Wow, the Daytona Prototype's on a street circuit. I've been waiting for this…but always thought that it would include the GT cars. Having such large fields this year wouldn't make the possible anymore, so we'll see at least 25 DP's take the green on Saturday, assuming all goes smooth in practice and qualifying.

Grand American is bringing their product to yet another different audience, and should win over more fans and continue the growth pattern. This all fits into their brilliant plan to reach out to the "non traditional sports car fan" by showing them top notch racing. I fully expect this to be a great race.

What is it going to take to win? Keeping the nose clean, giving and taking, and lots of torque. I don't think Porsche will have the advantage here, I'd look more to the Fords and Pontiacs…the big blocks of the series. Oh, and a sleeper, the #3 Riley BMW. BMW has the power, and the combo of Shane Lewis and Bill Auberlen should be stout, as long as they can stay clean…both are aggressive drivers.

Experience is going to be huge, too, and I count 17 drivers that have Long Beach laps. I think that someone who has raced Long Beach before will be at least on the pole.

For the race, my main worry is cautions. We know that Grand American tends to have a quick trigger on the caution light switch, and hopefully they won't have to use it. Honestly that's my only worry…that there will be a bunch of caution laps. You know who can control that? The drivers. Guys…BEHAVE!

Anyway, let's move on. Here is some info leading up to the Daytona Prototype's debut at Long Beach from press releases that I've gotten this week.

Feeds The Need…Terry Borcheller has been in so many street races in his career that he can't even count them all. From Le Mans to St. Petersburg, Des Moines to Miami, the 2003 Rolex Series champion says he's always enjoyed street races, and he's really looking forward to the Rolex Series' first one on Saturday, April 8 as part of the 32nd annual Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix in Long Beach, Calif.

"I've always enjoyed street races," said Borcheller. "Early in my career I raced go karts on the Florida Grand Prix circuit, which were street courses at different cities throughout Florida. There the walls were hay bales, not concrete barriers though," he added with a smile.

Borcheller has also competed in all sorts of street courses in World Challenge and other series, so he knows what to expect.

"It will be a very difficult race because there isn't going to be a lot of time," he said. "Our goals are going to be to qualify well, stay out of trouble and have a good finish. Our car was really good in Mexico City and we think we know what our problem was at Homestead, so we should have a good car at Long Beach. It will be a hard race for Harrison and I, but our entire team will be doing their best. (Linda Mansfield, Restart Communications)

Auberlen in a Prototype… Bill Auberlen will add another BMW to his resume this weekend, competing in front of his hometown crowd in the Rolex Sports Car Series race on the Grand Prix of Long Beach (Calif.) street circuit. He will drive the No. 3 Southard Motorsports BMW-powered Riley Mk XI with Shane Lewis of Jupiter, Fla.

Auberlen has only raced in Long Beach three times, but he made every race count, collecting two front-row starting positions and two podium finishes. He earned the starting positions in IMSA GTU competition in 1990 and 1991, and the podiums in IMSA GTU (1990) and the Toyota Atlantic Championship (1997).

Street circuits don't rank high on the favorites list for most drivers, but Auberlen enjoys the challenge of the concrete canyons, especially the Long Beach configuration.

"I love them!" he enthused. "Long Beach is different from a lot of other street circuits. It is 'get through the corners and then drag race everybody down the straight'. If you don't have a fast car down the straight, you're not going to be able to pass. It's a completely different type of compromise than your standard street course. We have that one long straightaway and that's where all the action happens." (Sylvia Proudfoot)

Drivers with Long Beach Experience (from Grand American) (NEW PLACE, SAME FACES)

Despite 2006 being Grand American’s first trip to the famed Long Beach street course, the 1.97-mile, 11-turn circuit is very familiar to a number of Rolex Series drivers, who have combined for a total of 14 podium finishes in three different series. Below is a list of Rolex Series drivers competing this weekend with prior Long Beach experience:

• Eddie Cheever Jr. (Five Champ Car starts; best finish of third in 1991)
• Ryan Dalziel (Three Toyota Atlantic Series starts; 2004 race winner)
• Luis Diaz (Two Toyota Atlantic Series starts; best finish of sixth in 2003)
• Tomy Drissi (Seven Trans-Am Series starts; best finish of third in 2000)
• Adrian Fernandez (11 Champ Car starts; best finish of second in 2003)
• Alex Figge (Three Toyota Atlantic Series starts; best finish of fifth in 2003)
• Christian Fittipaldi (Seven Champ Car starts; best finish of fifth in 1999)
• Paul Gentilozzi (Nine Trans-Am Series starts; race wins in 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004)
• Memo Gidley (One Champ Car start; two Toyota Atlantic starts—2000 race winner)
• Alex Gurney (Three Toyota Atlantic Series starts; best finish of second in 2002)
• Mario Haberfeld (Two Champ Car starts; best finish of ninth in 2004)
• Butch Leitzinger (One Trans-Am Series start; 13th place in 2002)
• Rocky Moran Jr. (Four Toyota Atlantic starts; best finish of fifth in 2002)
• Scott Pruett (Nine Champ Car starts; three Trans-Am starts—1987 race winner)
• Randy Ruhlman (Eight Trans-Am Series starts; 2005 race winner)
• Michael Valiante (Three Toyota Atlantic starts; 2002 race winner)
• Ken Wilden (One Trans-Am Series start, eighth place in 2001; One Toyota Atlantic start in 1999, finished 18th after starting from pole position)

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