LEIGHTON REESE
Team Owner
Minnetonka, Minnesota
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Leighton began his motorsports career ice racing in the International Ice Racing Association series in 1980. In 1983 he was a finalist in the Pilotte Elf Competition at the Winfield Driving School in France. He has numerous ice and circle track victories and championships, as well as several wins in IMSA Firehawk competition.
In 1991 he finished 5th in class at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and 3rd in GTU class at Sebring. Late that same year he scored his first World Challenge SS win at Mosport in a Chevrolet Camaro. From 1991 to 1995 Leighton drove a Pontiac in the ASA circle track series and captured five podium finishes.
From 1996 to 2001 Leighton competed in the Trans-Am Series racking up 15 “Top 5” finishes, and 41 “Top 10” finishes. In 2000 he won the race at Texas Speedway and finished 4th in the season points.
Leighton began competing in the World Challenge series in 2004 driving the Banner Racing Chevrolet Corvette to two “Top 5” finishes and six “Top 10” finishes. His highest finish was 2nd at Mosport. In 2005 Leighton posted four “Top 5” finishes and seven “Top 10” finishes which helped him to 6th place in the GT Drivers’ Championship. He earned the pole at both Portland and Mosport and narrowly missed a win at Portland where he finished second.
In 2006, Leighton drove nearly identical Banner Racing Corvettes in both the Grand-Am Rolex GT Series and the Speed World Challenge GT. In World Challenge, Leighton captured poles for the season opening race at Sebring and the finale at Laguna Seca Raceway. His best finishes were 3rd at Road America and 4th at Laguna Seca. In his first season in the Rolex GT Series Leighton had a season best 5th place finish at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
In 2007, Leighton Reese Performance Group committed to a full-time Grand-Am Rolex GT Series effort and shifted from Corvettes to the Pontiac GXP.R. Leighton drove the #06 Banner Engineering Pontiac GXP.R and captured the GXP.R’s first victory at Lime Rock Park plus had a 2nd place finish at Iowa. He drove to ten Top 10 finishes including 4th in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Leighton finished the season 7th in the Drivers’ Championship.
In 2008, Leighton drove the #06 Banner Engineering Pontiac GXP.R with co-drivers Marc Bunting, Ron Fellows and Jan Magnussen. Leighton finished 3rd at Miami-Homestead and had six Top Ten finishes. Leighton’s primary focus in 2008 was ensuring that the #07 of Kelly Collins and Paul Edwards won both Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ championships.
PERSONAL
Birthday - October 18. Leighton lives in Minnetonka, Minnesota with his wife Katie, daughters Danielle and Nicolette, and Buddy the dog. Leighton and Katie own Leighton Reese Performance Group (LRPG Inc.) as well as Leighton’s Garage.
Street Car – Cadillac CTS-V
Favorite Track – Watkins Glen, Road America and Laguna Seca because they are classic drivers’ road courses.
Racing Hero – Milt Mintor
Early Exposure to Racing – Leighton’s father did some amateur rally racing and had a tremendous interest in sports cars.
#1 Racing Career Accomplishment – Operating a successful racing business
Interests outside of racing – Golf and skiing
PAUL EDWARDS
Corvette Z06 #07
Fort Collins, Colorado
2009
Paul teamed up again with Kelly Collins in the Pontiac GXP.R #07 with plans to defend their 2008 championship. The duo captured seven podium finishes, but just one victory at Miami-Homestead. With two finishes out of the top 10 and one missed race due to a non-race related injury, Paul was unable to defend and finished 4th in the GT Drivers’ Championship.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Paul started racing karts when he was 12 years old and during a four year karting career he had 45 race wins resulting in two western USA and four California state championships. At 18 years old he began racing in Europe in the British Formula Ford series. In two years he garnered rookie of the year, five poles, multiple wins, two track records and represented the USA in the Formula Ford World Finals.
In 1998 he switched to the European Formula Opel Winter Series winning the championship. The following year he was the European Palmer Audi Winter Series champion with three wins and the British Formula Opel Cup Champion with five wins and ten podiums. He also raced in the Formula Opel Euroseries and picked up three wins and nine podiums.
In 2001 Paul raced in the British Formula Three series with multiple podium finishes and then moved on to become a Red Bull junior driver as part of the Formula 1 driver search program.
Paul made two starts in a Daytona Prototype in 2004 with two 4th place finishes. In 2005, driving the Pontiac GTO.R he picked up GT class wins at Phoenix and Mexico City.
