Corvette Driver On pole of Koni Challenge Race at Daytona...
01-23-2009, 06:39 AM
#1
Supporting Vendor
Thread Starter
Corvette Driver On pole of Koni Challenge Race at Daytona...
For those who have been following his progress, just a note to let everyone know that andrew aquilante took the pole yesreday for the Koni Challenge ST race at Daytona... Field of 31 cars in the ST class alone... driving a subaru legacy GT2.5 spec.b.
01-23-2009, 09:06 AM
#5
Racer
Member Since: Aug 2008
Posts: 344
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
01-23-2009, 09:19 AM
#6
Le Mans Master
Congratulations to A.J. and the whole crew!
Now go get 'em in the race!
Now go get 'em in the race!
01-23-2009, 12:06 PM
#9
Le Mans Master
Congrats!
We are going to have to start calling him AJ "The Pole" Aquilante.
We are going to have to start calling him AJ "The Pole" Aquilante.
01-23-2009, 01:06 PM
#11
Race Director
Member Since: May 1999
Location: Plymouth MI Formerly Milford, MA MI
Posts: 14,267
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
W. Detroit Events Coordinator
Cruise-In VI Veteran
Cruise-In VII Veteran
Cruise-In VII Autocross Champ
Nice job, now lets show them that Corvette driver rock no matter what they are driving
01-24-2009, 08:39 AM
#13
Supporting Vendor
Thread Starter
Thanks everyone for the well wishes!!! It turnedout to be one hell of a race.. Andrew got out in the lead and led the first 29 laps, lots of cautions but on every restart he stayed ahead against the faster and lighter cars... (we weigh 3100 pounds without driver due to AWD. They way 2500 to 2700).
When we stopped for fuel driver change, we got rotated pretty far down, but Kristian kept at it and with some creative pitting got ourselves back up in front for the last 45 minute shootout. Can't ask for more than a chance to get it done...
There were five cars in the lead pack and it was quite a batte with Lawson Ashenbach, Randy Pobst, Travis Walker and Kirk Spencer. Two turbo Cobalts, two Hondas and the Subaru. Kristian battled Randy first, and finally edged around him, then got by the other three in a couple of daring passes that worked... Ashenbach came back with a pass of his owm on lap 71 and then a full course caution happened!!
Oh well, race ended under caution... we were in second place... Not much left of the car... Brakes were gone, out of fuel and every corner bumped and bruised from racin and rubbin... What a battle... It should be on Speed when they finally get to showing it on TV.
They did well... Corvette drivers can drive just about anything, and by the way, kristian has driven Corvettes in the AGT series, so he is quite familiar with the breed!!!
Next race is Homestead. Grand am will be giving away free tickets... We will bring the popcorn for those who want to watch!!!
Thnaks again for all the support... Here is the official team press release...
Subaru Road Racing Team 2nd in Daytona racing season-opener
Daytona Beach, Fla. – January 23, 2009
The Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT) opened its 2009 Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge series racing season with a strong second place finish Friday at Daytona International Speedway.
Both SRRT teammates, Andrew Aquilante, Chester Springs, Pa., and Kris Skavnes, Sparta, N.J., drove well enough to lead the race during their respective stints. Aquilante qualified the #111 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT spec.B on the pole in a field of 32 other Street Tuner competitors and led the first 29 laps.
Skavnes came back through the field after a strategic fuel stop and regained the lead late in the race in a scintillating show of driving that showcased the Subaru symmetrical AWD system on a slick track from oil and debris.
After being passed by a fellow competitor, relegating Skavnes to second, an untimely full-course caution due to a crashed car on-track with less than five minutes to go prevented the Subaru factory driver from making a final challenge for the race win.
“I believe Kris could have re-taken the lead,” said Joe Aquilante, owner of the Phoenixville, Pa.-based Phoenix Racing team which built the team’s Subaru Legacy 2.5GT spec.B race car and operates SRRT.
“After Andrew qualified our car on the pole and led the first 29 laps of the race, we changed drivers during our first pit stop. Kris drove a masterful race and moved from fourth position into the lead within four laps. We had the car and showed the teamwork during pit stops to take the lead and win today’s race, but it just wasn’t meant to be,” Aquilante said.”
Since the 2008 racing season ended last October, the team had been hard at work testing and developing its Subaru Legacy 2.5GT spec.B race car in preparation for this year’s racing in the Street Tuner class of the 2009 KONI Sports Car Challenge series.
“As a factory road racing team, SRRT always strives to fulfill a certain level of expectation based on attaining positive race results and reinforcing our Subaru performance message”, said James Han, motorsports marketing manager for Subaru of America, Inc.
“The ST class in the KONI series is a highly competitive environment with multiple auto brands and models represented. The team’s results today really reaffirm the competitiveness of our Legacy platform against some strong competition and Subaru Road Racing Team’s execution to a well-thought out plan.
Friday’s race will be televised by Speed TV to air at a later date.
Sponsors for SRRT include Subaru Of America, Inc., Subaru Tecnica International (STI), Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT), Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc., Automotive Racing Products, Hawk Brakes, Quarter Master, Ecutek, Racing Radios, Lista, Rotary Lifts, Cusco, Carbonetic, Mac Tools, Hella, Perrin, and Vedalo HD.
Photo Caption: Andrew Aquilante and Kris Skavnes drove the Subaru Road Racing Team’s #111 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT spec.B. to a strong second place Friday at Daytona International Speedway in the Fresh From Florida 200 Grand-Am Koni Challenge race.
