By: James Vance Racing
February 2 2017 

Daytona Beach, Florida – The No. 37 Exposystems MINI JCW, driven by James Vance and Mike LaMarra, finished the Continental Tire SportsCar Series BMW Endurance Challenge at Rolex 24 at Daytona weekend in 12th position in the Street Tuner (ST) class.

“We had an up and down race today,” said James Vance. “Ultimately, that’s part of the business, its part of racing, its not always going to be perfect.”

The drivers’ final position in the race certainly didn’t reflect significant achievements for the duo over the weekend, which saw the No. 37 MINI JCW move as high as P2, behind the sister No 73 MINI- the eventual ST class race winner- driven by Derek Jones and Mat Pombo. Both Vance and LaMarra kept the car in the top 10 during each driver’s respective stints until the final laps of the race.

Mike LaMarra qualified the car in P9 on Thursday, with a fast lap of 2:06.443, rounding out a three-car top 10 for the MINI JCW team in the ST field. Derek Jones qualified the No. 73 MINI JCW in P3, with Nate Norenberg in the No. 52 MINI JCW in P6.

“Mike just did an amazing job in qualifying,” said Vance. “He put us in a great position to start the race, and we are already seeing some major improvements in the car from this time last year.”

LaMarra started the race as well, and in his two-hour stint drove as high as P2, handing the car over to Vance in the top five.

“Mike did a fantastic job bringing the car in clean, and had a mega stint,” said Vance.

“That first stint for me, getting in the car was a little bit trying; the car was extremely twitchy. The team made the right adjustments quickly, and after we pitted for a new set of tires and refueled, that final stint was going great. We had a good pace and the car had a good balance.”

In his closing stint, Vance also ran as high as P2, with a fast lap of 2:05.114. With less than 15 minutes remaining in the race, the No 37 MINI JCW dropped to P9.

“I think about 15 minutes to go, coming through NASCAR 4, the car just went into limp mode, and we lost positions quickly. I restarted it and we got a yellow.”

The No. 52 MINI JCW had hit the tire barrier, bringing out a full course yellow flag on track. But upon the restart, Vance was hit by another car, ending the team’s hopes for a podium finish.

“I went to go up to the restart, and got tagged from behind, sending the car into the wall exiting corner one.”

Vance is focused on the positive aspects from the Daytona event.

“Knowing that we have the pace to run up front, and we can compete with the best drivers in North American and this series, is really exciting. This team has what it takes to compete at the front and be able to win.”

“Congrats to Mat and Derek on their win, and MINI JCW; its just awesome. “

“Major thanks to my sponsor, Exposystems, who provided so much support the entire weekend. The fans were amazing, as well. We had such a great group of fans cheering for the team; you all are epic.”

Vance will next race with the MINI JCW team in the two-hour Continental Tire SportsCar Series Sebring 150 at the 65th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida weekend March 16-18, 2017. The CTSC race will be held on Friday afternoon, March 17. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit: https://www.sebringraceway.com/sebring-events/12-hour-race/12-hour-race-tickets

Follow James Vance on social media:

Twitter: @james_vance
Instagram: jamesvancee
Snapchat: jamesvance
LinkedIn: James Vance

About ExpoSystems:

ExpoSystems provides award winning exhibit design, trade show booth design and portable trade show displays for companies in Toronto, across Ontario and Canada. ExpoSystems is the largest modular trade show display manufacturer in Canada and provides amazing exhibit design solutions for all industries and business models. For more information: www.exposystems.com

About MINI John Cooper Works:

The MINI John Cooper Works team (http://www.minijcwteam.com), owned and operated by Indianapolis-based LAP Motorsports, is sporting three cars in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Street Tuner (ST) Class IMSA series. MINI has a long history in motorsports and has always felt right at home on the track. Ever since John Cooper first exploited the racing potential of the classic Mini in the early 1960s, his name has stood for success and performance on the race track with MINI.

Follow the MINI JCW team on social media:

Twitter: @lapmotorsports
Instagram: MINIJCWTEAM
Facebook: MINI JCW Team