FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Info: Greg Franz 949.851.4731
gfranz@competentms.com

Yokohama Drivers Cup USA: On Track With Competence

“It is good to be superior to someone else, but it is better
to be superior to your previous self.” – Anonymous.


NEWPORT BEACH, CA February 7, 2007 – With the emphasis on driver training, Competent Motorsport announces the creation of an original and unique racing series – the Yokohama Drivers Cup USA. Featuring select Porsche GT3 Cup Cars, model years 2000 – 2007, the series is dedicated to providing a learning environment in an enjoyable atmosphere. “We are going to be the premier racing series focused on education and coaching that will make the participants competent drivers at all levels, but do it in an environment that really focuses on racing,” said Greg Franz, President of Competent Motorsport, LLC, and founder of the series. “Our focus is to assist the biggest variable in these cars - the driver. We will improve both their performance and just as importantly, their enjoyment on the track. There is no other series out there that is integrating the kinds of advanced learning components that we are.”

Greg Franz is the past president of the Porsche Owners Club and has spent eight years organizing track events. The Yokohama Drivers Cup USA gratefully acknowledges the support of Porsche Cars North America, Porsche Motorsport North America, the Grand Am Road Racing Association and the International Motor Sport Association Racing Series. Porsche Motorsport North America will provide parts and technical support both on and off the track. Series partners include Yokohama Tire Corporation, BBS, Stand 21, and American Race Day.

“The challenge in sportscar racing is there is no clearly defined career path to move up the performance ladder,” remarked Craig Stanton, recent Grand Am GT and GS Class champion. “This is going to bridge the gap for so many people who want to move to the premier levels of road racing but are unsure on how to make their aspirations reality. The fact that Porsche Motorsport North America is involved and you will be getting information directly from the people who designed the cars is very special. This program will be effective in honing car preparation skills, race craft, mental and physical fitness, and the pace of a race weekend – everything a driver needs to help contend for championships.”

The Yokohama Drivers Cup USA series features six (three day) weekends with two races per event that include professional driver coaching, testing and tuning, and practice. The series starts off March 30 – April 1 at California Speedway, moves east to Watkins Glen on June 14 -17, then Road America August 3 - 5 and completes its move back westward with races at Laguna Seca August 24 - 26 and Infineon Raceway October 26 - 28. It caps off the season with a special November season finale to be announced later. “These are all legendary great drivers’ tracks,” noted Franz. ‘We wanted to make it affordable and give them exposure to some of the venues that every sports car driver would love to run. We are going to run with the Porsche Club of America, Porsche Owners Club, Historic Sportscar Racing, and NASA Pro Racing.”

The participants can use their enhanced abilities to progress on to higher levels of racing. “We envision this as a series that will make the transition much easier,” stated Franz. “This will be a good platform for those wishing to move on to the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge and/or the Grand Am GT series.”

The drivers’ clinics will include the use of in-car video cameras. Normally driver education programs center around having an instructor sitting next to you. The Yokohama Drivers Cup USA will use special to the series technology to help make you the best driver of the technology you race. The instructor will also go out and run a couple of laps and overlay that telemetry with theirs – so the driver has another visual reinforcement of how they can improve. This will also allow the series to use everyone’s time at the track most efficiently. No other driver enhancement series uses this kind of technology.

“These cars have great performance already,” observed Franz. “We really want to make this the best opportunity available to them to become better drivers, so they can enjoy their on track experience with competence.”