About SRRT Phoenix Racing
SRRT Phoenix LLC represents Subaru of America’s road racing efforts in the Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge and is owned and managed by Joe Aquilante of Phoenix Performance, Inc. The team’s 4000 sq. ft. facility is in Phoenixville, Pa., 40 miles west of Philadelphia, PA. Team drivers Kristian Skavnes and Andrew Aquilante race a Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT spec.B. in the Street Tuner class. For more information about the team and the cars, call Joe Aquilante at (610) 482-0141.
When we stopped for fuel driver change, we got rotated pretty far down, but Kristian kept at it and with some creative pitting got ourselves back up in front for the last 45 minute shootout. Can't ask for more than a chance to get it done...
There were five cars in the lead pack and it was quite a batte with Lawson Ashenbach, Randy Pobst, Travis Walker and Kirk Spencer. Two turbo Cobalts, two Hondas and the Subaru. Kristian battled Randy first, and finally edged around him, then got by the other three in a couple of daring passes that worked... Ashenbach came back with a pass of his owm on lap 71 and then a full course caution happened!!
Oh well, race ended under caution... we were in second place... Not much left of the car... Brakes were gone, out of fuel and every corner bumped and bruised from racin and rubbin... What a battle... It should be on Speed when they finally get to showing it on TV.
They did well... Corvette drivers can drive just about anything, and by the way, kristian has driven Corvettes in the AGT series, so he is quite familiar with the breed!!!
Next race is Homestead. Grand am will be giving away free tickets... We will bring the popcorn for those who want to watch!!!
Thnaks again for all the support... Here is the official team press release...
Subaru Road Racing Team 2nd in Daytona racing season-opener
Daytona Beach, Fla. – January 23, 2009
The Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT) opened its 2009 Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge series racing season with a strong second place finish Friday at Daytona International Speedway.
Both SRRT teammates, Andrew Aquilante, Chester Springs, Pa., and Kris Skavnes, Sparta, N.J., drove well enough to lead the race during their respective stints. Aquilante qualified the #111 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT spec.B on the pole in a field of 32 other Street Tuner competitors and led the first 29 laps.
Skavnes came back through the field after a strategic fuel stop and regained the lead late in the race in a scintillating show of driving that showcased the Subaru symmetrical AWD system on a slick track from oil and debris.
After being passed by a fellow competitor, relegating Skavnes to second, an untimely full-course caution due to a crashed car on-track with less than five minutes to go prevented the Subaru factory driver from making a final challenge for the race win.
“I believe Kris could have re-taken the lead,” said Joe Aquilante, owner of the Phoenixville, Pa.-based Phoenix Racing team which built the team’s Subaru Legacy 2.5GT spec.B race car and operates SRRT.
“After Andrew qualified our car on the pole and led the first 29 laps of the race, we changed drivers during our first pit stop. Kris drove a masterful race and moved from fourth position into the lead within four laps. We had the car and showed the teamwork during pit stops to take the lead and win today’s race, but it just wasn’t meant to be,” Aquilante said.”
Since the 2008 racing season ended last October, the team had been hard at work testing and developing its Subaru Legacy 2.5GT spec.B race car in preparation for this year’s racing in the Street Tuner class of the 2009 KONI Sports Car Challenge series.
“As a factory road racing team, SRRT always strives to fulfill a certain level of expectation based on attaining positive race results and reinforcing our Subaru performance message”, said James Han, motorsports marketing manager for Subaru of America, Inc.
“The ST class in the KONI series is a highly competitive environment with multiple auto brands and models represented. The team’s results today really reaffirm the competitiveness of our Legacy platform against some strong competition and Subaru Road Racing Team’s execution to a well-thought out plan.
Friday’s race will be televised by Speed TV to air at a later date.
Sponsors for SRRT include Subaru Of America, Inc., Subaru Tecnica International (STI), Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT), Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc., Automotive Racing Products, Hawk Brakes, Quarter Master, Ecutek, Racing Radios, Lista, Rotary Lifts, Cusco, Carbonetic, Mac Tools, Hella, Perrin, and Vedalo HD.
Photo Caption: Andrew Aquilante and Kris Skavnes drove the Subaru Road Racing Team’s #111 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT spec.B. to a strong second place Friday at Daytona International Speedway in the Fresh From Florida 200 Grand-Am Koni Challenge race.
About SRRT Phoenix Racing
SRRT Phoenix LLC represents Subaru of America’s road racing efforts in the Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge and is owned and managed by Joe Aquilante of Phoenix Performance, Inc. The team’s 4000 sq. ft. facility is in Phoenixville, Pa., 40 miles west of Philadelphia, PA. Team drivers Kristian Skavnes and Andrew Aquilante race a Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT spec.B. in the Street Tuner class. For more information about the team and the cars, call Joe Aquilante at (610) 482-0141.
Last edited by jfaphoenix32; 01-24-2009 at 08:44 AM. Reason: typo
01-24-2009, 09:50 AM
#14
Team Owner
Member Since: Apr 2002
Location: Zionsville, PA NRA Life Member
Posts: 25,778
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
St. Jude '03-'04-'05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10
Congrats to both Andrew and Kris for a 2nd place finish
Also congrats to you Joe ( the proud papa )
Can't wait for the race on TV
Jeff
Also congrats to you Joe ( the proud papa )
Can't wait for the race on TV
Jeff
Last edited by JRD77VET; 01-25-2009 at 09:41 AM. Reason: makes more sense if I proof read it first :banghead:
