Reigning Alan Jay Automotive Network 120 Winners Feel Even Better about 2022 Chances
By Mark Robinson
Alan Jay Automotive Network 120 Entry List
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Frank DePew and Robin Liddell won last year’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race at Sebring International Raceway in what they considered one of the slowest cars in the field.
Imagine their anticipation this year now that they believe their Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R is back on par with the rest of the entries for the Alan Jay Automotive Network 120. A bulging field of 45 cars is entered for Thursday’s two-hour race that streams live on Peacock at 4:20 p.m. ET.
“I think we’re a lot more competitive relative to the competition to where we were this time last year,” said Liddell, who drove the closing stint when the No. 71 Rebel Rock Racing Camaro took the 2021 overall and Grand Sport (GS) win at Sebring thanks to being the only car in class to go the distance on a single pit stop.
“A few people tried (a one-stop strategy) but they had to pit in the last few laps,” added co-driver and team owner DePew. “I don’t know that they had that set out as their strategy at the beginning of the race, but that’s the only way that we felt that we could compete. It just played into our hands because it had to in order for us to execute like that.”
Now, a year later and following what both drivers deemed a successful test last month at Sebring in a new chassis from builder Pratt and Miller, the DeLand, Florida-based team is ready to Rebel Rock again on the bumpy 3.74-mile road course.
“We know the track very well there, we know the expectation,” said Liddell, who’s also the team manager. “The car performs very well there; it has done historically. So, yeah, it was a very good test.”
The Sebring test followed a disappointing end for the No. 71 at the season opener in January, the BMW M Endurance Challenge at Daytona International Speedway. Despite the Camaro not being well-suited to Daytona’s high banks, Rebel Rock was running a solid sixth until an engine failure with two laps remaining in the four-hour race.
“At Daytona, we struggled,” Liddell said. “The Camaro is a big car and it pushes a lot of air, and Daytona’s all about the high banking and top speeds. At Sebring, it’s more about braking, handling, riding the bumps. And with this car the chassis and the balance and handling is pretty good, so I think we’ll be pretty competitive.”
DePew has added motivation to get to Sebring. He sat out the Daytona race due to a family medical emergency.
“I’m very much looking forward to it,” DePew said of this week. “As Robin said, I think we have a car that we can compete with, which will certainly make it more fun. So yeah, quite, quite excited!”
The 45-car entry list this year is 10 more than raced at Sebring in 2021. The increase comes completely within GS, with the class jumping from 20 to 30 cars. Porsche and BMW dominated at Daytona, sweeping the top six spots. The No. 28 RS1 Porsche 718 GT4 RS Clubsport won that race, though anchor driver Stevan McAleer will have a new co-driver this week in Alexandre Premat.
The Touring Car (TCR) class remains at 15 entries for the second straight 2022 race and second straight year at Sebring. The No. 5 KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR and drivers Roy Block and Tim Lewis lead the class standings following their win at Daytona.
“This championship, running GT4 and TCR regulations as a two-class field, with the quality of the competition and the teams and drivers that are in it, globally I think this is the best GT4 competition that there is,” lauded Liddell. “Having 30 quality (GS) entries in the field is great. I don’t think we have too many cars to where it’s going to be a mess. Obviously, things can happen but generally I think the driving standards and the quality of racing in this championship is very, very high. And I think it makes for great racing.”