The Feature-Length Film on Vimeo Follows Rebel Rock Racing’s Rebirth in 2019
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A new season for any race team comes with its fair share of drama, anticipation and uncertainty all wrapped into one. When that team has also changed direction with new leadership, those feelings are magnified.
Such was the case with Rebel Rock Racing in the 2019 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season. Fortunately for race fans, all of the ups and downs, highs and lows, wins and DNFs were captured in the feature-length documentary “Rookie Season” available to rent now on Vimeo for $3.99.
To rent and watch “Rookie Season,” click here
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Businessman and amateur racer Frank DePew purchased the assets of Rebel Rock Racing in late 2018 with the goal of testing his skill at the professional racing ranks. He hired as his co-driver Robin Liddell, a decorated veteran with 29 career wins in IMSA’s top-level series and the 2015 Michelin Pilot Challenge champion in the Grand Sport (GS) class. Joe Hall also joined the team as crew chief.
The road to success was anything but easy. The team finished dead last in a 49-car field at the 2019 season opener at Daytona International Speedway. Slowly but surely, DePew, Liddell and the Rebel Rock crew built the program back up and punctuated the rebirth with a win at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and a storybook victory at Road America.
Director Adrian Bonvento and his film crew were there for it all. Bonvento was given unprecedented access to the team throughout the 2019 campaign, be it through in-car cameras, frank pit-lane and engineering room discussions, or interviews with the main characters.
The open, honest narration from team members provides intimate insights. Action sequences were filmed entirely independent of broadcast cameras. Bonvento’s unfettered access and creative editing yielded a powerful portrait of what truly drives team members. The film’s climax features the almost unbelievable events leading to the Road America triumph from the point of view of those involved.
“Rookie Season” provides viewers a true sense of what it’s like inside a race team.