WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (June 5, 2009) – Matt Bell paced Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge Grand Sport (GS) qualifying Friday afternoon at Watkins Glen International, earning his fourth pole position in six races in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M3. The Los Altos, Calif., driver will lead the field to the green flag at 4 this afternoon on the historic 3.4-mile, 11-turn track.

Complete qualifying results can be found here.

Meanwhile, Ian Baas garnered his team’s second straight Street Tuner (ST) pole position, driving the No. 171 APR Tuning/Gunther VW Volkswagen GTI for APR Motorsport. Baas’s car also started on the pole at Lime Rock Park two weeks ago, and was the top-qualifying car in the series’ last visit to Watkins Glen.

Bell’s time of 2:04.576 (98.253 mph) broke a track record, set by Tom Long two seasons ago (2:05.134). Meanwhile, Baas’s time of 2:09.746 (94.338 mph) was more than a second quicker than Aaron Povoledo’s time (2:11.016), set last year in the same car.

Starting alongside Bell is Duncan Ende in the No. 39 TheDigiTrust Group/Adams Polishes Porsche 997. Third and fourth were Dean Martin and Bret Seafuse, hailing from nearby Trumansburg.

Next to Baas will be teammate Mike Sweeney. Point leader Christian Miller claimed third on the charts, next to reigning race class winner Adam Burrows.

The green flag for the two-and-a-half hour TheGlen.com 200 will fly at 4 this afternoon.

Lakeville, CT: The APR Motorsport team again had a very strong showing at the Lime Rock round of the 2009 KONI Sports Car Challenge. The team made rapid progress dialing in the #171 and #181 VW GTI’s to suit the newly repaved circuit throughout the limited practice sessions. The end result of the hard work was putting the #171 GTI on pole for the start of the race, the team’s first pole position of 2009, and qualifying #181 solidly in the top ten.

Starting the race at the front of the grid was Josh Hurley in the #171 APR/Gunther VW GTI. About pole position (his first in KONI competition) Josh Hurley said, “We had a transmission fail in the final practice, just before qualifying. The APR Motorsport team was absolutely amazing; not only for getting the car put back together before qualifying, but that we were third in line for the start of the session! We worked very hard on setup and this was the best set-up race car I have ever driven.” In 9th position after qualifying, Mike Sweeney in the #181 GTI put in his fastest time of the weekend and said, “I managed to put together a good lap but traffic held us up. By the time I found a clearing, the track temp had risen too much. I tried to get the best out of the car but we are starting near the front of the grid.”

Right from the start, Hurley was locked in an intense three-way battle for the lead. After a few lead swaps, the #171 took the lead on lap 41 and stayed there until the pitstop on lap 65 for a driver change, new tires, and a full fuel load. Before the pitstop, Hurley put in a series of “qualifying” laps to stretch his lead to nearly 3 seconds over the second place car. About his stint, Josh said “The car was great. We had a specific race strategy and just stuck to it. Glen (Bocchino) and I had an intense battle early on but thankfully it settled down after a while!” With Ian Baas in the #171 for the second half of the race, the team was looking to be a favorite for a victory. Baas was effective in managing the race from the lead and drew out a 3 second gap on second place before a caution closed up the field. Baas led a race-high 59 laps. After the restart, Baas was under pressure from several cars eventually giving up the lead. While lining up a pass to retake the lead, another full-course caution meant the race was going to finish under yellow. “This is absolutely heartbreaking to finish in second place. The timing of the full-course caution at the end was devastating and given another green flag lap, I certainly could have retaken the lead. We ended up on the podium with good points while our championship rivals had poor performances so we closed up a bit. We will be in the hunt at Watkins Glen, maybe it will be our first win!”

