Young duo aiming for success in first season of GRAND-AM competition

January 2, 2012 (Opelika, Ala.) – APR is pleased to announce the signing of talented duo of Aleks Altberg and David Cheng to steer the no. 171 APR Volkswagen GTI in the ST class in the 2012 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. While both are newcomers to the CTSCC – and both barely old enough to drink champagne in victory circle – the teammates will be aiming at bringing home their first ST class championship in the New Year.

Chinese-born Cheng, who calls Sammamish, Wash. home, brings a wealth of endurance racing and open-wheel experience to APR. Cheng had a busy 2011 racing season, competing in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, scoring a podium in his first American Le Mans Series race, taking five wins in the Pacific F2000 championship, as well as a full season assault in the Scirocco R-Cup Asia, where he scored a second at the Merdeka Millenium 12 Hour Endurance race at Sepang, Malaysia – where he partnered with Altberg. A former class winner at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill, Cheng is no stranger to the speed and strategy necessary to be a winner in endurance racing.

“Competing in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge has been a goal of mine for a long time, and I couldn’t be happier that I will compete full time this season with Aleks as my co-driver, and with a winning team like APR,” said Cheng. “APR is the premier team in the CTSCC, and their record of victories speaks for itself. Aleks and I are looking to add to that number and bring home an ST championship!”

Altberg, from Mill Valley, Calif., will contest his first full season of endurance racing with APR. After earning Rookie of the Year honors in his first season at the Jim Russell International Racing Series, Altberg graduated to touring cars and partnered with Cheng to score the podium result at the Merdeka Millenium 12 Hour Endurance race. A quick study to new forms of machinery, Altberg is looking forward to sampling the APR Volkswagen for the first time at Daytona.

“It is great to have the opportunity to be a part of APR and to race with David this year,” said Altberg. “The transition from open-wheel cars to sedans is a big one, but I really enjoyed racing with David in the Scirocco R-Cup last season and I know we can have a lot of success in the CTSCC with APR. They are the team to beat and I can’t wait for our season to start in Daytona.”

Cheng and Altberg will join APR for the first time at the January Test Days at Daytona International Speedway on January 6-8, before the first race of the season, the GRAND-AM 200, at Daytona on January 26-27.

“David and Aleks are both young, talented drivers that will do great things with APR this season,” said Stephen Hooks, president and CEO of APR. “Everyone at APR is excited to have them join us and we can’t wait to watch them drive the no. 171 APR Volkswagen GTI to the front in 2012.”

About APR
APR LLC is an automotive engineering firm operating a 36,000 sq. ft. performance campus in Opelika, Ala. APR was founded in 1997 with a corporate philosophy of Integrity, Excellence and Innovation. APR’s sole mission is to provide the highest quality and most highly engineered aftermarket performance parts available for Audi, Volkswagen, SEAT and Skoda vehicles. Learn more at www.goapr.com.