Thousand Oaks, California -- John Dillon, navigator for the Widget Rally Team, and Shawn Sampson, President of Sampson Racing Communications, announced today that Sampson's company would provide Widget with communications gear for the remainder of the 2002 rally season. Included in the sponsorship package is an intercom system that interfaces the team's helmets with video cameras, radios, and cell phones. Radios and headsets for the race car and the service crew will also be provided.

Dillon reports, "Sampson Communications offers us over a dozen years of aviation and eight years of racing communications experience. We first approached him twelve months ago because we need the kind of audio quality his gear offers." The team also looked closely at the system's mechanical design. "We can't afford to let dust, moisture or vibration disrupt our communications," said Dillon, "but the RA-1 Rally Intercom System is impervious to the elements and has locking connectors to insure a reliable connection."

Leon Styles, driver for the Widget team, emphasized the value, observing that "Riding inside a rally car can get pretty noisy on a gravel road so it's imperative that our communications system block extraneous noise. But sound canceling is not enough--it's critical that we have clear sound, proper volume and high fidelity. If I don't hear one of John's calls, we could drive off a cliff--a very bad thing!"

"We've been active in racing a very long time," noted Sampson. "Both my wife and I race RX7's on road racing circuits, but rally is a new field for us. When we realized that rallyists need the same kind of equipment we sell to our road racing friends, we knew that sponsoring a team like John and Leon would properly introduce us to the rally community."

Sampson went on to say, "The Widget Team has made their mark as a professional group of racers who know how to promote their sponsors. Since we're new to rally, we need someone like them to help us penetrate that market. More importantly, they are a results-based organization. If our gear can help them do well on well on the rally circuit, we know their victories will help us sell more radios, intercoms, and other equipment."

"We really look forward to getting the Sampson Communication gear installed in the race car," noted car owner George Plsek. "Our system failed us at Oregon Trail, forcing Leon to drive conservatively since he could only hear the calls about 30% of the time. We also look forward to being able to advise the crew via radio prior to the car's arrival in the service area. This way everyone will be ready with the necessary tools and supplies, making our service stop more efficient."

Sampson Racing Communications offers a variety of products for all forms of racing enthusiasts. Helmets, helmet kits, radios, intercoms, and transit headsets are all available at very competitive prices. "One reason we decided we chose the RA-1 was because it had a direct interface to our video camera, the car-to-crew radio, and even a cell phone," said Dillon. "To get these same features from another manufacturer was cost-prohibitive. Best of all, the system works with our old Terraphone system as well as our new Peltor helmets."

For more information about the Widget Rally Team or Sampson Racing Communications, visit their web sites listed at the top of this page.