For: Immediate Release     Date: May 18, 2006    Contact: Dan Barnes

May 18, 2006—Torrance, California USA – The StopTech-equipped BMW M3s fielded by Turner Motorsport both finished on the podium in Grand-Am Cup GS class in the Avondale Mazda Twin 200s at Phoenix International Raceway, and the Davis Acura-entered Acura RSX of Mike Galati and Bob Endicott was first to take the checkered flag in Grand-Am Cup ST class. Following two Grand-Am Cup weekends in which crashes, cautions and penalties all played major roles in determining the outcome, the Avondale Mazda Twin 200s at Phoenix International Raceway ran the GS and ST groups separately. Both races were completed without a full-course yellow.

Grand Sport Class

In Grand Sport, the No. 49 Porsche 997 of Marcus Motorsports qualified on the pole by 0.381 sec., while a mere 0.170 sec. covered the next five spots, with the No. 97 Turner Motorsport/H&R Springs/Under Armour BMW M3 of Anders Hainer and Boris Said starting from sixth on the grid with a time of 1:07.883. Chris Gleason and Bill Auberlen put their No. 96 Turner Motorsport/H&R Springs/StopTech Brakes/Gleason Insurance BMW M3 on the grid in ninth place.

Hainer worked his way steadily through the field, reaching third place by lap four and second by lap 13. He then settled into a steady pace to preserve the tires in Phoenix’s 106-degree heat. The No. 97 M3 led briefly as the running order was shuffled late in the race by green-flag pit stops for driver changes, but rejoined in third place after its own stop, with Boris Said behind the wheel. Back in second place just ten laps later, Said drove the remaining 30 laps cleanly and finished the 101-lap, two-hour race in that position. Hainer and Said move into third place in the 2006 Grand-Am Cup GS class championship, just five points out of the lead.

In the No. 96 M3, Chris Gleason steadily worked his way through the field, preserving the tires, and handing the car over to Bill Auberlen in position to bring it home in third place. After the race, Auberlen said, “It was really hot out there but Chris did a great job at moving up through the field and catching the leaders. After our pit stop all I had to do was keep the tires from blistering and save some for the end and that's what was needed. Turner Motorsport prepared a great car - they set up a brake duct system that worked extremely well with the StopTech Brakes and that was a definite edge over the other cars in the race."

Street Tuner Class

In Grand-Am Cup Street Tuner class, Mike Galati and Bob Endicott started from fourth on the grid in the No. 144 Davis Acura Acura RSX-S. Taking over second place from the No. 95 Turner Motorsport/H&R Springs/Allsprings.com BMW 330i on lap 13, Galati was applying pressure to top qualifier Hugh Plumb, in the No. 27 Southern Auto Auction/Acura Certified Pre-Owned Acura RSX-S, three laps later. When the latter car pitted on lap 65 to allow Matt Plumb to begin his stint, it rejoined five seconds behind the No. 144 Davis Acura RSX-S, with Endicott already behind the wheel. When the checkered flag ended the race at lap 100, Endicott was 4.386 sec. ahead. Don Salama brought the No. 95 Turner Motorsport BMW home to fourth place after fighting tire blistering problems in the hot weather with the big 330i sedan, which outweighs the Acuras by 400 lb.

Though restricted to running original-equipment calipers and rotor dimensions by Street Tuner class rules, the three Davis Acura RSX-S entries all use StopTech braided stainless steel lines as part of their well-developed brake systems, which include effective ducting and friction material selection.

StopTech Brakes for Your Car

Unlike many racing components, the exact same two-piece AeroRotor® discs, four-piston calipers and braided stainless lines used by these successful racers are included in the Balanced Brake Upgrades StopTech engineers for street and track day cars. Located in Torrance, California, Stoptech is the performance engineering and manufacturing division of Centric Parts. StopTech is the leader in Balanced Brake Upgrades for production cars and production-based racecars. It has three patents in basic brake technology and one other pending. With a worldwide network of resellers, StopTech’s product line includes Balanced Brake Upgrades for approximately 450 applications, two-piece Direct Replacement Kit Aerorotors, braided stainless-steel brake lines and slotted original-dimension rotors. StopTech stocks a wide range of performance brake pads. The company’s website, www.stoptech.com, is a clearinghouse of performance brake information, as well as providing details on StopTech products.

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For more information contact Dan Barnes at (310) 325-4799 or by email at dbarnes@stoptech.com.