Tag Archives: Saleen

Product Review

SALEEN MUSTANG GETS MORE POWER

By: KATHY JACKSON on November 8, 2004
Original Article: AUTOMOTIVE NEWS, VOL. 79, ISSUE 6120

Dateline: LOS ANGELES —

The 2005 Saleen Mustang will have more power and be sold at more Ford dealerships than the 2004 model. Production began last week.

Saleen Mustangs, built by Saleen Inc. of Irvine, Calif., are aftermarket Mustangs with higher horsepower and sportier looks than production versions.

Saleen Mustangs will come in three models: the base S281 and the supercharged S281 and S281 E.

At the California International Auto Show two weeks ago, Saleen President Steve Saleen said he wants 150 dealerships on board by next spring, up from 75 now. He also said the company is starting a training program to teach dealers how to sell performance vehicles.

All three models will be equipped with 4.6-liter V-8 engines.

The base model, which will be launched this month, makes 325 hp and 240 pounds-feet of torque, compared with 290 hp and 330 poundsfeet of torque for the 2004 model.

The supercharged S281 goes on sale in January. It makes 400 hp, up from 375 last year. Torque is 420 poundsfeet, compared with 415 last year.

The E model will arrive in the spring. It is expected to make more than 500 hp, compared with 445 for the current engine.

Prices will be about $39,000 for the base model, $45,000 for the supercharged model and $55,000 for the E.

Enthusiast News

2005 SALEEN MUSTANG DEBUT

Photos by: Jim Dvorak
Event: California International Auto Show, Anaheim Convention Center

New Saleen Mustang debuts during
2005 California International Auto Show, Anaheim, CA

2005 S281 Supercharged Saleen Mustang
2005 S281 Supercharged Saleen Mustang

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Press Release

SALEEN S7R TOPS NEW MASERATIS, FERRARIS AND LAMBORGHINIS AT IMOLA

IMOLA, Italy – Friday, September 10, 2004

American Manufacturer Spoils Italian’s Debut on Their Home Turf

The big story of round eight of the FIA GT Championship at Imola this week was supposed to be the heralded debut of the Maserati MC 12 team. And while the new kids on the block looked very promising by finishing second and third, it was the more experienced team of Uwe Alzen and Michael Bartels that drove their Vitaphone Saleen S7R to victory, their third win of the season. The trio were the only cars to finish on the lead lap of the three-hour sprint race; all three were also running the same Pirelli P Zero racing slicks.

Saleen S7Rs dominated qualifying as well, placing five cars in the top ten; while the Maserati could muster only an eighth and twelfth, respectively.

Alzen and Bartels had qualified third best but drove their usual strong race to earn their third victory after having won earlier this season at Magny-Cours (France) and Brno (Czech Republic). Double stinting their tires allowed the Vitaphone Racing team to remain at the front virtually throughout the race, finishing with a 43-second advantage over the second-place Maserati.

“Thanks to the fact that we were able to double stint our tires, providing optimal grip and performance for as many as 65 laps, allowed us to stay ahead of the Maseratis, especially in the final laps,” explained Alzen. The inherent power of the 600-plus horsepower Saleen S7R was also evident, particularly in the last stint, as the Saleen pulled away from the Maseratis on fresh tires.

The Saleen S7R’s performance is really no surprise to the racing world. In the first two years after its debut at Sebring in 2001, Saleen S7Rs won 48 poles, set 50 fastest laps and topped the podium 37 times in 72 races, winning seven GT Championships! No other marque racing with independent (non-factory) teams can make that claim.

The Saleen S7, America’s supercar, debuted on August 19, 2001 at the Monterey Historic Races in Laguna Seca, California and has been recognized by numerous automotive magazines as the fastest production car in the world. The 2005 Saleen S7 will make its world premiere on November 2 at the SEMA Show 2004 in Las Vegas

Press Release

SALEEN S7R TOPS NEW MASERATIS FOR 3RD WIN OF FIA SEASON

IMOLA, Italy – Sunday, September 5, 2004

Teams Dominate Imola Podium Running Pirelli Tires

The big story of round eight of the FIA GT Championship at Imola today was supposed to be the long-awaited debut of the Pirelli-shod Maserati MC 12s. And while the new kids on the block looked very promising by finishing second and third, it was the more experienced Pirelli-shod team of Uwe Alzen and Michael Bartels that drove their Vitaphone Saleen S7R to victory in Italy, their third win of the season and Pirelli’s fourth. The trio were the only cars to finish on the lead lap of the three-hour sprint race.

