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7/10/2007 - Koni Challenge Podium Finish

Plano, Texas (July 10, 2007) Classic BMW Motorsports, based in Plano, TX, is proud to celebrate their first podium finish in the Grand-Am Koni Challenge Series. The Classic BMW Z4, piloted by Toby Grahovec and Leonardo Maia, led several laps and finished in 3rd position at the Supercuts 200 held in Watkins Glen, NY. This was the 8th race in the 12-race Koni Challenge Series schedule.

Lead driver Toby Grahovec, of Chicago, has been with the Classic BMW Motorsports team since day one. “I’m really proud of the guys today” states Grahovec. “We actually had a small fire in pit lane, but everyone stayed calm and we got the job done. This team has led so many laps this year, but we kept missing out at the finish. It feels good to finally show our potential. I’m really excited to build on this finish and take our Z4 to the front.”

Leonardo Maia, a former stand out in the ChampCar Atlanic series, was competing in his second race with the Classic BMW Motorsports team. “I’m thankful to everyone at Classic BMW for the chance to race with the team. I’m really happy to be partnered with Toby and get Classic a trophy to display in their new showroom” said Maia. “We had a really good car and I know this program is going to win races. This BMW Z4 is a great race car.”

Classic BMW Motorsports is a division of Classic BMW, one of the nation’s premier BMW dealers. Under the direction of Dealer Principal Eric Maas, Classic BMW recently completed their new, state of the art, facility in Plano, TX. The new Classic BMW dealership campus mirrors the philosophy of the BMW brand in cutting edge design, quality craftsmanship, and attention to detail. Classic BMW is also very proud of their sporting heritage and is home to the 2005 Sports Car Club of America Showroom Stock B National Championship.

The Classic BMW Motorsports team would like to thank the loyal sponsors who have helped build the program over the last several years. With out the help of BMW North America, Red Line Oil, Sparco, Carbotech Brakes, Marren Fuel Injection, Sunbelt Performance Engines, English Color and Supply, Bell Helmets, and Spy Optic, the Classic BMW Z4 would never make a lap.

The next race for the Koni Challenge Series and the Classic BMW Z4 will be held on Saturday, July 21, 2007, at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.

1/24/2007 - Back to the Track


Plano, Texas (January 24, 2007) Classic BMW – Plano is proud to announce their entry into the 2007 Grand Am Koni Challenge Series. Bolstered by a strong showing at the official Daytona test, Classic BMW – Plano will be a leading contender for race wins, as well as the driver and team championships. Classic BMW – Plano will enter their BMW Z4 in the Sport Tuner (ST) class with stand out drivers Toby Grahovec and Pierre Kleinubing. The pairing of Grahovec and Kleinubing, along with team principal Eric Maas, crew chief Tom Bull, and team of skilled technicians, represent the makings of a new powerhouse in Grand American Road Racing.

Toby Grahovec, 27, is one of the rising stars of sportscar racing in the United States. The Chicago native captured a SCCA National Championship in 2005 in his debut drive with Classic BMW – Plano. Grahovec posted wins during the 2006 season in the US Touring Car Series and SCCA nationals. Grahovec capped off his 2006 season with his first career start in the Speed Touring Car series and a 3rd place finish at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs. Away from the racecar, Grahovec is a highly regarded instructor and test driver.

Pierre Kleinubing, 32, is a true star in motorsports. Originally from Brazil, Kleinubing came to the US in 1995 after capturing multiple karting and touring car championships. Since his debut in the US, Kleinubing has set the bar as the driver to beat in the Speed Touring Car Series and has 4 championships to his credit (1997, 2000, 2001, 2006). For 2007, the Coconut Creek, Florida resident looks to become the first driver to win both the Speed Touring Car and Koni Challenge championships in a single season.

Classic BMW – Plano is one of the leading BMW dealers in the United States. Along with the move to the Koni Challenge Series, Classic BMW – Plano will move into a new, state of the art dealership facility in the spring of 2007. The new facility, considered to be the most advanced BMW dealership on the planet, can be seen at www.classicbmw.com. Classic BMW – Plano strives to serve not only their customers, but their community as well. Through the dealership and racing programs, Classic BMW – Plano has donated a substantial amount of money to many charities, including the Susan G. Koman Foundation, Southeastern Guide Dogs, Inc, and the American Cancer Society.

The Classic BMW – Plano Z4 will take to the track thanks to their loyal sponsors. Classic BMW – Plano is proud to be associated with BMW North America, Red Line Oil, Comptech, Sparco, Carbotech, English Color and Supply, Trackside Communication, Marren Fuel Injectors, and IMAGE Sports Marketing and Management.

