GM Racing Profile: The Cups Alba Colon

CHEVROLET RACING NEWS
POCONO 500 (JUNE 9, 2002) ADVANCE
NASCAR WINSTON CUP SERIES
June 5, 2002


Women working in responsible positions in Winston Cup racing is a common
sight these days, with a large percentage of the marketing/public
relations/communications work force being made up of women.  And, of course,
there are women competing directly against men on the race track.  This is
nothing new in motorsports, but for NASCAR it is a relatively modern
concept.

While women have been regular fixtures worldwide from the beginning of the
automobile era in other forms of motorsports, such as sports-car racing,
rallying and Formula 1, NASCAR did not allow women on its tracks, in its
garages or pits until NASCAR¹s modern era began in 1972.  At first, only
accredited female journalists were permitted.  Several years passed before
other professional women were allowed to join them.

One of today's powerful women in the sport is Alba Colon, named GM Racing's
Chevrolet Program Manager for Winston Cup racing in 2001.

Colon, born Alba Lynnette Colon Rodriguez in 1968 in Salamanca, Spain, began
her career with General Motors in 1994 after graduating from the University
of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus, as a mechanical engineer.  Prior to moving
to the United States, Colon was a project engineer for Sterling
Pharmaceuticals in Puerto Rico.

She was hired by GM after four years of competing in the Formula SAE
program, where she, as team captain, built race cars from the ground up and
exhibited them at events held at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan (more
details below).

Her first assignment for GM was as data acquisition engineer for the Oval
Track Group (NASCAR Winston Cup, Craftsman Truck, ASA and Busch Grand
National).  In 1998 she was named NHRA Pro Stock Truck program manager and
in 2000 Colon was placed in charge of all of GM Racing's NHRA drag-racing
programs, including Funny Car, Top Fuel Dragster, Pro Stock, Pro Stock Truck
and Sportsman series.

Colon will miss the Pocono 500 this weekend, as she will be attending her
wedding to Michigan-based accountant Jeff Ruedisueli.  The couple will live
in Royal Oak, Mich.  A honeymoon following the end of the 2002 Winston Cup
season is planned.

Following is a Q&A with Alba Colon:

WHEN DID YOU JOIN THE WINSTON CUP GM RACING TEAM AS CHEVROLET PROGRAM
MANAGER?  "In 2001 I became program manager of the Chevrolet side of the
NASCAR Winston Cup program.  GM Racing also has a manager for the Pontiac
side, and that is Ray Smith."

WHAT ARE YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS PROGRAM MANAGER?  "I manage at-track
Chevrolet-related engineering programs, which include the races and testing.
I also handle the parts budget for the Winston Cup program.  One of my
functions is to improve communications between the GM Racing engineers in
Detroit and the Monte Carlo brand team.  I'm the liaison between the brand
team and GM Racing and at the same time I am a liaison between GM Racing and
NASCAR at the track.  Other GM Racing engineers, such as Group Manager Doug
Duchardt, also participate in negotiations with NASCAR.

"One of my responsibilities is to identify the budget issues for the next
year, when the team lineups (possibly) change.  I have to resolve those
problems between the brand team and the GM Racing department, to see how
we're going to help the teams improve.  I also develop the contracts between
GM Racing and the teams.  I do this at the end of the year, or every couple
of years depending on the type of contracts that we have with those teams.

"When I go to the track I talk to the crew chiefs and specifically the
owners.  I maintain a close relationship with the owners trying to keep up
with what's going on and to help the owners resolve issues with the NASCAR
officials.

