After a record-setting sophomore season in the GRAND-AM KONI Sports Car Challenge Street Tuner (ST) class, APR Motorsport announced today it will compete both ST and the Grand Sport class in 2010.

The team will campaign the sixth generation Volkswagen GTI again in ST, while debuting in the GS class with the new Audi S4. The team launched its contenders during a barbecue held Saturday at APR’s Performance Campus in front of a crowd consisting of international press, sponsors and enthusiasts.

Power from the 3.0L supercharged V6 Audi S4 will come via Audi’s patented Quattro technology, of which the APR engineering staff is refining for competition. It will compete against GS staples such as the Ford Mustang GT, BMW M3, Porsche 997, Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger.

‘This is a landmark for our company and Audi enthusiasts alike,’ said Stephen Hooks, APR llc President and Founder. ‘The GS class is the next logical step for the team and our relationship with Audi made the progression a simple choice. Even in factory trim, the balance, handling and power of the new S4 are miles ahead of the previous generations of this car.’

Added Jeff Mishtawy, Director of Motorsport for APR: ‘We tested the new S4 at Barber Motorsports Park a couple of weeks ago, and the drivers were quite positive, especially for this early in the development cycle. The team is working with Grand-Am technical staff to finalize the set of rules for the car and the initial specifications are anticipated to be finished shortly. Several of the team’s technical partners from BBS, Status, IAV, and Motul were on hand to develop equipment for the all-new platform.’

The VW GTI produced four victories in ST, as well as five pole positions and three front row sweeps. The cars also combined to lead 38 percent of the laps this season in ST. The biggest update to the GTI will be a new engine in which VW has improved reliability while maintaining power output.

APR Motorsport expects to hit the track in January at Daytona International Speedway, picking up where it left off in 2009. Although drastically different in appearance, the team has been able to directly apply the chassis and brake tuning learned the past two years of competition to the new entry. APR’s engineers have been working on tuning of the powertrain for the past four months and have made some significant progress.

‘The transition to the new chassis should be seamless,’ said APR Motorsport driver Ian Baas. ‘The team has been busy tweaking the car for a while now and with the data we have been able to gather from 2009 we will be able to be competitive very quickly.’

Drivers interested should contact Mishtawy at 800-680-7921 or jeff@aprmotorsport.com.

Matching the exterior of each car, team members said they vow the technological growth will be impressive as well. The entire staff of APR and APR Motorsport is already designing the equipment and components necessary to take the team to victory lane again in 2010.

- Grand Am

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Dion von Moltke passed teammate Josh Hurley with two laps remaining in the Street Tuner (ST) portion of the race to earn his and co-driver Mike Sweeney’s third victory of the 2009 season. Von Moltke and Sweeney drove the No. 181 APR/BBS Volkswagen GTI for APR Motorsport.

The battle for the lead was between the APR cars for much of the event, before Randy Pobst in the No. 74 Skunk2/034 Motorsport Honda Civic Si and Tom Long in the No. 145 Mazda/Freedom Autosport Mazda MX-5 joined during the final half hour. The four drivers went four-wide at one point and Pobst and Long staged a war for the third position, reminiscent of their battle for the lead in March at Homestead.

However, no team other than APR led a lap in ST. Polesitter Ian Baas led the opening 20 laps in the No. 171 APR/Gunther VW Volkswagen GTI before pitting and giving Sweeney the lead for two laps. Hurley picked up the lead on Lap 23 and held on until von Moltke made the winning pass, which came in near pitch-black conditions.

‘I’m not too sure what happened, actually,’ von Moltke said. ‘Tom Long got a little crazy on the last few laps and he and Josh had a big contact. For a long time, Josh kept in front of me. I knew that I was a little quicker the whole race but I could never get it done because it’s so hard to overtake. He slowed up just enough to let me by. It was a clean move and it ended up being great. The night is my favorite time to race. I absolutely love it. It’s kind of my deal. I guess it’s kind of bittersweet but I’m really glad to get on P1 with Mike Sweeney. He drove an excellent first stint.’

