Sunday Group Management

Busy and Fun Weekend At Lime Rock Park For Marsal to Close out 2012

Busy and Fun Weekend At Lime Rock Park For Marsal to Close out 2012

Lakeville, Conn. (29 September 2012) – Running two races at Lime Rock Park on Saturday for Turner Motorsport in the season-finale events for both the GRAND-AM Rolex Series and Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series, Michael Marsal closed a busy season of racing – which included both GRAND-AM and ALMS competition – with an equally busy last day of racing.

Marsal completed the 2012 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge season with a run to seventh in Saturday’s GS-only race with co-driver Boris Said. Having started from 13th on the grid after Friday’s qualifying session was cancelled due to heavy rains in the area, Marsal delivered a very strong performance in the No. 97 BMW to make the most of a quick car and run as high as fourth in the 26-car field.

After running fourth for 11 laps, Marsal brought the No. 97 to pit road when the Turner Motorsport team took advantage of a full course caution around the hour mark in the race. The team serviced the BMW and Marsal turned the controls over to Said who returned to the field 18th. He would run as high as fifth before ultimately taking seventh at the finish.

The result marked the fifth top-10 result for the duo this year.

“The car was quick–this is Turner’s home track and the guys know how to make a car go well here so I was really having fun out there,” said Marsal. “Some of these races have not been all that fun so it was good to have this kind of a race to close out the year.”

Just hours after the GS checkered flag, it was right back to race action for Marsal with the Rolex Series race slated for a 3:00 PM start as he joined team owner Will Turner in the No. 93 BMW GT machine. Turner qualified 10th on the grid and ran among the top-10 throughout the beginning stages of the race until a flat tire saw the BMW leave the track and sustain damage to the splitter.

Marsal took over the controls of the Turner BMW but the damaged splitter caused the car to develop severe understeer with Marsal fighting to wheel the machine around the 1.53-mile course. Once the team had completed the necessary laps to secure third in the team championship, the Turner squad opted to bring the No. 93 back to the garage.

“Our goal was to have some fun with the GT car but this wasn’t how we wanted to end the season,” said Marsal. “It was fun to get back into the GT car and especially to do so here at Lime Rock. But we had the issue with the splitter and it just didn’t make much sense for us to be doing laps out there so we parked it early. That was a shame but this was still a fun weekend even with the rain–it is all of our home race and a fun weekend to close out the year.”

SPEED will televise the Lime Rock Park event Sunday, October 14 at 1:00 PM (ET).

Matt Cleary
Sunday Group Management
mediawww.sundaymanagement.com
youtube.com/sundaymanagement
317.908.2975 (m)

For additional information: www.sundaymanagement.com, www.facebook.com/sundaygroup, www.twitter.com/Sundaygroup

Hopwood Back on GRAND-AM Podium at Lime Rock Park

Hopwood Back on GRAND-AM Podium at Lime Rock Park

Contact: Matt Cleary, Sunday Group Management
media
(317) 908-2975-Mobile// www.twitter.com/sundaygroup

Lakeville, Conn. (29 September 2012) – It’s good to be back home.

As GRAND-AM staged the final race of the 2012 season, 2007 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Champions Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood were back in race action at their home track Lime Rock Park on Saturday.

Hopwood got the last-minute call to co-drive with Billy Johnson, and repaid team owner Karl Thomson’s offer as the duo scored a podium run with a third place finish in the No. 77 Honda Civic.

Burrows shared the No. 74 Honda Civic with Andrew Novich for the duo’s 10th start together in final round of the championship.

With rain falling nearly all day at the 1.53-mile Connecticut road course, the afternoon’s qualifying session was cancelled with the grid being set by championship point order. With Burrows and Novich sitting eighth in the team championship standings, Novich started from outside the fourth row while Hopwood, who ran a part-time effort with Compass360 this year, would start his push to the front from 17th on the ST-only grid.

