When the Ohio skies opened and a heavy thunderstorm blew through the area of the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course near Lexington on Sunday, the Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT), unlike the majority of its competitors, was prepared for the deep puddles and slick track conditions around the 2.4-mile road course. Using their Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system, SRRT claimed victory over eight other auto makers.

Chuck Hemmingson, Des Moines Ia., and co-driver Kris Skavnes, Sparta, N.J., finished the 2 ½-hour race 5.7 seconds ahead of their nearest competitor to score their first win of the Grand-Am KONI Challenge series season, and their second consecutive victory in the series at Mid-Ohio, both times in Subaru Legacy 2.5GT spec.B cars prepared by ICY/Phoenix Racing of Phoenixville, Pa.  They topped a 45-car field, the third largest in the history of the series.

“This race truly showcased the advantages of our core technologies, especially our Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system excelling in both dry and wet conditions,” said James Han, Motorsports Marketing Manager for Subaru of America, Inc.

Skavnes relieved Hemmingson in the cockpit with 77 minutes remaining, but pitted again shortly thereafter when the skies opened up. “The team made a perfect call to bring Kris back in and put deep-grooved rain tires on the car. The moment the rains became heavy, Kris made move after move and was quickly in the race lead. Last year at Mid-Ohio, we showed the Subaru Legacy was the best car on a dry track, and this year we re-demonstrated the car’s versatility on a wet track at high speeds.”

The team’s second Subaru Legacy 2.5GT spec.B, qualified by David Rosenblum, Langhorne, Pa., and partnered with Andrew Aquilante of Phoenixville, Pa., finished in 12th place, after languishing even further down the field during Rosenblum’s stint. “There were no mechanical issues with the car itself, and David drove consistent lap times,” said Han. “During the car's first pit stop to put Andrew in the car, the crew popped the hood and discovered a loose electrical wire that was sapping some of the turbocharger’s output. With that wire re-connected, the #141 climbed through the field. That's racing, sometimes."

Rosenblum and Joe Aquilante, Andrew’s father, are partners in ICY / Phoenix Racing which prepares the Subaru Road Racing Team cars.

The Subaru win places them third in a list of nine manufacturers battling for the series Manufacturer Championship. Hemmingson and Skavnes remain second in the series Drivers’ Championship points, but the seventh place finish by co-leaders Jamie Holtom and Eric Curran reduced the margin to seven points after four races.

The team's next race is July 4-5 at Watkins Glen International in upstate New York.

The Mid-Ohio race was televised by SPEED TV and will air June 28 at 2pm ET.

The Subaru Road Racing Team is sponsored by Subaru of America, Inc., Subaru Tecnica International (STI), Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT), Subaru Automotive Indiana, Inc. (SIA), Automotive Racing Products, Lista, Rotary Lifts, JRZ, EcuTek, Perrin, Cusco, Carbonetic, Hawk Brakes, Quarter Master Industries, Disc Brakes Australia, Freem, and Racing Radios. The cars are prepared by ICY/Phoenix Racing.

About ICY/Phoenix
Based in Phoenixville, Pa., ICY/Phoenix is a collaborative partnership between Dave Rosenblum (ICY Racing) and Joe Aquilante (Phoenix Performance) which has over 70 years of cumulative racing experience. This organization represents the factory Subaru effort as the Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT) in the 2008 Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series. The team's 4000 sq. ft. race shop is located approximately 35 miles northwest of downtown Philadelphia. Drivers Chuck Hemmingson, Dave Rosenblum, Kristian Skavnes, Andrew Aquilante and Don Knowles race two Legacy 2.5GT spec.B cars. Last season, ICY/Phoenix celebrated a winning year, finishing the season with one pole position and two ST Class wins in six races. For more information about the team and the cars, go to www.ICYRacing.com or call Dave Rosenblum at (215) 801-7827; or Joe Aquilante at (610) 482-0141.