Meanwhile in the #181 GTI, Sweeney made a good start but after an altercation with lapped traffic, lost a couple of spots. “Our strategy was to let the race come to us and I was on cruise control in 6th place. I really have no idea if the other driver even saw me behind him in the several turns I was attempting to overtake.” Just before the planned pitstop for #181, a faulty fuel pump connector stopped the car on course. By the time the problem was rectified, Sweeney had been lapped several times and turned the car over to Dion von Moltke. Von Moltke then began a string of fast laps, quite often being the fastest car on the track for the majority of his stint. While making steady progress, the same electrical issue resurfaced and forced another stop for repair. Von Moltke said, “We had a car capable of winning today and our lap times prove it. We have had some bad luck in the past two events but the team is working hard to make sure we are in a position to win the upcoming races.”
The team will return to action at the famous Watkins Glen International Raceway on June 5, 2009. You can keep up with the team www.goapr.com/race. Live timing and scoring can be found at www.grand-am.com

Rockton, Ill. May 17th, 2009: After an exciting victory at Blackhawk Farms Raceway, Stehly Racing and their APR Motorsport sponsored VW GTI have gained momentum in their hunt for the 2009 national SCCA Touring 3 championship. This is the second win in the newly developed car giving the team a solid point’s lead heading into their next event, the 2009 June Sprints held at Road America.

The #68 Touring 3 VW GTI began the race in 1st place losing one position off of the start to Richard Fisher in his 2007 VW GTI. Holding close to Fisher though, the #68 car of Stehly was able to regain the lead by turn 5. Maintaining the lead was not an easy task though, the team had battled fading brakes all weekend and had to change strategies to lead the remaining 24 laps. The level of competition at the event was top notch, including the likes of the 2008 Runoff’s 2nd place finisher, Kevin Fandozzi in his Chevrolet Cobalt SS. According to driver of the #68 GTI Aaron Stehly, “I was excited to race against the level of talent that he brought to the field, he pushed me to go faster and left me very little room for mistakes. Our APR tuned GTI made great, reliable power all weekend which kept us up front”.

Stehly Racing’s next stop will be June 18-20th at Road America in Elkhart Lake Wis. for the 54th annual June Sprints.

Monterey, Ca: The APR Motorsport team and their #171 and #181 VW GTI’s had a very competitive showing at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for round 4 of the KONI Sports Car Challenge. The team made steady progress throughout testing and had put themselves in position to podium in the race. Although some bad luck in the race prevented top finishing positions for the team, hopes are high for the upcoming race at Lime Rock Park.

The race began with both VWs making steady progress toward the front of the ST field with the early stints being driven by Ian Baas in 171 and Mike Sweeney in 181. Both drivers had qualified very well, in 5th and 6th respectively. From the start Baas and Sweeney were both able to overtake several cars. After only 40 minutes of racing, Baas was leading by several seconds and Sweeney was in third, locked in a battle for second place. Baas’ time in the lead lasted 26 laps of the race, the most laps lead by any car or driver. Both cars then pitted under a full course caution for a driver change, new tires, and refueling. About his stint Baas said, “The car was great today. The temperatures at the track were much higher than we had anticipated. I had to do my best to manage my water temperature but our brakes were fantastic! I was able to just push the other cars until their brakes faded and then make the pass.” At the same time as 171, Sweeney was also instructed by the team to enter the pitlane for a full pitstop. “The heat was tough today. Temps were an issue so I had to manage them my entire stint. The guys put a great car together for me and all I had to do was keep it clean for Dion.” said Sweeney.

After quick pit work by the APR Motorsport crew both of the GTI’s reentered the race. Josh Hurley, the reigning Jetta TDI Cup series champion, took over driving duties in the 171 while the 181 GTI was now being driven by Dion von Moltke. With the mandatory pit stops completed, both APR drivers were poised to charge to the front of the pack. Hurley and von Moltke both quickly progressed though the field and were within sight of the lead when the 171 was struck with an electrical issue forcing a visit to the pitlane. The team was able to rectify the issue with some quick computer work and get the car back on track to finish in 13th. Hurley said “What a shame. The team had put a great car together and a podium was a sure thing. We are investigating the electrical issue and I am sure the team will have it sorted out before Lime Rock.” Shortly after the issue with the 171 GTI, von Moltke experienced a suspension failure also prompting a trip to the pitlane. The failure cost 181 time, but von Moltke was still able to finish in 15th. Of note however is the 181 GTI driven by Dion von Moltke turned one of the fastest laps of the ST race. Dion reflected on his race by saying, “We were in 5th place with 15 minutes to go when we had the suspension failure. A 5 way battle for the lead was just beginning and we could easily have finished on the podium. Lime Rock should be a good track for us with the nimble GTI’s and we have had an entire year of development since our last visit there.”

