Prepare to win.

Duncan Ende joins Silicon Tech/Dempsey Racing for 2012 American Le Mans Season

November 29, 2011 (Los Angeles, Calif.) - Duncan Ende is proud to announce that he will contest the 2012 American Le Mans Series as he joins Henri Richard at Silicon Tech / Dempsey Racing, taking aim at the LMPC class championship.

Ende, who calls Los Angeles, California home, comes off of a strong 2011 American Le Mans Series campaign, in which he won three races en route to finishing second in the GT-C class championship. With strong results in his first full season in the ALMS, Ende is looking forward to the new challenge in the LMPC class, which featured tight competition all year and the closest championship result in ALMS history in 2011. As part of Silicon Tech / Dempsey Racing, Ende will be making a return to prototypes after several seasons in GT cars. Ende contested the IMSA Lights championship in 2006, taking five wins.

"I couldn't be more excited about partnering with Henri and Dempsey Racing in the American Le Mans Series next season," said Ende. "It was a difficult decision to leave TRG after a great season with them and with Spencer Pumpelly, who is not only a phenomenal driver but a great friend. But everything fell into place to run LMPC and I'm really looking forward to this new challenge. There is no doubt that LMPC is incredibly competitive and I'm really excited to be a part of it."

Ende and Richard have partnered once before, when the two drove a TRG Porsche to victory at the 2010 Petit Le Mans. He hopes their winning ways will continue in 2012.

"I'm very excited to see Duncan rejoin our team for the 2012 season," Richard said. "We had a great time driving together in 2010 at Sebring and Petit Le Mans, and obviously the results at Petit spoke for themselves. Duncan is a young, talented, and extremely affable young man, and I believe he will represent the Silicon Tech Racing brand very well. He'll be a great asset to us on and off the track, and I look forward to the coming season."

Ende has more in common with Dempsey Racing team principals Patrick Dempsey and Joe Foster than just a passion for motorsports. All three are also avid road cyclists, and Ende hopes join them in next year's Dempsey Challenge, an annual ride organized and held in Maine each October that benefits the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing.

"I know Henri was looking for a skilled young driver to partner him in 2012 and it sounds like he's made a great choice in Duncan," Dempsey said. "He and Spencer Pumpelly got some great results last season and we're happy to add him to the fold."

Ende will sample the team's new ORECA FLM09 for the first time at the annual Sebring Winter Test on February 8-9, 2012, before he and Richard tackle the 60th Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring fueled by Fresh from Florida on March on March 14-17, 2012.

Ende will continue with his partnership with STANDD.org <http://standd.org/> , which aims to raise awareness of the dangers of texting and driving distracted. Spectators at American Le Mans Series races will be able to sign STANDD pledge forms in the Silicon Tech/Dempsey Racing pits at each event. Also returning with Ende will be the Fox River Coffee Company with their Racer's Roast brand

For more about Duncan Ende, visit www.duncanende.com, or follow him on twitter at @duncanende.

To learn more:
Racer's Roast and the Fox River Coffee Company, visit www.foxrivercoffee.com.
STANDD, visit www.standd.org
Silcon Tech Racing, visit www.silicontechracing.com
Dempsey Racing, visit www.dempseyracing.net

Media contact:
Efrain Olivares, (818) 254-7196, efrain@shiftgroup.net

Servia reviews his season

This season has been an amazing story about success, team effort and lots of hard work.

Nothing is more rewarding than being put in a position of challenge and being able to pull through and exceed expectations. At the end of last year, a lot of bets were made before sponsors were signed and obviously before any results were accomplished. They were bets placed in more than just faith. Newman/Haas and myself had the certainty that together we would be able to get the best out of each other no matter the circumstances.

As soon as we announced our deal, we got Telemundo involved and that was just the first sign of how things were going to go for us. Telemundo not only was going to be a sponsor on the car but also was going to provide us and the whole IndyCar paddock with a well-deserved Hispanic audience. The sector of the Hispanic population is the fastest growing in the country and having a direct channel of communication with it has become a priority for all companies in the U.S.

Quick stats

Top-five finishes: 6
Top-10 finishes: 11
Laps led: 18
Average start: 11.1
Average finish: 8.9

The combination of a top team like Newman/Haas, the leading Hispanic media group in the U.S, Telemundo, and myself being from Spain and able to relate to all the different Hispanic nationalities was a recipe for success.

After the first three races of the season we were already in the top five in the championship and we could start to see that we were at the front to stay up there until the end. We arrived to Indianapolis third in points, and although we knew we were going to be somewhat competitive we had no idea of how good we really were going to be. I don't think is an over statement to say that Pole Day for the centennial of the Indianapolis 500 became not only a season high but one of the biggest accomplishments of my, and the team's, history.

We qualified on the front row. We had a lot confidence in our abilities for the race but we didn't expect to have such speed in qualifying. It was a result of a very methodical approach to the month of May and a defining moment of what I believe would be the tone of the rest of the season. We became very good at taking big risks but only on very defining moments. The race was as every Indy 500 is -- full of surprises and uncertainty until the very end.

We had our shining moment when we led for almost 20 laps and got a real taste of what the victory at the biggest race in the world must taste like. We ended up with a strong final position of sixth that felt not good enough after how well we ran the whole race, but it gave us the confidence that we were a team to contend with not only on street and road courses but also on the ovals.

Since that point on we never fell lower than fourth in the points and we battled for podiums and wins until the very last race.

There are really no words to express the amount of work and commitment that the whole team had week after week. It was the Newman/Haas magic that kept us all together working harder than ever but maintaining a great team spirit between mechanics, engineers, sponsors and drivers. There were no two sides in the team.

Everybody who worked on the No. 2 car was totally involved also in the No. 06 car’s success and the same the other way around. Every team tries to get that type of synergy but its rare when it really clicks the way it happened this season. James Hinchcliffe was a rookie but a very talented and hard working one, and the moment he saw how Newman/Haas really operates as one team he jumped on it with both feet. We worked together all season like we had been teammates for 10 years. The flow of communication between us and both engineers was constant.

A big part of my final fourth in the standings and Hinch becoming Sunoco Rookie of the Year has a lot to do with it. I have no doubt that neither of us would have accomplished it without one another.

Another very important factor not to forget is that I ended up being the driver who had completed more laps, with an over 99 percent completion of the possible laps. This just reinforces my earlier statement that we accomplished what we did with great teamwork giving us unbeatable reliability and again the ability of taking risks only when it counted.

The fact that Honda and Firestone had given us, once more, a 100 percent reliability goes without saying.

Overall, it was a great season of success and definitely one to build on. The series has definitely been on a high the whole season and although the general economic recession affects our sport like most industries it seems like IndyCar keeps finding ways to gain appreciation among our fans and keeps increasing the numbers of them.

Having such a tragedy in the last race of the season has been a big blow for the series. Death in any sport is just terrible, but when you lose one of your champions and a guy so charismatic like Dan Wheldon it is a huge hit no one was prepared to receive and knows even less how to recover from.

The sport will continue and because of it safety for the drivers and spectators will improve immensely. It is just very sad that it takes such a price to pay for us to react and put in place the right measures but unfortunately, like in everything else in life, no big leaps forward happen without a big shake of the community like this one.

Actor Patrick Dempsey to race in the 2012 ALMS & GRAND-AM

Back in July I had the pleasure in interviewing actor/racer Patrick Dempsey (see interview here) and a couple of things became very clear.

Firstly, how serious he is about motorsport and developing his race craft and secondly the fact that he was clearly looking at 2012 to move both himself and his Patrick Dempsey Racing team up the racing ladder.

Now comes confirmation of Patrick and the teams plans for next season with their announcement to compete in the LMP Challenge class in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS). Dempsey Racing and Silicon Tech Racing (STR) will join forces to become Silicon Tech/Dempsey Racing to contest the full ALMS calendar. Patrick and Joe Foster (co-owner of Dempsey Racing) are partnering in their ALMS program with Henri Richard, STR team principal and a three time winner in the ALMS including an LMPC victory at last month’s Petit Le Mans.

“We’ve been seeking to expand our program base for some time and we firmly believe that we’ve arrived at the correct opportunity with Henri and his Silicon Tech Racing partners,” Dempsey said. “Next year will be a big step for Dempsey Racing as we continue to work with our long term manufacturer partner Mazda and expand into the ALMS. We have long term, international aspirations, and long term international partners like Silicon Tech Racing and Mazda will help us achieve those goals.”

The team will take delivery of their ORECA FLM09 chassis and then set about a rigorous testing programme prior to the ALMS season opening (and joint FIA World Endurance Championship) race at the Sebring 12 hours March 18th in Florida.

“Joining with Patrick, Joe and everyone at Dempsey Racing is an amazing opportunity for next year,” Richard said. “We all seem to have mutual interest in using this as a forum for our guests and business partners. Dempsey Racing brings a great name to our business-to-business platform, and the value it will bring to each event will be a great boost for our team. At the very least I’m sure we’ll have a lot more executives pushed by their wives and daughters to come out to the races. This is also another step forward toward my ultimate objective: competing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the prototype category.”

“Patrick and I both are super excited about having Henri as part of Dempsey Racing and for allowing us this next step as a team,” Foster said. “Patrick has made no secret of his desire to return to Le Mans again and this is the first step in building the team in that direction.”

Hunter-Reay reviews his season

Looking back at this time last year, we were coming off of a strong year. 2010 started as just a three-race deal for us, but it ended up being much more with a win. Entering 2011, we were excited to bring DHL and Sun Drop on board at St. Pete.

Things were looking up at the beginning of the season. We had a lot of speed everywhere we went, except for Indy unfortunately, and qualified on the front row twice before May. Unfortunately, the results didn’t show our speed. We just couldn’t put it together. Whether it was a mechanical issue, a penalty or going into the wall in Brazil, it was one thing or another.

Quick stats

Victories: 1
Top 5s: 4
Top 10s: 9
Laps led: 74
Average start: 10.5
Average finish: 13.1

I’d have to say 2011 was one of the most trying seasons I’ve had in my career, especially the problems at the beginning and with the bottom point being Indy. With how that entire situation unfolded, it was hard on everybody. But we really bounced back after that. We really turned it around, with a win and quite a few podiums and top fives. That was our goal after Indy. I felt like I had to almost make up for Indy; I just tried so hard to make it happen. But it’s really a testament to the all of the guys and everyone involved that we were able to dig ourselves out of that hole, do a good job and be fast on all types of circuits by the end of the year.

Though it was a tough year, there were definitely a lot of high points, too. I think I could have won Edmonton if it had not been for the penalty and the contact with Takuma Sato, which was my fault, but certainly very frustrating to know that the potential was there. It made me grow -- and the team as a whole. We knew what we needed to do to get better results, and we did.
Loudon was maybe the most fun I’ve had in a race car. It was just a great car, and wow, what a challenging track. To get that place right is difficult, so winning there and putting the DHL/Circle K/Sun Drop car in Victory Circle was very satisfying.

I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to work with Chevy, Dallara and Firestone in developing everything about the 2012 car. To be picked as one of the test drivers is such a privilege, so I’m looking to take full advantage of that and take it all in. Hopefully, I can make it something that the whole team will benefit from. It’s a unique opportunity and I’m honored to take part.
Next year, we know what we need to do to be a title contender, and I really believe the team can be a regular contender for race wins, wherever we go. We’re going to work hard this off-season to make that happen.

ORIOL ON THE PASSING OF WHELDON

"This is incredibly sad. We all know this is part of the sport. Cars are getting safer, tracks are getting safer so fortunately it hasn't happened in a long time. We all had a bad feeling about this place in particular just because of the high banking and how easy it was to go flat and if you give us the opportunity, we are drivers and we try to go to the front -- we race each other hard because that's what we do. We knew if could happen but it's just really sad... Dan was always a very happy guy; he was always smiling. He was a funny, great person that touched a lot of people. He will be missed."

Ryan Hunter-Reay
'Was really looking forward to working with DW, the legend' lockerz.com/s/148042268

PLEASE VISIT THE WEB SITE LINK BELOW IN MEMORY OF DAN.

http://danwheldonmemorial.com/

TELEMUNDO DRIVER SERVIA SECURED FOURTH IN SERIES STANDINGS WITH SIXTH PLACE

Oriol Servia, No. 2 Telemundo Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “The Telemundo car was actually great except it had a lot of understeer. We just missed our target on the front wing. The rest of the car was awesome we just had too much understeer. Unfortunately you can only put so much wing in on each pit stop without losing too much time. Every pit stop the car would get better because we put more wing in each time. But again we didn’t want to stay in the pits too long putting wing in and lose positions. At the end the car was at its best but I still think we were a couple of turns short on the front wing. Apart from that I am happy coming from ninth. We had some moments where we thought we would end better but it is what it is. It was an interesting race, tough to pass. It was a good result for the team.”

Hunter-Reay Battles at the Front to Finish Fifth in the Kentucky Indy 300

October 2nd, 2011

10.02.11 – Ryan Hunter-Reay and Marco Andretti raced for the lead Sunday in the Kentucky Indy 300, but both Andretti Autosport drivers didn’t finish where they would have liked.

Hunter-Reay took his No. 28 Team DHL/Circle K/Sun Drop Citrus Soda machine to a fifth place in the 200-lap feature on the fast 1.5-mile oval south of Cincinnati. The Florida racer battled hard in the later stages of the event, running only a few feet from the lead. The tight racing made for some spectacular side-by-side competition, and Ryan was squeezed to the apron of the track several times before having to settle for a top-five finish. The fifth place moves Hunter-Reay up in the IZOD IndyCar Series standings with one race remaining. Ryan is 19 points out of fifth place.

TOWNSEND BELL

Townsend Bell, No. 22 Valspar:"I'm really proud of the Valspar crew. It was a great day for us. I went into this thinking let's get a good, solid result that we can be proud of and I think that we accomplished that today as we ran with the lead pack there in the end. They were two wide in front of me and it was really tough to make any moves, but I was really proud of coming from the back to an 11th place finish. Hopefully we can build on this and go to Vegas that much stronger."

Ende wraps up American Le Mans Season with Podium Effort at Petit Le Mans

October 2, 2011 (Braselton, GA) - Duncan Ende, along with teammates Spencer Pumpelly and Peter Ludwig, were expecting a seesaw battle in Saturday's 14th Petit Le Mans, the final round of the 2011 American Le Mans Series season. In the end, the no. 66 TRG / STANDD.org / Racer's Roast Porsche 911 GT3 Cup would come across the line in third place, cementing second in the GT-C championship for Ende and Pumpelly.

Ende started the race from second place in GT-C, and throughout the next 7 ½ hours, the three main GT-C competitors - the 66 car, as well as the no. 54 Black Swan Racing Porsche and the no. 23 AJR Porsche - swapped the lead as their cars battled with traffic and cycled through all of their co-drivers and pitstops.

A pivotal moment came in Ende's second stint, just before the race entered its ninth hour. While running in second place, Ende was pushed off track at the exit of turn 11 by a faster prototype, which sent Ende into a spin down the hill. He was able to rejoin the race, but had lost a large amount of time to the leading no. 54 Black Swan Racing Porsche and had also lost second place to the no. 23 AGR Porsche, as well as the downforce-producing front splitter on his Porsche.

After one more pitstop, Pumpelly took the car across the checkered flag in third place, down one lap to the winning no. 54 Black Swan Racing Porsche. The result was Ende and Pumpelly's seventh podium in a season highlighted by three wins for their no. 66 TRG / STANDD.org / Racer's Roast Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

"The championship was a long shot coming into Petit, so we were just going to go for it and be as aggressive as we could," said Ende. "I had a great first stint and a great battle with Jeroen throughout the race, while Spencer and Peter both did a great job behind the wheel. In the entire 9 hour race, we had two problems - my spin, and we picked up a stop and go penalty for hitting someone else's pit equipment that was left out. Those two problems meant we couldn't battle for the win at the very end and shows how competitive the GT-C class has been all season."

Although Ende missed out on a chance for the class championship, he leaves Road Atlanta happy with his performance and with that of his TRG team.

"I think we did a great job this season, and all of the guys were fighting and pushing until the very end," said Ende. "Spencer has been an amazing teammate, and all of the guys who work on our TRG Porsche have done an amazing job. I'm proud of the job they have done this year and I'm looking forward to our next challenge in 2012."

Dreyer & Reinbold confirms Bell for final two races

Justin Wilson's latest injury replacement is the last for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in the final two rounds of the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series season. The team confirmed Friday that Townsend Bell will take the reins of the No. 22 entry at Kentucky and Las Vegas. Bell will drive a Valspar-sponsored entry at Kentucky and Dad's Root Beer-backed car at Las Vegas.

“First off, I want to thank Justin for letting me borrow his racecar for these two events and I hope that he is recovering well,” Bell said. “I'm really impressed with the technical commitment that the team has made since Indianapolis to give themselves the best chance for success on the mile-and-a-half ovals, so it will be fun to see that put into action.”

This marks Bell's second stint with the team, as he also drove seven races in a second D&R entry in 2008. His best finish was eighth at Richmond, and he also posted a top-10 finish at that year's Indianapolis 500.

“We've both grown significantly since we worked together in 2008 and we feel Townsend will represent DRR and our partners very well to close out the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series season,” said team co-owner Dennis Reinbold.

Bell has driven at Indianapolis only the last three years, finishing fourth in 2009 for KV Racing, and 16th and 26th the last two years with Sam Schmidt Motorsports.

Bell tests Friday at Kentucky Speedway with teammate Ana Beatriz

TOP-5 FOR ORIOL IN JAPAN!

Oriol Servia, No. 2 Telemundo Dallara/Honda/Firestone: "To finish fifth after starting 16th is a great result for the Telemundo team. It was important for the point standings because everyone we are fighting to stay in the top-five had a bad race.

On the last restart we were fourth to Marco and I really wanted a podium but in trying to get third I fell back to fifth so I am just a little mad with myself because I didn't get it. I almost had it! We can definitely do better but we cannot complain overall after a top-five finish. On my out lap from the last pit stop, I tried to push and I put two tires on the sand and I feel that is what cost us a position to Marco on the final stop because we had a perfect pit stop, the guys did a great job.

It was me trying to push but in Turn 4 I went off a little and although I haven't seen the reply, I have to guess that is what cost us the spot at that moment. The car was deserving of a fifth place but it was no challenge for Scott and (Will) Power but I think everyone else was in a similar boat. I wasn't super-happy with the balance but I could see cars around me that were really struggling. We came into Japan wanting to strengthen our championship point and we were able to do that. Now we are heading to two oval races where we have high hopes for strong races."

Ryan Hunter-Reay, who was attempting to score his eighth straight top-ten finish in the No. 28 Team DHL/Circle K/Sun Drop Citrus Soda machine. Hunter-Reay, who started 17th Sunday, was running eighth on lap 57 when his car was struck from behind by Sebastien Bourdais. Hunter-Reay’s car spun off the track and stopped in the sand area. Assisted by the safety team, Hunter-Reay was able to return to the race a lap down and finished a disappointing 24th Sunday.

TELEMUNDO DRIVER SERVIA FINISHED SECOND IN THE BALTIMORE GRAND PRIX

Oriol Servia, No. 2 Telemundo Dallara/Honda/Firestone: "The Orioles' wings were with Oriol today. Nobody has doubts. There's a reason why Newman/Haas Racing has over 100 victories, they just had a tough season last year. Here we are again. We're fourth in points and fighting for the podium every race, and there's more to come. We never gave up. I crashed in qualifying but we never gave up. The car was great and the strategy was even better. Newman/Haas always works hard and we are bringing Telemundo to the podium which is great. I knew if I didn't make any mistakes, the podium was ours. Since we pitted early in the first stop we knew we were kind of committing to that strategy. We were hoping for more yellows but we had just enough fuel."

Ryan Hunter-Reay Fights Way Through Field at Baltimore after Podium finish thwarted by Briscoe

Ryan Hunter-Reay was challenging for a podium finish in the No. 28 Team DHL/Circle K/Sun Drop Citrus Soda machine at the halfway point of the 75-lap feature when his car was struck from behind in turn three by Ryan Briscoe and was forced to pit on lap 38. Hunter-Reay’s crew made a quick rear suspension repair and Ryan charged from 19th to eighth in the final 25 laps. The eighth place finish moved Hunter-Reay into seventh in the IZOD IndyCar Series point standings with three races remaining.

TELEMUNDO DRIVER SERVIA 11TH

Oriol Servia, No. 2 Telemundo Dallara/Honda/Firestone: "We made our day difficult starting at the back but I am very happy that the Telemundo car was the best it's been all weekend. We definitely had a great pace especially in the middle of the race. Bruno (Couprie, race engineer) was telling me that we were one of the fastest cars in the field and the car felt that way so I am happy we improved. It would have been nice to do it in qualifying and make our day easier but we did the best we could. To finish eleventh was decent and we got decent points and are still fourth and are looking forward to Baltimore."

Hunter-Reay Charges Into the Top Ten at Infineon Raceway

08.28.11 - The demanding Infineon Raceway 2.3-mile road circuit proved to be a challenging track Sunday for the Andretti Autosport drivers. But all of them reached the finish line in the sun-drenched event.

Recent New Hampshire winner Ryan Hunter-Reay piloted the No. 28 Team DHL/Circle K/Sun Drop Citrus Soda machine from his 19th starting position to record an impressive top-ten finish in the 75-lap Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma. Hunter-Reay battled his way through a tough field in some dramatic wheel-to-wheel action to notch 10th position. It was the Florida driver’s sixth consecutive top-ten as he now fights for a top-ten placing in the final IZOD IndyCar Series point standings.

Hunter-Reay was one of two drivers to pass nine cars in Sunday’s Northern California race, the most passes in the feature event.

Mike Conway, the Long Beach winner in the No. 27 Team @FollowAndretti car, finished 16th after a late pit stop for tires. Conway, who qualified seventh Saturday, ran consistently in the top seven through the first half of the race before the late stop relegated him to the 16th spot.

Danica Patrick fought a sliding car most of the day in the No. 7 GoDaddy.com entry to finish 21st. Patrick’s Go Daddy squad attempted a different race strategy by pitting early in the contest and racing out of the leaders’ plan pit sequence.

Marco Andretti, the Iowa champion in the No. 26 Team All Natural Snapple car, started 14th and raced competitively Sunday before a broken front wing late in the race forced an additional pit stop. Andretti ended up 24th in the race.

There is no break for the IZOD IndyCar Series as the campaign travels across country to the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix next Sunday, Sept. 4. The new Grand Prix course in the inner harbor of Baltimore remains in good shape following a tough two days of weather from Hurricane Irene. Practice runs begin this Friday with qualifying set for Saturday. The first-ever Baltimore Grand Prix will be televised live on Sept. 4 on Versus TV at 2 p.m. EDT.

RYAN HUNTER-REAY GETS A DESERVED WIN ALBEIT IN CONTROVERSIAL CIRCUMSTANCES IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

LOUDON, N.H. -- Ryan Hunter-Reay was the race leader when moisture on the racing surface at New Hampshire Motor Speedway brought out the yellow flag with 19 laps remaining in the MoveThatBlock.com Indy 225. About 20 minutes later and after much confusion, he was in Victory Circle for a muted celebration.

He's not complaining, mind you.

The finish order was set based on the Lap 215 running order under caution after a Lap 217 restart that went awry because of a slick racing surface was negated. Rule 1.1 (B) (4) states: INDYCAR also reserves the right to take whatever action and/or impose whatever penalty it deems necessary to maintain the integrity of INDYCAR, the IZOD IndyCar Series and/or its events.

As cars exited Turn 4 of the 1.025-mile oval for the double-file restart, Danica Patrick's car spun to start a chain reaction of light contact that involved four other cars on the lead lap.

INDYCAR president of competition and racing operations Brian Barnhart, the Race Director for the IZOD IndyCar Series, said it was a "mistake on Race Control's part" to call for the restart.