The 2.5-hour race opened under wet, changing, and tricky conditions but didn’t phase Hopwood who immediately began a charge forward – improving eight positions in just four laps to run ninth despite not being able to see much of anything from behind the wheel.

Hopwood handed the car over to Johnson who moved to the front after a cycle of pit stops with the No. 77 pacing the field for a race-high 39 laps. With about 45-minutes remaining, Johnson relinquished the lead to the race-winning Mazda. After Johnson got a meaningful shove in turn one from Andy Lally (who was quick to apologize for the move after the race), he brought the car home in third as Hopwood celebrated his 10th career GRAND-AM podium.

“I love racing at Lime Rock Park and it was great to come back with Compass360 again this weekend,” said Hopwood. “It was tricky out there and I really couldn’t see a whole lot but the car was quick and I knew where we could make up ground. It was good working with Billy-we raced him for the championship in 2007 and this was my first time working with him–it’s always good to be back on the podium so thanks to Karl, Ray and all the Compass360 guys.”

Meanwhile, Burrows and Novich also looked poised for a strong finish as Novich overcame contact from a competitor early in the race to run ninth just prior to the team’s first pit stop. Novich handed the controls to Burrows during the race’s second full course caution and Burrows returned to the track 12th in the order. With the rain still falling, his Lime Rock experience showed when he drove a stellar stint to run as high as sixth.

Unfortunately that forward movement was halted when an electrical issue on the No. 74 thwarted his upward mobility.

Burrows returned to pit lane and the crew went to work quickly replacing electronic componantry. However, the quick 1.53-mile course which sees the cars lap in just over one minute, saw the field pass by three times before Burrows could return to the track. He returned to the track with full power, but had one more issue to battle after he lost the crucial 4th gear and had to work to drive around the issue as best as he could on his way to hanging tough for a 21st place finish.

“We were hoping to end out the year on more of a high, and we certainly had the pace to do it today,” said Burrows. “But we just weren’t able to escape a little bad mechanical luck and it really cost us. Andrew has made so much progress this year and drove another strong stint–in some really challenging conditions. It’s been a great opportunity to work with him and to race with this team and I just want to say thanks to Compass360 because these guys are top notch, and they never give up.”

PR inquiries about Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood should be directed to Matt Cleary at Sunday Group Management; 317.908.2975 (mobile) or media@ sundaymanagement.com

For additional information: www.trevorhopwood.com / www.sundaymanagement.com
www.adamburrowsmotorsport.com

Matt Cleary
Sunday Group Management
mediawww.sundaymanagement.com
youtube.com/sundaymanagement
317.908.2975 (m)

For additional information: www.sundaymanagement.com, www.facebook.com/sundaygroup, www.twitter.com/Sundaygroup

Unified GRAND-AM/American Le Mans Series Leadership Team Meets With ACO And WEC At Le Mans

Unified GRAND-AM/American Le Mans Series Leadership Team

Meets With ACO And WEC At Le Mans

Members Of New Board, ACO And WEC Discuss The Future Of Sports Car Racing

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 26, 2012) – Following the recently announced merger of GRAND-AM Road Racing with the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón, members of the new organization’s board of directors met in Le Mans, France, last weekend, with the executive teams of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) and the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

ACO President Pierre Fillon welcomed Board Chairman Jim France and Vice Chairman Don Panoz and their leadership staffs for meetings to address the future of endurance racing. In particular, France, Panoz and their teams reflected their perspective on the combined GRAND-AM/ALMS series, the WEC, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the various technical aspects that will define the unified series’ debut in 2014.

“What a great opportunity to meet the ACO and WEC leadership face-to-face – and what an honor it was to meet them on their ‘home field’ so to speak,” said GRAND-AM President and CEO Ed Bennett. “Just as Daytona and Sebring is ‘hallowed ground’ when it comes to sports car racing, so is Circuit des 24 Heures in Le Mans.

“This meeting underscored the significant potential that now exists for the future of sports car racing in North America.”

