Sunday Group Management

Rum Bum Racing Wrap: Getting Warmer in New Jersey

Rum Bum Racing Wrap: Getting Warmer in New Jersey

Millville, N.J. (21 July 2011) – Rum Bum Racing drivers Matt Plumb and Nick Longhi returned to New Jersey Motorsports Park for the B+ Foundation Heroes 200 and the ninth round of GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge competition on Thursday. The team targets a return to the podium having finished second at the New Jersey track last year when Plumb and Longhi marked their first start together in the No. 13 BMW M3.

Thursday opened the B+ Foundation Heroes 200 event with a promoter test day and the team was immediately on the pace in the opening practice sessions. As the red mercury kept climbing up the charts, so too did the No. 13 BMW. Rum Bum Racing expects to race in extremely warm weather conditions, and prepared accordingly as triple digit temperatures are forecast come race time on Saturday.

The team started off strong in the morning practice sessions and continued to experiment throughout the rest of the day working to set-up the car for the expected race conditions. The final session of the day saw the Rum Bum squad push the boundaries on the set-up a even further, taking the data and setting a direction for work to be done on Friday as the sessions become official.

“Today was really productive and hopefully we can just pick up where we left off,” said Plumb, who is expecting a full fleet of friends and family for the race weekend. “This is going to be all about keeping traction when the track gets greasy in this heat and we tried some things out today that should help us. This is a big event for me, racing so close to home. And its also a big event for the BePositve.org people so hopefully we can be a part of helping to raise awareness and funds for something that touches so many people.”

Plumb and Longhi will be back on track Friday for official practice with a 15-minute qualifying session set for Saturday morning. The B+ Foundation Heroes 200 is set to begin at 2:45 PM on Saturday.

SPEED will show the 2.5-hour race at 3:00 PM (ET) on July 30.

Quick Stats,Rum Bum Racing:
2010- 3 wins
2011- 3 poles, 2 wins, 4 total podiums

www.rumbumracing.com
You can also follow the team here: www.facebook.com/rumbumracing

Championship Focus for Kia’s Burrows and Hopwood in New Jerse

Championship Focus for Kia’s Burrows and Hopwood in New Jersey

Contact: Matt Cleary, Sunday Group Management
media
(317) 908-2975-Mobile

TV: SPEED July 30, 3:00 PM ET

Milleville, NJ (19 July, 2011)–Having earned them individually as well as collectively, Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood know a thing or two about championships.

No matter what the category, a run to the title always counts on the big-points paying podium days as much as it depends on getting the most out of a race weekend even when the luck just isn’t on your side.

So as GRAND-AM prepares to stage the final two rounds of the 2011 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge season, it is all about the championship for the two Kia pilots who will share the No. 12 Infinity Audio Kia Forte Koup for Kinetic Motorsports. Not for themselves, this time around, but hopefully for Kia and Kinetic Motorsports as teammate Nic Jonsson currently leads the driver standings, with Kia also in the fight for Manufacturer honors.

Burrows and Hopwood, who brought Kia its first-ever race finish in the brand’s debut at Daytona International Speedway in 2010, have been with Kinetic Motorsports every step of the way as the goals for the program have escalated in lockstep with the performance that the team has continued to deliver.

“It’s amazing how much progress the Koup has made this season, and hopefully the hard work from Christian (Rushforth, Engineer) and everyone at Kinetic will pay off at the end of the year,” said Hopwood, who is relishing the summer break as a key bonus of his teaching job. “Being a part of the development has been really rewarding. Last year at this race we had a power steering issue, so it was a long hot day for me in the car! It is going to be another warm one this weekend and hopefully we can just support the team with whatever is needed to make sure its moves Kia forward ahead of Mid-Ohio.”

The Forte Koup has gone from race finisher to race winner in a short span of time. While the 2011 season didn’t open the way the former champions had hoped with some lousy racing luck thwarting strong race pace, the duo are still keen to push Kia to the top in 2011.

