# From Pole to Podium, APR Motorsport Wins GRAND-AM 200



## [email protected] (Jul 29, 2008)

*Ian Baas and Ryan Ellis Drive to Victory at Daytona International Speedway in the Season Opener of the Continental Tires Sports Car Challenge* 

 

Less than a month ago if you were to visit APR’s Performance Campus in Opelika, AL you would 
have seen a Carbon Steel Metallic VW GTI MK6 seemingly collecting dust in the parking lot. Little 
did that GTI know it was soon to be on its way to setting a new track record at Daytona. 

APR Motorsport has fielded 2 to 3 VW GTI MK5’s in the CTSCC since 2008 with amazing results 
and in 2010 added the brand new VW GTI MK6 to their car lineup in order to develop the new 
VW chassis. After a tough season in 2010 with the MK5’s finishing well and securing multiple 
podiums, APR’s GTI MK6 was able to win the final race last year at Miller Motorsports Park 
providing some insight to what the 2011 season may look like for APR. 

As the 2011 season approached and APR Motorsport began finalizing their driver line up for the 
season, the decision was made to add a second GTI MK6 to the arsenal and retire one of the 
previous generation GTI MK5’s. Ryan Ellis of the VW TDI Cup and Ian Baas, mainstay APR driver 
of many successful battles, were excited to learn the new #171 would be their race car to vie 
for the 2011 season championship. “I’ve fallen in love with VW’s newest GTI even more so than 
the previous generation. I have a lot of memorable moments in those MK5’s but opportunities like 
this to prove the merits of a new chassis before anyone else is doing it is one of the reasons why 
I enjoy my time with the APR Motorsport team so much.”, said Ian Baas. 

And prove the GTI MK6 was a serious competitor is exactly what Ryan and Ian were able to do 
this last Friday at the 2011 season opener. Last year’s development car, the now #181 GTI MK6, 
was driven in practice by Chris and Kevin Gleason, setting a blistering pace. Ryan was working 
with Ian and the team to help get the #171 car dialed in to his liking and was able to consistently 
bring his times closer to the already sorted #181 GTI MK6. In the final practice session before 
qualifying, it looked like APR could expect both GTI MK6’s to challenge for the pole until Kevin 
Gleason was caught up in a GS class onslaught into the infamous “bus stop” resulting in an off 
track excursion that retired #181 for the weekend. 

Ryan Ellis was left to carry the standard for APR Motorsport in ST class qualifying and did so 
quite handily. Setting a new ST class track record at Daytona in the process, Ryan put the #181 
on pole and the weekend was looking up again for APR Motorsport. 

As the flag flew to start the race, Ryan Ellis was first up and rocketed ahead of the pack due to 
some slow starts by the competitors lined up immediately behind him. By the half way point of 
the first lap, the VW GTI MK6 was developing a commanding lead over the field. However Ryan, 
and later Ian, was quickly learning this was no walk in the park and both were soon to face fierce 
attack from the other contenders. 

With the 2011 season showing some serious new competition from the Porsche Boxster teams 
and with the consistent and fast BMW teams apparently able to make some rather dramatic 
improvements in the off season as well, Ryan was beginning to feel the pressure from the field 
behind him. “About half way through my stint, I really had to pull out all of the stops and take full 
advantage of lap traffic drafting on the banks and find all of the available clean air in the infield. 
APR Motorsport did a fantastic job of preparing our new race car and I’m glad they did as it took 
everything I had to keep the competition at bay”, said Ryan after turning the car over to Ian. 

 

Ian Baas returned the GTI to the race in 9th after the pit stop and driver change. However, the 8 
cars ahead require at least one more stop and APR’s car is able to finish the race due to excellent 
strategy by Jeff Mishtawy. So, Ian was	focusing	on keeping the car healthy as he skillfully kept 
ahead of the other competitors that were fully fueled and able to finish the race without a stop as 
well. As Ian reclaimed the lead after all competitors made their final pits, a serious battle began 
to emerge. 

V-Pack Motorsport’s BWM was nearly pushing Ian around the track for several laps as race time 
began to wind down. As multiple cautions were limiting V-Pack’s chances to pass, the BMW began 
making daring and expert moves on Ian to exchange the lead 4 times on the last few laps of 
green. “Whew! That was some intense racing! That BMW was just all over me and I was so surprised 
I was able to keep taking the lead back every time, what an amazing car the team gave Ryan and 
I for the opener”, commented Ian while on the podium. 

