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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Oct. 3rd, 2001

Contact: Erik Christiansen

echrist@princeton.edu

http://www.2097racing.50megs.com

Oct. 3rd, Princeton NJ

Eddie Fiorelli (ME97) and Erik Christiansen (ME96), founders of the 2097 Racing team are prepared to bring their performance rally prepped VW Golf up to Andes, New York, to compete in the Rally New York SCCA ClubRally on Oct. 13th. The team is enthusiastic about bringing their 2001 ClubRally season to a close at the rally located in the scenic Catskill Mountains - "I can't wait to hit the stages!" says Eddie, "We just installed a new muffler after losing our old one at the Maine Forest Rally, and the car sounds great!"

"This is an ideal event for us to end the season since it is so close to home," explains Erik, "Our fans should have an easy time coming up to see us." The team was a spectator favorite at the Maine Forest Rally in Rumford, ME this summer with their crowd-pleasing "La Cucaracha" air horns.

Erik and Eddie currently lie 15th and 18th in the SCCA North East Division Group 2 driver point standings respectively. The teammates took turns driving and co-driving throughout the season which compromised any hopes of a Divisional Championship, but allowed them to both have fun behind the wheel. They successfully completed their goal of finishing every event they entered this season, which is quite an accomplishment considering attrition could be as high as half the field.

Rally New York is the final event of the North East Division SCCA ClubRally Championship. Held amidst the beautiful fall foliage of the Catskill mountains, the all day, 250 mile long event promises to be a challenge for drivers and co-drivers alike. SCCA ClubRally follows a stage rally format where specially prepared cars travel down "special-stage" roads which are closed to the public at one minute intervals as fast as possible. The "special-stages" are linked by "transit-stages" where the participants are required to adhere to all local traffic laws. This form of motorsport is experiencing an explosion in popularity in the US and the national SCCA ProRally championship is televised nationwide on the Speedvision network.

Erik Christiansen graduated from The Cooper Union with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1996. Immediately afterwards, he began full-time graduate study at Princeton University where he studies flame instabilities and expects to complete his Ph.D. in January of 2002. Erik started competing in motorsports by autocrossing (SCCA Solo II) his daily driver Mazda Miata.

Originally from Staten Island, New York, Eddie Fiorelli graduated from The Cooper Union in 1997, and then went to work as a mechanical engineer at Marconi Aerospace (now BAE Systems) on Long Island. After two years at Marconi, he decided to return to school, and became a full-time graduate student at Princeton University in August of 1999. Conducting research in the field of Dynamics and Controls, Eddie's thesis work involves coordination and control of a group of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs).

To find out more about SCCA ProRally, visit the SCCA website at www.sccaprorally.org. To find out more about the Rally New York, visit their website at: http://www.nyr-scca.com/rally_new_york.htm