SBRS: Reynard new Barber Dodge chassis

REYNARD TO DESIGN THE NEW BARBER DODGE

NATIONAL EXHIBITION CENTER (NEC), BIRMINGHAM, England (Thursday, Jan. 9) - Reynard Racing Cars took to the stage today at the Autosport International Show to announce that it will be designing the new Barber Dodge Pro Series car, to be used beginning with the 1998 racing season. The Reynard will replace the Mondiale Cars space-frame design, in use since the Series' 1986 inception.

In one of the largest single-orders in Reynard history, the company will initially construct 35 identical monocoques. Certain aspects of the design and construction may well be considered revolutionary, due to the unique needs of the Series. Reynard are world leaders in open-wheel race car design, having been the chassis that won, in 1996, the CART Driver's and Constructor's Championships, the Indy 500, the U.S. 500, the Rookie of the Year title and the Japanese Formula Nippon Championship.

Skip Barber Racing owns, maintains and prepares all the cars in the Series; the Reynard Barber Dodges will be powered by stock Dodge (Chrysler), all-aluminum, 3.2-litre 24-valve V6s. Skip Barber and Series Manager Steve Sewell specified a definite "and unique" set of design parameters, based around the premise of the cars having a high level of horsepower versus grip:

-- The cars must be exactly the same -- They must be relatively inexpensive to build and operate, thus maintaining Barber Dodge's lead in cost effectiveness and affordability -- They must be extremely safe in a crash situation, yet inexpensive and repairable at the track

Detail Designer Andrew Thorby was brought on board by Adrian Reynard to fully develop Adrian's concept and take charge of the detail design and manufacturing stages, resulting in. . .

A carbon/honeycomb hybrid monocoque A design eliminating the need for longitudinal internal support frames due to the strong carbon component A carbon skin thickness similar to the Reynard Indy car design A monocoque made of only three main mouldings, and class leading in safety, strength and torsional stiffness A design that maintains good pedal access, and room enough for larger drivers A design that is predicted to reduce by 75% (as compared to the current car) the occurrence of chassis damage A monocoque featuring high strength, but frangible, suspension mounting positions The invention of a "field repair system" that allows overnight structural repairs

The U.S.-based Barber Dodge Pro Series is the world's leading single-seat equal-car championship, since only the Series organizer (Skip Barber Racing) prepares and maintains every car. Young, up-and-coming professional drivers from around the world "lease" a car for a set cost per race (currently, a full season budget is roughly $125,000US), using the Series as a steppingstone to the next level, usually F3000 or CART Indy Lights. The races are televised nationally and internationally by espn2 and ESPN International.

Contacts: Corinna Phillips/Reynard, 011-44-1869-244397 Rick Roso/Barber Dodge, U.S.A. 860.435.4646

Barber Dodge Pro Series 29 Brook Street Lakeville, Conn. U.S.A. 06039 tel 860.435.4646 fax 860.435.1321/ex END