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AREA 51 MOTORSPORTS
SET TO LAUNCH AT THE GATORNATIONALS
Gainesville Pre Race:
The 2003 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series' Pro Stock Motorcycle
division gets underway March 14-16 at the 34th annual MAC TOOLS
Gatornationals in Gainesville, FL. Area 51 Motorsports will
be launching its inaugural season in the NHRA. The team recently
completed testing in Florida and is anxious to begin its march
towards the 2003 championship. Ken Johnson, crew chief commented,
"Fast Freddy and the Area 51 Pro Stock Bike performed well during
testing. Our new Star Racing engine was awesome".
For Fred Collis, this
marked the first time he has driven the bike and allowed him
to get acclimated to the new engine combination. Collis stated,
"The team's progress is already amazing. I am really looking
forward to this season and the challenge of competing in the
NHRA on
a full-time basis."
Fred Collis, a graduate
of Frank Hawley's Drag Racing School, is no stranger to the
track in Gainesville as he has made many passes as both a student
and a competitor. Fred's best NHRA appearance was the 1999 AutoZone
Nationals in Memphis, TN where he beat Matt Hines in an exciting
semi-final round match up by cutting a near perfect .401 light
and was runner-up to Angelle Savoie in the finals.
John Harris, General
Manager commented, "Our group has assembled some of the best
talent in the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle ranks. We have all worked
extremely hard to put a solid entry in the field. The Star Racing
engine program, Ken Johnson and Fast Freddy Collis give us a
real opportunity to win at every race. We cannot thank George
and Jackie Bryce enough for all of their guidance thru this
initial startup phase."
Tommy O'Brien, Co-Owner
and Team Manager, added, "We have been working on putting a
program together for over a year. It really worked out great
for us that Star Racing was not able to field a bike this season.
We were able to purchase their championship Suzuki and set up
an engine lease program with them. The team that's been assembled
has the experience necessary to give us an opportunity to win
the championship. The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series is known
for its competitiveness and all of us at Area 51 are excited
about the upcoming season and our inaugural run at the Gators."
Area 51 Motorsports
gets their season underway with qualifying on Friday and Saturday.
Eliminations begin at 11:00am on Sunday. Eliminations will be
shown Sunday, March 16 on ESPN2 beginning at 9:00pm (All times
are eastern).
About Area 51 Motorsports
Area 51 Motorsports
is a Dallas-based, NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle team that is competing
in the 2003 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. The principal
owners' 75 years of combined experience in motorsports spans
the last 20 years in the NHRA, Indy Racing League, NASCAR and
the Sports Car Club of America. Area 51 Motorsports was formed
in November 2002 by five Dallas-area businessmen, whose desire
is to build a championship-winning organization both on and
off the track.
Contact:
John Harris, johnh@area51-motorsports.com,
214-228-7906
Area 51 Motorsports
545 E. John Carpenter Freeway
Suite 1430
Dallas, Texas 75062
Phone: 469-916-9717
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