"The only right thing to do and the fair thing to do is to go to the running order before the restart," he said. "Safety of all the drivers out there is our No. 1 priority, and when you make the wrong call it leaves you with a sick feeling. We didn't receive any objections from our pit techs talking to the teams or the observers around the track or Johnny Rutherford out there in the pace car."

Hunter-Reay, who started fifth in the No. 28 Team DHL/Circle K/Sun Drop car for Andretti Autosport and inherited the lead on Lap 190 when Takuma Sato pitted for fuel, earned his first IZOD IndyCar Series oval victory. He's had podium finishes in three of the past four races.

"I know Race Control wanted to get in a green flag finish, but it was slick out there," Hunter-Reay said. "I too wish it could have gone green to the end. It was a strange day. But sometimes racing is strange."

Oriol Servia finished a season-high second in the No. 2 Telemundo Newman/Haas Racing car and Scott Dixon earned his second consecutive podium finish (he won at Mid-Ohio a week earlier) in the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car. Rookie James Hinchcliffe tied his season high in fourth place in the No. 06 Sprott Newman/Haas Racing car.

Will Power, who started 13th in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car, finished fifth and Patrick was sixth in the No. 7 Team GoDaddy car. Power's result sliced 15 points from Dario Franchitti's series championship lead. That gap is now 47 heading to Infineon Raceway for the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma on Aug. 27.

He apologized for his actions directed toward the Race Control booth following the Lap 217 restart, in which his car was involved in the sliding/contact.

"It's definitely no excuse but I was just very frustrated because our car ran so well and our team had worked so hard to put ourselves into a position to get a good finish and I thought it was just ridiculous to restart the race under the dangerous conditions that existed on the racetrack," he said. "I am just glad the officials decided to make the decision to revert the finishing order to what it was before the final restart."

Franchitti appeared to be on the way to a big day until Lap 118. That's when the race leader was involved in a tire-to-tire collision with Sato's No. 5 KV Racing Technology-Lotus car on a restart that spun the No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car into the inside wall near the start/finish line.

Franchitti, who earned the three bonus points for the pole and leading the most race laps, had been running at the finish in 43 consecutive races. He was dominant early, turning a lap 6 mph quicker than second place Servia on Lap 30.

On the restart -- following a caution for contact on the backstretch between the cars of Tony Kanaan, Marco Andretti and Tomas Scheckter, in which Kanaan wound up on his head when the No. 82 GEICO KV Racing Technology-Lotus car hit the interior tire barrier -- the right-front tire of Sato's car made contact with Franchitti's left-rear.

"It was my fault. I was too close to Dario," Sato said. "I had debris in my eye and there were tears. There is no excuse for that."

Said Franchitti: "We had a good race car overall and we were strong all weekend. It is really unfortunate for Team Target. He started coming up into me before the restart. I really don’t know what he was thinking."

Hunter-Reay said he couldn't warm the Firestone Firehawk slicks heading to the Lap 217 restart.

“I don’t think the fans at home understand how wet it was," he said. "We have a very small contact patch (of the tires to the racing surface), but when there’s some rain down there’s nothing there. I couldn’t even put the power down in second or third. I love these short ovals. They are so much fun.

"I knew we had a good car this weekend and in practice we’ve been making the car better and better. I feel like the race turned was Dario and Sato getting together. My car was so good in traffic. The (crew) guys deserve this win. I wish that it was different, but we’ll take it after the year that we’ve had.”

He's strung together five consecutive top 10s after only one in the first eight races.

Sato finished seventh and Team Penske's Ryan Briscoe was eighth. Rookie Charlie Kimball recorded his second consecutive top 10 in the No. 83 Levemir and NovoLog Flex Pen car, and Vitor Meira finished 10th for the second race in a row in the No. 14 ABC Supply car for A.J. Foyt Racing.

TELEMUNDO DRIVER SERVIA WAS IN THE LEAD WHEN THE MOVETHATBLOCK.COM INDY 225 WENT YELLOW FOR THE FINAL TIME BUT WAS DECLARED SECOND

Oriol Servia, No. 2 Telemundo Dallara/Honda/Firestone: "All of Newman/Haas was strong. We unloaded fast and qualified even better. The whole race all I was thinking was 'Just keep it together until the end.' I knew rain was coming and it was going to be difficult. I was telling myself that all we need to lead is the last lap. On the last restart, I had a good one. Ryan (Hunter-Reay) had a problem; I don't know if his tires were cold or what but he had a bad start and even Scott (Dixon) passed him. I was ahead when they called the leader at the yellow clearly. They even said 'Car two is the leader.' I have never, ever seen them reverse the order before so it's unfortunate for Newman/Haas Racing and the Telemundo team. It's devastating. We will have to do it at the next one."

Newman/Haas Racing
Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio
RACE NOTES/QUOTES – Sunday, August 7, 2011

TELEMUNDO DRIVER SERVIA FINISHED EIGHTH IN THE HONDA INDY 200

Oriol Servia, No. 2 Telemundo Dallara/Honda/Firestone: "It was a weekend where I didn't have the pace that I thought I was going to. It's usually a place where I have always been quick and we had a good test but I couldn't put it together in qualifying. Starting 20th really makes it hard to pull off any miracles. Finishing eighth is not too bad but it's not really what we came here to do. I guess we salvaged the situation; it could have been worse. Back to the ovals now and we were very strong at the last two so I am looking forward to it."

FAST FACTS: Was his SEVENTH major open wheel race here and first since 2009 with NHR. He has competed in four CART/Champ Car races (2000-2003) and two IndyCar Series events (2008 & 2009) here to date. In 2009, he started 14th and finished 11th in his return to NHR in only his second Indy car race that season and first road course in almost a year. In 2008 he started eighth and finished fifth for KV Racing. In his rookie CART season in 2000, he started 17th and finished 10th; started 26th and finished ninth in 2001; started 12th and finished 10th in 2002 and started eighth and finished 18th in 2003 after contact with NHR driver Junqueira...Servia, a native of Catalonia, Spain, has made 23 starts for NHR which include his first Indy car win (Montreal 2005) and pole (Surfers Paradise, Australia 2005) as well as a total of eight top-three finishes. In 2005, Servia replaced NHR driver Bruno Junqueira, who suffered a season-ending injury at the Indy 500 on May 29, and then went on to finish second to teammate Sebastien Bourdais in the point standings after 11/13 events with the team. Servia returned to NHR in 2009 for four races with a season-best finish of fourth at Twin Ring Motegi... Is FIFTH in series point standings with 268.

TRG Goes 1-2 Again; Moves into GTC Class Lead with Win at Mosport

BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO (July 25, 2011) - TRG moved into the GTC class lead by scoring its second one-two finish in a row with another powerful and consistent performance at the Grand Prix of Mosport, the fourth round of American Le Mans Series.

This week, Spencer Pumpelly in the Racer's Roast/Fox River Coffee No. 66 Porsche passed teammate Dion von Moltke on the final lap in his No. 68 PR Newswire/ Team Baltimore Racing/ South African Airways Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car. Two weeks ago at Lime Rock, it was von Moltke who passed Pumpelly on the last lap to create TRG's 1-2 finish there.

"This is fantastic," said team owner Kevin Buckler. "To put back-to-back 1-2 finishes together is a tribute to all four drivers and how hard this very, very dedicated team and crew works."

With both cars running strong and near the front most of the day, Pumpelly, who was leading at the time, was tapped by GT leader Dirk Werner in his BWM with just a little more than 30 minutes left in the race. Pumpelly fought off the opponent's shunt, which dropped him into fourth, to gradually work his way into second behind von Moltke who was trying to conserve just a little fuel in order to avoid the fate of Alex Job's No. 23 car that ran out of gas with less than a minute remaining while in the lead.

Pumpelly, on slightly fresher tires, was able to get by von Moltke to gain the win that he lost at his teammate's hands two weeks earlier.

"Hey, we're teammates and we drive for a great team," said Pumpelly, "but you always want to win and with the #66 on fresher tires and charging hard I was in position to get by. It was amazing, though, how even the cars were all day long - a real tribute to the TRG guys."

Buckler also praised the efforts of each team's leadoff drivers, Ende and Bunting.

"Duncan just keeps getting stronger and stronger with this race being a real testament to his driving, his patience and his racecraft," said the team owner. "And I can't say enough about Marc for stepping into the car this week. That should really help him get ready for Mid-Ohio and Baltimore. Dion was a ROCK this weekend and drove his heart out & showed real professionalism in his driving again this weekend. We have a great team right now and today it really showed once again."

The consecutive strong finishes unofficially give TRG a one-point lead in the GTC class championship. Von Moltke, Pumpelly and Ende all moved into second place in driver points, 11 points behind class leader Tim Pappas of Black Swan.

The American Le Mans Series returns to the track on August 6 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. You can watch the race live on ESPN3.com at 3:15 p.m. ET, or catch it on ESPN2 at 10:00 p.m. on August 7th!

TELEMUNDO DRIVER SERVIA HIT BY CONWAY AND FINISHED 22ND IN THE EDMONTON INDY.

Oriol Servia, No. 2 Telemundo Dallara/Honda/Firestone: "It was probably the worst race I can remember in a long time. We missed the boat on the set up philosophy. I was struggling a little bit to keep my position but we were still going to be in the top six I think. It seems like drivers are losing judgement lately and finally I see some penalties so that's a good start. I'm really sad that we couldn't at least salvage some points for the Telemundo team like we were going to. (Mike) Conway came and apologized. He tried to find a hole; I left him space but we had cold tires and I think he just carried too much speed and just hit me. It's unfortunate and it cost us a position in the point standings."

Hunter-Reay Leads Team Sunday in Three Top-Ten Finishes at Edmonton Indy Battle

Conway, Patrick Run Through The 26-Driver Field For Top-Ten Placings

07.24.11 – Andretti Autosport drivers fought their way through a tough field Sunday at the City Centre Airport circuit in Edmonton to collect three top-ten finishes in the 10th round of the IZOD IndyCar Series.

Ryan Hunter-Reay finished seventh in the 80-lap Edmonton Indy in the new 2.25-mile circuit followed by his Andretti Autosport teammates Mike Conway and Danica Patrick, eighth and ninth respectively. Marco Andretti drove the No. 26 Team Dr Pepper machine to 15th at the checkered flag. Andretti remains seventh in the current point standings, just 12 markers out of fifth place.

Starting seventh, Hunter-Reay battled in the top three in the middle of the race in his No. 28 Team DHL/Circle K/Sun Drop Citrus Soda Honda/Dallara/Firestone entry before making contact in turn five with second place Takuma Sato. The Florida driver was attempting to take the second position on lap 35. The IZOD IndyCar Series officials determined Ryan forced the contact and he received a “drive-through-the-pits” penalty. Hunter-Reay, a podium finisher at Toronto two weeks ago, then charged from 13th to seventh at the new 13-turn track.

Conway, at the controls of the No. 27 Team @FollowAndretti car, came from his 20th starting position to take eight at the finish, while Patrick drove the No. 7 Team GoDaddy machine, from 22nd to ninth. Patrick’s 13 passes tied with J.R. Hildebrand for the most of any driver in Sunday’s Edmonton Indy. Patrick is currently 11th in the point standings.

After two consecutive Canadian races in July, the four Andretti Autosport drivers return to the U.S. this week for day of testing this Thursday at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, the next stop on the 17-race IZOD IndyCar Series. The Honda Indy 200 is scheduled for Sunday, August 7, at the picturesque 2.258-mile, 13-turn permanent road course. The 85-lap, 191-mile Mid-Ohio contest will be televised at 2 p.m. EDT on VERSUS TV.

Dufault set to be first Canadian woman to race in NASCAR Nationwide series

MONTREAL - Maryeve Dufault will become the first Canadian woman to compete in a NASCAR Nationwide Series race when she makes her debut in Montreal next month at the Napa Auto Parts 200.

The Sorel, Que., native will drive in the Quebec Dodge Dealers Dodge Challenger for MacDonald Motorsports at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Aug. 20.

Dufault has extensive road racing experience and competed in the Canadian Tire Series at the same track in 2010.

Dufault is racing in the ARCA Racing Series this season and is looking forward to making history with her Nationwide debut.

"This is just an awesome opportunity for me and I can't thank the Quebec Dodge Dealers enough for making it happen," Dufault said in a release. "I feel like I have learned a lot this season in the ARCA car and I'm hoping that knowledge will translate to my Quebec Dodge Dealers Nationwide car at Montreal."

A rookie in the ARCA Racing Series, Dufault and her Tony Marks Racing team are off to a strong start in 2011, with a top-ten finish at Chicagoland.

TRG Goes 1-2 Again; Moves into GTC Class Lead with Win at Mosport

"This is fantastic," said team owner Kevin Buckler. "To put back-to-back 1-2 finishes together is a tribute to all four drivers and how hard this very, very dedicated team and crew works."

With both cars running strong and near the front most of the day, Pumpelly, who was leading at the time, was tapped by GT leader Dirk Werner in his BWM with just a little more than 30 minutes left in the race. Pumpelly fought off the opponent's shunt, which dropped him into fourth, to gradually work his way into second behind von Moltke who was trying to conserve just a little fuel in order to avoid the fate of Alex Job's No. 23 car that ran out of gas with less than a minute remaining while in the lead.

Pumpelly, on slightly fresher tires, was able to get by von Moltke to gain the win that he lost at his teammate's hands two weeks earlier

Buckler also praised the efforts of each team's leadoff drivers, Ende and Bunting.

TELEMUNDO DRIVER SERVIA HIT BY CONWAY AND FINISHED 22ND IN THE EDMONTON INDY.

Hunter-Reay Leads Team Sunday in Three Top-Ten Finishes at Edmonton Indy Battle
Conway, Patrick Run Through The 26-Driver Field For Top-Ten Placings

Podium Finish for RHR, DHL, Circle K & SunDrop at the Honda Indy Toronto!
RYAN HUNTER-REAY, #28 TEAM DHL/ CIRCLE K/SUN DROP CITRUS SODA CAR

Secured a third place podium finish

"It feels good to get a podium finish. It was a crazy race, but Toronto always is. I was up, I was down and I'm glad we ended up front. I'm just happy to get a good result for DHL, Circle K and Sun Drop. We're back on the podium with their colors, and hopefully, it will be the first of many."

TELEMUNDO DRIVER SERVIA RAN UP FRONT IN THR HONDA INDY BUT WAS LIMITED TO 12TH PLACE FINISH DUE TO CONTACT BY MARCO.

Oriol Servia, No. 2 Telemundo Dallara/Honda/Firestone: "I have raced with Marco many times. He is an aggressive driver but he's always raced me clean. But today, I think he just had a bad sleep or something because earlier in the race at Turn 8, I'm turning in and I see him coming all locked up and I had to move or, if not, we were both going to crash. I passed him back after that and on this last restart he hit me. Listen, we all make mistakes, but I stopped at his car to ask him 'Dude what happened?' and he said "You turned in on me; I was on the inside.' I was on Justin's inside and there wasn't room for three (cars) and he punted me in the back. I'm sure when he sees the replay he will realize it was his fault. It's just unfortunately because we were in a good points position there and I thought our car was good at the end and I thought I had something for the guys in front. We like to have the Telemundo car on the screen but not because of a situation like that. It's a shame because that's going to hurt us in the points. We were doing a great job all weekend and we're going to do it again in the next race in Edmonton."

TRG Take Commanding 1-2 At Lime Rock

Lakeville, CT (July 10, 2011)- Following a highly competitive race that featured everything from off-setting pit strategies to come-from-behind drives, TRG took a commanding first and second place finish in the GT-C category of this year's Northeast Grand Prix at the famed Lime Rock Park circuit, the third round of the 2011 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron.

Coming from nearly a lap down and driving briliantly to take a thrilling victory with only one lap to go, Dion von Moltke managed an overtaking move on Spencer Pumpelly to put the no. 68 South African Airways / Analog.Man / PR Newswire Porsche GT3 Cup car in first, with Pumpelly nursing worn tires to put the no. 66 Fox River Coffee / Racer's Roast Porsche home in second. This would be the first victory in the ALMS for von Moltke, as well as for teammate Mike Piera, who was also driving in his first ALMS race!

Following some small handling issues for both the 68 and the 66 in qualifying, the race would start out with Piera, who lives just minutes from the track, and Duncan Ende in the 66 taking the green from the middle of the field.

As the opening laps unfolded, Duncan Ende took a commanding charge in the no. 66 machine, passing several cars and putting the 66 in a strong position to lead the race. Piera, meanwhile, made good on a solid ALMS debut by never putting a wheel wrong, driving very smart, preserving his car, handing the car over to Dion during the yellow.

As the race unfolded, Ende would control the race, and hand the leading no. 66 machine over to Pumpelly, who continued to show the strength of the team and car by running quick times while continuing to maintain his tires. Dion von Moltke, meanwhile, was doing an impressive job of running up through the field, and as the final set of pit stops came, the two cars would take opposing strategies.

For Pumpelly in the 66, the team decided to only take fuel during their final pit stop. Having learned in previous races that their Yokohama tires are capable of double-stinting, the team elected to keep their "old tires" on as opposed to losing extra time in the pits to change them. The no. 68 crew, meanwhile, elected to change their tires during final stops. This would cost them valuable time in the pits, however gaining Dion the advantage of fresh rubber.

As the race would unfold, Pumpelly appeared to have the race in hand. Holding a sizeable gap to both the second place no. 54 and third place no. 68. However, as the race would get to the final stages,it was clear for Pumpelly that his tires were starting to fade, however he'd had such a sizeable gap to the field he was able to maintain a reasonable pace while preserving his tires.

A late race caution, however, would change everything.

With the race nearly over, the field would bunch up under caution, which for the no. 66 and 68, would mean Pumpelly would now lose the gap he'd had on the GT-C field, and von Moltke now would now be in striking distance.

When the green flag flew, von Moltke was quickly able to make work of the second place no. 54, and was now hot on the tail of Pumpelly in the no. 66. Pumpelly, an experienced veteran and expert at preserving tires while maintaining race pace, did a masterful job of holding von Moltke off. However, with just over one lap remaining, Dion was able to make good use of the situation and made a perfect dive inside of Spencer that would hand the no. 68 the lead as they raced to the white flag.

When the checkered flag flew, von Moltke and Piera would take their first ever ALMS victories, while Ende and Pumpelly would still walk away with second place points.

For Dion von Moltke, a surprise victory was exactly what he needed to boost his season.

"What an amazing race," stated von Moltke, driving under the South African flag. "The guys at TRG have given us a great car at every event, and I'm glad we were finally able to showcase it. Mike Piera drove a great opening stint, and we're lucky that the strategy worked as well as it did, it was just incredible."

For Spencer Pumpelly, who has been a team leader for the whole ALMS program, there was much to take pride in.

"It was just a great race for everyone at TRG," stated Pumpelly. "Of course I would have much rather been in first with Duncan, but Dion and all of the guys on the no. 68 did a great job calling the race, and the luck just worked out for them. To have two cars in a position to win just shows the strength and depth of this team, so we're absolutely thrilled to have pulled it off."

For TRG Team Owner Kevin Buckler, who was in Monterey during the same weekend at another event, another Lime Rock success is exactly what the team needed.

"To have as many programs as we had across the country this weekend, and to go out and defend our victory last year and to finish with a resounding 1-2 is a great sign of the entire team's strength and depth," stated Buckler. "The guys have worked so hard to get all of these programs prepared and ready, a win was deserved. I'm absolutely thrilled to see Dion and Mike take their first victory together. This was Mike's first race with us and he did a fantastic job and also got a peek of just how TRG operates. Dion and the von Moltke family have worked incredibly hard to get to this point in his career, and it's great to see him get this win. He drove absolutely brilliantly. To come from behind and pass the drivers he did is no easy feat, and I hope he enjoys this one for a long time. The 66 boys also did an outstanding job. Duncan was absolutely on fire during his opening stint, and to grab the lead and hand it to Spencer like that is a great testament to his ability and one of his best drives. Spencer, as expected, did a fantastic job of maintaining speed, driving smart while nursing his tires, and being a terrific teammate to all."

The next round of the ALMS will take place in two weeks' time at the historic Mosport circuit near Toronto, Canada, and will feature live coverage on ESPN2 on Sunday, July 24 at 10PM ET.

www.duncanende.com

Racer's Roast

Wind Tunnel: Dave chats with IndyCar driver, Oriol Servia who's currently fourth in points heading into Toronto.

Promising Run at Iowa Speedway for RHR and his DHL/Circle K/SunDrop

RYAN HUNTER-REAY, #28 TEAM DHL/CIRCLE K/SUN DROP CITRUS SODA CAR
Finished the race in 8th place

"We really struggled in the first half of the race with the track being a bit 'green' from the rain. We just really struggled with it. But, once the rubber came in and it went single file, I was able to pick them off. We really needed green-flag running and we just getting yellow after yellow after yellow after yellow. The flow of the race just didn't go our way soon enough or often enough.

"It's a decent result for the DHL/Circle K/Sun Drop team; we just needed to take some points out of here and get on to Toronto. It's just great that Marco won. It's really great for the team. Dr Pepper Snapple, with Venom on the side of the car, really needed a win and they deserve it. Marco deserves it; that whole 26 team really deserves it, so I'm really happy for them and happy for the team as a whole."

TELEMUNDO DRIVER SERVIA FINISHED THIRD IN THE MILWAUKEE 225 AND BROUGHT TEAM FIRST PODIUM SINCE JAPAN 2009; SPROTT DRIVER HINCHCLIFFE EARNED HIS TOP OVAL FINISH OF THE SEASON WITH SIXTH

Oriol Servia, No. 2 Telemundo Dallara/Honda/Firestone: "It's awesome! We've been close to the podium so many times. Things just don't come easy, we just have to work at it and I guess that is our life. And today was the same. Man we had to go from the back to the front twice. It's all for the sponsors; we wanted to get Telemundo some air time. I was already in podium position then we had a bad stop and went back to 12th again and had to go through the field. The car was just amazing and the restarts were a lot of fun and I am just so happy to give a podium to the team and its their home race. When I had my first podium with the team, it was here in 2005 in our first race together and we started from the fifth row then too. It all came together again. The Telemundo car was awesome. When I fell to 12th the team told me it was only the halfway point so I thought 'If I can do it once in the first half of the race, I can do it again.'"

FAST FACTS: Was his EIGHTH race here. He earned his THIRD podium in eight races here with third place. In seven previous events, he had three top-five finishes including 2nd (2003 w/Patrick), 3rd (2005 w/NHR) and 5th (2006 w/PKV). The 2005 event was his debut with NHR after Bruno Junqueira suffered a season-ending injury at the Indy 500 IRL event (one-off event for the team). His finish solidified his position with the team and he went on to earn one win, seven podiums and one pole in 11 of the 13 races with NHR that season...

At Milwaukee, Servia finished in the top-10 five of his seven races here and started in the top-10 four times. His highest start is seventh (2003, 2006) and his highest finish is second (2003)...

Servia, a native of Catalonia, Spain, has made 22 starts for NHR which include his first Indy car win (Montreal 2005) and pole (Surfers Paradise, Australia 2005) as well as a total of seven top-three finishes. In 2005, Servia replaced NHR driver Bruno Junqueira, who suffered a season-ending injury at the Indy 500 on May 29, and then went on to finish second to teammate Sebastien Bourdais in the point standings after 11/13 events with the team. Servia returned to NHR in 2009 for four races with a season-best finish of fourth at Twin Ring Motegi...

Is THIRD in the series point standings with 198.

A good read: IndyCar driver Servia gobbles up team's data

An erudite sort whose helmet sports a Salvador Dali tribute, Oriol Servia missed the reading as much as the racing when his first stint at Newman-Haas Racing ended six years ago.

Before and after every race, the team produces voluminous, 40- to 50-page recaps jam-packed with technical data and strategy analysis. For Servia, it was akin to gobbling up a page-turner by Stieg Larsson (one of his favorite authors).

