WASHINGTON FERRARI WINS IN CALIFORNIA
Fontana, CA., June 8, 2003

By David Seibert
Photos by Juha/Scuderia Ferrari of Washington

Brent Martini and Cort Wagner, driving a new Scuderia Ferrari of Washington/Girard-Perregaux Watches Ferrari 360 GT in its first race, took a convincing GT class win in the Grand American 400 today. "What a machine," Martini said after the race. "This new Ferrari was absolutely flawless."

Wagner had qualified the Ferrari on the GT pole. He dropped back briefly at the start but immediately regained the lead, which he held for most of his stint. Quick thinking brought the Ferrari in for service just as a full-course caution was called, and Martini replaced Wagner behind the wheel. Martini held a substantial lead until he pitted for tires and fuel. That stop dropped him to second place, but he regained the lead with only four laps remaining in the race. His winning margin was a full minute over the second place Porsche.

"We want to repeat our championship," explained Wagner, "so we're being a little conservative. Brent pitted when he thought he had a flat tire, but it turned out the wheel had thrown a balance weight. We were going to need a fuel stop before the end, so this gave us a chance to put on new tires as well. Last year our previous Ferrari won its first race, and it's great to repeat with a victory for this new car."

Market Scan Information Systems, a leader in automotive retailer financing software, joined the Scuderia this weekend as a sponsor, as did Westime, one of Los Angeles' premier jewelers. Additional sponsorship for the Scuderia Ferrari of Washington/Girard-Perregaux 360 GT comes from The Peris Companies and Putnam Leasing.

Further information on the Scuderia Ferrari of Washington is available at www.360GT.com on the internet.