New Kid on the Grid: Autosport Development's Dane Moxlow Makes Professional Driving Debut at Road Atlanta

Trenton, MI – September 24, 2006 –Autosport Development’s new kid on the grid Dane Moxlow makes his professional driving debut in the SPEED World Challenge (SWC) on Friday, September 29th as part of Road Atlanta’s Petite Le Mans weekend.

Dane, who turned 18 in July, will climb behind the wheel of the Autosport Development Trenton Forging No. 20 Pontiac GTO and flex his muscle car in round nine of the SWC GT series. The University of Tennessee freshman, the latest member to join the sizeable SWC boys club, will be the youngest competitor starting this race.

To get a feel for the course, Dane recently spent time testing at Road Atlanta.

“All went well,” says Dane. “I’m comfortable with the track and feel very confident in myself. The only differences in the test and the race are going to be the horsepower, gearing and braking zones.”

Dane, who’s from Grosse Ile, Michigan, began racing karts at age 13 after spending the summer with his Autosport teammate and family friend Stu Hayner. He acquired his SCCA national competition license at 16 after completing Skip Barber programs at Road America and Laguna Seca. In 2005, Dane competed in two rounds of the Skip Barber Midwest Sportsman Regional Race Series, the largest open-wheel amateur championship in North America. In his first amateur race, Dane earned the Rookie of the Race award and a fourth place finish.

During the 2005/06 season, Dane raced in all twelve rounds of the Skip Barber Southern Series. Several podium finishes and a handful of wins put Dane in the running for the championship. His championship run ended just a few points shy of victory.

In preparation for his professional debut, Dane recently transitioned to higher horsepower, closed cockpit cars. Using a SCCA regional race as a test platform, Dane qualified on the pole for his first event in the Autosport Development No. 20 Pontiac GTO and earned his first regional victory.

At Road Atlanta, Dane will compete alongside and against his mentor and friend Stu Hayner. How does he feel about that?

“I respect Stu more than he knows,” says Dane. “He is a great and experienced driver. I hope I can learn some things from him and, hopefully, give him a run for his money someday.”

While the rookie driver’s excited and eagerly anticipating the upcoming race, Autosport Development team owner Renee Moxlow is nervous. It’s her baby entering the fray and competing against some of the best drivers in the world

“I’m very excited for him,” says Renee. “How many kids get to do something like this?”

She admits, however, that when Dane’s on track, she’s anxious. To calm herself, she’ll spend the 50 minutes pacing, taking pictures, and doing anything to keep her mind off him and the race.

“Dane has a good head on his shoulders,” adds Renee. “The only people out there that matter to us are Dane and his teammate Stu. We have to be real about this. It’s a pro race and he’s just beginning. Success that day will be seeing him come back in one piece and feeling like he did all he could.”

Autosport Development competes in the SPEED World Challenge GT Series recently named “the most competitive road racing series in the world” by Racer magazine. In 2005, driver Stu Hayner finished the season seventh in points, a huge feat considering the team had no factory support from any major automotive manufacturers. As the first team to develop GTO road racers, Autosport Development’s expertise is in demand by other teams now fielding these cars. The race shop is also involved in prototype and racecar development, preparation, fabrication, assembly, carbon fiber work as well as automotive manufacturing. For more information, visit www.autosportdevelopment.com.

Round nine of the SPEED World Challenge GT Race will be televised on Saturday, October 14 at 3 p.m.