Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas Win Third Consecutive Grand Am Rolex Daytona Prototype Championship

Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas (R) and celebrate their 2011 Grand-Am Rolex Series Daytona Prototype championship after the EMCO Gears Classic at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. (Brian Cleary/Getty Images)
Telmex-Ganassi drivers Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas won their second consecutive Grand Am Rolex Daytona Prototype championship, their third in four years (and Pruetts fourth overall) Saturday, despite losing their dominating edge in the final half of the season.

The drivers of the No. 01 Telmex Ganassi Riley BMW needed only to run thirty minutes at the 2011 season finale to clinch the championship, but because they are racers, they fought to the checkered flag, finishing second in the EMCO Gears Classic at Mid-Ohio.

The pair showed unbeatable speed early in the season, winning the first three races, and followed through with near-perfect consistency, either winning or finishing second at all but two of the rest.

Pruett and Rojas stood on one of the top two steps of the podium at ten out of twelve races in 2011not quite the equal of 2010s record setting nine wins out of twelve races, but still a dominating performance.

"It's been an incredible year for us, Pruett told Grand-Am.com. We've had our ups and downs, but we've been focused as a team to get our car to the front as much as possible.

Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas drove their #01 Riley BMW to second overall in the Grand Am Rolex EMCO Gears Classic. (Brian Cleary/Getty Images)
All my championships are great. I never thought I'd still be winning championships at this point in my career." Pruett, at 51 years old, is still one of the fastest drivers in the series, showing no signs of slowing down.

This was the fifth team championship for Telmex Ganassi.

Pruett and Rojas championship win also tied BMW with Chevrolet in engine manufacturers points and won Riley the Constructors Championship.

In 2012, the Grand Am Rolex Sports car series will be getting new bodywork for the Daytona Prototype class and new carsspecial Grand Am versions of the Audi R8 and Ferrari 458for the GT class.

These new machines will turn their first racing laps at the 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 at Daytona, January 28-29, 2012. Check Grand-am.com for tickets.



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