Backstretch Motorsports

Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team looks for season’s first victory in Mexico City

TAVARES, Fla. - Heading into round three of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16, the Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team has shown signs that it is destined to win some races this season.

Could this weekend’s Mexico City 250 be the start of several race wins to come? Drivers Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand are anxious to find out what fortunes await them south of the border when they do battle on the 2.5-mile 14-turn Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez road course April 17-19.

“We had a very good result in Miami,” Auberlen said. “Our second place finish had more to do with our strategy than the car’s performance. I don’t think we can use the same strategy in Mexico City, but you can never count Alex and the guys out. They are as sharp as they come. [In Mexico] we will need a lot of power and very stable high-speed handling to be competitive. You can’t imagine all of the work done to the car just between Miami and Mexico. I can’t wait to strap in and do battle in Mexico City.

“Mexico is one of my favorite races because the people are great. They love racing and they fill the grandstands. I want to win it bad!”

“I’ve never been to the Mexico City circuit,” Hand said. “This will be the only race track on the schedule that will be new to me. For me, it’s going to be all about learning the track as quick as possible. Bill has been here before and with his help, I should be up to speed in no time.

“The team has been working ever since we left Homestead to make the car better. I have all the confidence in the world that every time we show up for a race, the car will be the best it’s been. We will need a great race strategy just like we had at Homestead, coupled with the fact that Bill and I will have to drive as hard or harder than we did at Homestead to be competitive in Mexico City. This race could be a tough one for us.”

“We are excited about going back to Mexico City,” team owner Alex Job said. “Despite the high altitude, our team did fairly well last year with a top-five finish. However, it will still be a challenge again this year for the Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team because of the elevation. The air is thin up there and it will affect the Porsche flat 6 engine more than the rest. We will make the best of what we have. We have two great drivers, a great team and a great combination in the Porsche powered Crawford. We will need a good finish to keep us in the championship hunt because we are fifth right now.”

This is the Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team’s second trip to Mexico City. Last year, drivers Patrick Long and Jörg Bergmeister qualified eighth and finished fifth.

Through the first two rounds, Auberlen and Hand are fifth in the Daytona Prototype driver point standings with 48 points (22 points behind leaders Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas). The Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team is also fifth in the Daytona Prototype team point standings with 48 points.

In preparation for the Mexico City 250, the No. 23 Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team Porsche-powered Crawford DP will turn its first practice laps at 1 p.m. (CDT) Thursday, April 17. Rolex Series practice resumes at 9:30 a.m. Friday, April 18, with Daytona Prototype qualifying set for 11:40 a.m. (CDT). Grand-Am race fans can catch all of the exciting race action from Mexico City on SPEED beginning at 3 p.m. (CDT) Saturday, March 3, with the green flag dropping at 3:15 p.m. (CDT).