For: Immediate Release     Date: January 30, 2006    Contact: Dan Barnes

January 30, 2006—Torrance, California USA –The #96 H&R Springs/StopTech Brakes BMW M3, driven by Chris Gleason and Bill Auberlen, began the 2006 Grand-Am Cup season with another dominant performance on Friday, January 27. Gleason started from the back rows of the 51 car GS field after mechanical troubles prevented the M3 from posting a qualifying time, but drove cleanly and moved up to 31st by lap six. When Auberlen took over during a long caution, he tore up the Grand-Am Cup GS-class competition, moving from 72nd place on lap seven to second overall at the finish of the three-hour, 57-lap race. When the checkered flag waved, the yellow and blue Turner Motorsport car had closed within half a second of the winning #44 Team Sahlen Porsche 996, which started the race on the outside of the front row.

Daytona is traditionally one of the most challenging courses for brake systems, and StopTech’s Balanced Brake Upgrade technology showed its worth. Bill Auberlen, Driver, #96 Turner Motorsport/H&R Springs/StopTech Brakes BMW M3: "We didn't plan on other cars having hiccups during the race but that's what we capitalized on. We had our own small hiccup just before qualifying but the Turner crew turned it around and brought us another podium for the M3. This is really a track suited for the Mustangs and Porsches and the StopTech brakes on the M3 really came through for us."

Turner Motorsport/H&R Springs #97 BMW M3

Turner Motorsport is expanding its Grand-Am Cup GS-class program for 2006, fielding a second BMW M3, the #97 car driven by Anders Hainer and Boris Said. The duo started 21st and finished eighth after mixing it up with nearly every competitor in the top 20 and at one point running as high as fourth place. It was a well-fought race and a strong finish for past Rolex 24 At Daytona champion Said in his first event with Turner Motorsport.

Photo courtesy of Melinda Stewart

Playboy Racing Nissan 350Zs

The #33 Playboy Racing Nissan 350Z entered by Unitech Racing and driven by Blake Rosser and David Murry also used StopTech brakes. The black-and-white car started sixth on the grid, less than 0.7 sec. behind the polesitter, and was running fifth when it suffered a drive shaft failure, causing the car to retire after only 16 laps. Its #35 sister car, driven by Tommy Constantine and Mike Borkowski, was running sixth from a starting position of 13th when a piece of debris from a heavy crash in front of it penetrated the radiator. The resulting overheated engine ended the #35 car's day with just 19 laps scored. Better luck is expected for the Playboy Racing 350Zs as the season progresses; the team is one of just four to win races in Grand-Am Cup last year.

No date has been set for the broadcast of this race, but check your SPEED Channel listings.

The next event on the Grand Am Cup schedule is set for April 21-23, 2006, on the 3.27-mile road course at Virginia International Raceway.

StopTech Brakes for Your Car

By partnering with race teams such as these, StopTech continues to demonstrate the performance advantage of its Balanced Brake Upgrade concept, along with the durability of its components under the harshest use. Unlike many racing components, the exact same two-piece AeroRotor discs and six-, four- and two-piston calipers used by successful racers are included in the Balanced Brake Upgrades StopTech engineers for street and track day cars. Located in Torrance, California, Stoptech LLC is the leader in Balanced Brake Upgrades for production cars and 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 AeroRotor Kits, braided stainless-steel brake lines and slotted and drilled original-dimension rotors. StopTech also stocks a wide range of performance brake pads. The company’s website, www.stoptech.com, is a clearinghouse of performance brake information, and provides 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.