“The warm reception and hospitality by the ACO provided a positive and productive first impression,” added ALMS President and CEO Scott Atherton. “The meeting also served to establish a dialogue regarding a number of things on the horizon for GRAND-AM and the ALMS for the remainder of this year and next, and a look ahead expectantly to our unified series in 2014. The ACO and WEC also provided overviews and perspectives on our current relationship and their priorities for the future. We concluded with a joint discussion of the opportunities for future collaboration. For a first meeting, it couldn’t have gone better.”

The unified series leadership and those of the ACO and the WEC will convene additional meetings, with the next to be in the United States in the near future, to continue the development of their strong partnership and its impact on premium sports car endurance racing in North America and abroad.

GA_ALMS092612.pdf

Double-Duty Send-Off to GRAND-AM Season For Michael Marsal

Double-Duty Send-Off to GRAND-AM Season For Michael Marsal

Contact: Matt Cleary, Sunday Group Management
Media
317.908.2975

Lakeville, Conn. (26 September 2012) – As GRAND-AM stages the final round of the 2012 GRAND-AM season with the GRAND-AM Championship weekend at Lime Rock Park presented by BMW, Michael Marsal will be a busy racer as he is set to return to double duty for Turner Motorsport – contesting both the Rolex Series and Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge events in the season-finale held at his home track.

In addition to running his 10th and final GS race of the season in the Turner Motorsport No. 97 BMW M3 with co-driver Boris Said, Marsal has once again been called up to the Rolex Series GT ranks to campaign the race with Turner Motorsport team owner Will Turner in the No. 93 BMW M3.

With two races on one day, Marsal will have an intense weekend of on-track action with the 2.5-hour GS race taking place just hours ahead of the 2.75-hour Rolex Series race on Saturday. The two-day event will see a full day of practice as well as GS qualifying to set the grid on Friday, with the 15-minute GT qualifying session also scheduled ahead of Saturday’s two races.

Despite some bad luck that has kept him from staging a stronger run in the season-long championship, Marsal has shown strong pace throughout the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge season with four top-10 finishes to his credit – highlighted with a fourth place finish at New Jersey Motorsports Park. He will look to transfer that pace over to the Turner GT car as he returns to the cockpit of the No. 93 BMW M3 machine for the second time this season.

Having won the LMP1 class in ALMS competition earlier this month, Marsal continues to grow his top-line racing experience with the GT run this weekend. Marsal raced the No. 93 in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona event earlier this year in which the team finished 16th. He also had five Rolex Series GT starts last year including three events (New Jersey, Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio) in the Turner BMW. He marked his best GT finish of the year with a 10th place result at New Jersey while driving with Peter Bassett.

The last race of the year tradition continues as Marsal and Turner teamed up for the season-finale event at Mid-Ohio last year and drove to a 15th place result.

In their final race of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge season, Marsal and Said will look to rebound in GS competition this weekend after mechanical issues prevented the Turner duo from showing their podium potential in the previous round of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Having won the Lime Rock event in his GRAND-AM debut at the track in 2010 and taking fifth in last year’s event, Marsal knows what it takes to run at the front on the 1.53-mile Connecticut road course and would like nothing more than to end the season on a high note with a strong finish in Saturday’s 2.5-hour race.

“Lime Rock is my parents’ home track, my home track, Turner’s home track, and BMW’s home track, so it would be good to pull off a couple good results there,” said Marsal. “We’re fast there and it would be nice to end this season on a good note. It’s been a tough season full of a lot of wrecks, mishaps and malfunctions. It definitely hasn’t gone our way this year so it would definitely be a positive to end the year with a podium.”

The Championship Weekend kicks off with practice and GS qualifying (2:15 PM ET) on Friday. Saturday will see an intense schedule of GT qualifying (9:50 AM ET) followed by the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (10:30 AM ET) and Rolex Series (3:00 PM ET) races.

SPEED will carry live coverage of the Rolex Series race beginning at 3:00 PM ET on Saturday and will televise the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge event on Sunday, October 14 at 1:00 PM (ET).

