Joe Lilienthal ready to defend PMRA title in 2006

“It's always nice to win a championship.”

Courtesy Bruce F. Mehlenbacher

January 27, 2006, Kenmore, NY – Pro Modified Racing Association (PMRA), www.ProModifiedRacing.com, series champion driver Joe Lilienthal has a lot to prove this year as he goes out to defend his PMRA championship. In 2005, with 22 teams in the series, Joe Lilienthal of Kenmore, NY won the first PMRA title over his Ontario, New York, and Pennsylvania competitors.

"It's always nice to win a championship,” explained Joe Lilienthal, driver of the Lilienthal Racing 526-cubic inch Keith Black-constructed 1968 Jeep. "We were in three finals last year and won one of them.”

Lilienthal won the Luskville Dragway event in the JSL Automotive sponsored entry and took runner-up spots at the second Toronto Motorsports Park race and at the final event of the season at Lancaster Raceway Park.

“Kasey Janzen and I will compete as team-mates this year. That should help improve our program and hopefully we will be able to defend our title,” said Lilienthal. “If it wasn’t for the help from Kasey and Mike Swinarski it would be much more difficult to get out and run with these guys. The PMRA series has a bunch of real stout competitors.”

The Lilienthal Racing entry is powered by an Oddy’s Racing Keith Black power plant, a Littlefield supercharger, an Oddy’s fuel system, all coupled to a Lenco three-speed transmission and clutch.

The PMRA has four events confirmed for the 2006 season, the KC Auto Parts Family Day Celebration at Toronto Motorsports Park in Cayuga, ON, Saturday, June 24, and the Pro Modified Racing Association is pleased to be running inaugural events at St. Thomas Dragway in Sparta, ON, August 5 and 6, the Eaton PMRA Challenge at Sanair near Montreal scheduled for Saturday, August 19, and at the Grand Bend Motorplex, over the Labor Day weekend.

DARRELL WALTRIP AND BUZZIE REUTIMANN TO BE INDUCTED INTO EMPA HALL OF FAME

CONCORD, N.C. (January 27, 2006) - David Reutimann is a third generation driver. His father Emil "Buzzie" Reutimann is a racing legend and so is his team owner Darrell Waltrip. This Saturday, both legendary drivers will be inducted into the Eastern Motorsport Press Association Hall of Fame during the annual convention at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center in Trevose, Pennsylvania.

"It's a huge honor and I'm really proud that they are recognizing my dad and team owner," said David Reutimann, driver of the No. 17 Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Toyota. "I think they've both given a lot to the sport. It is really special that they are being inducted into the EMPA Hall of Fame together. My dad's still racing at 64 years of age and he's still just as competitive as he ever was. I'm so proud of them."

To be inducted into the EMPA Hall of Fame, is a special honor for Waltrip and the elder Reutimann.

"It is always flattering when people want to recognize your accomplishments that you worked so hard to earn," said Waltrip, a three-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champion with 84 career wins. "I'm thrilled Buzzie and I are both winners together. The Reutimann family is a class act and I am excited about the opportunities that lie before Buzzie's son, David, for the future with my team."

The 64-year-old echoes Waltrip's sentiment.

"I would like to thank the press for telling our stories over the years," said Reutimann. "If it wasn't for them writing the stories, we wouldn't be anywhere. Without them, Buzzie Reutimann wouldn't be Buzzie Reutimann. I wouldn't be receiving an award tomorrow night if it wasn't for them. What they write is what you save in your scrapbooks. It is the memories you have. They write the memories we have and I know DW feels the same."

As Waltrip supposedly competed in his final NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway last October, Reutimann continues to race and win championships at age 64.

"When we started running at East Bay Raceway last year, I didn't think about winning a track championship," said Reutimann. "Right there towards the end, I was leading the points. That's when I thought I had a shot at another championship. We ended up winning the Open Wheel Modified championship. I don't know how many more championships this little body's got left in it. I'm 64 and I'll be 65 in May, but I've got a few years to go."

Reutimann's won so many races and championships in his lifetime that he can't seem to keep up.

"I have a friend that comes down each year and he's sort of our historian," said Reutimann. "He's telling me I've got somewhere around 1,200 feature wins in all types of cars. It goes back to when I started with my old Flathead Ford and then onto whenever I moved to Sportsman. I won like 20 features in a row at one time in Florida. As far as how many championships I have, gosh, I don't know. I've won all over at places like Sunshine Speedway, Golden Gate Speedway, East Bay Raceway and up north at places like Middletown, Nazareth, East Windsor, Syracuse and Fullerton to just name a few. We've won championships in all those places. When you race and pay attention to what you are doing, the championship comes along with it."