Saleen S7Rs dominated qualifying as well, placing five cars in the top ten; while the new Maserati MC 12s of Andrea Bertolini/Mika Salo and Johnny Herbert/Fabrizio de Simone could muster only an eighth and twelfth, respectively.

Alzen and Bartels had qualified third best but drove their usual strong race to earn their third victory after having won earlier this season at Magny-Cours (France) and Brno (Czech Republic). Double stinting their tires allowed the Vitaphone Racing team to remain at the front virtually throughout the race, finishing with a 43-second advantage for the second-place Maserati.

“Thanks to the fact that we were able to double stint our tires, providing optimal grip and performance for as many as 65 laps, allowed us to stay ahead of the Maseratis, especially in the final laps,” explained Alzen.

The Pirelli-shod Ferrari 360 of Christian Pescatori and Iradj Alexander also finished first in N-GT but the car was disqualified for an airbox infraction. The GPC Giesse Squadra Corse team is appealing the decision.

Editorial

NOW’S THE TIME TO GO EAST FOR YOUNG CARMAKER

By: JOHN O’DELL on August 21, 2004
Original Article: LOS ANGELES TIMES

Saleen of Irvine opens a Michigan factory, where it will work on Ford’s GT sports car.

One after another in recent years, the big Detroit car companies have moved operations west.

General Motors Corp. launched an advanced design studio in North Hollywood, for example, and Ford Motor Co. relocated the North American headquarters of its Jaguar, Aston Martin, Volvo and Land Rover brands to Irvine.

This week, exotic-car builder Saleen Inc. of Irvine went the other way. It opened a state-of-the-art plant in a former door factory in Troy, Mich., where it will paint and assemble Ford’s new $140,000 two-seat performance car, the GT. The high-tech paint facility and assembly line set Saleen back an estimated $15 million.

The expansion eastward by Saleen, one of the few auto manufacturing businesses on the West Coast, signals a new phase in the life of the 20-year-old company, which is privately held.

With plants in two states, “we are structuring Saleen to become a significant resource to the auto industry for specialty and special-niche vehicles,” said Steve Saleen, 54, a former race driver who used his race winnings to start the business in 1984.

Although that would seem to hint at a desire to seek work from other major automakers, Saleen said plans “at this time” were limited to Ford.

Saleen’s opening the plant in Troy could be seen as merely a case of a supplier following its business.

“Ford needs cars like the GT to come from Detroit — that’s important for its image,” said Wes Brown, an analyst at Iceology, a Los Angeles-based automotive market research firm. “Saleen saw the value in investing in a factory there to continue gaining Ford business.”

For its part, the automaker gains by having Saleen take “that much-needed West Coast flair and freer thinking into Detroit and into Ford.”

But the move “has some interesting prospects beyond that,” Brown continued. “If the relationship does well through the GT contract, then I’d expect Ford to look for other opportunities for low-volume, high-profile vehicles that could be outsourced and built under contract,” he said. “And there’s no reason to expect that Saleen wouldn’t be the front-runner for that continued business.”

Indeed, Ford already is showing a possible successor to the limited-production GT, which is scheduled to be built through the 2007 model year. The next Ford exotic car is likely to be a modern version of the Shelby Cobra, insiders say.

(Saleen’s principal product is a line of extensively redesigned and rebuilt Mustangs based on the Ford platform and sold through Ford dealers; a high-performance Saleen Mustang can cost $35,000 to $65,000, versus $18,000 to $35,000 for Mustangs that roll directly out of Ford’s factories.)

It’s been a tough road to Troy for Saleen. After nearly running out of money last year, the company was recently revitalized by a cash infusion, believed to be in the neighborhood of $20 million, from Los Angeles-based private equity investor Hancock Park Associates. The investment firm is now Saleen’s majority owner.

The financing helps replace cash eaten up by development of the 203,000-square-foot Saleen Specialty Vehicles plant in Troy.

The company, criticized by creditors in the past for concentrating more on product planning than cash management, also has undergone a retuning of its management system as part of the recapitalization deal.

“They are very, very good at building cars but [were] not so good at managing their money,” said longtime Saleen dealer Jim Graham, president of Santa Margarita Ford in Rancho Santa Margarita. Graham, who was bitterly critical of Saleen a year ago, said the company had improved tremendously since the Hancock Park investors began taking an active role in management late last year.

