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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">SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="left"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="2">20/03/2004</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="4">Cadillac Triumphs In Return To Motorsports</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="3">Angelelli Takes The First Chequered Flag </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>Cadillac Triumphs In Return To Motorsports</B><BR> <BR> <B>Max Angelelli Takes The First Chequered Flag In A Cadillac Since 1949</B><BR> <BR> The General Motors’ Cadillac division claimed a dramatic victory in its first outing for the high performance CTS-V race car at Sebring International Raceway on Friday. Factory driver Max Angelelli took the win for Cadillac in Round 1 of the SCCA Speed World Challenge GT championship, while team-mate Andy Pilgrim took a dramatic second place finish after passing some thirty cars. <BR> <BR> “This is a hugely significant day for Cadillac and General Motors,” said Karen Rafferty, marketing manager for the CTS-V. “We are here to compete with some of the world’s best manufacturers to prove that our products are competitive in the showroom and on the track. This is a great start for the team.”<BR> <BR> While Cadillac-powered cars appeared on the racing scene throughout the past century, the last time an actual Cadillac car took a chequered flag was 1949’s Milwaukee 100 stock car race, with famed Indy driver Paul Russo at the wheel. Today’s victory also harkens back to what could be described as Cadillac’s first foray into motorsports, when in 1909 Howard Covey won the first race held in the United States National Championship series in Portland, Oregon in his stock Cadillac 30, beating out competitors Buick and Auburn in the process. While the names have changed, today’s victory for the Cadillac CTS-V marks a similar competition against showroom rivals such as Audi and BMW. <BR> <BR> “I am so excited for the team today,” said Angelelli. “I was pushing very hard through the race and I was able to pass the Audi and race to the victory. We did a lot of testing at Sebring and it paid off today.”<BR> <BR> Angelelli’s team-mate, Andy Pilgrim, finished in second position after climbing back from the last position on the grid. Pilgrim’s car stalled immediately before the standing start, leaving his Cadillac behind 31 other cars. After finally starting the car, the American climbed back through the pack at a tremendous rate, passing as many as four cars per lap.<BR> <BR> “My clutch dragged on the start and the car stalled,” said Pilgrim. “I was finally able to slam it into gear and get the car going and had to fight back. But the car was set up beautifully and I could drive it wherever I wanted. My hats go off to the crew who gave me a great race car. Altogether this is a great day for the team.”<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>