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| May
Team Sahlen |
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This
month we feature a team from the US that has not one, not even two but
a impressive total of eight Porsche race cars. If
you are fan of the Grand Am Rolex Series
and the Grand Am Cup Series, you
will distinctly know of the name... Team Sahlen.  Phoenix Promotions, the team’s parent company is owned and operated by the family business of Joe Nonnamaker along with his wife, Kris and their two sons, Wayne and Will and Joe’s passion for motorsports is visible throughout the entire family. History It was back in mid Seventies when Joe started his career in motorsport racing in a Chevrolet Corvette, in 1976 Joe won seven racers in the SCCA Nationals in a Ford Pinto. Looking for new challengers Joe soon moved on to endurance racing in 1980 where he took first place in class and fourth place overall in the first Nelson Ledges 24 Hours in a VW Rabbit.  Joe in His CorvetteJoe was very successful and continued to win race after race including a string of podium finishes, this was not just down to good racing but also his skills in car setup, racing strategy, and engineering. In 1993, Joe purchased Phoenix Promotions from his former teammate, Bill Pate. The two chased the championship title in the new Mazda MX-6.  Being a family affair it was not long before the boys, Wayne and Will where behind the wheel. Will, the eldest, began racing in 1992 in VW Golf in the SCCA ITA ranks, winning WOR Rookie of the Year. Wayne soon followed in his brother's footsteps, competing in 1987 VW Golf at the young age of just seventeen.  It was apparent from the start the Nonnamaker's were born to race. In their first season paired together, Will and Wayne clinched the 1999 ST1 Driver's Championship of the Motorola Cup in a Mazda 626. Joe served as their team manager, taking top honors as Team Manager of the Year. They continued to clinch more championships as they switched from a Mazda to an Acura Integra LS. Will scored his 2nd and 3rd championship in the Grand Am Cup Sports Touring II Championship solo in 2001 and sharing it once more with his younger brother in 2002. In 2003, Wayne moved into the Grand Sports II in a Porsche 911 with his father, capturing the 2003 Grand Am Cup Grand Sport Championship. The following year, Craig Stanton scored their 7th championship title in a Porsche 911. The fleet of Porsche from the Team Sahlen stables include Grand American Rolex Porsches and Grand Am Cup Grand Sport Porsches.  Grand Am Rolex GT: The Grand Am Rolex Porsche GT3 Cup was built as a race car from the Porsche factory in Stuggart, Germany. With well over 400 hp, massive brakes, and only 2,600 lbs. of weight, this Porsche is a thrilling beast to drive. Phoenix ProMotions proved their ability with these cars in 2004 with two wins, two pole positions, and a fourth place at the Rolex 24 Hours At Daytona. Grand Am Cup Grand Sport: The Grand Am Cup Porsches started out life as a street Porsche 996. From the already high performance of the street, the 996 is modified for safety and increased performance. On the racetrack this car puts out over 300 hp. Suspension modifications allow the car to handle the twisty and challenging tracks of the Grand Am Cup schedule. With two consecutive Championships in the Grand Am Cup Grand Sport class, Phoenix ProMotions, the company behind Team Sahlen, is the premiere authority on Porsche performance. In both the Grand Am Cup and Grand Am Rolex, power is planted to the ground via Hoosier Tires. With excellent wear and strong grip the tires are required on all cars in Grand American competition. The cars are stopped with HAWK Brake Pads. The Hawk Pad is a preferred pad in many racing applications. With the endurance format of Grand American racing, the Hawk Pad gives the team a distinct advantage. The parts on the car come from local partner Kempthorn Auto Mall. With timely service and a very strong technical department Kempthorn has been a key ingredient in the team's success.  |
INFORMATION: Home News Porsche Art Links Contact us Forum Merchandise Monthly Feature  Since its incorporation in 1993, Phoenix Promotions has helped promote large companies such as GOJO as well as individuals like Randy Pobst.  At first it was note easy for will to begin racing, a poor college student at Miami University in Ohio, Will found it hard. While trying to figure out how to pay for the following years tuition, Will had a burning desire to go out and race. The family went out and bought a 1985 Volkswagen Golf. Will did everything to save money to enable him to race, including camping at the track, to running on one set of tires for the whole year.  Along with running a race team, Phoenix Promotions is a full service promotional firm which runs the Racesite.com website (www.theracesite.com). The website delivers up-to-date motorsports news, stories, and images. The name Team Sahlen comes from the partnership with the US Packing Company Sahlen. Sahlen was founded in 1869 in Buffalo, New York as a family business. Company founder Joseph Sahlen dedicated himself to one guiding principle: only the freshest and highest quality meat products would bear the proud Sahlen name. Today - in addition to being the name behind the Buffalo area’s favorite hot dogs and holiday hams- Sahlen’s has grown from their Western New York roots to offer our “Old Fashioned” Smokehouse Ham and Turkey Breast in over 15 states.  In 2005 Porsche Motorsport Artist Paul Holroyd was commissioned to paint there No 44 car.  Team Sahlen kicked off the 2006 season with a bang by securing a first place overall finish in the season opener of the Grand-Am Cup at Daytona International Speedway. They continued their success that same weekend by finishing ninth in class in the prestigious Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona.  The team has a professional racing record that includes seven Driver Championships, seven Team Championships, nine Manufacturer Championships, over fifty wins, and over fifty professional wins. 2006 The teams main focus for 2006 will be to score their 8th championship title in the Grand-Am Cup Grand Sport Championship in the Porsche 966s. Good luck to Team Sahlen for 2006 from all of us here at porschesport.com For information on the team please vist there there website. |
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