tape delayed broadcast on Fox Sports 1 on Sunday, August 14^th, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. EDT.

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Shopify will be rolled out for both Street Tuner (ST) class Porsche Caymans.  Shopify Plus, Shopify's commerce offering for high growth, high volume merchants.

The team has also added driver Theo Bean for the balance of the season, Bean will move into the starting role in the #8 Urban Grid/Shopify Plus entry with closing driver Robin Liddell.  Theo is a full-time University of Georgia student majoring in Business Management.  His racing background includes winning two SVRA National Championships and also competes in HSR driving high powered prototypes, and eyes a future in sports car racing.

“I’m ecstatic to share a car with Robin (Liddell), whom I’ve been a fan of for a while now watching him race on TV, and can’t believe I am getting such a great opportunity now.  Rebel Rock has been a team that I’ve been keeping my eye on as an enthusiastic group with a great desire to win, and I’m thrilled to be a part of their program going forward.  To be getting started at Watkins Glen, one of my favorite tracks, and site of my first racing win, makes it that much more special” states Bean.

Liddell comments on his new co-driver, improvements both within the team and the racing circuit itself.  “I’m delighted that Theo is joining the team.  Although he’s young, he’s shown a lot of speed in the various cars he’s raced already, so I have confidence he’ll quickly adjust to racing in the CTSC.”  Robin continues, “The team has taken some very positive steps to improve our overall competitiveness, and I’m excited to be working with a new engineer who brings a lot of experience to the team.  I’ve always really enjoyed racing at The Glen, having won there in the past during the 6-hour and in CTSC.  With the track resurfacing I’m sure it’s even better, and will be a lot of fun.”

Elliott Skeer will now move over from the #8 to the #7 team entry as its closing driver after performing brilliantly starting the year with a Pole position in qualifying at Daytona and several runs within the Top-5 in the ST class.  The team is looking at this move as one that will provide Elliott the opportunity to continue to show off his abilities behind the wheel mixing it up with other top professional drivers in the field, while enabling both team cars the ability to fight for race wins and podium finishes.  Joining Skeer in the #7 Urban Grid/Shopify Plus machine will be Sam Adams returning after a strong showing at Sebring with the team.

Skeer states, “Watkins Glen should be a good event for our Rebel Rock Porsche.  Sam has shown pace and driving intelligence behind the wheel, and I have a lot of confidence that we’ll be able to push our way to the front of the field and have a successful weekend.  I want to thank Frank (DePew) and Tom (FitzGerald) for their confidence in my abilities to move into the closing role within the team.”

Looking forward to this race and coming off a birthday celebrated by a podium finish in another series last weekend, an exuberant Sam Adams states, “I’m really excited about having Elliott as my co-driver.  I feel very fortunate to have such a talented co-driver sharing the car, it’s all any driver could ask for.  We’ll certainly be one of the youngest driving lineups in the field, which adds to the excitement.  This will be my first time at the iconic Watkins Glen, and I’m really looking forward to checking that one off my list, we know the new surface is creating a really fast track, and can’t wait to take my first laps there.”

The Continental Tire 150 at The Glen kicks off with the first practice session on Thursday, June 30^th at 3:00 pm EDT.  The race will drop the green flag on Saturday, July 2^nd at 12:25 pm EDT.  The race can be viewed live on IMSA.com and via tape delayed broadcast on Fox Sports 1 on July 10^th, 2016 at 9:00 a.m. EDT.

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Utilizing a 360Fly camera mounted in-car, Rebel Rock Racing was able to give the fans a unique and never before seen perspective: riding along with Robin Liddell on his qualifying lap. Fans, through their mobile device, are able to look all around the car (inside and out), follow apexes as though they were driving the car, and could even see Robin, where he was looking, and what he was doing with the wheel. All of this flying though backdrop of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Rebel Rock Racing Team Owner Frank DePew had this to say: “I was really excited about this (360 camera) when it was proposed to me. I saw the vison, and my guys carried it though. It’s all about the fans, and the more we can give them, and the closer we can make them feel to the team, the better. Finally there is a camera that really communicates the speed the cars are travelling.” DePew said. “With standard action cameras, you get one, very limited field of view. With the 360 Camera you can see everything flying by you, where you’re going, and where you’ve been. The first time Robin went into the Corckscrew, I didn’t think he was going to make it. It looked that fast.”