The second-place run for Baas and Hurley – who is on the verge of winning Rookie of the Year honors in KONI Challenge competition – vaulted the duo into second in the championship standings, now 27 points (286-259) behind leader Christian Miller, who co-drove with Pobst.

‘We don’t like to see races end this way but either way, both of the cars came home and that’s what matters,’ said Miller, who only needs a 26th-place finish at VIR to wrap up an ST championship. ‘Both drivers are safe. It does do us good for points. I want my drivers safe and happy.’

Added Baas: ‘We finished in front of the people we’re fighting for the championship right now and I’m really excited for having a one-two for APR.’

Subaru Road Racing Team co-drivers Kristian Skavnes and Andrew Aquilante dropped to third in points with a seventh-place finish in the No. 111 Subaru of America Subaru Legacy. The two are 31 points behind Miller after entering the race 25 points behind.

Fourth were Long and Derek Whitis, while Ford Racing Mustang Challenge regulars Rick Edwards and Ted Anthony Jr. finished fifth in the No. 76 Skunk2/Hondata Honda Civic Si.

The final race of the 2009 season is the Bosch Engineering Octoberfest, a four-hour combined race Sunday, Oct. 4, at the 3.27-mile Virginia International Raceway.

Catch it on TV Oct 3, 1:30 PM ET on SPEED!

- AR Motorsports

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If you’re watching the Koni coverage from Barber Motorsport Park right now on SPEED, you will notice a new entry to the class. Irish Mike’s out of Orlando, Fl is a AAA approved automotive repair service shop. They also have a full service race shop for both amateur and professional racers.

Irish Mike’s Racing has produced cars that have won SCCA championships in ITS, ITA, ITB, and ITC classes and has provided service for Vintage race cars including Ferrari and Saab.

Check out more pics in their gallery here.

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Huge congrats to our friends Ian Bass and Josh Hurley! Both these guys get their first career win along with APR scoring a home track win. Set your DVR for Saturday, July 25, noon ET and turn in for the win! Unfortunately, we were out of town and not able to head down to Barber for the race.

Ian Baas and Josh Hurley turned in a dominating performance Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park, leading 76 of the 83 laps to win the Legacy Credit Union 200, Round 8 of the 2009 Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge.

While it was the first career victory for both drivers of the No. 171 APR Motorsport Volkswagen GTI, it followed back-to-back triumphs by Dion von Moltke and Mike Sweeney in the No. 181. It was also a home-course victory for APR Motorsport, based in nearby Auburn, Ala.

Baas led the opening 36 circuits before being passed by the No. 111 Subaru of America Subaru Legacy of Andrew Aquilante on the front straightaway. Baas quickly regained the lead in Turn 1 on the next lap, and paced another lap before pitting.

‘I can’t say enough for Mr. Aquilante,’ Baas said. ‘He was really putting the pressure on me. The Subaru was really set up good. I really had to work out hard out there. It will make for good TV (SPEED, Saturday, July 25, noon ET).’

Ken Wilden, driving the No. 129 JE Racing/Hawk Brakes BMW 330i, and Christian Miller, in the No. 74 034 Motorsport/Skunk2 Honda Civic Si, each led a lap before their stops, when the lead cycled back to Hurley.

Hurley’s only challenge in the closing half of the race came when the third and final full-course caution waved with 38 minutes remaining, erasing a 12.8 second lead. On the restart, Hurley motored away from Kristian Skavnes, who took over for Aquilante.

Andrew Carbonell, who took over for 15th-place starter Rhett O’Doski in the No. 146 Freedom Autosport/Mazda Mazda MX-5, passed Skavnes following the restart and finished second, 4.118 seconds behind Hurley.

Skavnes held on for third, followed by Owen Trinkler and Jade Buford in the No. 196 Cruise America/Four Winds Mini Cooper S, Bryan Ortiz and Wilden, and Sarah Cattaneo and Mark White in the No. 147 Freedom Autosport/Mazda Mazda MX-5.

Randy Pobst placed seventh in relief of Miller, whose lead was cut to 18 points by Skavnes and Aquilante (231-213). Pobst remains third in the standings with 205 points, with Baas and Hurley another 10 points back with 195 points.

