MrBaja
August 26th, 2002, 16:23
Greetings to all at Race Dezert,
Groff Motorsports and The Rennsport Group are proud to announce the confirmation of CART driver Jimmy Vasser at this year's SCORE Baja 1000 as part of the BFGoodrich/Toyota--powered Class 1 team. Below please find today's press release with the details...
Cheers,
Marty Fiolka
The Rennsport Group
Jimmy Vasser To Join Groff Motorsports Effort At 2002 SCORE Baja 1000
-- CART Star to Begin Desert Testing This Week --
NORTHRIDGE, Calif., -- Adding another major name to a 2002 SCORE Baja 1000 event that already features an impressive list of NASCAR, sports car and open-wheel drivers, CART’s Jimmy Vasser today confirmed his participation in the race as a member of the BFGoodrich/Toyota-powered effort fielded by Groff Motorsports. Vasser will team with open-wheel veterans Mike and Robbie Groff, along with team driver Marty Fiolka, to race for overall honors in a two-seat Toyota-powered Jimco set to compete in SCORE’s highly competitive Class 1 for unlimited open-wheel vehicles.
Vasser, from Las Vegas, NV, will join the growing ranks of professional drivers set to compete in the 35th running of the desert classic, a list that now includes Robby Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Roberto Guerrero and Elliott Forbes-Robinson. A lifelong friend of the Groff brothers, Vasser competed against both Mike and Robbie in quarter midgets begin at the age of eight.
The 1996 CART series champion, Vasser will begin his Baja 1000 odyssey tomorrow in an extensive test session in the deserts near Lucerne Valley, Calif. The test will be conducted by the team under the experienced eyes of Groff Motorsports team manager Don Tebbe and crew chief Barry Beacham, along with the Groffs and Fiolka. Vasser had previously tested a less potent desert race car in 2000 in preparation for that year’s epic SCORE Baja 2000, an event he was forced to miss due to a conflict in his racing schedule.
In its first year of operation, the Groff Motorsports team has made a successful entry into the Class 1 category, now the most competitive and often fastest class in the sport. Capitalizing on the bullet-proof reliability of its FAT Performance-prepared Toyota V6 powerplant and immaculate preparation from Beecham and his Race Preparation Crew, the team has logged nearly 2,500 trouble-free race and testing miles since completion of the new car in April. With a top speed of 120 mph and over two feet of wheel travel, Vasser is looking forward to the challenge of driving the BFGoodrich/Toyota-powered machine.
“I am looking forward to the whole Baja 1000 experience with a great deal of enthusiasm,” stated Vasser, who is busy preparing for this weekend’s CART event in Denver. “I know that the Groffs and Marty Fiolka have assembled a first-class effort, and I hear from Robbie that driving their Class 1 car ranks right up there with an Indy car. Joining this team is a commitment that I’m going to enjoy, but I also know I have a steep learning curve to contribute a good solid run in Baja.”
In celebration of its 35th Anniversary, the SCORE Tecate Baja 1000 will once again use consist of the legendary Ensenada to La Paz point-to-point format, a route race organizers return to every fourth year. The race for overall honors is expected to take at least 18 hours, with teams running all day and throughout the dark Baja night.
The Groff Motorsports effort will see the return of team driver Mike Groff, who broke his wrist and a finger in a racing incident the SCORE Tecate Baja 500. Groff, nearly fully recovered from surgery to reset his wrist, will also take part in next week’s two-day testing session.
Team member and hugely popular KLSX 97.1 radio personality “Malibu Dan Finder” will be on hand next week to provide Los Angeles area listeners with call-ins from the testing session. The segments will offer Southern California off-road enthusiasts with progress on the team’s testing activity and an interview with Vasser.
The 2002 Groff Motorsports off-road team carries the familiar logos of BFGoodrich, Toyota, Northridge Equipment Rentals, Union 76 race fuel, KLSX 97.1Talk Radio, Lowrance, MOMO, Bosch, Eibach, PIAA, Molly Designs, Bell Helmets and Northwest Excavating.
