New IMSA Lites DP02 car is ready to roll

PANOZ ELAN'S IMSA LITES CAR IS READY TO ROLL! PURCHASE PRICE AND SEASON'S OPERATING COSTS TO OFFER YOUNG TALENT REAL VALUE FOR MONEY

The all-new-for-2006 IMSA Lites sports car race series received a major boost today when Indy-winning racecar manufacturer Elan Motorsports Technologies announced that their own IMSA Lites contender has moved into volume customer production.

There has already been strong customer interest in the Elan Van Diemen DP02 model, (so named after Panoz Motorsports Group and ALMS founder Dr. Don Panoz), as up-and-coming pro race drivers have recognised that IMSA Lites is the best way to showcase their talent in front of American Le Mans Series team bosses, and so grab hold of a rung on the international racing career ladder.

In response to such customer demand, Elan has announced that volume production is now rolling from the company's main factory in Braselton, GA.

And if the new IMSA Lites race series itself has great potential, then the logic of these new Elan customers has been that the Racecar they choose must be the very best package available, at the right price. And that is exactly where the DP02 Sports Racer has caused some highly favourable comment.

The DP02 car - designed and built by the same EMT group which has won 3 Indy 500's with the Panoz G Force, and countless ALMS races in the much loved Panoz 'Batmobile', and which has designed and built over 120 of the ultra successful Star Mazda formula cars - combines a carbon composite tub, with a 6 speed sequential gearbox and the Elan Power Products developed Ford Duratec 2.3 liter race engine. That is a lot of race car for Elan's now-announced price of just $73,000, for a fully assembled ready-to-drive race car.*

David Bowes, CEO of Elan Motorsport Technologies Inc., which builds all the cars produced under the Elan, Panoz and Van Diemen brand names, said:- "The DP02 has been a revelation in testing at our nearby Road Atlanta facility - quick, reliable and 'excellent to drive'. Given the amount of the very latest motorsports technology that is packed into this Racecar, and given its strong prospects in IMSA Lites as a winner - plus its nation wide customer base as a sensational SCCA C-SR division contender - I know we are going to be selling a lot of these cars!"

Apart from the super competitive price, the key technical attractions of the DP02 are:
. An immensely strong carbon composite chassis
. Race engine from market leaders Elan Power Products, with a 2500 mile service life
. 6 speed sequential Hewland gearbox
. Cockpit safety features include anti-intrusion panels, F.3 spec head restraint
. High spec electrics, harness, instrumentation and engine management systems
. Brakes are 4 pot callipers; steering is by race-winning Van Diemen system

Says David Bowes: "Where we really score with teams embarking on the IMSA Lites Series trail is in customer service and at-track engineering capability. Some of our best engineers have been involved in the design and build of these new cars, and they will be at every race with a full support package, along with a full spares service direct from the factory. So whatever the race weekend brings, Elan's engineers and spare parts experts are there to get you back out racing".

There is no doubt that everyone at Elan is fired up about this new car and the new IMSA Lites series. The IMSA Lites DP02 delivers the best value - world class engineering and design experience, delivering a race-winning car for America's quickest stars of the future!

-www.elanmotorsports.com