05/05/02

ROLLING THUNDER RETURNS

Mintex revs up Britain's stock-car showpiece

The rolling thunder returns to Rockingham this weekend as the lights go to green on the 2002 ASCAR Championship. Mintex, Europe's number one automotive friction supplier, will once again provide the moving force and stopping power behind Britain's first ever 'Days of Thunder' style, banked oval, stock-car racing series.

Britain's biggest name in braking has announced substantial on-going support to the championship, with the signing of an agreement as a major financial and logistics sponsor of the 2002 series.

All competing cars will once again use specially developed Mintex F-Series Racing brake pads, ensuring bumper-to-bumper action, (with possibly a little friction between the teams!), as the 20-strong grid slug it out in Britain's fastest motor racing championship.

Mintex, a major part of TMD Friction, the world's largest specialist brake and brake components group, pledged its support to the series when ASCAR was originally conceived in 2000, leading to the title sponsorship of the series in 2001, when competitors fought it out for the Mintex Cup.

The series biggest backer has revved up its support since last year. The Bintcliffe Sport prepared ASCAR of 2001 British Touring Car Champion Jason Plato, will take to the track as the season blasts off, carrying the weight of Mintex backing behind him. The sponsorship of Jason and the BSR Team follows on from the Mintex support to Britain's 'raciest lady', Amanda Stretton, in the 2001 series.

Jason already shared a show-stopping season off-track with Amanda, as co-hosts of Channel 4 Television's popular motorsport show, Driven. With Mintex backing, both stars look set to help break the mould of UK motorsport, and underline ASCAR as Britain's most spectacular form of sports entertainment.

Mintex has already made a strong move to the front of the field worldwide, with a major drive in the USA resulting in 30% of NASCAR Winston Cup cars now regularly running on Mintex F-Series pads, and leading teams in the CART FedEx Championship doing likewise.

Indeed, confidence is rising that Mintex will regularly be 'top of the stops' state-side, after Bobby Labonte and Matt Kenseth caused 'series friction' amongst competitors in NASCAR's Winston Cup, when they completed a 1-2 in the Virginia 500 at Martinsville, on Mintex F2R racing pads.

With a long and illustrious motor racing history behind it, from club racing to F1, Mintex involvement in NASCAR and the fledgling series, ASCAR, is a further illustration of how the company has stepped up the pace in world motorsport considerably over the last year.

A further major announcement of additional Mintex involvement within this year's series is due to be made shortly.

Further press information and photographs from Michael Hodges,
Mintex Press Office
Tel: 01491 411777
Fax: 01491 412777
Mobile: 07860 992580
E-mail: michael.hodges@mph.co.uk

Issued on behalf of TMD Friction UK by MPH Communications.
54a Queen Street, Henley-on-Thames, Oxon, RG9 1AP

MIN/005/02

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