"It's like reading a good novel and you want to know what's next," Servia says. "It's the same with racing, because you want to go faster the next day. You learn a lot from those reports, and that's what I always say makes Newman-Haas the best for me. They are the best at optimizing what they have."

Despite competing with limited resources compared to big-budget powerhouses Chip Ganassi Racing and Team Penske, NHR is maximizing its results in a reunion with Servia this season. The Spaniard is fourth in points and had started 2011 with five consecutive top-10s (including fifths at Barber Motorsports Park and Brazil).

*It's been an impressive comeback for the Telemundo-sponsored driver, who missed the 2010 season because of a lack of sponsorship and a team that posted one top-five last year.

"We're positively surprised," says Servia, who will return this weekend to The Milwaukee Mile, where he finished third in his NHR debut in June 2005. "We're not contending for wins, but we're contending for podiums.At Long Beach, it was the first time that I felt, 'Wait a second, I have a better car than Dario (Franchitti) and Helio (Castroneves), a Ganassi and a Penske.' We can do some damage this year."

Points leader Will Power of Penske believes it after spending the 2008 season as Servia's teammate at KV Racing.

"He's very good to work with, very easygoing," Power said. "He's smart on setting a car up. I had a feeling those guys would be championship contenders; (they) definitely have a chance of winning," Power says. "(When I joined) Penske, I would tell teams they have to give Oriol the go because he was every bit as quick as I was at KV. I was really happy to see him get a full-time ride."

After running mostly full time in Champ Car and IndyCar from 2000 to 2008, Servia, 36, spent last year trying to hustle up money with PowerPoint presentations. He got close a few times. "(But) I couldn't believe the season went by, and I didn't race anything. If I would have known, I would have raced something else. It was good I didn't. I kept coming in the paddock, and people were saying, 'Man this is guy is either really stubborn or really stupid.'"

It's his smarts that won him another chance at NHR. The graduate of Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya with a degree in mechanical engineering fits well with the fastidious NHR, which puts heavy emphasis on applying science to race cars.

"He was so attractive to us," says general manager Brian Lisles, who began talking to Servia last August about rejoining the organization. "He slipped right into the way the team works. It seems to suit what he expects. It's always been a good relationship, Even when he wasn't driving for us, we always maintained friendly discussions.

"Oriol has a very good relationship with everybody in the team, and it's easier to work hard when you're getting results and the person carrying the flag has a smile and encourages everybody."

Servia knew the match was right when he saw seven Dali lithographs in the team cafeteria on his first visit to NHR. The chemistry has grown this year with race engineer Bruno Couprie, who worked with his driver until 2a.m. on setups before last Saturday's race at Texas.

"It's always been good here," Servia says. "I know how hard they work. If we have the budget, they're going to give me as good a car as anybody. If they give me a good car, we'll be at the front. Even though we're much smaller than Penske and Ganassi. In every big team, there's always a lot of people just doing their jobs and not giving extra. But here everyone is giving that extra 5%. Some are doing the jobs of two or three people. It just feels right here."

If the hard work results in his first trip to victory lane since Montreal in August 2005, an arduous journey will feel complete.

"It's like the guy who has been trying to go on the expedition up to Everest," Servia says. "It's tough to get the money, and he tries other mountains, and it's cool but not Everest. Finally he's at Everest. If he makes the peak, for sure, his life will change. Because he'll have a lot of exposure. So if we win a race, or the championship, it'd change my future.

"But for me, it's more than that. If that guy makes it to the peak, it means he's at the top. He's alone, if only for one minute, and finally has that release of acheivement. That's what I'm after."

LE MANS: Dempsey Eyeing LMP2 Effort For 2012

Actor/racer evaluating possible World Endurance Championship LMP2 program with Mazda, centered around next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans...

Last weekend, Patrick Dempsey returned to Le Mans for a once-in-a-lifetime experience to drive Mazda’s 787B around Circuit de la Sarthe, part of the Japanese manufacturers’ 20th anniversary celebration of it historic win. But as it turns out, the multi-talented actor/racer wasn’t just in France to turn a few demonstration laps.

SPEED.com has learned that Dempsey is in the evaluation stages of a possible LMP2 program for next year’s 24-hour endurance classic, which could also include a full-season entry in the new FIA World Endurance Championship.

“I would love to come back here with Mazda,” Dempsey told SPEED.com. “That’s certainly a lot of what we were there to do [last weekend], to help bring that awareness and start to put certain elements together. Once you’ve [driven] Le Mans, you have to do it again. It was a life-changing experience in such a positive way for me.”

Dempsey made his Le Mans debut in 2009 at the wheel of an AF Corse-run Ferrari F430 GT with longtime team partner Joe Foster and Team Seattle’s Don Kitch Jr. The trio finished ninth in the GT2 category that year. It was that race that clearly ignited Dempsey’s ambitions of returning not only as a driver, but also with his own team.

Now with two full seasons under its belt in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, highlighted by a win last year and a podium finish in January’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, Dempsey Racing could be the latest American squad to mount an attack on the global sportscar championship.

“I definitely want to do something under the Dempsey Racing banner,” he said. “I think, ultimately, it would be really nice to have two cars [at Le Mans]. I think that would help us in the development and certainly that shared knowledge helps. We’re really learning that now in GRAND-AM.”

While Mazda has yet to confirm plans of an LMP2 effort, as it would require an all-new powerplant different from its two-liter MZR-R turbo that powers Dyson Racing’s Lolas in the American Le Mans Series, Mazda Motorsports North America director John Doonan said they’re evaluating such a possibility for 2012.

SpeedSource has been commissioned by Mazda to carry out a study to see how its new production-based SKYACTIV platform of engines could be used in GT and prototype racing. A diesel-powered version is also being explored, according to Racecar Engineering <http://www.racecar-engineering.com/news/mazda-investigating-diesel-sportscar-programme/> .

“Any time one of our Mazda race teams or anyone wants to go back to an event of significance like Le Mans, it makes us happy,” Doonan told SPEED.com. “We’re in the process of accessing our overall motorsports strategy. We’ll try to support any team that wishes to go back to compete at such a prestigious race.

“Clearly in the case of Patrick, specifically with his program, it was evident last week that he has a lot of fans in France. If ever there was a day that the goals of Mazda and Patrick’s dream of racing there in a Mazda were to align, that would be a great thing for everyone involved.”

LMP2 could to be the best fit for Dempsey. With Pro-Am driver pairings now enforced in the new-look category, Dempsey said it would give he and Foster a fighting chance for victories. The ACO has also laid out revised rules, including the use of cost-capped chassis and engine packages, that effectively eliminates the possibility of full factory teams as seen in previous years.

“LMP2 is definitely the way to go,” Dempsey said. “It would be great for Joe [Foster] and I. That’s something we’re looking at doing because the atmosphere in Europe is so much greater. The passion for road racing and their knowledge of all the drivers and their history is quite exciting. We get a glimpse of that at some tracks like Montreal in the Rolex Series. But [at Le Mans], it’s really, really special.”

If he’s able to pull off a two-car effort, Dempsey said he’d like to have a mix of nationalities behind the wheel of the prototypes, including drivers from Japan and France in addition to he and Foster.

With the green light having not yet been given, it’s still early days in Dempsey’s dream of mounting an attack on next year’s twice-around-the-clock classic. But it’s clear the desire is there.

“I always feel very comfortable at Le Mans for some reason,” Dempsey said. “I love the atmosphere and you feel the history. There’s only a few places that you get that feeling, perhaps Indy and here. And when it comes to endurance racing, this is it. This is the [Mount] Everest.”

Newman/Haas Racing
RACE DAY
95th Indianapolis 500 – Indianapolis Motor Speedway
NOTES AND QUOTES - Sunday, May 29, 2011

CDW TELEMUNDO DRIVER SERVIA LED THE INDY 500 AND FINISHED SIXTH; SPROTT DRIVER HINCHCLIFFE RETIRED IN 29TH AFTER CONTACT

Oriol Servia, No. 2 CDW Telemundo Dallara/Honda/Firestone: "Fifth is almost the lowest we were on the scoreboard the whole race but it was a great effort. We were up there; we showed we may have something for these guys. This is the Indy 500, it's the Centennial and when you smell victory you really, really want it and nothing else satisfies you. We showed the CDW Telemundo car had the speed. I thought there was going to be a last restart and with the downforce we had, I knew we would have something for those guys and we did. We'll go for the win in Milwaukee now. It felt awesome when I took the lead but it felt incredibly amazing when I pulled away and I was there 20 laps. It showed me that we had what it took. It's great to lead, but at the end if you think you don't have a shot but it just feels good to tell your grandson one day that you lead the 500, fine. But what really feels good is when you say 'Wait a second, we really do have a real shot at winning this depending on how this thing goes.' I felt at one point we were stronger than the other cars because we had more downforce and everybody else was sliding and we were not. So I thought 'Wait a second, we could still win this.' I can only imagine what it is to lead the last lap."

FAST FACTS: Was his third Indy 500 and first with NHR. He started third, led 17 laps and finished sixth...Ran as high as eighth and finished 11th in 2008 with KV Racing after he qualified 25th. Was running 10th in the 2009 race with Rahal Letterman Racing when a fuel pressure problem forced him to retire after 98/200 laps. Qualified 25th and retired in 26th. First came to NHR as the replacement driver for Junqueira who suffered a season-ending injury in the 2005 Indy 500...Previous race on an oval was 2009 Motegi event for NHR where he finished fourth...Servia tested with the team in Sebring for two days in December 2010. Prior to that his previous time behind the wheel of an Indy car was also with NHR at the 2009 race in Japan where he finished fourth. He also tested in the open test at Barber Motorsports Park in March where he was fifth fastest...Servia, a native of Catalonia, Spain, has made 18 starts for NHR which include his first Indy car win (Montreal 2005) and pole (Surfers Paradise, Australia 2005) as well as a total of seven top-three, 12 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes. In 2005, Servia replaced NHR driver Bruno Junqueira, who suffered a season-ending injury at the Indy 500 on May 29, and then went on to finish second to teammate Sebastien Bourdais in the point standings after 11/13 events with the team. Servia returned to NHR in 2009 for four races with a season-best finish of fourth at Twin Ring Motegi... Is THIRD in series point standings with 150 and is the ONLY driver to finish in the top-10 in each race so far.

HERBALIFE 24 SPONSORED TOWNSEND BELL HAS ANOTHER BRAVE RUN AT THE 500

Herbalife Sponsored athlete Townsend Bell who qualified 4th for The 100th Anniversary running of The Indianapolis 500, found himself running consistently in and out of the top 5 and only fell back as far as 10th. The Sam Schmidt Motorsports driver initially did well to keep up with the front runners, even spending some time in third place behind Dixon and Tagliani. Bell occupied the fifth spot at the 100-laps mark and did well to defend his position for the next 57 laps.

Then an incident involving the 99 Herbalife SSM Car of Townsend and Penske's Ryan Briscoe both had contact and subsequently hit the wall.

Townsend was 10th at the time of the incident and was pushing hard to get back through the field and set up for a winning chance.

HERBALIFE 24 SPONSORED TOWNSEND BELL QUALIFIES 4TH FOR THE 500

San Luis Obispo native Townsend Bell will have a good starting position at the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. Bell, in the #99 car qualified 4th with an average speed of 226.887 miles per hour and will start Sunday's race on the inside of the second row. French-Canadian Alex Tagliani had the best qualifying time.

Townsend has been using Herbalife's brand new product 24 launching at this year's 500 which is clearly marked on his brand new Izod Indy Car this month. He has also made use of the product in his training program for the 500, once again designed by Performance Physixx Simon Hayes. Performance Physixx has used Herbalife Products for the past few years since becoming Bell's Human Performance Manager and was a Beta Tester for 24.

This race will mark Bell's fifth attempt at winning the 500. He finished 16th last year, his best result was a fourth place finish in 2009. Bell won the 2001 Firestone Indy Lights championship, the premier feeder series for IndyCar.

Herbalife Launches New Product Line for the 24-Hour Athlete

Updated: May 25th 2011 1:38 PM UTC by Cielestia Calbay

It’s an effort to address the needs of both endurance and recreational athletes.

Written by: Cielestia Calbay

Herbalife, a Los Angeles-based nutrition and wellness company, launched its new Herbalife24 product line earlier this week as an effort to address the needs of both endurance and recreational athletes.

“[Herbalife24] derives from a professional athlete or weekend warrior who are constantly thinking about training, recovery and nutrition,” said John Heiss, Ph.D., director of sports and fitness for Herbalife. “These elements tie together to create a line to support athletes on rest and training days.”

Five of the line’s seven products were released as part of a comprehensive performance nutrition collection that aims to fuel and recover athletes based on their activity levels and day-to-day training needs.

The products come in mild flavors like chocolate and a cinnamon-like vanilla, and are designed to be more palatable when mixed with water.

“We found that people were diluting their sports drinks to make them taste better so we designed the flavors to be mixed with something like water that’s easily accessible,” said Heiss.

The products currently available through Herbalife distributors are:

- Formula 1 Sport: a carbohydrate blend and purified milk protein powder

- Hydrate: a bioavailable electrolyte supplement with vitamin C and 1g of sugar

- Prolong: a carbohydrate and electrolytes blend with B vitamin support

- Rebuild Endurance: a protein-amino acid blend to replace glycogens and recover muscles

- Rebuild Strength: a protein-amino acid blend to promote muscle repair

Prepare, a supplement to support blood flow, and Restore, which fights inflammation, are expected to be released later this summer.

Herbalife24 first made the public rounds at a targeted soft launch at last Sunday’s Amgen Tour of California where it was sampled by 8,000 attendees. Its next stop is the Indianapolis 500, which kicks off this Friday.

For a list of Herbalife24 distributors, visit http://performancenutrition.herbalife.com/en/

Andretti Autosport's Ryan Hunter-Reay is back in the Indianapolis 500 at the expense of Bruno Junqueira.

Hunter-Reay will drive the No. 41 car of A.J. Foyt Racing, which will get the entrant points earned. Hunter-Reay will get the driver points.The car will carry sponsorship decals of both the Andretti and Foyt teams.

Per race rules, driver changes move the car to the back of the grid, No. 33 overall. Junqueira qualified 19th.Junqueira is the odd man out for the second time in three years. In 2009, Conquest Racing pulled him for its primary driver, Alex Tagliani, who sits on the pole for this race.Foyt said the opportunity was attractive to him because he's "fielding the car out of my own pocket.

"Foyt's full-season car, driven by Vitor Meira, has ABC Supply as a primary sponsor. ABC Supply is assisting with Junqueira's car, Foyt said.Hunter-Reay was bumped by his teammate, Marco Andretti, in the final minutes of qualifying. Fellow IndyCar regular Mike Conway did not have the speed to earn a starting spot, but owner Michael Andretti said he will not get a deal like Hunter-Reay's even though he's fifth in the IndyCar standings through four races.

Michael Andretti said he was appreciative of Foyt's cooperation in making the deal.Said Foyt: "This is going back to the way racing used to be, where if people were in a lot of trouble you tried to help each other out."That isn't the only change happening at Andretti's Indianapolis-based team. Tom Anderson, the senior vice president of competition, was released.

He joined the team in December 2009.Andretti said changes had to be made because all four primary cars were slow. Danica Patrick (26th) and Marco Andretti (28th) didn't secure spots until late on bump day.

"I'm not very happy about (the performance)," Michael Andretti said. "I was given an indication it was going to be a lot different (from last year) and actually it was worse.

"The team nearly didn't get Tony Kanaan in last year's race."It's especially bad that we got out-qualified by a few cars that aren't as good as ours," Andretti said.Anderson led the team's competition department for the past two 500s. He was Ganassi Racing's managing director as that team won four consecutive CART titles (1996-99) before becoming co-owner and managing director of Fernandez Racing through the 2000s.Conquest owner Eric Bachelart said he has no plans to replace rookie Pippa Mann with full-season driver Sebastian Saavedra as he did in the Junqueira-Tagliani situation two years ago."I hope I never have to do that again," he said Monday.

"I really like (Mann). She's done a great job, she's driven under control and been calm under pressure."

Mann qualified 32nd.

Servia sure of very strong race
By Matt Beer

Oriol Servia says he is very confident for the Indianapolis 500 after putting his Newman/Haas car on the front row - as he had suspected qualifying would be tough for the team.

The Spaniard is extremely upbeat about his race pace, but did not believe he would be in the fight for pole.

"Six months ago, a month ago, Monday, I would have not bet we were going to be in the front row and that close to pole position," he said.

"We knew even before we started the week we were going to have a good race car because that's what the team always works on and always achieves. It always gives you good race cars. But at the same time we knew that over the winter we just didn't have the millions to go in windtunnels and find the last little bit of speed that you need in qualifying.

"So we thought if we were really lucky and conditions really set up we were going to be in the top nine. That was our maximum goal."

Servia said that having made it into the pole shoot-out the team had to debate whether to give it everything in a bid for pole or to conserve the car.

"Then when we were in the top nine, we had a bit of a conversation where we were like, 'well, let's not be too stupid here. We have a good race car, let's not crash it. Do we want to just be conservative? We go out there, we put a lap, same set-up, or do we go for it?'" he said.

"I just had such a good feeling in the other qualifying in the morning with the car that we just said, 'let's go for it', because it just really felt good.

"I told them after I finished my laps, no matter what happened - I didn't even know we were actually P1 at that moment - this is how you want to feel after a qualifying lap. It was just right on the edge but not one wiggle. It was just perfect. So they gave me a great car. I think we got all out of the car, and we got the best we could, and that was enough for a front row.

"That was enough to be faster than Dario [Franchitti], even before he had his little fuel hiccup, and to have the three Penskes behind in qualifying, which they are usually pretty good at this game, it just feels amazing and such a great achievement."

He added that the satisfaction of the qualifying result was even greater as his deal to return to Newman/Haas after a year on the sidelines was not even confirmed until the eve of the new season.

"Over the winter, we didn't know if we were going to start the season, and they still worked hard on the cars and prepared them not knowing within certainty," said Servia.

"Then [sponsor] Telemundo got on board, and it got better and just gave us more confidence, and we've been progressing since then. I've just been saying we haven't peaked yet, and it's just coming at the right time. I'm just super-happy, proud. Qualifying is about true speed. It shows it pays off, the hard work they've done."

INSIGHT: Oriol Servia on Indy and beyond

For 2011, Oriol Servia has returned to what many felt was his natural home. Back in 2005, subbing for the injured Bruno Junqueira, Servia took a win in Montreal, and went on to finish second in the Champ Car World Series. Now, despite the powerhouses of Team Penske, Chip Ganassi Racing and Andretti Autosport accounting for 11 cars in the IZOD IndyCar Series, Servia and Newman/Haas Racing currently lie third in the championship. Can he keep up this momentum and can he and rookie teammate James Hinchcliffe (with Oriol, LEFT) lead this famous team's revival?

R: Simple question, complicated answer I suspect: How exactly did you reach third in the championship?

OS: Hmmm…I would say we have just stuck to our plan, which is to not think long term but just do our best with the Telemundo car at every single race. I had a conversation with my engineer Bruno Couprie at the beginning of the year, and said, “I really don't care about the championship this year.” This was for two reasons: 1) We didn't feel we had a realistic shot at winning it; and 2) going into the last race of the 2008 season, I could have finished top six in the points, despite that being mine and KV's first year in the series – a major accomplishment when you consider how the ex-Champ Car teams had joined at the last second before the season started, OK? And yet I didn't have a job for the next two years! Yes, I realize there were a variety of reasons for this, mainly budget, but my thinking was that if I had actually won a race, maybe I would have had a job for 2009.

So, at the start of this year, I thought more about the potential of Newman/Haas Racing winning a race – of having a strong car, maybe taking a risk, playing our cards right with strategy – and that would be a bigger deal than what position we finished in the championship. So it is ironic that the combination of 1) the way the cards have played, 2) our efforts to be sensible even though our ambition is to win a race and 3) the experience of the whole team – and myself, I hope! – have allowed us to capitalize on what we have and here we are, third!

I think at Long Beach we definitely had a car that could challenge for the win, because when I was fighting Helio and Dario, I could tell I had a better car than they did. I think it was maybe the first time in my life that I felt I had a better car than a Ganassi driver and a Penske driver! Unfortunately, on the last restart, Will almost got taken out and we had to avoid the mess...and we still finished top six. So I'm extremely proud that we are consistent enough to be only behind the best horse of Penske and the best horse of Ganassi. Even if they have three and four cars, and feel superior because of their recent results, we are still right there.

But what makes me excited is that we haven't even peaked yet. At the start of the year, talking to Craig Hampson [Chief Engineer], I was talking about finishing in the top six and qualifying in the Firestone Fast Six, and he was saying, “Listen Oriol, the past couple of years the competition has stepped up a notch, and we need to be realistic. We have to consider it a success if we're in the top 10.” But look, we qualified fourth in Long Beach. On the other hand, we qualified 15th in Brazil. All the drivers say what I'm about to say – and people think we say it so we don't look so bad when we screw up – but really, it's super-competitive out there. One session you're fifth, next session you can be 15th if you don't nail it.

We have really good chemistry in the team, and it's been a huge factor that although we spent a few years apart from each other, we knew what we could do together. No second guessing. When the team says something to me, when I say something to the team, we all pull in one direction. As you know, James Hinchcliffe is a good addition – young, smart, willing to learn, willing to push and he's super-fast. So the fact that I took a year off last year – not out of choice! – has put us all in a mental situation where there's just no negative. I'm not trying to say we make the right calls all the time: from setup, strategy or any point of view. But one wrong decision puts us just one step behind, not two, which is usually what happens. So I think that's what's allowed us to move forward maybe more than the other teams.

R: So is Craig overseeing the whole engineering team these days?

OS: Craig is chief engineer for James and Bruno is mine. Bruno had been assistant engineer at Newman/Haas for five or six years, and he's a younger guy, more my age – super-young like me! – and he is super-dedicated and very smart. And it's a perfect setup, I think, because Craig has a lot of experience and is with the rookie, and you have me with more experience with Bruno who has less experience as a race engineer. Honestly, I think getting that perfect balance is what has made the four of us work so well together.

R: Is it the same quality Newman/Haas that you encountered when they were at their peak – or one of their peaks – in 2005?

OS: That is a great question. It is the same quality; it's just that we are less superior on this machine. When I was there six years ago, they had the Lola (LEFT) sooooo dialed in – and it's not like they had special titanium pieces, or a special differential or anything like that. Newman/Haas Racing's strength is, and has been for many years, the way they optimize what they have. It's based on how much analysis they do, how much they understand every setup change and how they can then move forward from there. So after so many years with the Lola, they knew exactly what the car needed at all times, how to change the attitude of the car, how it behaved, how it used tires – absolutely total understanding. And they had good budget to do seven-post rig tests, wind tunnel tests, and so on.

Now, I find the same quality of people, attitude, brains, mechanical understanding and work, but they've had a lot less time on the car than the biggest teams in the IZOD IndyCar Series right now, and they didn't have the budget during the off-season to do the wind tunnel and shaker rig testing that others did.

R: OK, so you knew the quality of the people was still there, you knew the car was pretty good after testing, but the deal for you to actually race with the team came together late. At that point, what were your expectations, and did you feel confident that you'd be able to jump in and quickly get the car dialed in to your taste?

OS: Man, I didn't know what to expect. I knew how the guys worked, I knew I still had the speed. I've told you before, as hard as it was the past two years to not have a solid ride, and then see my former teammate Will Power be the new revolution – and honestly, we matched each other in 2008 at KV – that was tough to digest. But, at the same time, that kept the fuel and the confidence in me, because I saw how well he was doing. And then I was telling Newman/Haas over the winter, “Look, if in 2008 we were already able to get in the mix with the big teams in street and road courses – myself and Will in KV, and Newman/Haas with Justin Wilson and Graham Rahal – I have no doubts that if we are able to do our jobs, we will be right there.” But the truth is, until you do it, there's always a little question mark.