As Reutimann accepts his award, he will be also accepting on behalf of Waltrip in his absence.
"I want to thank my dear friend Buzzie Reutimann for filling in for me," said Waltrip. "I am so thankful for this honor, but I do have one concern. Buzzie is a racer and he always has been and always will be. He is like me and he is always racing for the trophy. So, I'm a little concerned that Buzzie is taking two trophies to his house tomorrow tonight and that I will never see mine."

"He'll get his trophy some day," laughed Reutimann. "It may just take me a while to give it to him. I've got an extra special place on my mantle to keep it for him until I see him in person. It's an honor for me to accept this award on his behalf. He's got big shoes to fill. I don't know about the speech he gave me to tell everyone. Here I am going to be in front of a few hundred people and I have to make a speech for him. How do you top Darrell Waltrip?"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Darrell Waltrip Motorsports

Derhaag Motorsports Qualifies for Rolex 24 At Daytona

Courtesy Cristi Brumm

Daytona Beach, FL (January 26, 2006) – The #40 Preformed Line Products Daytona Prototype is ready to take the start of ultimate American endurance challenge, the Rolex 24 At Daytona, with 70 cars scheduled to take the the green flag. Qualifying safely in the twelfth row for Saturday's noon start of this twenty-four hour racing marathon, the Derhaag Motorsports Pontiac Riley carries primary sponsorship from Preformed Line Products with additional sponsorship logos of Coyote Closures®, Park Place Ltd, KeyBank and McDonald Financial Group.

The driver lineup for the 2006 Rolex24 looks like a veritable "who's who in racing" and joining that esteemed group for the Rolex24 will be Derhaag Motorsports full season drivers, Chris Bingham and Randy Ruhlman, along with top Canadian Chevrolet factory driver Ron Fellows and endurance specialist Justin Bell. All four of the drivers are veteran endurance drivers, as well as experienced drivers in other sprint and endurance series.

Ron Fellows has an overall Daytona24 win to his credit (in 2001), as well as multiple wins at LeMans (in 2001 and 2002). Bell and Bingham have extensive experience at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, and Bell is a LeMans winner, as well. Ruhlman, having competed in endurance racing early in his career and most recently concentrating on the Trans-Am Series Championship, will be competing in his first Rolex24 at Daytona.

The Rolex 24 at Daytona weekend got under today Thursday January 26th with both day and night practices and qualifying. Driver and pit crew practices continue on Friday with the race scheduled to start at 12 PM on Saturday, January 28th and run a full 24 hours, ending at noon on Sunday. Television coverage on SPEED is scheduled for Saturday, January 28th from Noon until 6PM, and 8PM until 11PM, with continuing coverage from 8AM until 12:30PM on Sunday. The Rolex24 at Daytona is the premier endurance race in the United States and has been held at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida for the past 44 years.

NASCAR BOBSLED CHALLENGE TO BE TELEVISED THIS WEEKEND

Olympic Fundraiser Puts NASCAR Drivers Behind the Wheel of the Sleds

Many of NASCAR’s drivers shifted gears early this month when they gave up racing stock cars in favor of bobsleds at the Chevrolet Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge in Lake Placid. The event, which raised research and development funds for the US Men’s and Women’s Bobsled teams, will be televised on ESPN2 on Jan. 29 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. and on the Speed Channel on Feb. 4 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and on Feb. 9 from noon to 2 p.m.

The event pitted NASCAR drivers Steve Park, Kevin Lepage, Dick Trickle, Todd Bodine, Boris Said, Stanton Barrett, Joel Kauffman, former driver Brad Noffsinger, Busch Series driver Tim Fedewa and the project’s creator, former NASCAR driver Geoff Bodine, against one another in two races at the Verizon Sports Complex in Lake Placid.

The drivers quickly rose to the challenge of driving on ice instead of asphalt as both races produced different winners, though one driver, Trickle, crashed in turn 18 during both heats of the first race. He later managed to successfully navigate that turn in the second race.

Organizer Geoff Bodine began the Bo-Dyn Bobsled Project, which seeks to build high-quality, American-made bobsleds, after watching Americans finish poorly while driving foreign-made sleds in the 1992 Winter Olympics. The project began showing results at the 2002 Winter Olympics when Americans won a gold medal in the women’s bobsledding competition and silver and bronze medals in the men’s four-man competition.

For more information on winter vacation activities in New York State, visit www.iloveny.com or call, toll-free, 1-800 CALL-NYS. I LOVE NEW YORK, Whelen Engineering and Columbia Sportswear joined Chevrolet in the event’s family of sponsors.

