(August 3, 2009) — Miller Barrett Racing is ready for action! The new team will enter four Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series races this year, as a test program to prepare for a full-season effort in 2010. Bryce Miller of Summit, N.J., will be the lead driver in the team’s No. 48 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car. It will carry the colors of his long-time sponsors Marquis Jet, IPC Systems and Total Lubricants.
the team
Miller Barrett Racing is a new team, but a partnership with a long, successful history.
Bryce Miller’s resume includes a Rolex Series GT team championship, class victories and a GT podium in the Rolex 24 At Daytona. He finished second in class, fifth overall in the Total 24 Hours of Spa last month, adding another top result to the 21 podium finishes he earned from 2006 through 2008.
His father Paul has extensive experience as both a driver and team owner. He led the Porsche factory effort in Trans-Am Series racing in the 1980s. He was also a leading IMSA endurance racer, driving with sports-car stars Bob Akin, Brian Redman and Hans Stuck. He competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times and in the Daytona 24-hour race nine times, topping the GTO class in 1988.
The two generations of Millers share the expertise of Miller Barrett Racing team manager and engineer Eric Barrett. He started his 23-year race career as a mechanic on Paul Miller’s winning Trans-Am team, was later crew chief for Paul Miller’s SCCA team, then coached Bryce Miller to more than 60 International Karting Federation wins. Barrett’s international experience includes work with top professional drivers like Bob Akin, Charles Mendez and Dave White.
The two Millers and Barrett have reunited as partners in the new sports-car team, based in Braselton, Ga.
“I’m really excited about the partnership. We have a past relationship that created some good results and success, so hopefully that can be rekindled in this new project,” Bryce Miller said. “We have had much success with our sponsors over the last few years, but having this opportunity lends us additional branding control to deliver added value to our partners.
“There’s a lot of energy that’s come together on the team. We’ve taken testing and the development of the car very seriously. That process has been a series of ups and downs that’s natural in the building process, and the whole team has come together and bonded as a result of those experiences. That will help to accelerate the development of our effort, so we can compete for respectable positions in our first four races. Our goal is to use them as a pilot program to establish a baseline for 2010.”
first race
Miller Barrett Racing will make its first appearance in a two-hour Rolex Series race at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, N.Y., on Aug. 7. Kevin Roush of Upland, Calif., will share driving duty with Bryce Miller. Roush is a Porsche specialist, both on track and in his business, GAS Motorsport. His sponsors are Wheel Enhancement and JSI Shipping.
“Bryce and I have raced against each other many times and have even gotten to spray some champagne together on a few occasions, so teaming up with him now is awesome,” Roush said.
“I have every confidence that each member of the Miller Barrett team desires to come out strong and I know they have been working long and hard toward their Rolex debut. Certainly, we will all give 100 per cent to make it a success. Special thanks to Bryce, Paul Miller, Wheel Enhancement and JSI Shipping for helping make this possible.”
details
The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series race is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 7 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm ET, on the 2.45-mile Watkins Glen International road course in Watkins Glen, N.Y. The race will be televised on SPEED at 8 pm on Friday, Aug. 7. Fans can access live timing/scoring at grand-am.com.
partners
Bryce Miller races with the support of three international sponsors. Marquis Jet is the recognized leader in private jet cards because it’s the only program that offers exclusive access to NetJets – the gold standard in private aviation – 25 hours at a time. IPC Information Systems is a leading provider of mission-critical communications solutions to financial services firms. Total Lubricants is the world’s fourth-largest publicly traded integrated international oil and gas company.
