Chevy IRL Pikes Peak Bowtie Bullets

Pikes Peak International Raceway
Round 6 of 16, Indy Racing League IndyCar Series
Sunday, June 15, 2003

 
* Racing Around
    Chevrolet is competing in four major-league motorsports events
this weekend. In addition to the IRL event at mile-high Pikes Peak
International Raceway, Corvette Racing is gunning for a third straight GTS
class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. Bobby Labonte's Chevrolet
Monte Carlo will start on the pole in the NASCAR Winston Cup Sirius 400 at
Michigan International Speedway and NHRA Pro Stock points leader Kurt
Johnson will race for his fifth win of the season in his ACDelco Cavalier
at the NHRA Pontiac Excitement Nationals in Columbus, Ohio. Chevrolet is
the only manufacturer currently competing in the IRL, NASCAR Winston Cup,
NHRA and American Le Mans Series.

* Rare Air
    The naturally aspirated engines used in the IRL IndyCar Series depend
on atmospheric pressure - the force produced by the weight of the
earth's atmosphere - to fill their cylinders with fuel and air. At sea
level, standard atmospheric pressure is 14.7 pounds per square inch (psi),
but at Pikes Peak International Raceway, which stands 5,357 feet above sea
level, the pressure is only about 12 psi. This "thin air" reduces engine
output by approximately 16 percent from sea level.

    The lower air density at the mile-high PPIR oval also affects the
race cars' aerodynamics and cooling. The wings and underbody venturis
produce less downforce and drag at altitude than they do at sea level, and
the thinner air is less effective in removing heat from the radiators. GM
Racing engineers, working with Chevrolet IRL teams, make adjustments in
engine systems and aerodynamic packages to compensate for the unique
conditions encountered at PPIR.

* PPIR Record
    GM engines have won six of the seven IRL events contested at Pikes
Peak International Raceway - Tony Stewart in 1997, Kenny Brack in 1998,
Greg Ray in June and August 1999, Buddy Lazier in 2001 and Gil de Ferran in
2002. GM drivers have started on the pole in every IRL event at PPIR. Ray
set the absolute track speed record at 179.874 mph on June 17, 2000,
driving Team Menard's Indy car powered by an IRL Aurora V8 engine.

* The Long Run
    Chevy Indy V8 racing engines have won a total of 100 Indy car races
to date. The first-generation 2.65-liter turbocharged Chevy Indy V8 won 86
times and claimed 80 poles in CART and USAC-sanctioned events in 1987-93.
Chevy returned to open-wheel racing in 2002 with the 3.5-liter naturally
aspirated Chevy Indy V8 that won 14 out of 15 races and nine poles in IRL
competition last season.

* About GM
    General Motors Corp. , the world's largest vehicle
manufacturer, employs 342,000 people globally in its core automotive
business and subsidiaries. Founded in 1908, GM has been the global
automotive sales leader since 1931. GM today has manufacturing operations
in 32 countries and its vehicles are sold in more than 190 countries. In
2002, GM sold more than 8.6 million cars and trucks, nearly 15 percent of
the global vehicle market. GM's global headquarters is at the GM
Renaissance Center in Detroit. More information on GM and its products can
be found on the company's consumer website at www.gm.com.