Steve Saleen remains president and chief executive but has appointed a new chief operating officer, Richard Rinke, to handle daily operations at both plants.

Rinke, a veteran of the specialty auto building industry, has worked for the last two years setting up the Troy plant. He will be based there while Steve Saleen remains at the company’s 150,000-square-foot Irvine headquarters and concentrates on product development and marketing, said Kevin Listen, a Hancock Park partner and a member of Saleen’s restructured board of directors.

Saleen’s new chairman is Hancock Park’s managing partner, Michael Fourticq. He succeeds S.A. “Tony” Johnson. Johnson, chairman of publicly traded automotive parts and systems supplier Tower Automotive Inc., had been Saleen’s majority owner since 1993.

In the last year, Saleen Mustang sales have been slow. Many potential buyers decided instead to await the launch by Ford this year of the all-new 2005 Mustang, the first new platform for the sporty car since 1978. Production of the ’05 Saleen Mustang using the new platform is scheduled to begin in November in Irvine.

Saleen also has developed its own exotic car, the sleek, carbon-fiber-bodied S7, which sells for $430,000. The company also builds a $24,000 high-performance version of the Ford Focus compact car, called the Saleen N2O Focus.

Under its contract with Ford, Saleen’s Michigan plant not only will assemble and paint the GT — a car sought by enthusiasts and collectors including “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno, who took delivery of his early production model last week — but also will build other prototypes and concept cars for Ford.

After the assembly of bodies and chassis at Troy, the GTs will be transferred to a Ford-owned plant in nearby Wixom, Mich., for installation of the high- performance Ford engine. That will enable the automaker to say final assembly was done by Ford and its union workers rather than by a nonunion contractor.

Ford President Nick Scheele has said the company expects to sell 1,500 GTs a year for the next three years. A new exotic car, possibly an updated version of the Shelby Cobra, is expected to replace the GT in 2008.

Meanwhile, Saleen’s S7, Mustang and Focus production will remain in Irvine, where the company has about 125 employees. Spokesman Jack Gerken said Saleen probably would employ about 250 people in Troy and boost Irvine employment to 150 by the end of the year. The company also has retail operations in Mexico, Canada and Europe.

The company won’t disclose financial information. Steve Saleen has acknowledged that the costs of building the Michigan factory combined with development costs of the 575- horsepower S7 to consume the company’s cash reserves.

“But,” he said, “that’s all behind me now.”

Press Release

SALEEN ANNOUNCES ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES

With Redefined Vision, Mission and Operating Objectives,
Saleen Is Revved Up and Supercharging Into the Future

IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 18, 2004 – For Saleen, Inc. the past year has been one of achievement, challenges and change, including the successful launch of the Ford GT at Saleen Specialty Vehicles in Troy, Michigan, and the implementation of structural changes,
which have improved operating effectiveness throughout the company.

The coming months will be equally challenging as the company prepares to launch the 2005 N20 Focus, S281 and S7 in Irvine and ramp up production of the GT in Troy.

With Saleen’s vision, mission and operating objectives freshly redefined, Steve Saleen announced the following management team appointments, which become effective
immediately:

Richard Rinke will assume the role of Chief Operating Officer, responsible for leadership of Saleen’s operations in Troy, Michigan, and Irvine, California. Saleen’s Irvine
operation will continue to serve as corporate headquarters.

For the past two years, Rinke has worked to establish Saleen Troy and guide the organization toward the launch and production of the Ford GT. In his new role, he will divide time between Troy and Irvine, working closely with members of the management team to implement the vision and mission and will lead efforts to transfer knowledge and practices, which have proven successful at Troy. The goal is to achieve a high level of competence in the way we operate at both locations. Rinke will report to Steve Saleen.

Joe Tori, who for the past 7 months has served as General Manager of Saleen’s Irvine operation, will assume the position of General Manager of Saleen Troy. In this expanded role, Tori will be responsible for leading operations initiatives as well as managing the company’s commercial relationship with Ford. In the near term, the company will leverage Tori’s planning experience to document and communicate the tasks and deliverables necessary for success in 2005. Tori will move to Detroit and report to Rinke.

Brian Walsh, who joined the company in May and has been involved in operations initiatives, will replace Tori as General Manager of Saleen’s Irvine operations. Walsh brings an impressive background in finance, operations and general management and will be responsible for management of all operations in Irvine, with the exception of Sales, Marketing and Finance. Walsh will also report to Rinke.

