VFW National Home to Receive Millions from Buick, Pontiac and GMC!

EATON RAPIDS, Mich. – As a nation honors its veterans for Memorial Day, Buick, Pontiac and GMC are asking people to remember the families of soldiers, especially those who have experienced loss.

Buick, Pontiac and GMC are rallying behind the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) National Home, a place where families who have experienced loss as a result of military service can heal and learn to move on with their lives. The home, set on over 600 acres in central Michigan, is a collection of housing, education and recreational facilities designed to help the families of veterans who have experienced tragedy in their lives.

In honor of Memorial Day, Buick, Pontiac and GMC are honoring America's heroes by supporting the families at the VFW National Home. Buick, Pontiac and GMC will donate $100 for every car sold to the VFW National Home between May 22 and May 31. The divisions expect to donate several millions dollars.

“In service since 1925, we give children, spouses and other displaced family members of veterans and active military personnel the help they need to get back on their feet,” said Patrice Green, Executive Director of the VFW National Home. “Some need a place to stay after losing parents or spouses overseas. Spouses need continuing education for careers to help them raise their kids as single parents. Many of these children need counseling or help with the life skills like finding a job or applying for college when they find themselves with no one left to help them.”

“On Memorial Day, it is especially appropriate to help the families who have sacrificed the most. We hope to make more people aware of these displaced families and the resources available to them through the National Home,” said John Larson, general manager for Buick, Pontiac and GMC.

To find out more about the VFW National Home and its’ mission to serve the families of America’s veterans, visit their website at www.vfwnationalhome.org.

CITGO-SAMAX RACING GOES TO PHOENIX!

May 9, 2006, Los Angeles, CA – Fresh from a 7th place finish at Laguna Seca
in Monterey, CA last weekend, Milka Duno and the CITGO Racing team travel to
Phoenix with high hopes for another strong finish at the Gainsco Grand Prix
at Phoenix International Raceway this week - May 11-13, 2006.

Duno and the CITGO Racing crew scored their 2nd top-ten finish of the season
on Laguna Seca’s 2.238-mile road course and will now work hard to set up
their new #11 CITGO Pontiac Riley for the 1.51-mile course at PIR – which
uses part of the track’s one-mile oval.

Corvette Racing driver and four-time 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner
Olivier Beretta will join Milka and CITGO Racing at PIR for the first of
their races together. It will be Beretta’s first race in the Daytona
Prototype.

"We bring with us to Phoenix a lot of positive momentum from our result at
Laguna Seca and I’m really looking forward to my first race with Olivier,"
said Milka. "We’ve all done a lot of work since debuting the new chassis at
Virginia and we’re hoping to continue to improve with each outing. Olivier
will bring with him a lot of experience to the CITGO Racing effort and we’re
all anxious to work with him and welcome him to the team."

A strong believer in the value of education, Milka, a qualified Naval
Engineer with four master’s degrees, feels a responsibility to help promote
the importance of a strong educational background and will get that chance
this week in Phoenix. Milka, together with GAINSCO/Blackhawk Racing driver
Jon Fogarty, will visit the Metro Tech High School in Phoenix on Wednesday,
May 10 to speak to and interact with the students as part of the APS Power
Players Program.

CITGO RACING BY SAMAX ANNOUNCES NEW EQUIPMENT & DRIVERS!

May 2, 2006, Los Angeles, CA…The Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series has become ultra competitive in 2006. Top equipment is a necessity to compete at the front and CITGO Racing by SAMAX is proud to announce that the #11 CITGO Pontiac Riley has undergone a complete transformation. The car is now the newest race car on the Rolex Series grid. The #11 boasts a brand new Riley chassis, new Bosch electronics, a Pontiac engine from Hasselgren Engineering and an all new paint scheme.

In addition, the team welcomes Corvette Racing driver Olivier Beretta to race with CITGO Racing regular Milka Duno in up to 6 of the remaining 9 races and Riley Technologies Factory driver Marc Goossens to compete in 3 races - beginning with the race at Laguna Seca. CITGO Racing is also pleased to announce that Champ Car veteran engineer Steve Challis will join the program starting with the upcoming race at Laguna Seca. Olivier Beretta, a Corvette Racing driver, is one of the most successful drivers in international endurance racing. He is a three time American Le Mans Series (ALMS) champion and a four time class winner of the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans. Since 2000, Beretta has also worked as a Formula One test driver with Michelin developing tires and since 2002 with the Williams F1 Team. “I’m very happy to have this new challenge in front of me and to drive for CITGO Racing and SAMAX. I’ve been watching the Daytona Prototypes because of the Pontiac involvement and to see my friends in action. The competition is extremely fierce and I am extremely anxious to help my new team beginning at Phoenix!”

Marc Goossens, a Riley Technologies factory driver, has raced top level prototype sports cars for over 10 years. Highlights include 3rd place finishes in the 2004 Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 2002 12 Hours of Sebring. “It’s encouraging to see the team moving forward on an aggressive path”, said Bill Riley, President of Riley Motorsport. “Having Marc in the car we should be able to work more closely with them on engineering and set up issues and help advance the development of the car.

With the upcoming testing and our support we expect to see the car at the front.” Steve Challis has been a Champ Car engineer for the past 10 years and has helped some of the top names in open wheel racing reach the podium and victory lane, including Paul Tracy, Jimmy Vasser, Dario Franchitti and Greg Moore. Duno said "We have been working really hard to make our team and car as strong as possible and I would like to thank Marino Franchitti for his valuable contribution this season.

The addition of factory drivers and a top engineer proves that we are on the right track. The series has become so competitive that it is critical to get as much help as possible to get to the front, which we will be making every effort to do." Milka Duno, Marc Goossens and the CITGO Racing by SAMAX team will now head west for the 6th round of the 2006 Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series Championship – the U.S. Sportscar Invitational at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, CA May 5-7, 2006. The Sunday race will be televised live on the SPEED Channel beginning at 3:00pm EDT.

PONTIAC INTRODUCES 2007 SOLSTICE GXP!

By Ward’s StaffWardsAuto.com
April2006

General Motors Corp.’s Pontiac division has takenthe wraps off its new G6 GXP coupe show car at the New York International Auto Show.

Based on the coupe version of the brand’s volume-leading G6 sedan, the new GXP show car illustrates the model’s performance potential, while also serving as a test bed for public reaction that could spur it into production.

“Although the GXP performance series has been very successful in the past, we’ve never attempted to introduce a GXP on our largest-volume vehicle and we want to be sure we do it right,” says Pontiac Product Director Dennis Maraone.
Power for the G6 GXP comes from a 270-hp version of GM’s 3.9L V-6 engine mated to a 6-speed manual transmission.

A functional ram air hood with twin inlets adorns the front of the car and complements a redesigned front fascia sporting a more aggressive air dam. Other exterior highlights include special chrome accents, a new rear bumper with dual, chrome exhaust tips, rocker panel extensions and a unique “hammerhead” spoiler, GM says.

A lowered suspension, vented, cross-drilled brake rotors and special 19-in. wheels round out the GXP’s performance upgrades.

Inside, the standard G6 interior is accented by red leather seat and door panel inserts and red chrome trim on the instrument panel, center stack and door controls.

Pontiac’s GXP performance line was introduced in 2003 with the Bonneville GXP sports sedan. A Grand Prix GXP debuted last year, while the latest edition, the 260-hp Solstice GXP, launches this fall, the auto maker says.