For more information on the Chevrolet Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge, visit www.bodynbobsled.com.

TSN ANNOUNCES 2006 AUTO RACING BROADCAST PACKAGE

Schedule highlights include Daytona 500, Indy 500, Canadian Grand Prix

Courtesy Andrea Goldstein, Director of Communications

TORONTO (January 25, 2006) - Auto racing fans have plenty to look forward to this season as TSN today unveiled its comprehensive 2006 auto racing broadcast schedule with 180 hours of coverage. TSN's schedule features 21 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races - all of which are available in High Definition on TSN HD, all 19 Formula One races, and eight races from the Indy Racing League. (Please see below for broadcast schedules.)

TSN's 21-race NASCAR NEXTEL Cup broadcast schedule gets underway on February 11 at 8 p.m. ET with the first race of the season - the Budweiser Shootout from Daytona International Speedway. TSN's coverage also features the highly anticipated Daytona 500, which will air the following weekend (February 19). A SportsCentre correspondent will be on-site from Daytona International Speedway to cover all the action from the day's events and race. Last year, TSN's coverage of the Daytona 500 attracted a national average minute audience of 550,000 viewers*, making it the most-watched motorsport race in TSN's 21-year history. TSN's average audience for NASCAR in 2005 was 294,000 viewers, a 37 per cent increase from 2004.

From Bahrain to Brazil, Formula One fans can take a ride around the globe in 2006 as TSN presents all 19 F-1 races this season, including pre-race and qualifying coverage. The highlight of TSN's F-1 broadcast schedule is the highly anticipated Canadian stop on the circuit - the Canadian Grand Prix from Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (June 24/25). The 2006 F-1 season gets underway Sunday, Mar. 12 at 6 a.m. ET with the Bahrain Grand Prix (Qualifying on March 11 at 6 a.m. ET).

Throughout the season, open wheel racing fans can switch gears from F-1 to the Indy Racing League as TSN has coverage of eight IRL races. The 90th running of the Indianapolis 500 - the crown jewel of auto racing - airs May 28. Last year's Indy 500 attracted a national average audience of 311,000 viewers, a 159 per cent increase from 2004, while TSN's 2005 IRL broadcasts attracted an average audience of 113,000 viewers, a 79 per cent increase from 2004. TSN's IRL coverage gets underway with the first event of the season from Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, Apr. 2 at 11:30 p.m. ET.

TSN's 2006 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup broadcast schedule:
* February 11 - Budweiser Shootout (Daytona International Speedway)
* February 16 - Gatorade Duel at Daytona (Daytona International Speedway)
* February 19 - Daytona 500 (Daytona International Speedway)
* May 6 - Chevy American Revolution 400 (Richmond International Speedway)
* May 20 - NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge (Lowe's Motor Speedway)
* May 28 - Coca-Cola 600 (Lowe's Motor Speedway)
* June 4 - MBNA 400 (Dover International Speedway)
* July 1 - Pepsi 400 (Daytona International Speedway)
* July 9 - USG Sheetrock 400 (Chicagoland Speedway)
* July 16 - New England 300 (New Hampshire International Speedway)
* July 23 - Pennsylvania 600 (Pocono Raceway)
* August 6 - Allstate 400 at the Brickyard (Indianapolis Motor Speedway)
* August 26 - Sharpie 500 (Bristol Motor Speedway)
* September 9 - Chevy Rock & Roll 400 (Richmond International Speedway)
* September 17 - Sylvania 300 (New Hampshire International Speedway)
* October 8 - Talladega 500 (Talladega Superspeedway)
* October 14 - UAW-GM Quality 500 (Lowe's Motor Speedway)
* October 22 - Subway 500 (Martinsville Speedway)
* October 29 - Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 (Atlanta Motor Speedway)
* November 12 - Checker Auto Parts 500 (Phoenix International Speedway)
* November 19 - Ford 400 (Homestead-Miami Speedway)
All NASCAR races in High Definition on TSN HD

