28.10.2003 VELOQX AND CARE RENEW SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIP FOR LE MANS CHALLENGE

Following the highly successful collaboration between Veloqx Motorsport and Care Racing earlier this year, which culminated in the Veloqx Prodrive Racing team securing GTS class victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the two companies are once again joining forces.

‘Veloqx Care Racing’ will be campaigning two Ferrari 550 Maranellos at the forthcoming 1000Km Le Mans event on 9^th November.  The cars, which are owned by Care Racing, have come directly from the US where they finished 1-2 at the recent Petit Le Mans event.  They are currently being re-prepared by Veloqx’s mechanics with the assistance of the Prodrive personnel who built the cars. 

The Veloqx team, under the direction of Sam Li, has this year enjoyed great visibility and prowess in the FIA GT Championship with two N-GT Ferrari 360 Modenas.  The decision to step up to the Maranello for the 6 hour race takes into full consideration the car’s proven reliability, durability and success in endurance events.

Sam Li: “Having worked so effectively together earlier this year, both Frederic Dor and I wanted to capitalise on our success in Sebring and Le Mans by competing in the 1000 Km race. My team has demonstrated its capabilities throughout the FIA GT Championship this year and collaborating with Care again will further assist Veloqx’s experience of endurance events.”

Drivers for the 1000Km race – all selected by Veloqx Motorsport – will be Jamie Davies and Darren Turner in one car, Peter Kox and Tim Sugden in the second GTS challenger.  Davies and Kox, of course, were two of the drivers who stepped up to the top of the GTS podium in June, while Turner has not only had experience of the Ferrari 550 at Sebring and Le Mans but also as a worthy stand-in partner for David Brabham at the Miami round of the American Le Mans series in September.

Tim Sugden, whose links with Veloqx go back to the latter half of the 2002 FIA GT Championship, has raced at Le Mans before but will be new to the Ferrari 550.  However, with four days of testing planned on the 4.80 km Bugatti circuit prior to the event, the team is confident that the 39-year-old highly experienced Briton will soon be completely up to speed and at ease with his cockpit surroundings.

Veloqx Care Racing will be run entirely by Veloqx Motorsport’s personnel, with some engineering and mechanical support from selected members of Prodrive’s racing division who will be on hand in France to contribute a more in-depth technical knowledge of the cars if required.

Private testing sessions are being held from Monday to Thursday, 3^rd-6^th November inclusive, official practice and qualifying on Saturday, 8^th and the race itself on Sunday. It begins at 12 noon, runs for 240 laps (the actual race distance therefore being 1003.20km) and will end in darkness at approximately 1800 hrs.