Darius Grala
Encyclopedia
Darius Grala is an endurance sports car racing
driver. He is currently racing in North America
and living in the United States
. In 2007, Grala will be one of the founding instructors for Supercar Life. In 2006, Grala was one of the founding instructors of the Ferrari Driving Experience. He will continue working with Ferrari
in 2007.
In 2005, while driving for the BMW
Southard Motorsports team, he won the Grand-Am Daytona Prototype Sportsman of the Year Award. Grala has been a Daytona Prototype driver since the class debuted in the 2003 Rolex
24 Hours of Daytona
. In that first race he ran in the top five through most of the night until a mechanical failure in the fifteenth-hour took him out of the race while running in second place overall.
On June 22, 2003 Grala had his first podium finish in a Daytona Prototype at his home track in Watkins Glen
, New York.
Prior to the introduction of the Daytona Prototype class, Grala competed in the Grand-Am GTS class. He got his first Rolex Series win in the GTS Class, also at Watkins Glen International
.
Before racing in the Rolex Series, Grala competed in the Ferrari
Challenge. The three-year effort netted multiple wins and pole position
s, and culminated with Grala being crowned the 2002 North American Champion
.
Sports car racing
Sports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going sports cars....
driver. He is currently racing in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and living in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 2007, Grala will be one of the founding instructors for Supercar Life. In 2006, Grala was one of the founding instructors of the Ferrari Driving Experience. He will continue working with Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
in 2007.
In 2005, while driving for the 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...
Southard Motorsports team, he won the Grand-Am Daytona Prototype Sportsman of the Year Award. Grala has been a Daytona Prototype driver since the class debuted in the 2003 Rolex
Rolex
Rolex SA is a Swiss watchmaking manufacturer of high-quality, luxury wristwatches. Rolex watches are popularly regarded as status symbols and BusinessWeek magazine ranks Rolex No.71 on its 2007 annual list of the 100 most valuable global brands...
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...
. In that first race he ran in the top five through most of the night until a mechanical failure in the fifteenth-hour took him out of the race while running in second place overall.
On June 22, 2003 Grala had his first podium finish in a Daytona Prototype at his home track in Watkins Glen
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...
, New York.
Prior to the introduction of the Daytona Prototype class, Grala competed in the Grand-Am GTS class. He got his first Rolex Series win in the GTS Class, also at 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...
.
Before racing in the Rolex Series, Grala competed in the Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
Challenge. The three-year effort netted multiple wins and pole position
Pole position
The term "pole position", as used in motorsports, comes from the horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole. The term made its way, along with several other customs, to auto racing. In circuit motorsports, a driver has pole position when he or she...
s, and culminated with Grala being crowned the 2002 North American Champion
Champion
A champion is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition.There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, and even further divisions at one or more of these levels, as in soccer. Their champions...
.
External links
- http://www.grala.com/