Magnus Racing announced its second car for the Rolex 24 at Daytona, to be run in partnership with the Children's Tumor Foundation and Racing for Research. SPEED commentator Justin Bell will serve as both an in-race reporter and driver of the team's No. 4 Porsche GT3 Cup entry along with Ryan Eversley, Daniel Graeff and Ron Yarab.
The chance for Bell is fitting as it comes in the 50th anniversary Rolex 24 and his 25th year of professional driving, but marks his first Rolex 24 start since 2008. More recently, he ran in last October's Petit Le Mans, finishing third in the GTE Am class with Rob Kauffman and Rui Aguas in an AF Corse Ferrari F430 GT.
Eversley, the 2011 Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge ST (Street Tuner) Championship runner-up, will compete for Racing4Research for the second-straight year in the Rolex 24 while Graeff and Yarab have been team drivers since the program's inception.
Racing4Research is a motorsports-based fund-raising program developed by the CTF to find treatments and a cure for neurofibromatosis, or NF. The team is competing in the Rolex 24 At Daytona for the fourth consecutive year in 2012 with returning drivers Eversley, Graeff and Yarab who will be racing with Bell and Magnus for the first time.
Founded in 1978, the CTF is dedicated to improving the health and well being of the more than 2 million people around the world living with NF. The charity's research program has played a key role in the discovery of the genes that cause NF, understanding the biology of NF, creation of the NF Clinic Network and preclinical screening of drug compounds that appear promising in treating the disorder. Donations can be made at http://racing4research.org.
Magnus' lead No. 44 entry will feature Andy Lally and team principal John Potter for the full season, with a further announcement forthcoming about their Rolex 24 teammates. The quartet in the No. 4 entry just tested at Daytona in a No. 04 car.