For Immediate Release
Roush Yates Engines Sweeps Podium in Belgium
Winner’s Podium 100% Ford in GT1 Category at 1000kms of Spa
Mooresville, NC (May 10, 2010) Ford teams finished 1-2-3 in the
GT1 category at the 1000kms of Spa in Belgium on Sunday. With Roush
Yates power under the hood, Marc VDS Racing took the win with
fellow Ford GT competitors Matech Competition finishing second and
third. All three cars run engines built by Roush Yates in their
Mooresville, North Carolina facility.
Roush Yates power and performance was displayed early as Bas
Leinders of Marc VDS Racing took the GT1-pole on Friday before
winning the 6 hour race on Sunday. Rain began to fall minutes
before the start of the race but Leinders, with teammates Markus
Palttala and Eric De Doncker, drove perfect stints in the trouble
free event.
“By taking the pole with a 1.4 seconds difference, we knew our
set-up was good” said Leinders. “During the difficult race we still
had to avoid all problems and make sure that the car was reliable
till the end. Fortunately that was the case, which makes me very
happy. Markus and Eric drove a perfect race, which is great news,
just one month before the Le Mans 24 Hours.”
Thomas Mutsch was the quickest of the Matech Competition cars
and started off the weekend by qualifying second on the treacherous
21 turn track. Mutsch, along with fellow drivers Jonathan Hirschi
and Mathias Beche were patient throughout the entire course of the
race to take home a second place finish. The Matech Competition
team of Zimmer-Allemann-Frey brought home third.
Martin Bartek, Team Manager for Matech Competition, was very
excited to see his teams on the podium.
"I am really a fulfilled man, three of the cars built in our
workshops are on the three steps of the podium at the 1000Km of Spa
- for the first time race it is simply fantastic!” said Barteck.
“It also proves that the work of the engineers and the mechanics of
a customer team is as good as a manufacturer’s one. The fact that
our partner Marc VDS won the race proves that the product is
reliable and competitive.”
The Matech Concepts-built Ford GTs domination in their Le Mans
Series debuts is a historic finish for the Blue Oval in GT1. After
their spectacular finish, all three Roush Yates powered GT1 cars
head to the Le Mans 24 hours next month as favorites for the class
win.
About Roush Yates
Roush Yates Engines designs, engineers and crafts high
performance racing engines with the power to perform and the
horsepower and durability you’d expect from legendary NASCAR
pioneers Jack Roush and Robert Yates. The partnership of power and
precision has come from merging the knowledge and experience of two
legendary engine builders, both with a passion for winning today
and powering up for tomorrow.
Roush Yates CEO, Doug Yates, leads a staff of 170 engineers and
technicians who design, assemble, test, and service racing engines
at two separate state-of-the-art facilities in Mooresville, North
Carolina. Here, the best minds and latest technology are hard at
work producing nearly 1,500 racing engines each year for teams in
the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, NASCAR
Camping World Truck Series, ARCA, Grand-Am, FIA GT3, Dirt Late
Model, Sprint cars, and NHRA Pro Stock. At Roush Yates Engines, the
mission is Power Performance, which is achieved through innovation
design, precision engineering, and skilful craftsmanship. Building
the best engines in racing today, providing service that’s second
to none, and honoring a commitment to research and development are
the heart of Roush Yates Engines.
704-799-6216 297 Rolling Hill Road Mooresville, NC 28117
www.roushyates.com
