BMWsport Home - BMWsport.net - BMW Racing News, Forums, Tech Articles and Race Photos

“It’s always nice to have a race in the series close to home. Our local fans are always eager to come out and support us,” says team owner Jim Osborn. The 3 past finishes have put the team in contingency for a team championship, as well as, an individual overall championship finish for veteran Ken Dobson. Two top ten finishes and one top five for the #7 driver has placed him in an overall 7th place point standings for the 2003 season. With a couple more good finishes, Dobson will be a top contender for the championship yet again this year. Following Dobson’s lead is driver #24 Jim Osborn with an overall 13th place in point standings- a huge improvement in average finish position for Jim in only his second season. With the championship battle heating up, the team knows they will have their work cut out for them. Not only does this red hot team have the remarkable talent needed to win, but the recent ruling from the series sanctioning body, the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), should give the Chili Pepper Racing BMW 325’s the competitive edge needed to win.

Perhaps one of the most exciting opportunities for the team is the chance to feature the Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB) at the Atlanta event. The team donated a weekend package of ultimate racing to the foundation to raffle off during the Fighting Blindness League event held in Atlanta, Ga. Proceeds raised at the auction went directly to the FFB. Chili Pepper Racing has chosen to join forces with FFB because of its relentless efforts to help fight for the cure of retinal eye diseases in which over 6 million Americans of every age and race suffer from. The foundation funds research at more than 55 prestigious research institutions and since its inception in 1971, FFB has raised over $160 million. The charity was recently named one of Worth Magazine’s “100 Best Charities” and is consistently rated #1 among major charitable organization for the percentage of revenue spent on research, based on National Health Council findings. The foundation is dedicated to providing information for patients, families and professionals. During the race weekend, fans will have the opportunity to come by and meet the team and some of the members from the Foundation Fighting Blindness. To learn more information on FFB and how you can help, visit their website at www. Blindness.org.

“Racing for Charities” is what Chili Pepper Racing is all about. Formed by James M. Osborn, M.D., the team is dedicated to the effort of raising funds and awareness for two other worthwhile charities: Remote Area Medical and T.C. Thompson’s Children Hospital. The World Challenge series has presented a great opportunity for the team to get great exposure for these two organizations. World Challenge GT entrants, including the #1 and 2 RS 6 Champion Audis of Michael Galati and Randy Pobst, the #44 Apex Saleen SR of John Young, and the #14 Porsche 911 GT3 of Michael Culver have even taken the initiative to help spread the awareness of the charities by placing stickers on their race cars to show support. “We really wanted to say thanks as a team to these guys for making this special effort to help get the message out about our charities. It really goes to show you the heart and compassion of the drivers we have racing in this series,” says Osborn. The team has set a special goal to raise $1,000,000 in funds that will go directly to the Remote Area Medical charity. Funds raised will be used to provide free medical, surgical, dental, and vision care to people who are underprivileged and in remote areas that can’t access medical care.

You can tune into the SPEED channel to watch Dobson and Osborn in action in the World Challenge Touring Car Series. To learn more about the Chili Pepper Racing team and the charities they support, go to www.chilipepperracing.org.

3.23 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."