Levitas
and TPC Racing Victorious in the Rolex 24 at Daytona!
by Randy Pobst
It's a clear, cool morning. No one on the road. You're
heading up an
Interstate on-ramp, feeling a little devilish. You floor
it, winding it out, engine a whirling dervish, fast as
you can. Now imagine doing that, over and over, stopping
only
for gas, crossing
the
USA from coast-to-coast in maniacal bumper-to-bumper traffic
in 24
hours
straight. That is what the historic and world-renowned
Rolex 24 Hour
at
Daytona is like.
The
#36 Ajilon Consulting Porsche 911 raced nearly 2500 miles,
day and
night, averaging over 100 mph. Drivers shifted almost twenty
thousand
times, slammed on the brakes 3500 times, slid through 7500
hairpin
turns
and long high banked corners at up to 170 mph, yet stopped
only for
fuel,
BBS wheels and tires and the occasional driver change.
The
TPC racing crew did first-class job of preparation, and
24 hours of fast, efficient, sleepless pit stops, backing
up
the driving team of
Michael Levitas, Spencer Pumpelly, Ian Baas, and Randy
Pobst.
Though
marathon in length, the pace was like a fifty yard dash.
It was neck-and-neck for twenty-three long hours,
until the final remaining
challenger slowed with gearbox problems. At the checkered
flag, the
Ajilon
Porsche crossed the line three laps in the lead, to shouts
and tears,
hugs
and cheers, and a brand new engraved Rolex Daytona watch
for all four
drivers.
Team leader Michael Levitas does it all, from JRZ
shocks and wrenching
on
the car, to sponsorship and driving. TPC Racing had been
knocking on
the
door for three years, and Levitas had a careful plan
for the long run.
Race strategist TC Kline anchored the pit, and TPC fixture
Tom Chan
managed
the manic genius of Levitas, as all the pieces fell in
to place.
Speed,
reliability, no crashes, and excellent pit work.This great
victory for TPC Racing is dedicated to the fond memory
of
TPC
racer James Haggerty, son of Ajilon Consulting CEO Roy
Haggerty.
Michael Levitas bases his TPC Racing team at his
Turbo Performance
Center,
manufacturer of TPC Supercharger kits for Porsches, in
Jessup,
Maryland.
For more information www.tpc-racing.com, and www.tpcsuperchargers.com
Click photos to enlarge
