HPC-Sponsored Vitor Meira of Team Panther Finishes 2nd at Watkin�s Glen race.
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| Vitor Meira of Team Panther |
Watkins Glen, NY (June 5, 2006) – Vitor Meira of HPC-sponsored Team Panther racing finished 2nd this weekend at the Watkins Glen International Raceway. Meira, who started 8th, finished a mere 2.331 seconds behind event champion Scott Dixon after 55 laps.
“What a great day for the Panther Racing team,” Meira said. “We fought hard to finish second here today. We took 100% out of our Panther car and took advantage of our chances. I’m happy. I have no doubt that with Panther Racing we are going to get a win.”
After fighting rain and cold on the historic 11-turn road course, Meira and Panther Racing decided to follow the example of the race leader, Scott Dixon, who elected to stay on his dry tires for the final lap of the event. Meira fought his way to fourth after an early restart and never slipped back down the grid.
Meira finished this year’s Indianapolis 500 in 10th place. Sunday marked his fifth career second-place finish and the fourth consecutive top-ten finish in just five starts with Panther Racing. The win helped Meira jump from 10th place in IndyCar Series points all the way up to 6th. He is 58 points shy of the lead.
HPC began working with Team Panther in 1999. The international coatings company worked closely with the team’s engineers to utilize HPC’s HiperCoat Extreme™ exhaust coating for heat management and HPC’s friction reducing coatings on internal engine parts to maximize engine and car performance. HPC coatings have been used by 14 Indianapolis 500 winners and helped power 2006 Indy 500 winner Sam Hornish, Jr. to his two IRL Championships in 2001 and 2002.
Born in Brazil, Meira began driving in the IRL in 2002 for Andretti/Green Racing team. The next year he signed on with Rahal Letterman Racing where he was awarded the inaugural IRL Rising Star award. In 2005 he signed on with Team Panther and has continued to move up in the Indy Racing League’s rankings. Meira and the Panther Racing team will travel next to the Texas Motor Speedway for the Bombardier Learjet 500, where Panther Racing is the defending race winner.
HPC congratulates Vitor Meira and Team Panther racing for their 2nd place finish at the historic Watkins Glen International Speedway.
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About HPC
High Performance Coatings, Inc. has been an integral part of the automotive motorsport industry since 1982. The company has coated parts for over 20 Motorsport Hall of Fame inductees and 4 land and air speed world record holders. This rich racing heritage has led HPC to be nicknamed ‘The Choice of World Champions.’
HPC is the leader in innovative coating technology. HPC develops, manufactures and applies coating (surface treatment) solutions for thermal management, anti-corrosion, friction reduction, and color appearance. Now in its twenty-fourth year, the company’s coatings are used by legends in the motorsport racing world as well as by the US Military and the National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA). HPC is a market leader in internal and external engine parts coatings in automotive and diesel engines. At HPC, there IS a difference…and the difference is experience.
Links:
Team Panther Racing
HPC Automotive Racing |