Co-op Racing March Schedule & News


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PARTNERS

News For March 21st, 2006

Start of 2006 for Co-op Racing and the Eurosport 944

The 2006 racing season is nearly upon us. Things have been very busy over the winter for Co-op Racing. The team has been preparing for yet another year of exciting racing activity. Co-op Racing really appreciated the support we experienced during the 2005 season. We hope you enjoy the team updates and feel free to invite others to join the community. Special thanks to Jim Roal who is maintaining the Co-op Racing web site www.co-opracing.com. Jim has done an excellent job and definitely allows the team to concentrate on developing a world class race team. Be sure to check out the site for past, present, and future activities. We will do our best to keep it up to date.

The recently improved Eurosport 944 is scheduled to be unveiled at Kauth & Mayeur in Peoria, IL on Saturday, March 25. The Lincoln Trail Region of the Porsche Club of America will kickoff their 2006 calendar with a tech session featuring the PCA 944 tech chairman George Beuselinck. The session will start at 11:00am with George's presentation followed by answers to all your questions. In addition to the Eurosport 944, plans include examples of a 924S, 944, 944S, 944S2, 951, and 968 Porsches on display.

The first event for Co-op Racing and the Eurosport 944 will be in Braselton, GA at historical Road Atlanta on April 1st and 2nd. Road Atlanta is one of the most challenging tracks in North America offering 12 turns laid over rolling terrain. The team will be coming off a long and cold winter break and will be ready to see their hard work in action. The Eurosport 944 will be competing in the 30-minute sprint race on Saturday and in the 90-minute enduro on Sunday. It competes in the PCA Club Racing 'I' Class at Road Atlanta has attracted many 'I' Class cars in the past. This event is no exception with approximately 15 cars registered. The team is very excited to see how their car will fair within the large and extremely competitive field.

Co-op Racing is looking forward to another fun and exciting year of racing. Again, thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you at the track. Also, if you prefer these updates be sent to a different address, please provide a replacement. If you would like to be removed from the list, just reply to sender with REMOVE in the subject.

THE EUROSPORT 944

During the off season, the Eurosport 944 has undergone an almost complete mechanical reconstruction. Although the appearance of the car stays fairly the same, the team has put a lot of effort into building this highly competitive car. The strategy for 2005 was to build a reliable and good handling car in order to get as much seat time for driver Andy Berberich. This strategy worked out very well as Co-op Racing grew as a team and Berberich made a lot of progress over the course of one year. Now with 2005 behind us, the strategy for 2006 is to add a little more power and some additional go fast goodies.

The biggest change to the Eurosport 944 was in the engine compartment. In 2005 the original engine with 140,000+ miles was removed and replace with a less worn engine (about 70,000 miles). This allowed Co-op Racing to finish the 2005 season. Supporting the 2006 strategy, the original Porsche 944 engine was completely disassembled and rebuilt from the block up. All original parts were used in order to comply with the Porsche Club of America competition rules. The assembly took place at Midwest Eurosport in Bensenville, IL. Eurosport provided outstanding technical support while allowing Co-op racing to use their facility. Eurosport's facility provided Co-op Racing with an excellent atmosphere to build an engine. Brandon Fritz and Andy Berberich of Co-op Racing performed most of the engine build up with much assistance from the Eurosport staff. On the second trip to Bensenville, the engine was completed and on the third trip it went on the dyno. Special thanks to George Weathered of Midwest Eurosport and Mike Dekutaski for taking the time to help support the dyno efforts. Most of the modifications made on the dyno were in the exhaust area since most other areas are limited by the rules. Co-op Racing is confident that their fresh engine will provide the added power that was missing in 2005.

Several improvements were made in the suspension as well. The most significant change was made with the shocks. In 2005 the Eurosport 944 was running an adequate setup, but not ideal. For 2006, the rear double adjustable race shocks were rebuilt and the front heavy-duty street shocks have been replaced with double adjustable race shocks as well. This upgrade should improve on an already proven setup and allow Co-op Racing more flexibility in suspension tuning. In addition to shock work, Matt Hartsfeld at Midwest Eurosport inspected the transmission in order to ensure that the transmission will endure the 2006 race season.

48 HOURS OF SEBRING

In addition to their own efforts, Co-op Racing provides track support to Eurosport Racing at PCA Club Races throughout the country. Most recently, Brand Fritz and Andy Berberich visited Sebring, FL for the 48 Hours of Sebring. Coming from Central Illinois in February, you couldn't ask for better weather than Central Florida. Fritz was responsible for two cars, Mike Faems and Claude Reed. Unfortunately, Claude experienced a catestrophic engine failure and was unable to compete in any of the races. Berberich was responsible for first time racer Chuck Reiter III and Mike Walsdorf. In addition to the regular crowd of people in the paddock, the team was honored with the presence of Randy Pobst. Randy is the recent winner of the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Mr. Pobst was on hand to assist the Eurosport Racing drivers.

Fritz had this to say about his experience. "I couldn't have asked for a better weekend in February. Sebring is a great track to compete during the winter months. Unfortunately Claude lost a piston out on the track, but Mike Faems enjoyed the whole weekend. It was a lot of work, but I had a good time nonetheless."