TSN's 2006 Formula One broadcast schedule:
* March 12 - Bahrain Grand Prix (Bahrain International Circuit)
* March 19 - Malaysian Grand Prix (Sepang International Circuit)
* April 1 - Australian Grand Prix (Albert Park)
* April 23 - San Marino Grand Prix (Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari)
* May 7 - European Grand Prix (Nürburgring)
* May 14 - Spanish Grand Prix (Circuit de Catalunya)
* May 28 - Monaco Grand Prix (Circuit de Monaco)
* June 11 - British Grand Prix (Silverstone Circuit)
* June 25 - Canadian Grand Prix (Gilles Villeneuve Circuit)
* July 2 - United States Grand Prix (Indianapolis Motor Speedway)
* July 16 - French Grand Prix (Circuit de Nevers Magny Cours)
* July 30 - German Grand Prix (Hockenheimring)
* August 6 - Hungarian Grand Prix (Hungaroring)
* August 27 - Turkish Grand Prix (Istanbul Park)
* September 10 - Italian Grand Prix (Autodromo Nazionale di Monza)
* September 17 - Belgian Grand Prix (Circuit of Spa Francorchamps)
* October 1 - Chinese Grand Prix (Shanghai International Circuit)
* October 8 - Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka International Racing Course)
* October 22 - Brazilian Grand Prix (Autodromo Carlos Pace)

TSN's 2006 IRL broadcast schedule:
* April 2 - Streets of St. Petersburg
* April 22 - Twin Ring Motegi
* May 28 - Indianapolis 500
* June 10 - Texas Motor Speedway
* June 25 - Richmond International Speedway
* July 15 - Nashville Superspeedway
* July 23 - The Milwaukee Mile
* August 27 - Infineon Raceway
Schedules subject to change

A1 TEAM CANADA LOOKING FOR STREET-WISE FINISH IN SOUTH AFRICA

Courtesy Stuart Morrison Public Relations

Durban, South Africa (January 25, 2006) – The streets of Durban, South Africa have the honor of hosting the first A1 Grand Prix of Nations event of 2006 as the ‘World Cup of Motorsport’ resumes this weekend, 27th-29th January, following a six-week break. A1 Team Canada’s Sean McIntosh is particularly keen to hit the temporary 3.2-km track in Durban having experienced the excitement of street racing earlier in his career in North America.

With the first six rounds of the A1 Grand Prix Series visiting established permanent circuits such as Brands Hatch in England or Sepang in Malaysia, Sunday’s Sprint and Feature races will provide the competing nations a whole new perspective as they tackle the streets of Durban’s spectacular ocean front developments. The track, purpose built for the seventh round of the A1 Grand Prix Series, looks set to test even the most experienced drivers but A1 Team Canada’s Sean McIntosh has already proven himself a winner in street racing.

Victory in the Molson Indy Vancouver Fran-Am 2000 support race back in 2002 proved especially sweet for Sean as it was his first win in the category and he triumphed in front of his home crowd. With additional street starts in Toronto and Denver, the 20-year-old Canadian is hoping to put his experience to good use when he takes to the Durban track for the first time on Friday morning.

Previewing the South African round Sean commented:
“I’m looking forward to getting my first viewing of the track as all I’ve seen so far are pictures. From what I can tell it looks like a pretty interesting configuration and to be racing by the ocean is quite spectacular. I’ve obviously sampled street racing from my time competing in North America and I always enjoyed those races and had some success. Ultimately the principles remain the same but there’s a lot more to take in while learning the circuit, the margin for error is significantly reduced by the confines of the track!

“The South African’s are serious about their racing so I’m expecting a good crowd and a great atmosphere this weekend. Our layoff since we last raced in Dubai was slightly longer than expected with the postponement of the Indonesian round but I’m raring to go and can’t wait to get back into the A1 Team Canada car and build on our tenth place standing in the championship points.”

Last week it was announced that Sean McIntosh will be joined in representing A1 Team Canada by Patrick Carpentier (Joliette, Québec). Carpentier, a five-time Champ Car winner, will race for Canada in Rounds 9 and 10 of the A1GP Series in Mexico and the USA.

Honda / Michelin Series "Terminated"

Date: January 24 2006

To: All Honda/Michelin Challenge Series Competitors, Entrants, Sponsors

From: HONDA/MICHELIN CHALLENGE SERIES Office

Subject: Termination of Series

This is to confirm any rumours you may have heard that the Series has been terminated by
Honda Canada Inc.

Upon reviewing financial requirements for the Series and looking at the return on the investment, Honda has made the decision to no longer support the program. Concern was also expressed about the small field of cars in the first two seasons and the feeling that this would continue with the increased cost of preparing the new model cars for competition.

I want to thank all of you for your support and participation and congratulate you on what I feel
was a very valuable contribution to motorsport in Canada. You provided an extremely
entertaining and crowd-pleasing presentation at every event you raced. The competition was
close and was a delight to watch as you displayed tremendous driving ability at each and every
event. I know the crowds are going to miss you.

To our sponsors, and to the sponsors that partnered with the teams, our sincere thanks for being a key part of the program as your contribution was important and very much appreciated.
Thank you, again, for your support.

Ralph Luciw
Series Director
Honda/Michelin Challenge Series

Uh oh... don't tell Jimmy Spencer....