RRR also brought another optic IMSA first to Laguna Seca, in using thermal infrared imaging.
“So much of what we do deals with heat. Heat in the tires, brakes, and even the cockpit. It’s something that we feverishly track. In using these optics, we can get a visual on things like tire temperature spread, and actually see how the setup is heating up and wearing the tires.” says Technical Director Chris Nott.

Strategist Trevor McClure, also had this to say about the tech: “IR is, pardon the pun, very cool. Apart from the technical insight it provides, we can also make awesome videos for the fans. We use an IR (infrared) camera that that overlays an optical image; making details like sponsors on the livery, landscape, and objects like tools stand out in detail. Something lost in typical thermal imaging. I particularly like the pit stops in Thermal. Being able to see hot tires coming off and cold tires going on is especially neat.”

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The second round of the 2016 Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge (CTSC) Series season saw the addition of a third entry for team partners Jim Jonsin and Frank DePew, as well as the debut of the ‘Rock the Grid’ concert series.  

The #6 Rock the Grid Porsche 997 entry in the Grand Sport (GS) class served as an extended shake down for the car, but continually picked up pace as the drivers became more comfortable with the car as the week progressed.

The #7 Street Tuner (ST) class Porsche Cayman of Sam Adams and Ian James would mark the series and professional racing debut of Adams.  Behind the instruction of his co-driver and assistance of the team, Adams would make great strides throughout.  Adams would qualify in the 15th position in class, and would be the starting driver for the race.  Their teammates in the #8 Urban Grid Cayman, Elliott Skeer and Robin Liddell, would pick up where they left off at Daytona.  In the first two practices the #8 was in the Top10 in both sessions.  Come qualifying Skeer would follow up his Pole Position at Daytona with a second place effort in Sebring, a mere four hundredths of a second off pole.

However an infraction would see the #8 start the race from the rear of the field, but the team had confidence in their drivers to make their way through the field to get back towards the front.  At the drop of the green flag, both Skeer and Adams would start their respective marches forward in the ST field.  Before long Adams had his car up to seventh in class with Skeer hot in pursuit just behind.

Near the end of his stint Adams would radio in a power issue, and two turns later had to pull off track.  Although their day was over, Sam’s debut was a success.  He made his professional debut, and ran solidly inside the Top-10 for much of his stint against a very strong field.  “I really enjoyed my time with the team.  I feel like I learned a lot about the car during the race, and can’t wait to build off that and get back with the Rebel Rock Racing team this season.  I want to thank the Rebel Rock Racing team for all their hard work and giving me the opportunity, as well as Ian James for his insights for how to improve my times, he’s a true pro in and out of the racecar.”

Although having to start 25th for the race after qualifying second, Skeer would make his way up to third in class before coming in to pit and hand the car over to Liddell.  As temperatures around the circuit began to climb, grip became more of an issue as the race progressed.  Having a lug nut issue during the pit stop would mean Liddell would reenter the fray in the ninth position, and would fight through the obstacles to bring their car home in the 14th finishing position.

“From the first practice session to the final stint of the race, it was a rollercoaster of a weekend.  The whole Rebel Rock team did a fantastic job overcoming all of the issues, and gave us a solid race car.  It’s a shame that Robin had the technical issues during his stint, I really feel that we had the potential for a podium at Sebring.  In the end, the whole team made major gains and I can’t wait for Laguna!” states Skeer.

Knowing what could have been for the team, Liddell states, “It was a disappointing race result for us after such a strong qualifying performance.  Having to start at the back of the field, I thought Elliott drove superbly to get the car near the front by the end of his stint.  I struggled with handling a bit throughout my stint, so was not able to progress like I would have liked.

