Rolex 24 at Daytona is a special event that is eagerly awaited by auto manufacturers, drivers, and racing fans around the world. Rolex 24 at Daytona is also going to be the first important race of the international motor sport season. Every year in January, the Daytona International Speedway witnesses this incredible race that is loved by leading drivers, who consider it as one of the most difficult races. This upcoming event in 2012 will represent a unique highlight of the Rolex 24 as it completes 50 years.

This 50th anniversary is also bringing in various special activities to make the occasion grander. The people at Rolex, Daytona International Speedway and GRAND-AM are making efforts to gather all Rolex 24 at Daytona race winners along with their cars. To add to the glamour, two new additions will be included, the 1970 Rolex 24 Overall Champion No. 2 Gulf Porsche 917 and the 1966 Rolex 24 Overall Champion Ford Mark II. The latter car captured the 1966 victory when the race was organized for 24 hours. At that time Rolex 24 at Daytona was known as the Daytona Continental and was of three hour duration.

The second car-‘No. 2 Gulf Porsche 917’ gained popularity in 1970 race and became a winner by 45 laps over the No. 1 Gulf Porsche 917. This car became more special as Rodriguez captured his third win of four Rolex 24 victories in 1970.

In honor of the 2012 Rolex 24 50th Anniversary, there will be various activities over the end of the event. One such association that holds a special mention is between Colombian-American artist Alberto Gomez and Daytona International Speedway (DIS). Gomez is recognized worldwide and appropriately depicts both ancient and present civilizations through his murals. He will work on a special commemorative painting that will include one car and team from each of the race’s five decades.

The 2012 Rolex 24 at Daytona will also distribute some very special prizes to its winners. Apart from the popular Rolex Cosmograph Daytonas the winners of the race will get a PRS Private Stock guitar. It will be specially designed, keeping in mind the 50th anniversary of the Rolex 24 at Daytona and will feature a mahogany back, rosewood fingerboard with a figured maple top.

All the worthy winners of this world class race get a place in motor sports history. They are presented with a special steel Rolex Cosmograph Daytona which is regarded as the world’s rarest watch. Rolex’s involvement with the Daytona International Speedway started in 1959. Later in 1965, Rolex Cosmograph watches got ‘Daytona’ name imprinted on the dial. This special watch allowed its users to clock elapsed times and calculate average speeds.

Rolex became the chief sponsor of the 24-hour race at Daytona in 1992 which is amongst the most prestigious endurance competitions along with the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

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After focusing on GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series for nine years, Dempsey Racing is finally stepping to other racing series. Silicon Tech/Dempsey Racing, two weeks ago announced its full-season involvement in the 2012 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) and has now roped in Duncan Ende and Henri Richard as co-drivers in its Le Mans Prototype Challenge (LMPC) entry. Its earlier efforts primarily include GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series with a fulltime Mazda GT program since 2008 with Richard winning the Future Rookie of the Year Award in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series MESCO Building. They have also fielded a two-car GT effort the last two seasons and posted their first win on the NASCAR short-course race at Watkins Glen in 2010.

This new association between Duncan Ende and Henri Richard, who is the Silicon Tech Racing Founder and Principal, will mark Dempsey Racing’s entry in Le Mans Prototype Challenge (LMPC). Both the racers are no strangers to each other as Duncan Ende had earlier teamed with Richard for a convincing GTC class victory in the 2010 Petit Le Mans and during season’s opening race at Sebring. Duncan Ende, 26 also had three victories in the 2010’s end-of-season result and an overall second-place finish in this year’s GTC championship. He commented that he is very glad to have Duncan rejoin their team for the 2012 season. They had a great time in 2010 while driving at Sebring and Petit Le Mans. Adding further, he said that Duncan is a talented and hardworking guy and he is sure that he will represent the Silicon Tech Racing brand efficiently. He will be a great advantage for the team and he looks forward to the coming season.

Having begun his career in the Skip Barber National Series he moved ahead to Formula Atlantic. He gained popularity with five victories in the 2006 IMSA Lites series. His return to prototype competition is like getting back to his roots and is very well aware of the down force-oriented and lightweight vehicles. He has won various races with a car similar to Oreca FLM09 that he will be driving in 2012.

With this new association and leap in the new racing scenario, Silicon Tech/Dempsey Racing hopes to win the 2012 ALMS LMPC championship. The team hopes to set a base for the upcoming international motorsports programs too. The 2011 season has been very successful for Silicon Tech Racing as the team took part in every major North American sports car endurance race.

On being asked about the new teaming, Dempsey commented that he knew that Henri wanted to partner a skilled young driver in 2012 and he has made a great choice with Duncan Ende. He along with Spencer Pumpelly performed well in the last season and they are glad to have him as part of the team.

The Cayman Islands Little League was the recipient of the Rolex 2011 Cayman Golf Classic. The Local Little League recently knocked the associates to raise funds. Last Friday, the North Sound Golf Club played host to the twenty teams comprising eighty golfers in total. The Cayman Islands Little League is in its twelfth year and experienced an instant sell out by business sponsors. The event was sponsored by Rolex and basically the tournament was organised for improving the sport here as stated by the Little League President Paul Gallagher. He also said that it was a tremendous day for golf and thanked Rolex and Kirk Freeport for sponsoring such a remarkable event.

Little League President Paul Gallagher assured that the funds raised will be utilised in making efforts to improve the baseball game for all the kids between the ages of five to eighteen years. So that baseball can become a good choice for the youngsters to participate in the tournaments. The format that was used in the golf tournament was a four man scramble format with mulligan available. There were a number of prizes that were handed along with dinner to all the players and goodie bag was received by each and every player who participated. A Rolex watch that was a random prize was won by David Butler of the team PWC. Being closest to the pin on the ninth hole, Jerry Beck won a stainless steel Rolex watch. A Waterford Crystal trophy and two hundred dollars Kirk Freeport gift certificate was won by three people for a range of feats.
The other achievements included Matthew Wight for the longest drive of the day and Tom Crawford for staying close to the pin on the fifth hole.

