The 2012 Rolex Sports Car Series

Rolex Sports Car Series

The Rolex Sports Car Series is the premier series run by the Grand American Road Racing Association. It is a North American-based sports car series that was founded in 2000 under the name Grand American Road Racing Championship to replace the failed United States Road Racing Championship...

 season will be the thirteenth running of the Grand American Road Racing Association

Grand American Road Racing Association

GRAND-AM Road Racing or GRAND-AM is an auto racing sanctioning body that was established in 1999 to organize road racing competitions in North America...

's premier series. It will begin with the 24 Hours of Daytona

24 Hours of Daytona

The 24 Hours of Daytona, currently known as the Rolex 24 Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on a combined road course, utilizing portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and an infield...

 on January 28–29.

Schedule

The schedule was announced on November 9, 2011. It consists of thirteen rounds. Twelve were announced that day. The final round at Lime Rock was announced November 14.

Rnd	Date	Race	Length	Circuit	Location
1	January 28–29	Rolex 24 At Daytona 24 Hours of Daytona The 24 Hours of Daytona, currently known as the Rolex 24 Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on a combined road course, utilizing portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and an infield...	24 hours	Daytona International Speedway Daytona International Speedway Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, one of the most prestigious races in NASCAR. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosts races of ARCA, AMA Superbike, Grand-Am and Motocross...	Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, USA. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city has a population of 64,211. Daytona Beach is a principal city of the Deltona – Daytona Beach – Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which the census bureau estimated had...
2	April 1	TBA	2 hours 45 minutes	Barber Motorsports Park Barber Motorsports Park The Barber Motorsports Park is a multi-purpose racing facility located on the eastern fringes of Birmingham, Alabama, USA near Leeds. The facility was the vision of George Barber, and includes the Barber Vintage Motorsport Museum. In July 2009 officials announced that Barber will be the site of...	Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
3	April 29	TBA Grand Prix of Miami (Grand-Am) The Grand Prix of Miami is a Rolex Sports Car Series race held at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. The event was first held in 1998 as a part of the United States Road Racing Championship, and was revived in 2000 by Grand-Am.-Results:...	2 hours 45 minutes	Homestead-Miami Speedway Homestead-Miami Speedway Homestead-Miami Speedway is a race track in Homestead, Florida southwest of Miami.Since 2002 Homestead has hosted the final races of the season in all three of NASCAR's series: the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and the Camping World Truck Series...	Homestead, Florida Homestead, Florida Homestead is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States nestled between Biscayne National Park to the east and Everglades National Park to the west. Homestead is primarily a Miami suburb and a major agricultural area....
4	May 13	TBA	2 hours 45 minutes	New Jersey Motorsports Park New Jersey Motorsports Park New Jersey Motorsports Park is a racing facility located in Millville, New Jersey. The park has two road courses and a high-performance karting facility. In the future, a tri-oval track and off-road course are to be built on the park's property. NJMP hosts amateur and professional automobile and...	Millville, New Jersey Millville, New Jersey Millville is a city in Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the city population was 26,847. Millville, Bridgeton and Vineland are the three principal New Jersey cities of the Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area which...
5	June 3	Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Challenge Detroit Indy Grand Prix The Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix presented by shopautoweek.com is a weekend of professional auto racing held at the Renaissance Center and later the Belle Isle in Detroit, United States. It has been held from 1989-01, 2007–08, and is scheduled for 2012 and beyond...	2 hours 45 minutes	The Raceway on Belle Isle Belle Isle Park Belle Isle is a island park in the Detroit River, between the United States mainland and Canada, managed by the Detroit Recreation Department. It is connected to the rest of Detroit, Michigan by the MacArthur Bridge...	Detroit, Michigan Detroit, Michigan Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
6	June 10	TBA	2 hours 45 minutes	Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a road course auto racing facility located in Troy Township, Morrow County, Ohio, United States, just outside of the village of Lexington...	Lexington, Ohio Lexington, Ohio Lexington is a village in Richland County in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is part of the Mansfield, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,822 at the 2010 census, an increase from 4,165 in 2000....
7	June 24	TBA	2 hours 45 minutes	Road America Road America Road America is a road course located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series , American Le Mans , SCCA Speed World Challenge Series, ASRA, and AMA Superbike series.- Current track and...	Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin Elkhart Lake is a village in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States, located within the northwestern part of the county within the Town of Rhine. The population was 1,021 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area...
8	July 1	Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen	6 hours	Watkins Glen International Watkins Glen International Watkins Glen International is an auto race track located near Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. The facility is owned by International Speedway Corporation...	Watkins Glen, New York Watkins Glen, New York Watkins Glen is a village in Schuyler County, New York, United States. The population was 2,149 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Schuyler County.The Village of Watkins Glen lies on the border of the towns of Dix and Montour....
9	July 29	Super Weekend at the Brickyard	2 hours 45 minutes	Indianapolis Motor Speedway Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the Brickyard 400....	Speedway, Indiana Speedway, Indiana Speedway is a town in Wayne Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States. The population was 12,881 at the 2000 census. Speedway is the home of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, from which the town derives its name, and is a complete enclave of Indianapolis....
10	August 12	TBA Crown Royal 200 at the Glen The Crown Royal 200 at the Glen is a Rolex Sports Car Series race held at Watkins Glen International. The race was first run in 1984 by the IMSA GT Championship. The "New York 500" initially was a second Watkins Glen round running for a shorter distance compared to the Continental, using both...	2 hours 45 minutes	Watkins Glen International (short course) Watkins Glen International Watkins Glen International is an auto race track located near Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. The facility is owned by International Speedway Corporation...	Watkins Glen, New York Watkins Glen, New York Watkins Glen is a village in Schuyler County, New York, United States. The population was 2,149 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Schuyler County.The Village of Watkins Glen lies on the border of the towns of Dix and Montour....
11	August 19	TBA	2 hours 45 minutes	Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Circuit Gilles Villeneuve The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a motor racing circuit, venue for the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series....	Montreal Montreal Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America... , Quebec Quebec Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
12	September 9	Continental Tire Continental tire A Continental tire is an upright, external, mounted spare tire behind an automobile's trunk compartment. The term also describes a non-functional bulge that is stamped into the trunk lid or a cosmetic accessory to the rear of the car giving the impression of a spare tire mount.-Development:The...  Sports Car Festival	2 hours 45 minutes	Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is a paved road racing track used for both auto racing and motorcycle racing, originally constructed in 1957 near both Salinas and Monterey, California, USA....	Monterey, California Monterey, California The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
13	September 30	TBA	2 hours 45 minutes	Lime Rock Park Lime Rock Park Lime Rock Park is a natural-terrain motorsport road racing venue located in Lime Rock, Connecticut, United States, a hamlet in the village of Lakeville, Connecticut, in the state’s northwest corner...	Lakeville, Connecticut Lakeville, Connecticut Lakeville is a village and census-designated place in the town of Salisbury in Litchfield County, Connecticut, on Lake Wononskopomuc. The village includes Lakeville Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The district represents about of the village center...

