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CHAMPCAR/CART: Newman/Hass to Run Lola in 2000

Lola Cars International announced today that Carl Haas Automobile Imports Inc. will be the North America distributor for Lola. In addition, Newman/Haas Racing, co-owned by actor/race car driver Paul Newman and racing entrepenuer, Carl A. Haas, will ...

Lola Cars International announced today that Carl Haas Automobile Imports Inc. will be the North America distributor for Lola. In addition, Newman/Haas Racing, co-owned by actor/race car driver Paul Newman and racing entrepenuer, Carl A. Haas, will run Lola chassis in the CART FedEx Championship Series in 2000.

"We look forward to again working with Lola Cars International and plan to return both Newman/Haas Racing and Lola to the dominance we previously enjoyed," said Carl A. Haas, co-owner of Newman/Haas Racing. "We were impressed by the competitiveness of the Lola chassis in 1999 and are confident that we can assist in making the Lola a winning chassis in 2000."

The Newman/Haas team has won the CART PPG Cup championship three times, all with a Lola chassis. While running a Lola chassis, Newman/Haas Racing brought the manufacturer 51 wins and 60 pole positions from 1983 to 1996 and was one of the most dominant teams utilizing the chassis during the same period.

Carl Haas is also a co-owner of a NASCAR Winston Cup team (Haas/Carter Motorsports LLC), is on the board of directors at the Road America permanent road course, manages the Milwaukee Mile oval track and is the promoter of the Texaco Grand Prix of Houston street race. In addition to becoming the North American distributor for Lola chassis, Haas continues his role as the North American distributor of Hewland racing gearboxes and other related racing components.

Haas is a director of CART, sanctioning organization of the CART FedEx Championship Series as well as a member of the 10-man board of directors for the publicly-held company known as Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc., whose function is to oversee the business dealings of the publicly-held company. He is also a chairman of SCCA Pro Racing Inc. In 1996, Haas retired after having been on the board of directors of the largest motorsports membership body in the United States - the SCCA -- for 12 years, the last five in the capacity of Chairman. He is the only person to ever simultaneously hold top positions on two major racing governing bodies. Haas is also a voting member of ACCUS, the U.S. arm of FISA, racing's international governing body.

Lola Cars managing director, David Bowes, said that he was delighted to have negotiated the deal which secured both the Haas distribution company and Newman/Haas Racing team for Lola. "The deal is for the long term and I have no doubt that this will be a major milestone in Lola's return to winning form in North America."

CART's winningest active driver, Michael Andretti, and championship contender Christian Fittipaldi, will begin testing a Ford/Cosworth-powered Lola in mid-December in preparation for the 20-race CART FedEx Championship in 2000.

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