TEAM NEWS: RJR Racing Group Is Tackling Barber Motorsports Park This Weekend in Rolex GT Action

Photo by John Thawley BIRMINGHAM, Ala., July 19 - After a solid ninth-place finish in its first

Rolex Series GT race last month at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course,

Cincinnati-based RJR Racing Group is entered in a similar event on Saturday at Barber

Motorsports Park just outside Birmingham, Ala.

The 400k/109-lap/two-and-a-half-hour race will be broadcast on a

one-hour-tape-delayed basis on SPEED at 4 p.m. Eastern time Saturday.

Team owner/driver Rene Robichaud and lead driver BJ Zacharias will drive the

team's Porsche GT3 Cup No. 96 in the race. It is one of 22 entries.

Robichaud took a few minutes recently to talk about the track.

"It's a very technical track that rewards consistent performance and not just

blazing speed," he noted. "There are few good passing zones and you have to

always stay in position for any opportunity to pass safely. It's great

because it throws all kinds of corners at you. Uphill and downhill turns, on- and

off-camber turns, smooth and bumpy turns are all a part of this tremendous

track. It's a roller coaster ride out there!"

He thinks Porsches like the one he and Zacharias will drive are well suited

to the task.

"You do not need high horsepower at Barber as much as terrific handling and

braking," he pointed out. "Those are Porsche strengths."

Any predictions?

"A top-five finish is realistic for our team," he said. "We were there at

the end of the Mid-Ohio race but were set back due to a technical foul on the

second-to-last restart. This time we have improved our new car's setup and we're

hoping for a podium finish. I would still be proud of a top-10 finish against

this very capable field of teams though," he added.

The team hopes to find marketing partners in order to do all of the events

next year. Currently the car's livery advertises the RJR Racing Group, the

Motorsports Country Club of Cincinnati and Wright Motorsports.

For an up-close-and-personal view of driving at Barber Motorsports Park,

there is a short video at youtube.com/watch?v=GlD3aWdREWI of Zacharias sorting out

one of Robichaud's other Porsches during a test day there this spring prior

to a Porsche Club of America race. Robichaud went on to win that event, despite

never having driven at the track previously.

Qualifying is slated for 4:35 p.m. Friday.