ANAHEIM, CA., September 9, 1988... The Saleen Mustang team has recently completed a back-to-back confrontation with the rain and the Chevy’s.

Road-America was the first stop on August 27 for an inaugural appearance for the Escort Endurance Championship. Saleen Autosport also welcomed for an inaugural appearance with the team, two very talented drivers from Brazil. Leon Duarte' and Fabio Greco joined David Hellweg in the #21 Saleen Mustang. Leon and Fabio are very experienced drivers representing Ford of Brazil in the U.S. "We are delighted to have ‘The Boys from Brazil’ join our group. They are not only very talented and aggressive drivers, but every bit the professional," said Team Owner, Steve Saleen.

The rain soaked three hour race caused a roll-over crash for one of the Chevy’s and the #21 Saleen Mustang. Neither driver was injured. The two remaining Fords driven by Steve Saleen, Pete Halsmer, Desire' Wilson and Rick Titus finished in a very hotly contested 3rd and 5th place, keeping a 3 point lead for the Championship.

On to more rain the following weekend in Atlanta, Georgia for the Labor Day 3-hour event. Joining Steve Saleen in the #19 car, George Follmer helped lead the car to 3rd place, while Desire' Wilson and Rick Titus brought #20 home in 4th. The #21 Saleen Mustang of Fabio Greco and David Hellweg suffered an engine failure on lap 19 after challenging for the lead. Still leading the Championship by 1 point going into a 12 hour event at Mid-Ohio on September 24; the team is preparing for their specialty – a real endurance race. The team will be welcoming many representatives of our sponsors this weekend in a special hospitality area. A Saleen Autosport sponsored Mustang Corral is also part of the very special day.

© SOEC, Saleen Owners and Enthusiasts Club and www.soec.org.

ANAHEIM, CA., July 18,1988... Saleen Autosport brought the whole show to town for the Pepsi Grand Prix at Brainerd International Raceway, July 16 and 17. The three Saleen Mustangs were scheduled for a 3-hour event in the SCCA Escort Endurance Series on Saturday and the two Saleen Sportrucks for the Coors Racetruck on Sunday.

The weather was scorching, as was the competition. The #19 Saleen Mustang driven by Steve Saleen and, newcomer to the Saleen team, Kees Nierop finished in third position just seconds out of the lead. The #20 Saleen was only moments behind in fourth place, expertly handled by Lisa Caceres and Desire' Wilson. The #21 car suffered very early brake problems that caused the car to finish laps down. Rick Titus and David Hellweg, in his very first professional race, drove a very demanding skillful race to bring their Saleen back through the pack.

The Saleen Ford Ranger Sportrucks had a very difficult race the following day but with consistent finishes this year, Steve Saleen is only 13 points out of the Driver’s Championship Title.

Aside from racing, the weekend also included a Saleen Autosport hosted Mustang Corral attended and supported by the Upper Midwest Region Shelby American Automobile Club. Autograph sessions and give-a-ways were highlights for the Club.

The Northland Ford Dealer Association also gathered for the weekend utilizing Saleen Autosport display racing vehicles. Over 500 dealers from the area joined with other Ford enthusiasts to support the General Tire/Ford sponsored race team.

Lime Rock, Connecticut is the next host for the Coors Racetruck Challenge August 6 and Mosport Park near Toronto, Canada will be the next venue for the Saleen Mustangs in a 24-hour race on August 13 and 14.

© SOEC, Saleen Owners and Enthusiasts Club and www.soec.org.

ANAHEIM, CA., July 11, 1988... The SCCA Escort Endurance Championship took the Saleen Mustangs to Portland International Raceway for the second race of the season on Saturday, June 11.

The driver line-up included Steve Saleen and Pete Halsmer in the #19; Lisa Caceres and Desire’ Wilson in #20; and Rick Titus and Calvin Fish in #21. The cars qualified in the same order in 4th, 5th and 6th position. After challenging for the lead, the #19 Saleen Mustang was soon sidelined with brake problems that could not be remedied in the pit stops. The #20 and #21 car suffered like problems, which cost the team valuable time off the track during the four-hour race. Finishing 3rd, 5th and 6th still keeps the team in a close battle for championship standings going into the next event at Brainerd, Minnesota, July 16.

Meanwhile, the Saleen Sportrucks were being prepared for another street race. This time over the potholes of Niagara Falls, New York on June 25. The #20 Ranger was driven by George Follmer and, remaining with the team for this event, Pete Halsmer took #21. Steve Saleen’s Ranger suffered through the weekend, but did make the inverted grid pole position with George and Pete side-by-side just two rows back.

