LUX PERFORMANCE GROUP MEDIA NOTEBOOK
DODGE VIPER CUP
TEXAS WORLD SPEEDWAY – ROUNDS 7 AND 8
SERIES: Dodge Viper Cup presented by Pennzoil Ultra
RACE DATE: September 3-4, 2011
VENUE: Texas World Speedway, College Station, TX
TELEVISION AIR DATE ON VERSUS: Race 1: Oct 5, 2011 4:30PM Race 2: Oct 12, 2011
CAR: Dodge Viper ACR-X, race-prepared by Lux Performance Group, LLC
CELEBRITY DRIVERS:
Driver: Jim Jonsin
Car: No.52 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Viper ACR-X
Charity: National Breast Cancer Coalition
About Jim: American Grammy award winning record producer, songwriter, record executive and entrepreneur. Jonsin has collaborated with numerous artists including, Beyonce, Usher, Lil Wayne, Kid Cudi, Kanye West, Eminem, Nelly, T.I., Danity Kane, and Jaime Foxx. He won a Grammy in 2009 for Best Rap Song for Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop”. Founder of Rebel Rock Music.
Driver: Dar Holdsworth
Car: No.53 Dodge Motorsports Dodge Viper ACR-X
Charity: Pros For Vets
About Dar: Creator and operator of Darwin Motorcycles, LLC. Builder of world-renowned, Brass Balls Bobbers and Choppers: “The above average bike for the average Joe”. Over the past several years, Darwin Motorcycles have been featured in many National Magazines and on TV. Darwin has earned the respect of their peers placing third and fifth in the World Championships of bike building (production class). Darwin has done co-promotions bikes with national brands like Gatorz Eyewear and Spectrol. Darwin was selected as a Top-10 production manufacturer in 2008 and Awarded "Production Bobber of the Year" for 2009 by Easyriders and V-Twin Magazine.
DODGE VIPER CUP: The Dodge Viper Cup features some of the most celebrated race courses in North America. The 2011 season includes Sebring (FL) International Raceway (May 14-15), New Jersey Motorsports Park (June 11-12), Virginia International Raceway (July 9-10), Texas World Speedway (September 3-4) and Daytona International Speedway (October 22-23).
LUX PERFORMANCE GROUP: Lux Performance Group provides full-service race services and custom components to both club level and professional series drivers. Their truly unique and eclectic background provides a limitless realm of possibility in the any area of car construction – including custom fabrication, specialty safety structures, platform development, hybrid technologies and electric motor specialization – as well as business plan development and implementation. Lux Performance is owned and operated in Aloha, OR by Fred and Cindi Lux.
CINDI LUX: 12-time road racing champion with more than 81 victories and 52 pole positions. Winner of the inaugural American Le Mans Series-sanctioned Women’s Global GT Series Championship – all female race series in identically prepared race cars (1999). She was the highest starting and finishing female driver in SCCA World Challenge GT history (Salt Lake City, 2008), Five Top 10 SCCA World Challenge GT finishes.
QUOTES
JIM JONSIN:
About racing in the Dodge Viper Cup: “It’s going to be such a great learning experience for me to race a Dodge Viper ACR-X with Cindi Lux and the Lux Performance Group. I'm fairly new to racing. Bucky Lasek and I started our own little race team called Rebel Rock Racing. With the expertise from Lux Performance I could really be up to speed and maybe even get up on the podium. Let's Go Team Lux! Thank you Cindi Lux and Dodge Motorsports for inviting me out to race.”
About racing the Dodge Viper ACR-X: “It’s a super, badass street car to begin with and I can't even imagine how it will be on the track; so much power and torque. Also, it has to be one of the meanest car designs ever!”
About comparing the Dodge Viper ACR-X and Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car: “The Porsche GT3 Cup is a rear engine car with less horsepower. It’s going to be a completely different driving experience. The Porsche is small and a handful of fun but I'm betting the ACR-X is going to be shocking. The power is what I'm stoked about.”
DAR HOLDSWORTH:
About his charity bike and how he will showcase it this weekend: “Our charity bike, the RLX, actually has roots in racing. We approached Bobby Rahal last year with the idea to create an American Muscle bike that would pay tribute to his racing career and his race team. We asked not for funding but for his name and PR support in promoting this bike so we could raffle it to raise monies for two military charities: Steel Anchor and Pros For Vets. Pros For Vets being my house charity. This bike is unique. The cost to build and sell one is approx $60,000. This first prototype that won the world championships is valued at approx $100,000 and someone will win it for a $20 raffle ticket. We hope to show it and share it with the people we will meet this weekend and even sell a few tickets or draw attention to the raffle via VS. TV. We want to turn out big for our troops. People can buy tickets online at http://www.DarwinMotorcycles.com. In a cool bit of coincidence, our bike is poised to be an iconic American Muscle Bike. Similarly, I will be driving one of the great, iconic American Muscle Cars. Thank you Dodge and Lux Performance for your help with this promotion.”
