26.01.2006 XM SATELLTE RADIO HAS ITS NEW RACING PROGRAMME OFF TO THE BEST POSSIBLE START WITH POLE POSITION AT DAYTONA

Daytona, Florida – After turning in a fastest time during final qualifying that smashed more than a second off the existing 'Daytona Prototype' class lap record, Lucas Luhr placed the XM SATELLITE RADIO Porsche Crawford firmly onto pole position for tomorrow's Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve 24 Hours of Daytona. This is the first time that the XM SATELLITE RADIO has appeared on track in the Rolex series and it quite simply couldn't have worked out any better.

For the classic 24 Hours of Daytona marathon race this weekend XM SATELLITE RADIO has teamed up with the no 23 Porsche Crawford 'Daytona Prototype'.

Ron C. Meixner, here representing XM SATELLITE RADIO, couldn't have been more satisfied with the result. "We had total confidence that the new Porsche engine (a 3.8-litre, 6-cyl unit based on the Porsche 911 GT3 engine) would be a highly competitive prospect and coupled to the excellent Crawford chassis we firmly believe this is the ideal package to have in the Rolex Series this year," said the sportscar racing veteran. "To claim pole position after topping the timesheets in practice is instant justification for the direction we have chosen to take,” he added.

The No 23 Porsche Crawford is being crewed this weekend by an highly experienced racing trio: German's Mike Rockenfeller and Lucas Luhr, being joined by Patrick Long from Las Vegas. It was Luhr (himself a former GT class winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona) though who drove the new car round the famous 3.56-mile speedway at a truly blistering pace to give the combination its first overall pole position, a superb performance bearing in mind that the Crawford chassis was only actually delivered in late November. "The car was really good and the weather conditions could not have been better for our pole run," reported Luhr.

Luhr's fastest lap, which was timed at 1:44.009 (123.220 mph), represents the first 24 Hours of Daytona overall pole position for a Porsche-powered race car since Bob Wollek claimed the top starting position sixteen years ago. Today, Luhr also took nearly a second and a half off the existing 'Daytona Prototype' lap record of 1:45.425 (121.565mph) set by Wayne Taylor during qualifying for the Brumos Porsche 250 race held here last June.

"I went out early and was with some fast cars that were behaving and was able to turn a pretty good time. A few laps later when my tires really started to come in, I was held up by a couple of guys. I had a few more tenths in the car and I really would have liked to get back into the 43s but the pole is a good result. The team has put a lot of work into this car since they received it in November. Since my first laps in this new car, I have been really comfortable. It is easy to drive fast and the Porsche power will be very helpful with all of the traffic come Saturday. We need to focus on getting a good setup on the car so we can maximize our opportunities in traffic," Luhr concluded.

Opening practice had seen the No 23 XM SATELLITE RADIO supported Porsche Crawford go fastest with a lap of 1:43.881 (123.372mph) as a bumper field of 70 cars took to the famous banked road track. Second practice again saw Rockenfeller, Luhr and Long firmly on top of the time sheets with a quickest lap time of 1:44.179 (123.019mph), while the third free practice session to be held ahead of final qualifying, saw the trio again stretching the opposition with an unbeaten lap time of 1:44.935 (122.133mph).

"A lot of hard work has gone into putting this program together," said Bill Colleran, "and this is a very satisfying early reward for everyone's dedication. We're delighted to now be going forward with a long-term Grand American Sportscar Series program, so to set the ball rolling with a competitive performance is very pleasing. The guys at XM SATELLITE RADIO and Porsche have been great to work with in the build up to the race, and we're all very much looking forward to a successful long term involvement in this category."

The no 23 Porsche Crawford will start tomorrows race alongside the no 2 Target Chip Ganassi 'Daytona Prototype' which was placed on the front row by Scott Dixon with a time of 1:44.609. Dixon will share the car with Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon and NACAR star Casey Mears. XM SATELLITE RADIO will be seeking to add to Porsche's record of 20 overall race victories on the 24 Hours of Daytona. The Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve 24 Hours of Daytona will receive the green flag shortly after 12:00 Noon Eastern Time on Saturday.

The #23 Porsche Crawford is owned and operated by Alex Job Racing

Photos: Grand American Road Racing