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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CLEAN
SWEEP FOR GIRARD-PERREGAUX FERRARI TEAM
11/1/03
Daytona Beach, Florida, November
3, 2003 –
The "Champions
Weekend," last
race in GrandAm's sports car
racing series, proved just that for the
Girard-Perregaux / Scuderia Ferrari of Washington
team. Ferrari 360 GT
drivers Cort Wagner and Brent
Martini won the GT race, and with that victory
tied for the GT Drivers
championship. The win also clinched the GT Team
Championship as well as the GT
Manufacturers Championship for Ferrari. To
complete the sweep, Martini and
Wagner also tied the record, set by the team
in 2002, for five consecutive
GT wins.
"This was a dream
season," an excited Wagner exclaimed in Victory Lane after
the race. "Last year was
our first year as a team, and that was a really
good year. We won the 2002
Drivers and Team championships, but just couldn't
get the Manufacturers award.
Now we've done it, and I didn't know until
yesterday that with all its
successes Ferrari had never before won a GT
manufacturers championship in
North America. This is history, and I just
can't tell you how proud I am
to be a part of it. I've had a great career in
sports car racing, but this
tops it all off."
Girard-Perregaux has been a
part of the Scuderia Ferrari of Washington and
its successes from the very
beginning. "When Ferrari of Washington formed
this team in 2002 we saw a lot
of potential," explained Ron Jackson,
President of Girard-Perregaux
USA. "Girard-Perregaux has the exclusive
license for Ferrari watches,
and this team presented a unique opportunity.
We created a special
chronograph which we felt conveyed the spirit and
excitement of the Ferrari 360
GT racer, and then used a portion of the
proceeds of that watch to sponsor
the team. This was far more than simply a
racing sponsorship; for
example, Cort Wagner and the 360 GT appeared at the
2002 Concorso Italiano, a major Ferrari event. Ferrari
enthusiasts, and
those are our customers, were
able to get up close to Cort and the Ferrari,
and to be a part of the
program. That excitement generated watch sales."
GrandAm's rules will change for
the 2004 season, and the SFoW team's future
plans are far from final.
"We're looking at several options for the future,"
said team owner Allie Ash, Jr.,
"but no matter what we do it is probably
impossible to top the successes
of the past two years. I think we took just
about every record and
championship GrandAm has to offer, and
Girard-Perregaux was a key part
of our team and its success."
With more than two
centuries of history and professional expertise behind it, GIRARD-PERREGAUX
is known worldwide for its innovative spirit, technical skill and
international style.
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