“The likely cause being the higher track temperatures as the race progressed; we also had a fuel pickup issue towards the end, and decided to play it safe to come in for a splash of fuel.  The whole Rebel Rock Racing team did a super job throughout the weekend, so after our third place finish at Daytona, we are really looking forward to the next one at Laguna, and putting all the pieces together there.  Although we didn’t get to celebrate on the podium, at least the team got to enjoy the Rock the Grid concert organized by our team founder Jim Jonsin!”

Much like the race itself, the Rock the Grid had a few hurdles to overcome to achieve a fantastic end result.  Performer Alys Ffion would be involved in an auto accident in her native Australia as she readied to come to the States for the concert, and was unable to attend.  The team wishes Alys a speedy recovery.

The show did go on, much to the enjoyment of thousands of race and music fans at Sebring.  The “Rock the Grid” concert series is the vision of Grammy Award winning music producer and Rebel Rock Racing founder Jim Jonsin.  Multi-platinum recording artist B.o.B. headlined the concert that also featured Rebel Rock artists Leroy Sanchez, Brad Tallman and even BabyBash dropped in to entertain the fans.

After the first two rounds of the CTSC series, Elliott Skeer and Robin Liddell and the Rebel Rock Racing team are in fifth place in the Drivers’ and Team Championship standings respectfully.  The Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Series Sebring 150 can be viewed via tape delayed broadcast on Fox Sports 1 on March 27th, 2016 at 12:30 p.m. EST.

The third Rebel Rock Racing car entered in the ST class finished 12th. In a tough race where 14 cars failed to finish, Rebel Rock Racing's 3 Porsches all made it to the checkered flag running perfectly.

Sebring International Raceway is a very difficult track for the drivers, the crew and the engineers to find the perfect set-up in the cars. Also, it looks like this year, according to the results from Daytona and Sebring, it is hard for the GS teams using Porsche race cars to run at the front of the pack at the moment. The No. 7 Rebel Rock Racing Porsche of Al Carter and Brett Sandberg was the highest finishing Porsche at Daytona and this time the No. 08 Rebel Rock Racing/MBRP Porsche co-driven by Kyle Marcelli and Martin Barkey finished 11th within 5 seconds of last year's championship winner who finished 10th.

Al Carter qualified the No. 7 Rebel Rock Racing/B+ Foundation/Eagle Technology Systems/Sideskinz/Stinkerz Porsche 997in 16th place for the race on Thursday. Al took a good start and ran in the top ten at the end of his stint before handing the car to teammate Brett Sandberg who also had a good run and crossed the finish line right behind the Rebel Rock Racing sister car in 12th.

Kyle Marcelli and Martin Barkey co-driving the No. 08 MBRP Inc. Performance Exhaust Porsche had much better luck than at Daytona. In practice Marcelli, who like Al Carter is also running in the TUDOR Championship, was fast right out of the box and finished 5th in the first session. Martin Barkey qualified 21st for the race. Barkey took a nice start and handed the No. 08 car to Marcelli without a scratch. Kyle had a competitive stint and finished ahead of Sandberg in 11th. The two Rebel Rock Racing GS Porsches had different race strategies and both cars scored valuable driver and team points.

The No. 88 Rebel Rock Racing Porsche entered in the ST class had a unique 3-driver line up at Sebring. Jim Jonsin who is also the founder and Rebel Rock racing team owner was fast in practice showing the progress made by the team between Daytona and Sebring. The No. 88 Ingersoll Rand / Brewster Porsche /Joe Gibbs Driven/ Oakley /Western Star/Alliance Truck Parts Rebel Racing Porsche Cayman was co-driven by Jim Jonsin, Johnny Kanavas and Corey Lewis. Jonsin had a very good qualifying and put the No. 88 car 9th on the starting grid. Using three drivers meant an additional pitstop over all other ST cars. The three drivers did a good job and finished in the top half of the ST field in12thplace thanks to a careful work in the pits.

