MEDIA RELEASE • MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6

DSSV damping technology
for new Atlantic series

Young aspiring Atlantic series drivers looking to follow in the footsteps of Champ Car title winners Sebastien Bourdais and Cristiano da Matta will now enjoy the same hi-tech damping technology as did these current and former Newman Haas Racing stars.

Newman Haas played a key role in developing the Multimatic DSSV (Dynamic Suspensions Spool Valve) damper technology that has dominated victory lanes in Formula One, Champ Car and International Sports Car Racing over the past few years.

This DSSV technology has now been chosen by Champ Car as the spec damper for the all new Champ Car Atlantic series, making its on-track debut this year.

Originally debuted in the Champ Car World Series in 2002 by Cristiano da Matta and Christian Fittipaldi, the first generation damper was immediately successful with da Matta dominating the season and winning the championship.

After three years of intensive development through exclusive partnerships in F1, Champ Car, Formula 3 and Sports Cars, the DSSV damping technology is now commercially available and was purchased last year by other leading Champ Car teams.

The DSSV configuration provides significant performance and operational gains over conventional damping technology and eliminates the shims utilized in traditional motorsports dampers.

”Multimatic is very proud of it’s success in Champ Car and it is a market that we believe provides tremendous growth opportunities for us,” Multimatic Vice President, Mr Larry Holt said.

“The young Champ Car stars of the future who are looking to emulate Cristiano and Sebastien’s championship success will now be able to learn about how these dampers work and how to use them to fine tune their race car to achieve maximum performance.

“When they graduate to Champ Cars, they will be very familiar with the damping technology which plays an even larger role at that level of competition.

”We are very excited about the new Atlantic Swift/Cosworth combination and believe Champ Car has laid the foundation to what will be an extremely successful championship.”

DSSV is more than just a damper - it is a complete program that incorporates both hardware and software.

The DSSV damper program includes Dynamic Suspensions' acclaimed SpecFinder™ software which enables race teams to analytically develop and precisely match the desired damping characteristic, providing consistency, enhancing performance and simplifying adjustments.

Distributed in North America by Carl A Haas Automobile Imports Inc, Multimatic’s Dynamic Suspensions’ brand is also the spec damper for the US Formula Ford Zetec Championship.

“For many years, Atlantic has been a strong development series for open wheel drivers and the new package Champ Car has created for 2006 and beyond, will also make it the most cost effective. I am proud to be involved with this premier development series, as the North American distributor of Dynamic Suspensions. We look forward to providing the DSSV spec damper to all the Atlantic teams as well as technical support at each of the events” said Carl Haas, president of Carl A Haas Automobile Imports Inc.

The Atlantic version of the DSSV damper will be sealed, with internal adjustment limited to the range available as delivered. Spring rates will be free, with bump rubbers and packers allowed.

Carl A Haas Automobile Imports Inc. will be responsible for trackside support at each round of the Champ Car Atlantic