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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">07/10/2005</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="4">Multimatic Target Three Championships </FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="3">Ford Racing Technology Going For Titles</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><img border="1" src="Storage/mustang-05-grand-am-vir-05.jpg"></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>Three Championships The Target For Multimatic Motorsports At VIR</B> <BR> <BR> Ford Racing Technology and Multimatic Motorsports have their sights set on three separate championship victories at the final round of the 2005 Grand Am Cup Championship at Virginia International Raceway this weekend.<BR> <BR> Ford Mustang FR500C driver David Empringham holds a 15-point lead in the driver’s championship over BMW driver Justin Marks. To clinch the title, the ex-Formula Atlantic and Indy Lights Champion needs only to finish 10th or better in the No.05 Mustang to add the Grand Am Cup driver’s title to his resume.<BR> <BR> Co-driver Scott Maxwell sits in third place and has an opportunity to clinch second from Marks. However, it would take a victory by Maxwell and Empringham and a poor finish of 17th or worse by Marks and Bill Auberlen to lock out the top two spots in the championship for the two Ford Mustang stars.<BR> <BR> Multimatic Motorsports drivers actually hold four of the top six positions in the championship with American young guns Gunnar Jeannette (5th, 240 points) and James Gue (6th, 235 points) also recording strong seasons.<BR> <BR> Ford Racing Technology is also chasing the manufacturer’s title but currently trails BMW by only three points, 360 to 357. A Ford victory with a third place finish by the leading BMW will clinch the title for the blue oval brigade. <BR> <BR> The team’s championship faces a similar challenge. The No.05 Mustang FR500C has been driven by all four Multimatic Motorsports drivers in 2005. Should that car finish in the top three and two places ahead of the No.96 BMW, it will earn the team’s crown. If both cars finish further down the field, the No.05 Mustang needs to hold a four-position advantage over the BMW rival.<BR> <BR> “It has been an exciting and challenging season, and it is our intention to finish on a high note,” said Multimatic Vice President, Larry Holt.<BR> <BR> “David and all our drivers have done a fantastic job throughout the year, especially considering the restrictions that have been thrown at the Mustang FR500C.<BR> <BR> “Regardless of the outcome of the weekend, I am extremely proud of what we have achieved. However, our intention is to not only clinch the driver’s championship for David, but take our best shot at grabbing the manufacturer’s title for Ford and team’s title for Multimatic.<BR> <BR> “We are going to race that BMW as hard as we can until the final lap. We know they have a speed advantage, but like every race this year, they know they are going to be in for a tough fight.” <BR> <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>