February 16, 2002

Chad had the thrill of his life yesterday when he piloted the new ultra sophisticated Lola MG 675 Le Mans Prototype around Road Atlanta's short course. The car is one of the newest of the 675 prototypes on the ALMS circuit for 2002. With a purpose built 2.0 Liter Turbocharged AER engine producing "somewhere in the neighborhood of 550hp" and weighing in at the 675kg minimum (apprx. 1480 lbs.) the full carbon fiber car is a rocket ship capable of running with the LMP900 class cars.

Chad was provided with the opportunity to "evaluate his ability" in order to see if he would fill the seat as a full time driver at KnightHawk Racing, who will run the full ALMS series and Le Mans 24 hours with the Lola MG this season. After the short 5 lap session, it was apparent that Steve Knight and Mel Hawkins were pleased with Chad's performance. Chad was also pleased, he had this to say...

"All I can compare that too was a dream.....the chance to drive a full Le Mans car was just unbelievable. Everything I didn't like about the SRP2 Grand-Am class car, was perfect in this car. The lightness and massive horsepower made it a blast to drive. I want to thank Steve Knight and Mel Hawkins for giving me the opportunity to drive the car. I came down here with the intention of watching the car test, and to possibly stir some interest in them putting me in the car. When Mel said "throw your suit on" I was sooo nervous and excited I didn't know what to do, I truly thought he was joking."

The car has a sequential 6 speed gearbox, full carbon brakes, and immense downforce, making it drastically different than the Lola Nissan car that Chad piloted at Daytona less than two weeks ago.

"This car does everything perfectly. The turn-in is lightning fast, the brakes are terribly aggressive, and the power is awesome. I just went out and tried to see over my cheeks, since I was smiling so much, I'm surprised the guys didn't see that from the wall. I believe I have proven that I have the ability to get the job done, willingness to learn, and ability to quickly adapt."

After some time to pause and collect his thoughts, Chad finished with:
"Steve and Mel have both expressed their full interest to have me in the car, I just need to finalize some funding. This is a dream come true....this time last year I would have never thought I'd be in a Le Mans car...maybe an Atlantic...but this has been a dream for me ever since my Dad took me to the races. I hope I can get everything in order....I'd love to bring KnightHawk Racing a championship this season since they barely missed out by 2 points last year. The opportunity to work with Lola, AER, and Knighthawk Racing has me chewing my fingernails off. I already told Steve and Mel, they are going to be responsible for the fact that I won't sleep for weeks....but when I do fall asleep I'll be counting MG's, not sheep."