Live timing and scoring can be followed throughout the weekend at www.grand-am.com.

Matt Cleary
Sunday Group Management
mediawww.sundaymanagement.com
youtube.com/sundaymanagement
317.908.2975 (m)

For additional information: www.sundaymanagement.com, www.facebook.com/sundaygroup, www.twitter.com/Sundaygroup

NASCAR Reinstates Driver AJ Allmendinger

NASCAR Reinstates Driver AJ Allmendinger

Charlotte, NC (18 September, 2012)- NASCAR announced on Tuesday that driver AJ Allmendinger has successfully completed the “Road to Recovery” program and has been reinstated effective immediately.

“I want to thank everyone for their support through this entire process,” said Allmendinger. “I appreciate that NASCAR created the the Road to Recovery program, and am grateful for the opportunity to return to competition. The Road to Recovery program was really helpful to me in getting my priorities reset away from the race track. And, honestly, that helped find my love of racing again and why I began racing in the first place. I’m looking forward to taking this experience and be better for it moving forward.”

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For additional information and interaction, visit www.twitter.com/ajdinger, www.facebook.com/ajallmendinger, and www.ajallmendinger.com.

About Walldinger Racing, Inc.: Walldinger Racing was formed in 2006 to support AJ Allmendinger’s motorsports career by developing commercial opportunities and partnership programs.

Matt Cleary
Sunday Group Management
mediawww.sundaymanagement.com
youtube.com/sundaymanagement
317.908.2975 (m)

For additional information: www.sundaymanagement.com, www.facebook.com/sundaygroup, www.twitter.com/Sundaygroup

Strong Close to Rookie Year for Shell-Pennzoil Karter Kyle Kirkwood

Strong Close to Rookie Year for Shell-Pennzoil Karter Kyle Kirkwood

Walldinger Racing Media Contact:
Matt Cleary, Sunday Group Management
Media

New Castle, Ind. (17 September 2012) – Walldinger Racing’s Kyle Kirkwood capped off a stellar rookie season of World Karting Association Manufacturers Cup racing with another strong outing in the final round of the championship at New Castle Motorsports Park over the weekend. The 13-year-old Florida karter, who was awarded the AJ Allmendinger Karting Scholarship earlier this year with sponsorship from Shell-Pennzoil, added a pole position, podium result and three more top-10s to his growing list of racing accomplishments on the way to finishing runner-up in the Yamaha Jr. Heavy championship.

Kirkwood’s New Castle results added to his already impressive racing resume for a total of two pole positions, four victories, 11 podiums and 16 top-10 results in 20 events throughout his first WKA Manufacturer’s Cup season.

The Yamaha Jr. Heavy class is one of the most competitive categories in the series with over 40 entries competing almost every weekend, but Kirkwood’s talent behind the wheel along with the experience of the KartSport organization proved to be a successful combination in the highly popular category.

Kirkwood’s strong results throughout the year also added to Arrow’s 2012 Manufacturers Cup title.

“I think that Kyle learned a lot this season and brought home some very good results, particularly as such a young rookie,” said AJ Allmendinger, who attended the IZOD IndyCar finale over the weekend as a guest of Penske Racing. “Hopefully he can do well in Colorado and get the experience of racing at that level as he continues to learn and mature as a racer.”

Kirkwood has contested four classes in the WKA Manufacturers Cup Series all season long – making for some busy race weekends for the karter and his KartSport team. This weekend was no different as the group headed into the final round with a shot at both the Komet Jr. Heavy and Yamaha Jr. Heavy championship titles.

First up was the Komet Jr. Heavy event in which Kirkwood qualified 22nd of 33 karts and worked his way up to 14th by the end of the eight-lap Pre-Final. Unfortunately, Kirkwood got a late start off the grid in the Final and without enough time during the pace lap to slot back into his 14th starting position, he was forced to start deep in the field. The ever-determined karter cleanly made his way into the top-10 by Lap 8 and would take the checkered flag eighth in line.