Keith Pollan will assume the role of Corporate Controller, reporting to Steve Saleen and interacting heavily with Rinke. Dave Anderson, Troy’s Controller, will report to Pollan.

With these appointments, the company is positioned to perform on its Saleenbranded and OEM product initiatives, while leveraging the capabilities of both operations and the strengths of each member of the management team.

About Saleen
Since the company’s inception in 1984, Saleen has produced nearly 9,000 complete and EPA certified vehicles, more than any other specialty manufacturer. In addition, Saleen has equipped more than 500,000 vehicles worldwide with Saleen products to improve a vehicle’s ability to stop, go, slice-through-the-wind and turn—both corners and heads.

An eight-time Manufacturers’ Champion in GT sports car racing, Saleen’s corporate facilities include research, design, engineering and manufacturing capabilities. Saleen has also opened new manufacturing facilities in Troy, Michigan and in Canada. The company’s line of products and services includes the Saleen S281, S281 Supercharged and S281-E, the Saleen S7 supercar, Saleen N2O Focus, Saleen Competition, Saleen Performance Parts, and Saleen Engineering and Certification Service. Contact Saleen at 949-597-4900 or for more information about Saleen – its people and products – visit the web site at www.Saleen.com.

Event Announcement

STEVE SALEEN AUTOGRAPH SESSIONS: SOEC REGIONAL EVENTS

Just wanted to let everyone know that Steve Saleen will be signing at the following locations in North Carolina this weekend.

Friday 16th, 5-9:30
Capital Ford, Raleigh 919-790-4600

Saturday 17th, 10-11:15
Ciener-Woods Ford, Kernersville, 336-996-3700

Please contact the dealers directly for any additional info.

Steve will also be at the Bellevue show either Saturday night or on Sunday.

Click here to participate in the discussion.

Enthusiast News

SALEEN’S SLEEK, SWIFT MACHINES

By: N.A. on March 28, 2004
Original Article: SUNDAY TIMES, THE (PERTH)

CALIFORNIAN-BASED Saleen has made about 8000 vehicles since it was started in 1983 by avid race-car fan Steve Saleen.

The first saleable Ford-based car came in 1986 when the marque won its first major event at the 24-hour race at Mosport Park, Ontario.

It won there again in 1987 and 1988, becoming the first Ford-powered vehicle to win three consecutive series since the Le Mans campaign in the late 1960s.

Saleen’s cars also won all four SCCA championship titles in 1987.

It raced Indy in 1989 and in 1991 won the SCCA Race Truck Championship using a Saleen Ford Ranger ute.

In 1995 Steve Saleen formed a partnership with TV actor/comedian Tim (the Tool Man) Allen to create a Saleen/Allen Speedlab race team to run Saleen Mustangs in the SCCA series.

It won in 1996, 1997 and 1998.

Saleen now makes seven vehicles: The S281, the high-performance S281-E (each in coupe and convertible) and SR Mustang-based cars, the purpose-built S7 racer and more recently a Ford Focus-based N2O Focus.

It used to make the XR8 ute and a modified Ford Explorer.

Details on Saleen are available from www.saleen.com.

Press Release

ACEMCO MOTORSPORTS ANNOUNCES SEBRING DRIVER LINE UP

Brabham to Join Borcheller and Mowlem

SPRING LAKE, Mich., Feb. 16, 2004 – Adding to its already potent driver lineup for the 2004 ALMS season, ACEMCO MOTORSPORTS owner, Jeff Giangrande has announced that David Brabham will join the team’s principal drivers, Terry Borcheller and Johnny Mowlem, in the ACEMCO MOTORSPORTS Saleen S7R for the 52nd running of the 12 Hours of Sebring, March 17-20, 2004.

Owner of one of the most famous last names in racing, David Brabham has had a distinguished career in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS). After racing Prototypes the first four years of the series, he switched to the GTS class in 2003 driving a Ferrari 550 and was runner-up in the Championship with three wins.

“I’m really looking forward to the challenge of Sebring this year,” commented Brabham. “Not only am I going to have the opportunity to drive the competitive Saleen S7R, but I’ll be racing head-to-head with my old friend and teammate, Jan Magnussen. This should be fun!”

The dynamic duo of Borcheller and Mowlem thus becomes the terrific trio of Borcheller, Mowlem and Brabham for the opening round of the 2004 ALMS season as Jeff Giangrande places an exclamation point on his determined bid to end the Corvette and Ferrari dominance of the GTS Class.

