TRG to Debut Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 GT in SPEED World Challenge GT at Autobahn

PETALUMA, June 30, 2009: TRG Motorsports together with Circle B Motorcars of Texas will debut the No. 71 Circle B Motorcars Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 GT car in the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT Championship at Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Illinois on July 26.

The Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR 722 GT is an exotic race car that features a supercharged Mercedes V-8 engine capable of producing 680 horsepower, but will run in the World Challenge GT series with a restricted 550 HP V-8 engine developed by RML (Ray Mallock Limited) in England. The car was designed and built by RML, in accordance with McLaren Technology, and is a limited edition racer, with only 15 in existence. The name SLR stands for "Sport, Leicht, Rennsport" (Sport, Light, Racing).

TRG and RML are currently homologating the SLR 722 GT to comply with the SCCA World Challenge GT specifications. The project is being headed by Bill Rader, No. 71 SLR GT project manager, at TRG Motorsports' facility in Mooresville, North Carolina.

TRG sports car ace Spencer Pumpelly has performed an initial shake-down at Virginia International Raceway earlier this month. Pumpelly will pilot the car in four races this season.

"Considering the amazing performance of the street car versions and the history of both Mercedes-Benz and McLaren I could not imagine this won't be a rocket ship," Pumpelly said. "From what I have seen so far I think racing drivers and fans alike have a lot to be excited about with this car. World Challenge is tough racing. The format is a pure sprint with a daunting standing start to kick it all off. The expectations going into it can only be that the car is going to be a powerhouse and the team backing it, TRG - one of the best in the business."

Owner of the No. 71 Circle B Motorcars SLR 722 GT, Peter Blom, is anxious to see the car on the track.

"Bearing in mind that these cars have a racing history in Europe dating back to 2008, we are excited to see what it can do in U.S. trim," Blom said. "We decided to race the 2009 version of the car here in the states to see if we can draw out the street versions of the cars that are currently in North America. Some people buy these cars to add to a collection, I bought mine to race. Together with TRG, we will see exactly what this great car is capable of in competition. It looks like it is going 200 mph standing still and I can't wait to see it on a U.S. race track."

TRG owner Kevin Buckler is looking to the team's first foray into the SPEED World Challenge.

"We want to showcase the performance of this awesome car here in the states as well as our team's capabilities," Kevin Buckler, TRG owner said. "TRG will be making its debut as a team in the series as well. It will be the car's first competitive laps in North America and we hope that some of the owners that have the street version in this country will also want to bring their cars out to race, or simply do some track days. TRG and our awesome Mooresville facility will be prepping the SLR's for clients to run in a variety of events, not just in full blown race trim. We want the owners that purchased these vehicles to experience the thrill of learning to push the car to its limits, whether that is in stock trim or at a driver's education event. We can prep the cars in a variety of racing trims and we offer upgrade kits that will be available through TRG Motorsports.