The next race for APR Motorsport is this Saturday, May 23 at historic Lime Rock Park. Keep up with the team at www.goapr.com. Live timing and scoring for the event can be found at www.grand-am.com.

Verizon Festival of Speed Presented by SPEEDCOM
Koni Sports Car Challenge
Saturday May 16th at Mazda Raceway – Laguna Seca – Salinas, CA

Featuring:

• Free Tickets to the First 100 Registrants!
  Register Here for Your Free Tickets
• VW Owner’s Corral
  100 Reserved Parking and Display Spaces
• Koni Sports Car Challenge Race
  Participate in the Fun as APR MS Races MK5 Gti’s
• Paddock Access
  Meet the Driver’s and Crew and Check Out the Gti Racecars!
• APR Motorsport Autograph Session and Tech Seminar
  Learn about the APR MS GTi Racing Program
• Vendor Row
  Purchase Performance Products, Swag and meet the Area’s Best VW Performance Specialists!
• Raffle, Prizes and Free Gift for All Registered Participants
  Free T-shirts by VW and much more!

Factsheet

What:

The 53rd season of competition at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca officially kicks off May 15-17, with Verizon Festival of Speed presented by SPEEDCOM featuring the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series along with the Koni Sports Car Challenge, Mazda MX-5 Cup and the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge as support events. The race will mark the fifth consecutive year for Grand-Am’s Daytona Prototype and GT cars in Monterey.

The Daytona Prototype cars have attracted the attention of superstar drivers and universally-recognized motor racing teams through its extremely raceable and relatively affordable format. It has revolutionized sports car racing with Plentiful battles at the front of the field and close finishes in virtually every race.

Like the Daytona Prototype class, the Rolex Series GT class has done the same for high-performance, production-based sports car racing.

The KONI Challenge Series for straight-from-the-showroom American muscle cars and the hottest imports will join the Rolex Sports Car Series for the first time at the track in its ninth season of competition under the Grand-Am banner.

Feature Race:

Rolex Car Series, Sun., May 17, 1:00-3:45 p.m.
The series is headlined by the Daytona Prototypes and GT cars in a 250-mile race on Sunday, May 17th.

Support Series:

Mazda MX-5 Cup Series, Sat., May 16, 11:25-12:25 p.m.
KONI Challenge – Sat., May 16, 3:00-5:30 p.m.
Mustang Challenge – Sun., May 17, 10:00-11:00 a.m.

When:

Friday, May 15, through Sunday, May 17

Where:

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
Monterey-Salinas HWY (HWY 68), Monterey, Calif.

More Information, including details on tickets, parking, directions and schedule of events is available at www.MazdaRaceway.com.

Brought to you By:

Opelika, AL: APR Motorsport has had a promising start to the 2009 KONI Sports Car Challenge season with their VW GTI’s finishing in the top ten or on the podium of every race this year. The team currently has placed both the #171 and #181 cars in the top ten of the season championship and the team is focused on improving their positions in the upcoming race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Josh Hurley and Ian Baas, the drivers of the #171 APR/Gunther VW GTI, are currently 6th in season points. The duo fell from 4th place after running short on fuel at New Jersey just before the checkered flag resulting in their lowest finish of the season. “New Jersey was difficult for us,” remarked Baas, “we were looking at a top five finish and barely missed our fuel window.” Hurley echoed those sentiments, “The last race would have been a great opportunity to move forward in the points since a few of our competitors also had lower than normal finishes.” Nonetheless the pair is optimistic about the race at Mazda Raceway due to some development work by the APR Motorsport engineers. The team has been focusing on chassis development since Grand-Am officials mandated the use of an engine restrictor and are anxious to get the updated setups on the track.

In the #181 APR GTI, Mike Sweeney will be joined by Dion von Moltke for the remainder of the season. Dion is making his official return to the APR Motorsport team after co-driving the team car for the 2008 season. Dion said, “I was able to test with APR Motorsport a couple of weeks ago for the first time this year. Straight away I could feel the massive improvement in the cars from the last time I was in one. It was obvious that the team has been hard at work. This kind of dedication is precisely why I am so proud not only to be a part of the team but also to be close friends with everyone involved.” For co-driver and California resident Mike Sweeney this will be the first professional race he has driven at his home track. Mike lives in San Luis Obispo and has become very familiar with the famous circuit. Sweeney said, “Our GTI’s should be a potent platform for this track. I am unbelievably happy to be racing at home with this team and to have Dion back with us is fantastic!”