And, honestly, we're still not at our best yet. We've been consistent in the finishing results, but in qualifying we are still not so consistent. To be fair, the only guy who is there every time is Power. Look at Briscoe: he was quick through practice in Long Beach, but in qualifying he was 12th. It really is a fine, fine line, and like I say, it's only Will who is up front in every session. Why? Because he's super-fast, he's with a super team, and he's been with the same engineer for six years. All that together makes him very, very strong and I'm prepared to say, not only on road and street courses but on ovals, too. I believe last year Will's performance on ovals was already excellent, but his team made a few little mistakes. As an oval driver, he was very strong and so he's going to be up there all the time, I have no doubt.

Oriol Servia interview on WRTV-ABC

In title chase, Servia finds comfort at home

Ten, 15, 20 minutes transpire and still Oriol Servia doesn’t emerge from a post-practice session debriefing with Newman/Haas Racing engineers. He knows the drill to have made a bathroom pit stop beforehand.Thirty-three minutes is the official duration of this meeting – a frank give and take (emphasis on the latter) incorporating data about car, driver and racetrack.

Servia, who re-joined the Illinois-based team before the start of the IZOD IndyCar Series season, actually relishes these sessions in addition to the exhaustive pre- and post-race details to optimize the No. 2 Telemundo car.

This confluence has paid dividends for the Spaniard, who has a mechanical engineering degree by the way, through four races. He’s third in the championship standings, and in the first set of road/street course races is one of only three drivers (Will Power and Dario Franchitti, the top two in points, the others) to string together four top-10 finishes.

On the streets of São Paulo, Brazil, this past weekend, Servia gained 11 positions to tie his season high of fifth place.

“We decided to go with the least amount of downforce we had the whole weekend on the Telemundo car because we were hoping the race was going to be dry,” he said. “We were wrong there, but the car was good enough that we were able to stay out of trouble, get by a couple of cars, never get passed, move forward with no mistakes, had good pits stops and finish fifth.

“I’m very pleased with the outcome of the weekend, and I’m very happy to be third in the points and to continue gaining momentum going into Indy.”

It’s been quite a turnaround as any momentum Servia had coming out of the 2009 season – when he competed in five races, with a high finish of fourth for Newman/Haas Racing at Twin Ring Motegi – stalled in the off-season. Potential deals for 2010 fell by the wayside (Newman/Haas moved forward with Hideki Mutoh for the full season and Graham Rahal for six events), and Servia didn’t grip a steering wheel. But he didn’t lose the grip on his career.

“Last year was crazy because I kept thinking through the season that I was going to be in a car within a month,” he said. “Before the start of the season I thought I had a deal. Before the ‘500’ I thought I had a deal. Toward the end of the season there were a couple of teams calling me, telling me, ‘Ah, one of our drivers might be out. Are you ready?’

“So the whole season I thought I was going to jump in a car, which helped me not jump off a balcony. It was good and bad; at least I had hope, and it led to where I am today with Newman/Haas. I’m hungrier than I’ve ever been.”

Servia tested with Newman/Haas in December and at the mid-March Open Test at Barber Motorsports Park, where he received word that he would be on the grid for the season opener in St. Petersburg, Fla. Servia has made 22 starts over four of the past seven seasons for the multi-Indy car championship team, and posted his first victory at Montreal in 2005.

Returning to the team for this season was a homecoming.

“Not only is it a team I’m familiar with, it’s the team I’ve had the most success,” he said. “Every time I’ve been with them it’s always worked. We know what we can do together; there’s total trust and that’s how you achieve things.”

Getting to that point involves the multiple meetings that occasionally pre-empt meals and downtime. Again, Servia welcomes the feedback and opportunities to have input.

“I want to think of myself as a technical driver, not necessarily because of my education,” he said. “I’ve never worked as an engineer, although last year it crossed my mind a couple of times. But I’ve always been very interested in what happens with the car and the setup, and I have 10 years’ experience now and working with Newman/Haas.

“They make you work so hard as a driver in terms of the pre-race preparation – they send you a 40-page document; like a novel to read. They are the best at optimizing what they have and you learn a lot from it. When I joined them in 2005, I arrived at the shop and thought I was going to see all these special pieces but there weren’t any. They just had engineers and mechanics who were dedicated to analyzing everything.

“I think it was that year that brought us together to know each other, and now I’m hoping we can understand the car together and get the most out of it.”

SERVIA NOW FOURTH IN SERIES POINTS STANDING

Oriol Servia, No. 2 Telemundo Dallara/Honda/Firestone: "I am very, very happy with how competitive the Telemundo team is. We had a strong performance the whole weekend and the team keeps moving forward. But I do have a bit of a bad taste in my mouth because this was probably the best race car I have ever had in a race and a podium was within reach. I felt in control the whole race; I felt that my car was better than anybody around me. I felt I was better than the Ganassi's, the Penske's and we were just running our strategy. When the yellow came, it hurt us because we were just coming in that lap so that didn't go our way but we were still strong and we still thought a podium was definitely in our future and then on the restart Helio was a little too optimistic and got into Power and just didn't leave me anywhere to go because I was on the outside. I had to do a little bit of a circus maneuver to get back on track and that obviously cost us the podium there but we finished sixth and it could have been a lot worse. I'm happy with how we're doing. We're consistent, we're always there and the wins will come. We are working hard and its paying off."

FAST FACTS: Was his TENTH race here and FIRST with NHR at this track. His previous best finishes here are second in 2007 with Forsythe and fifth in 2008 with KV Racing. In 9 events, he has two top-five, three top-10 (including sixth in his rookie debut here in 2000) and eight top-15 finishes...Servia tested with the team in Sebring for two days in December 2010. Prior to that his previous time behind the wheel of an Indy car was also with NHR at the 2009 race in Japan where he finished fourth. He also tested in the open test at Barber Motorsports Park in March where he was fifth fastest...Servia, a native of Catalonia, Spain, has made 17 starts for NHR which include his first Indy car win (Montreal 2005) and pole (Surfers Paradise, Australia 2005) as well as a total of seven top-three, 12 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes. In 2005, Servia replaced NHR driver Bruno Junqueira, who suffered a season-ending injury at the Indy 500 on May 29, and then went on to finish second to teammate Sebastien Bourdais in the point standings after 11 events with the team. Servia returned to NHR in 2009 for four races with a season-best finish of fourth at Twin Ring Motegi...Is ranked 4th in series points with a total of 80 after three events.

Defending Race Winner RHR, Qualifies Outside Pole at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
RYAN HUNTER-REAY, #28 TEAM DHL/SUN DROP CITRUS SODA CAR

• Qualified second for the second-consecutive year at Long Beach; missed pole by .08 of a second

"I was up on the lap by a half-a-tenth coming into the last three corners and I knew the target time, which was Will's (Will Power's) - which was only a tenth quicker. I had the speed, gained a little bit more through (turn) nine and then I came into (turn) 10 and the car just broke loose. It's my fault; I carried in the speed. But, hey, you've got to go for it at that point, right?

"I really wanted that pole. With Penske and Ganassi as strong as they are, when you get a chance to hit them in the face a couple times - metaphorically-speaking, obviously - on the track, you really have an opportunity there. The DHL/Sun Drop car was really good today. We could have had pole today."

(ON MISSING THE POLE BY EIGHT ONE-HUNDREDTHS OF A SECOND) "Somehow that stuff just keeps falling to Will's side. I need to learn what kind of cereal he is eating or something."

IndyCar Star Ryan Hunter-Reay Joins LIVESTRONG®

as Global Envoy for the Fight Against Cancer

Austin, Texas – April 13, 2011 – LIVESTRONG® is pleased to announce the addition of IndyCar driver Ryan Hunter-Reay to the foundation’s Global Envoy program. As a LIVESTRONG Global Envoy, Hunter-Reay serves as a committed cancer advocate who connects with constituents and demonstrates extraordinary leadership in the global fight against cancer. Hunter-Reay gives a voice to the diagnosed who suffer in silence. He takes a stand against cultural stigma attached to cancer and helps to spur grassroots mobilization.

Ryan said, "It is such an amazing honor to be selected as a Global Envoy for LIVESTRONG. My Mother was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer in 2008 and the horrifying fight she waged made a huge impact on my life in so many ways. I was there with her every moment I wasn’t on the race track and the LIVESTRONG organization of counselors and cancer survivors were a constant guiding light, which gave us comfort in our darkest hours".

Hunter-Reay continued, "It was during this time that I realized LIVESTRONG is so much more than a charity. My Mother ultimately lost her fight against cancer in November of 2009 however her tenacity, compassion, and fight lives on through me and today I have an amazing opportunity to help make a difference in her honor. One of the cornerstones of my message as a Global Envoy for LIVESTRONG will be early detection and awareness. I have been a loyal supporter of LIVESTRONG for just over 7 years now, and wearing the iconic LIVESTRONG yellow band reminds me, and others, on a daily basis of the 28 million individuals fighting cancer. As an IndyCar driver my car number will be the No.# 28 in recognition of those 28 million people. I can’t emphasize how proud I am to represent one of the greatest humanitarian and influential organizations in the world".

Hunter-Reay began his racing career in the early 1990s, winning multiple Karting and junior series Championships before moving up, in 2003, to the IndyCar level where he became the first American Rookie in 20 years to win a Champ Car race. Today, Ryan is the most successful American driver currently competing in open wheel competition in the world as well as the only driver to have won races in each of North America's top open wheel formulas, CART, ChampCar, and IndyCar where he won IndyCar Rookie of the Year (2008), the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year (2009) and is this weekend's IZOD IndyCar Long Beach Grand Prix defending race winner. Recognized throughout the International Motorsport Industry for his range of skills, Hunter-Reay currently drives the No.# 28 Team DHL/Sun Drop Citrus Soda entry for IndyCar Champion Michael Andretti, third on the all time win list with 42 wins, and has previously driven for AJ Foyt, first on the all time win list with 67 wins, as well as three-time IndyCar Champion and Indy 500 Winner Bobby Rahal and Late Night talk show host David Letterman.

LIVESTRONG is the brand of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, created in 1997 by the cancer survivor and champion cyclist to serve people living with cancer and empower communities to take action. Hunter-Reay joins a distinguished ensemble of cancer crusaders who have been invited to participate in the LIVESTRONG Global Envoy program. His fellow Envoy’s include: Lillian Dube, Ryan Dungey, Carly Fiorina, Evan Handler, Dhani Jones, Her Royal Highness Princess Dina Mired, Lorena Rojas, Eric Shanteau, Graham Tatters, Kenechi Udeze and Ethan Zohn.

About LIVESTRONG/Lance Armstrong Foundation

LIVESTRONG serves people affected by cancer and empowers them to take action against the world's leading cause of death. Created as the Lance Armstrong Foundation in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, the organization is now known publicly by its powerful brand -- LIVESTRONG -- and is a leader in the global movement on behalf of 28 million people around the world living with cancer today. Known for its iconic yellow wristband, LIVESTRONG has become a symbol of hope and inspiration to people affected by cancer around the world. Since its inception, the organization has raised more than $400 million for the fight against cancer. For more information, visit LIVESTRONG.org.

NEWMAN/HAAS RACING RETURNS TO NUMBER TWO FOR TELEMUNDO ENTRY FOR ORIOL SERVIA

LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill. (March 30, 2011) – Newman/Haas Racing (NHR) announced today that it will return to car No. 2, which has brought the team much success in the past.

NHR earned its second of eight series championships to date in 1991 when Michael Andretti matched a CART-record eight wins and poles competing in the No. 2, and was rewarded with the honorary No. 1 to use the next season. Following that, Mario Andretti (1992), Sebastien Bourdais (2003, 2004), Bruno Junqueira (2005, 2006), Oriol Servia (2005) and Graham Rahal (2007) competed in a No. 2 NHR car. In total, the team has earned 20 of its 107 wins and 24 of its 109 poles running the No. 2.

Servia, driver of the Telemundo entry for NHR, will run the No. 2 beginning with the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park, April 8-10.

Servia first came to the team in 2005 as the replacement for Junqueira, who had just claimed the Champ Car points lead but suffered a season-ending injury in the Indy 500 on May 29. Servia competed in 11 of the 13 races for the team that season, which included earning his first Indy car win (Montreal) and pole (Surfers Paradise, Australia) as well as a total of seven top-three, 11 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes – all while competing in the No. 2 car.

"I am very happy about driving with the No. 2 again," said Servia. "Not only does the number represent a lot of history for the team, I had the most successful Indy car season of my career while driving the No. 2 car for the team in 2005. In addition, our new sponsor Telemundo has a television channel, Mun2, and we can do some creative promotions together."

The Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, Round 2 of the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series (IICS) season, will take place April 8-10 at Barber Motorsports Park. NHR set the fifth and seventh fastest times at the open test at this track March 14-15 with Servia and Canadian James Hinchcliffe.

About Telemundo
Telemundo Communications Group, Inc. & Subsidiaries ("Telemundo"), a division of NBC Universal, is a world-class media company, leading the industry in the production and distribution of high-quality Spanish-language content across its multi-platform portfolio to U.S. Hispanics and audiences around the world. Telemundo's multiple platforms include Telemundo, a Spanish-language television network featuring original productions, theatrical motion pictures, news and first-class sports events, reaching 94% of U.S. Hispanic viewers in 210 markets through its 14 owned-and-operated stations, 46 broadcast affiliates, and over 1,000 cable affiliates; Mun2, is the lifestyle cable network for today's culture connectors (C2s) – bicultural Latinos. As the bilingual network that amplifies the Latinos experience, Mun2 is uniquely American and reaches over 35 million U.S. TV households nationwide on digital and analog cable, satellite and free television; Telemundo Digital Media, which leverages Telemundo's original content for distribution across digital and emerging platforms including mobile devices and www.telemundo.com and www.holamun2.com; and Telemundo International, the company’s international distribution arm which has positioned Telemundo as the second largest provider of Spanish-language content worldwide by syndicating content to more than 100 countries in over 35 languages.

About Newman/Haas Racing
Newman/Haas Racing (NHR) was formed by actor/race car driver Paul Newman and racing entrepreneur Carl Haas and is one of the most successful open wheel racing teams competing today. In 2011 the team will participate in their 29th consecutive season of competition and will attempt to add to the eight championships, 107 race wins and 109 pole positions they have earned to date. For more information, log on to www.newmanhaasracing.com, www.newmanhaasdelivers.com or www.indycar.com.

INDYCAR: High Hopes For Servia At Newman/Haas

“My goal is that I think we can win a race. I need to win a race. I really think we can do it,” Oriol Servia tells SPEED.com.

After spending a year in the open-wheel unemployment line, Spain’s Oriol Servia has gone through a wide range of emotions in the past few weeks.

Signed to drive the No. 02 Newman/Haas Racing entry for the year, Servia’s third stint with the team represents a homecoming of sorts, but the respected pilot isn’t just happy to be back in the series—he’s feeling rather bullish about their chances this season.

“I don’t know, maybe I'm not being realistic, but I think we find ourselves in a very unique position. We happened to have the experience, we happen to have the knowledge in this type of car and championship. I hate the word veteran, so I wouldn't use that, but I would definitely say we have many years behind us learning what we need to do in these kind of races to be competitive. It is open-wheel, it is IndyCar, it is what I’ve done, the tracks I've known. My goal is that I think we can win a race. I need to win a race. We need to be the one team – like Tony Kanaan on the oval last year – we need to be the one team that wins a race that is not a Penske or Ganassi car and I think we can do it. I really think we can do it.”

Servia’s confidence is clearly aided by the team he now finds himself leading.

“What can you say? Newman/Haas team that has won 1000 times in these type of races and we both come off a year where A, I didn't race, B, they had a pretty bad season. So we're hungrier than usually we would be. So I think if we put together the experience and the knowledge we have with the hunger that we have to do really well, I really think that we can be out there. It may be too much to think we can mix with the Penske’s and Ganassi’s, just because of the means and the budgets they have, but I truly – especially after the test in Barber – a track I didn’t know, after a year of not driving. I felt we had a great car, we've made great progress, we understood each other very well.”

While a strong run in the championship would make everyone at Newman/Haas happy, Servia says he won’t be satisfied with an average season that delivers points but no podiums or wins.

“At this point in my career, it's not like I'm going after a points. It's not like I just want to be top-five in the championship; of course, you always want to do as well as possible and it’s the way I've always raced. I've always raced in a way that I want to have the most amount of points at the end, just because it’s stupid to throw points away. When a car and team and driver is competing in the top-five, top-five points, it shows huge consistency.

“So I like that, but it's not my objective this year; this year I want to win a race. And I think we can. Being conservative won’t help me or the team, so we set our sights on victory. I know how difficult that is, especially, with the people who we are going to be fighting with this year, where there’s going to be 20 cars within a second in every qualifying. So I know how difficult it will be. But I really have high hopes for us this year.”

Newman/Haas announced a new marketing sponsorship with Telemundo Saturday morning, which will add to the team’s bottom line and expand IndyCar’s presence in Latin America.

“We have been working really hard to put a program together with Telemundo and have had a genuine connection with them since the beginning,” said Servia. “The U.S. Hispanic population is not only an important segment overall, but it is also an important fan base for our sport.”

With Telemuno’s support and a prime opportunity in place with his favorite team, the only hurdle left for Servia is to build a fast and effective relationship with his new engineer, Bruno Couprie.

Servia, who ran the 13th-fastest time on Friday, says he’s feeling positive about the direction he and Couprie are headed.

“I only did the test at Barber with Bruno--that was the first time I worked with him before St. Petersburg. But we connected right away. He’s been at Newman/Haas for four or five years and he's learned how they work there and I’ve been to Newman/Haas enough times to know how they work. So more than the connection, which is important, is the way they work that one has to get used to at Newman Haas. And I think that's why we clicked right away in Barber. And I expect us to get the best out of each other very fast. So I'm not too concerned. We’ll find a rhythm very quickly.”

Herbalife, Bell Back with Sam Schmidt Motorsports in May
Friday, 25 March 2011

Bell will drive No. 99 Herbalife/Dallara in 100th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500

INDIANAPOLIS (March 21, 2011) – Herbalife-sponsored athlete Townsend Bell will once again be behind the wheel of the No. 99 Dallara/Honda/Firestone racecar sponsored by Herbalife and entered by Sam Schmidt Motorsports (SSM) in the 2011 Indianapolis 500 in May. This year’s renewal of the 500-mile race marks the 100th anniversary of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

The Indy 500 will be a reunion for Bell, Herbalife and team owner Sam Schmidt as they created a competitive partnership in the 2010 race. Bell qualified the eye-catching white and green No. 99 Herbalife car in the top-10 and was as high as fifth place late in the race before a penalty pushed the team back to a 16th-place finishing position.
Herbalife is a global nutrition and direct-selling company headquartered in Los Angeles. The company is heavily involved in sports marketing, sponsoring both world-class events and athletes.

“Townsend has relied on our nutrition products for several years to perform at his best and we’re excited that, this spring, we’re introducing a new, scientifically formulated product line specifically designed for athletes like him, who require healthy nutrition around the clock,” said Michael O. Johnson, Herbalife chairman and CEO.

In Bell, Herbalife has found a driver who trains rigorously and focuses his energy and skills on winning the Indianapolis 500. With limited racing in the past few years, Bell’s performance in the 2009 Indy 500 is proof he comes to Indianapolis each May incredibly fit and ready to race. Starting 24th, the driver from San Luis Obispo, Calif., methodically drove his way through the 33-car field to a fourth-place finish that year, his best in the May classic. The 2011 Indy 500 will be his fifth.

“Being in competitive equipment has always been important to me in my career,” said Bell, the 2001 Firestone Indy Lights champion. “With this being the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500, I am excited that I’ll be returning to the Speedway with a team and sponsor that will allow me to run up front. Partnering with Herbalife allows Sam’s team to prepare a great racecar, and I can’t wait to climb back in it.”

This year is Sam Schmidt Motorsports’ 10th anniversary of fielding cars in the Indianapolis 500. SSM was formed in 2001 after Schmidt’s own driving career ended in a 2000 testing accident in Orlando, Fla. Driver Davey Hamilton started 26th in the 2001 Indy 500 in a Sam Schmidt Motorsports Dallara and finished 23rd.

“It’s a thrill to be partnered again with Herbalife and Townsend Bell for the Indianapolis 500,” Schmidt said. “This will be the first time competing in the Indy 500 that our team will be returning with the same driver, sponsor and engineering combination. The continuity will be fantastic and, hopefully, we can improve on our great performance last year.”

In addition to entering cars in the Indianapolis 500, Sam Schmidt Racing is the most successful team in the Firestone Indy Lights series, which is the leading support series to the IZOD IndyCar Series. Driver J.K. Vernay’s championship in 2010 was the team’s fourth Indy Lights championship. Schmidt has visited victory lane 37 times as a car owner in the series.

Practice for the 2011 Indianapolis 500 begins on Saturday, May 14, and the 100th-anniversary race is on Sunday, May 29.

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Duncan Ende Brings Home 2nd Place at Sebring 12 Hours!

Sebring, Fl (March 20, 2011)- Following a wild event at the 59th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, TRG took a valuable podium at the famed endurance classic, with drivers Duncan Ende, Alain Li, and Spencer Pumpelly finishing second in the GT-C category. Capping off a successful weekend, the #68 team entry of Peter Ludwig, Dion von Moltke, and Dr Jim Norman, would also take the checkered flag in fifth place.

Driving the no. 66 Racer's Roast / Fox River Coffee TRG Porsche GT3 Cup car, Duncan Ende, from Los Angeles, CA was elected to qualify and start his vehicle for the team. Running a solid opening stint, an opportune yellow in the first 30 minutes of the race gave the team a perfect opportunity to come in for an early driver change. This gave Alain Li, from Hong Kong, a chance to run his first stint in the historic event, and he drove flawlessly.

Meanwhile, TRG's no. 68 PR Newswire / parathyroid.com / Dietz & Watson / South African Airways Porsche GT3 Cup car was also off to an amazing start. Qualifying and starting, Dion von Moltke, driving under the South African flag, was the leading TRG vehicle throughout the early stages of the race. Impressing everyone with speed and consistency, the no. 68 was a definite dark horse to be noticed early on.

Handing the no. 68 controls over to Dr. Jim Norman during an opportune yellow, Norman was impressive in his American Le Mans Series professional debut. Having run in two preliminary races in the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge just one day prior, Norman had shown tremendous experience and heads up driving. Peter Ludwig would take the reigns as the third driver and also showed tremendous pace and excellent racecraft from his early laps onward. Fighting hard as the race unfolded, all three drivers from the no. 68 drove with tremendous speed and maturity, which would eventually lead to a top-five placing.

Back to the no. 66, an endless see-saw battle among the top three cars would keep the drivers and team strategists on constant edge throughout the full 12 hours. Following a solid stint by Li, Spencer Pumpelly, residing in Atlanta, GA, took advantage of an opportune yellow to put his vehicle in a position to fight for the lead by the hour three mark. Driving an endless battle with the no. 77 Magnus Racing Porsche and no. 54 Black Swan Racing entry, Pumpelly would put in a solid stint to hand the car back to Ende with a strong chance to lead.

It was during Ende's middle stint where the team really showed their potential. Now in the throws of the middle portion of the race, Duncan was the fastest GT-C car on class throughout the middle hours, not only taking the lead but growing it. With a nice cushion built up, the car was handed back to Li at around the five hour mark, and Li once again drove a steady and heads-up stint.

Pumpelly drove his middle stint on a mission, and was successfully chasing the leading no. 77 hard to regain a one lap down position. Following some clever pit strategy by Team Owner Kevin Buckler, the no. 66 nearly ran out of fuel twice under yellow as the team gambled on track position to place themselves back on the lead lap. Fortunately, the calls worked, and with just over four hours to go it was a two-car fight between the no. 66 and no. 54.