Saturday’s Yamaha Jr. Lite event saw Kirkwood capture his second pole position of the season to lead the 45-kart field to the green flag in the Pre-Final. Kirkwood held onto the lead through the first turn, but got shuffled back to third on the first lap. He defended masterfully against a pack of four karts on his bumper – eventually pulling away to run with the top-two karts until the checkered flag to finish third. Kirkwood fought hard to remain among the top-five in the Final, but ultimately completed the race ninth.

Sunday brought a mix of ups and downs for Kirkwood after incidents in both the Komet Jr. Lite and Yamaha Jr. Heavy Pre-Finals saw him start from the rear of the field in both event Finals.

Kirkwood qualified on the outside of the front row for the Komet Jr. Lite Pre-Final only to become the victim of some ambitious driving from his fellow competitors which took him out in the very first corner. He would have his work cut out for him in the Final but the resilient driver made it look easy in one of the most impressive drives of the season as he sailed through the field and improved 27 positions in 14 laps on the way to finishing fourth after starting 31st.

He would face a similar situation in the Yamaha Jr. Heavy Final. Having qualified 22nd for the Pre-Final, Kirkwood was set to move forward but the effort was cut short when the side by side action deep in the field forced the Arrow kart over the curbing which knocked the chain off and left Kirkwood to watch from off track.

In yet another stellar performance, Kirkwood began the 14-lap Final from 43rd on the grid and seamlessly maneuvered past 29 karts to take the checkered flag 14th in the order.

“I’m a little disappointed that we didn’t get some better results this weekend because we had a great shot at winning the championship, but overall I’m happy with how this whole season went,” said Kirkwood. “It’s been great to race at this level against some of the best kart racers in the country and I really can’t thank AJ, Walldinger Racing, and Shell-Pennzoil enough for giving me the opportunity to do this. I really wanted to reward them with the championship, but we’ll see if we can get a ticket to the Worlds in Portugal when we race in Colorado next week.”

Kirkwood and the KartSport team travel to Englewood, Colorado next weekend for the 2012 Pan American Challenge on September 20-23. A stand-alone one championship event, Kirkwood will look to claim victory in the Junior Max division with the winner of the category receiving a ticket to the 2012 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in Portugal.

Kirkwood will also contest the 2012 SuperNats! in Las Vegas November 14-18.

The Kart Racing Network will produce a live broadcast of the United States Rotax Grand Nationals at www.kartracingnetwork.com. The 2011 broadcast boasted over 14,000 unique connections from over 40 countries.

The U.S. Rotax Max Grand Nationals will award the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place drivers in the Junior Max, Senior Max, DD2 and DD2 Masters a ticket to the 2012 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals.

About Shell-Pennzoil:
Shell is a global group of energy and petrochemical companies with 93,000 employees in more than 90 countries. In the U.S., Shell operates in 50 states and employs nearly 20,000 people using technology and innovation to help tackle the challenges of the new energy future. The Shell downstream organization manages a portfolio of top-quality brands, including the No. 1 selling gasoline and premium gasoline brand[i] and Pennzoil®, the most trusted motor oil brand in America*. Shell’s motorsports technical alliances around the world provide a testing ground for fuel and lubricant technologies and products in demanding road conditions. The knowledge Shell and Pennzoil gain through these alliances help address tomorrow’s world mobility energy challenge with efficient solutions that power and protect motorists around the globe.

http://www.pennzoil.com/

Walldinger Racing
About Walldinger Racing, Inc.: Walldinger Racing was formed in 2006 to support AJ Allmendinger’s motorsports career by developing commercial opportunities and partnership programs.

About KartSport
Formed in August 2010, KartSport is the exclusive North American importer of Arrow Racing Karts. Owned and operated by professional karting and racing veterans Justin Marks and Eric Jones, and operating out of a state-of-the-art facility in Mooresville, North Carolina, KartSport delivers to the karting industry a number of quality products and services. KartSport also designs and manufacturers it’s own line of karting tools and components.

