DAYTONA '09: LET BATTLE COMMENCE

As first practice gets underway here in Daytona, the buzz is beginning to build for the 24 hour race which starts here at 15:30 on Saturday. Eric Lux from Jacksonville, Florida is now on track in the #86 entry The six-car Farnbacher Loles Porsche squad was previously arrayed in the pit garages in the morning sunshine with introductions being made, contacts exchanged and cries of "its our year!"
The drivers of car #86 Porsche GT3 give their views on the race to come:

Matthew Marsh, Hong Kong:
"Back home in Hong Kong, people are impressed when they hear I'm competing in the Rolex 24 hours. Like Le Mans or Monaco, the word Daytona has gravitas even outside the motorsport world. Daytona scores extra points by its unique attributes: a round-the-clock race in winter time, the widest variety of drivers, the closeness of the racing, the chance to win a Rolex and, of course, the banking of the Speedway. All of these are wow factors. Obviously, it's an honor to race at Daytona; more importantly, it's a pleasure."
[Note: This is Matthew Marsh's second appearance at Daytona. He competed last year in the #56 Mastercar F2 Motorsport Ferrari 430 which retired just after the two hour mark, while Matthew was at the wheel. The car succumbed to a massive tyre failure at speed on the back stretch which tore the fuel tank from its mountings and resulted in the total loss of the fuel pump. ]
Eric Lux, Jacksonville, Florida:
"This will be my fifth Rolex 24 hours of Daytona and my second with Farnbacher Loles Racing. [Team owner] Greg Loles has given us a great Porsche for this race including a strong driver line-up. I have been training hard for this race and hopefully the fifth one will be the charm! I can't say enough about the team and how much I'm looking forward to this race. I truly hope I will be able to find sponsorship to be able to compete in the rest of the Grand-Am season!"
Kevin Roush, Upland, California:
"To get another real chance at winning the Rolex 24 is a dream come true. I have to give a big thank you to Wheel Enhancement and Farnbacher Loles for giving me such a great opportunity that all we drivers have to focus on is taking care of the car. I came here once as a spectator in 1996 and could barely take sitting and watching those cars racing throughout the night. Each time I hit the banking in turn six, I think back to those days and how stoked I am to be here."
Dominik Farnbacher, Ansbach, Germany:
”It is nice to come back for the 24h race this year again, after competing since 2004. In 2005, I won the race and I want to have another victory this year. We had a great test in early January and it showed that our team and the new Porsche are well-prepared for the long race. So my goal is to drive consistently fast lap times and make no mistakes throughout the race, and that will bring us a good result at the end. My teammates are also very strong and it will be pleasure to drive with them and compare our cars to all the great makes and drivers out there."
RLT with thanks to Sylvia Proudfoot at Farnbacher Loles Racing.