According to Technical Director Ron Mathis, the Rebel Rock Racing's seasoned technical staff regards Sebring as a good result. The Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge is a tough arena and you can't buy your way to success. The whole Rebel Rock Racing team is doing the work necessary to win and it's inevitable we'll get to the top.

The two-hour Sebring broadcast will air tomorrow, March 19 on FOX Sports 1 at 1 p.m. ET and will re-air March 23 on FOX Sports 2 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Jim Jonsin is looking forward to the next round at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca where Rebel Rock Racing will continue its expansion and will enter a total of four Porsche, two in the GS and two in the ST class. The No. 87 Porsche Cayman will be driven by a new young driver with extensive experience, Miles Maroney. He will co-drive with Johnny Canavas.

Miles Maroney started racing cars at a very young age and recently competed in the IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup USA and the ALMS driving a Prototype Challenge. Maroney is backed by a very unique sponsor, The Coalition Group (click to watch their presentation video).

The No. 88 Rebel Rock Racing Cayman ST will be co-driven by Jim Jonsin and a new Rebel Rock Racing driver at Laguna Seca, Corey Lewis and so for the rest of the 2014 season. Jonsin's goal is to run at the front of the pack in 2014 and he is looking to stay in the hunt for the championship in ST. Corey Lewis started racing go karts at age 13 then competed in a variety of series including the Skip Barber Series, the Star Mazda Championship and more recently the Continental Tire Series.

The next event is the Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, California on May 1-2.

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The Atlanta-based rapper/musician/producer, whose hits include “Airplanes,” featuring Haley Williams of Paramore, and the Grammy-nominated “Nothing On You,” featuring Bruno Mars, will headline the Rock The Grid^TM concert to be held in Sebring, Florida beginning at 7 p.m. Friday, March 18.

In addition to his recording accolades, B.o.B owns a substantial social media presence, with more than 9.1 million Facebook likes (Facebook.com/bobatl), 2.3 million Twitter followers (@bobatl) and 600,000 Instagram followers (@bob).

Rock The Grid^TM is the vision of longtime IMSA competitor Jim Jonsin of Rebel Rock Racing. Jonsin is a Grammy Award-winning music producer whose credits include hits for Lil Wayne, Beyoncé, Usher, T.I., Pitbull and Eminem among many others.   The concert is made possible by Continental Tire, VP Racing Fuels, Rebel Rock and IMSA.

“The Rock The Grid^TM concert will be a game changer for IMSA and our existing fans, and the most significant effort yet in our mission to attract new fans to our sport,” said IMSA President Scott Atherton.   “This represents an outstanding opportunity to entertain our many existing Sebring guests and introduce our sport to a broad range of new fans. We are grateful to Jim Jonsin for presenting us with this tremendous opportunity and for providing A-list talent through Rebel Rock. We also must recognize our partners – Continental Tire and VP Racing Fuels – for their continued outstanding support and for helping us make Rock The Grid^TM a reality.”

Building upon his success as a producer, Jonsin founded the record label Rebel Rock, and the debut release of flagship artist B.o.B delivered three platinum-plus singles. In addition to B.o.B, Rebel Rock artists Leroy Sanchez and Alys Ffion also will perform in the Rock The Grid^TM concert at Sebring.

“I’m really excited for the launch of Rock The Grid^TM with IMSA, Continental Tire and VP Racing Fuels at Sebring,” Jonsin said.  "In my five years as a race team owner, driver or just camping out as a race fan, I’ve learned how amazing and diverse the crowds at these events can be.  Rock The Grid’s mission is to raise the bar when it comes to at-track entertainment and bring a fresh new generation of fans to motorsports.“

Sanchez is a Los Angeles-based recording artist signed to Interscope Records. While recording his debut album, Sanchez has earned 500,000 Facebook likes and Instagram followers, in addition to 1.7 million YouTube subscribers. His cover of Adele’s “Hello,” has been viewed more than 25 million times.

