SPECIAL EVENT (EL TORO) - Steve O'Blenes Wins the REV IT UP 2007 El Toro Event

Regional Champion Takes Title in Second Stop of Six-City National Driving Competition; Now Leading National Points Race With Ultimate Grand Prize of a 2008 Corvette

IRVINE, CA - July 16, 2007: It came down to the wire yesterday at the second and largest Rev It Up 2007 event. After three days of intense racing with more than 2,200 competitors, Steve O’Blenes, 37, of Garden Grove, Calif. won the El Toro stop of the Chevy-powered national performance driving school and racing competition on the last day of competition.

Rev It Up 2007 is designed to provide auto enthusiasts across the country the chance to enhance their driving skills and compete for prizes, including the grand prize awarded to the Rev It Up 2007 National Champion - a 430-horsepower 2008 Chevrolet Corvette. O’Blenes, the second of six regional champions to be determined this summer, is now leading the standings for the national title and the new Corvette, with his fast time of 26.710 seconds, which translates to a high score of 734 using the Rev It Up 2007 scoring system. As the El Toro Rev It Up 2007 Event Champion, he was awarded a two-day “Grand Prix Specialty” course for two people at the Bondurant School of High Performance Driving and a custom Corvette-inspired “Jake” guitar by Paul Reed Smith Guitars.

“I’ve been autocrossing for more than ten years and have won a fair amount, but leading the Rev It Up 2007 standings is really an accomplishment, especially against these other experienced racers,” said O’Blenes. “I can’t wait to get to that Bondurant School and I hope to keep my lead to win the National Championship!”

O’Blenes took the Rev It Up 2007 title on Sunday afternoon in the daily Corvette shootout against the 11 other fastest daily qualifiers. His score also bested that of the 10 Friday night qualifiers and 25 Saturday night qualifiers. All 47 shootout participants qualified earlier each day in identically prepared Chevrolet Cobalts.

Other weekend winners included runner up and Friday night top scorer Hector Gonzales, of Fontana, Calif., who won a portable XM satellite radio, and individual class winners Jason Rhoades of San Diego, Calif. (Pro), Bart Chow of Monterey Park, Calif. (Club), Steve Hammon of Mission Viejo, Calif. (Novice), Reid Olsen of San Luis Obispo, Calif. (Just For Fun) were each awarded Piloti driving shoes and Gatorz sunglasses. In the Reaction/Traction Competition, Sal Landers (Friday), Christopher Hooten (Saturday) and Steve Coon (Sunday) took top honors.

The next stop for “Rev It Up 2007: Where Drivers Come To Play” will be at Reliant Park in Houston, Tex. for one day only, Saturday, July 21, 2007. Updated information, event locations and registration forms are available at www.revitup.com.

,b>About Rev It Up 2007
Rev It Up 2007 is a full day of competition and fun geared towards the true automotive enthusiast. The entry fee for competitors is just $25, and there is no admission charge for friends and spectators at the annual celebration of car culture. Rev It Up 2007 is touring six major metropolitan areas in July and August – San Francisco, Orange County (CA), Houston, Orlando, New York/New Jersey and Washington D.C. At Rev It UpTM 2007, experienced racers and amateurs alike compete for the title of “Rev It Up National Champion” and a 430-horsepower 2008 Chevrolet Corvette.

Rev It Up 2007 gives car enthusiasts – spectators and competitors – a chance to immerse themselves in all things automotive, including taking rides in a 505-horsepower Corvette Z06 for a “Time Attack” run, testing reaction time and car control in an acceleration and braking contest, racing friends in an Enduro Kart competition, test-driving the 2007 Corvette and the rest of Chevrolet’s performance lineup on custom-designed courses and experiencing the hottest music and latest automotive technology at the Chevy Pavilion – including an up-close look at the dramatic Camaro Concept.

There is no charge for general admission and the entry fee for the national competition – with a new Corvette awarded to the national champion – is just $25. Other “behind the wheel” activities, including Enduro Kart racing, are offered at a minimal cost.