RFM Front Page News

SEBRING, Florida (March 17, 2004) -- Welcome to Part 2 of our Petersen / White Lightning’s “march” into Sebring! And 2 will be the perfect number for David Murry – who along with Craig Stanton will be the “2” perfect pilots of the #31 Porsche this weekend. I had the supreme pleasure of chatting with David as he made his way to the historic track on Sunday, as he regaled me with some fascinating stories from years gone by and of teammates past. You would be hard pressed to speak to any ALMS driver on the grid with more experience or passion to drive than David. And what shone through clearly was – the love of his family (and his dog); how he struggled to start his career in racing but has succeeded beyond most drivers’ wildest dreams! And how after all these years he is racing almost every weekend on the calendar; yet he still plans to make sure his family have a holiday together after Sebring.

Margot Orenchuk: Why did you start to race? What defining moment made you say “I just HAVE to get behind the wheel and race that car”?

David Murry: I have always liked the feeling of speed and motorized vehicles since I was a very young boy. When I was 16 and drove my Chevrolet Bel-air on the street faster than I like to admit, I knew I wanted to race. When I worked at GMAC, my co-workers were going to Road Atlanta and I asked, “Where is that?” Finally, my information source! I remember the first race I saw was the IMSA Camel GT. When I arrived at the track the cars were on their pace lap and the engines were singing. The hair stood up on my neck and that was the sealer for me. “I had to get behind the wheel”.

MO: How intimidating is it driving with someone as in great shape as Craig? Does he look funny at you when you pick up a can of coke? Does he bat it out of your hand? Do you 2 ever work out together?

DM: It is really a great thing for me to be around Craig. I have always tried to stay in shape but sometimes it’s hard with your surroundings. Since Craig and his wife Joy are so committed to fitness it makes it easier for me to stay motivated and I know there is someone else that tries to eat right too. We haven’t had time to work out together yet as the races tend to be a bit busy but I am sure we will as the year progresses. Until then I run with my dog at home and work with weights as well. (My dog Jake doesn’t lift much weight).

MO: Has Sebring been a kind track to you?

DM: Sebring has been a great track to me. I hold the track record for consecutive wins at 5. This was in the Firehawk days. I have finished second in the ALMS GT class and led overall in 1998 in a prototype.

MO: We know that P/WL search for people that “fit” the team. Have you settled in well with Petersen/White Lightning?

DM: I am lucky to have spent the past few years racing against them so I had a chance to get to know them; and more importantly they had a chance to get to know me.

MO: Tell us about the new RSR Porsche. What is the greatest improvement (for you) over the RS?

DM: I think the chassis, suspension, and aerodynamics are going to all work together to make the car faster.

MO: How much track time have you had with the RSR? Has any of it been at Sebring?

DM: None, we drove it for the first time at Sebring on March 15.

MO: What do you think is the key to being the successful team at the end of the day, to be standing on the top step in Sebring?

DM: We have to be consistently running hard with no mistakes. It is a tough track on equipment and taking care of the car will be important too.

MO: Petersen is planning to run Sebring with just you and Craig for a 12-hour endurance race – do you have to approach this race with a different strategy from usual?

DM: We will have to be mentally and physically prepared. It will be much harder than running a 24-hour race with 3 drivers. Sebring is very physically demanding and I just have to think I am in as good of shape as Craig - notice I said “think”.

MO: Who are you looking most forward to mixing it up with Saturday?

DM: I think it is going to be the most competitive race in ALMS GT history. There are a lot of great teams and drivers coming out. We would all like to mix it up with the factory cars as we expect them to be up front.

RFM thanks David for unselfishly giving his time to us, and we certainly look forward to cheering him on this weekend!