Ganassi, Sabates ready to make another Rolex 24 run

INDIANAPOLIS -- Three-time Grand-Am Rolex Sports Cars Series champions Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates will partner with Dinan-BMW as the new manufacturer of its 2010 Daytona Prototype.

In addition, the three-time Rolex 24 at Daytona winners (2006-08) will again run a two-car effort for the 49th running of the prestigious event, featuring eight drivers representing some of the best talent the motor-racing world has to offer. Pruett and Rojas will unite with IndyCar driver Justin Wilson and American Le Mans Series driver Marino Franchitti to form the lineup in the No. 01 Dinan-BMW Riley, while IndyCar drivers Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti will join Sprint Cup Series drivers Juan Montoya and Jamie McMurray in the No. 02 Dinan-BMW Riley.

Felix Sabates and Chip Ganassi

"We have been fortunate to have experienced a lot of success in the Grand-Am series over the last six years,'' said Ganassi, whose team has the greatest four-race stretch in Rolex 24 history after a second-place finish in 2009. "That success stems from a number of factors -- like having great drivers behind the wheel, taking great equipment to the track, having great people in the shop and finding great partners. I am pleased to say that once again we will have all of that. Our drivers and the people we have working on the cars are second to none."

In addition to being the only team owners in history to win three consecutive Rolex 24 events, Ganassi and Sabates also have three Grand-Am championships (2004, '06, '08) and 23 race wins -- all series records -- to their credit since their introduction to the circuit in 04.

The 2010 driver roster is an impressive group of international racing champions representing three Indianapolis 500 titles (Montoya, 2000; Franchitti, '07; and Dixon, '08), five open-wheel championships (Montoya, 1999, Dixon, 2003, '08, and Franchitti (2007, '09), three Daytona Prototype championships (Pruett, 2004, '06 and Pruett/Rojas, '07) and five former Rolex 24 winners.

Pruett holds the all-time class victory mark at the Rolex 24 with eight (2008, '07, '02, 1994, '93, '92, '88 and '87). He has a record 22 overall Grand-Am Rolex Series wins in addition to three overall wins at the Rolex 24 (2008, '07 and 1994).

Pruett and Montoya's back-to-back wins in 2007-08 marked the first time drivers earned repeat victories in the race since 1986-87 when Derek Bell, Al Unser Jr. and Al Holbert accomplished the feat. Montoya became the first driver in Rolex history to win in each of his first two starts in the 24-hour race.

Franchitti is the only driver to ever capture the 12 Hours of Sebring, the Indianapolis 500, an open-wheel title and the Rolex 24 at Daytona consecutively, accomplishing the feat in less than a year. Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt are the only others to win the four titles, but neither did so in succession.

This year will mark Dinan Engineering's seventh season in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Cars Series.

Related:
• Testing under way for Rolex 24