For further information and images, please contact Brian Leib of IMAGE Sports Marketing and Management at imagesportsmm@gmail.com.

9/17/2006 - Team Mobility Storms to USTCC Victory

Plano, TX - Team Mobility and driver Toby Grahovec captured their first US Touring Car Championship race victory on Sunday, September 10 at Infineon Raceway (formerly Sears Point) in Sonoma, California. Grahovec was able to utilize a smart pit stop strategy by his Team Mobility crew and deliver his BMW 330i to victory lane with a commanding 30-second margin of victory. With their victory, Team Mobility and Grahovec will donate $500.00 of their prize money to Guide Dogs for the Blind. Grahovec also shared a 2nd place finish in a NASA endurance race with Scott Riley of Dallas, Texas. Grahovec and Riley co-drove a Classic BMW and Team Mobility supported BMW M3.

"This is an awesome win for us. My guys just worked so hard. We had a severe engine problem in testing and practice here and I was worried that we weren't going to be able to race," said Grahovec, the 2005 SCCA Showroom Stock B National Champion. "But, Tom, Brad, and Monti never gave up. I'm glad I could do my part and bring home a victory for Team Mobility, Classic BMW, and all of our sponsors. They've been behind us 100 percent all year and they deserve all the credit. I had it pretty easy on the track after our fantastic pit stop."

6/5/2006 - Classic BMW and Team Mobility Month in Review

Dallas, TX - It was a pretty busy month of May for the Classic BMW and Team Mobility race teams. The month of May started with a BMW Club race and Driver’s School at Motorsport Ranch and ended with the teams preparing for another busy month in June. In June, Team Mobility will head to Portland, OR in their BMW 330i in the support race to the Champ Car World Series. The Classic BMW team will take off to Topeka, KS in order to prepare for the SCCA National Championship Runoffs with their BMW Z4. Team driver Toby Grahovec will continue to pilot both racecars.

Classic BMW was a presenting sponsor of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Sunburn Grand Prix Double National held at Texas Motor Speedway on May 5-7, 2006. Through their sponsorship of the event, Classic BMW helped enable foster families in north Texas to come out and enjoy a weekend of close racing. Throughout the weekend hundreds of foster families and former foster children attended the races free of charge. In addition, many children, volunteers, and sponsors were given “hot laps” around the Texas Motor Speedway racecourse in a brand new BMW 650i driven by SCCA National Champion and Classic BMW driver Toby Grahovec. Classic BMW also invited the North Texas Puppy Raisers of the Southeastern Guide Dogs out to mingle at the track. Classic BMW’s most recently supported puppy, Hoosier, was in attendance along with Comcast Spotlight’s puppy, Gracie, and several other young guide dog puppies. The students from Lincoln Tech brought out their racecar project to display in the paddock. With all the activities in the paddock and VIP areas it would have been easy to miss the action out on the racetrack. Fortunately, Classic BMW had all of their bases covered and they made sure all eyes would be focused on the familiar blue and white “Paw Power” Z4. Toby Grahovec was back in the Classic BMW/ Paw Power Z4 he last drove to a National Championship and he didn’t disappoint the many fans on hand. Grahovec started from Pole Position in both races and ended up the weekend with a second place finish in race one and took home a convincing victory in race number two. All in all, the Classic BMW Sunburn Grand Prix was a huge success for all involved. All proceeds from the weekend were contributed to the Transition Resource Action Center, an organization that assists foster children as they reach the age of 18 and transition out of foster care.

Team Mobility visited the East-West Shootout round of the US Touring Car Championship held at Miller Motorsport Park near Salt Lake City, UT the weekend of May 20-21. After getting off to a so-so start at Mid Ohio back in April, the team felt they were ready to up their game for this race. The Team Mobility crewmembers made wholesale changes to their BMW 330i and were rewarded for their efforts. Toby Grahovec was able to qualify the BMW near the front of the field and held on for a third place podium finish. The Team Mobility crew spent many long nights getting the racecar ready for action and were happy to not only have a podium finish, but to take home a spotless racecar.

Classic BMW and Team Mobility rely on the generous support of their sponsors. Without the help of Classic BMW, BMW North America, Red Line Oil, Comcast Spotlight, English Color and Supply, Bell Helmets, Hoosier Tires, Reynolds and Reynolds, and IMAGE Sports Marketing and Management, neither race team would be able to turn a wheel.

