Matt Bell will co-drive the No. 77 Doran Racing McDonald's/South African Airways/PR Newswire Dallara-Ford in the Rolex Sports Car Series race this weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
The successful Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge racer will team with Dion von Moltke for Sunday's 2.75-hour NJMP 250 presented by Crown Royal. The race will be Bell's first run in the top Daytona Prototype class, and marks the second career Rolex Series outing for the young Californian after debuting with Stevenson Motorsports in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona in the GT class.
"I'm very excited to be getting this chance to race a Daytona Prototype and I have to thank Kevin Doran and Eric Burch for putting this together,” said Bell. “I know Dion from racing with him in Continental Tire Challenge and I'm looking forward to having him as my teammate. I know I have a lot to learn with the car, so I just want to take it step by step and have a mistake-free weekend. It's been my dream for a long time to get to race a DP, and I just can't wait for the weekend to get started.”
Just as it was at the Daytona 24 weekend, it will be a busy weekend for Bell, who will also be racing on Saturday in the Continental Tire Challenge event, sharing the Stevenson Motorsports Camaro with Jeff Bucknum.
“The DP and the Camaro are so completely different that I'm not worried about going back and forth between the two – there will be no mistaking what car I am in!” joked Bell. “I really think we could be on the verge of something very good with the Camaro. I think it is a better car now than what most people give it credit for, because the Stevenson guys just have not stopped pushing the development every weekend. It would be great to be back on the podium Saturday before coming back to race on Sunday!”
Von Moltke was enthusiastic about his new teammate and the team's prospects.
"I am really pumped for New Jersey! I could not be more excited than to be driving with Matt Bell," he said. "Matt and I have become quite good friends during the racing weekends as we are both managed by P1 Groupe, so I have been able to follow his career quite closely. I have no doubt that he will be right up to speed."