Delphi and Kelley Racing Remain a Team Through 2005

TROY, Mich., Jan. 30 -- Delphi Automotive Systems today announced it will extend sponsorship of Kelley Racing Team's driver Scott Sharp and the #8 Indy Racing League car through 2005. The #8 car and Kelley Racing also gained AT&T as an associate sponsor through 2002 and has re-signed Futaba Corporation, which has been a sponsor since 1998, as an associate sponsor through 2005. William A. Lafontaine, director of marketing and customer development for Delphi, and Tom Kelley, founder of Kelley Racing made the announcement.

Delphi's involvement in racing has proven to be extremely successful from both a marketing and product development standpoint,'' Lafontaine said. ``We have made several advances with the products we develop and test on the IRL circuit and we look forward to four more years of progress with Kelley Racing.''

According to Lafontaine, the sponsorship has helped in both product development and brand awareness. ``An independent analysis of brand exposure ranked Delphi as number one for sponsor exposure in the IRL for the 2000 season,'' he said.

``Kelley Racing has brought more than successful racing to Delphi,'' explained Lafontaine. ``Scott has made several appearances on behalf of Delphi, including being a part of our initial public offering event at the New York Stock Exchange in New York City and participating in our advertising efforts. This relationship will continue to grow both on and off the track over the next four years.''

Delphi has been the primary sponsor of Kelley Racing and Scott Sharp since 1998. A six-year veteran of the circuit, Sharp finished third in the 2001 Indy Racing Northern Lights Series. He is one of the winningest racers in the league with titles at six races including Texas (2001, 2000), Atlanta (1999), Phoenix and Dover (1998) and New Hampshire (1996) and four pole positions including the 2001 Indianapolis 500.

``The 2002 racing season will be exciting and the entire team is looking forward to working with Delphi to deliver the thrill of Indy Racing to fans around the world,'' said Sharp.

Delphi, the official electronics provider to the IRL, has been involved in open-wheel racing since 1988. Today, a majority of the vehicles in the IRL are equipped with several of Delphi's racing products including:

Gen IV Engine Control Module (ECM) - Delphi's fourth-generation ECM helps bring to racecars a new level of sophistication in engine controls with enhancements over the previous model, including a feature that automatically limits the speed of the racecar when traveling through racecourse pits. Other improvements include a faster, 32-bit microprocessor (giving better and faster data to engineers monitoring the engine's performance) and higher-level software programming language that makes it easier for future improvements to be implemented. Delphi is currently supplying more than 90 percent of IRL cars with the Gen IV ECM. Accident Data Recorder (ADR2) - senses and records key vehicle parameters at 1,000 samples per second just prior to, during, and after an accident-triggering event. Coil Driver Module - when commanded by the Gen IV ECM, this unit precisely supplies more than 360 volts to the coils of each of the eight spark plugs and eliminates the need for a mechanical distributor. Track Condition Radio - alerts drivers with critical information by transmitting messages from race control to the racecar. 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 racecar to race team engineers located in the pits. The telemetry module helps enhance driver safety and race team strategy by making real-time data available. Multec® Bottom Feed Methanol Electronic Fuel Injector - provides a high flow rate and a low profile package that are ideal for port fuel racing applications. The injector is able to operate at high temperatures and provide a high level of spray atomization. Connectors, Cables and Terminals - Connectors are coupling devices that provide an electrical and mechanical connection/disconnection in a system. Cables are insulated electrical conductors. Terminals are devices attached to the end of a wire to facilitate electrical connections. All of these Delphi components enable a vehicle's electrical/electronic system to function under the tough conditions in racing.