SCC: Santo Domingo: Synergy Racing preview

Synergy Racing Travels to Dominican Republic this Weekend for Miller Grand-Am Cup 200

ALTON, Va. (March 8, 2005) -- Synergy Racing will travel to the Dominican Republic this weekend to compete in the Miller Grand-Am Cup 200 at Las Americas Autodromo in Santa Domingo. Although Synergy Racing has competed throughout the United States and Canada, this will be the first time the team has raced in the Caribbean.

Drivers Brent Martini, of Laguna Beach, Calif., and Kelly Collins, of Newport Beach, Calif., will pilot the No. 81 Porsche 997 in this weekend's 206-mile race, round two of the Grand-Am Cup Series.

With the Miller Grand-Am Cup 200 marking the series' first race at Las Americas Autodromo, Martini and Collins will be among the many drivers familiarizing themselves with the 11-turn, permanent road course.

"I have no idea what this course is like," Collins admits. "I'm really going in with an open mind. It won't be the first time I've had to learn a course in one weekend."

Martini and Collins spent part of last week at Synergy Racing's headquarters at Virginia International Raceway, testing the team's new Porsche 997 that debuted in Daytona last month.

"We are still working a few bugs out of the car; mainly electrical," Collins said. "Synergy is doing a good job working all these things out."

Synergy Racing is the only team in the Grand-Am Cup Series campaigning one of Porsche's new 997 models, which were introduced to the consumer market late last year.

Martini and Collins will take to the track in the No. 81 Porsche 997 at Las Americas Autodromo for the first time on Friday for practice sessions. Qualifying for the Miller Grand-Am Cup 200 will be held on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET, and the green flag will fall on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET for the 125-lap race with a three-hour time limit. Live timing and scoring will be available for all on-track sessions at www.grandamerican.com.

Las Americas Autodromo is located 15 minutes outside of Santa Domingo on the Caribbean Sea. Tickets for the Miller Grand-Am Cup 200 will be available at the track beginning Saturday. Additional information on Las Americas Autodromo is available online in English at www.lasamericasracetrack.com. A Spanish Web site featuring information on the Miller Grand-Am Cup 200 can be found at www.cnd.com.do/minisites/grandamcup.

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 catered 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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