Borcheller and Mowlem arrive at Sebring having already scored wins at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the endurance race that signals the start of a new season of international road racing every year in North American. Terry finished first overall in a Daytona Prototype while Johnny finished second overall and first in GT behind the wheel of the Orbit Racing Porsche.

The 2004 12 Hours of Sebring represents a renaissance for both the S7R and Pirelli as Saleen returns to the ALMS after a year’s absence from factory support for the S7Rs and Pirelli continues to expand its presence in the North American marketplace.

“Since 1995, Pirelli has won seven Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ Championships each in North American sports car competition but none since returning from a one-year hiatus in 2002,” stated Peter Tyson, Pirelli’s Vice President of Marketing. “We’ve been trying to build a “Dream Team” around the Saleen with drivers like Borcheller and Mowlem and Brabham since our return, and we can’t wait until the green flags fall for qualifying at the 12 Hours of Sebring in March.”

To that end, ACEMCO, Saleen and Pirelli have been conducting an aggressive testing program during the next several months, including extensive tire testing at both Sebring and Homestead in preparation for the 12 Hours of Sebring.

“Anyone who has watched the GTS battle the last several years knows that this is where the competition is,” stated Giangrande, ACEMCO’S owner. “We’re also very aware of what the privateer Saleen S7Rs accomplished in their first two seasons of competition winning seven of eight championships, 37 of 72 races and holding the majority of the class poles and fastest lap records,” he continued. “With Terry, Johnny and David on board, we’re looking for nothing less than a GTS Class victory at Sebring.”

With more than 50 years of manufacturing experience, ACEMCO AUTOMOTIVE is a leader in the engineering, manufacture and assembly of metal stampings for light trucks, SUVs and passenger cars with three plants located in the western Michigan area. Products include frame and engine mounting components, as well as interior metal insert assemblies. ACEMCO’s Team Goal is to provide Customer satisfaction, manufacturing Excellence and
quality products while Maintaining a clean, safe working environment and Continuously improving processes to ensure 100% On-time deliveries.

Pirelli Tire North America specializes in the manufacture and marketing of highperformance car, light truck and motorcycle tires and currently has three of its highly advanced MIRS (Modular Integrated Robotized System) modules in operation in a new factory in Rome, Georgia, to better serve the American OEM and Replacement markets. For more information, visit the Company’s web site at www.us.pirelli.com.

DAVID BRABHAM
Date of Birth: September 5, 1965
Birthplace: London, UK (raised Sydney, Australia)
Residence: Maidenhead, England
Marital Status: Married, wife Lisa
Children: Jayson, Sam, Finn
Team (Class): ACEMCO Motorsports – Saleen S7R (GTS)
Website: www.davidbrabham.com
PR Contact: Jack Gerken; (714) 436-9900; Jack@Gerken.org

Owner of one of the most famous last names in racing, David Brabham has had a distinguished career in the American Le Mans Series. After racing Prototypes the first four years of the series, he switched to the GTS class in 2003 driving a Ferrari 550 and was runner-up in the Championship with three wins. At Sebring, “Brabs” joins Terry Borcheller and Johnny Mowlem behind the wheel of Jeff Giangrande’s ACEMCO Motorsports Saleen S7R.

2003: Entered GTS ranks and drove Prodrive Ferrari in partnership with longtime cohort Jan Magnussen.

Began season at Sebring in Team Bentley livery along with Johnny Herbert and Mark Blundell and helped pilot team to third place. Finished 2nd at the Le Mans 24hrs with Bentley.

Was asked to drive the #80 Ferrari in year’s third ALMS event, Infineon, and drove to 3rd place behind the two Corvette entries, with whom Brabham/Magnussen would battle the rest of the season.

Ran 4th at Trois-Rivieres, again trailing the Corvettes, then 3rd at Mosport, just behind other Ferrari entry.

Took sensational last-lap win at Road America, then declared GTS winner at Laguna Seca when #88 Ferrari was excluded due to technical violation.

Won 3rd consecutive race at Miami, with Darren Turner substituting for Magnussen, before dropping to 2nd position at Petit Le Mans to #88 machine driven by Tomas Enge and Peter Kox.

Finished second in GTS driver championship points.

2002: Campaigned all year in P900 Panoz LMP vehicle, with Magnussen.

Started slowly at Sebring, covering just 56 laps before mechanical problems ended the day.

Deficiencies corrected, piloted Panoz machine to win at Sears Point, edging Tom Kristensen and Johnny Herbert on lead lap.

Ran 3rd at Mid-Ohio.