Unfortunately, the no. 66 was nearly a half lap behind the no. 54 and despite faster lap times and some epic driving by Pumpelly, a bizarre lack of yellows during the final four hours kept the team from being able to fight toe to toe and finished a proud second place in this epic endurance race.

All the while, the no. 68 was driving an incredible race with all 3 drivers putting in their best performances on the final stints. The team was running in a strong 3rd place position with only a few hours left and was withing striking distance at the end, finishing 5th in class.

For Ende, a hard fought race is something to be proud of. "Overall I'm satisfied with the weekend," stated Ende. "We were definitely one of the strongest cars in GT-C, and second place points put us in a great championship position so we can't be too disappointed. We definitely wanted to win, but there's plenty more races left in the season."

For Alain Li, a podium at Sebring in his first ALMS race is quite an accomplishment.

"This was definitely a successful week for me," stated Li. "Everyone at the TRG organization was very organized and very professional, and it showed in every facet of the program. I've never driven at this event before, so to walk away with a second place is a great feeling."

For Pumpelly, a second is definitely bittersweet.

"I really wanted to win this one bad," stated Pumpelly. "We had the car to do it, the guys did a great job as always. Duncan and Alain drove fantastic stints, we just needed a little more luck at the end to get caught up to the 54. If we were just a little closer at the end, we would have had them. We can still walk away proud, we know we have the car and the team to win a lot more this year."

For the no. 68, driver Dion von Moltke ran extremely strong in his Sebring debut.

"Overall I'm happy with my performance," stated von Moltke. "We had a great car and I think the speed was there, we just got caught out on a few errors early on. We'll rebound and look forward to more races this year."

For Dr. Jim Norman, running at Sebring was an experience of a lifetime.

"It was definitely a crazy race," stated Norman. "There are so many different classes and types of cars out there, you're always driving with your guard up. It was definitely an experience I'll never forget, and I look forward to more events with TRG."

For Peter Ludwig, a frustrating couple of mistakes masked the true potential.

"We had the speed to really do some great things this weekend," stated Ludwig. "I know we could have had a better finish, we definitely had the speed. Jim and Dion both did their part and it was a great team effort, I look forward to more races this year."

For Team Owner Kevin Buckler, to finally get a podium at the track which has eluded him is a good feeling.

"We definitely wanted the win this weekend. We would have made history with consecutive GT victories at Petit Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring successively," stated Buckler. "At the same time to finish with two cars in the top five at the Sebring 12 hours is something we can look proudly at as a team this weekend. Our no. 66 boys did an awesome job. Alain was super smooth, consistent, and rock steady all week--never putting a single wheel wrong. That was his job and he delivered perfectly, on top of simply being a truly excellent teammate out of the car as well. Spencer gave it his all as expected, and if we'd had a yellow at the end I think Spencer could have done it. He had the speed and the fire. Duncan is the one who I think really broke through this weekend. In the race, he was faster than most anyone, and he simply drove an awesome double stint at the end, unbelievable--his best ever. I was very proud. We really showed ourselves as the car to beat halfway through, and it was very satisfying to see Duncan being the guy to show it, as we've had a lot of years together watching him develop. The 68 guys should be super super proud. Dion did an great job in qualifying and throughout the entire race. He was a good team leader and I love the fact that we will be able to work together for the entire season. He is a true pro and we are going to win races. Dr. Jim did a great job getting up to speed and driving the wheels off the car in the likes of some of the biggest names in the sport. He did everything that was asked for this weekend as a professional driver. It was awesome. Peter showed brilliant speed as always and impressed the heck out of all of us. I truly think he is one of the most underrated drivers in the sport as he is fast and fit and can match pace with just about anyone and he rarely makes a mistake. I think with a little better luck it could have been an even better day. I'm so proud of all of the guys here at this organization, and the rest of the season's only going to get stronger."

TRG's next American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron event will be at the Grand Prix of Long Beach, taking place on Saturday, April 16.

RHR & Level 5 Motorsports WIN the 12 Hours of Sebring in LMP2!

Level 5 Motorsports won its LMP2 debut with a victory for the entry of team owner Scott Tucker, Luis Diaz and Ryan Hunter-Reay. The team won at Sebring in LMP Challenge last year and moved up to P2 after taking the LMPC championship in 2010.

"We just got our cars last Saturday. This whole week was a big test session," said Tucker, who won the LMPC driver’s championship last year. "I’ve got to hand it to Luis and Ryan. We had a small issue and went down a bunch of laps, but these guys pounded it out. It really worked out for us today."

The new-look LMP2 class came down to a battle of endurance, with Level 5 Motorsports taking back-to-back Sebring wins. The team’s No. 055 Lola B11/40 Honda of Ryan Hunter-Reay and Scott Tucker outlasted the competition, despite a mid-race scare when the open-top machine ground to a halt on track with only three wheels.

Despite losing over 30 minutes from the incident, caused by a loose wheel nut, the trio rebounded to finish 20th overall in the car’s debut race.

“We knew the race was going to be like this,” Hunter-Reay said. “It was about keeping the car clean, and when you do have a problem, deal with it the quickest and most efficient way. LMP2, for some reason, always seems to be that way. But that’s what this is, it’s an endurance race.”

The pole-sitting No. 26 Signatech Oreca 03 Nissan of Soheil Ayari, Franck Mailleux and Lucas Ordonez came home ten laps behind in second after battling gearbox and electrical issues. OAK Racing’s Oak-Pescarolo Judd completed the podium in third, also being delayed with various gremlins.

Tucker, who also spent time in Level 5’s sister No. 33 Lola-Honda Coupe with co-drivers Christophe Bouchut and Joao Barbosa, scored fourth-place points after being nominated in the ILMC-entered machine for this race. Yet, the team owner was ecstatic with the come-from-behind win.

“I have to hand it off to Luis and Ryan,” Tucker said. “They just did a fantastic job, along with the team. We had a small issue and went down 10 laps. It looked pretty [bad] for us. But Luis got in the car and Ryan backed it up with quad stint and pounded it out. Things came about our way.”

THE RACE IS ON: ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT'S NEW DHL INDYCAR UNVEILED

· Driver Ryan Hunter-Reay introduces #28 DHL IZOD IndyCar Series entry
· Bright Yellow and Red DHL Racer Revs Up Special Guests in South Florida

March 8, 2011 – DHL, the world’s leading logistics company, and Andretti Autosport today unveiled the new DHL branded IndyCar to be driven by Ryan Hunter-Reay during the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series at DHL Regional Headquarters in Plantation, FL. Executives from DHL along with Michael Andretti, owner of Andretti Autosport, and driver Hunter-Reay were on hand to give DHL employees and guests a first look at the car and celebrate this exciting new sponsorship.

“The new #28 DHL IndyCar is a true representation of the attributes that DHL and Andretti Autosport live and breathe every day,” stated Christine Nashick, vice president of marketing, DHL Express US. “The speed, reliability and dedication exemplified by Andretti Autosport, Ryan Hunter-Reay and the DHL IndyCar team are truly an ideal fit with DHL. As the official shipping and logistics provider for Andretti Autosport, we are looking forward to building the relationship and a very successful 2011 IndyCar Series.”

In addition to the DHL livery unveiled today, a new number for the IndyCar driven by Ryan Hunter-Reay, resident of Fort Lauderdale, FL, was introduced. The #28 depicted on the racer is a show of support for the estimated 28 million people living with cancer worldwide. Ryan Hunter-Reay, who lost his mother to colon cancer in 2009, continues to be a leader in the fight against cancer and serves as an ambassador for “Racing For Cancer,” an organization founded in 2010 to help build awareness in the global fight against cancer.

The #28 DHL IndyCar is comprised of an Italian-built Dallara chassis, a 3.5-liter, V-8 Honda engine and Firestone Firehawk racing tires – all of which are elements mandated by the IZOD IndyCar Series rules. The car, which weighs approximately 1,600 pounds when race-ready, is capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 in 4.5 seconds, decelerating from 100 to 0 in 1.7 seconds and can reach a maximum speed of 240 miles per hour.

Hunter-Reay will be starting his second season with Andretti Autosport as he gets behind the wheel of the team’s new DHL entry. Coming off a breakthrough year that saw him win the Grand Prix of Long Beach, Hunter-Reay finished a career-best seventh in the IZOD IndyCar Series standings. DHL will also be an associate sponsor for the car driven by the team’s newest member, Mike Conway of Miami, FL. Conway, who launched his IZOD IndyCar Series career in 2009 after building a strong resume in Europe, was signed to the team’s roster on February 1.

At today’s event, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Andretti Autosport brought the excitement of IndyCar racing to the DHL campus – meeting with employees and guests, signing autographs, handing out branded merchandise and providing all an up-close view of the bright yellow and red racer.

Today’s unveiling follows the multi-year sponsorship agreement signed in February 2011 between DHL and Andretti Autosport, a winning IZOD IndyCar Series team.

DHL, ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT SIGN MULTI-YEAR SPONSORSHIP AGREEMENT
• New DHL IndyCar Will Have Ryan Hunter-Reay Behind the Wheel
• Official Logistics Sponsor of Andretti Autosport

Feb. 22, 2011 – DHL, the world’s leading logistics company, announced today it signed a multi-year sponsorship agreement with Andretti Autosport, a winning IZOD IndyCar Series team owned by Michael Andretti. As the Official Shipping and Logistics sponsor of Andretti Autosport, DHL will serve as a co-primary sponsor of the new car driven by Ryan Hunter-Reay and as an associate sponsor for the car driven by the team’s newest member, Mike Conway.

Hunter-Reay will be starting his second season with Andretti Autosport as he gets behind the wheel of the team’s new DHL entry. Coming off a breakthrough year that saw him win the Grand Prix of Long Beach, Hunter-Reay finished a career-best seventh in the IZOD IndyCar Series standings. Conway, who launched his IZOD IndyCar Series career in 2009 after building a strong resume in Europe, was signed to the team’s roster on February 1.

The new DHL IndyCar will be unveiled at the DHL regional headquarters in Plantation, Fla., on Tuesday, March 8, at 10:15 a.m. with Hunter-Reay and DHL staffers in attendance. The bright yellow, red and white racer will make its debut at the season opener – the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday, March 27.

Additional elements of the sponsorship include VIP hospitality platforms for DHL and its customers in major U.S., Canadian & Latin American markets, image and advertising rights as well as opportunities to provide shipping and logistics services in support of Andretti Autosport’s global operations.

WOLFGANG GIEHL, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR CORPORATE BRANDING MARKETING, DHL:

“Andretti Autosport has a history of success grounded in the same attributes required to be the First Choice among logistics providers for our customers – speed, reliability, and a “team” spirit focused on putting the “fans” – our customers – at the center of everything we do. We’re pleased to sponsor this winning motorsports team which provides an excellent opportunity to promote the DHL brand and align with Andretti Autosport in U.S. and global markets.”

JOHN LOPES, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT:

“We are very excited to welcome DHL into our sponsor family at Andretti Autosport. This is a partnership that was born out of our great, long-standing relationship with DHL’s North American supply chain division, Exel. As a global industry leader, DHL is a brand that we are proud to add to our portfolio. We look forward to developing this relationship and helping DHL strengthen its brand presence and international specialty positioning.”

The Way It Is/ The Matador's return?

by Gordon Kirby

In the spring of 2005 Newman/Haas found themselves searching for a driver to replace Bruno Junqueira who was badly injured in an accident in that year's Indianapolis 500. Sebastien Bourdais was in his second year with the team and the Frenchman was still uncomfortable on oval tracks. Newman/Haas needed an experienced driver who was good on ovals to help Bourdais.

"All year long Oriol fought tooth and nail," Hoevel recalls.

"Sebastien was leading the championship but we eventually got to the point where Oriol was second in points. There were a couple of times when it was a little uncomfortable because when a guy is leading the championship his teammate has got to do what you're told to do."

Servia did an excellent job coming through to win in Montreal in August after Bourdais had trouble with a lost wheelnut on his last pitstop.

Bourdais wound up a very frustrated fourth but Servia was justifiably delighted.

"The car was so secure at the back and so fast and that's when we started getting close to Sebastien," Oriol remembers.

"If we had started the season with the team I think I would have been a definite contender to challenge Sebastien. In Montreal his guys made a mistake in the pits and my guys were perfect, like always, and we were able to win legitimately."Veteran Newman/Haas crewman Tim Coffeen was part of Servia's crew in '05.

"I'm glad Oriol got his win with us at Montreal," Coffeen says.

"The guy won a race and a pole and competed with a great teammate and on top of it the only thing he ever bent was an upper wishbone. He touched the fence at Montreal in the Saturday morning practice before he won the race and that was the only thing he hurt driving for us all year without any testing coming in out of nowhere after Bruno got hurt. We had been out to lunch at Milwaukee and right away he was an asset to us. He got on the podium and he was on the podium all year. He won a pole and he won the hearts of the guys who work here. I've got a lot of time for Oriol.

"Bourdais and Newman/Haas dominated Champ Car's championship battle in '05 as Bourdais won six races, took six poles and romped to his second consecutive title. Servia finished second in three races--twice to Bourdais for Newman/Haas sweeps at Edmonton and the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.Oriol added two more thirds and a fourth place to beat Justin Wilson and Paul Tracy to second in the championship.

"It was my best year in racing not only on results but also on the fun I had," Servia says.

"We were performing at the highest level. Everybody was working the hardest and they were giving me the tools and it was a joy. You have the tools and you're able to go out there and do your best. That's just an unbelievable feeling and it only helps you do better and improve yourself. That kind of environment makes everybody happier and a pleasure to work with and be able to do your best. It's a great feeling.

"There was talk of running a third car for Servia in 2006. Newman/Haas was committed to running Junquiera who was recovering from his Indy injuries but enough sponsorship couldn't be found to run three cars in '06 so Servia was left on the sidelines. Servia was disappointed but not regretful. In '05 he had worked with engineer Rocky Rocquelin who is now world champion Sebastien Vettel's race engineer at the Red Bull F1 team."I was really excited for '06 because I had a great relationship with Rocky and we were right there with Sebastien (Bourdais) in the second half of the season," Oriol says.

"Unfortunately, it didn't happen. Bruno was healed, which was great, and it showed how loyal Paul and Carl were. They had promised Bruno a ride when he was healed and they did that. They tried very hard to find the budget for a third car for me. They had some verbal agreements that it was going to happen, but they failed at the last minute."But my time at Newman/Haas was awesome," Servia adds.

"I go back to those memories many times. I had a lot of fun and I go back a lot in my head to what I experienced about what the car had to feel like and how the team worked to try to recreate what we had with Newman/Haas.

"Tim Coffen holds Servia in extremely high regard."Oriol is the kind of guy who's very professional," Tim Coffeen observes. "He's a thinker. He's always looking how to make the car better. If you need Oriol you don't have to look for him. He'll stay there all night if needs be. He's a professional and he can drive any kind of circuit. He's equally at home and adept on an oval as he is on a road course. He can drive anything and he uses his head."Donnie Hoevel rates Servia with the best in the business.

"It was very satisfying to put Oriol in the car three or four races into the season and do what he did," Hoevel says. "There were a couple of races where he should have beat Sebastien where he was told not to pass him. We were a little disappointed in that.

"I enjoyed working with Oriol just as much as I did with Cristiano (da Matta). I almost want to say that Oriol may be technically a little smarter than Cristiano. Oriol is a pretty smart guy, but unfortunately he got his breaks all at the wrong time. He's very similar to Rick Mears because he's smart and he thinks and he can be a calculating, smooth driver like Mears. Maybe not quite as good as Mears, but I think with time he could have done the same things because he's good on ovals and on road courses.

"Tim Coffeen was present for both of Newman/Haas's recent Sebring tests. He was delighted to have Servia back in one of the team's cars for the first test and was impressed with Hinchcliffe.

"Conditions for the Sebring test were deplorable," Coffeen reported.

"It was quite chilly with high winds at times gusting over 40 mph. Oriol did the muletesting and Hinchcliffe also drove and he did well. He ran 52.83 secs on new tires which is the fastest a Newman/Haas IRL car has ever run there (Graham Rahal in '09)."It was good to see the Matador back in the saddle. He brings a lot to the table. He's a good tester and technically very savvy, but most of all he is the ultimate team player. He deserves a solid ride and I hope it's here.

"Hinchcliffe has potential," Coffeen added.

"He seems technically sound, has a good attitude and he never put a foot wrong. He also did well practicing pit stops."Servia last drove for Newman/Haas in 2009 when he did four late-season races after Robert Doornbos left the team. Oriol feels a great affinity with Newman/Haas and is doing all he can to help the team put together a sponsorship package."I'm very hopeful," he says.

"We've spent a lot time together over the last month or so and we have a couple of big meetings at the end of the month that will basically decide how we are going to approach the season. We are committed to each other and both James and I are betting that things are going to happen."

Servia believes a two-car team is essential to achieving success."They just had a terrible season last year," he comments. "Not only were the results not there but they got lost with the setup and when you're just one car and lost like that it's very hard to find a way forward.

That's why we're hoping to have a proper, two-car team."We're excited. I think Hinchcliffe and I would be a good pair together. That's what we're aiming for. He did a great job at the test. I think it would be perfect. You've got a young guy who drives well and is obviously a nice kid and I think with my experience we can be competitive and be very strong. The team is working very hard to put it all together."

Servia knows what he can do and hopes that the fresh wind IndyCar racing seems to have found under Randy Bernard's leadership will help Newman/Haas get back where they belong at the front of the field."I'm proud that I won that race in Montreal with Newman/Haas and we're working towards more," Oriol remarks.

"There's a little more boost going on with IndyCar at the present time and that's very nice, very helpful. I think things are looking good for IndyCar's future and I hope I can be part of it with Newman/Haas."

Auto Racing ~ Gordon Kirby

Hunter-Reay finds stability in second season with Andretti

Ryan Hunter-Reay's legacy will always include the crucial role he played in bringing Izod, starting its second year as the title sponsor, into the IndyCar Series. That relationship worked out well for Hunter-Reay, too.

Without Izod's backing in 2009 and 2010, he likely wouldn't be starting his second season at Andretti Autosport.

It is stability that Hunter-Reay can appreciate. He's never had one full season follow another with the same team in a career that began in CART/Champ Car in 2003.

Hunter-Reay's struggle to find opportunities to drive were not related to his talent. He has four victories, two in CART/Champ Car and two in IndyCar, including last season's win at Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Hunter-Reay, 30, also was the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year in 2008, when he finished sixth.

He has found a home at Andretti, which has him signed through the 2012 season. Hunter-Reay was the only American to win an IndyCar race and he was the highest finishing American in the points -- seventh -- in 2010. With stability comes continuity and Hunter-Reay will have the same group of people working on his Dallara-Honda as he did a year ago. They have something to build upon.

It has been a long and frustrating road for Hunter-Reay to reach this season. His first CART team was funded by the series and folded when it went bankrupt in 2003. Hunter-Reay's teams the next two seasons bounced him out to hire drivers who brought sponsors.

Bobby Rahal hired Hunter-Reay for the final six races of the 2007 IndyCar season and re-signed him for 2008. After practice one day at Indianapolis, Hunter-Reay met Izod Director of Marketing Mike Kelly, who was surveying the landscape to see if the Indy 500 and the IndyCar Series were worth investing marketing dollars. Hunter-Reay invited Kelly to his motorhome to talk about it. Five weeks later, during a race weekend at Watkins Glen, Izod signed Hunter-Reay to a personal services contract and became IndyCar's apparel sponsor.

Hunter-Reay went out and won the race that weekend. Izod began using him in its print ads and television commercials to promote its involvement in IndyCar. Its interest in IndyCar grew quickly and Izod signed a long-term agreement to become title sponsor in November 2009.

Rahal Letterman Racing lost its primary backer, a coalition of American ethanol producers, following the 2008 season, and Hunter-Reay was unemployed again. Vision Racing owner Tony George and Kelly worked out a deal to partially sponsor Hunter-Reay and he finished second at St. Petersburg, Fla., in the season opener. Hunter-Reay drove in six races for Vision, then moved to A.J. Foyt's team for the final 11 races to replace the injured Vitor Meira.

"Going from a great team at Rahal Letterman, there was some continuity there, and then the ethanol sponsorship went away," Hunter-Reay said. "I was lucky enough to join Vision and things got financially tight there and then I was lucky enough to work with A.J. Jeez, that guy is a legend and it was great to drive for him, but neither of those teams were long-term solutions and I don't think they were ever meant to be.

"So, to be with Andretti and to see the horizon, to see where I'm going and see the future is great."

Team owner Michael Andretti signed Hunter-Reay without having a full-season sponsor. Andretti committed to running him through Indianapolis, the sixth race of the season.

"I knew going into the [2010] season it was probably my best opportunity ever," Hunter-Reay said. "There was absolutely an urgency to come up with results because the quicker the results came, the sooner my deal [for the entire year] would be done, or at least you would hope to think it would be that way.

"We came right out of the gate real fast, finished second in Brazil in the season opener and won at Long Beach [third race]. It definitely made for a sense of urgency, but, unfortunately, I'm used to jumping from car to car, team to team, being ready to go and making sure I'm on the pace as competitive as soon as possible."

Andretti kept finding new commercial partners, and after the ninth race of the season at Watkins Glen, Hunter-Reay's car had funding for the rest of the 17-race season. Hunter-Reay rewarded them with a third at Toronto and a fourth at Chicagoland and ended the season with three podiums, six top-5s and 12 top-10s.

Hunter-Reay's win at Long Beach was the most satisfying of his career.

"That was a special race at Long Beach for so many reasons," Hunter-Reay said. "It's like the Indy 500 of street racing. I dedicated it to my mother [who died the previous year] and I was really honored to bring Michael [Andretti] his first win as sole owner of Andretti Autosport. It's a race I had looked forward to winning since I was little."

The season's low point for Hunter-Reay was running out of gas on the final lap of the Indy 500 in Turn Four and having Mike Conway's Dallara make wheel-to-wheel contact that sent Conway airborne and left him with serious injuries. Hunter-Reay escaped almost unharmed.

"It was a real bummer that it happened like that. When you run out of fuel in these cars, it's like hitting the brakes. You go from wide open to nothing. I'm sorry that Mike was hurt. That's a shame."

Hunter-Reay and the Andretti team's weakness a year ago was inconsistency on ovals.

"The ovals were hit and miss," he said. "One day we'd show up and we were top five regularly, and then the next race it would be off the pace and we'd start in the back. We'd work through it and finished regularly in the top 10. We have some progress to make on the ovals for this year and I think we will because we know where we went wrong. At least we know what we did and where we need to improve."

Hunter-Reay has every reason to set his ambition high for 2011.

"We want to win numerous races this year, that's the goal, and to fight consistently in the top five," Hunter-Reay said. "Anything short of that and I'll be very disappointed."

Hunter-Reay figures to be a top contender to win the IndyCar championship and become the first American to do it since Sam Hornish Jr. in 2006. He has everything -- talent, experience and team -- in place to add to his legacy.

Canadian Maryeve Dufault to Pilot the Entry

Toledo, OH (Dec. 7, 2010) –Tony Marks Racing (TMR) announced today the intent to run a full season in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards with Canadian driver Maryeve Dufault piloting the No. 50 TMR entry. At the helm of the team will be owner Tony Marks, while day to day operations will be overseen by veteran crew chief Larry Moore, who will manage the car preparations out of the teams shop in Toledo, Ohio.

Team Owner Tony Marks has been involved in a variety of racing endeavors over the past 25 years and after a late season ARCA Series test at Rockingham Speedway he was keen to expand his racing operation. “Last season tested at Rockingham Speedway and saw very promising results,” said Marks. “Through our relationship with Dodge and our interest in expanding our racing program, we were presented with an opportunity and pursued conversations with Maryeve to join our team and put together a full season entry for 2011. Maryeve had displayed great ability in her outing at Montreal and we look forward to putting her in the position to be successful in 2011 with the Tony Marks Racing team.”

