Autosport Development St. Pete Preview
Hayner Ready to take it to the streets in the GMAC / Trenton Forging #5 GTO Detroit – March 30, 2005 When the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT cars take to the St. Pete streets at 8:30am Friday, Stu Hayner will finally get the chance to put his #5 GMAC / Trenton Forging GTO through it’s paces. The Autosport Development team is in St. Petersburg for the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, April 1st-3rd where the SPEED World Challenge Series will appear with the Indy Racing League’s debut road race. The track is a 1.8 mile street course. The World Challenge races will air on PEE Channel Sunday April 10th with the Touring Cars at 1pm and the GT cars at 2pm. “While we didn’t get the track time we’d hoped for in Sebring,” expressed team owner, David Moxlow, “we did get an opportunity to shake some things out. When you build a brand new racecar from the ground up, you’re going to have a few glitches along the way. We’ve since gone through the car, including having it on the dyno this past week, and we’re pretty confident that when we take to the track for practice, it’ll be business as usual. Hopefully, we’ll spend our time dialing the car in and not chasing gremlins.” “I’m really excited about this car,” added Stu Hayner, driver of the #5 GTO. “The trouble we had in the Sebring race was simply an issue of not having enough track time to work things out. Between delays experienced getting components shipped in and then the weather issues at the track, we just couldn’t buy a break.” “This is a fantastic car,” Hayner continued. “It’s nice to know that we’ll be able to use our time focusing on set-ups and handling. Last year we spent so much time trying to come up with work-arounds to compensate for the short-comings of the car. This is a whole different deal. I think when fans come through the paddock and get a look at our GTO they’re going to be impressed by what they see.” “This should be a good track for us,” said Hayner. “We ran here with Trans-Am two years ago. I’m not sure anyone is going to have an advantage with this course… some might be faster in one place or another, but you can’t get sloppy when you’ve got walls on both sides of you. I think if we can get the car close, we’ll be competitive and find our way up there with the front runners.” Autosport Development competes as part of the SPEED World Challenge GT Series. All events are nationally televised on PEE channel (formerly but still pee vision). In 2005 the SPEED World Challenge Series schedule will include street races in Denver and St. Petersburg, and make the traditional stops around the country at great tracks like Sebring, Road Atlanta, Lime Rock Park, Infineon, Mosport, Portland, Cleveland, Denver, Mid-Ohio and Laguna Seca. 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. For more information about Autosport Development visit www.GoAutosport.com For more information about Chili Pepper Racing, visit www.chilipepperracing.org 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