Encountered misfortune again at Road America, dropping out (mechanical) after 69 laps.

Rebounded again at Washington for big win over Kristensen and Rinaldo Capello.

Took 5th at Trois-Rivieres and 4th at Mosport.

Had another 4th place finish at Laguna Seca, then ran 5th at Miami.

Added David Donohue for long-distance Petit Le Mans and came in 7th, Brabham’s final race with the Panoz factory team.

2001: Continued with Panoz factory team, with co-driver Jan Magnussen, starting season with new Panoz LMP07 design.

Opened year by taking 3rd position at Texas.

Car came undone at Sebring, retiring after 109 laps (mechanical).

Brought back older Panoz LMP1 and ran 3rd at Sears Point behind pair of factory Audi entrants.

Broke Audi dominance with win at Portland, then followed up with solid 2nd position at Mosport.

Claimed 2nd win at Mid-Ohio, fending off three challengers on final lap.

Dropped out at Laguna Seca after 57 laps (accelerator), then ended season 8th at Petit Le Mans.

2000: New co-driver Jan Magnussen with Panoz factory team.

Went to the post 11 times.

Blown engine at Sebring continued string of bad luck at 12-hour event.

Ran 2nd in Charlotte behind JJ Lehto and Jorg Muller.

Went overseas and again finished 2nd to Lehto-Muller before turning tables on them with win in the rain at Nurburgring.

Took 5th position at Sears Point, then did not see action at Mosport after Magnussen was involved in crash on lap 41.

Came back nicely at Texas with 3rd place showing and was 2nd at Portland.

Took 3rd at Petit Le Mans, but retired very early at Laguna Seca (engine) after 66 laps.

Ended Las Vegas race in 6th position.

After Magnussen ran just two laps at Adelaide (alternator), Brabham partnered with Greg Murphy and Jason Bright in another Panoz car and finished 3rd, 9th overall.

1999: Raced the entire inaugural season of ALMS with Panoz factory team. Partnered with Eric Bernard at Sebring, dropping out (fire) after 103 laps.

Drove to 5th position at Road Atlanta, then he/Bernard took 2nd place at Mosport behind fellow Panoz drivers Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell.

Sears Point yielded 2nd place finish, followed by victory at Portland over JJ Lehto/Steve Soper and Magnussen/O’Connell, all three on lead lap.

Brabham and Bernard then won Petit Le Mans, one lap up on nearest competitor.

Mechanical failures forced dropout near end of Laguna Seca and blown engine at Las Vegas put damper on end of first ALMS year.

BRABHAM NOTES: Born in England but grew up in Australia and is an Australian citizen

One of few drivers to have won at least one race in every year the ALMS has existed

Has raced around the world in various forms of competition, mainly in sports cars since his F1 career

GT1 class winner at Sebring in 1998

Second overall and GTP class winner in Daytona 24 Hours in 1992

Brabham has had two different Formula One rides

In 1990, drove for Brabham F1, starting eight times. Mechanical woes forced five retirements, and two others resulted from crashes, though Brabham did finish 15th at French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard

Returned to Formula One in ’94, making 16 starts for Simtek team

Had two 10th place finishes, at Catalunya in Spanish Grand Prix and Hockenheim in German Grand Prix

Also raced in Formula 3

Won ’91 Spa 24 Hours touring car event

Also raced in Japan with John Nielson and was 1996 Japanese GT champion

Began his Panoz association in ’97

Won British Rallycross event at Brands Hatch in ’93

British Formula 3 Champion in 1989

Early racing experience includes 4th overall in 1986 Formula Ford 1600 competition and the’87 Australian

Gold Star Champion in Formula 2 series

Competed in 1988 British Formula 3 Class B series finished 3rd and won the overall Championship the following year

Fourth in the Australian Formula ford Championship (four wins) in 1986

Raced a Ford laser (two wins) in 1985

First race in a 100 cc sprint kart in Australia in 1984; won the Canberra Cup and the New South Wales Country Karting Championships

First drove at eight years old in an EH Holden on the family farm in Wagga, Wagga, Australia

Most memorable victory came over future F1 legend Michael Schumacher in the Macau F3 World Cup

Son of Sir Jack Brabham and brother of former IMSA star Geoff Brabham

Favorite drivers as youth were Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost

Lived in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for a year in 2002 and 2003 before moving back to England

Favorite sports team is Manchester United

Avid player and follower of soccer

Also enjoys cricket, golf, tennis and running