Aquilante Looks for ‘Home Field’ Advantage
- Subaru Impreza WRX: Round 2 - SCCA World Challenge
Touring Car -
Phoenixville, PA – April 28, 2009
Hot on the heels of a strong debut in the opening race
of the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Touring Car
season, championship sports car racer Andrew Aquilante
and Phoenix Performance are hoping they’ll find the
generosity of something of a home town advantage for
Saturday’s race at New Jersey Motorsports Park near
Millville, NJ.
“The Phoenix Performance race shop is only 75 miles from
the track,” said team owner Joe Aquilante. “Subaru of
America, our factory partner and corporate sponsor, and
now a promotional partner at New Jersey Motorsports
Park, is only 37 miles away, in Cherry Hill. If knowing
we’re close to home gives us an increased comfort level
this weekend, we’ll take it.”
Phoenix Performance prepared the Subaru Impreza WRX to a
new rules package created by SCCA Pro Racing to
encourage entrants of production-based cars to compete
in the World Challenge series. The new rules make
provisions for nearly showroom stock units such as the
Phoenix Performance Subaru Impreza WRX to compete with
highly-modified cars which have been a hallmark of the
series.
Andrew Aquilante, Chester Springs, Pa., the SCCA’s 2007
Touring 1 class National Champion and winner of the
Club’s President’s Cup, will make his second outing in
the blood red Subaru Impreza.
The first race of the season was at Sebring, Fla., a
faster circuit than the New Jersey-based track’s
configuration.
“Whether any one track is faster or slower than another
is only a numerical comparison,” said Andrew, “but at
Sebring, our fastest race lap was only 0.73 miles per
hour slower than the fastest car in the race – a team
with many years experience and championships.
“That’s encouraging,” he added. “Now that we’ve had six
weeks to get to better know the Subaru Impreza WRX, we
feel we’ll be even closer to the front this time.”
The Impreza’s engine, which is allowed 17.5 p.s.i.
turbocharger boost, produces 265 horsepower in stock
configuration. The Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive
System – it is the only AWD car in the race – “allows me
to get a better start than some of my competitors,”
Andrew added. “That’s important because the World
Challenge series uses a standing start. We even practice
doing them at the race shop.”
This weekend’s races at New Jersey Motorsports Park are
of special interest to guests from Subaru of America’s
corporate headquarters in Cherry Hill, NJ, and to James
Han, motorsports marketing manager for Subaru as the
company also serves as official automobile and pace car
for NJMP.
“We’re going to have two similar Subaru race units
prepared by Phoenix Performance in two races this
weekend in the form of a Legacy 2.5GT spec.B and an
Impreza WRX,” said Han. “Between the two cars, I believe
the attending Subaru associates and corporate guests are
going to enjoy some exciting racing and get a first-hand
perspective in how competitively our cars can perform in
racing configurations that aren’t far off from showroom
stock. The relevance to our production units is a major
reason we’re here.”
Qualifying will be Friday at 5:55pm ET, and the one-hour
race Saturday at 10:30am.
Sponsors for the Phoenix Performance Subaru Impreza WRX
include Rockland Standard Gear, Automotive Racing
Products, Hawk Brakes, VAC Motorsports, Quarter Master,
Ecutek, Racing Radios, Lista, Rotary Lifts, Cusco,
Carbonetic, Mac Tools, Hella, Perrin, and Vedalo HD.
About Phoenix Performance
Phoenix Performance, Inc. is owned
and managed by Joe Aquilante and is located in a 32,000
sq. ft. facility in Phoenixville, Pa., 40 miles west of
Philadelphia, PA. Team driver Andrew Aquilante races a
Subaru Impreza WRX in the SCCA SPEED World Challenge
Touring series. Andrew can be reached by email at
ajavette37@comcast.net
and on his website,
www.andrewaquilante.com.
For more information about the team and the cars, call
Joe Aquilante at (610) 482-0141, by email at
JFAPhoenix32@aol.com,
or visit –
http://www.phoenixperformanceinc.com/.