About Sparco
Founded in 1977 Sparco is the world leader in motor sports safety equipment. More than 35 years later, Sparco’s ambition for producing the safest and innovative driving equipment possible, is still the number one priority for the company. At speeds of more than 200 mph, and temperatures above 120 degrees, a driver must be 100% confident in their safety equipment. Therefore, the world’s top professional drivers choose Sparco, more than any other brand.

About Sunday Group Management
Sunday Group Management is a leading motorsports management and communications consulting firm with clients in NASCAR, IndyCar, GRAND-AM, and ALMS. www.sundaymanagement.com, www.facebook.com/sundaygroup, or www.twitter.com/Sundaygroup

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Matt Cleary
Sunday Group Management
mediawww.sundaymanagement.com
youtube.com/sundaymanagement
317.908.2975 (m)

For additional information: www.sundaymanagement.com, www.facebook.com/sundaygroup, www.twitter.com/Sundaygroup

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Kyle Kirkwood Looks For More Wins in Final Round of WKA Manufacturers Championship at New Castle Motorsports Park

Kyle Kirkwood Looks For More Wins in Final Round of WKA Manufacturers Championship at New Castle Motorsports Park

Walldinger Racing Media Contact:
Matt Cleary, Sunday Group Management
Media

New Castle, Ind. (14 September 2012) – Walldinger racer Kyle Kirkwood will be back in race action this weekend for the final round of the WKA Manufacturers Cup Series Championship – the McLaughlin Motorsports Grand Nationals at New Castle Motorsports Park in New Castle, Indiana.

Heading into the final round of 2012 bringing the momentum of two wins in the previous round at Norway, Kirkwood is set to contest four events again this weekend. Kirkwood was a double-winner in Norway’s Sunday events – claiming victory in both the Komet Jr. Lite and Yamaha Jr. Heavy classes. The 13-year-old karter has shown strong pace in the No. 29 Arrow all season long with four victories and 10 podium finishes on the youngster’s quickly growing racing resume.

Kirkwood will look to add to that impressive list this weekend as he also pursues the Yamaha Jr. Heavy championship title. The rules of the championship allow each racer to drop their lowest scoring race event from the schedule and when factoring in the drops, Kirkwood sits atop the Yamaha Jr. Heavy standings with a 30-point advantage. The young karter has battled Kyle Kalish throughout the entire year with Kirkwood notching one win and three runner-up finishes in the class.

And if that wasn’t enough for the Shell racer to be pursuing, the Florida karter also has a shot at the Komet Jr. Heavy championship as Kirkwood currently sits third in the division. He remains among the top-10 in Yamaha Jr. Lite and Komet Jr. Lite, currently 8th and 10th respectively.

“I’m excited to get going at New Castle this weekend,” said Kirkwood. “It’s been such a great season for me so far and I can’t thank AJ (Allmendinger), Shell-Pennzoil, Walldinger Racing and KartSport enough for giving me the opportunity to race the WKA Manufacturers Cup this year. Hopefully I can bring them a few more wins this weekend and it would just top it off to bring home a championship too!”

The McLaughlin Motorsports Grand Nationals can be followed with live timing and scoring as well as video streaming on Saturday and Sunday at www.worldkarting.com.

There will be a full day of practice on Friday. Saturday and Sunday will each see a format of morning practice followed by qualifying, a Pre-Final and Final.

About Shell-Pennzoil:

Shell is a global group of energy and petrochemical companies with 93,000 employees in more than 90 countries. In the U.S., Shell operates in 50 states and employs nearly 20,000 people using technology and innovation to help tackle the challenges of the new energy future. The Shell downstream organization manages a portfolio of top-quality brands, including the No. 1 selling gasoline and premium gasoline brand[i] and Pennzoil®, the most trusted motor oil brand in America*. Shell’s motorsports technical alliances around the world provide a testing ground for fuel and lubricant technologies and products in demanding road conditions. The knowledge Shell and Pennzoil gain through these alliances help address tomorrow’s world mobility energy challenge with efficient solutions that power and protect motorists around the globe.

http://www.pennzoil.com/

Walldinger Racing
About Walldinger Racing, Inc.: Walldinger Racing was formed in 2006 to support AJ Allmendinger’s motorsports career by developing commercial opportunities and partnership programs.

