Milestones and Memories For Brumos At Homestead
Tuesday, March 25, 2008

As the Grand-Am Daytona Prototypes return to Homestead-Miami Raceway this year, they will mark the fifth anniversary of their inaugural season.  When Grand-Am unveiled their new class designed to offer a more affordable racing alternative, Brumos Racing’s Bob Snodgrass was one of their first and most enthusiastic supporters. With only one year between the introduction of the new concept to the first race in 2003 at Daytona, no one was sure how the season would turn out, but it developed into one of the most exciting championship races yet seen in Grand-Am history.  The first year for the new prototypes saw only six entries for the Rolex 24 at Daytona (in contrast to 2008’s field of 25 DPs), but none were able to capture the overall victory at Daytona.

It didn’t take long to reach that first milestone, however, as the second race of that season at Homestead saw Brumos’ #59 Porsche FABCAR driven by Hurley Haywood and JC France capture the historic overall win. (It was also France’s first victory, as he took the lead on the 53rd lap and led for the rest of the race).  It marked Brumos’ first win since 1994 at Watkins Glen, when Haywood and Hans Stuck took their Porsche 911 into Victory Lane. The #58 Brumos entry also made history in 2003 by capturing the pole position. Present-day driver David Donohue led for most of the early race before electrical problems took the car out of contention.  The #58 team finished the race 3rd in the DP class.

Hurley Haywood admits that Homestead holds a special place in his heart and recalls the 2003 victory fondly.  “I think that there were only four DP cars in that race, but I remember the all guys who have driven for us since who were fierce competitors in that race.  One was Joao, who was driving in the GTS class, and Terry Borcheller, who drove for Doran.  Those drivers were really the first, other than JC, myself, David and Darren, who competed on a pretty regular basis in the series from its beginning.” In fact, of the four DP entries fielded in that event, all were driven by past or present Brumos drivers.  While the Brumos teams captured 1st and 3rd, Darren Law took the 2nd position (driving for G & W Motorsports in his pre-Brumos days), followed by Borcheller in 4th.  Joao Barbosa ended his day on the podium with a 3rd place finish in his GTS class.

All of today’s Brumos drivers are sure to have fond memories of past accomplishments at Homestead.  That 2003 victory opened the door for a string of successes and podiums for Brumos, with their two cars finishing the season 2nd and 3rd in Championship points for the season.  But this year’s visit will also bring emotional memories of another anniversary, as one year ago, the Homestead race turned out to be the last race Bob Snodgrass was able to attend before his unexpected death a few weeks later.  The Brumos team had arrived at Homestead in 2007 optimistic and enthusiastic for the season ahead, and Snodgrass was well pleased with the 5th and 6th finishes scored by his two cars at that race.  Despite ongoing health problems, Bob refused to sit out more races than absolutely necessary, and so was able to continue to pursue his passion for racing all the way through to the end of his life.

This year’s race will also create a new milestone of its own that will be referenced in years to come. This will mark the first time racing legend Hurley Haywood will be at the race in a role other than that of a full-time driver.  His decision last year to limit his driving to endurance races only, beginning with this season, will be a major change for the entire team.  Joao Barbosa, the new #59 full-time driver with veteran JC France, will face the intimidating prospect of serving as Hurley’s replacement, but past outings have shown that Joao is certainly able to follow in Haywood’s footsteps capably.  Brumos fans got a glimpse of his abilities at this year’s Rolex 24, when he took the lead of the race before a suspension problem caused the car to go out of control, and thus, out of contention. Joao is up for the challenge, however, and ready to get back on track. 

“I’m really looking forward to the Homestead race”, he said.  “After seeing our results at Daytona, where we were leading before the mechanical problem, I feel we can have a great year.  The Brumos crew is doing a great job in preparing a competitive car, and I’m quite honored that they chose me to replace Hurley and to drive with JC.  I know it will be difficult for a racer like Hurley to just watch the race, but we are counting on him for the long races and I know he will be a great help to everyone while he is out of the driver’s seat, just like he is when he is driving! His experience will be very valuable and will help Brumos achieve great results.”

Although Haywood confesses he is already looking forward to his next race at Watkins Glen, and admits it will be really tough not being in the driver’s seat, he feels sure that he will be able to adapt to his new role in time.  He remains equally optimistic about Brumos’ chances for a repeat of their historic victory.  “Our cars are really suited to the Homestead track, so now if our team can capitalize on the excellence of our Porsche motors and Riley chassis, we should be able to duplicate that first win.”

So as Brumos takes to the track at Homestead, they will return to both celebrate and remember, with every intention of making history of their own and keeping the Snodgrass vision intact.  For it is often said that the more things change, the more they stay the same, and while much has evolved out of necessity over time, the Brumos legacy is one of continuity - from the early Gregg/Haywood years of domination through all the recent challenges and changes, one thing is certain - Brumos is here to stay.

(The GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami will begin at 3:00 PM ET on Saturday, March 29th, and will be televised by tape delay on Speed TV that evening at 6 PM ET.)

Posted on 03/25 at 11:21 AM