SCC: Martini, Collins to partner in 2005

Martini, Collins To Partner in New Grand-Am Cup Porsche

ALTON, Va. (January 5, 2005) -- Synergy Racing announced that Brent Martini (Laguna Beach, Calif.) and Kelly Collins (Newport Beach, Calif.) will partner for the 2005 Grand-Am Cup Series in the team's new No. 81 Porsche 997.

"This is becoming a long-term partnership with Brent and Kelly," Synergy Racing team owner Cole Scrogham said. "It seems anything that lasts more than a year in the racing community is an oddity, but we think it is stability and people working together that develops into championship-winning teams.

"Our Grand-Am Cup effort for 2005 is nothing less than that -- a championship effort built around great drivers and a huge decision to jump into the new Porsche 997. We could have sat back and used last year's car, but our investment is in the future, and we are going to be hard at work to make that the right decision. I know the drivers will be up to the task, so we will have to rise to the occasion and put a great deal of effort into the new cars to achieve our technical goals for the season."

"I'm looking forward to another season with Synergy Racing," said Martini, who piloted the Rx.com Daytona Prototype in last year's Rolex Series for Synergy Racing, then G&W Motorsports. "I have the utmost respect for (team owner) Cole (Scrogham) and the entire Synergy Racing team, and I'm confident in their ability to help develop and race the new Porsche 997 toward a championship in Grand-Am Cup."

Martini and Collins are longtime friends who have raced together several times over the last 10 years, most recently during the 2005 Rolex Series in the Rx.com Daytona Prototype. Collins subbed for Martini during the first three Rolex Series events while he recovered from shoulder surgery. Collins continued to lend his driving talents to the team following Martini's return, partnering with him and co-driver Cort Wagner in both of the series' six-hour events and working with the team in testing.

"I'm really looking forward to driving with my buddy Kelly Collins, who actually got me involved in professional racing back in 1995 with TC Kline in the brightest Honda Prelude you've ever seen," reminisces Martini. "I've raced with him and Cort over the years, so I know we work well together and have complementary styles and approaches to car setup and race management."

Martini began his foray into Grand American racing in the Grand-Am Cup Series in 2002, winning the VIR 250 with Wagner in a G&W Motorsports Porsche. He moved into the Rolex Series GT class for the 2003 season, taking the class championship with Wagner in a Ferrari. In 2004, Martini returned to G&W Motorsports to pilot the Rx.com Daytona Prototype with Wagner and Collins.

Collins is well known for his driving abilities. A former Corvette Racing driver, he has earned four GTS podium finishes at the 24 Hours of LeMans. In 2001, Collins garnered widespread attention when he teamed with Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr., for a GTS podium finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Last season, Collins picked up two Rolex Series podium finishes in Rx.com Daytona Prototype, a GT victory at the years final race at CA Speedway, as well as three Grand-Am Cup podium finishes, including a victory a Mid-Ohio.

About Synergy Racing

Team owners Cole Scrogham and Danny and Steve Marshall introduced Synergy Racing in December 2004. Based at Virginia International Raceway, Synergy Racing is an evolution of G&W Motorsports, which had been catering to Porsche racing since 1996 and became the most successful team in the Rolex Sports Car Series with four championships, 15 class wins and more than 50 podium finishes. The team underwent a major transformation that included a name and logo change, as well as a complete restructuring into a customer-based championship racing business, which concentrates on the needs of the customer rather than the desires of the team. For more information on Synergy Racing, visit www.synergyracing.com.

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