MONTEREY, CALIF.--On September 7 through 9, 2012, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca hosted the 14th scheduled race of the 2012 Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series. The Daytona Prototypes (DP) and the Rolex Series GT Sports Cars took on this infamous and challenging Monterey track, displaying their amazing power and agility throughout the weekend.

The third generation Daytona Prototypes unveiled an all new look in 2012, with the introduction of new bodies that clearly displayed eye-catching brand recognition.

The Chevrolet Corvette DP and the new Riley MK XXVI DP allowed teams a choice of engines; a Ford or a BMW.

In the Rolex Series GT Class, the almighty Ferrari and cross-town rival Audi, joined in fierce competition with the likes of Porsche GT3's, Chevrolet Corvettes, Camaros, Ford Mustangs, Dodge Vipers, BMW M3's and Mazda RX-8's.

It's 7AM, Sunday morning, September 9th, following two days of practice and qualifying. As the Monterey Bay early morning fog burns off into the atmosphere, a bright yellow ball rises in the east, bringing with it beautiful blue skies awash in temporary peace and tranquility. Car covers are slowly removed and the cars begin to stir after a night of hibernation. One by one, the engines are brought to life and the teams do their obligatory morning warm ups, tune ups and final adjustments. Hearing the engines run up, the team members amp up their activity in preparation for this day's final race. The rest of us feel the excitement, the tension and the edge of competition building in the air. A scheduled 20 minute warm up gets the drivers and cars ready for the 2 hour and 45 minute enduro that starts at high noon.

As the clock inched toward 11:00AM, the fans were greeted with a driver autograph session followed by a stroll on to pit lane. Many fans walked to their favorite cars and teams, taking the opportunity to be up close and personal with cars, drivers and, teams. From little ones to retired ones, it was a great time to have your picture taken.

With a Mardi Gras band providing entertainment in the background, being on the grid became a festive moment. A few minutes later, the National Anthem is played and the skies are filled with WWII aircraft. At this point, the grid was cleared and the 40 plus racing machines headed out for a recon lap to take their respective positions for the rolling start. Precisely at noon the green flag dropped and the race was finally on.

After a record breaking 111 lap race that only had 2 full course yellow flags, the Spirit of Daytona, the # 90 Corvette piloted by Antonia Garcia and Richard Westbrook took the win with a 3.878 second lead. They were followed by John Fogarty and Alex Gurney in the # 99 Corvette DP sponsored by Gainsco. The # 8 Riley Ford Starworks Motorsports machine driven by Ryan Dalziel and IRL Driver Alex Tagliani came in third. The Ganassi/Sabates Riley #01 Telmex BMW team with Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas managed a sixth place finish, which tightened up the points for the grand finale at Lime Rock Park in 3 weeks.

In the GT Series, the # 43 Team Sahlen Mazda RX-8 with Dane Cameron and Wayne Nonnamaker took the checkered flag for their class. Leading over the 2nd place team of Jeff Segal and Emil Assentato driving the # 69 AIM Autosport Team FXDD Racing with their Ferrari 458. The second place finish gives the Ferrari Team the first GT Championship of 2012 as the result of 3 class victories and 8 top positions in 12 starts. This was enough to earn the Ferrari team their 3rd Manufacturers Title. Rounding out the field, Andy Lally and John Potter brought home the 3rd place trophy in the # 44 Magnus Racing Porsche GT3.

Complete racing results can be found at the links appearing below;

Racing Results link: www.grand-am.com/scheduleresults/rolex.aspx

Visit Grand Am: www.grand-am.com