Baas and Hurley averaged 75.473 mph. The race was slowed three times for six laps, all for cars stopped off course that were able to continue following extrications.

• 1 – 171 – Baas / Hurley – APR Motorsport / Volkswagen GTI
• 2 – 146 – ST – 2 – Carbonell / O’Doski – Freedom Autosport / Mazda MX-5
• 3 – 111 – ST – 3 – Aquilante / Skavnes – Subaru Road Racing Team / Subaru Legacy
• 4 – 196 – ST – 4 – Buford / Trinkler – RSR Motorsports / Mini Cooper S
• 5 – 129 – ST – 5 – Ortiz / Wilden – Next Generation Motorsports / BMW 330
• 6 – 147 – ST – 6 – Cattaneo / White – Freedom Autosport / Mazda MX-5
• 7 – 74 – ST – 7 – Miller / Pobst – Compass360 Racing / Honda Civic SI
• 8 – 198 – ST – 8 – Burrows / Hopwood – RSR Motorsports / Mini Cooper S
• 9 – 138 – ST – 9 – Danyliw / Schmidt – GS Motorsports / Chevrolet Cobalt SS
• 10 – 75 – ST – 10 – Bell / Spaude – Compass360 Racing / Honda Civic SI

View the full race results

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Dion von Moltke took advantage of APR Motorsport teammate Ian Baas’ misfortune Sunday at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, taking the lead with seven minutes remaining and holding on for his second consecutive Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge Street Tuner victory.

Baas and pole-winning co-driver Josh Hurley led 66 of the opening 78 circuits on the 2.258-mile circuit, when Baas suddenly began to slow with an electrical problem in the No. 171 Gunther VW Volkswagen GTI. Von Moltke quickly took command and led the final six laps, giving the team’s No. 181 APR Tuning/BBS Volkswagen GTI shared by Mike Sweeney its second consecutive victory.

Baas soldiered on to finish 11th behind his winning teammates.

‘It definitely was not easy,’ von Moltke said. ‘I was pushing every lap. I looked over about twice a lap and saw Randy coming. I was pushing very hard. What really helped us was we came here focused on two corners – the Carrousel and the Key Hole. They are very similar corners, and we were able to get a good grip on the car there. If you can get a good run out of both of those corners, it’s very hard to be overtaken.’

After a slow start to the season, APR Motorsport learned a trick or two about setting up their Volkswagens three races ago at Lime Rock Park, and the team has been coming on strong ever since. The team put on a clinic throughout much of Sunday’s race, before Baas’ late-race misfortune.

Hurley captured his second pole of the season in Friday’s qualifying, and led the opening 40 circuits before his pit stop. Sweeney then led two circuits before pitting. While Guy Cosmo, Chad Gilsinger and Charles Putman had turns out front before their stops, the lead recycled back to Baas – who led the 26 laps.

‘We found something in the back end of the suspension that the car really, really likes midway through the event at Lime Rock,’ Sweeney said. ‘Last year we had a lot of power but couldn’t seem to do anything with it. This year it seems people have caught up with the power, but we’ve finally got the Volkswagen handling really well. We made a few changes, and the car just woke up. We had our plan today, which was to run as close as we could but to save brakes a little.’

The victory was also a homecoming event for APR Motorsport crew chief Jeff Mishtawy, who is from nearby Columbus, Ohio.

Sweeney and von Moltke averaged 83.039 mph. The race was slowed by three cautions for 12 laps. The only accident came early in the race, when Sam Schultz escaped injury after hitting the wall in Turn 1 in the No. 23 V-Pack Motorsport BMW Z4.

The KONI Challenge Grand Sport competitors raced on Saturday, with Ken Wilden and Dean Martin winning in the No. 59 RehagenRacingProducts.com Ford Mustang GT. Wilden extended his lead in the championship to 21 points over Bret Seafuse and James Gue (204-183), who finished second.

The next action for the Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge will be July 18-19 at Barber Motorsports Park, with split races for the Grand Sport and Street Tuner classes.

- Grand-Am

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