News from Kenworth: Kenworth, CFI Team Ready To Race T2000 at Pikes Peak Tomorrow
NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Jeff Parietti, (719) 473-5600, Room 216 / 425-828-5196 Kenworth, CFI Team Ready To Race T2000 at Pikes Peak Tomorrow PIKES PEAK, Colo., June 29, 2001 - Final preparations are underway today by the Kenworth Truck Co. and Contract Freighters Inc. (CFI) race team for Saturday's 79th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb here. Veteran driver and designer Bruce Canepa of Canepa Design in Santa Cruz, Calif. will race the Kenworth T2000/CFI Red Racer Peak Performer for the second straight year, taking on the challenging 12.42-mile course to the Pikes Peak summit. During practice runs earlier this week, Canepa had the Kenworth T2000 clocked as high as 90.3 mph in one of the course's major radar checkpoints. He recorded fastest times of 4 minutes 20.7 seconds on the course's lower section, 5 minutes 13.9 seconds in the middle portion, and 3 minutes 47.3 on the upper section. "We've been running about 20 to 25 seconds faster in practice than last year," said Canepa, who piloted the T2000 to a record time of 14 minutes 34.41 seconds in the tandem-axle division in the 2000 race. "We're ready to go tomorrow." "Those faster practice times were due to Bruce's driving skills combined with the truck's reduced weight, increased horsepower, enhanced traction and improved handling over last year," said Mike Gilbert, team leader for Kenworth's Pike Peak race team and Kenworth assistant chief engineer. The Kenworth T2000/CFI Red Racer Peak Performer is 900 pounds lighter than last year. It features a 1,200 hp Caterpillar C-16 engine and a ZF 5HP500 Ecomat automatic transmission modified to racing specifications. Canepa is backed by a volunteer team of 14 Kenworth engineers, along with pit support from CFI, Caterpillar, ZF, Arvin Ride Control, and Bridgestone. "The entire team has done a great job this week," Gilbert said. "I've got to especially commend our Kenworth engineers. They put in some long hours before coming to Pikes Peak, then got up before 3 a.m. almost daily to go to The Hill to prepare the T2000 for practice sessions." Besides setting out to win, Kenworth uses its Pikes Peak racing experience to help evaluate items that may eventually become available on Kenworth production models. Official supplier sponsors of Kenworth's Pikes Peak effort include CFI, ZF, ZFMeritor, Bridgestone, Bendix, DuPont, Eaton, Dana Spicer, Alcoa, Horton, Camfil Farr, Arvin Ride Control and ConMet. The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb has a website at www.ppihc.com CFI, an international truckload carrier based in Joplin, Mo., is a major Kenworth fleet operator. CFI, founded in 1951, operates over 2,000 tractors and over 6,000 trailers and transports a variety of goods throughout the contiguous United States and Canada. CFI interlines with Mexican carriers at various border crossing to provide through-trailer service to Mexico. In addition to its Joplin headquarters, CFI operates five terminals. CFI and its subsidiaries have 39 sales offices throughout North America and employ more than 2,700 people. The driver fleet is comprised of both company drivers and independent contractors. CFI NetLink is at www.cfi-us.com. CFI's Spanish language site is at www.cfi-mx.com. Bruce Canepa operates Canepa Design in Santa Cruz, Calif. He has been designing custom road machines since childhood and now enjoys an international reputation as one of the finest and most versatile designers in the world. Canepa Design's website is at www.canepa.com Kenworth Truck Company, a division of PACCAR Inc, is a leading manufacturer of heavy and medium duty trucks. Kenworth's Internet home page is at www.kenworth.com # CAPTION INFORMATION: Bruce Canepa of Santa Cruz-based, Calif.-based Canepa Design pilots the Kenworth T2000/CFI Red Racer Peak Performer during practice runs this week at the 79th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.