APR Motorsport is also hosting a VW Owner’s Corral at the track for this event. The team has worked very hard to organize these events for nearly every event this season. The Owner’s gatherings at the previous events this year were very successful as hundreds of VW owners came to the tracks for the first time. Keith Lucas, Director of Sales and Marketing for APR, llc stated “This is exactly why we chose to race VWs, to reintroduce VW owners to the motorsport heritage of the brand. We realized that many of our clients had never been to a race. The Owner’s Corrals are a great way to experience the day’s events and everyone has had a lot of fun cheering on the GTI’s. It’s great to see VW competitive in North American motorsports again thanks to the great cars, the efforts of APR Motorsport and the support of VW enthusiasts.” A website has been launched to support and promote the Owner’s Corrals (www.vwcorral.com). Check the website often for updated information about all of the upcoming events.

You can always find the latest APR Motorsport news at www.goapr.com. Live timing and scoring will be available for this weekend’s race and can be found at www.grand-am.com and will be televised on Speed TV, May 23 12:00pm Eastern.

Millville, NJ: It was down to the wire in a race of fuel mileage and the APR Motorsport team came up just short at the finish. Both the #171 and #181 brought home important points toward the championship and maintained solid season points positions in 6th and 8th respectively. The cars were reliable all weekend and the team made progress in setup to remain competitive in the ST class.

The #181 APR VW GTI started the race in 7th position with Mike Sweeney advancing throughout the first stint. “We were driving the wheels off of the GTI’s to go quickly. The level of competition in KONI is really the best in the country, it seems like we are always fighting with a dozen other cars! We worked hard on setup and by race time we had a great package.” All of the hard work paid off as Sweeney was able to improve on his qualifying time by nearly a second. When codriver Aaron Povoledo took the wheel at the pitstop on lap 38, the car was in perfect shape to make a charge to the finish. Povoledo steadily advanced through traffic, eventually running in the top 5, before experiencing fuel starvation with 4 minutes remaining. The team brought the car in for a mere splash of fuel to get to the finish. Crew Chief Jeff Mishtawy said, “We knew we were going to be very close on fuel, this was a calculated risk. Had we stopped earlier for fuel we would have lost more positions. We still earned a top-ten finish and advanced in the points.”

For Josh Hurley and Ian Baas in the #171 APR/Gunther VW GTI their 6th place on the starting grid was a solid position to make their way closer to the season championship. Hurley made a good start and maintained position in the top five for his time behind the wheel. Unfortunately, an electronic glitch with the car’s engine computer during a full-course caution briefly left Hurley with no power. The result was a loss of several positions behind the pace car, quite an unusual occurrence. “The balance of the car was coming to us but that glitch really hurt. We have been working very closely with Grand-Am on our restrictor with virtually no time to iron out all of the bugs in engine management caused by the restrictor. This was an instance where one of these issues cost us a top five finish and championship points” said Hurley. He continued, “The team gave me instructions over the radio on how to reset the engine computer and we were able to get the VW going again. It was so frustrating to watch the cars passing us while we were getting it reset.” Ian Baas also ran in the top five during his stint but, like the #181, had a very tight fuel window. “We still finished in the points and although we lost a few of them today, we are still very much alive in the championship hunt. Some cars have a huge advantage right now and I am sure Grand-Am is going to level the playing field”

APR Motorsport will return to action for round 4 of the KONI Sports Car Challenge at the famous Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on May 14-15 2009. Live timing for the event can be found at www.grand-am.com. Keep up with the latest team news and info at www.goapr.com

Auburn, AL: APR Motorsport is very pleased to announce the return of Dion von Moltke to its driver line-up. The young driver will be back in action for most of the remaining 2009 KONI Sports Car Challenge events with only a couple of exceptions due to some schedule conflicts with his Rolex series responsibilities.