North American Endurance Championship

The 2012 season will mark the start of a three-race "endurance championship" featuring the 24 Hours of Daytona, the Six Hours of Watkins Glen, and the new race at Indianapolis.

Team changes

• On August 31, 2011, it was announced that Jeff Segal was testing a Ferrari F458 at the infield road course of Homestead-Miami Speedway
  Homestead-Miami Speedway
  Homestead-Miami Speedway is a race track in Homestead, Florida southwest of Miami.Since 2002 Homestead has hosted the final races of the season in all three of NASCAR's series: the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and the Camping World Truck Series...
  
   in preparation for the 2012 season. Segal's Grand Am career dates back to 2003, with Ferrari as his primary choice of manufacturer.
• On September 1, 2011, it was announced that Riley Technologies
  Riley Technologies
  Riley Technologies LLC is an auto racing constructor and team which specializes in the design and manufacture of complete race cars, as well as prototype development for racing and manufacturing applications.-Grand Am:...
  
   will be debuting a new Daytona Prototype
  Daytona Prototype
  A Daytona Prototype is a type of sports prototype racing car developed specifically for the Grand American Road Racing Association's Rolex Sports Car Series as their top class of car, replacing contemporary open cockpit sports cars, specifically Sports Racing Prototypes...
  
   at the 2012 24 Hours of Daytona
  24 Hours of Daytona
  The 24 Hours of Daytona, currently known as the Rolex 24 Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on a combined road course, utilizing portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and an infield...
  
  .
• On September 7, 2011, it was announced that Audi was developing a version of their R8 for the Rolex Sports Car Series GT class.
• On October 20, 2011, it was announced that Eric Curran and Boris Said
  Boris Said
  Boris Said is an American race car driver from Carlsbad, California but considers his hometown to be Stamford, Connecticut. His father, Bob Said, was a Formula One race driver and US Olympic bobsled driver in 1968 and 1972. He drove the #26 Ford Fusion for Latitude 43 Motorsports in the NASCAR...
  
   would return to Marsh Racing
  Marsh Racing
  Marsh Racing is a team in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series and formerly a team which competed in the NASCAR Busch Series. The team is owned by Ted Marsh. A longtime Chevrolet team sporting the No. 31 with backing from Whelen Engineering, Marsh Racing currently fields a Corvette in the Rolex...
  
  , driving Chevrolet Corvette
  Chevrolet Corvette
  The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...
  
  s.
• On October 26, 2011, it was announced that AIM Autosport would be fielding a new Ferrari 458 Italia in the 2012 season.

Daytona Prototype changes

On May 13, 2011, Grand Am announced that various changes would be made to the Daytona Prototypes for the 2012 season:

• The greenhouse (cockpit) area will be nearly identical for all newly constructed cars. The roll cage will be narrower on each side of the car, although the driver's position will not change. There will be a one-inch zone throughout the greenhouse surface to allow for individual styling cues, including windshield implementation and window outlines.

• New minimum body cross-section provisions will give the new DPs a more upright front fascia and nose, rather than the more sloped layout of today's cars. This will allow manufacturers to add more design character to their cars, making them closer to their production cars while still offering the dramatic message embodied by a prototype.

• Flexibility has also been introduced into the rules for side bodywork, including production-derived sidepods and open vents behind the front wheels that will enable styling elements from street cars to be functional on the race cars.

Additional changes

• On May 27, 2011, it was announced that BMW
  BMW
  Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
  
   was developing a new 4.5 liter V8 that is expected to debut at the 2012 Daytona 24. The engine is primarily derived from that of the E92 generation BMW M3
  BMW M3
  The BMW M3 is a high-performance version of the BMW 3 Series, developed by BMW's in-house motorsport division, BMW M. M3 models have been derived from the E30, E36, E46 and E90/E92/E93 3-series, and sold with coupé, sedan and convertible body styles...
  
  .
• On November 15, 2011, Chevrolet unveiled its new Corvette
  Corvette
  A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
  
  -inspired DP.