A final caution was thrown when the BMW lost control in a corner in another attempt to pass Ian. 
GRAND-AM Officials and SCCA Track Volunteers quickly cleared the debris and the race was able 
to restart for two final laps. Ian Baas crossed the finish line in the lead winning one of the most 
 exciting races in APR Motorsport’s history in the series. Director of Motorsport at APR, Jeff Mishtawy 
summarized, “This was a true testament of our team’s maturity and expertise fielding VW’s in 
motorsport. Our race winning GTI has performed nearly flawlessly and I can’t thank enough the 
individuals that come together as a team to make this happen. The team just did a fantastic job 
preparing Ryan and Ian’s new GTI and really proved how much they can accomplish in a short time 
due to their experience, dedication and passion for excellence.” 

About APR: APR LLC is an automotive engineering firm operating a 36,000 sq. ft. performance 
campus in Opelika, AL. APR was founded in 1997 with a corporate philosophy of Integrity, Excellence 
and Innovation. APR's Sole Mission is to provide the highest quality and most highly engineered 
aftermarket performance products available for Porsche, Audi and Volkswagen vehicles. Learn 
more at www.goapr.com. 

 



*Full Gallery* 
_Click To Enlarge_


----------



## Doug M. (Feb 27, 2009)

*APR Win @ Daytona*

Not sure if anyone is aware, one of the 2 drivers for the winning APR effort at Daytona (Ryan Ellis) was a VW TDI Cup participant for the last few seasons. He put the APR car on the pole and co-drove in the winning effort.


----------



## Snaeper (Jul 3, 2009)

So what exactly ended up happening to 181? Sitting out all weekend sounds like pretty bad damage. 

Also, how did the Audi S4 fare in the GS class?

Congratulations either way, it's great to see Volkswagen and APR in the winner's circle in such a big event at such a prestigious track.


----------



## [email protected] (Jul 29, 2008)

Snaeper said:


> So what exactly ended up happening to 181? Sitting out all weekend sounds like pretty bad damage.


GS traffic in the bus stop sent the car into the wall. The damage was not repairable at the track. It was looking like we had a 1 & 2 shot. 



> Also, how did the Audi S4 fare in the GS class?


A few parts need to be changed / fixed for it to be competitive again. Hoping this month will give us enough time to do it before Homestead. 



> Congratulations either way, it's great to see Volkswagen and APR in the winner's circle in such a big event at such a prestigious track.


Thank you!


----------



## Snaeper (Jul 3, 2009)

Out of complete morbid curiosity I ask this, but.... do you have pictures of the car? Here's to hoping it's repaired so you can take on the season.

Also, did the Audi S4 not finish well? Were the suspension pieces unable to be sorted between qualifying and the race? I read that it was an issue but no resolution was posted anywhere. 

Just curious for details is all.

Oh, on a side note and completely unrelated, are the Irish Mike GLI's still in competition? It was neat to see another team campaigning VW's last year.


----------



## [email protected] (Jul 29, 2008)

Snaeper said:


> Out of complete morbid curiosity I ask this, but.... do you have pictures of the car? Here's to hoping it's repaired so you can take on the season.


I didn't snap any photos of it as I was at another part of the track when the accident occured. The team covered it up and stuck it back on the trailer. 



> Also, did the Audi S4 not finish well? Were the suspension pieces unable to be sorted between qualifying and the race? I read that it was an issue but no resolution was posted anywhere.


They worked on it at the track but were not able to make it 100%. There were also a couple other issues which caused two otherwise unneded pitstops. These stops obviously prevented any chance of getting anywhere on the track.



> Oh, on a side note and completely unrelated, are the Irish Mike GLI's still in competition? It was neat to see another team campaigning VW's last year.


They are currently in the world challenge. :thumbup:


----------



## RAD32 (Dec 21, 2004)

Will you guys ever race a Golf R (VI) or just stick with
the front drive set up. Could the car be faster AWD
or is the added weight not worth the extra grip (if any)

BTW AWESOME JOB!!!!!!!! Thanks for racing a VW 
and keeping with :thumbup::thumbup:


----------

