Sheehan chooses Gruppe M Firelex racing suits for 2004

Martinez, Calif. - U.S. Touring Car Championship and Grand-Am Cup driver Gary Sheehan has chosen the Gruppe MT Firelex® as his racing suit for the 2004 race season. Sheehan will wear the double-layer F22N model suits, which were chosen specifically for their light weight, fire protectiveness, and in-car comfort in all race conditions.  Gary took delivery of his first custom-fit F22N suit just prior to his departure for this weekend's Grand-Am Cup race at Le Circuit de Mont-Tremblant in Quebec, Canada, where he will be driving an Audi S4 in the GS class. 

 

"The construction of this suit is amazing", Sheehan said. "It's obviously made with very high quality materials, the cut and colors look great and, most importantly, it is incredibly light and comfortable.  The environment in a race car is hot and unforgiving.  Driver comfort goes a long way in endurance racing."

 

Gruppe MT is one of Japan's leading suppliers of race wear and high performance accessories. The Firelex® line has enjoyed a constant state of evolution since its inception in 1966, in a never-ending quest for perfection and driver satisfaction.  Learn more about Firelex® and other products at www.gruppem.co.jp

 

Sheehan will be making his Grand-Am Cup debut appearance in the Mont-Tremblant 250 race at Le Circuit de Mont-Tremblant on May 22nd, 2004.  He will be driving an Audi S4 Quattro prepared by Istook-Aines Motorsports in the GS class, on a racetrack he knows exceptionally well.  While this will be Sheehan's first competitive start in an Audi, he has vast experience racing all-wheel-drive cars, including multiple race wins in the U.S. Touring Car Championship during the 2000-2003 seasons.

 

The all-wheel-drive, twin-turbo Audi S4 has consistently been a front running car in the series and will be a great match for Sheehan:  Gary has been competing and winning in a Subaru Impreza WRX in the U.S. Touring Car Championship over the past three years with great success, most recently finishing second in championship points in 2003.  The two cars have similar AWD drive trains, use turbocharged engines, and are set-up with Stoptech brakes.  Gary is looking forward to putting his experience to good use in his first Grand-Am Cup appearance. Learn more about Gary and TeamSMR at www.teamsmr.com

 

The Grand-Am Cup is the premier production car-based endurance racing series in North America.  The field is made up of two classes:  Sport Touring (ST) and Grand Sport (GS).  GS is the more powerful class of the two and is filled with ultra-performance cars such as the BMW M3, Cadillac CTS-V, Nissan 350Z, Ford Mustang Cobra, Porsche 996 and Acura NSX.

 

The 95-lap race is scheduled to start at 2:00pm eastern time.  Spectators will be treated to a full day of Grand-Am cup and Rolex Series practice and qualifying prior to the race start.   The race will be broadcast by Speed Channel on Sunday, May 30th at 12:00pm.  For more information regarding the race schedule and Grand-Am, visit the Grand American Road Racing website at www.grand-am.com