MICHAEL WALTRIP RACING AND TOYOTA ENTER NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES COMPETITION TOGETHER IN 2007

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (January 24, 2006) - Michael Waltrip announced today that Michael Waltrip Racing will field multiple Toyota Camry entries in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series when the green flag waves for the 2007 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

"Toyota is a leader in the automotive industry and has quickly become a consistent winner in the NASCAR Truck Series," Waltrip said. "The logical step is for them to come into the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and I am honored to be a part of their entrance into the sport."

Driving the No. 55 NAPA Toyota Camry, Waltrip has support from all of his sponsors and he has the resources in place to chase the coveted NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series championship. In addition to NAPA supporting Waltrip's efforts, Best Western, Klaussner (Sofa Express and More) and Coca-Cola will be heavily involved in his racing endeavors during Toyota's inaugural year in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series.

"Toyota's standards are high and their approach into the sport is well thought out," said Waltrip. "Michael Waltrip Racing's sponsors have also taken their own methodical steps into the NASCAR industry and I am grateful that they are making this march with me and that they share my eagerness in today's announcement. As my new NASCAR NEXTEL CUP organization is formally born today, it's interesting to note that there is already a strong connection with my new partner. Both Toyota and I have Kentucky roots -- I was born in Owensboro, Kentucky and the Camry is assembled in Toyota's plant in Georgetown, Kentucky."

"We are pleased about being a part of Toyota's entry into the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series," said NAPA President Bob Susor. "NAPA shares Toyota's enthusiasm for motor sports and through our sponsorship we want to be one of the first to welcome them into the top level of the sport. This partnership is an excellent match for NAPA. We are equally excited about our new partnership with Michael Waltrip Racing. Michael has been synonymous with the NAPA brand since 2001 and we could not be more pleased to have a person of Michael's qualities representing our brand."

"We are an established leader in providing quality aftermarket automotive parts and service," continued Susor. "NAPA AUTO PARTS has coverage and availability of over 300,000 part numbers to service the North American market needs of both domestic and imported name plate vehicles."

To prepare for the future of Michael Waltrip Racing, Waltrip devised a plan to achieve his goal of becoming a successful owner in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. Setting the stage in August of 2005, Waltrip announced his plans to design and create Waltrip Racing World, an interactive high-tech race shop designed for the ultimate fan experience.

"Since 1996, we have operated Michael Waltrip Racing out of our backyard," Michael Waltrip explained. "I have always dreamed of constructing the perfect building for a race team. Waltrip Racing World will be just that. NASCAR is a family sport and this, in our opinion, is the definitive family destination. We see the fans packing up their cars and motorhomes and setting out to experience Waltrip Racing World and the area that surrounds it. The value of letting the fans touch, hear and smell the workings of our NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Toyota teams seven days a week not only benefits the fans, but gives our sponsors and manufacturer more exposure. We believe the fans will come during the week to watch our Toyota teams prepare for the races and on the weekends to watch NASCAR action on one of the giant movie screens as part of the experience."

CASCAR returns to Edmonton!!!!

Grand Prix of Edmonton 2006…Bigger than Ever!
Two New Exciting Racing Series to Edmonton this Summer

Edmonton – Two new, exciting crowd-pleasing series were announced today that will be hitting the Grand Prix of Edmonton this summer. They are CASCAR Super Series Championship and a Drift Alliance demo. 2006 promises more power, more adrenaline and more excitement with the addition of these two spectacular series into the weekend lineup.

“We are very excited about what these two new series mean to racing fans! Our fans dedication and passion made 2005 such a success and enabled us to bring these two great additions this year,” exclaimed Greg Macdonald, President and General Manager for Grand Prix of Edmonton.

CASCAR has been around since 1981 with over 150 race teams and includes some of Canada’s top stock car drivers. The series is renowned for its fierce level of competition, with over 30 cars on the track fighting for first place. “CASCAR means more entertainment to the fans,” commented Richard Buck, Director of Racing Development for NASCAR, CASCAR’s marketing and management partner. “Edmonton has a long history with CASCAR and we are very proud to be bringing it back to this city.” Local CASCAR drivers like Kevin Dowler are excited to be able to race in their hometown and are sure to bring many loyal fans to the track this summer.

Drift Alliance will be hitting the Alberta racing scene for the first time this summer. Its origin comes from the mountain switchback roads in Japan and has recently been popularized in North American by a group of passionate drivers. A drift is a controlled slide through corners while speeding to the finish line and drivers must maneuver modified cars through corners at speeds and angles that exceed the vehicle’s grip. Drifting repeatedly astounds spectators with a dramatic combination of style, precision and speed. “This demo will give fans a show like they have never seen before,” stated Tony Angelo, driver with Drift Alliance.

