Phoenix Performance names Aquilante for Sebring debut

Subaru Impreza WRX Debuts at Sebring SCCA World Challenge Race
- Andrew Aquilante, SCCA Runoffs champion, to drive -

Phoenixville, PA -- March 12, 2009 -- Andrew Aquilante and Phoenix Performance will give the 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX its professional sports car racing debut on March 20 at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway, in the opening round of the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Touring season.

Andrew Aquilante raced his way to the Touring 1 class National Championship in the SCCA's 2007 National Championship Runoffs, a drive which earned the then-19-year old the coveted SCCA President's Cup. He began racing professionally in 2008.

"We decided Subaru's 265 horsepower, 2.5 liter turbocharged, dual overhead cam 'boxer' engine and the car's symmetrical all-wheel drive system, would be a good core package to enter into the World Challenge Touring Car series under the new rules," said Joe Aquilante, whose company, Phoenix Performance, built the Subaru.

SCCA Pro Racing, Joe Aquilante explained, created a rules package for entrants of production-based cars like the Subaru Impreza, to legitimately compete with the highly-modified cars in the series.

"Both SPEED World Challenge series classes have great competition, and the new rules opened the door to being competitive in a great series. Now, with the management of the series in the hands of a committee of series team owners, we now have new rules which allow reasonably-priced race cars to have a chance to win against the all-out race cars," Aquilante added.

Practice on the world-famous 3.7-mile Sebring circuit is Wednesday, March 18. Qualifying is Thursday. The 50-minute race takes the green flag Friday, March 20 at 11:10 ET. The race will be televised by SPEED TV for airing at a date to be announced.

-credit: www.phoenixperformance.net