Canadian native and Los Angeles resident Maryeve Dufault has an extensive racing background in a variety of series such as NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, Late Model, Rotax International Karting Series, Formula Jim Russell, Skip Barber Series, Formula BMW USA and the Star Mazda Championship. In addition to her racing pursuits, Dufault has also used her racing skills as a stuntwoman and precision driver for a variety of companies. Dufault’s racing career took off last season after showing promise driving the No. 10 Dodge Avenger in the Trois-Rivières and Montreal rounds of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. Dufault was sponsored by the Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, and Ram Quebec Dealers Association for the 2010 Canadian events and despite a tough outing in the Montreal race where she finished her day with heavy contact and was unable to complete the race, her driving skill impressed a Dodge racing representative who then facilitated an introduction to Tony Marks Racing.

“2010 was a great season for me as I got the opportunity to drive for the Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram Quebec Dealers Association in the Trois-Rivières and Montreal NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races,” said Dufault. “Although I was disappointed in the end result of the Montreal race, it opened the door to a huge opportunity for me with Dodge and Tony Marks Racing for 2011. After last season, I do have some experience in the stock cars but I know that I have a lot to learn and I am looking forward to testing and getting prepared for the 2011 season. Tony has put together a very professional group of people and I think we will progress quickly during our tests and be prepared to start the 2011 season very competitively.”

The team will begin their 2011 preparations in earnest with a three day closed test scheduled for December 11-13, 2010 at the ½ mile oval at New Smyrna Speedway in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. During the three day test, the team plans to run Maryeve Dufault in the ARCA entry as well as test driver Jared Marks, son of team owner Tony Marks, in both an ARCA and late model car. The team will continue their testing program at the ARCA Series test at the Daytona International Speedway January 11-13, 2011 in preparation for the season opening ARCA event on February 12.

The team is slated to run the full 19 race season in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards with Dufault. Additional team plans for 2011 include entries for additional drivers in select ARCA Racing Series events. TMR will also enter Jared Marks in a full schedule of late model racing in CRA and ASA and is exploring the possibility of limited Nationwide Series schedule. Sponsorship and car livery for the Tony Marks Racing ARCA entry will be unveiled prior the season opening event that will be held at Daytona International Speedway on February 12, 2011.

About Tony Marks Racing (TMR): Tony Marks Racing was founded in 2009 through the passion for racing of team owner and former driver Tony Marks. Marks is the successful owner of TMT, Inc., a logistics, warehousing and packaging company with over 400 employees whose customers are mainly comprised of Fortune 100 companies. Marks began his racing career in 1985 getting behind the wheel of everything from drag racers, Dirt Late Models, SCCA Formula Fords, USAC F2000 Open Wheel and ARCA cars. Tony personally raced until 2005 amassing numerous wins, championships and track records along the way until he then changed his focus from driver to owner and began building racing programs for his children Jared (16 years old) and Rachel (13 years old). Under the auspices of TMR, Jared began his racing career in 2002 in quarter midgets and now competes in late model, CRA, ASA and ARCA Series events while Rachel continues her development program racing quarter midgets and Bandoleros.

TMR has been at the forefront of charitable giving through its’ “Driving Against Hunger” and “Million Meal Challenge” race programs which have raised over $200,000 for Forgotten Harvest in 2010 at the Truck and Nationwide events at Michigan International Speedway. For the NASCAR events TMR along with TMT, Inc. partnered with Forgotten Harvest for the “Million Meal Challenge For Our Kids” which helps to bridge the hunger gap while schools are out of session and feeds 20,000 children per day in the Detroit metro area. Forgotten Harvest was significantly displayed on the entry of Chase Austin during both the Truck and Nationwide events at Michigan International Speedway along with logos of “Million Meal Challenge” sponsors Walgreen’s, United Race Group, Holyfield’s Choice Alka-Power Water and Vitamin Spice. Evander Holyfield was also instrumental in the challenge, acting as Grand Marshall for the August race and announcing his “Fight Against Hunger” on behalf of Forgotten Harvest. As the first race team to “Drive Against Hunger” through their partnership with Forgotten Harvest, TMR plans to continue their alliance with Forgotten Harvest and once again “Drive Against Hunger” during the 2011 season.

For additional information on TMT, Inc. go to www.tmtcompanies.net.

Media contact: Jana Watt

For Tony Marks Racing
(317) 709-3855 or jwatt@mi-connection.com

ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT AND RYAN HUNTER-REAY SIGN TWO-YEAR CONTRACT

Oct. 29, 2010 – Andretti Autosport and driver Ryan Hunter-Reay announced today they have signed a two-year contract that keeps the American star with the team through the 2012 season.

The parties agreed to the terms of the new contract the night before this year’s Indianapolis 500, and with today’s announcement, Hunter-Reay and the team enter the off-season with their future together certain.

Hunter-Reay enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2010 that was highlighted by a popular win at the Grand Prix of Long Beach and a career-best seventh-place finish in the series standings. Hunter-Reay’s season also included a runner-up finish in the season-opening Sao Paulo Indy 300, three podiums, six top-fives and 12 top-10 finishes in 17 starts.

The sponsors of Hunter-Reay’s 2011 IndyCar effort will be announced in the near future.

The terms of Hunter-Reay’s new agreement will not be disclosed.

MICHAEL ANDRETTI, CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT:
“We’re thrilled to be able to sign Ryan to a multi-year contract. He is a driver that has earned the right to have that kind of stability and we feel very fortunate to know that he will be a major piece of our foundation going forward.
“Ryan proved this year that he was the perfect choice to join our team. Not only did he substantially contribute to our engineering and set-up capabilities he is a threat to win at every circuit we race on. We recognized early on that Ryan is that ‘total package’ both on and off the track and that is why we all worked so hard to keep Ryan for the full season this year. It’s gratifying to know that all that hard work has paid off in a big way today.
“It will be fun preparing for the 2011 season knowing that we have a solid program with Ryan. We need to work to get stronger as a race team and put ourselves in a position to compete for our fourth series championship. Ryan will be a major part of that effort.”

RYAN HUNTER-REAY:
“I couldn’t be happier knowing my future is with Andretti Autosport. In what looked to be just a partial 2010 season, this team worked incredibly hard to make the full season a reality and the results speak loudly of our potential together. I cannot say enough about the professionalism of this team across the board, both competitively and from a commercial perspective.
“As we prepare for 2011, I have strong relationships within the team to build on. Our goals are reasonable and achievable.

“Michael has taken the reins of this team, knows what he wants to accomplish and how to get there. Anything less than wins and challenging for the championship next year would be unacceptable. With that said, we all recognize there is a lot of work to be done to bring the team back to that level.
“Starting the job in October, rather than in March, will be a luxury I’ve never had before. I look to add to my four Indy car wins and become a title contender throughout the season.”

Hunter-Reay: 'Incredible experience' at LIVESTRONG Challenge event

IZOD IndyCar Series driver Ryan Hunter-Reay and his family relied upon Lance Armstrong’s LIVESTRONG foundation for support as his late mother Lydia battled cancer.

To show his support for LIVESTRONG as well as the organization that honors his mother – Racing for Cancer – Hunter-Reay joined Racing for Cancer founder Tom Vossman at the Austin LIVESTRONG Challenge on Oct. 23-24 in Austin, Texas.

“It was an incredible experience,” said Hunter-Reay, who finished seventh in IZOD IndyCar Series points for Andretti Autosport. “We got a chance to meet with Lance and Doug Ullman, CEO of LIVESTRONG, at their headquarters and shared a lot of ideas back and forth. It’s amazing what they have planned there and I think you will see a lot more involvement between LIVESTRONG and Racing for Cancer.”

Hunter-Reay and his fiancée Beccy Gordon formed one half of Team Racing for Cancer in Armstrong’s annual Ride for the Roses fundraiser, which consists of rides of 10, 20, 45, 65 and 90 miles through the Texas Hill Country.

Hunter-Reay, who uses cycling as part of his regular fitness routine, rode with members of Armstrong’s Team Radio Shack – including Tour de France participants Levi Leipheimer and Yaroslav Popovich and actor and sports car racer Patrick Dempsey.

“We did the 45 miles because that was what Lance and Radio Shack did,” Hunter-Reay said. “When they turned off, we turned off. We started off in the front with them and stayed with the group. It was a challenging ride on some awesome roads. I was a better climber when I lived in California, and I can see why (those roads) helped make Lance so strong.”

But the weekend for Hunter-Reay was more than just the ride. Because the event is one of LIVESTRONG’s main annual fundraisers, it was also a chance for Racing for Cancer’s leaders to get support and advice from a group that is known worldwide as a leader in advocacy for those with cancer and their families.

“It was really great to sit down with those guys and talk about the future and how we can collaborate between Racing for Cancer and LIVESTRONG and bring the two groups closer together,” said Hunter-Reay, who serves as Racing for Cancer’s ambassador.

“LIVESTRONG and the entire movement have played a big part in my life especially the last three or four years. I’ve been wearing a yellow band since the whole thing started and a few years later, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. We leaned on them for support and they were very helpful. It’s very important when you’re fighting cancer to have some belief and faith and that’s what they do so well. It gives you a support system and you can fall back on those real life stories to see how others are dealing with this disease. It’s such an inspirational and helped us prolong my mom’s life.”

And it was also another chance for Hunter-Reay to honor his mom and say thank you to the community that he has become a part of.

“LIVESTRONG has raised so much money in the fight against cancer,” he said “It’s great to be a part of e everything from the dinners that everyone attends, to the sharing of ideas with people and the ride. Everything I am doing is in my mom’s honor and memory and it was so cool to put (her name) on my back. But you know that there are 3,000 other riders with names on their back too. It’s an eye opener to see how many people are affected by cancer. It was very powerful.”

Duncan Ende Wins ALMS GTC Season Finale at Petit

Braselton, GA, (Oct. 4, 2010) - TRG won the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron Petit Le Mans GTC race at Road Atlanta Saturday. Drivers Henri Richard, Duncan Ende and Andy Lally combined to drive the No. 63 Future Electronics/ Freescale Semiconductors/ Green Hills Software/ Hitachi Global Storage/ NOS Energy Drink/Racers Roast/Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car the win at one of the sports cars most prestigious races. TRG now has wins in the top sports car races in the world including Le Mans, Daytona and now Petit Le Mans.

Andy Lally had the wheel of the No. 63 in qualifying, posting a time of 1:25.364, good for second place on the GTC grid. At the start, the Dacula, Georgia resident wasted little time in taking the GTC lead. Although leading and looking strong out front, the good feeling wouldn't last. Half-way through the first fuel run Lally experienced a flat left rear tire. This and some unlucky track position under yellow had the team down two laps at the one-third distance. Team owner, Kevin Buckler, was able to manage a strategy of aligning driver strengths to the competition as well as the timing of yellows and some superb driving by all to get back the laps that the car was down and put it in a position to win by a margin of four seconds at the checkered flag. The win was the second on the season in the ALMS GTC class, the first coming at Lime Rock Park. The win securely puts Henri Richard fourth in the season ending driver points standings.

"Andy delivered me a car in P1 and in perfect condition," Richard said. "I settled quickly into a safe pace and short of a spin at the top of the hill caused by taking too much curb out of Turn 10 avoiding a GT2 and then fighting a flat spot that made the car a bit rear end happy it was uneventful. I love this track and can't get enough of it. TRG was at the top of its game yesterday. Despite some unfavorable splits caused by safety car situations, we were able to overcome those and won in the pits as much as on the track. With the last refueling done and Andy leading out of the pits by six seconds, we started to believe in the victory. It was tight for a few laps, but then Andy started to open the gap and at that point we knew that short of a mechanical failure or an accident, we had control of the race and the final outcome. It was a nice way to finish the season."

Ende was pleased with his effort throughout the Petit weekend.

"My stint was a tough one all the way through," Ende said. "Simply dealing with the amount of traffic making its way by was challenging on its own, some of the LMPC cars in particular were making some very optimistic moves, but the car was pretty difficult to wrestle around the track to begin with. All in all I was reasonably happy with the times when I got a bit of a clear lap. While the car wasn't easy to drive, I think it was a pretty solid car, all things considered. The turning point for the race didn't really come at the end, but early on when Andy had to pit early out of the lead with a left rear tire coming apart. Prior to that we were looking good to be able to drive a somewhat easier pace and run the race from the front, but once the tire problem cropped up we were put in the position of having to chase down Black Swan instead. With some smart pit strategy we managed to work our way back into things, but I've got to say that Andy's drive back around to catch and pass the 54 for the lead before our final pit stop is what won it for us - that guy is a superhero!"

Lally put in a lot of time behind the wheel, but knows to win a 1000 mile race takes a total team effort.

"It was a long day behind the wheel," Lally said. The fact that we were involved in a tight battle for the win at every point of the race made the time pass by a little quicker. The traffic was pretty intense because of the high car count this year as well as the speed differential between classes. There were some wild wrecks in front of us that we were able to avoid and working traffic at night were some of the toughest parts of this race. There is never just one key to victory when running a 1000 mile race. So many things have to be done right in order for this to happen and that is where TRG shines. Our crew did an awesome job at getting this car reliable and strong enough to withstand 1000 miles of abuse at this track, our engineer is wonderful at making this car handle the way we need it to. Kevin called a great race strategy wise and my teammates and I drove as hard as we could and never had a single bit of contact for 1000 miles. We made a daring call to only take two tires at the end of the race when we knew our competition was going to take four tires. That was a bit of a gamble but we had to because they had been fueling much faster than we were. John Brenner, one of the best tire changers in the business showed why he is so good as he ruptured his achilles jumping off the wall at the beginning of the pit stop and still limped around to complete his work. That was an amazing portrayal of dedication and we all owe him a lot because that stop set up the one hour show battle that the 54 car and I had right down to the checkered flag."

Buckler, regarded as one of the top strategy minds in sports car racing managed a strong race at Petit.

"It was a classic endurance race," Buckler said. "We had the ups and downs of the race and even went down a couple of laps. No one got flustered or quit. We just kept plugging away and took full advantage of our driver strengths and matched them to those of the 54 car. We also were able to manage our car under caution better than they did to get our laps back. At the end it was Andy against their fast guy and we won. Henri and Duncan did a great job all week and I am especially proud of their race performance and mental toughness in a very challenging race and race track. They showed a great deal of professionalism the entire event maintaining focus around cars that were some 20-seconds faster than the GTC field. It was an awesome team win. The car was prepped great and ran strong all day. Our pit stops were flawless and that is what it takes to win these races. We are looking forward to an even more competitive program for next year and are currently looking for partners in both the GTC and LMPC classes."

www.duncanende.com

TOWNSEND BELL RUNS THE PETIT LE MANS

As the American Le Mans Series winds down its season and prepares to award Championship trophies, the ACS Express Racing Team is ramping up its effort to join the ranks of ALMS teams at Petit Le Mans.

The #10 Ford GT, sponsored by Applied Computer Solutions, will make its ALMS racing debut at Road Atlanta with ambitions to compete for the GT2 championship in 2011. Brandon Davis, Boris Said and Townsend Bell team up for the first time as drivers for the ten-hour event.

“ALMS is the pinnacle of sports car racing in America and it is a great opportunity to participate in it,” said Brandon Davis. “I am excited about racing the #10 Applied Computer Solutions Ford GT at one of my favorite tracks. Since we aren’t in the (2010) points race, we can focus on continuing development for next season. Boris brings the experience we need for the ten hours of Petit. ”

Boris Said is the only ALMS veteran of the team drivers. “It’s been a long time since I competed in a series full-time,” states Boris Said. “I am looking forward to getting back into exotic sports car racing even though we are going in as a learning experience. The ACS Express Racing team is used to running in sprint races and this is the first long-distance race. I think we will show that the car has potential and our mission is to make it better over the winter. We should be able to prove that America makes the best cars, period.”

“We are fortunate to be partnering with Michelin for this race,” continued Boris Said. “BFGoodrich and Michelin have been a big part of my driving career. They were there at the start and at my most memorable moments in racing. Road Atlanta brings a lot of good memories as well, 2002 Trans-Am Championship, 2001 Petit Le Mans win with Hans Stuck and Bill Auberlin, and winning SCCA Run-offs here in 1989, 1990 and 1991.”

Townsend Bell joined the ACS Express Racing team earlier this year and he will make his first appearance at Petit Le Mans. “The team has put in a lot of hard work preparing the car. It has been reliable in testing and clearly capable of withstanding the endurance requirements,” said Townsend Bell. “Just learning what the protocol is relative to other teams I have worked with has been challenging, but, I am confident we will be running until the end.” said Bell.

Townsend has been upping his training regimen once again with Long Standing Personal Fitness Consultant Simon Hayes of Performance Physixx.

The ACS Express Racing team has a history of fabricating Ford Mustangs for the road racing and sports car series of Trans-Am and World Challenge GT. It should come as no surprise that team owner, Mike Davis, would field another vehicle from the Ford line-up.

“ACS Express Racing is proud to have a ‘made in the USA’ philosophy and retain the American Muscle spirit. Our intent is to compete on a world level, with an American brand, in a field that has a tendency to lean toward a European flair.”

“This series was a natural progression for our team” said Mike Davis, team owner. “We’ve focused on road course racing since our inception in 1995 and have won two championships along the way. Our championship drivers, Boris Said (2002 BFGoodrich Trans-Am Series) and Brandon Davis (2009 SPEED World Challenge GT) have gotten us to this point and we are ready to compete in the endurance racing of ALMS.

“In this series, the Ford GT has struggled to keep pace with the GT2 field and we are coming in blind,” said Davis. “We are bringing a mechanical package we know is sound and reliable. We have done base line testing with the Ford GT and we look at this race as a continuation of our development for the 2011 season. The hours and miles at Petit will provide a yardstick of how we measure up against the rest of the field.”

TRG RETURNS TO PETIT LE MANS

Petaluma, CA (September 27, 2010)- Following a six-year absence from the endurance sports car classic, TRG returns to the 13th Annual Petit Le Mans this Saturday, the final round of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron.

Having won several of the world's most famed endurance events, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans and three wins at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the 10-hour endurance classic remains an elusive element in TRG's ever-expanding trophy case.

Returning to the no. 63 Freescale Semiconductor/Future Electronics/Green Hills Software/LifeStudio by Hitachi/Racer's Roast Coffee/NOS Energy Drink Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car will be full-time teammates Henri Richard and Andy Lally, who will be joined by long-time TRG driver Duncan Ende.

Richard, who has campaigned all but one ALMS race in the 2010 season, returns to the team after an extensive series of travels for business outside of the track. Having driven at all of the greatest endurance events in North America this year, including the Rolex 24 at Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring, Henri will join the team for his first ever Petit Le Mans, though he has driven several times at Road Atlanta.

"It's been a very busy few weeks and I'm really looking forward to coming to Road Atlanta," stated Richard. "Racing at Petit Le Mans is a dream for any fan of sports car racing, and with Andy and Duncan as my teammates I know we have a good shot. We've had some bad luck in the last few races, and I believe finishing the season on a high will create great momentum heading in to 2011."

For driver Duncan Ende, who will also make his Petit Le Mans debut with TRG, the opportunity to race at the famed event will be a career highlight.

"Petit Le Mans is something that I've always wanted to do, and I thank everyone at TRG for providing the opportunity," stated Ende. "At the two ALMS races we've run together this year, Sebring and Road America, the team has provided a great car, and we have a great shot at this."

Andy Lally, a veteran of the race, looks forward to leading the team to its second victory of the year.

"There's going to be some very, very strong competition this year," stated Lally. "Henri and Duncan both bring a lot of talent and capability, and with all the guys working as hard as they have, we're definitely in the fight. We simply have to make no mistakes, be it on the track or in the pits."

Team Owner Kevin Buckler looks forward to finally returning to the event, and hopefully adding another victory to his team's resume.
"Petit Le Mans is a truly historic event, and I look forward to this weekend," stated Buckler. "A race like this can get very complicated with the different scenarios and strategies that can unfold over 10 hours, and this will play to our strengths. Henri has come a long way as a driver this year--really mixing it up in the big leagues with the best, and we've all very much enjoy our partnership together. Duncan has of course been part of TRG's development system since 2007 and has just been fantastic. We were so proud to deliver his first professional victory to him last year... we'd love to deliver his second! Andy will of course be a great leader throughout the whole event, and there simply won't be anyone better when the time comes to push. The guys have been working hard to get here; we just need to make no mistakes. We will have almost 200 guests and VIP's from our sponsors and partners, and I hope they can really see just how strong our program is, and what more we can do in 2011."

The 13th Annual Petit Le Mans will take place on Saturday, October 2nd, with live coverage beginning at 11AM EST on SPEED tv and continued coverage throughout the event.

Silicon Tech Racing, LLC was created by Henri Richard to address the need of high-tech corporations for an opportunity to leverage exciting road racing events with a dedicated marketing platform focused on technology executives interested in an informal and intimate insight into the sport. Silicon Tech Racing brings together selected, C-level executives at each racing event and provides a high value, targeted business to business networking opportunity to our partners. The team's partners are carefully selected based on ecosystem synergies and common business values. As a not for profit race team, the aim is to provide a unique, cost effective value proposition to our partners and a memorable experience to our guests.

TRG was founded in 1993 and has been competing at the top level of motor racing ever since. The team has three wins and 16 podiums in the ALMS, as well as the most wins of any team in the Grand-Am Rolex Series with 30, including the 2005 and 2006 Rolex Series GT championship trophy to go along with wins at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

TRG is based in Petaluma, California, near its home track of Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. The company's NASCAR operation is based in Mooresville, North Carolina and competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in the No. 71 TRG Motorsports Chevrolet Impala SS. TRG is also developing a new state-of-the-art motorsports complex at the New Jersey Motorsports Park that should be finished in early 2011.

REGAINING RACING FORM

Oriol Servia has recently been working out with trainer Simon Hayes in Los Angeles, remarking that he is now in better shape than he has been in a long time. Hayes is a renowned trainer with Performance Physixx, having previously worked with The Mclaren Formula 1 Team and other various disciplines of professional motorsport.

http://oriolservia.homestead.com/

RHR Finished the race in 3rd place

July 20, 2010 - "The IZOD guys did a great job. I don't recall the last time I had my hands full like that. It was like qualifying the whole time out there. I don't remember having to push that hard in a while just to keep the car between the walls. But, that's Toronto. This place is nuts. We salvaged a good points finish today and that's what counts. This is a great finish for Andretti Autosport. This is a great team and it's looking good from here."

RHR CONFIRMED FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE 2010 IZOD INDYCAR SERIES
Team and Inland Industrial Services Group unveil "Racing for Cancer" initiative

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (July 4, 2010) - Andretti Autosport announced today that Team IZOD driver Ryan Hunter-Reay is set to run the remainder of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season after a group of team sponsors stepped up collectively to fund the effort.

In addition to confirming Hunter-Reay's full-season participation, the team also unveiled a new charitable initiative connected to the #37 entry called "Racing For Cancer." The program, which was developed by Tom Vossman - chief executive officer of team sponsor Inland Industrial Services Group - will raise money for cancer research and other charitable causes in honor of Hunter-Reay's mother, Lydia, who lost her battle with colon cancer in November 2009.

Although Hunter-Reay was originally slated to run only a partial schedule with primary sponsorship from Phillips-Van Heusen and its IZOD brand, Andretti Autosport continued to seek additional funding to grow the program to fulltime status. A season-opening runner-up finish in Sao Paulo increased interest in Hunter-Reay's situation and then a dominating race win at the Grand Prix of Long Beach - a win he dedicated to the memory of his mother - drove awareness even higher and prompted the team's sponsor family to rally behind the effort.

During the past several weeks, a number of Andretti Autosport partners have collaborated on a series of marketing and business-to-business deals which have galvanized Team IZOD from a part-time effort to a fulltime team capable of competing for the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series championship. Hunter-Reay enters today's series event at Watkins Glen ranked seventh in points, just 49 points behind the leader, Will Power.