Drift Alliance is a great addition to the Grand Prix of Edmonton and will compliment this year’s new Tuner Zone. Tuner fans will now have a chance to see what the cars can really do on a safe track and check out 30 of the hottest examples of car modification and how to do it on their own!

“Our message to race fans is: If you thought 2005 was amazing, just wait till you see the Grand Prix of Edmonton in 2006!” stated Macdonald.

BRABHAM, PIRELLI JOIN MULTIMATIC MOTORSPORTS TEAM PANOZ EFFORT IN 2006 AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES

Courtesy Ryan Smith

David Brabham will join Scott Maxwell in the No. 50 Panoz Esperante from Multimatic Motorsports Team Panoz for the full 10-race schedule.

Sebring, Fla. - Multimatic Motorsports Team Panoz announced today that long-time Panoz pilot David Brabham will join the team for the entire 2006 American Le Mans Series season. Brabham will join Scott Maxwell in the team's No. 50 Panoz Esperante GTLM during the 10-race schedule, starting at the 54th annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 18.

The team also confirmed that it will compete on Pirelli rubber for this season, continuing a two-year relationship that began in 2004 with Panoz Motor Sports. Using Pirelli last season, the Esperante won in GT2 at the Grand Prix of Atlanta, helping Pirelli finish second in the 2005 class tire manufacturers championship.

Multimatic Motorsports and Pirelli also have a long history together, highlighted by an LMP2 class victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2000. Multimatic Motorsports Team Panoz and Pirelli each are on hand this week at Sebring International Raceway for the American Le Mans Series Winter Test.

"This already has been a terrific week for us," said Larry Holt, Multimatic vice president and team technical director. "We are pleased with how the car has performed over the first two days, thanks in large part to the support we are getting from Pirelli, who we're thrilled to be working with again for 2006.

Multimatic Motorsports Team Panoz will field two Panoz Esperantes in the 2006 American Le Mans Series.

"Then adding a driver as talented as David gives us even more reason to be thoroughly optimistic for this season," Holt added. "He has a long history of success with the Panoz LMP1 projects, and he's no stranger to Multimatic and Scott, either."

Brabham is one of the American Le Mans Series' most successful drivers with 11 career victories. He has made 52 career starts (good for fifth in Series history), has 29 podiums, 40 top fives and 49 top 10s. Most of his success came with the Panoz factory team in the early days of the Series with its LMP1 offerings.

"It's fantastic to be back in a Panoz car as some of my fondest racing memories are from the time I spent in the LMP car," Brabham said.

Pirelli and Multimatic Motorsports Team Panoz are renewing a relationship that saw them post an LMP2 victory at Le Mans in 2000.

"Having the cars run by Multimatic also is great as it is a world class team and I won a Rolex watch with them in 2003. I'll be partnered with Scott again, who has become a good friend over the years. It should be a competitive and enjoyable year."

Brabham also has driven for Prodrive in the American Le Mans Series on two different occasions. In 2003, he drove Prodrive's Ferrari 550 in seven events and won three times. Last year he was the lead driver in Aston Martin's return to sports car racing with its DBR9. Brabham was part of the winning team in GT1 at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, and he also competed at Petit Le Mans and the Monterey Sports Car Championships to close the 2005 season.

"I always have taken great pleasure in competing in the American Le Mans Series," Brabham said. "Returning full-time has been a goal of mine for a couple of years, and to do it with Multimatic Motorsports Team Panoz is a great feeling."

Multimatic also plans to finalize its driver lineup for the full season and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring by the end of this week.

Snowmobiles: Royal Distributing / Factory Recreation Pro Xtreme Team report

Courtesy Mark Fries

Owen Sound, Ontario, The Royal Distributing / Factory Recreation Pro Xtreme Team descended on Owen Sound this past weekend with maximum momentum from a number of solid showings in the USA recently.

This weekend the real work began, to chase the PRO and SEMI-PRO titles. Super-Wrench Wayne Legge had the Factory Rec REV's tuned perfectly and Iain and Joey had been training hard and testing even harder leading up to the weekend. The only thing that could slow Iain down now was the GMC truck he careened into while chasing Wayne and the Royal hauler on foot accross the parking lot Friday morning. Luckily, he was no worse for wear and only his ego was slightly bruised! After many laughs, it was time to get to work...