"As the person who goes to the track almost every weekend, I provide
feedback to the rest of the engineers regarding any problems that have to be
resolved.  For example, if there are engine issues, I keep in touch with Jim
Covey, the engine manager at GM Racing who does not go to every race and we
try to resolve any issues.  We are a group.  Covey has people working for
him -- somebody in charge of the blocks, somebody in charge of development
of heads and intake manifolds.  Also, on the chassis side of the business,
we work with GM Racing aerodynamics specialist Terry Laise. We work with
Terry to develop the aerodynamics on the new car that is coming along.  We
also have our parts department - that and the parts budget are the areas I
manage more directly,  I oversee that we meet the budget, that we don't go
over, that the teams are getting what they really need.  At the same time I
have to meet the objectives of the brand team.  They want to win the
manufacturer's championship at the end of the year.  The way to meet this
objective is to help the teams technologically and provide them all the help
we can for them to accomplish their (and our) main goal at the end -- to win
races."

WHAT WAS YOUR ROUTE TO GM RACING?  "When I was a college student I built a
race car and I was hired after that by GM. When I was in college I was in
the Formula SAE program.  I was the first team captain for the team from
University of Puerto Rico.  We built a race car in an engineering
competition.  We had to design and build the race car and we came to Detroit
for the competition and after doing this for four years GM hired me.  I
believe strongly in that competition and I volunteer my time to it now, to
help those kids to get hired someday at GM or in other companies. When I'm
not working in my GM Racing office, that's what I do, I volunteer my time."

WHEN DID YOU FIRST COMPETE IN FORMULA SAE?  "In 1991."

WHAT KIND OF CAR DID YOU BUILD?  "It's like a mini-Indy car.  It's a small,
open-wheel race car, with a motorcycle engine.  You have to build it from
the ground up and you have to come to the competition in Michigan, exhibit
the car, race the car, and talk about the cost of the car. It's a great
deal; we have a lot of people who have been in these projects who are right
now working not only in GM, but on race teams.  I know of at least two who
now work for RCR and one at DEI."

TELL US MORE ABOUT THIS PROGRAM:  "In the first team we were six people. We
built the race car, designed it, raised the money to build it, everything.
The competition is held every year at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan,
where the Lions football team used to play.  They have a big parking lot. We
build a small race track.  We do acceleration, skid pad tests, autocross,
endurance competition. I used to be a student doing that and now I represent
GM in the competition.  I am one of the organizers.  We make the rules and
we prepare this competition every year.  Every year, about 1200 students go
to this competition, and all of them get hired.  There are people in F1,
CART, IRL, NASCAR Winston Cup; there are so many of them.  Here in the GM
Racing department we have five people who were in that competition when they
were students and now work here.

WHEN DID THAT PROGRAM START?  "Twenty years ago, in 1981."

WAS IT DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO GET ESTABLISHED IN WINSTON CUP?  "It's
different.  It's a completely, completely different series.  But I already
knew some of the people because I had been doing data acquisition with the
Winston Cup teams in my first job at GM Racing.  I started in the Winston
Cup side of the business, and also handled the NASCAR trucks.  From there I
went to drag racing, where I became program manager of drag racing. I kept
the communication ties with the teams in Winston Cup because I was
continuing to do the data acquisition and if they needed any help I was the
point of contact in GM Racing. Yes, it is different. It's a completely
different series and, on the technical side, it is more demanding because of
the number of races.  And I think it is more structured than drag racing."

DO YOU FEEL ESTABLISHED NOW?  "Oh, yes, but it will take time to get there
totally.  It took me time in drag racing.  I feel more comfortable now in
Winston Cup.  There's always a period of adjustment covering any new
series."

DO YOU FEEL THE ODD "MAN" OUT AS A WOMAN IN YOUR POSITION?  "I would say
when I came here in 1994 it was a little bit different.  I feel I'm
respected more now than before.  I feel welcome.  You have to develop some
respect from the teams, and they have to value and understand why you are
there and what you are trying to do for them and I feel really welcome.  I
have a great relationship with the team owners and there's a lot of
camaraderie and a lot of respect. I really love my job; it's really great."