“It’s good to be racing relatively close to home for both Trevor and I, and I’m looking forward to seeing how we come out this weekend,” said Burrows. “We’ve had a car that just handled outstandingly well the last two races and with a track that should favor braking and handling, hopefully that plays into our hands this weekend. I’ve been out on the bike a lot lately so hopefully that helps with whatever comes our way weather wise, I think it’s going to be a scorcher. The biggest thing is to support this team effort–if that means trying out setups for Nic and Michael to be more efficient with the track time or whatever is needed, that’s our focus. ”

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
You can also follow the teams progress at www.facebook.com/kiaracing.

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Matt Cleary
Sunday Group Management
media
http://www.sundaymanagement.com
317.908.2975 (m)


Based in Indianapolis, Sunday Group Management is a leading motorsports management and communications consulting firm.

Sunday Group Management works with clients in a variety of motorsports categories, including NASCAR Sprint Cup driver AJ Allmendinger, Riley Technologies, GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series organization Michael Shank Racing, Continental Tire, and several teams and drivers in Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge competition.

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

Matt Bell Targets the Triple in New Jersey

Matt Bell Targets the Triple in New Jersey

Milleville, N.J. (19 July 2011) – As Matt Bell travels nearly 3,000 miles to New Jersey Motorsports Park for Round 9 of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge championship this weekend, the California racer rides a wave of momentum having scored two consecutive race victories in the previous two rounds of competition.

Bell and Stevenson Motorsports co-driver John Edwards dominated in their two most recent runs, leading 27 of 44 laps on the way to scoring victory at Road America and then following up that effort with a return to victory lane after leading 51 of 79 laps at Bell’s home track of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

The race wins were breakthroughs for the Riley Technologies-built Chevrolet Camaro, which Stevenson Motorsports debuted in the final race of the 2009 season. After the team signed Bell for the 2010 season, he brought a string of firsts to the Camaro’s credit including first pole, first lead laps and first podium. Read more of this post

Tim Bell Looks Ahead to New Jersey Debut

Tim Bell Looks Ahead to New Jersey Debut

Attached photo: Rick Dole–BJ Zacharias (l) and Tim Bell celebrate a podium finish at Barber Motorsports Park, and will look to do so once again this weekend

Millville, N.J. (18 July 2011) – Tim Bell may not have had far to travel for the previous round of the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge when the series visited his home track of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, but this weekend Bell makes the trip from the Pacific Coast to the Atlantic Coast for Round 9 of the 10-race championship at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

As Bell heads to Millville, New Jersey for the B+ Foundation Heroes 200, he looks to follow up a strong effort at Mazda Raceway when he and Doran Racing co-driver BJ Zacharias drove the No. 14 Office Depot BMW 128i to an eighth place finish and scored their second top-10 of the season. The race was Bell’s first-ever stint as “closer” as he drove to the finish and added yet another line on his racing resume.

Read more of this post

Rum Bum Racing Ready for Strong Finish in New Jersey

Rum Bum Racing Ready for Strong Finish in New Jersey

Championship target with two rounds remaining…

Millville, N.J. (18 July 2011) – Rum Bum Racing has delivered twof successful race outings in the two previous rounds of GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge competition with drivers Nick Longhi and Matt Plumb scoring a pair of podium finishes at Road America and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. As the team travels to New Jersey Motorsports Park this weekend for the B+ Foundation Heroes 200 and Round 9 of the 10-race championship, Rum Bum Racing sits second in the championship standings – just 25 points out of the lead.

And with only two races remaining for 2011, capturing maximum points becomes all the more crucial. With all eyes looking toward a championship title, Rum Bum Racing looks to grab those valuable championship points as the team returns to a track that has suited them well in the past.

While the Homestead-Miami round is one that is close to the Rum Bum Racing heart as a home event, this weekend’s New Jersey event is one that both Longhi and Plumb can call a back-yarder, with Plumb growing up in Eastern Pennsylvania before settling in Rhode Island, with Longhi based just outside of NYC in Nyack.