# # #
Groff Motorsports and The Rennsport Group are proud to announce the confirmation of CART driver Jimmy Vasser at this year's SCORE Baja 1000 as part of the BFGoodrich/Toyota--powered Class 1 team. Below please find today's press release with the details...
Cheers,
Marty Fiolka
The Rennsport Group
Jimmy Vasser To Join Groff Motorsports Effort At 2002 SCORE Baja 1000
-- CART Star to Begin Desert Testing This Week --
NORTHRIDGE, Calif., -- Adding another major name to a 2002 SCORE Baja 1000 event that already features an impressive list of NASCAR, sports car and open-wheel drivers, CART’s Jimmy Vasser today confirmed his participation in the race as a member of the BFGoodrich/Toyota-powered effort fielded by Groff Motorsports. Vasser will team with open-wheel veterans Mike and Robbie Groff, along with team driver Marty Fiolka, to race for overall honors in a two-seat Toyota-powered Jimco set to compete in SCORE’s highly competitive Class 1 for unlimited open-wheel vehicles.
Vasser, from Las Vegas, NV, will join the growing ranks of professional drivers set to compete in the 35th running of the desert classic, a list that now includes Robby Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Roberto Guerrero and Elliott Forbes-Robinson. A lifelong friend of the Groff brothers, Vasser competed against both Mike and Robbie in quarter midgets begin at the age of eight.
The 1996 CART series champion, Vasser will begin his Baja 1000 odyssey tomorrow in an extensive test session in the deserts near Lucerne Valley, Calif. The test will be conducted by the team under the experienced eyes of Groff Motorsports team manager Don Tebbe and crew chief Barry Beacham, along with the Groffs and Fiolka. Vasser had previously tested a less potent desert race car in 2000 in preparation for that year’s epic SCORE Baja 2000, an event he was forced to miss due to a conflict in his racing schedule.
In its first year of operation, the Groff Motorsports team has made a successful entry into the Class 1 category, now the most competitive and often fastest class in the sport. Capitalizing on the bullet-proof reliability of its FAT Performance-prepared Toyota V6 powerplant and immaculate preparation from Beecham and his Race Preparation Crew, the team has logged nearly 2,500 trouble-free race and testing miles since completion of the new car in April. With a top speed of 120 mph and over two feet of wheel travel, Vasser is looking forward to the challenge of driving the BFGoodrich/Toyota-powered machine.
“I am looking forward to the whole Baja 1000 experience with a great deal of enthusiasm,” stated Vasser, who is busy preparing for this weekend’s CART event in Denver. “I know that the Groffs and Marty Fiolka have assembled a first-class effort, and I hear from Robbie that driving their Class 1 car ranks right up there with an Indy car. Joining this team is a commitment that I’m going to enjoy, but I also know I have a steep learning curve to contribute a good solid run in Baja.”
In celebration of its 35th Anniversary, the SCORE Tecate Baja 1000 will once again use consist of the legendary Ensenada to La Paz point-to-point format, a route race organizers return to every fourth year. The race for overall honors is expected to take at least 18 hours, with teams running all day and throughout the dark Baja night.
The Groff Motorsports effort will see the return of team driver Mike Groff, who broke his wrist and a finger in a racing incident the SCORE Tecate Baja 500. Groff, nearly fully recovered from surgery to reset his wrist, will also take part in next week’s two-day testing session.
Team member and hugely popular KLSX 97.1 radio personality “Malibu Dan Finder” will be on hand next week to provide Los Angeles area listeners with call-ins from the testing session. The segments will offer Southern California off-road enthusiasts with progress on the team’s testing activity and an interview with Vasser.
The 2002 Groff Motorsports off-road team carries the familiar logos of BFGoodrich, Toyota, Northridge Equipment Rentals, Union 76 race fuel, KLSX 97.1Talk Radio, Lowrance, MOMO, Bosch, Eibach, PIAA, Molly Designs, Bell Helmets and Northwest Excavating.
# # #