Ffion is a 19-year-old Australian singer-songwriter based in Nashville. She is highly regarded for her refreshing style and has chalked up some significant achievements including supporting international artists on their Australian tours, featuring on X-Factor winner Reece Mastin’s most recent album and an endorsement by Martin Guitars. Ffion also will perform the national anthem prior to the start of the race on Saturday, March 19.

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The initial returns spoke for themselves. The weather early in the weekend brought consistent rain showers for both practice and qualifying, with a forecast of near perfect weather conditions for the race itself.

The team opted to skip the first practice of the event, but in Practice #2 went straight to the top of the timing sheets with a second place result in their #7 Street Tuner (ST) class Porsche Cayman with Elliott Skeer and Robin Liddell behind the wheel. In the third and final practice of the weekend before qualifying saw them do one better and take the top spot in class.

Skeer would handle the driving duties in qualifying, which would also mean he would start the 2 hour 30 minute BMW Performance 200 at the newly renovated Daytona International Speedway the following day.  With confidence in the car under him and the team behind him, Skeer would not disappoint by taking Pole Position in class, and a Top-5 overall in the wet weather conditions.  The sister #8 entry of Jim Jonsin and Michael Mathé would split strategy and skip the wet sessions to focus on their dry weather race set-up, which would have them start at the rear of the field.

Skeer would hold serve at the start, with great pressure from behind, he opted to settle into third position and allow his nearest competitors fight it out while saving his tires and car for an extended run before handing over his machine to Liddell.  The strategy worked perfectly as he retook the lead before his pit stop, a great driver change and stop by the team was thwarted by an air pocket in the fuel fill line caused an almost 30-second delay for Robin to reenter the field.

Liddell would ultimately enter the fray still within the Top-5 in class, and at one point made his way up to second place.  In the process of working his way through traffic, a headlight became dislodged causing significant drag on the straights, and look away much of the cars top end speed.  The last few laps would find Liddell and the #4 Honda Civic swap third and fourth places several times, with the #4 getting a run heading to the checker, would create near photo-finish with the #4 edging out the Porsche Cayman for third place by less than two feet as they crossed the line side-by-side.

“Very happy with the result, the whole Rebel Rock team worked really hard from the Roar test until the race.”  Skeer continues, “Having Tom (FitzGerald), Frank (DePew), and Chris (Nott) on the team side, and co-driving with Robin gave me a great deal of confidence this weekend.  Getting pole position was the best way to start the season, you really can’t ask for a better start.  The first stint was all about saving the car and the tires to hand off to Robin, and I couldn’t trust another driver more than him.  Great job by the whole team, I really want to thank everyone on the Rebel Rock team and our sponsors for the opportunity.”

Of the event Liddell states, “I’m both pleased and disappointed with our fourth place finish this weekend.  Elliott drove a brilliant opening stint, taking pole, leading the race and bringing it in Top-3.  He drove very smart and fast.  We lost some time on the pit stop, we were still in a good position, but I wasn’t able to battle until the yellow came out and bunched us up.  Once the green dropped we were back in the thick of it, and I was at home and enjoying myself in some great battles on track.  The car performed really well, the team did a super job.  We were so close at the end and disappointed we missed out on the podium, but overall a great result for the team.  From here, we know we have a good package going forward, and can focus on some other areas to build on.  I know we have a strong team and co-driver to contend as the season progresses and we head into Sebring in March.”

The #7 entry started at the rear of the field with Jim Jonsin behind the wheel.  He’d immediately start picking up spots at the drop of the green.  He reported into the team that the grip of the car was fantastic; he was able to make up a lot of ground on the infield before a misfire would end their day prematurely.

The entire Rebel Rock Racing team now focuses on building off their success at Daytona, making sure they continue progress forward, and bring a quality package to the Continental Tire paddock to contend for the 2016 championship.

The Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge BMW Performance 200 at Daytona can be seen on Fox Sports 1 on February 13th, 2016 at 8:30 am EST.