IRL: Delphi, Kelley Racing Sign New Pact
16 October 1999
FORT WORTH, Texas, Oct. 16 -- Delphi Automotive Systems announced it will extend sponsorship of Kelley Racing Team's driver Scott Sharp and the #8 Pep Boys Indy Racing League (IRL) car through 2001. In addition, Delphi announced an associate sponsorship of the #28 Pep Boys Indy Racing League car driven by Mark Dismore, also a Kelley Racing Team driver. The announcement was made by William A. Lafontaine, director of marketing for Delphi, and Tom Kelley, founder of Kelley Racing."We are proud of our relationship with the Kelley Racing Team and Scott Sharp," said Lafontaine. "The Kelley crew has been a positive force for Delphi and we look forward to working with this winning team in the future."
Delphi has been the primary sponsor of Kelley Racing and Scott Sharp since 1998. Sharp won two races in 1998, finishing fourth in IRL points for the season. This year Sharp won the Kobalt Mechanics Tools 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. He is currently fourth in the Pep Boys Indy Racing League standings.
Helping Delphi promote the importance of teamwork, Sharp and the Kelley Racing Team have served as Delphi spokespeople since the inception of the partnership. The role as spokespeople for the company will continue under the extended sponsorship agreement.
Since 1988, Delphi has been involved with open wheel racing to research and develop technologies to help improve driver safety. Today, a majority of the cars in the league are equipped with several of Delphi's racing products including:
* Engine Control Module -- optimizes engine performance through monitoring more than 30 engine parameters, 100 times per second to control fuel injection and ignition timing; allows for some driver control through the Pit Speed Limiter Switch and Fuel Trim Switch
* Capacitive Discharge Module -- when commanded by the Gen IV Engine Control Module, this unit precisely supplies more than 360 Volts to the coils of each of the 8 spark plugs; it eliminates the need for a mechanical distributor
* Track Condition Radio -- alerts drivers with critical information by transmitting messages from race control to the race car; a dash-mounted display communicates messages including safety warnings, track condition and pits opened/closed
* Radio Telemetry Module -- transmits engine and chassis data from a speeding race car to race team engineers located in the pits; the telemetry module enhances driver safety and race team strategy by making real-time data available
Delphi Automotive Systems, with headquarters in Troy, Mich., USA, is a world leader in automotive components and systems technology. Delphi's three business sectors -- Dynamics & Propulsion; Safety, Thermal & Electrical Architecture; and Electronics & Mobile Communications -- provide comprehensive solutions to complex customer needs. Delphi has approximately 201,000 employees and operates 168 wholly owned manufacturing sites, 38 joint ventures, 51 customer centers and sales offices, and 28 technical centers in 37 countries. Regional headquarters are located in Paris, Tokyo and Sao Paulo, Brazil.