About KartSport
Formed in August 2010, KartSport is the exclusive North American importer of Arrow Racing Karts. Owned and operated by professional karting and racing veterans Justin Marks and Eric Jones, and operating out of a state-of-the-art facility in Mooresville, North Carolina, KartSport delivers to the karting industry a number of quality products and services. KartSport also designs and manufacturers it’s own line of karting tools and components.

About Sparco
Founded in 1977 Sparco is the world leader in motor sports safety equipment. More than 35 years later, Sparco’s ambition for producing the safest and innovative driving equipment possible, is still the number one priority for the company. At speeds of more than 200 mph, and temperatures above 120 degrees, a driver must be 100% confident in their safety equipment. Therefore, the world’s top professional drivers choose Sparco, more than any other brand.

About Sunday Group Management
Sunday Group Management is a leading motorsports management and communications consulting firm with clients in NASCAR, IndyCar, GRAND-AM, and ALMS. www.sundaymanagement.com, www.facebook.com/sundaygroup, or www.twitter.com/Sundaygroup

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Matt Cleary
Sunday Group Management
mediawww.sundaymanagement.com
youtube.com/sundaymanagement
317.908.2975 (m)

For additional information: www.sundaymanagement.com, www.facebook.com/sundaygroup, www.twitter.com/Sundaygroup

AJ-Kirkwood-PREVIEW-Newcastle.pdf

Continental Tire Names Act(s) Marketing Sponsorship Marketing Agency of Record

ACTS Marketing release 091212.pdf

BMW to present Grand-Am season finale

Press Release
Contact: Rick Roso, rick/ 860.435.5000

BMW to Present Grand-Am Finale Weekend at Lime Rock Park

LAKEVILLE, Conn. (Sept. 13) – BMW of North America will be the title sponsor of Grand-Am’s final Rolex Sports Car Series race of 2012. The event name is the “Grand-Am Championship Weekend at Lime Rock Park presented by BMW.”

BMW of North America and Lime Rock Park have been fast friends for more than two decades. Considered its home track, BMW is the official car of Lime Rock Park and provides the circuit’s pace cars, medical response SAVs and other support vehicles. Each of the weekend’s championship-deciding races will be paced by the iconic BMW M3.

On July 6, the BMW M3 Coupe Lime Rock Park Edition was announced in honor of the longstanding relationship. In October, the first of the 200 limited edition Fire Orange coupes will be delivered.

“BMW and Lime Rock Park have been working together for more than 25 years and we are proud to support the Grand-Am finale weekend at such an historic track,” said Larry Koch, BMWNA Motorsport Manager. “We look forward to an exciting weekend of racing.”

Skip Barber, Lime Rock Park president, said, “We are extremely pleased that BMW has sponsored the Grand-Am race weekend. Lime Rock and BMW have a long and valued relationship, and this presenting sponsorship is, I think, a perfect fit. There is a lot of excitement building up surrounding Grand-Am’s season finale here, especially with its typically close points standings. When drivers and teams know they have just one chance to grab a title, well, it changes things in the cockpit – and in pit lane. The fans are going to get a terrific show.”

Between the two always competitive Grand-Am series – the Rolex Sports Car Series (Daytona Prototypes and Grand Touring) and Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series (Grand Sport and Street Tuner) – no less than 11 season championships will be decided in the Grand-Am finale at Lime Rock, September 28 and 29.

In Rolex Sports Car, the DP Driver, Team, Engine and Chassis titles are all up for grabs. Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas, drivers for the Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates team (BMW-Riley), lead the points standings heading into the finale; Ganassi/Sebates leads the team standings.

