SAAB PRO RALLY TEAM POISED AT RIM OF THE WORLD PALMDALE, CA -- Saab rally driver Sam Bryan and co-driver Rob Walden are prepared to meet the challenges of one of SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally's most demanding events: Rim of the World, May 2-3. In their second national race of the season, Bryan and Walden are seeking to win the Group 5 class in their factory-sponsored 300-hp Saab 900 Turbo Coupe. The SCCA/Michelin Rim of the World PRO Rally is a 13-stage, 245-mile race to be held primarily in the Angeles National Forest, south of Palmdale, CA. Competitors will begin the grueling event at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 2. The rally concludes at 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 3. Sponsored by Saab Cars USA, Inc., the rally-edition Saab 900 features a potent 2.3L turbocharged 300-hp four-cylinder with electronic engine management and traction control. Sporting Saab Monte Carlo Yellow paint and unique "Find your own road" graphics, the No. 900 rally car has proven to be a crowd favorite as it thunders by. Bryan, from Kent, Washington, and Walden, from Seattle, swept to a class victory and took third place overall in the first full-points national rally of the season, Wild West PRO Rally, held in forests near Olympia, Wash., April 11-13. "The Saab ran strong and fast during the Wild West PRO Rally, despite extremely rough road conditions," Bryan said. "The Saab's balance and traction are perfect for rally racing, and its 30-to-70 (mph) time is incredible, thanks to the turbo engine's particularly strong mid-range power-perfect for the kind of driving we do during rally racing." The Rim of the World PRO Rally is well known for its twisty, rough and precarious hilltop fire roads that are an especially challenging test of driver skill and vehicle endurance. Rally racing has always been an integrated part of Saab's heritage. The automaker gives considerable credit to its many rally victories for the company's early successes in the world market. Saab Cars USA, Inc., based in Norcross, Ga., is the importer and distributor for Swedish-made Saab 900 and 9000 automobiles.