Joao Barbosa, along with co-drivers Terry Borcheller, Ryan Dalziel, and Mike Rockenfeller, brought the Action Express Racing Porsche-Riley across the finish line 52 seconds ahead of its nearest competitor, winning the 48th running of the Grand Am Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway.
Action Express Racing made its first public appearance at pre-season testing at Daytona in in December. The team’s first race was the Grand Am Rolex 24, absolutely the biggest race of the Grand Am season. And the Action Racing Porsche-Riley, in its first outing, came home first. There simply could not be a more auspicious beginning.
Grand Am regular Joao Barbosa won the GT class in 2003, but, “This is so much sweeter,” he told a SPEED reporter. “Winning overall is like a great compliment to the whole crew. They did an amazing job, they never quit. We did not have the best car arriving here, but they turned it around and made it an extremely competitive car—not the fastest, but very consistent. It was flawless. My teammates did an amazing job; the crew did excellent pit stops. Action Express rocks, and it’s going to keep going through the year.”
Mike Rockenfeller has won at Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, and now the Rolex 24 Hours. “I have to say I wasn’t too optimistic before the race, but when I saw in the night, what speed we could run … If you look at the car, there are no scratches; we never went off-track. We just did our perfect race. The car stayed in one piece, and the guys did an awesome job. I am really proud to be part of it. Finally I won, together with those guys, and it’s a big pleasure.”
Action Express Racing made its first public appearance at pre-season testing at Daytona in in December. The team’s first race was the Grand Am Rolex 24, absolutely the biggest race of the Grand Am season. And the Action Racing Porsche-Riley, in its first outing, came home first. There simply could not be a more auspicious beginning.
Grand Am regular Joao Barbosa won the GT class in 2003, but, “This is so much sweeter,” he told a SPEED reporter. “Winning overall is like a great compliment to the whole crew. They did an amazing job, they never quit. We did not have the best car arriving here, but they turned it around and made it an extremely competitive car—not the fastest, but very consistent. It was flawless. My teammates did an amazing job; the crew did excellent pit stops. Action Express rocks, and it’s going to keep going through the year.”
Mike Rockenfeller has won at Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, and now the Rolex 24 Hours. “I have to say I wasn’t too optimistic before the race, but when I saw in the night, what speed we could run … If you look at the car, there are no scratches; we never went off-track. We just did our perfect race. The car stayed in one piece, and the guys did an awesome job. I am really proud to be part of it. Finally I won, together with those guys, and it’s a big pleasure.”