In GT, the Manufacturer championship is still being fought for; last weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Jeff Segal and Emil Assentato clinched the Drivers’ title and their team, AIM Autosport Team FXDD, clinched the team championship.

In both GS and ST divisions in Continental Tire, the Driver, Team and Manufacturer points chases are all wide open.

BMW drivers participate in every class of Grand-Am’s Rolex Sports Car and Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC) and, in recent years, have raced to great success. Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas have driven the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates BMW-powered Riley to a sweep of the Daytona Prototype class Engine Manufacturer, Team and Driver championships for two consecutive seasons. The duo brings a 13 point lead in the Driver standings to Lime Rock Park. In the Rolex GT class, Bill Auberlen and Paul Dalla Lana have won two races this season in the No. 94 Turner Motorsport BMW M3. Last year, Dalla Lana won the CTSCC Grand Sport Driver’s title with a Turner Motorsport M3. He was also awarded the 2011 BMW Sport Trophy as the most successful privateer BMW driver in the world. BMW currently stands second in the CTSCC Grand Sport class and leads the Street Tuner class.

The Grand-Am Championship Weekend at Lime Rock Park presented by BMW includes three championship races. The 2.5-hour Continental Tire Challenge Street Tuner (ST) goes green at 3:20 p.m., Friday, Sept. 28; the 2.5-hour CTSCC Grand Sport (GS) race starts at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 29; and the 2.75-hour Rolex Sports Car Series race begins at 3:00 p.m.

-end

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Kansas Speedway Road Circuit Passes Opening Test

Kansas Speedway Road Circuit Passes Opening Test

Three GRAND-AM Drivers Turn First Laps On Track’s New Infield Road Course

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (Sept. 12, 2012) – Three GRAND-AM Road Racing teams gave the new Kansas Speedway road course high marks following Wednesday’s first test of the new 2.36-mile circuit, preparing for a prospective race event in 2013.

“The layout is quite simple, but it’s going to create a lot of racing opportunities,” said Joao Barbosa, who tested the No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype that competes in the Rolex Series DP class. “This is going to be an interesting place to come and race. With so many things to do very close by, this has everything it takes to be a great race track.”

Joining Barbosa at the three-hour compatibility test were Bill Auberlen, driving the No. 94 Turner Motorsport BMW M3 from the Rolex Series GT class, and Ryan Ellis, in the No. 30 i-MOTO Mazda Speed 3 that competes in the Street Tuner class of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.

“This is a great place to race,” said Mark Raffauf, GRAND-AM managing director of racing operations. “Having looked at a road course at Kansas Speedway for several years, we found it very nicely done. It’s fast and also has a lot of room.”

The circuit includes six turns in the infield in addition to most of the 1.5-mile progressively banked oval.

“It’s way tougher than it looks,” Auberlen said. “You’re going to have to fight for every pass. There will be a lot of bumping and banging. Having 70-plus cars in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge is going to be crazy.”

Despite running on a “green” race track – with the infield portion used for the first time – all three GRAND-AM drivers said the track “rubbered in” very nicely.

“I was able to run consistently fast times the whole time I was out there,” Ellis said. “I was going just as fast – if not a little faster – at the end of my longest run as I was at the beginning. I think this will be one of the most exciting races to watch.”

Peter Carlino, chairman and CEO of Penn National Gaming which partners with Kansas Speedway/International Speedway Corporation in the Hollywood Casino at the speedway, took the first laps around the circuit in the Extreme Speed Motorsports-prepared Ferrari 458 that he races in the Ferrari Challenge.

“This is something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time,” Carlino said. “This is a beautiful course. I think it’s going to be a racer’s course. It’s very, very fast, with very wide turns. There’s a lot of room not to get in trouble.”

Prior to Carlino’s run, he participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for members of the Kansas City media. Joining him were Lesa France Kennedy, NASCAR vice chairwoman and executive vice president; Pat Warren, Kansas Speedway president; and Jeff Boerger, president of the Kansas Speedway Development Corporation.

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Matt Cleary
Sunday Group Management
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