The KM Ltd team of Brent McComb, Mike Stevens, Charlie O’Neil, and Richard Sanfilippo stood at the first position. The Appleby side of Norm Klein, Fiona Crellin, James Lewis and Connan Hill were at second position and the Kirk Freeport squad of Chris Kirkconnell, Jerry Beck, Phillip Wight and Michael Wight bagged the third place. On the other hand Matthew Wight, Alan Wight, Naul Bodden and Danny Scott were the low coarse winners for the event.  Sara Mackay, the fund raising coordinator for the Little League, who still plays in the adult co-ed League was also present for the event and stated the importance of the tournaments for the sport and thanked all the players and even the sponsors for participating and organising such a terrific tournament. He also appreciated North Sound Golf Club for serving a great venue for the event. The Little League at present is in its offseason. There will be the new youth programme and co-ed softball league taking place in January.

GRAND-AM Road Racing has announced that IHG or the InterContinental Hotels Group will be the official hotel partner for the upcoming 2012 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. For the first time in its history, GRAND-AM Road racing has a partnership with a hotel for GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, 2012. GRAND-AM CEO Ed Bennett said that this partnership would allow GRAND-AM, its competitors and its partners a recognized standard of quality accommodations to call home during event weekends. IHG has properties in all of the markets where the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series and Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race events take place. IHG owns a portfolio of well-recognized and respected hotel brands. Some of them include InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites. The InterContinental Hotel Group also manages the world’s largest hotel loyalty program, Priority Club Rewards with more than 61 million members worldwide.

GRAND-AM CEO Ed Bennett also admitted that IHG is an honorable addition to the growing family of partners of the sanctioning body. He was quite confident to assert that the partnership would grow stronger in the coming years. As the official hotel partner of GRAND-AM Road Racing, IHG will assist in securing rooms for the governing body, its racing teams and partners. Also, GRAND-AM fans will be able to book their lodging for races through the GRAND-AM website. Future plans also include identifying host hotels in each of the respective race markets. InterContinental Hotel Group looks to gain exposure for its upscale InterContinental Hotels & Resorts brand through GRAND-AM’s marketing channels. Debbie Grant, Director of Americas Brand Management, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts said that this partnership gives GRAND-AM Road Racing the opportunity to raise awareness of InterContinental Hotels & Resorts among a dedicated fan base that sets up itself well with our its target audience of upscale travelers.

GRAND-AM has always strived to offer rich, authentic experiences to its customers residing in IHG range of hotels. In order to give an edge to such experiences for its 20 million fans in the U.S, GRAND-AM organizes premiere hands-on experiences and personal connections with drivers, teams and cars.

InterContinental Hotel Group is the world’s largest hotel group as far as the number of rooms and franchises, leases the group manages. The group has comprises of about 4,500 hotels and more than 666,000 rooms in 100 countries and territories. Also, more than 1,100 hotels are already in its development pipeline. GRAND-AM Road Racing is the premier road racing organization in North America. It operates and sanctions the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series and Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.

US Match Racing Skipper Anna Tunnicliffe, along with her team members, is all ready to take on the challenge at Perth. Interestingly, she was recently crowned the World Sailor of the Year 2011 in ISAF Rolex Sailors championship. Reminiscing about her win, she commented that although ISAF Rolex Sailors of the Year Award was awarded to her, it was a team award. As a team they all accomplished the award. Getting a Rolex Sailors of the Year Award was a very special moment for all of them.

Her United States Sailing Team includes her AlphaGraphics crewmates that together form Team Maclaren. Names of her team members are: Molly Vandemoer, Debbie Capozzi and Liz Lewin (alternate). They have been sailing together for a very long time as the US Sailing Team AlphaGrapics (USSTAG) Team Maclaren. Anna and her team are very well known to the international championships and competition. They are now preparing for the upcoming 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships at Perth.

Anna Tunnicliffe, who originally hails from Doncaster, England, has lived in Ohio, US, since the age of twelve. She reassuringly says that she is an American but sometimes speaks a little British because of her origin. She is very patriotic towards her country and her team mates. One of the members of the team, Debbie Capozzi has sailed with Anna Tunnicliffe in college, but they went into different boats afterwards. Both of them reconnected for this campaign. During those years the third member, Molly Vandemoer went to school in Hawaii, but participated in the same college competitions. The fourth member of the team is Liz Lewin, who has been part of the team from the beginning and also went to school with Anna and Debbie. All three of them decided to build their team for an Olympic campaign on the ‘Elliot 6m’ after their initial episodes of success.

Anna Tunnicliffe, 28, has been a part of the women’s sailing fraternity for a long time and has won various awards. She has won Rolex ISAF Woman Sailor of the year award twice in 2009 and again this year. She has also won Gold Medal in 2008 on the Women’s Laser Radial in Beijing. But these winnings haven’t always come as easy to her. She has had her share of defeats that provided valuable lessons to move on and do more hard work. She says that it was a very difficult moment for her as she lost by a 100th of a point.

Focusing on the future and speaking as the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics representative, Anna Tunnicliffe commented that the team is very glad to have found various sponsors which include Laser Performance, Team Maclaren and 11th Hour Racing. Some of the other sponsors are Carmeuse Natural Chemicals, Chicago Match Race Centre, Trinity Yachts and Sperry Top Siders.