ON THIS YEAR'S ROOKIE TALENT, AND CHEVY'S JIMMIE JOHNSON:  "He's awesome;
I'm glad he's on our side.  The rookies are doing great this year and
they're showing some talent.  They are showing some potential.  I really
admire them.  Also, the rookies are being established with some really good
teams.  For example, Jimmie Johnson has behind him a great operation -- the
Hendrick operation plus (his team owner) Jeff Gordon.  He also has a greet
team, a great crew chief.  We are glad that he's doing so well."

DO CHEVY OR GM RACING RECOMMEND NEW DRIVERS TO TEAMS?  "We have an informal
process. For example, we discovered Jimmie Johnson in the old MTEG stadium
racing series. He came with us to the ASA series, also to the Busch series.
We have been in some way nurturing him and he's been under the GM,
specifically the Chevrolet, umbrella for some time. He's one of the drivers
who have been having a relationship with GM for a long time, like, for
example, Larry Dixon in NHRA drag racing.  GM has been nurturing this
relationship for many, many years."

WHAT HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FOR CHEVROLET IN THE WINSTON CUP SERIES?
"I would say getting adapted to the new rules and the new inspection
process.  Things are getting measured in a different way. There are some
different templates.  There's a different philosophy of how to measure those
templates and that's the biggest challenge we have been having.  The way the
nose was getting measured from a specific point last year and this year it's
getting measured from another point has been giving us some disadvantage.
The teams have been having some issues to meet that new inspection system.
It's a different way of seeing things.  But we are working on that.  We are
really working on that hard.  They (NASCAR) are getting very strict with the
measuring process.  Things that used to pass before don't pass now."

THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF TALK ABOUT CHEVROLET REWORKING THE MONTE CARLO FOR
2003.  WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THAT?  "After working with NASCAR through the
Pontiac (approval) process, we have gained a lot of experience, and seeing
the strength of the new Pontiac package and NASCAR's openness in working
with us on the brand character of the car, we are currently evaluating the
Chevrolet Monte Carlo for 2003.  And by NASCAR rules we will have to make a
decision on that by July 1."

GOING INTO POCONO, CHEVROLET IS NOW SECOND IN THE MANUFACTURER'S
CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS.  DO YOU FEEL THAT NASCAR HAS ESTABLISHED PARITY?  "It's
a work in progress, race by race.  It seems that the car that gets to the
front, the other teams are not catching that car, it just runs away.  That
didn't happen before.  I think that the teams are using a lot of pit
strategy, something I didn't see before.  There's always some issue; and
there will always be some issues.  I don't think aerodynamically we are at
the level of the other manufacturers.  But the reason we are second in
points is because of the hard work of our teams and especially the pit
strategy we have been noticing lately.  It's in the pits where the teams are
winning the races.  And you have, for example, last weekend with Chad Knaus'
call of Jimmie Johnson in the pits, that was a good one.  Also, at
Charlotte, we had a very dominant team, but we lost the race.  Jimmie
Johnson lost the race in the pit box, when he had a bad pit stop.  It's a
combination of everything, but, if you ask me, I would like to see more of
an aerodynamic advantage in our car."

WHAT DO YOU SEE FOR THE REST OF THIS SEASON?   "I hope that the teams
continue their improvement.  We have a lot of teams that are new this year,
such as Jimmie Johnson's team.  Another example is the 29 and 31 teams
switching crews.  It will take some time for relationships to gel over
there.  I expect those specific two teams to improve and I expect to see
Jeff Gordon and the No. 8 team (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) improving.  Right now we
have two teams second and third in points and that is great.  We expect
those teams to improve and the other teams that I mentioned to get better.
And to act in the way that they've been acting in the past, with great
performance."

IS POCONO A CHALLENGE FOR CHEVROLET?  "It's a flat track.  Other teams have
been performing really well here.  The Penske team has always done very,
very well at this track in the past.  And also Ricky Rudd's team has done
well.  It's been pretty good for the Ford teams.  Let's see what happens
this weekend.  The Fords and Dodges have been performing better at the flat
tracks, because of the aerodynamics."

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