Autosport Development Substitutes Driver
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: John Thawley 248.227.0110 johnt@c2group.com GMAC/Trenton Forging #5 GTO Mosport News Jim Osborn Announced As Driver For Second Race At Mosport Detroit – August 2, 2004 Autosport Development announced today that World Challenge Touring Car driver. Jim Osborn, will step into the #5 GMAC Commercial Finance/Trenton Forging GTO for the second GT race at Mosport. Mosport is scheduled as a double header for the GT class in the SPEED World Challenge Series. The substitution will allow Stu Hayner to compete in the Grand Am Cup race scheduled for Sunday at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. “Stu Hayner has been running exceptionally well in the Rolex Cup Series,” said David Moxlow, owner of Autosport Development. When World Challenge announced the double header, we weren’t sure what we were going to do to overcome the schedule conflict. When the opportunity presented itself to put Jim Osborn in the car, it seemed like a perfect fit. Everyone here is excited to see how he does.” “This is a great deal,” expressed Osborn. “I’ve been friends with Stu for sometime now and have really gotten close to the Autosport team. We’ve been very social this past year and I’m truly grateful that David Moxlow [team owner] and Stu thought enough of me to extend the offer. The GTO is a great car and comes with a great crew. I hope I can help continue their progress.” A regular in the SPEED World Challenge Touring Car series driving the Children’s Hospital #24 BMW, Jim first began road-racing automobiles in 1996 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with the BMWCCA Club Racing Program. In his last 15 starts, Jim finished in the top three 14 times with eleven 1st places. His racing career has included dirt track and asphalt Karting, Solo II, and amateur club racing with NASA, POC, and BMWCCA. In 2002, Jim ran 10 races in SPEED Touring Car in a BMW 325Ci, with a best finish of 13th at Washington, D.C. Osborn’s best finish in 2003 was 11th at Sebring. Hayner, coming off an 11th place finish in Portland, will drive the car for the first race of the weekend double header. Hayner will return to Toronto Monday when the team will tape a television segment featuring the #5 GMAC Commercial Finance/Trenton Forging GTO. The segment will air later this year on SPEED Channel’s popular new program, Sports Car Revolution. The Mosport events are scheduled for [Round Six] Saturday at 4pm and [Round 7] at 4:05pm. Both races will air on SPEED, Sunday August 15, at 1pm and 3pm respectively. All times are Eastern Standard Time. GMAC Commercial Finance, considered a leader in its segment of the financial services market, provides accounts receivable management and financing, asset-based lending, equipment finance/leasing, retail financing, structured financing, and supply chain management services to a wide variety of clients in diverse industries. Loan facilities are in the $2 million to $200 million range. With locations in the United States, Canada, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom, the Company is positioned to provide lending services worldwide. Trenton Forging Company from Trenton Michigan is a leading producer of custom impression die forgings to a wide variety of industries. They have a strong reputation as a supplier of choice to many Tier 1 and Tier 2 automotive/light truck suppliers. Trenton produces multiple cavity die forgings to meet customers exacting specifications and offers a wide range of high quality custom forging products with exceptional customer service. In association with Trenton Forging, Autosport Development competes as part of the SPEED World Challenge GT Series. All events are nationally televised on SPEED channel (formerly Speedvision). In 2004 the SCCA SPEED World Challenge series will visit Lime Rock Park, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Infineon Raceway, Portland International Raceway, Mosport International Raceway, Road America, Road Atlanta Motorsports Center and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. For more information about Autosport Development and the Stu Hayner #5 GTO, visit www.GoAutosport.com For more information about Trenton Forging, visit www.trentonforging.com For more information about GMAC Commercial Finance, visit www.gmaccf.com For more information about SCCA SPEED World Challenge, visit www.world-challenge.com IMPORTANT NOTICE: A High-resolution rendering of Stu Hayner’s 2004 #5 Pontiac GTO is available in two views at http://www.johnthawley.com/comp_rendering.jpg