In 2006, Paul’s second year as a GM factory driver, he partnered with Kelly Collins in the Grand-Am Rolex GT Series driving the No. 64 Pontiac GTO.R. The pair posted wins at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, Homestead Raceway and Phoenix International Raceway. They captured five additional podium finishes including 2nd place at Virginia International Raceway, Lime Rock Park and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Their total of 9 Top 5 finishes resulted in 3rd place in the GT season standings.
In 2008, Paul once again co-drove the Pontiac GXP.R #07 with Kelly Collins. The duo captured six podium finishes including victories at Miami-Homestead, Laguna Seca, Lime Rock Park and the season ending, championship clinching victory at Miller Motorsports Park. They also finished second at the Mexico City race. They finished in the Top 10 in all but one race resulting in first place finishes in the GT Drivers’ Championship, GT Team Championship and GT Manufacturers’ Championship.
PERSONAL
Birthday - January 11. Paul lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with his wife Nicole, and their two pet cats Cozzy and Benz.
Street Car – GMC
Favorite Track – Spa Francorchamps in Belgium – It is very fast and there is a lot of time to be gained by being brave.
Racing Hero – Kimi Raikkonen
#1 Racing Career Accomplishment – Being a GM factory driver
Interests outside of racing – Snowboarding, poker, real estate
SCOTT RUSSELL
Corvette Z06 #07
Conyers, Georgia
2009
Scott Russell (a.k.a Mr. Daytona for his Superbike exploits) returned to racing after sustaining severe injuries during his final AMA Superbike race in 2001. Scott made his four-wheel debut in the 2009 Rolex 24 At Daytona, as part of a trio of motorcycle stars, which includes Jeff Ward and Jason Pridmore. The Spirit of Daytona prototype suffered major mechanical problems; however, the team soldiered on to an 11th place finish. Scott continued his progression into Grand-Am racing in the Koni (now the Continental Tire) Series with co-driver/coach, Guy Cosmo. A fast study, he notched a best finish of seventh in the season finale at Virginia International Raceway.
Returning to the Porsche Coyote prototype in mid-season, Scott and Guy endured the rain-drenched New Jersey Motorsports Park race ending up 11th after a 6th place qualifying effort...Scott's first drive in the wet. The duo would later race the Porsche Coyote Spirit of Daytona at the Brumos 200 at Daytona and the 6 hrs at Watkins Glenn.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
After racing motocross as a child, Russell raced in WERA events before reaching AMA in 1987. In 1988 he was runner-up in the 750cc Supersport class and also had some successes in Superbike and 600cc Supersport. He was Superbike runner-up in 1989, before winning the 750cc Supersport title three years in a row from 1990 to 1992 and winning every race in 1991. In 1992, Russell claimed the AMA Superbike championship. In the 1995 Daytona 200 he crashed on the first lap, but got back on the bike and won, finishing ahead of Carl Fogarty.
Having previously scored a handful of World Superbike podiums, he became the Superbike world champion riding for Muzzy Kawasaki in 1993, and was runner-up in 1994. He left the series after a poor start to 1995, replacing the retired Kevin Schwantz at Suzuki in the 500cc Grand Prix world championship. Staying with Suzuki in 1996 he finished sixth overall.
Russell returned to World Superbikes with Yamaha in 1997, coming sixth overall with a pole and two podiums. His final year in AMA Superbike ended at the first race of 2001 at Daytona after a move to the HMC Ducati team. Ducati had high hopes that "Mr. Daytona" would help them achieve their first ever 200 win. However, during the start, Russell's bike stalled and was hit from behind after trying to move out of the way to the side of the track. Russell suffered severe injuries which ultimately ended his two-wheeled career.
In 2005, Russell was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Scott returned to the highbanks of Daytona in 2008 on a Jamie James prepared Yamaha R1. Russell began serving as lead motorcycle road racing analyst for SPEED TV in May 2009, replacing Freddie Spencer whose European scheduling conflicts led to the change.
PERSONAL
Birthday - October 28. Scott lives in Conyers, Georgia with his girlfriend Lindsay, and their three dogs Chief, Cam and Hank.
Street Car – Ford Lightning, Chevrolet Silverado, Jeep TJ Wrangler
Favorite Track – Suzuka, Japan
Racing Hero – Freddie Spencer
Interests outside of racing – Dirt bike riding, rock climbing, wakeboarding
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