In last year’s Garden State 250, Longhi scored the team’s best qualifying result of the year in his debut performance behind the wheel of the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing BMW M3 and after starting from the fourth position, Longhi and Plumb ran consistently among the top-three throughout the event and scored their third podium of the year with a second place finish as the duo closed the 2010 season on a very hot streak.

Longhi and Plumb both know the quick way around the 14-turn, 2.25-mile New Jersey road course with Plumb holding the honor as the first driver to ever win a professional race at the circuit in 2008.

“New Jersey Motorsports Park is a challenging track, but I really like racing there and with the momentum we’ve been building over the last few rounds, I think we have everything in place for another good run this weekend,” said Plumb, who will have an extra helping of friends and family on site during the weekend. “We need to do everything right, and just hit our marks perfectly to get the points we need to move forward. The Rum Bum guys have given us a great car, every time out, so I’m optimistic about the weekend.”

Rum Bum Racing enters the weekend with confidence – already holding four podiums and five top-five finishes under their belt this season. The Florida-based team has also led laps in five of the first eight races for a season total of 135 laps so far.

Last year saw the team finish the season in triumphant fashion with a string of podium finishes in the final three races. The Rum Bum squad looks for a similar showing as the season comes to a close.

“We’ve made up tremendous ground in the championship over the last few races and the goal this weekend is just to capture as many points as possible,” said Longhi, who has regularly shown equal parts team spirit and great race pace in the recent rounds. “For me, I just want to qualify up front to hopefully avoid any problems at the start of the race and have a clean opening stint before turning it over to Matt to work his magic. We’ve got a hill to climb still points wise, but we just have to concentrate on doing our jobs as well as we can and see where it all ends out.”

Rum Bum Racing will take to the track on Thursday, July 21 for a promoter test day followed by official practice on Friday. Qualifying will take place Saturday, July 23 at 10:10 AM (ET) prior to the start of the B+ Foundation Heroes 200 at 2:45 PM (ET).

SPEED will show the 2.5-hour race at 3:00 PM (ET) on July 30.

Quick Stats,Rum Bum Racing:
2010- 3 wins
2011- 3 poles, 2 wins, 4 total podiums

www.rumbumracing.com
You can also follow the team here: www.facebook.com/rumbumracing

Tune In to Rum Bum Racing this Sunday!

Rum Bum Racing Programming Reminder: Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge on SPEED – 1:00 PM ET Sunday, July 17

15 July 2011–Don’t miss the Continental Tire Sports Car Festival Powered by Mazda on Sunday, July 17 at 1:00 PM (ET) as Rum Bum Racing drivers Nick Longhi and Matt Plumb hoped to follow up their podium finish at Road America with another strong result at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Longhi qualified the No. 13 BMW M3 ninth on the grid and the Rum Bum squad looked to move up through the field during the 2.5-hour race.

Rum Bum Racing sits second in the Championship Standings as the team next heads to New Jersey Motorsports Park July 22-23 for Round 9 of the 10-race championship.

www.rumbumracing.com
You can also follow the team here: www.facebook.com/rumbumracing

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BurHop Programming Reminder: Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge on SPEED – 1:00 PM ET Sunday, July 17

Programming Reminder: Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge on SPEED – 1:00 PM ET Sunday, July 17

Tune in as duo celebrates 50th GRAND-AM race start together at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

15 July-2011–Tune into SPEED on July 17 at 1:00 PM (ET) for the Continental Tire Sports Car Festival Powered by Mazda as Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood returned to GRAND-AM competition at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in their 50th start together. An abbreviated qualifying session saw Burrows start the race from the 22nd position and the duo would look to move forward as they hoped to capture maximum points for Kia at the California road course.

Next up for Burrows and Hopwood is the B+ Foundation Heroes 200 and Round 9 of the 10-race championship July 22-23 at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

You can also read about the race weekend HERE:

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Matt Cleary
Sunday Group Management
media
http://www.sundaymanagement.com
317.908.2975 (m)


Based in Indianapolis, Sunday Group Management is a leading motorsports management and communications consulting firm.

