Team Sahlen came into the 2011 ROLEX Series season with the addition of a 3^rd Mazda RX-8 to their racing fleet.  The goal for the 3^rd Mazda was to provide platform for all the drivers on the team to be able to get significant track time during race weekends.  The plan also included providing Team Sahlen with a back up car in case something happened to one of their cars between the hectic back to back weekends of the summer schedule.  Thankfully the team never needed the 3^rd car as a back up, but having the extra car for practice and races certainly paid off as all team drivers were able to get plenty of seat time during the year.

For the season, Team Sahlen entered every race on the 12 event calendar.  The #42 and #43 RX-8s entered every race on the schedule.  Plus, the #49 Mazda entered 8 events in total.  This brought Team Sahlen to a total of 32 Entries for the year in the ROLEX series.  And this mark of 32 was more than any other Team Entrant.  2^nd place in Total Entries was a tie amongst many 2 car teams at 24 each.

This is the 5^th time the team has achieved having the Most Entries in a series.  The prior years included 1998, 2003, 2004 & 2005.

“We appreciate the hard work that our full time crew puts in at the shop and the track to accomplish our goals to go racing in the ROLEX Series.  It wasn’t our specific focus to be the top entrant, but rather to achieve our goals, which having 3 Mazdas out there certainly allowed us to do.  Additionally, we have some very dedicated and talented weekend warriors on our team, some going all the way back to 1985, whom make the weekends possible.  This achievement of being the Top Entrant really goes to them for their hard effort.” – shared Will Nonnamaker

For 2012, Team Sahlen plans to continue to campaign the #42 and #43 Mazdas full time in the series, and to enter the 3^rd RX-8 in several selected events.

The 2011 Team Sahlen campaign in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 is supported by Mazda, Mazdaspeed, HRPWorld.com, Cool Shirt, Racetech Seats, BBS, Racing Print Media, Alcon, Mothers Polish, EMCO, NGK Spark Plugs, TheRaceSite.com, Western New York Flash, Grassroots Motorsports, Castrol Oil, Holliday Canopies, ASC Industries, Iannetti  Design Ideas, CM Racing