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Gathering at Road America, Elkhart Lake, WI - April 8th and 9th, 2006

The Dodge Stealth and Mitsubishi 3000GT are in a racing class defined as "GTO." This FIA classification (International Automobile Federation, the folks that sanction world class racing series such as F1) stands for "Gran Turismo Omologato." In English, this is translated to “Grand Touring class, Homologated for Racing." This means your car was designed to stand up to the rigors of competitive driving right from the showroom floor. Ever have the urge to try this out? Well, wake up and get ready to really drive – W3SI is proud to offer you the chance of a lifetime…

Most car aficionados here in Wisconsin have heard of Road America. If the name doesn't ring a bell, it should. Road America is North America’s longest road course. It is 4 miles in length and is home to racing series such as: ALMS (American Le Mans Series) – Road America 500, the SCCA Series – June Sprints, and the CART Series – Grand Prix of Road America. In fact, if you’re familiar with road racing, then you know that Road America is one of the premier road racing circuits in North America.

W3SI invites you to join us at the MFBA (Midwest F-Body Association) event April 8th and 9th, 2006. This is a high performance, non-competitive driving event open to all sports cars. You can drive as fast, or as slow, as you want. There is no competitive pressure as there are several classes organized according to skill level and car prep. The main intent of the organizers is to allow everyone to share and enjoy the track at the pace most comfortable to the individual driver. The entrance fee allows you eight 20-minute sessions (300+ miles) over the 2-day extravaganza. It is expected that several Stealth’s and 3000GT’s will be participating throughout the various classes for this event. At previous year’s events, the track saw the likes of W3SI member's Scott Cowan, Jesse Rink, and Jack Tertadian gracing its turns and straight-aways, eating up the competition, and proving the 3/S is a fierce road course competitor. Coverage of the event is done by Popular Hot Rodding and Speed, Style & Sound Magazines.

For those of you who wish to attend the event as a spectator only, $5 will get you in the gate, and a helmet will get you in the passenger seat for a ride that may change your entire outlook on road racing. According to 3S Racer, Rich Merritt, "...willing hands are needed, so there will be plenty of activities to keep W3SI members busy, including assisting in: changing tires, putting in race pads, unloading/loading vehicles, topping off fluids, checking wheel nuts, etc." This is a prime opportunity for you to learn more about high performance driving from experienced 3/S racers.

A rough itinerary for the event is as follows (schedule subject to change):

Friday Night
• Arrival and hotel check-in
• Visit local watering hole
Saturday
• Arrive early at track around 6:00am to set up 3/S corral, meet and greet, unload cars and setup
• Cars head out on the track, get rides, car maintenance and repairs, shoot videos, time laps, cook lunch

• Pack up and secure area at 5:30pm
• Dinner and libations with great story telling
Sunday
• Breakfast in Elkhart Lake
• Help prep rookie cars that purchased Sunday entry fee buyout
• Cars head out on the track, get rides, car maintenance and repairs, shoot videos, time laps, cook lunch
• Help racers pack up and go home

More information about the MFBA event can be found at http://roadamerica.fbody.us including directions, hotels, track schedule, fees, past events, and tons of other information. If you are curious as to what road racing at Road America is all about, click here to watch in-car videos of this event as seen from the cockpit of a Stealth and 3000GT. Also, registration costs for racing CAN be split between two members, effectively cutting the entrance fee in half. In this case, one person would race all day Saturday, and the other on Sunday. There are also chances to buyout other driver’s fees for as cheap as $20, however, no guarantees can be made. Last year, a car show was also held during the event for anyone interested in checking out all the fine rides.

We also encourage you to read these road racing tips from Rich Merritt. More details about this event will be posted as soon as they becomes available.