Strong SPEED connection will help drive awareness for the Scion brand, sports car racing, key sponsors, and the event itself.
Marshall Pruett Motorsports Engineering (MPME), Modified Magazine, and Scion have partnered to build and run the first professional road racing entry for the youth-oriented Toyota brand.
"Scion's are a familiar sight at import drag racing events, drifting event, car shows, time attacks, and have some of the most active car clubs in America. Starting with the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill and World Challenge in 2008, professional road racing is the next place you'll find a Scion competing," noted team owner Marshall Pruett.
Marshall Pruett Motorsports Engineering (MPME), Modified Magazine, and Scion have partnered to build and run the first professional road racing entry for the youth-oriented Toyota brand.
"Scion's are a familiar sight at import drag racing events, drifting event, car shows, time attacks, and have some of the most active car clubs in America. Starting with the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill and World Challenge in 2008, professional road racing is the next place you'll find a Scion competing," noted team owner Marshall Pruett.
While the new car is built to SPEED Touring Car specs, a number of
endurance racing modifications have been made specifically for the 25
hour race. "The car will run in supercharged form in 2008, but for the
25 hour, we opted for the proven Turbonetics turbo kit. We've also
added a larger endurance racing fuel cell and dry break refueling to
help with fast pit stops."
With a highly diverse and talented driver lineup, Pruett knows he has an unfair advantage. "Everyone steering the Scion is a professional and accomplished racer. Gary Sheehan has driven for me in the SPEED World Challenge series for the past two years and led my 2005 Subaru 25 hour effort that came home in 3rd place. It's no mistake he's leading my team again in 2007. Mark Hotchkis and I worked together in Indy Lights at Genoa Racing - he won a ton in that series, and even took home an SCCA National championship for good measure in 2005. Compared to the priceless Porsche 962 he raced last weekend at Daytona, I expect the Scion to be well within his range of expertise!"
2007 Formula Drift champion and Rally X-Games winner Tanner Foust will be making his endurance racing debut with the team, as will Modified Magazine Senior Editor Dave Pratte. Matt Varsha, son of SPEED's F1 host Bob Varsha, will be undertaking his second endurance race in 2007, having led a Porsche Rolex GT team at the 24 Hours of Daytona.
To keep the car running at its maximum potential for long stints, the MPME team has partnered with BFGoodrich, using their g-Force R1 tires. "The R1's are known for their ability to keep delivering long after their competitors have fallen off. BFG aren't about shipping tires to their teams and hoping for the best; they work feverishly to provide technical and engineering support at every opportunity. That's exactly what I need."
Also involved are some familiar partners to MPME's efforts. Transformation of the tC from a street car to full-fledged SPEED Touring Car was carried out by TC Design of Milpitas, California, the same outfit used to transform the 25 hour Subaru Pruett ran in 2005. "Tony and Joe Colicchio have recently surpassed the two hundred and fifty mark for race cars they've built. Beyond their ability to do incredibly skilled and well engineered work, they've been instrumental in turning the tC around in record time."
Kognition Design has led an aggressive initiative to reduce weight, with the tC sporting carbon door skins, a carbon roof, splitter, and brake ducts all from Kognition owner Mike Mishler's SoCal company. "Without Kognition's ability to tackle short production runs and custom solutions like we had for the tC, we'd be a lot slower!"
With media coverage from SPEED, SPEEDtv.com, Modified Magazine, Modified.com, and Racecar Engineering Magazine, the 25 hour Scion tC team is proud to help shine a brighter light on this classic endurance race. "This will be my fourth 25 hour event - the first with my own team and car. I'm blessed to have great partners like SPEED, Modified, RCE help to tell our team's story online, in print, and on TV. I hope to give them results worth reporting!..."
Details about the car and team will soon be available at www.tctouringcar.com, as well as www.modified.com, and in Modified Magazine. Direct sponsorship inquiries can be made through marshall@marshallpruett.com.
Note: Marshall Pruett is also Automotive and Sports Car Editor for SPEEDtv.com.
With a highly diverse and talented driver lineup, Pruett knows he has an unfair advantage. "Everyone steering the Scion is a professional and accomplished racer. Gary Sheehan has driven for me in the SPEED World Challenge series for the past two years and led my 2005 Subaru 25 hour effort that came home in 3rd place. It's no mistake he's leading my team again in 2007. Mark Hotchkis and I worked together in Indy Lights at Genoa Racing - he won a ton in that series, and even took home an SCCA National championship for good measure in 2005. Compared to the priceless Porsche 962 he raced last weekend at Daytona, I expect the Scion to be well within his range of expertise!"
2007 Formula Drift champion and Rally X-Games winner Tanner Foust will be making his endurance racing debut with the team, as will Modified Magazine Senior Editor Dave Pratte. Matt Varsha, son of SPEED's F1 host Bob Varsha, will be undertaking his second endurance race in 2007, having led a Porsche Rolex GT team at the 24 Hours of Daytona.
To keep the car running at its maximum potential for long stints, the MPME team has partnered with BFGoodrich, using their g-Force R1 tires. "The R1's are known for their ability to keep delivering long after their competitors have fallen off. BFG aren't about shipping tires to their teams and hoping for the best; they work feverishly to provide technical and engineering support at every opportunity. That's exactly what I need."
Also involved are some familiar partners to MPME's efforts. Transformation of the tC from a street car to full-fledged SPEED Touring Car was carried out by TC Design of Milpitas, California, the same outfit used to transform the 25 hour Subaru Pruett ran in 2005. "Tony and Joe Colicchio have recently surpassed the two hundred and fifty mark for race cars they've built. Beyond their ability to do incredibly skilled and well engineered work, they've been instrumental in turning the tC around in record time."
Kognition Design has led an aggressive initiative to reduce weight, with the tC sporting carbon door skins, a carbon roof, splitter, and brake ducts all from Kognition owner Mike Mishler's SoCal company. "Without Kognition's ability to tackle short production runs and custom solutions like we had for the tC, we'd be a lot slower!"
With media coverage from SPEED, SPEEDtv.com, Modified Magazine, Modified.com, and Racecar Engineering Magazine, the 25 hour Scion tC team is proud to help shine a brighter light on this classic endurance race. "This will be my fourth 25 hour event - the first with my own team and car. I'm blessed to have great partners like SPEED, Modified, RCE help to tell our team's story online, in print, and on TV. I hope to give them results worth reporting!..."
Details about the car and team will soon be available at www.tctouringcar.com, as well as www.modified.com, and in Modified Magazine. Direct sponsorship inquiries can be made through marshall@marshallpruett.com.
Note: Marshall Pruett is also Automotive and Sports Car Editor for SPEEDtv.com.