About his expectations of racing: “FUN! Are you kidding me? Pinch me! This is a boyhood dream come true. Since I was a little boy I have wanted to be a race car driver. Yet, I was not exposed to it as I was in an orphanage most of my childhood and adopted at age 16. Went into the military after high school and racing did not happen for me. I love torque. I love the sound of a finely tuned engine. I love all the aspects of it. I love controlled speed. I look forward to just participating, learning and having fun.”
About working with Lux Performance Group: “Cindi is quite accomplished as a driver and coach. I am looking forward to learning and applying as much as I can from her. Call me a sponge this weekend because I plan to soak up the learning and soak up the fun.”
CINDI LUX:
“There will be nothing better than going to Texas in this insane heat storm and driving around in a bunch of crazy-fast Vipers. Anytime you take a TV/Music producer who really loves cars and a top custom bike builder, things are going to get wild. But our guys at the shop have prepared some really fast ACR-X race cars for this coming Labor Day weekend which is something I am very proud of. I can’t tell you how entertaining it is to introduce ‘rookies’ to the Viper brand. It doesn’t take too long for them to understand why Vipers are so exceptional.”
'The Duel in the Desert' - Inaugural 'Dodge Viper Celebrity Challenge' - Premieres on Versus at 3 p.m. (EDT) Sunday, Oct. 9
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Oct. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Celebrity race features talented collection of drivers from across the spectrum of Dodge Motorsports' disciplines competing in identical Dodge Viper ACR-X spec cars. The event, hosted at Utah's Miller Motorsports Park raises $18,000 for various charities. The one-hour special race broadcast kicks off 11 straight weeks of 2011 Dodge Viper Cup series action on Versus.
Dodge Motorsports is offering race fans an exciting change of pace during the prime Sunday mid-afternoon viewing slot. Airing at 3 p.m. (EDT) Sunday, Oct. 9, on Versus is the first-ever "Dodge Viper Celebrity Challenge." The unique one-race event was held April 13 at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, and featured an impressive lineup of competitors from numerous forms of racing - all united under the Dodge Motorsports and Mopar® banners.
Leading the list of participating drivers was automotive legend and Penske Racing team owner Roger Penske, making a rare appearance behind the wheel. Penske hasn't driven competitively since the mid-1960s following his being named the Sports Car Club of America Driver of the Year by Sports Illustrated. Joining their team owner in the "Dodge Viper Celebrity Challenge" were Penske Racing and NASCAR superstars Kurt Busch, Brad Keselowski and Sam Hornish Jr.
Also participating were Robbie Gordon, driver and team owner of Speed Energy Racing; NHRA pro stock driver Allen Johnson; Hart and Huntington Racing team owner Carey Hart and his AMA Supercross rider Ivan Tedesco; Formula Drifter and TORC driver Samuel Hubinette; Viper factory driver Kuno Wittmer; Viper road-course racing driver/instructor Cindi Lux; monster truck pilot Mark Hall; and ARCA Series racer Maryeve Dufault.
Filling out the racing field were event host Ralph Gilles, President and CEO - SRT® and Motorsports, Chrysler Group LLC; Dodge Motorsports engineer Matt Bejnarowicz and Viper Cup series drivers Connie Bogan, Jeff Courtney, Jason Daskalos, Eric Galerne, Brad Gorrondona, Billy Gropp, Ted Hughes, Todd Nelson and Fred Roberts.
"This was truly a once in-a-lifetime collaboration for us at Dodge Motorsports and Mopar," Gilles said. "Seeing the diverse driving talent on the track was incredible and showed the passion and dedication our group of drivers has for the Chrysler Group and our various racing efforts."
The 24 participants for the "Dodge Viper Celebrity Challenge" were divided into 12 two-person teams. Single qualifying lap times by each of the two drivers were averaged together to determine the order for the standing start.
Teams then plotted their best driver rotation for the 50-minute timed race.
Once the green flag waved, the on-track competition was intense as 12 identically prepared, 640-horsepower Dodge Viper ACR-X spec cars began to speed around the 2.24-mile Miller Motorsports Park layout.
Halfway through the 50-minute race, each team conducted a mandatory timed pit stop and driver change.
"I can't say enough about the generosity and mutual respect shown by each and every participant in the 'Dodge Viper Celebrity Challenge,'" Gilles added. "I'm proud to share the same common thread of being racers at heart that can take the time out to not only come together and compete on the same stage, but also raise money for worthy charity causes."
The following charitable donations were made by the top-three finishing teams:
Haiti Rescue Effort - $5,000
National Breast Cancer Coalition - $5,000
Shriners Hospital - $3,000
Tarrant Area Foodbank, Fort Worth, Texas - $3,000
Children's Rare Disease Network - $1,000
National Breast Cancer Foundation - $1,000
The airing of the "Dodge Viper Celebrity Challenge" on Oct. 9 kicks off 11 straight weeks (through Dec. 18) of Dodge Viper Cup series coverage on Versus. All broadcasts begin on the subsequent Sundays at 3 p.m. Eastern.
SOURCE Chrysler Group LLC
Copyright (C) 2011 PR Newswire. All rights reserved