Dion will be co-driving the #181 VW GTI with Mike Sweeney. Mike raced four events last season with APR Motorsport and committed to the entire season for 2009. “I am extremely happy to have someone like Dion in the car with me. He has been wicked fast with everything he has driven and I think we are going to be a great fit together!” said Mike. The driver line-up of the #181 GTI is set to contend for race wins for the remainder of 2009. Crew Chief Jeff Mishtawy is also looking forward to Dion’s return, “Last season Dion showed tremendous improvement in his technical abilities, input on setup, and detailed feedback. Dion is always a positive influence for the team and the guys truly enjoy working a bit harder for him. That kind of intra-team chemistry is rare.”

The 2008 KONI season marked Dion’s first experience in professional auto racing. Dion had been quite successful throughout an extensive karting career with several poles, wins, and championships victories. Although only seventeen years old at the start of 2008, Dion quickly became known to the team as a composed and mature driver with very strong race craft with the ability to turn some seriously fast laps. Dion partnered Ian Baas in the #171 APR VW GTI and had consistently strong performances throughout the year. Some of Dion’s 2008 APR highlights include a second place finish at Miller Motorsports Park, a fastest race lap at Mid-Ohio, four top ten race finishes, and five top ten qualifying results. Reflecting on last season Dion said, “I had fun helping APR develop the Golf GTI last year, we even managed to capture a podium, fastest race lap, and pole position. It was an easy choice to accept an offer to come back to the team and add some Koni racing to compliment my Rolex schedule. Being teamed with Mike Sweeney is also very exciting for me as not only is he quick behind the wheel but an awesome guy and I know we will work well together.” Team Principle Stephen Hooks was enthusiastic about the return of Dion to the driver’s seat “Last season, Dion proved himself to be a fast driver and that his head is squarely on his shoulders. Having him involved with the program again is a win for everyone.”

The team has worked diligently to improve the performance and reliability of the cars for 2009. With the massive engineering and manufacturing abilities of APR, the team continues with one of the most aggressive development programs in the KONI Sports Car Challenge. “The progress that the team made last season was impressive, but it is obvious that there has been no stopping and now the APR GTI’s look to be even faster and more reliable than ever. I can’t wait to get back in the car and hopefully win some races this year!” said Dion.

The next event for Dion and APR Motorsport will be with the KONI Sports Car Challenge Round 3 at New Jersey Motorsports Park. APR Motorsport will also be hosting a VW owner’s corral at the event. More information can be found at www.vwcorral.com. Keep up with APR Motorsport at www.goapr.com.

Homestead, FL, March 14: The APR Motorsport team turned in a solid performance at Round 2 of the KONI Sports Car Challenge. Both of the #171 and #181 VW GTI’s were reliable all weekend and consistently turned very competitive lap times. The team is focused on the 2009 championship and brought home all-important points for both cars.

The #171 GTI, driven by Rolex Daytona 24 Hour winner Ian Baas and SCCA VW TDI Cup Champion Josh Hurley qualified and finished in 3rd place. In the first turns of the race, Ian took second place and was able use the excellent braking and handling of the APR VW GTI to pressure the leader for the majority of his stint behind the wheel. About his stint Ian remarked “The action in the first few laps was like the end of a sprint race! After it settled down a bit I was able to take care of the equipment to make sure Josh would have a car to fight to the finish with.” After a perfectly executed pitstop by the APR crew, Josh took the wheel and stayed in the top three positions. In an opportunistic strategy change with about an hour remaining, the team elected to put in a splash of fuel to guarantee that Josh could go to the finish without concern about mileage. The team only lost a couple of positions during the stop but Josh put in a series of “qualifying laps” to charge to the finish line. On his way to the podium celebration Josh said “I am really proud of the efforts put forth by the team this weekend. We didn’t have the horsepower of the Civics but we really had the car dialed in. This podium was especially exciting for me because my long time sponsor Gunther Volkswagen is here and without their support over the years I could not have accomplished this.” This finish puts Ian and Josh only three points away from the 2009 Driver and Team Championship leads. “Consistency is the key for a championship and we are working hard to make sure we are in a position to win it. The team has worked very hard on reliability and it shows. These APR GTI’s run like they are under warranty!” remarked Ian. This finish was the second podium in four races for Ian and the #171 APR GTI.

