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BEDFORD, MA (29 September 2006) iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations today announced its sponsorship of Pontiac Solstice racers Andrew Aquilante and Don Knowles for the 43rd Annual Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) National Championship Runoffs at Heartland Park Topeka in Kansas on Oct. 915.
Aquilante, 19, is the 2006 Northeast Division Showroom Stock B Class Champion, winning four races with the Phoenix Performance-prepared Pontiac Solstice in its debut season. Knowles, of Pittsboro, NC, is a two-time SCCA National Champion.
"This sponsorship is all about the next generation of racing," said Brett Roubinek, vice president of marketing for iRacing.com. "Andrew is a 19-year-old champion with a bright future, and the Solstice is a proven winner in its first season of competition. Both will play a role in the future of motorsport, and we expect to do the same. iRacing.com will help move the sport forward, enhancing it for current competitors and opening doors for new ones."
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Aquilante is the son of veteran road racer Joe Aquilante, president and team owner of Phoenix Performance located in Phoenixville, PA. Phoenix was instrumental in introducing the Pontiac Solstice into SCCA racing for 2006 in cooperation with GM Performance Division, which provides engineering technical support for GM products competing in all SCCA Showroom Stock and Touring classes. In addition to the second Pontiac Solstice for Knowles, Phoenix also fields cars for several other notable SCCA racers and track-day participants.
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"We're very proud of Andrew, and we welcome iRacing.com into our small, close-knit group of partners," said the senior Aquilante. "Their simulation is the best I've ever seen and the implications for racing how drivers learn tracks, the speed with which they are able to acquire skills and build competency are enormous. I plan to encourage all of my customers to take advantage of it."
The Solstice, which is equipped with the Z0K Club Sport package available through any Pontiac dealer, made its SCCA National Road Racing debut in early May at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, NH. Young Aquilante, who won the 2004 and 2005 SCCA Northeast Division Touring 1 Class Championship behind the wheel of a Corvette C5 Z06, drove to a third-place finish in that first outing. In only its third race ever, Aquilante scored the first win with the Solstice in June at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, CT. In seven National races this season, the Solstice took four wins, set the fastest lap of the race four times and never finished lower than fourth place.
"This has been a dream season," said Andrew Aquilante, a sophomore engineering student at Penn State University. "And to have iRacing.com come on board is perfect. I've done some simracing before, both for fun and to learn a new track or two. But iRacing.com's sim is way more realistic and fun. I just wish they had (Heartland Park) Topeka ready to go, so I could get some extra practice in!"
Aquilante and Knowles will join more than 700 of the country's best amateur racers at Heartland Park on Oct. 915. The 18-lap (or 40-minute) Showroom Stock B race is scheduled to start at 1:55 p.m. local time on Friday, Oct. 13. The Runoffs will be broadcast on SPEED TV throughout the winter. Check local listings.
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