For more information on future Classic BMW events, please contact Kris Harris at KSullivan@classicbmw.com. For more information and sponsorship opportunities with Classic BMW racing and Team Mobility, please contact Brian Lei of IMAGE Sports Marketing and Management at imagesportsmm@gmail.com

4/4/2006 - US Touring Car Championship

Toby Grahovec to pilot BMW 330i in US Touring Car Championship for Team Mobility. Dallas, TX (April 4, 2006) - Toby Grahovec and Eric Maas have announced their intentions to compete in the US Touring Car Championship (USTCC) in a BMW 330i. Grahovec and Maas, as driver and car owner, respectively, first combined their efforts in late 2005, resulting in a Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) National Championship. Grahovec and Maas have decided to combine their efforts and name the program Team Mobility.

Grahovec has a long and successful history in sports car racing. The Chicago native is a two-time winner of the Fred Wacker Award for being the top racing driver in the Chicago region. Past winners of the Fred Wacker Award, named for SCCA founder and former Formula One driver Fred Wacker, include Bobby Rahal and Carl Haas. Grahovec won his first SCCA National Championship in 2005 driving a BMW Z4. The 26 year old plans to defend his SCCA National Championship in 2006 and compete in the Short Track Trucks Challenge Series along with his duties in the USTCC. Grahovec was a three-time All American in ice hockey and recently had his number retired by Robert Morris College.

Maas, 41, has been in the car business all his life. Maas is currently the President of Classic BMW in Richardson, TX. Classic BMW is in the construction phase of a new, state of the art campus in Plano, TX. The new facility is set to open in the fall of 2006 and will showcase Classic BMW as one of the premiere BMW dealers in the United States. Maas is well known for his charitable efforts, including the Southeastern Guide Dogs, Inc., Susan G. Komen Foundation, St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, Genesis Women's Shelter, and the American Heart Association.

Team Mobility will combine the talents of Grahovec and Maas with a desire to not only win races, but to help local communities. The team will donate $100 for each lap they lead in 2006 to local guide dog associations. Team Mobility will operate out of the Classic BMW facility and will be led by veteran sports car crew chief Tom Bull. Bull, 49, has been involved in motorsports since the mid 70's with teams in drag racing and sports car racing. The Team Mobility BMW 330i will be maintained under the watchful eye of BMW Master Technician Brad Hamilton. Hamilton is fairly new to racing, but his eye for detail and mechanical ability make him an invaluable asset to the team.

Team Mobility is able to go racing thanks to their loyal sponsors, BMW North America, Classic BMW, Red Line Oil, English Color and Supply, Bell Helmets, Razor Image, and IMAGE Sports Marketing and Management.

For further information and images, please contact Brian Leib with IMAGE Sports Marketing and Management at 614.264.1739 or BMLeib@gmail.com

9/19/2005 - Grahovec Chooses BMW Z4 for SCCA Championship


Mansfield, OH (September 19, 2005) - Perennial Sports Car Club of America Showroom Stock B (SSB) front-runner, Toby Grahovec, has decided to trade in his trusty Acura Integra GSR for a BMW Z4 as he aims for the top of the podium during this week’s SCCA Valvoline Runoffs. The prestigious event will be held at the Mid Ohio Sports Car Course. The race is scheduled to get the green flag on September 23, 2005 at 11:55am and will be televised on the Speed Channel on November 20, 2005 at 1:00pm.

Grahovec, a former Dodge Motorsports factory driver, is a past pole-sitter and podium finisher in the SSB Class at the Valvoline Runoffs. SportsCar Magazine has picked Grahovec as a potential winner. The Palos Park, Illinois native will also be featured on the Speed Channel during their broadcast of the race. Grahovec has recently started a website that can be found at www.TobyGrahovec.com.

Grahovec will be driving the No. 2 BMW Z4 prepared by Classic BMW of Richardson, Texas (www.classicBMW.com). The BMW Z4 will prominently feature the distinctive Paw Power logos, as Classic BMW and their supporters proudly support the Southeastern Guide Dogs, Inc. Supporting the Paw Power theme are sponsors Comcast Spotlight, English Color and Supply, and Reynolds & Reynolds who have all sponsored guide dogs through their support of the racing effort. Additional Support comes from Hoosier Racing Tire, Red Line Oil, King Motorsports, RealTime Racing, Trackside Communications and IMAGE Sports Marketing and Management.

About Classic BMW: Based in Richardson, Texas, Classic BMW was founded in 1971. Today the dealership is one of the largest BMW dealers in the United States, and their campus occupies nearly four city-blocks. President Eric Maas is a two time Dallas Auto Show Chairman and former Chairman of the New Car Dealers Association of Dallas. For more information on Classic BMW and their proud support of the Southeastern Guide Dogs, Inc, please contact Kris Harris at 972-918-1129.

For more information and sponsorship opportunities with Toby Grahovec, please contact Brian Leib with IMAGE Sports Marketing and Management at 614-264-1739.


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