SPC - Saturn Performance Club

Press release - 11/22/2002

SPC / GF Racing Announce New Sponsorship Program

The Saturn Performance Club has taken delivery of the #50 SC2 owned by GF Racing of Detroit, Michigan. In an ambitious winter buildup plan, the car will be gone through from stem to stern and further improved for the rigors of door-to-door SCCA Improved Touring racing for the 2003 season. The arrangement between GF Racing and the SPC is very unique. Rather than just supporting the team by writing a check, SPC members from across the United States have expressed interest in volunteering their time and effort to help prepare, maintain, and improve the car. With parts being supplied by GF Racing and skilled labor by the SPC, the car is sure to consistently finish in the top 10.

GF Racing #50 car

The SPC will also transport the car, spare parts, tools, and volunteer crew members to at least 6 races during the 2003 season. With a strong commitment to first-class car preparation and with a top-notch crew in place, 2003 is sure looking good for the SPC / GF Racing effort!

GF Racing is a partnership between Carlos Franca and Chris Berube. Carlos, originally from Brazil, is a Vehicle Concept Manager at General Motors who also runs a Formula Continental and Formula Atlantic with the SCCA. He has a long history of motorsports involvement stretching back to the 1970s. He has raced everything from go-karts to Formula Atlantic cars and was Team Manager for an Indy Car team. Carlos purchased the #50 car brand new from a Saturn retailer in 1994 and drove it as his street car prior to its conversion to a race car. Carlos and Chris will be sharing in the car's development.

Chris Berube is a Powertrain Integration Engineer at General Motors High Performance Vehicle Operations (HPVO) and has been racing Saturns since 1995. His motorsports career began in 1991 with SCCA SOLO II competition and has continued to date. During the past 3 years he has piloted an SC1 (built and prepared by the Saturn Corporation) in the One Lap of America competition. The car had a strong 2nd place finish in 2000 and an impressive 1st in class finish in 2001 and 2002. In 2002 Chris jumped into Improved Touring racing and had 5 top 10 finishes in 5 starts, in just his first season! He’s sure to be even faster behind the wheel of #50 next year.

The SPC was founded in 1997 by Jon Tapp and John LeTourneau and has been growing at a significant rate. Being the first performance-oriented Saturn car club, they have hosted more than 25 motorsports-related events so far. The club's largest event of the year is an annual rally lasting a week, including activities such as drag racing, dyno pulls, a car show, and a high-speed driver's school held on real road course. The club's focus is encouraging Saturn owners to get out and drive their cars to showcase the performance potential of the Saturn platform. A partnership with the GF Racing Team is a perfect example of just that.

Currently the GF Racing #50 car is a mildly prepared 1994 SC2. With 145,000 miles on the original motor and timing chain, it still successfully completed 333 race miles during the 2002 season! While the car is currently class legal, it has room to be optimized - and that’s where the SPC comes in. Under the expert guidance of Tapp, LeTourneau, and other SPC members, the car will undergo an engine rebuild, chassis development, a rear disc brake conversion, and a few other tricks that should help the team get to the front of the pack. The road map for this adventure is the SCCA’s General Competition Rules; and with some hard work, the SPC should be able to make this coupe breathe fire and tear up the asphalt!

Be sure to watch this area of the website for more information in the near future. We will detail the build up of the coupe, including the engine rebuild (with before/after chassis dynamometer runs), chassis work, and rear disc conversion. Once racing season kicks off, race reports, photos, and video will also be posted.

A project like this requires the hard work and effort of many people. If you are interested in being one of those people and sharing in a rewarding racing experience, please contact us. The SPC will happily accept volunteers for all phases of the project. Sign up now and see what it’s like to help build, support, and crew for the SPC / GF Racing effort!!

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