SCC: Improve Your Position Award announced

Bernheim Improve Your Position Award Set to Reward Grand-Am Cup Teams at VIR 200 and Throughout 2006 Season

ALTON, Va. (April 20, 2006) -- As part of Bernheim Group's contingency sponsorship of the Grand-Am Cup Series, which was announced in January at Daytona International Speedway, the Southern California-based group of firms will add to the coffers of two Grand-Am Cup teams following Saturday's VIR 200.

The "Bernheim Improve Your Position Award" is the centerpiece of the largest contingency sponsorship in the six-year history of the Grand-Am Cup Series. In each of the 10 races on the 2006 Grand-Am Cup Series schedule, teams in both the Grand Sport (GS) and Street Tuner (ST) classes will compete for the $2,500 award presented to team and drivers that show the greatest improvement from starting position to finishing position in each event.

"We believe the Grand-Am Cup Series is the most exciting pure production racing series in the world," Steve Bernheim said. "We are confident it will continue to grow exponentially and want to do all we can be part of it."

A $2,500 award will be presented to the biggest movers in each class, for a total payout of $5,000 per race. Bernheim Group will award an additional $5,000 to the team that wins the award the most times during the 2006 season in a presentation during the 2006 Grand-Am Cup Series Awards Banquet.

No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M3 co-drivers Bill Auberlen and Chris Gleason earned the $2,500 GS award in the season-opening Grand-Am Cup 200 at Daytona in January. Todd Buras, Andrew Linder and Mitch Piper claimed ST honors in their No. 39 Piper Motorsport BMW 330i.

"For 2006, the series will see some of its largest fields ever, and it's a good possibility that the Bernheim Improve Your Position Award could go to a different team after each race," said Grand American Road Racing Association President Roger Edmondson. "We are obviously thrilled to welcome Steve Bernheim and his group to our paddock in an official capacity and we believe this new relationship is just the tip of the iceberg for the Grand-Am Cup Series."

-garra