Subaru Road
Racing Team Focused on Home Event
- Round 8 of Koni Challenge Series Makes Inaugural
Visit to New Jersey Motorsports Park -
Phoenixville,
Pa. – Aug. 25, 2008
Everybody is nervous
about this one. “You’d think the opportunity to race
so close to your back yard would be something that
really has you pumped,” said Joe Aquilante,
co-partner of the ICY / Phoenix Racing team which
campaigns a pair of Subaru Legacy 2.5GT spec.B race
cars in the Grand-Am KONI Challenge road racing
series.
What he’s referring to
is the Aug. 31 race on a new, country-club style
circuit, the New Jersey Motorsports Park near
Millville. This will be the track’s first
professional sports car race.
“We already have
enough pressure, with two of our drivers sitting
just two points from the lead for the series
Drivers’ Championship,” Aquilante added with a grin,
“and now we’re going to be watched by friends and
family plus a sizable contingent of employees from
our primary sponsor, Subaru of America, Inc.”
The ICY Racing /
Phoenix Performance outfit’s 4,000 sq. ft. race shop
is in Phoenixville, Pa., just west of Philadelphia.
Aquilante lives nearby in Chester Springs, and
partner Dave Rosenblum is just down the road in
Langhorne. Most of the team’s crew calls the area
home, as does one of the drivers, 20-year old Andrew
Aquilante.
On the other side of
the Delaware River, team driver Kris Skavnes makes
his home in Sparta, N.J. Skavnes and co-driver,
Chuck Hemmingson, currently sit 2nd in
the Drivers’ Championship just two points from the
current standings leader. Hemmingson resides in Des
Moines, Ia.
The team’s Subaru
Legacy 2.5GT spec.B race cars are originally
manufactured at Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. (SIA),
in Lafayette, Ind., as factory showroom vehicles and
prepared by ICY Racing / Phoenix Performance.
“The competition in
the Koni Challenge Street Tuner class has been at a
high level this season,” admits James Han,
motorsports marketing manager for Subaru of America,
Inc. (SOA), “but our race team has really
persevered.”
Adds Han, “The team’s
efforts in showcasing the performance of our Legacy
cars, which are so closely based upon the stock
platform, have been impressive and having Kris and
Chuck so close to earning the Drivers’ title is
certainly exciting. Each race is important to us but
this one is special based on its close proximity to
our corporate location. Being able to rely on the
continued support of SIA, our manufacturing plant,
has also proved a boon to us. Without a doubt,
Subaru associates from both SOA and SIA will be
cheering on the Subaru Road Racing Team this
weekend.”
The Millville race
will be televised by SPEED TV to air Sept. 7 at 2pm
ET.
The Subaru Road Racing
Team is sponsored by Subaru of
America, Inc., Subaru Tecnica International (STI),
Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT), Subaru of Indiana
Automotive, Inc. (SIA), Automotive Racing Products,
Lista, Rotary Lifts, JRZ, EcuTek, Perrin, Cusco,
Carbonetic, Hawk Brakes, Quarter Master Industries,
Disc Brakes Australia, Freem, and Racing Radios.
The cars are prepared by ICY/Phoenix Racing.
About ICY/Phoenix Racing
Based in
Phoenixville, Pa., ICY/Phoenix is a collaborative
partnership between Dave Rosenblum (ICY Racing) and
Joe Aquilante (Phoenix Performance) which has over
70 years of cumulative racing experience. This
organization represents the factory Subaru effort as
the Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT) in the 2008
Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series. The team's 4000 sq.
ft. race shop is located approximately 35 miles
northwest of downtown Philadelphia. Drivers Chuck
Hemmingson, Dave Rosenblum, Kristian Skavnes, Andrew
Aquilante and Don Knowles race two Legacy 2.5GT
spec.B cars. Last season, ICY/Phoenix celebrated a
winning year, finishing the season with one pole
position and two ST Class wins in six races. For
more information about the team and the cars, go to
www.icyphoenixracing.com or call Dave Rosenblum at
(215) 801-7827; or Joe Aquilante at (610) 482-0141.