In the Round-Robin heat races on Saturday, Joey Sagan was a near perfect 3 for 4 in SEMI-PRO with 3 firsts and a second place in the SEMI-PRO Open and SEMI-PRO Stock heats. Joey also elected to run PRO 440 for the weekend and won both his PRO 440 heats on Saturday. On Sunday, Joey won both the SEMI-PRO 440 and SEMI-PRO Open heats in the morning to prepare for the final. After a SEMI-PRO 440 heat win on Sunday morning, Joey had to return to the starting line immediately to line-up for PRO 440, all he did was go out and run a solid second in PRO, looking only at Iain Haydens taillight, but thats all anyone did all weekend...

The #93 Iain Hayden REV's rolled off the truck like a juggernaut Saturday and promptly swept all the PRO Open and PRO 440 heats they entered. Sunday morning was no different, as Iain won heat after heat on his way to the Finals Sunday afternoon.Sunday afternoon the black and yellow Royal Ski-Doo REV's led lap after lap, with #202 Joey Sagan winning the SEMI-PRO 440 final in an exciting race, with lots of action just behind Joey.

Immediately following, Joey again lined up for the PRO 440 final, and the #93 of Hayden launched out front early, in the third corner alot of contenders got caught up in a melee that took out the #202 of Sagan, Iain never looked back and cruised to the PRO440 final win. In the high flying Open finals, Joey again led start to finish and won the SEMI-PRO open final in style. In the main event of the day, crowd favourite #93 Hayden didn't dissapoint with lap after lap of high flying triples on his way to a dominating win to cap a sweep of the entire weekend.

All in all, the four feature classes were swept away and the trophies were packed away into the Royaldistributing.com Hauler as the sun set on Owen Sound.

Thanks to Ski-Doo, Kimpex, FXR clothing, Ipone Oil, Studboy Traction, HMK boots, Spy Eyewear, and CKX helmets.

Kasey Janzen plans a step up at PMRA 2006 drag race events

“KC Motorsports team will be a force to be reckoned with this season.”

Courtesy Bruce F. Mehlenbacher

January 20, 2006, St. Catharines, ON – Pro Modified Racing Association (PMRA), www.ProModifiedRacing.com, driver Kasey Janzen and KC Motorsports has been involved with blown door slammers for more than 15 years, including involvement in racing the team’s Stroupe-built Lumina to sponsoring race events through his KC Auto Parts company.

“The plan for 2006 is to step up and be prominent in the PMRA season,” said Janzen, who is based in St. Catharines, ON, and placed third in the 2005 PMRA season. “The Lumina is getting a once-over, with the engine receiving upgrades from Oddy's Racing. Together with our team mate Joe Lilienthal, the KC Motorsports team will be a force to be reckoned with this season.”

The racecar is a 1993 Chevrolet Lumina Z34 built by Wally Stroupe Race Cars. The car utilizes a blown Keith Black engine serviced by blower guru Jim Oddy, producing more than 2200-horsepower. This ground-stomping power gets to the ground via an air-shifted three-speed Lenco transmission mated with a Boninfante clutch.

Driver and team owner Kasey Janzen has experienced great success in his racing career. Some of the team’s highlights include numerous wins in IHRA Top Sportsman Quick 8 shootouts, along with wins in UDRA races. The team’s greatest success was taking the championship in the now-defunct CDRS series.

“KC Motorsports has been very fortunate to be associated with great companies through the years,” explained Janzen. “We have enjoyed long-term support from Moen Faucets, Valvoline, Wix Filters, Raybestos Friction, and Dayco Belts and Hoses.” The team’s greatest support comes from KC Auto Parts, an automotive jobber store supplying the needs of local garages and do-it-yourself mechanics.

The PMRA has four events confirmed for the 2006 season, the KC Auto Parts Family Day Celebration at Toronto Motorsports Park in Cayuga, ON, Saturday, June 24, and the Pro Modified Racing Association is pleased to be running inaugural events at St. Thomas Dragway in Sparta, ON, August 5 and 6, the Eaton PMRA Challenge at Sanair near Montreal scheduled for Saturday, August 19, and at the Grand Bend Motorplex, over the Labor Day weekend.

PMRA officials are in negotiations with several tracks at present for 2006, both eighth and quarter-mile tracks in Michigan, New York, and Ohio with the plan of presenting a six-event drag racing series in 2006.

Jamie Holtom Ready for Grand-Am Cup ST Title Chase

Courtesy Josh Kive

Jan. 19, 2006 - Jamie Holtom will drive the Georgian Bay Motorsports SCADAPack Chevrolet Cobalt SS Supercharged in a bid for the 2006 Grand-Am Cup Sport Tuner class Driver Championship, and help Chevrolet earn the series Manufacturer Championship.