In the #181 APR VW GTI, drivers Mike Sweeney and Aaron Povoledo had a challenging race. At the start of the race, Mike was given a stop/go penalty and began a strong charge forward by passing over half of the ST field. Unfortunately, a blown front tire again forced him into the pits. This was earlier than the planned pit window and the team reacted quickly to the setback by changing the race strategy. Aaron was put in the car while the team completed a full pit stop. After the stop, Aaron began to pick his way through the field cleanly and was able to bring the car to the finish in 16th position without a scratch. After the race Aaron said, “Our Crew Chief, Jeff Mishtawy, came up with a setup idea before the race and the team put a ton of work into making the last minute changes. The car was transformed; it was easily a top five finisher! A little bad luck made for a bittersweet race but we are quick enough to win some of these races.” Mike agreed with the sentiment, “It’s a tough one to take especially because the team worked so hard and we were very quick. Our biggest advantage was braking and handling, very classic traits for a GTI.”

This was APR Motorsport’s first race with the newly Grand-Am mandated inlet restrictor. “This restrictor hit us much harder than we had anticipated” said Ian, “The biggest effect was with how we accelerate out of slow-speed corners. We have to be absolutely perfect in these or we get run over by the competition.” Jeff added “Grand-Am is working hard to level the playing field in ST and it shows. Right now some cars have a big advantage but I am sure that the race officials will continue to work on the imbalance with those cars.”

APR Motorsport and the KONI Sports Car Challenge will next race at New Jersey Motorsports Park on May 1-3. You can keep up with the team at www.goapr.com and the series at www.grand-am.com/koni

Daytona Beach FL, Jan. 23, 2009: In a very strong showing at the Koni Sports Car Challenge Fresh from Florida 200, the APR Motorsport drivers and team finished sixth and ninth in the Street Tuner class. The entire race was packed with fierce competition and looks to be a good indicator of the team’s strength in the season to come. Both of the APR Motorsport VW GTI’s ran flawlessly and maintained perfect balance throughout the entire 3 hour event.

Drivers Josh Hurley and Ian Baas brought the #171 Gunther Volkswagen GTI to the finish line in sixth after an eventful race. Starting third on the grid, reigning Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Champion Josh Hurley was able to charge to the front of the pack and led for several laps before his first pitstop for fuel and a driver change. Bringing the car into pitlane, the Grand-Am officials issued a drive-through penalty for speeding. Due to the fact the APR Motorsport engineers developed a pitlane speed limiter for 2009 and had calibrated it, the team protested the penalty. Grand-Am officials were unwilling to reconsider and the penalty had to be served. Josh Hurley remarked, “The car was great for my entire stint. It is a shame we had that penalty, it cost us a podium for sure. ” Driver Ian Baas was then tasked with regaining the positions lost after serving the penalty. Driving from eighteenth position, Ian was able to charge to sixth place before a late-race caution halted the advancement and forced the race to end behind the safety car. After the race Ian said, “Josh did a fantastic job and handed me a perfect car. I was amazed at the straightline speed of the Civics. They are going to be strong competition this year.”

For the #181 VW GTI, drivers Patrick Barrett and Mike Sweeney were also set for a strong race. From the drop of the green flag, Mike Sweeney set about passing as many cars as possible. During his stint, Mike maintained the gap to the leaders, picking up several positions and keeping the car in pristine condition for his co-driver Patrick Barrett. Sweeney remarked, “I could see last year that we are going to get results. The team did a remarkable job in the offseason developing the cars. This is just the beginning.” Patrick Barrett, who raced in the Rolex GT series last year, again made steady progress eventually running as high as second. Once the final round of pitstops was complete, Patrick made several smart passes and unfortunately, like the #171 GTI, his charge to the front was thwarted by the late race caution. “We finished seven positions higher than at the start. If we didn’t have that caution, we would have finished much higher. The team worked perfectly and the car was great throughout the race. The competition in this class is intense!”

The APR Motorsport team next races at Homestead Miami Speedway March 13-15 for round two of the 2009 Koni Sports Car Challenge.

Keep up with the team at www.goapr.com. For more information about Gunther VW go to www.gunthervw.net