On lap 2 of the 31-lap race, the forth-placed competitor in a Mitsubishi drove straight into a wall taking Halsmer and Follmer and three other trucks out of the race, due to a very close bump drafting style of the Racetruck Challenge. When the green flag fell again, Saleen had to ask his Ford Ranger for everything it had and more. Despite significant horsepower disparity, he finished second and was also awarded, for the second time this year, the Timex “Speedtrak Move of the Race”. This event is being televised on Sunday, July 17 on the TNN Network, “American Sports Cavalcade”. Look for the action!

© SOEC, Saleen Owners and Enthusiasts Club and www.soec.org.

BREA, CA., May 10, 1988... The "hunting season" opened for the SCCA Escort Endurance Championship and the Coors Racetruck Challenge on April 23, 1988 at Sears Point International Raceway. Saleen Autosport campaigned three Saleen Mustangs and three Saleen Sportrucks at the opener. After a very competitive start, the #19 Saleen Mustang was sidelined out of first place due to a faulty brake light, Steve Saleen and George Follmer in #19 finished only 25 seconds behind the leader with Desire' Wilson and Lisa Caceres in #20 in third and Rick Titus and, newcomer to Endurance Racing, Calvin Fish in fourth.

"All three cars led the race at some point during the four hours and all three came back with no damage - a very successful weekend and a great start in the hunt for our second championship”, said Steve Saleen, Team Owner.

Rainy weather aside, the Saleen Autosport sponsored Mustang Corral had a great weekend as well. Classic Mustangs and Saleen Mustang owners from all over Northern California gathered at Sears Point for free prizes, which included a set of General Tires and an Escort Radar Detector provided by Cincinnati Microwave. The group also enjoyed their own parade lap around the racecourse on Saturday afternoon.

The Coors Racetruck Challenge began on Sunday afternoon with the #19 General Tire Ford Ranger driven by Steve Saleen, on the pole. George Follmer and Winston West star, Herschel McGriff drove the #20 and #21 Saleen Sportrucks. With a first lap, first turn crash amongst three trucks, the field bumped and crashed their way for 20 laps. Avoiding the crunch, Steve Saleen was awarded the “Timex Speedtrack Move of the Race Award” and finished fourth. Transmission problems put Follmer in the pits after 11 laps and Herschel McGriff fought a very tough battle to finish 12th.

The trucks move on to the Dallas Grand Prix and Riverside International Raceway right away. The cars will next be seen June 11th at Portland International Raceway for the Rose Cup Week.

© SOEC, Saleen Owners and Enthusiasts Club and www.soec.org.

FORD MOTOR COMPANY is "Racing into the Future" in 1988 with the Saleen Autosport team. The Saleen Mustangs and Ford Rangers will prove Ford's performance, endurance and reliability standards in "head to head" competition with General Motors, Porsche, Nissan, BMW, Audis and others.

GENERAL TIRE is returning with the Championship winning "General Tire Performance Team" this year. Saleen Autosport will be their representative in the GT Class and Sportruck class. The Saleen Mustangs will be featuring the XP2000Z and the XP2000V will be choice for the Saleen Sportruck, demonstrating General's new generation of high performance tires.

MONTGOMERY WARD is entering their second year of motorsports in 1988 to broaden their exposure of their "Auto Express Centers". Their sponsorship includes the entire General Tire Performance Team in both the SCCA Endurance Series as well as the SCORE/HDRA Off-Road Series.

HUNTER ENGINEERING is also returning in 1988 to motorsports promotion. Their support of the Performance Team will help to highlight their quality alignment and balancing equipment, which is also used in the production of the Saleen Mustang and Sportruck street models.

MONROE FORMULA GP SHOCKS AND STRUTS are engineered with individually selected valve components for precision control. Gas-charged Formula GP shocks feature polyurethane bushings for a firmer ride with more control, adding up to a winning performance for the Saleen Mustang and Saleen Sportruck on the track and street.

GNB/CHAMPION BATTERIES are planning a big year with the Performance Team with their new line of quality products for performance vehicles.

WALKER DYNOMAX MUFFLERS significantly reduce exhaust backpressure, which increases flow and horsepower. The Super Turbo and Turbo Tube mufflers help the Saleen Mustang and Saleen Sportruck achieve optimum engine output for championship performance again in 1988.

CHAMPION SPARK PLUG COMPANY is joining Saleen Autosport in their efforts to put the Saleen Mustang and Sportrucks in the Winner's Circle. As a long-standing supporter of motorsports, Champion and their affiliate, Anco Wiper Blades will make the difference.

MUSTANG TIMES is the Mustang Club of America's monthly magazine. Its purpose is to report on all aspects of the Mustang hobbies, both past and present. The Mustang Times staff members are enthusiastic supporters of Saleen Autosport's racing efforts and have signed on as official sponsors for 1988.

© SOEC, Saleen Owners and Enthusiasts Club and www.soec.org.

---