In addition to the efforts of Phillips-Van Heusen and its IZOD brand, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inland, AirTran Airways, Comfort Revolution, The Michael Fux Foundation, Exel and ICM-Ethanol USA have all rallied to keep Hunter-Reay on track in 2010.

The car will continue to sport the primary sponsor scheme of Team IZOD with the exception of a race at Chicagoland Speedway and an event to-be-determined where Ethanol USA will spearhead Andretti Autosport's mission to promote U.S.-produced corn ethanol, just as it did at Iowa Speedway two weeks ago.

The "Racing For Cancer" program officially launches today at www.racingforcancer.org and will raise funds during the remainder of the 2010 season and beyond. Those funds will be donated primarily to two national charities - The Michael Fux Foundation and LIVESTRONG - and will drive marketing, promotional and awareness campaigns in support of The Michael Fux Foundation and its beneficiaries.

The Michael Fux Foundation, which has donated millions of dollars through its existing charity work, champions numerous causes including Down's Syndrome, autism, cancer and heart diseases. The foundation works extensively with Miami Children's Hospital, which last fall unveiled the new Michael Fux Family Center, and also with the Children's Cancer Caring Center and "Operation Smile," among many others. The foundation will focus the "Racing For Cancer" funds on children who are unable to afford cancer treatment, primarily in the Miami area.

As part of their support for Hunter-Reay and Team IZOD's car number "37," and in honor of Hunter-Reay's mother, a number of Andretti Autosport team sponsors have committed to making $37,000 donations to "Racing For Cancer."

The first official donation to the effort was made by Team 7-Eleven driver Tony Kanaan, who is also putting forth $37,000.

RYAN HUNTER-REAY, DRIVER, #37 TEAM IZOD CAR:

"I can't even begin to describe my sense of relief, appreciation and excitement as we look forward to a complete season while challenging for the IZOD IndyCar Series championship. So many different people, organizations, companies and partners pulled together to make this a reality and I have to thank them for their belief in me.

"Andretti Autosport and Michael Andretti have been so supportive in so many ways. They have really dug deep to not only get me and the #37 car on track this season, but to keep it there. As I've been saying all along, this team is incredibly good at what it does and that's why we've not only won together already, but we are now making it a full-season effort.

"I really have to thank IZOD, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, ICM-Ethanol USA, Inland, Exel and IES for stepping up in support of this program. This is a total team effort and we couldn't have done it without every one of them.

"I am honored to announce my new position as global ambassador for 'Racing For Cancer.' Thanks to Tom Vossman and his endless dedication for the cause, I am able to complete the 2010 season and race in honor of my mother, Lydia, who recently passed away due to cancer. The 'Racing For Cancer' Platform has endless opportunity in not only raising awareness but contributing to the fight on the front lines of the battle against this terrible disease, which affects so many of us.

"I also have to thank Michael Fux for his personal support and making the 'Racing For Cancer' program a reality."

JOHN LOPES, CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT:

"We are thrilled that Team IZOD and Ryan Hunter-Reay are now fulltime family members of Andretti Autosport. We are humbled by the generous support of all our sponsors, but particularly by IZOD, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, ICM-Ethanol USA, Inland Industrial Services Group, AirTran Airways, The Michael Fux Foundation, Exel and IES for their staunch support of Ryan, our team and its charitable efforts.

"We want to thank Michael Fux and Tom Vossman for serving as inspirations for the 'Racing For Cancer' platform."

TOM VOSSMAN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, INLAND INDUSTRIAL SERVICES GROUP, AND FOUNDER, RACING FOR CANCER:

"We are excited to be part of such a worthwhile cause - to not only contribute to these good charities, but to also help promote the global cancer awareness campaign to all the fans, sponsors and their employees. I could not be more proud to have Ryan as our global ambassador and to launch this effort in memory of his mother, Lydia."

MICHAEL FUX, THE MICHAEL FUX FOUNDATION:

"I am very happy to help further Ryan Hunter-Reay's career with this team and to play a role with the 'Racing For Cancer' program. There is no greater feeling than helping children in need and this is another opportunity for me to do that."

STARKE TAYLOR, VICE PRESIDENT OF SPONSORSHIP AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, PHILLIPS-VAN HEUSEN:

"It seems very appropriate that the backdrop for this announcement be Watkins Glen over the 4th of July weekend as it was here two years ago that the seeds for this moment were planted.

"Ryan Hunter-Reay and Team IZOD have become popular players in this series, and we're confident that the public will rally around the 'Racing For Cancer' initiative and allow all of us to make an impact that reaches far beyond the footprint of the IZOD IndyCar Series."

- END -

About Racing For Cancer

Racing For Cancer, Inc, a Texas nonprofit corporation, was formed to unite racing fans around the world to help support the global cancer awareness campaign, supporting over 28 million people living with cancer today across the globe. We have aligned with charities that also focus on helping children and their families in need. Our goal is to unite racing fans, racing organizations, drivers, and sponsors across all racing sports and provide a venue to direct our generosity to support such great causes. As a result of exciting partnerships we have with Inland Industrial Services Group, our Founding Sponsor, Andretti Autosport, LIVESTRONG, and the Michael Fux Foundation, we will commit 100 percent of our net proceeds raised through various fundraising initiatives to not only directly provide financial support to LIVESTRONG and the Michael Fux Foundation, but also support cause marketing efforts to aid the global cancer awareness campaign targeted to millions of IZOD IndyCar Series race fans and millions of professional cycling and other racing sports fans worldwide. We will accomplish this goal through numerous activation campaigns with Andretti Autosport.

RHR Races from 24th to 7th at Texas Motor Speedway
RYAN HUNTER-REAY, #37 TEAM IZOD CAR

• Drove from 24th to seventh at Texas.

"I think we had to work harder than anybody else tonight to get what we got. We went from the back to the middle to the back to the middle to the back to the top seven. Once again, we raced well in a pack. We're good in traffic, but the speed we had on our own just wasn't enough. This #37 IZOD team is extremely resilient. The guys dig deep, I dig deep; we are a great team. We could win a lot of races together. We'll just have to see what happens."

(HOW DID YOUR THUMB FEEL TONIGHT?) "I forgot about it during the race. The adrenaline was running so high, I could have had a knife sticking in my arm and I wouldn't have known about it."

Indy Car: Performance Physixx Clients Townsend Bell and RHR give outstanding performances for the month of May, but with disappointing final results.

Bell And #99 Herbalife Team Finish 19th In 2010 Indy 500
Monday, 31 May 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

INDIANAPOLIS, Sunday, May 30, 2010 – After starting and running in the Top 10 for most of the race, Townsend Bell and the #99 Herbalife Ganassi/Schmidt Racing Team finished a disappointing 19th in the 2010 Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 30, 2010, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“The car was great,” said Bell. “I mean the guys did an awesome job. We just kept notching it up, getting to fifth with 50 to go.”

But a black flag issued by IndyCar Series officials to Bell for blocking with less than 50 laps remaining, ended any hopes of a top five finish for the Herbalife team.
“It’s a heart break. I thought I was well within the protocol of the race track today. But you know we gave it our all doing everything we could.”

The penalty moved Bell back to 19th place, but he didn’t stay there long. By taking only fuel during a caution period that began just as he finished his drive-through penalty, Bell was able to restart the race in 14th position. He steadily picked off positions reaching 11th place on lap 178 before Bell reported a vibration.

Not sure what the vibration was and with his vision being blurred by the violent shaking of the car, Bell pitted on lap 192 for new tires. This unscheduled stop sealed his 19th-place finishing position.

RHR & Andretti Autosport Indy 500 Quotes
After running most of the race in the Top-5, RHR finishes 18th in the 2010 Indianpolis 500

(ON INJURING HIS LEFT THUMB) "It actually happened during the pit lane incident with (Scott) Dixon. He cleared out into me and I tore all the ligaments (in my thumb). A couple laps later, it was hurting. But, then I went to push a button on my steering wheel and the thumb bent back to me. That's a problem."

(ON THE INCIDENT AT THE END) "It was a real bummer that it happened like that. We ran out of fuel and when you run out of fuel in these cars, it's like hitting the brakes. You go from wide open to nothing.

"I knew I had a bunch of cars back there (behind me) and I'm sorry that Mike (Conway) is hurt. That's a shame."

Markus Niemela gets his debut oval track win in an heat race

June 1 - 2010 - Finnish race car driver Markus Niemela, 25, got his debut oval track victory by a clear margin, taking his first heat win in race 1of VRA Sprint Car Series at Ventura raceway on Sunday morning (European time). For the main event Niemela got 5th starting spot and was running 5th until 4 laps to go of the 30 lap main event when he got tangled with another car. The contact caused a puncture making getting to the finish a real challenge. Nevertheless, Niemela continued to fight to the end, securing 16th position.

"Of course I'm disappointed that I lost my top 5 in the main right at the end but otherwise I'm very happy the way things went this weekend. Winning the heat race was great and it makes me more confident for the next race. I have started to get hold of racing on oval track now. We have made some progress with the car in last couple of races so if things keep going this way the rest of the season will be very interesting and I'm looking forward for the next race." said Niemela.

Winner of the 9th race of season was Greg Taylor ahead of Josh Ford. This was Taylors 2nd win after 9 races of the season.

Bell Cracks Top 10 With Daring Run In Indianapolis 500 Time Trials

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

INDIANAPOLIS, Saturday, May 22, 2010 – In a crowd-thrilling qualifying run on Pole Day, Townsend Bell pushed himself and his #99 Herbalife Ganassi/Schmidt Racing car into a Top 10 starting position for the 2010 Indianapolis 500.

Bell will start the 200-lap race from inside of Row 4, his best starting position in the 500. His previous best starting position was 12th in 2008.

It was Bell’s second run of the day after withdrawing a slower speed posted earlier. Withdrawing a posted time involves risk because it means, for the moment, you have voluntarily taken yourself out of the Indianapolis500 starting field. But Bellpulled onto the 2.5-mile oval with a new, unknown set-up on his car and held on to the loose machine all the way to the checker flag.

In maybe the quote of the month, Bell described his run this way: “In the end, my foot was dumber than my brain, and I just kept my foot in it.”

Belland the #99 Herbalife team will spend any available practice time on Bump Day, Sunday, May 23, fine tuning the race car for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing on May 30.

TOWNSEND BELL QUALIFYING FACTS

First Qualifying Run (withdrawn)

Lap 1 224.554

Lap 2 224.317

Lap 3 224.306

Lap 4 224.276

Average: 224.363

Second Qualifying Run

Lap 1 225.542

Lap 2 224.717

Lap 3 225.317

Lap 4 224.813

Average: 225.097

TOWNSEND BELL QUOTES AFTER FIRST QUALIFYING RUN

ON FIRST QUALIFYING RUN: “My Herbalife guys did a great job getting us prepared. We’re not nearly as fast as we want to be. We’re where we expected to be. So, there were no surprises in qualifying for us. We need to go back now and see if we can work a little magic and make this thing go. But, we’re going to have a great race car on race day. Last year that worked well for us.”

ON GANASSI/SCHMIDT PARTNERSHIP: “It’s been great. They did a great job preparing the car, working with Andy Brown who is an engineer there, and it gives us a chance to compare some notes right now and maybe go out and practice.”

WHAT DID YOU LEARN LAST YEAR: “I learned that when you get in a hole, quit digging. Actually, I learned that the first year. There is no such thing as 110% around here. There’s 100%. The moment you start stretching yourself, or swinging for the fence as they say, you wind up in trouble. We just were very methodical last year. We fell way behind and I passed a bunch of cars in the first stint, came in the pits 12thafter starting 24th, had a 19-second pit stop, and we fell deep in the 20s (running order). It’s easy to get frustrated at that point with all the work you’ve done. But again, you can’t try any harder. Luckily, our pit stops improved dramatically and we were smart on the race track, and it worked out for us in the end. One thing I did learn last year was that qualifying up front helps because when you’re buried way down there on pit lane, it’s pretty hard on that last pit stop to not get blocked by everyone you’re racing with as they’re pulling out of their stalls. So, I’d like to be higher up than I think we will be, but we’ll just see what happens this afternoon.”

TOWNSEND BELL QUOTES AFTER SECOND QUALIFYING RUN

ON SECOND QUALIFYING RUN: “It’s just a good example of you take big, big steps here at Indy on the setup, but what you sacrifice is the ability to fine-tune it. All of yesterday, we were fine tuning the package, fine tuning the package and even this morning, fine tuning the package. But it was clear the package wasn’t fast. So, we had to throw that package out the window and open a new package. Then, we didn’t have the time to fine tune it. So, we were rushing. Andy (Brown) made a great call to take a quick stab at tightening things up, and we were able to get that done enough to feel like we could get in line and give it a shot. But to be perfectly frank, I wasn’t that comfortable that we could even hang on for four laps. The first two practice runs with that set up were awful. We were sliding all over the place. It was a bit of blind faith for sure. On the qualifying run itself, going into turn one on three of the four laps, the back-end was stepping out, and I was having to drive it pretty hard. It’s not the way you really want to do it. But it was a huge relief to jump back up 10 positions and start up front.”

BELL ON WHAT SAM SCHMIDT SAID TO HIM BEFORE THE 2ND QUALIFYING RUN: “We were just racing to get down there in line, and there was even some debate whether we’d actually go out. And Sam just wheeled himself right in front of me and said ‘do you really want to do this?’ and I said ‘I think so.’ In the end, my foot was dumber than my brain, and I just kept my foot in it.”

THE FACTS

#99 Herbalife Ganassi/Schmidt Racing driver Townsend Bell completed 30 laps of practice today with a top lap speed 226.358 mph in the morning session. For the month, Bell has run a total of 268 laps practicing for this year’s Indy 500 with today’s top lap speed of 226.358 mph being his fastest of the month.

INDY CAR, INDY 500: "TOWNSEND BELL RAMPED UP FOR WAR"

Townsend Bell completed his Indy 500 preparations this past week with Performance Physixx Director Simon Hayes. This year we were able to formulate a range of activities which included specific circuit based workouts dialing up the level of intensity and exercises as each week progressed, Boxing with our on staff Olympic level Boxing Coach Seb, along with Karting, running and cycling (Mountain and Road). Use of a new core conditioning machine called the CrossCore Pulley training system was essential to our preparations (appropriately titled "War Machine").

Townsend is better prepared physically this time than last due to changes made in his program from last year. Like any good Race Team Human Performance Engineer an analysis was made about the Physical Conditioning Program, and we focussed more on a crossover effect of how the driver needs to use his energy systems in the car throughout the entire race. A lot more focus was brought on tension over time of muscle groups, higher reps on weight based and body-weight exercises, greater variety of how each circuit was put together from simultaneous muscle group activation which works to increase an individual"s metabolism. Greater emphasis on training the muscle groups involved in stabilizing the body when racing the Indy Car, the CrossCore system was essential to achieving this specifically.

We wish him and the 99 Car success.

Watch the video here!

Long Beach win special for Hunter-Reay
Up-and-coming driver remembers his mom after latest IRL victory on his 'home' course

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Fans of open wheel racing have been clamoring for American drivers, and an American star who could back it up on track. Ryan Hunter-Reay may have answered the call.

The former Dana Point resident won the 36th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, the marquee event in the IZOD IndyCar Series that isn't the Indianapolis 500. He is guaranteed only another three races in the series, but he's going to make it difficult for team owner Michael Andretti to park him should funding run dry.

"Man, that was awesome," said Hunter-Reay, who led 64 of the 85 laps. "The car was so much fun to drive. Some of the most fun I've had in a race car because it was handling so well. This team has done such a great job."

Hunter-Reay's hopes for extending his season may have been helped by carrying the colors of title sponsor IZOD in his No. 37 Honda-powered Dallara that he drove to his fourth career victory. Two of those came in the Champ Car World Series. His victory in 2008 for Rahal-Letterman on the fabled Watkins Glen road course was his first series victory under the Indy Racing League banner.

Starting second, Hunter-Reay passed for the lead on Lap 18 when pole-sitter Will Power stuck in first gear exiting the famous Turn 11 hairpin. Justin Wilson, who finished second, also got past Power, who finished third.

"We had the fastest race lap and were pulling away when we needed to," said Hunter-Reay, who was the fastest driver in practice Friday and had the race's fastest lap with three to go. "We definitely deserved this win whether we got stuck in first gear for three seconds or not. This was our race."

Wilson finished second despite receiving damage to his front wing when the lapped car of Alex Lloyd shut the door on Wilson entering Turn 8 on Lap 53. Wilson emerged from the cycle of pit stops in third place. On Lap 67 he executed a nifty pass of Power -- who won the first two races of the season -- going into Turn 1 but had two lapped cars between himself and Hunter-Reay, who held a 3.9-second lead.

Hunter-Reay won by 5.353 seconds on the 11-turn, 1.968-mile course, and averaged 93.619 mph. There was only one caution, from Laps 60-64, after Mario Romancini ran into Graham Rahal in Turn 1.

Scott Dixon, who started eighth, and Hunter-Reay teammate Tony Kanaan rounded out the top five. Kanaan passed for two positions on the opening lap and then held position the rest of the way. The remainder of the top 10 were Mario Moraes, Helio Castroneves, Ryan Briscoe, Dan Wheldon and Mike Conway.

Long Beach is special to Hunter-Reay not only because of the venue's marquee value but also because he lived in Dana Point for the past six years and he very much considers it his home race even though he moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., in January. It was here he had his first race as a Formula Atlantic and Champ Car driver, and where he met his fiancee, Beccy Gordon -- the sister of NASCAR driver Robby Gordon -- and where they became engaged a year ago Friday.

It was also a race that was popular with Hunter-Reay's mother, Lydia, who died in November from colon cancer.

"My mom was out there with me, she passed away recently, and this one was for her that's for sure," Hunter Reay said. "This is a race she loved coming to. Over the last couple of laps I said, 'This is for you, Mom.' "

Hunter-Reay's victory at Watkins Glen 27 races ago was also the last victory by an American driver, and the 27-year-old who has bounced from team to team -- most of them underfunded and in danger of folding -- gave Andretti his first victory as sole owner. He had previously co-owned Andretti Green Racing and had gone 28 races without a victory.

Through four of 17 races, Hunter-Reay currently stands third in the championship, 43 points behind Power and one point behind Castroneves. Wilson is fourth, 47 points behind Power.

Hunter-Reay's victory was popular with the fans, estimated to be about 65,000 on race day, and Andretti said it was a good step toward securing sponsorship beyond three more races, at Kansas, Indianapolis and Texas Motor Speedway.

"Obviously this race is definitely going to help in terms of what we need to do to get him over the goal line to get the support to fund the car the rest of the year," said Andretti, who won his first race and last race as an IndyCar driver at Long Beach.

Now that he is in comparable equipment to some of the series' leading drivers, Hunter-Reay may be establishing himself as the best American driver in the series. Although still taking a backseat to teammate and media darling Danica Patrick, who finished 16th, and without the name recognition of teammate Marco Andretti or Graham Rahal, Hunter-Reay is building the case that he is America's preeminent open-wheel driver.

"He's definitely up there," Michael Andretti said. "Marco is at the top of his game right now, having a good year in terms of performance. Graham's done a great job. Right now, Ryan is definitely firing on all cylinders."

Power agreed.

"He's doing a really good job," Power said. "As a driver, you have to keep working away at it, keep learning and keep getting better. If you don't, you're going to get passed. That's how our sport is. He's right there."

No one passed him Sunday, and when the checkered flag fell, he was right there.

Great performance from Hunter-Reay at Sao Paulo

March 14, 2010
Ryan Hunter-Reay made a tremendous start to the Indy Car Season in the Brazil opener, Ryan has been developing his training program with Performance Physixx to ensure that he is well prepared physically for each of the Indy car races this year.

INDYCAR: Schmidt Signs Townsend Bell For Indy

For the second consecutive year, Sam Schmidt Motorsports and Chip Ganassi Racing will team up to compete in the Indianapolis 500.

Townsend Bell drove the wheels off of his KV Racing Dallara at the 2009 Indy 500. He hopes to repeat the feat behind the wheel of the #99 SSM/CGR entry this May.

The No. 99 SSM/CGR entry will be driven by IZOD IndyCar Series veteran Townsend Bell of San Luis Obispo, Calif.

Bell, the 2001 Indy Lights champion, will seek to make his fourth start in "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing." His best finish was fourth in 2009, giving KV Racing Technology its highest finish ever in the race. In '08, Bell was quickest on the second day of four-lap qualifications with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. He went on to finish 10th.

"I'm excited to be able to confirm my plans for the Indy 500 so early in the year," said Bell, who has made 20 IZOD IndyCar Series starts. "To be competing with Sam Schmidt gives me a lot of confidence heading into May. I couldn't be in a better position. I have to thank Sam for his efforts to pull this together. I'm looking forward to working with everyone to produce a great result with a fast car."

Opening Day is May 15, with Pole Day scheduled for May 22. The race is May 30.

"Our relationship with Sam Schmidt Motorsports has defined very clearly the positive aspects of partnership," Target Chip Ganassi Racing managing director Mike Hull said. "We've helped each other to provide value on all levels and thereby creating a mutually beneficial relationship that makes opportunities like this very seamless and smooth."

In 2009, the teams joined forces with Alex Lloyd behind the wheel. Lloyd, the 2007 Firestone Indy Lights champion with Sam Schmidt Motorsports, was the fastest second-day qualifier and finished 13th in his second '500.'

"Winning Indy is clearly a lifetime dream," team owner Sam Schmidt said. "Last year I said that our effort was our best chance yet to drink milk in Victory Lane and I have to say that again going into this year's race. To be partnered with an organization of the caliber of Chip Ganassi Racing speaks for itself. We're especially excited about Townsend driving the car because he's always run really well at the track.

"He took a limited opportunity last year and parlayed it into a top-five finish, and we're hoping with the combined resources we're providing him in a top-flight program we can all share in a victory celebration come May 30th."

Glory at Daytona
February 03, 2010

Well, I'll never have an excuse for being late to an appointment: I have a Rolex now! I am a very proud winner of the GT class in the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

By Jonathan Bomarito

Sylvain Tremblay, Nick Ham, David Haskell and myself took our SpeedSource Mazda RX-8 past the checker four laps ahead of our nearest rival. Thank you to Castrol Syntec, Mazda, all racers running Mazdas, and thanks to all who have supported me over the years. SpeedSource is an amazing team and I couldn't be happier and more thankful to running my rookie season in sports car racing with them. 2010 has gotten off to a great start and, of course, now we are leading the Rolex GT Series championship.

It's an interesting challenge – mentally, physically and emotionally – to complete a 24-hour race, especially when you're in a potential race-winning car. But the team made it as easy as they could for us. We'd done a lot of testing beforehand, so we were familiar enough with the car. Sylvain probably had the majority because he was going to qualify it and start the race, but I'd say Dave, Nick and myself had had around 25-28 laps each. And that wasn't just lapping the track: we'd practiced driver changes, refueling, tire stops and so on, and we'd adjusted the balance to suit us all.

Some might think that finding a compromise setup so it suits four different driving styles might be a problem, but it actually seemed pretty seamless. We weren't complaining about anything major, but anything we did adjust – like looseness on power-down at corner exits – we all shared the same opinion. We word it slightly different from driver to driver, but it wasn't like one guy was saying the car was loose off the corner and another one was complaining about chronic mid-corner understeer! When we improved the car, it improved for all of us.

The way it worked out, the shift orders went Sylvain-Nick-David-me, and we each pretty much double-stinted our opening runs. One stint works out as about an hour, which equated to around 30-31 laps; that's how long a tank of gas lasts at racing speeds. However, a lot of the single stints can turn into stints-and-a-half because of full-course cautions. So, it was a long night. Actually, the 3:30 p.m. start time makes it a little bit rough on the guy that's fourth in the lineup: I was there throughout Saturday, but the first time I got in the car was about 8 p.m. It's like the endurance part of the race starts way before the driving! But who's complaining? The flip side of the deal is that I was in for the final stint on Sunday, so I was the man who drove past the checkers. Very cool.

