RACE: UMW's AAR Eagle Road America summary

UMW's 1977 AAR Eagle DGF Triumphs in First Run at Road America

Elkhart Lake, Wisc. 12 AUG 2010 -- After nearly sixteen months in restoration, UMW's 1977 All-American Racers Eagle DGF #005 Formula Ford, driven by Jacques Dresang, took home a FF class-win this past weekend at the SCCA Chicago Region's Kettle Moraine Regional at Road America.

On Saturday, Dresang took the #46 car out for its first test run during the day's qualifying session; his first in a Formula car. After a few shake-down laps, the former west coast machine came to life as the Hartford, Wisconsin native tested the car's abilities. Everything went like clockwork as the car qualified and finished third for its initial day of shakedown.

Day two presented a heavy rainstorm just before the 8 a.m. qualifying session. With only a handful of cars entered in the class, Dresang and mechanic Paul Jay thought it would be best to skip qualifying. Instead, the duo had a coffee indoors and waited until the sun came out for the race.

The move proved to be a wise one as the track began to dry an hour before the second race of the weekend. The #46 machine started the race in second and grabbed the lead in turn 2, leading from flag-to-flag to capture their first FF win despite two full-course caution periods.

'It was a great feeling to have the car not only run the full weekend without an issue, but for it to come home first on Sunday,' said Dresang. 'A lot of people thought we were crazy to try to race a 33-year-old Formula Ford nationally in 2011; but with the amount of improvements that we are planning on making for our next race, I think we can definitely make people take notice of the Eagle DGF.'

The win also proved to be timely, as this coming weekend marks the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The event is honoring legendary American racing icon Dan Gurney whose All-American Racers company built three of UMW's machines, including the Eagle DGF.

'We unfortunately had too many irons in the fire to make it out to Monterey,' said Dresang. 'But we would like to send our best wishes to the AAR family, as well as our thanks to the Chicago Region of SCCA, John Taylor of Two-Dogg, Inc., Heinz Mihm, Jeff Jagusch, Wes Allen, Paul Jay and the staff at UMW.'

The next race for UMW will be August 28-29 for Continental Motors Group National at Blackhawk Farms Raceway in South Beloit, Illinois, where driver Jacques Dresang will again pilot the team's 1977 All-American Racers Eagle DGF.

UMW is a team dedicated to the integrity and preservation of the history of motorsports. Since 1996, UMW has competed in various forms of racing, always with the same attention to detail that can be seen today in the various machines currently raced and restored by the team. For more information, visit www.uemsimotorwerks.com.

-source: umw