In the 42nd annual Rolex 24 Hour race scheduled for Jan. 31 - Feb. 1, Fikse is supplying 15 of 17 teams in the Daytona Prototypes class, and nearly half (24 of 55) of the race's total entrants. Fikse was the first manufacturer to develop a wheel purpose-engineered and purpose-built to meet the demanding requirements of the new Daytona Prototypes series. Drivers who will be relying on Fikse wheels at Daytona include racetrack legends Dale Earnhardt Jr., Robby Gordon and Kyle Petty, and Westport, Conn.'s P. L. Newman.

"In endurance racing, the need for maximum performance combined with the need to survive many punishing hours of racing presents a unique challenge," says Matt Fikse, chief operating officer. "Durability, reliability and serviceability matter more than in any other form of racing. We are thrilled that so many leading teams routinely choose Fikse wheels first as the best for the job."

"Someone like me, who's been racing for most of my adult life-since 1973-is always looking for lighter-weight wheels in general, so Fikse automatically fits into that category," says Price Cobb, managing director of G&W Motorsports which will have two cars - #80, a BMW Daytona Prototype, and #86, a Porsche GT3 SGS car -- in next weekend's acclaimed endurance race. "Then, I look for a wheel that's stronger, so with Fikse, instantly my top two criteria are there. And finally, I look at price, and Fikse wheels are very competitive, so there we have a home run, all of the bases are covered. All of the cars in my shop have moved over to Fikse wheels."

Renowned car designer Max Crawford of Crawford Race Cars LLC, which designed two Chevrolet prototypes--#2 and #4 in the upcoming race-for Howard-Boss Motorsports, says that he "chose Fikse wheels due to the design. Fikse wheels are lighter than the opposition's wheels, which makes them so much easier to change in a pitstop. The wheels are doing great for us."

Fikse wheels have seen major victories before. For instance, last year the wheels were on the winning car in the GT class at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance contest. The first place Alex Job Racing/Petersen Motorsports' Porsche 911 GT3 RS was equipped with Fikse centerlocks and triumphed on one of the world's most challenging race tracks.

The unique design of Fikse wheels contributes to their strength, light weight and popularity. The wheel centers are crafted from rotary-forged aerospace-grade aluminum, which is mounted to rim halves made of high-strength aluminum. They boast a three-piece modular design featuring a stronger alloy center forging and extra-strength heat-treated rims. The wheels' open-spoke design results in improved brake cooling and easier and faster handling in the pits.

Technological advantages notwithstanding, Fikse's success is due in large part to the company's commitment to service, with on-site support, rapid deployment spares and a "24/7" availability policy for race teams, including on-track support at every Daytona Prototype event.

"We won the triple crown with our Porsches and Fikse wheels in the 2001 Grand Am cup," says Sylvain Tremblay, SpeedSource Engineering, which is running two Daytona Prototypes-#9 and #70, both Ford Multimatics-in the Rolex 24 Hour race. "When we moved into this class last year, one of the first phone calls we made was to Fikse. The biggest advantage of the wheels is weight, but Fikse's service is key, too. They take care of you at the race track; they're a great company to work with."