Berberich had this to say about his experience. "I had never been to Sebring for a race weekend before. Last year I went there to test a 988 Caterpillar wheel loader, but his was my first race. I got very lucky with my two drivers, Mike Walsdorf who was there for the Drivers Ed and Chuck Reiter III was there for his very first Club Race. Considering I experienced my first club race less than eight months earlier, I knew exactly how Chuck was feeling. With a little more race experience, Chuck is going to be a really good racer. He is already a good driver with 14 years of DE experience. I am looking forward to sharing the track with him."

PRO RACING WITH EUROSPORT RACING

For 2006, Tim McKenzie will be returning to Grand American Road Racing in his Porsche GT3 Cup car supported and sponsored by Eurosport Racing. Eurosport Racing plans to compete in three or four races during the 2006 season. Tentatively, these races are at Virginia International Raceway, Mid Ohio, and Lime Rock Park, CT. Using 2005 as a learning year, the team plans to make the adjustment necessary to field a front running car.

Supporting McKenzie and Eurosport Racing will be Co-op Racing members Jason Hartnell and Andy Berberich. Hartnell with his strong mechanical experience and excellent engineering skills will support the team in all necessary tasks. During the race, one of his responsibilities will be as a tire changer. Many of the races go as long as six hours and require multiple pit stops to take on fuel and replace tires. Hartnell's ability to work under pressure and make quick decision will aid him in his responsibilities.

Andy Berberich will also support Eurosport Racing in their efforts. Berberich will take on more of a leadership role in the team. His primary responsibility will be to organize the crew and to ensure that they have the help and resources needed to get tasks accomplished. This will be an interactive role in that he will also support Hartnell and the rest of the team in prepping and supporting the car. Berberich's experience with The Racer's Group and other professional Porsche race teams will aid him in his responsibilities. Berberich and Hartnell's senior engineering experiences will also add value to the team.

Grand American Road Racing can be watched on The SPEED Channel. Check the Grand Am web site and the SPEED web site for schedules and details.

Driver: Chuck Reiter III Crew Chief: Andy Berberich Car: 1991 Porsche 944 S2 Sprint Finish: 8 of 21 Enduro Finish: 10 of 14	Driver: Mike Faems Crew Chief: Brandon Fritz Car: 1989 Porsche 944 S2 Sprint Finish: 6 of 21 Enduro Finish: 8 of 14

Photos above by Jason Meredith

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR RACING PARTNERS

Co-op Racing is very pleased to welcome back several dedicated partners for the 2006 race season along with some new names. Most of the success from the 2005 season can be accredited to the support from Eurosport Racing. Their technical support and genuine interest in the success of Co-op Racing continually exceeds the team's expectations. Eurosport Racing has been servicing and racing Porsche for over 20 years. It will be easy to find Co-op Racing at the track, just look for the Eurosport transport. If you are a Porsche owner and are looking for trackside support, feel free to take advantage of this service offered by Eurosport Racing. Also, keep a look out for Eurosport Racing as they near completion of a new home for their racing division. The racing division will be located at the Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, IL.

Another returning partner is Kauth & Mayeur. K&M is an import service specialist located in Peoria, IL specializing in service and maintenance of all import brands of cars. K&M's support in 2005 helped Co-op Racing in saving time and allocation of resources, which allowed them to attend more events. Their experiences with Porsches make them an excellent partner with Co-op Racing. Added feature is that owner, Michael Benet, is an accomplished driver himself. The capabilities of K&M make them an excellence resource for street cars as well as competition vehicles. With the recent addition of a new, state-of-the-art alignment system, their capabilities and services are continually growing.

A new addition to the Co-op Racing team is Softopper. The Boulder, CO based company offers a unique and useful product. The Softopper is a fully retractable canvas truck topper for pickup trucks. The Softopper is superior to 'hard' truck caps and camper shells since it is easily retracted, removed and stored in its compact case. The Softopper is compatible with most pick-up truck models, and is available in a variety of colors. Co-op Racing plans to utilize the Softopper on its tow vehicle in order to gain useful space in the bed and to decrease the aerodynamic drag while pulling the race trailer. Pictures of the Softopper will be added to the web site in the future.

Another returning partner is CDOC. Their contingency program has already produced returns to Co-op Racing that will be used for future purchases of racing parts and supplies. CDOC is a master warehouse distributor and showroom retailer of many of the most prestigious original equipment and aftermarket lines in motorsports.

A new partner for the 2006 season is Maui Jim sunglasses. Maui Jim, Inc. was established in 1996 and continues to be the fastest growing premium polarized sunglass manufacturer in the world today. Their commitment to quality and continuing development of technology is a direct reflection of the qualities of Co-op Racing. Their product will be right at home at the track. Whether it is behind the pit wall or behind the wheel, the quality of their products is unmatched.

Another returning partner is Generations Engraving located in Peoria, IL. They offer a long line of engraving services as well as the ability to cut custom magnetic numbers and letters. Examples of their engraving can be seen hanging on the walls of Midwest Eurosport in Bensenville, IL and Kauth & Mayeur in Peoria, IL. For those autocrossers or DE drivers, check them out for your magnetic number needs.