LONG BEACH, CA – Brass Monkey Racing and its pair of Nissan GT-R World
Challenge racecars head to Southern California this weekend, April
16-18, for the Toyo Tires World Challenge at Long Beach Presented by
Bondurant Round Three race, part of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long
Beach weekend.
After introducing the renowned GT-R brand to the North American racing
scene March 26-28 in St. Petersburg, Fla., the team returned to its
Houston-based raceshop to continue development on the new machines. 
Utilizing completely stock driveline components and engine management,
the team focused on cooling system improvements for the
twin-turbocharged V6 engine and complex all-wheel drive differentials
and transmission.
“This is a work in progress, and our goal is to make improvements to
these cars each race and eventually win pole positions and races,”
Brass Monkey Racing Owner A.J. Brass said. “Long Beach is going to be
a tough test with a larger field than St. Petersburg, but we look
forward to showcasing the Nissan’s on the biggest stage of the season
in such a popular market for the GT-R.”
For drivers Tony Rivera and Steve Ott, the goal is similar to St.
Petersburg—finish the race and improve the car’s performance over the
course of the weekend.
“St. Pete went well for me but it could have been better,” Rivera
said. “Had I not had some overheating issues, I could have come home
with a pair of top fives. Hopefully, we have addressed some of those
issues but won’t know for sure until Sunday afternoon’s race.”
“I can’t dwell on what happened in St. Pete,” Ott said of the
incidents that eliminated him from both races, leaving him 16th in
points. “I’ve put that behind me and look forward to racing at Long
Beach. We expect to put both of our Nissans in the top 10 and work our
way back into the 2010 Championships.”
Rivera, who finished seventh at Long Beach in 2009 driving a Porsche,
sits ninth in points after the opening two Rounds in St. Petersburg,
where he finished seventh and eighth, respectively. Ott is 16th after
retiring from both events.
The #96 (Ott) and #97 (Rivera) Nissan/Brass Monkey Racing Nissan GT-Rs
will be in action Friday afternoon, April 16, for the opening Round of
practice at 4:20 p.m. (PST). It’ll be a quick night for the Monkeys,
as the next practice is scheduled for Saturday morning, at 7:15 a.m.
Sunday brings qualifying at 8:25 a.m., with the Round Three race
running after the IndyCar race, at 4:15 p.m.
The team will attend the traditional Thunder on Pine fan festival on
Pine Street in Long Beach from 6-10 p.m. Both Rivera and Ott will be
on hand to sign autographs and interact with fans along with one of
the team cars. The event is open to the public.
Brass Monkey Racing would like to thank its sponsors for their
support, including Nissan, Penske Shocks, Eurotech Industries Inc.,
South Side Performance and Seibon Carbon. For more information, please
visit www.brassmonkeyracing.com.
For more information about the World Challenge series, please visit
www.world-challenge.com. For more information about the Toyota Grand
Prix of Long Beach, please visit www.gplb.com.
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