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4th QUARTER 2010

> 2011 Bookings Already Surging at Windshear

• Rising interest includes more reservations than for the entire 2010 year; usage expected up nearly 30% since 2009

The demand for the Windshear wind tunnel, the only full-scale rolling road wind tunnel in North America, has continued to surge heading into 2011.

Site Manager Jeff Bordner reports that the wind tunnel has already had more customer hours ordered than the total number of business hours in 2010. That continues a surge in the use at the facility, which opened in the summer of 2008. In fact, the wind tunnel’s usage is expected to be up 27 percent from 2009.

The wind tunnel expects to see a continued demand from race teams from several different leagues. NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Truck Series are all expected to use Windshear next year, as well as Formula One and IndyCar teams. Daytona Prototype and Road Racing sports cars have also used Windshear, and have expressed interest in returning to the facility.

“We are pleased that so many race teams have already started making plans for 2011,” Bordner said. “That increased demand, as well as additional business opportunities, has kept our wind tunnel busy.”

Windshear’s tunnel is typically booked for one, two or three days at a time, giving race teams and other clients the ability to conduct extensive research and testing on their vehicles. Teams that schedule extended testing can also receive special incentives. If you are interested in making a reservation for the facility, contact Bordner (jsbordner@windshearinc.com or 704-920-7646) or Randy Graves at (704-920-7642 or rgraves@windshearinc.com)..

> 2010 Year in Review at Windshear

• Wind tunnel usage built up steadily throughout the year, including new customers and platforms

2010 was a breakthrough year for Windshear, as the wind tunnel saw increasing usage at the facility after feeling the effects of the economic downturn in 2009. By the end of 2010, customer testing is now filling nearly 5 days of every work week. Many customers have also taken advantage of the operational improvements found during 2010, to expand their testing to include multiple cars in a single day of testing.

Race teams credited Windshear in helping with their success on the track, and the wind tunnel has maintained its reputation as the most accurate wind tunnel in North America. Windshear officials made several enhancements in 2010, including a new process control report that details long-term tunnel results. That report outlines how accurate the wind tunnel’s tests were for a period up to a year.

Windshear also saw dramatic changes to its customer base in 2010, with the addition of test capability for production cars, sports cars, and pro-stock cars. Windshear tested the Delta Wing IndyCar prototype, as well as a NHRA Pro Stock vehicle, for the first time. While importing so many different vehicles on one platform might seem like a steep challenge, the new vehicle types were easily integrated using the versatile Windshear Universal Restraint System.

Customer feedback from those tests was extremely positive, and Windshear expects even more business from new ventures in 2011.

“Our facility saw a significant change in its customer base in 2010,” Windshear Site Manager Jeff Bordner said. “We have really branched out and developed testing for several different formats as well as more multiple car tests. This has really helped position us for the future. That was the biggest change for us in 2010, and it really has helped us turn the corner as we head forward.”

> US CAR Turns to Windshear For Research and Opportunities

• Leading U.S. research organization completes initial work at facility in preparation for major correlation test in 2011

The United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR) made its initial visit to Windshear recently, and conducted some of the first tests on production cars at the facility. The organization is a collaboration between Chrysler, Ford and General Motors, and is doing extensive research to determine ways for more fuel efficiency.

USCAR’s visit is the first step in continuing that process at Windshear. The organization is expected to return to Windshear next year to continue its testing, as part of a major correlation test the organization has started.

For Windshear, USCAR’s visit has helped open doors to new opportunities. Windshear is expected to test more production model cars in the near future, and the experience with USCAR has been invaluable.

“That visit has really helped us determine the requirements we’ll need for upcoming production car testing,” Windshear Site Manager Jeff Bordner said.

Windshear has also started to expand its reach not only with USCAR, but with other vehicles. The wind tunnel has conducted tests on vehicles for after-market parts manufacturers, and is always looking at other ways to diversify its customer portfolio.

> Windshear Officials Keep in Step With New Technology at Industry Events

• Global Wind Tunnel Symposium, Performance Racing Industry events give Windshear opportunities to build relationships, knowledge of trends

Windshear officials visited the Global Wind Tunnel Symposium in Pasadena, Calif. in November. The symposium featured an interchange of ideas from wind-tunnel facilities, government agencies, global customer groups, technology suppliers and scientific organizations.

Site Manager Jeff Bordner spoke at the symposium, and discussed how Windshear has been able to adapt to so many different kinds of clients since opening a little more than two years ago.

“It was a great experience to share what we’ve learned since we opened our doors in 2008,” Bordner said.

Windshear officials also attended the Performance Racing Industry convention in December. That featured more than 1,000 exhibits and more than 38,000 customers in the three-day event and is one of the 50 largest trade shows in the U.S.

“These two events are a great way for us to look for new customers and also to learn about some of the latest technology in the racing industry,” Bordner said. “Any time you can have that kind of exchange of ideas and build your network, it is very worthwhile.”

> New Faces Help Windshear Breeze into 2011

• Three new test technicians help Windshear maintain high standards while keeping up with increasing demand

To keep up with increased demand at the facility, Windshear officials have hired three new test technicians to keep the wind tunnel running efficiently.

Sawson Samimy, Zach Ruffing, and Seth Chavka all bring different perspectives to Windshear, and will aid in the preparation of the wind tunnel for clients.

Samimy is the newest member of the group, and he has one of the most unique viewpoints. Before coming to Windshear, Samimy came from a racing background, working with Prism Motorsports and Petty Enterprises in previous positions. He was familiar with Windshear, but seeing the wind tunnel up close has brought a different perspective.

“I was really impressed,” he said. “You hear about how this place works, but that doesn’t do it justice. You have to experience it in person. It’s like watching racing on TV, and then being there in person. It is a totally different experience.”

Ruffing comes to Windshear with an extensive background in working with Porsche vehicles. He came to Windshear after several years of working as a technician at Porsche facilities, and later became the owner and operator of Carolina Sportscar.

“It’s neat to see such a large-scale engineering project come to life,” Ruffing said. “I’ll be able to take on some different responsibilities and I’m really looking forward to that.”

Chavka joined Windshear after working at JRi Development Group, where he served as a design engineer. He managed all engineering needs for the racing division there, and also created technical documentation for multiple racing series.

Chavka said the checks and balances at Windshear are even more thorough than at his previous employer.

“You have to double check everything,” he said. “There are two or three hours of preparation work for every test. It’s quite a challenge, because no two cars are the same.”

Windshear Site Manager Jeff Bordner said he’s happy to see his three new arrivals, and noted that their hiring has continued a shift in Windshear’s philosophy as a facility.

“They all have significant engineering backgrounds and that’s a movement we expect to continue here,” he said. “Their hiring adds significant depth to our technical capabilities, and we are really excited about that.”

For more information about Windshear or to discuss possible testing services, contact Jeffrey Bordner or Randy Graves at:
Phone: 704-788-WIND (9463)
Email: info@windshearinc.com
http://www.windshearinc.com

Copyright © 2010 Wind Shear, Inc.