CINCINNATI, Ohio - There will be a new racer to keep an eye on this year as Tim Bell has been signed to drive the No. 14 BMW 128i for Doran Racing in the full season of GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge competition. Bell will contend for the MESCO Building for the Future Rookie of the Year Award as he steps up to the pro ranks of GRAND-AM racing after gaining experience in the BMW Car Club of America (BMWCCA) racing series.
Bell, who will balance his racing endeavors with his pursuit of a college degree, tested for multiple teams in the off-season before deciding to accept the offer from Doran. He will join the legendary squad's two-car foray into the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge ranks with the all-new BMW 128i.
"I got to test a range of cars and experienced everything from front wheel drive, forced induction cars to rear-wheel drive, naturally aspirated cars like the BMW," Bell said. "I am glad I'm going to get the chance to race the BMW. I was impressed with the car -- it was quick right out of the box and it has a ton of potential. It's similar to the BMWs I've raced in BMW Club Racing and I think that helped me feel comfortable really quickly."
Bell's pursuit of racing success will see the weekend events become a full-fledged family activity for the Bell family. Tim's older brother, Matt, has already established himself on the GRAND-AM circuit with his drives in the Daytona Prototypes and record-setting runs in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge series.
Tim Bell's learning curve started last weekend on the high banks at Daytona International Speedway as the "Roar Before the Rolex 24" kicked off the 2011 racing season. The 3.56-mile circuit is the first of ten new tracks for Bell to learn this year, having gained most of his experience on tracks closer to home in California. That isn't the only thing for Bell to pick up, as the endurance format will have Tim sharing the machine with co-driver BJ Zacharias, adding a host of new racing activities to get used to in 2011.
"We still have some work to do on pit stops and driver changes, but I'll be getting that experience in the coming weeks," said Bell. "Kevin Doran and BJ Zacharias are both great teachers, so I'm hoping to come up to speed quickly." After three days running at Daytona, Bell was already sounding a bit like a grizzled veteran. "The practice went really well and I'm happy with my lap times, but I think we could still use a bit more power in the car."
In fact, the test went very well as Bell set some very un-rookie-like times during the weekend as he prepared to be ready to go at the drop of 2011's first green flag with the GRAND-AM 200 on Jan. 28.
"I felt really comfortable, and we took almost five seconds off our time during the weekend so I was pretty pleased with the test," said Bell. "Some of it was improvements that Doran made with the car, and some of it was me just getting used to the track and the traffic and everything else that was going on. I'm really happy, and now I'm just looking forward to getting back here at the end of the month and starting the season off with a good race at Daytona."
