GM to Race Solstice

DETROIT - General Motors Corp. says it plans to race its Pontiac Solstice in future Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Showroom Stock B-Class races against the Mazda Miata and BMW M3.

The auto maker also will use the Solstice to compete on the Grand Am Cup ST-Class racing circuit in 2006, according to Mark Reuss, executive director of GM's Performance Div.

Reuss says the Solstice that will enter the racing circuit will be the '07 Solstice GT Coupe.

“We have the '06 Pontiac Solstice, (and) right now the car we're introducing doesn't have a roof, so look for that to change,” he tells attendees at the Society of Automotive Engineers conference here.

'06 Pontiac Solstice

Reuss says while the Stock-B Class has been dominated by Mazda's Miata, as well as the BMW Z4 and Acura RSX, he expects the Solstice to “take that championship” when the car hits the Stock-B circuit next year.

The Solstice Coupe also will compete in the Grand Am ST Class racing circuit against the BMW 330 and Mazda RX-8 next year, Reuss adds.

The experience gained on the racing circuit will continue to play a vital role in developing performance derivatives of future GM products, he says.

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