Subaru Road Racing Team Drivers
Edge Toward Championship
- Season’s Final Three Races
Kicks Off in Quebec -
Phoenixville, PA – August 11, 2009
This Saturday marks the start of a three-race mad dash
for what Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT) teammates Andrew
Aquilante and Kristian Skavnes hope will result in a
Drivers’ Championship in the Street Tuner class of the
Grand American Racing KONI Sports Car Challenge.
Held on a 1.52-mile, 10-turn circuit through the streets
of Trois-Rivičres, Quebec, an hour east of Montreal, the
unique, 90-minute event is the shortest of the KONI
Challenge season and the only one not held on a
purpose-built race track.
Aquilante and Skavnes enter the race tied for second
place in the Driver Championship points, a mere 18
points out of the lead and eight points ahead of the
third place competitor.
Their ride to bid for the title is the team’s #111
Subaru Legacy 2.5GT spec.B., prepared by Phoenix
Performance in Phoenixville, Pa. Subaru is one of nine
car manufacturers represented in the KONI series’ Street
Tuner class.
Team owner Joe Aquilante noted the consistency in the
team’s last three races. “A fourth place and two thirds
is good given the toughness of the competition,” he
said. “What we need now are podium finishes. We had wins
in 2008 and 2007, and we’ve led races this year, but we
would really like to lead the final lap of each race.
Aquilante owns the Phoenixville, Pa.-based SRRT Phoenix
outfit which prepares the team’s Subaru Legacy 2.5GT
spec.B race car and serves as factory road racing
partner for Subaru of America, Inc. This is SRRT’s
third season racing the Subaru Legacy.
“You don’t make a mistake at Trois-Rivičres and escape
without paying for it,” Aquilante said. “The track is
both fast and narrow, so any position gains are made
with a certain element of risk. Kris and Andrew just
have to drive smooth and drive smart. And that’s one of
their strong suits. They’re
drivers with the big picture in mind – knowing we
have three races to go and championships still possible,
the approach will be to limit risks.”
James Han, Motorsports Marketing Manager for Subaru of
America, Inc. said, “These final three races will offer
points-earning opportunities for Subaru to earn our
first stateside road racing championship. I feel
confident in our chances based on the racing experience
of both Kris and Andrew piloting our competitive Legacy
2.5GT spec.B which sports a Subaru Boxer engine and
Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive.”
Sponsors for SRRT include Subaru Of America, Inc.,
Subaru Tecnica International (STI), Subaru Performance
Tuning (SPT), Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. (SIA),
VAC Motorsports, Automotive Racing Products, Hawk
Brakes, Rockland Standard Gear, Quarter Master, Ecutek,
Racing Radios, Lista, Rotary Lifts, Cusco, Carbonetic,
Mac Tools, Hella, Perrin, and Vedalo HD.
About SRRT Phoenix Racing
SRRT Phoenix LLC represents Subaru
of America’s road racing efforts in the Grand-Am KONI
Sports Car Challenge and is owned and managed by Joe
Aquilante of Phoenix Performance, Inc. The team’s 32,000
sq. ft. facility is in Phoenixville, Pa., 40 miles west
of Philadelphia, PA. Team drivers Kristian Skavnes and
Andrew Aquilante race a Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT spec.B. in
the Street Tuner class. For more information about the
team and the cars, call Joe Aquilante at (610) 482-0141,
or go to
www.phoenixperformanceinc.com.
Fans can visit the team’s website at
www.srrtphoenix.com