Sunday Group Management works with clients in a variety of motorsports categories, including NASCAR Sprint Cup driver AJ Allmendinger, Riley Technologies, GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series organization Michael Shank Racing, Continental Tire, and several teams and drivers in Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge competition.

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

SECOND BMW M3 ADDED TO ROLEX GT COMPETITION

Turner Motorsport to Debut Second GT BMW M3 at New Jersey Motorsports Park

Amesbury, MA — July 13, 2011 – Turner Motorsport fans will have one more BMW to cheer for and competitors will have one more BMW to fear as the team debuts a second GT class BMW M3 at New Jersey Motorsports Park during the GRAND-AM American Red Cross 250 on July 24th.

The new M3 will wear the familiar yellow and blue Turner Motorsport livery and carry the number 93. The last time Turner Motorsport ran that number Bill Auberlen captured the 2004 World Challenge driver’s title.

In preparation for the race at NJMP the team will hold a two-day test at Monticello Motor Club, in Monticello, New York, on July 18 and 19 with both GT machines. Paul Dalla Lana stands fifth in the GT driver’s championship, only 15 points from the class leader, following an eighth place finish at last weekend’s race at Laguna Seca Raceway. The test will allow the team to look at every possibility to ensure Dalla Lana has what he needs for the final four race push to the championship.

With Dalla Lana anchoring the No. 94 M3, Peter Bassett, of Boston, Mass., will make his debut drive for Turner Motorsport in new No. 93 M3. Bassett is a real estate professional representing Fisher Industrial, a luxury and competition motor vehicle storage company. A long time enthusiast, Peter took up club racing four years ago in Porsche Club of America events. His first exposure as a participant in the sport was with the Skip Barber system both in their racing and advanced racing schools as well as in their Mazda Speed Challenge racing series. He has one previous GRAND AM GT start at last year’s Daytona 250.

“The addition of a second GT M3 is something we’ve been working on for quite some time,” said Will Turner. “We heartily welcome Peter to the team. I believe he has signed on at a perfect time and can learn a great deal during Paul’s run for the championship. We welcome any fully funded driver to contact us about any of the remaining races this season as well as 2012.”

100th Race for Riley is a Winning One with another 1-2

100th Race for Riley is a Winning One with another 1-2

1-2 in Daytona Prototypes as Riley Camaro wins another Continental Tire Challenge race

Elkhart Lake, Wis (11 July 2011)—The Riley Technologies Daytona Prototype design celebrated a significant benchmark as the firm’s Daytona Prototype entry marked its 100th Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series start this weekend in the Continental Tire Sports Car Festival at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for round eight of the 2011 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal championship.

Appropriately enough, the benchmark race start ended with a Riley 1-2 finish as the GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing machine of Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty showed flawless execution at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca to take their first win of the season.

Gurney and Fogarty converted a small pit stop slip-up by the championship-leading No. 01 TELMEX BMW-Riley fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates to make the GRAND-AM return to Mazda Raceway a successful one for the Stallings organization. The team also won the 2009 Rolex Series event at the track as the group netted its first victory since the New Jersey Motorsports Park round in 2010.

The victory is the 81st run to the Rolex Series winners circle for Riley Technologies in GRAND-AM competition after the firm’s Mk XXII first debuted in the 2004 Rolex 24 At Daytona. Read more of this post

Kia Posts Big Gain in June

Kia Motors Posts 17.4% Global Sales Growth in June Kia Motors Corporation announced its global sales figures (export sales, domestic sales and sales from overseas plants) for passenger cars, recreational vehicles (RVs) and commercial vehicles for June 2011, recording a total of 216,106 units sold. This figure represents a year-on-year increase of 17.4%. In June, Kia posted strong double-digit year-on-year sales increases in all of its overseas regions – 38.0% in North America (52,121 units sold), 26.6% in China (33,749 units sold), 24.8% in Europe (44,422 units sold), and 10.0% in general markets (43,614 units sold), while sales in the home market of Korea declined by 5.0% (42,200 units sold).