(from: http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/grand-am-njmp-notebook/ )
The Rapid Ascension of Matt Bell
Another young charger on his way up the Rolex Series ladder is California’s Matt Bell. Of all the drivers in the race today, Bell is one of the best examples of how a talented pilot can work their way up through the various GRAND-AM classes.
Making his Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge debut in 2009 driving an ST class BMW for turner Motorsports, Bell quickly graduated to the bigger, faster GS class. Scoring multiple pole positions and wins, Bell made the leap to the Rolex Series for 2010, driving a GT class Stevenson Motorsports Camaro at the Rolex 24. Continuing his GS education, Bell has also driven for Stevenson this year in the Sunoco-liveried Camaro, but when the opportunity to step up to the Daytona Prototype category this weekend with Doran Racing, Bell couldn’t refuse.
In what’s likely a record for how quickly a driver has ascended from ST to DP, Bell says keeping the different traits of multiple cars separate in his mind has been part of the challenge.
“I’ve overlapped series -- I think that’s a good way to put it. And I'm struggling with that today even. When you’re still doing one thing when you’re trying another like I am by racing this weekend in GS and DP, it takes more than just double the brainpower to switch back and forth because it's really easy to slip into habits you've learned in one car and bring them over to the other. You can't find a more different car in this field than our Camaro versus the DP car. And it was very similar actually to Daytona going from the GS Camaro to the GT Camaro. But the ascension, it doesn't feel like it because as soon as I’m in one class I try my best and the best is all I've got and I can always learn but the learning curve, it kind of flattens out once you're in that class and gotten the hang of it, obviously. As soon as that happens I'm starting to think, what else can I do? So once I was in GS, I thought that those GT cars look pretty cool. Next, it was ‘GT was pretty cool, I wonder about a DP.’ So it’s just trying everything new. And I want to keep going till my talent or my learning skills kind of peter out.”
With a few days of DP experience to reflect on, Bell says driving a prototype has been a pleasure.
“It's difficult but it's not as difficult as some might feel. If you think of it in the engineering aspect, as I do, or technically and mechanically, you can prepare yourself; you know what the difference is, you know, okay, it's downforce versus lift, like our GS Camaro has. It's got double wishbone suspension, like a real race car should, nothing against the streetcar Camaro or anything else, but those are big differences. And you kind of have to prep yourself thinking, well, what is going to change about the driving? But, honestly, the DP car, it’s fairly easy to come into just because it does everything it’s supposed to. I could estimate all I want on a Camaro or an M3 or a Porsche or any of the streetcars and I would likely be wrong.
“I come into a DP car and I go, well, I know it has downforce so I'm going to drive it like a downforce car. I know it can brake significantly later, so once you try it you're pretty much close to up to speed. Once you're there, it’s just a very fine tuning of a foot here or there, later braking or maybe slip into the gas a little easier; simple things like that. I’m cautiously optimistic about the situation but I'm excited. I'm turning more into an adrenaline junkie after driving the car. It's just like I want to drive it more. Is just like you're sweating profusely all the time and you’re aching because the seat’s not quite right yet, but it's fantastic.”
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Millville, NJ (14 July 2010) – Ever since taking a podium in his rookie season of GRAND-AM competition, Matt Bell has been on a constant upward trajectory and that upward mobility will take another significant step this weekend as Bell has been signed to race the No. 77 Doran Racing McDonalds, South African Airways, PR Newswire Dallara-Ford at New Jersey Motorsports Park in the Rolex Sports Car Series.