Partnering Jamie will be two-time Grand-Am Cup veteran Eric Curran of Chicopee, Mass.

Their 10-event season of 2 1/2 –hour races will be held on America’s finest road racing circuits. The season opens Jan. 26-27 at Daytona International Speedway.

“After taking two wins, a pole, and some fastest race laps last year, I think we have to be looking at the championship”, said Jamie. “A few mistakes took us out of the hunt in our rookie year, but we’ve got the cars completely sorted out and I have the best team and car in the paddock.”

Last season, the Georgian Bay Motorsports team won three ST class races, most notably a perfect weekend at Ontario’s Mosport International Raceway, which saw Jamie, who that weekend shared the driving with his father, pass Mazda driver Sylvain Tremblay on the last lap to take his first win.

Simultaneously, Jamie, then a 17-year old, became the youngest race winner in the history of the Grand American Road Racing Assn. The duo also became Grand Am’s first father-son race winners.

Jim Holtom had teamed with two-time Rolex Series champion Andy Lally at Watkins Glen in June, where Jamie was not allowed to drive because of his age. Three races after the Mosport win, Jamie and Lally paired in the Cobalt to win at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Jamie spent a lot of time in the gym this off-season, starting as soon as he got home from the final race of 2005.

“My regular regimen of running, biking and rowing, each three times a week, along with lots of balance and hand-eye work has me in my best shape ever. I wanted to be sure I could perform in any condition,” he said.

Jamie is backed by longtime sponsor Control Microsystems, SCADAPack and BK Designs Speedpaint.

Jamie Holtom Fast Facts:
Jamie is an 18-year old racer from Ottawa, Canada. He is the youngest winner in Grand Am history. In his rookie season sedan racing Jamie won two Grand-Am Cup ST class races. In 2004, Jamie was third in the Bridgestone FF2000 series with two wins, two seconds and two thirds. He was also inducted into Sunoco’s Ultra 94 Driver Development team by Ron Fellows and won the Gordon Michael Dewar Memorial Trophy for up-and-coming drivers. In 2003, Jamie raced go karts and became Champion of the SKUSA Florida Winter Tour (RotaxMax), Champion of the OKRA Canadian Grand Nationals (RotaxMax), and finished 4th in the Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship (RotaxMax). Previously, Jamie was Champion of the NCKC Junior Heavy championship, and finished second three times in RotaxMax Jr., Junior Heavy, and Junior Light.

OSCAAR releases its 2006 schedule

The OSCAAR Outlaw Super Late Model Series has released its 2006 schedule on its website.

The 14-race tour will visit: Flamboro, Kawartha, Barrie, Mosport, Sunset, Sauble and Peterborough.

The eighth annual Biederman Memorial takes place Sept. 2 at Peterborough Speedway

http://www.oscaar.ca/schedule.htm

Ohsweken Speedway Confirms Mandatory Mufflers for Sprints in 2006

In a controversial move, Ohsweken Speedway General Manager Ken Pelkie has confirmed that mufflers will be MANDATORY for all sprint cars running at Ohsweken in 2006.

“There has been quite a bit of discussion on this over the past few months since I initially made it known that mufflers would be mandatory on sprints at all Ohsweken shows in 2006” exclaimed Pelkie. “I really didn’t want to dictate such a rule as I had hoped that the sanctioning bodies would have taken some sort of action themselves to follow the lead of the major sanctions in the U.S. however, this was not the case universally so I made the move” Pelkie went on. “In this day and age, it no longer is an option to ignore the environment”.

Following the inaugural running of the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals last September, Ohsweken owners received notice that something had to be done to curb the noise at the race track. “This was the first time that an event such as this had ever been staged at the speedway and needless to say, Ohsweken Speedway needed to take steps to show that they could and would make an effort to reduce the level of noise emitted. “As everyone knows, environmental issues can be very delicate and it is in our best interest to make this concession. I hope that everyone will understand and comply willingly” stated Pelkie.

Initially announced that the Schoenfeld part# 112535 mufflers would be the only muffler allowed in 2006, the speedway has relaxed the rule slightly. “Any muffler will be allowed in 2006 but the Schoenfeld #112535 will be the only one acceptable in 2007” Pelkie went on. “Ohsweken Speedway tech officials will make initial inspection of all cars however, it is expected that sanctioning series officials will enforce compliance as well”. No grace period will be given and any cars not equipped will not be allowed to compete.

“This is one of the things that Glenn told me I would not like doing when I accepted the GM position” Pelkie concluded. “I believe that most people already have mufflers and by relaxing the timing on the compulsory Schoenfeld part, it will give everyone time to use-up their old equipment”.