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<body> <Table Width="550" border="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" cellpadding="0"><TR><TD Width="35"><IMG SRC="//www.totalmotorsport.com/images/spacer.gif" WIDTH="35" HEIGHT="1"></td><td> <CENTER><Table border="0" width="100%"> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="5">GRAND AMERICAN ROAD RACING ASSOCIATION</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="left"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="2">12/06/2002</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="4">Bingham looking forward to The Glen</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="3">Saleen is favourite</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="1">  </FONT></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="left"><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="2"><B>Bingham, Saleen Aiming for Another Sweep of The Glen</B><BR> <BR> Winning at Watkins Glen International is a feat but winning at The Glen twice in the same year is an impressive accomplishment for any driver or team. Chris Bingham and his co-driver Ron Johnson were the only two drivers to conquer The Glen at both its Rolex Sports Car Series races last year, capturing the checkered flag of the GTS class in Park Place Racing's No 5 Saleen S7R. Next week, Bingham will return to The Glen in the Saleen in hopes of extending his team's winning streak and taking the first step towards a second sweep of the historic road course. <BR> <BR> Bingham will be joined during the 6 Hours of The Glen by his new co-driver, Rodney Mall of Riverside, Calif. After racing against Bingham in the No 12 Ultima at the start of the season, Mall partnered with the 2001 GTS driver champion in the No 5 K&N Filters/Gatorz Eyewear Saleen for the first time in Phoenix, where the duo won their class in the UnitedAuto 200. <BR> <BR> "I don't think Rodney has ever raced at The Glen, so we'll spend a lot of time during the practice days getting him up to speed," Bingham explained. "He's still new to the series, track and car, but he did a good job in his first race at Phoenix, so I'm sure he'll do well at The Glen."<BR> <BR> Bingham credits last year's success on perfect team chemistry, which garnered seven GTS victories, including two at The Glen, and a driver championship. "We had a strong driver lineup last year with Ron and I. Our team did a good job of getting us in and out of the pits quickly during both races (at Watkins Glen)," notes Bingham. "They performed perfectly, the car ran great and we were able to pick up both wins."<BR> <BR> Although the team has seen some changes in 2002, its goals are still the same. "We are going to win it again. We aren't coming to finish second. We want to win."<BR> <BR> While winning his second-straight driver championship is Bingham's main objective in 2002, he is also continuing to pursue his dream of Indy car racing. He recently returned home from a refresher test with Zali Racing, who he has signed with to compete in the Firestone Indy 200 in Nashville and Gateway Indy 250 in St. Louis. <BR> <BR> "Those were the only two dates available for me at the current time due to my commitment to the Rolex Series. If time permits and funding becomes available, I would certainly like to run in more IRL races in the future," said Bingham, who currently leads the GTS point standings. "The transition from road racing to oval tracks will not be as substantial as some think. I passed my IRL rookie test in 2000, and I've done some testing with open-wheel teams in the past. I'm not worried about it."<BR> <BR> With his Indy refresher test out of the way, Bingham is directing all his energy into preparing for next week's 6 Hours of The Glen. "We have a fresh motor to run at The Glen. We have only had one DNF with the Saleen (last season at Lime Rock). Even at the Rolex 24 when we had crash trouble, the team got us back out there for the end of the race. I don't plan on getting any DNFs this season. The car will finish the race. I feel confident of that."<BR> </FONT></TD></TR> </TABLE><BR> </CENTER> <BR><CENTER><font size="1" color="#808080" face="Tahoma">Copyright ©2000-©2023 TotalMotorSport</font></CENTER> </td> </tr> </table> </body>