Magnus Racing looking for points at Mid-Ohio

In championship contention, Magnus Racing's Potter and Stanton head to Mid-Ohio finale

#44 Magnus Racing Porsche GT3: John Potter, Craig Stanton

Photo by: Eric Gilbert

September 13, 2011 (Salt Lake City, Utah) - When John Potter's second-year Magnus Racing team rolls into Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this week, he and Craig Stanton will have an outside shot at the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series GT championship. With the two drivers at 277 points, Potter and Stanton sit fifth in the championship, seventeen points behind leaders Bill Lester and Jordan Taylor.

However, being within shot of the championship in the second year of the team's operation is validation for Potter who made the decision in late 2009 to be on the grid for the 2010 Rolex 24 at Daytona with his own team. Magnus Racing brought together some of the best talent in the GRAND-AM paddock in a very short period of time, with the fruits of their labor beginning to show this year with two GT class podiums at Homestead and Watkins Glen.

"When we sat down to discuss the beginnings of Magnus Racing, we had two goals - to be as competitive as possible, but also to remind everyone that sports car racing is supposed to be fun," said Potter. "That's not to say it hasn't been challenging. We've had plenty of setbacks and frustration, but we are having a lot of fun and we are now a threat at every race we show up at. We only have an outside shot at the championship, but we are in the hunt, and we led the standings earlier in the season. I'm really proud of these guys and thrilled for what we have been able to accomplish in these two seasons."

For Stanton, the 2005 Rolex Series GT class champion, Magnus Racing has been one of the most satisfying experiences in a 20+ year racing career (no one really knows how old he is). "At the very beginning of Magnus Racing, there was a small group that came together and made this team become a reality," said Stanton. "John Potter has done a great job of putting the right guys together - Lars Giersing, John Bedell, the crew, even the hospitality - and letting them to what they do best. This has been the most fun I've ever had with a race team, and now that the results are starting to come, things are only going to get better."

While Potter and Stanton sit fifth in the GT class championship, Potter also enters the finale second in the Bob Akin Award standings for Pro-Am drivers in the GT class, while Magnus Racing sits fifth in the team championship.

"We competed at Mid-Ohio earlier this season, so we have some current information to work off of for this race," said Potter. "Last year in the GRAND-AM race we were run over by a Prototype on the front straightaway so if we can avoid that, we should have a great shot for another podium. That would a phenomenal way to close out our second GRAND-AM season."