Laperriere planning for a solid PMRA season

New funding for Prohotrodz Team will help in 2007

OSHAWA, ONTARIO (March 8, 2007) - With new major sponsorship, Rob Laperriere is planning on making his mark in this year’s Pro Modified Racing Association tour.

Laperriere, who operates the Oshawa-centered Professional Hotrod Development custom drag racing chassis shop, has acquired the backing of Control Panel Systems Ontario Ltd. based in Whitby, Ontario.

“This is terrific,” said Laperriere, who runs an Alan Johnson-powered 1972 Vega-bodied Pro Modified. “Now we have some funds to compete the way we want.”

The Prohotrodz Team has run a limited schedule in PMRA competition the past two years, but will be stepping up for 2007, according to Laperriere, who has been in the sport since 1978.

Laperriere added he plans no major changes to the Vega’s powerplant, and that the team will concentrate on driveline problems that have plagued them.

“We plan to leave the motor alone,” he said. “We’ll be working on some clutch and transmission issues.”

The team’s new sponsor is a supplier of power tools, fastening systems, and integrated assembly stations for automakers such as General Motors, Ford, and Honda, along with over 100 others. Stark Multi Services, a commercial and industrial mechanical contractor, is also part of CPS.

Laperriere is confident that with this new backing he will be able to get some good laps with the car.

“We’re planning to do well,” he said. “Instead of placing seventh in the PMRA, we want to go to the top.”

A relatively-new drag racing series, The Pro Modified Racing Association (PMRA), Pro Modified Racing Association, has enjoyed strong fan popularity and will present some of the best in Pro Modified racing for 2007.

The PMRA will travel to several drag strips in 2007, including two dates at Toronto Motorsports Park, Lancaster Raceway Park in New York State, Sanair in Quebec, and the Southwestern Ontario track of Grand Bend Motorplex.

In 2006, the tour was a great success, and during the two-year history of the PMRA, each event finished with a different winner. Joe Boniferro and Kasey Janzen tied in points last year and were crowned co-champions over the other Ontario, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania teams. Wix Filtration Products, Valvoline, a division of Ashland Inc., Uni-Select, and Moen Incorporated will sponsor the PMRA points series in 2007.

For more information, contact Bruce F. Mehlenbacher Mehlenbacher@ProModifiedRacing.com

About the Pro Modified Racing Association:
The Pro Modified Racing Association, Pro Modified Racing Association, started late in 2004 and is entering its third year of operation. The PMRA is a self-governing organization, with technical and safety rules as outlined by the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) and the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). Cars in the PMRA capture the true spirit of hot rodding, and the class is one of drag racing’s most exciting and volatile classes, offering a diverse group of racecars with different types of 2,000-horsepower engines. Combining classic body styles and modern equipment, constructors are permitted, within established rules and parameters, to modify and enhance the cars in both appearance and performance. The cars are fuelled by gasoline or methanol, propelling them down the quarter-mile in low six-second times at over 200 miles per hour. The PMRA provides drag race fans the opportunity to see, hear, and experience the popular Pro Modifieds, known as "the world's fastest door slammers".