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SCCA: New Models Highlight Increased Manufacturer Representation

7 May 1999

NEW MODELS HIGHLIGHT INCREASED MANUFACTURER REPRESENTATION AND NEAR RECORD ENTRIES FOR 1999 SPEEDVISION WORLD CHALLENGE CHAMPIONSHIPS

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--Chevrolet's C5 Corvette will make its World Challenge debut in the Speedvision GT Championship (Pirate Racing and MTI Racing), along with race versions of the Mercury Cougar (Mumm Brothers Racing) and Mazda 626 (SL Racing) in the Speedvision Touring Car Championship in the 1999 season-opener at Mosport Park, May 21-23, highlighting a resurgence in manufacturer representation for the 1999 season.

With 15 marques and more than 22 models scheduled to compete, the Speedvision World Challenge GT and Touring Car Championships are North America's premier proving ground for the world's auto manufacturers to showcase their products in head-to-head racing competition.

Full fields comprised of cars representing Acura, BMW, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mercury, Nissan, Pontiac, Porsche, Saleen, Toyota and Volkswagen are expected to make up the grid in each of the Speedvision GT and Touring Car races.

"Teams racing a wide variety of manufacturer marques and models have always been the backbone of the Speedvision World Challenge Championships," said Mitch Wright, Speedvision World Challenge General Manager. "We are excited to have so many manufacturers represented in the series, and the variety of cars in both the GT and Touring Car fields will make for a great show."

The Speedvision GT Championship will pit the Corvette C5 against a host of powerful American sports cars including the V10-powered Dodge Viper, Ford Mustang, Saleen 351SR, Pontiac Firebird, Chevrolet Camaro and Corvette ZR-1, as well as the high-tech BMW M3, Mazda RX-7, Porsche 911, Toyota Supra Turbo and Acura NSX.

In the Speedvision Touring Car Championship, the nimble front-wheel-drive Acura Integra, Mercury Cougar, Honda Prelude, Mazda 626, Dodge Neon, Ford Contour, Pontiac Sunfire and Volkswagen Jetta take on the rear-drive BMW 328, Nissan 240SX and Mercedes-Benz E190.

The Speedvision GT and Touring Car Championships are also projecting near-record fields with 20-30 cars expected to start each GT and Touring Car race, and more than 100 different drivers vying for GT and Touring Car Championship points.

Editors Note: For hundreds of hot racing photos and racing art, be sure to visit The Racing ImageGalleries and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.