Lally Looks to Make it Two in a Row at Sebring var switchTo5x = true;var __st_loadLate = true;stLi Porsche Cup Hopeful Doing Double Duty with Rebel Rock Andy Lally will be looking to make it two in a row next weekend in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida, when he joins John Potter and Marco Seefried in the Magnus Racing No. 44 Flex-Box Porsche 911 GT America. The Atlanta driver is a 12-time competitor in the event, finishing second overall and in P2 in 2008 with Dyson Racing, and third in that class the following year. He also won the GTC pole in 2013, finishing sixth co-driving with Patrick Dempsey and Joe Foster. Lally’s credits include four Rolex 24 At Daytona class victories and three Rolex Series championships. He was GRAND-AM’s all-time mileage and podiums leader, and is 20th on the all-time list with 30 victories in major North American endurance competition. He also won the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year Award. How does that affect you and your team’s outlook returning to Sebring as the defending GT Daytona winner? “We’ll definitely have a little bit more of a drive to repeat. The team is ready, and they’re been working even harder than they did last year to try to live up to the expectations. But at the same time, the competition is tough and has also stepped up. So I think we’re going to have our hands full. I’m looking forward to a normal week at Sebring, which includes a lot of hectic moments on the race track, as well as weather and all sorts of variables that get thrown at us.” Any takeaways from the Rolex 24 At Daytona? “Since Daytona, we’ve been able to evaluate a lot of what we were able to witness our competition doing, as well as taking a guess at what they’re going to do at Sebring. We certainly have a big challenge on our hands, as we’ve got quite an array of manufacturers to take on. Given that it’s been a year since Porsche has been able to win a race, we’ve got our work cut out for us.” How is it coming with your new ride in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge with Rebel Rock Racing? “I love being back in that series – especially in the Porsche. It will be cool to try to double up on Porsche Cup points this year. That’s one of my goals. I’ve looked at the point scales in Porsche Cup the last few years, and if I had participated in a Porsche in GS, I’d have been in the top three the last three years, and might have won it going away in one of them. We won Indy and Laguna in 2013 (in the Rolex Series) and earned a ton of points. I still ended up seventh. If I had a GS schedule, I’d have a Porsche in my garage right now. “So I talked to (Rebel Rock team owner) Jim (Jonsin) towards the end of last year to make something happen. So I’ll be running the No. 08 Porsche 911 for Jim with Dylan Murcott.” What’s next on your bucket list? “For 2015, my goal is the same as always: to win the championship. We’re starting behind a little with an 11th-place finish at Daytona, but I know the way this season is going to go. Everybody is going to have their ups and downs. If we can show up with car capable of winning, hopefully John and I – and our engineers – will make the right decisions and strategy throughout the year so we can come away with this one. “But my personal bucket list still includes NASCAR. I’m chasing rides for road courses in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, Camping World Truck Series and the Sprint Cup Series – I’d even welcome something in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series or ARCA. It’s still my favorite form of racing, and I enjoy battling it out on road courses in the big, heavy stock cars. It’s a blast.” How are you coming along in your other “extreme athlete” ventures, street luge and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu? “I just had a competition in jiu jitsu, and it was OK. It was a small tournament, and I did pretty good. I don’t have many events planned during the season, but I don’t want to risk the chance of an injury that would force me to miss a race. On the street luge side, there are three races that I’m planning on doing this year – two in the World Cup and a regional. I won’t be able to put together a championship run because of scheduling conflicts, but I plan on staying active in both street luge and jiu jitsu.” Any recommendations for spectators at Sebring? “You have to stand on the outside of Turn 1 and see the cars coming flying through, and watch how the guys navigate the bumps and see their actual entrance speed in the corner. You also have to visit the guys in the Turn 10 Club. They’re some of the biggest partiers out there, and they’ll let anyone come in and visit.”