In qualifying we were third fastest, but Sylvain was running alone so he couldn't get a draft. Gotta say, it was a very impressive lap in those circumstances. Our race pace was equally impressive but some of our rivals did pick up the pace. Everyone seemed to be pushing very hard for as long as they could. Fortunately for us, the No. 70 Mazda RX-8 was just as fast at the end of a race as it was at the beginning.

I think Grand-Am has done a good job of equalizing the performance between cars: They are dealing with different weights, horsepower, torque, tire sizes and aerodynamics, but amazingly enough all the cars are very competitive with one another. It makes for some very exciting racing because some cars are better on certain parts of the track than others, but ultimately doing the same lap time. That's all new to me, coming from formula cars that are as identical as it gets.

The rotary engines in the RX-8s can do anywhere between 75 and 100 hours – they're just amazing – so from that standpoint, we were completely confident in driving hard. The game plan was to go as fast as you can within your means. In other words, be as fast as you can while being perfect and not taking risks. So don't pound curbs, don't drop wheels off onto the dirt, don't over-rev. If you can do that while turning 1min50sec laps, great. If you can only do it while producing 1m52sec, that's fine, too.

Obviously, the Daytona Prototypes are going about eight or nine seconds a lap faster than that, so while they're keeping their concentration as they're lapping us, believe me, we're having to concentrate just as hard to judge everything just right when they're coming past! I would far rather be the car passing than getting passed because you have so much more control of the situation. There were 28 cars in the GT field, but 14 cars in DPs, so the mental focus in watching your mirrors while still trying to race who you're supposed to be racing in GT is quite a challenge. You're trying to get the DP to pass at the best time for you so you can try to control the risk, but you have to remember they're in a race, too, so you don't want to hold them up for too long. It's an overwhelming amount of information you're soaking up every lap. Journalists sometimes ask new GT drivers if it's frustrating to have to let prototypes past when you're getting your teeth into hunting down one of your own rivals. My answer is yes…but you have to remind yourself that later on that lap, or the next, that DP is going to be doing the same to the guy you're chasing, so you can get that time back. However, I've got to admit, it takes some mental discipline to not start over-driving if you've lost time because a DP's stolen your line on a corner. As a team, we constantly told ourselves that if we spin, or have a minor excursion or get muscled out the way by a DP, accept that lap time has gone, and you're not going to be able to get it back. That's tough to accept but if you don't follow that mindset and try to recover the time, you're going to be taking way too much risk.

In actuality, there were some close calls for us but nothing that led to contact or going off the track. From that point of view, the race was as straightforward as you can expect when 42 cars set off to go racing for 24 hours.

Like I say, my first stint started at about 8 p.m., when it's dark, but floodlighting is pretty good around Daytona. There are some dark spots where it's hard to see the edge of the track, but it's never like driving with just your headlights. I'd say the only difficult part of the night stints is figuring the closing rate of the cars behind you. You can't see who it is – all you see is lights – and you're not sure if they're particularly bright and quite a way back, or not so good but real close behind. So if it's a prototype, it's hard to guess when you're going to get passed by it.

Then, toward the end of the race, there's a new challenge. The track is actually still fast but only on the racing line. What's getting harder and harder as the race goes on is running off line. By the end of 24 hours, there's a ton of rubber marbles around, so letting a DP car through, or trying to pass a GT car gets more difficult because it leads you onto treacherous bits of track.

What I didn't have to deal with was a wet track. The first three hours were wet, and Sylvain double-stinted, and then for about half of Nick's double stint, it was wet, too. By the time I got in, it was dry but it wouldn't have bothered me either way. In our pre-race meeting, after seeing the radar and realizing the rain would only last a few hours, we just said: “OK, we have an amazing car, we know exactly what it is in the dry, so let's just get through the wet period safely, no heroics, and then go after them.”

My hat's off to the team and the drivers: we had a good plan that seemed to take account of everything. Fortunately for me, SpeedSource has won this race before, and we have some amazing people like Bill Riley to help with the strategy. We never had a penalty in pit stops; every maneuver in there went smooth at every changeover, so everybody stuck to the plan. Basically, we knew that if we kept the car on the asphalt, we'd be contenders at the end, and that is a very reassuring feeling to have.

You need that reassurance when you're sharing a car. Sitting on the sidelines – man, it's hard not to get nervous! But we trust each other to go fast without overstepping the mark so we can go back to the motor home to relax and sleep when someone else is driving. I just had faith that, no matter what, that car would still be in one piece when it was time for me to walk back to the pit lane and start my next stint. That, too, is very comforting.

Having said that, it didn't help with my sleep. Apart from one hour of shut-eye after my first stint, I found it near impossible to rest. I had my iPhone with the live timing, and a radio, too, and then there's the noise of the cars going around the track…It's really hard to switch off from all that and just sleep.

But now, I guess sleep is overrated: We won! The keys to victory were that we were on the pace, we spent less time in the pits than anyone else, we incurred no penalties, we had a good strategy, and the one or two hiccups that caused us to lose a few laps early on (we had a vibration that needed investigating) were remedied as fast as humanly possible. We stayed really focused and just started getting those laps back.

I'm very happy to say that the SpeedSource Mazda RX-8 will be my home for the rest of the year: I'm giving 110 percent of myself for the team, for Mazda and for Castrol Syntec. Being able to say I drive in the “factory” Mazda RX-8 is an unbelievable feeling for me. The GT championship is the goal for Sylvain and I; for Mazda, the manufacturers' championship is a huge deal, and I have no doubt that we'll be extremely competitive. The track schedule is similar to last year, there haven't been a lot of rule changes and the new car is improved, so our chances of winning more races and going for the title are as good as anyone's in the paddock.

I don't think we get another Rolex if we win the title, but myself, SpeedSource, Sylvain and Mazda will just concentrate on the results for now…

ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT SIGNS IZOD AND HUNTER-REAY; ROLLS OUT INITIAL PLANS FOR HUNTER-REAY'S 2010 IZOD INDYCAR SERIES SEASON

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Jan. 4, 2010) - Andretti Autosport has signed Phillips-Van Heusen (NYSE: PVH) and its IZOD brand to team with driver Ryan Hunter-Reay during the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season and outlined the first phase of Hunter-Reay's program.

The initial focus of Hunter-Reay's effort in the #37 IZOD entry will be the 2010 Indianapolis 500 and will also include a number of other key series events before and after the month of May. The total number and location of those races has not yet been finalized.

The second phase of Hunter-Reay's Andretti Autosport program is targeted at running the full IZOD IndyCar Series schedule and is still in development.

Today's announcement deepens the relationship between IZOD and Hunter-Reay, which dates back to the 2008 season and Hunter-Reay's first IZOD IndyCar Series victory at Watkins Glen International. Hunter-Reay was named 2008 Indianapolis 500 rookie of the year, and claimed 2007 IZOD IndyCar Series rookie of the year honors despite joining the series only mid-season.

In 2003, Hunter-Reay became the first American rookie in 20 years to win an Indy car race when he took the checkers at Surfers Paradise, Australia. He later set the record for most laps led (250) in a single race when he lapped all but the second- and third-place cars at the historic Milwaukee Mile in 2004. He has also competed regularly in the Rolex Sports Car Series at the annual Rolex 24 at Daytona and also in the American LeMans Series, Baja 1000 and A1GP World Cup of Motorsport.

ALLEN SIRKIN, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, PHILLIPS-VAN HEUSEN:
"Our involvement with Ryan Hunter-Reay began in the 2008 season with a memorable win at Watkins Glen International, and he's continued to develop into one of the league's top young drivers. Our new partnership with Andretti Autosport gives the #37 IZOD car the best possible chance of winning the 2010 Indianapolis 500. Since becoming the title sponsor of the IZOD IndyCar Series, we're thrilled at the level of excitement that has been built for 2010. An incredible schedule of races, a talented roster of championship drivers and a number of dedicated teams all vying for greatness will make for a thrilling season of IZOD IndyCar Series racing."

MICHAEL ANDRETTI, CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT AND
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT:
"We are excited about what we've put together with PVH and Ryan, and believe we can grow this program substantially over the next several months. We felt it was important to announce what we know and what we've secured, which is a great partnership under the IZOD brand name and a program that we feel will give Ryan an excellent shot of winning at Indianapolis. How far we take him into 2010 is still in the works, but we feel good about the potential that we will add Ryan to our driver lineup for the full season."

RYAN HUNTER-REAY, DRIVER, #37 IZOD CAR:
"Joining a team of Andretti Autosport's caliber has been my goal for the entire 16 years of my racing career and being able to strengthen my ties to everyone at IZOD through this effort is tremendous. This is the opportunity of a lifetime and I am ready to give 120 percent to the program.
"I have never met a group of people who are more determined to win races, and especially the Indianapolis 500, than the people I am working with at Andretti Autosport. When the folks around you share the same enthusiasm and determination you do the prospect for success is high, which is why, Andretti Autosport is one of the winningest teams in IZOD IndyCar Series history.
"Michael Andretti is as hungry to win races today as he has ever been and it is an honor and a privilege to drive for the same person I looked up to as a young karter.
"Through its entitlement of the IZOD IndyCar Series, IZOD has positioned itself as the biggest supporter of our sport. To personally have IZOD's endorsement as a driver is truly an honor."

- END -

About IZOD and Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation
IZOD, one of the best-known and best-selling apparel brands in the United States, is known for its sport-inspired, clean designs and colorful product lines. With a history in the United States dating back to the 1930s, the IZOD brand is licensed to 21 companies in the U.S. and 17 other countries. IZOD brand products include apparel and accessories for men, women, and children, soft home goods and men's fragrance. The IZOD brand offerings include products sold under the IZOD PerformX (technical and performance fabricated sportswear), IZOD Jeans, and IZOD LX (a luxury sportswear collection sold exclusively at Macy's) sub brands, which are sold in over 6,000 retail venues worldwide, including department, specialty and company-operated stores. For more information visit www.izod.com <http://www.izod.com/> .

Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation is one of the world's largest apparel companies. It owns and markets the Calvin Klein brand worldwide. It is the world's largest shirt and neckwear company and markets a variety of goods under its own brands, Van Heusen, Calvin Klein, IZOD, ARROW, Bass, and G.H. Bass & Co., and its licensed brands including Geoffrey Beene, Kenneth Cole New York, Kenneth Cole Reaction, unlisted, A Kenneth Cole Production, BCBG Max Azria, BCBG Attitude, MICHAEL Michael Kors, Sean John, Chaps, Donald J. Trump Signature Collection, JOE Joseph Abboud, Tommy Hilfiger, DKNY, and Timberland.

About Andretti Autosport
Based in Indianapolis, Ind., Andretti Autosport is led by racing legend Michael Andretti. Andretti Autosport, which is the winningest team in Indy Racing League history, fields multiple entries in the IZOD IndyCar Series and also campaigns multiple cars in Firestone Indy Lights in a joint venture with AFS Racing. Andretti Autosport boasts three IZOD IndyCar Series championships (2004, 2005 and 2007), two Firestone Indy Lights titles (2008 and 2009) and has won the Indianapolis 500 twice (2005 and 2007). For more information, please visit www.andrettiautosport.com

RHR Wraps the 2009 Season at the Homestead-Miami Indy 300

HOMESTEAD, FL Oct. 10, 2009—Ryan Hunter-Reay closed out the 2009 season in the No. 14 ABC Supply car with a 13th place finish in the Homestead-Miami Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway Saturday evening. Hunter-Reay finished 15th in the Series point standings while the ABC Supply team finished 16th in the final tally for the team owners.

Dario Franchitti used fuel strategy to win the race and the IndyCar Series title; it was his second career championship, with his first coming in 2007 with Andretti-Green Racing. Scott Dixon, his teammate and 2008 Series champion, finished third. However, Dixon edged out race runner-up Ryan Briscoe by one point to finish second in the Series point standings, giving the Target team a one-two sweep. Tony Kanaan and Helio Castroneves rounded out the top five in the race.

On Friday, Hunter-Reay qualified 21st for the race; he had lost valuable track time in the first practice session when debris knocked a hole in the No. 14’s radiator. The team repaired the car but with the limited practice, they didn’t find the right combination in time for qualifying.

In the race, Hunter-Reay gained a couple spots in the beginning but as the stint went on and the tires wore, he radioed in that he was getting a push exiting turn four. He held his 19th place position until the first stop and the crew made adjustments with front wings and air pressures. His lap times improved, but towards the end of the stint, he slowed as the car’s handling went away; the team pitted him a couple laps early to make more adjustments. They got the car to his liking in the final two stints which is when he ran his quickest laps of the race.

“We made some changes during the race and found the sweet spot on the last stint,” said Hunter-Reay afterwards. “I wish we could have started out that way. The ABC Supply guys did a great job for me—we had solid stops. The track conditions were pretty tough out there so I’m glad we’re rolling it back in the truck.”

The race was the first in Series’ history to run caution-free which made it tough for the drivers in the 100 degree heat. No cautions meant no time to relax as it was ‘pedal to the metal’ for the entire race, which, with an average speed of 201.420 mph, was the second fastest race in IndyCar Series history. Only the 2003 race at California Speedway’s two-mile oval had a faster average speed -- 207 mph. That 400-mile race was slowed by only one caution period for six laps.

Hunter-Reay, who ran the Grand Am sports car race earlier in the afternoon where he’d run as high as second, became the first driver to run both the road course and the oval tracks in the same day. Despite the sweltering conditions, when asked how he felt after the IndyCar race, he replied, “Fresh as a daisy! I feel good right now.”

The 2010 season will kick off in Brazil on Sunday, March 14th at a venue still to be determined.

Hunter-Reay Makes History Running Double-Header at Homestead

Who: Full-time IndyCar driver and Ft. Lauderdale native, Ryan Hunter-Reay will compete in both feature races today at the Homestead Miami Speedway.
No driver has ever competed on the Homestead Miami Speedway Road Course and Oval track on the same day!

What: The Grand Am of Miami Sports Car race will take the green flag today, Saturday, October 10, 2009 at 1:00 pm ET. The Firestone Indy 300 will take the green flag today at 4:00 pm. This is the final event of the season for both pro series.

The Cars: Ryan will drive the #95 Supercar Life Racing/BMW/Riley alongside full-time drivers Cristoph Bouchut and Scott Tucker. This car is a Daytona Prototype that regularly competes in the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series, owned by NASCAR. He'll finish up his season in IndyCar, driving the #14 ABC Supply Co. Indy Car for AJ Foyt Racing.

Where He'll Start: Hunter-Reay qualified the #95 Supercar Life Racing BMW yesterday, securing the 5th place starting position for the 2 hour and 30 minute race.

Race Winner: While he's never competed in these cars together, on the same day...Hunter-Reay is very familiar with the characteristic of both cars and their style of racing. He won the last Grand Am sprint race he participated in while driving for Riley-Mathews in 2007. Bill Riley is engineering the Supercar Life this weekend, so RHR will be familiar with the team's approach to the race. He finished seventh here last year while competing for the Rahal/Letterman IndyCar Team.

Endurance: Today's double-header is expected to be especially challenging because of the extreme weather. We are expecting our third-straight day of record setting heat at the Speedway today. The Grand Am car has a closed cockpit with temperatures inside the car expected to be 120+. Hunter-Reay will wear a cool suit, which a fire-proof t-shirt that has veins over the front and back which cold water runs through. These suits certainly make a difference but in conditions like this, the difference is small.

Fortunately, Hunter-Reay is a Miami area native and used to the humidity. He trains in this weather everyday. The temperature today is expected to be 94 degrees with the humidex taking the temperature to a grueling 105 degrees!

Ryan's Comments: I am so excited for this challenge today. It is two very different disciplines of racing. The Grand Am cars on the road course are a lot of fun. It's going to be really tough in there in the heat of the day, racing in that car, but we have a fast, fast car and a great shot at the win. The IndyCar will be a bit cooler, obviously with the open cockpit and the race running later in the day. However, the IndyCar races at Homestead are notorious for the fast pace and pack racing which takes the ultimate focus. I'd just really like to say thank you to Scott Tucker and Supercar Life Racing for offering me this opportunity. They are a very talented group and it would be incredible to win that race with them today. I think we can do it. Also, thanks to my full-time boss, AJ Foyt. I appreciate him letting me do this. He's a Racer and he knows what its like to have this desire. I am looking forward to a solid race there to finish up the 2009 IndyCar Season with the ABC Supply Co. /Foyt Racing team. Racing with them has been an incredible experience, they are a great group and I am thankful for that opportunity! I am glad we were able to get a top-five with them this season, hopefully we can go for another today."

Published 13.10.2009 at 09:01

Markus Niemelä received the Gilles Villeneuve Award

2008 Atlantic Champion Markus Niemelä crossed the finish line third in the last event of the Cooper Tires presents the Atlantic series Powered by Mazda season. 3rd place is the second podium for Jensen Motorsport Team in the Atlantic Series. Niemelä, who started fourth, was later penalized two positions due to an incident with Simona De Silvestro in the first lap.

Markus Niemelä: "Simona tried to pass me in the first lap going into Corkscrew chicane, we went side by side through the first part of the corner and I ran off the track in the exit. When I came back on track our cars touched and she hit the wall. This is very unfortunate as Simona was fighting for the title and my apologies for her and the Stargate team. Nevertheless I will not take the whole blame of the incident. We were both driving aggressively and this time it just didn't pay off and this is part of racing."

In the Price Giving Banquet Niemelä received a significant American motorsports award -The Gilles Villeneuve Award, named after the legendary Canadian Formula One star and 1976 Toyota Atlantic Champion, is traditionally awarded to the driver in the series who posses extraordinary ability, star quality and who has distinguished himself through sportsmanship, dedication and perseverance in the face of disappointment.

John Edwards was crowned as the 2009 Atlantic Champion ahead of Jonathan Summerton and Simona De Silvestro. Niemelä dropped down from 5th to 6th in overall points due to time penalty that followed the incident with De Silvestro in the opening lap of the last race.

Ryan Hunter-Reay: ABC Supply No. 14 Dallara/Honda/Firestone

• Ryan Hunter-Reay on Chicagoland: “I enjoy racing at Chicagoland; it makes for some great racing as the fans will tell you. The key for us is to go back there with a car that’s similar to the one we had at Kentucky and make a good race car out of it. I think the most interesting part of this weekend will be to see what teams are doing with the 300 lbs. of available downforce. At Kentucky there were quite a few different approaches and ours was somewhere in the middle. As far as the track goes, I’ve heard there are some new bumps. Chicagoland races like a big track whereas Kentucky races a little bit smaller. I think it’s because Chicagoland has more banking, but I’m not sure. I just know that some 1.5s feel like they’re a mile long and others feel like they’re 2 miles long.”

• RHR on racing at night: “I think it’s great for the fans. On the track, it’s the same for the drivers--night or day--but for the fans, everything looks a lot faster at night. There is one challenge associated with racing at night, though. On the in and out laps, it’s hard coming off the oval at 200 mph onto the access road which isn’t really lit up very well. You have to be very fast around the access road coming into pit lane and when you come off a very well lit oval onto a darker area that is flat with no banking, it is definitely difficult. One advantage to racing at night is that the track changes less because you don’t have as much of a temperature fluctuation.”

• Vitor Meira to be at Chicagoland: Meira, who hasn’t missed a race in the States since his first one back at Watkins Glen, will be at Chicagoland this weekend. Although he isn’t driving, Meira works as a teammate to Hunter-Reay; they discuss the track, car set-up and race strategy with team owner A.J. Foyt and chief engineer Adam Schaechter.

• ABC Supply roofing customer Vande Roofing, Siding & Construction of Roscoe, IL won the ‘Your Name Here’ contest for the PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300. The company name will be atop the sidepods of the No. 14 ABC Supply Dallara/Honda. Keith Vandewoestyner will receive selected merchandise, race tickets, hospitality and garage passes, plus a Meet and Greet with Ryan Hunter-Reay. The “Your Name Here” promotion selected winners by random drawing from a pool of entries sent in by ABC Supply customers earlier this year.

• IZOD spokesman Ryan Hunter-Reay will be appearing at the Macy’s department store located at 111 North State Street; Chicago, IL 60602 on Thursday, August 27 from 5:00 - 7 p.m.

• On Sunday morning A.J. Foyt will fly to Indianapolis along with some of his crew to watch their first Red Bull Indianapolis GP motorcycle race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Foyt had planned to go last year but Hurricane Ike hit Houston hard and he cancelled his plans to attend. It appears that weather won’t be a factor in this year’s race on Sunday.

• Past performance at Chicagoland Speedway: Hunter-Reay finished ninth last year after starting 16th. In his first appearance at the track in 2008 he started 12th and finished seventh. The Foyt team’s best finish came in 2001 when Donnie Beechler finished fifth and A.J. Foyt IV posted the team’s best start in 2004 which was sixth.

• The PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300 will be shown live at 9:00 p.m. ET Saturday night, Aug. 29 on VERSUS.

07-26-2009
Ende and Pumpelly Bring Home 4th Place in Alabama!

TRG's KONI Sports Car Challenge cars finished fourth and seventh in the Grand-Am support race at Barber Motorsports Park. Duncan Ende and Spencer Pumpelly led the TRG charge with a fourth place finish.The 2.3-mile, 16-turn rolling road course located just east of Birmingham produced no cautions the entire two-hour-and-thirty-minute race.

Duncan Ende started the No. 39 DigiTrust Group/Adam's Polishes/Racer's Roast Coffee/ TRG Porsche 997 from his seventh place qualifying position, the best for a Porsche. Surrounded by big V-8 iron at the start Ende drove up to fourth place at the exchange with Pumpelly. Pumpelly was able to make it to the finish on the tank fuel for his stint securing a strong fourth place on the day.

"I had a pretty good start," Ende said. "We were the highest qualifying Porsche by a long way, which meant everyone around us had a lot more horsepower. The start was satisfying. I managed to get by a couple of the BMWs and was chasing the top three guys. The car went a little funky on me towards the end of my stint and I lost a little bit of ground. We were the best of the rest today, the first car without a big V-8 under the hood. It was a good points day."

"We had a really good car at the end," Pumpelly said. "I am not sure if the lap times reflected it, I was able to run down anyone in front of me and pass them. This was a really good job by the TRG guys. The car was great and the pit stop was flawless. The team is really hooked-up and all of the mechanics and strategist were really on this weekend." Kevin Buckler, TRG team owner, was hoping for a win today, but had no help from the officials. "We had 20 cars in the field and no ST cars," Buckler said.

"With a small field everyone tends to get spread out around the track and there is no incidents to cause cautions. Without that it is tough for our little Porsches to make up track position against the big V-8s. Duncan did a fantastic job in qualifying and was able to improve his position with a solid opening stint. Spencer just couldn't move up when everyone was spread out. We had a good day with both cars finishing in the top seven."

The KONI Challenge Sports Car Series will travel to Circuit Trois-Rivières in Quebec, Canada for round nine to be run on August 16.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

It was the best finish in three Indy 500 appearances for Townsend Bell, 34, a Santa Monica driver who was hired to compete in this year's race by the team KV Racing Technology.

"I had a blast out there," said Bell, who started 24th, moved up to 12th, fell back after a mishap during his first pit stop and then steadily climbed through the field again at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to finish fourth.

"We were smart when we had to be, aggressive when we needed to be," he said.

A highlight of his day was dueling with Paul Tracy, another veteran hired to drive a separate KV Racing car for the 500.

"We went through one side-by-side [lap] where I didn't lift [off the accelerator], he didn't lift," Bell said. "I know we're teammates, but we've become such good friends the last year or so that it's like playing a video game with your buddy. You're like, 'No way am I going to give up.' "

Asked whether Sunday's showing might lead to a full-time Indy Car Series ride, Bell replied, "We'll see. I've been doing it long enough to not plan or feel like I deserve anything. You just work hard and hope that things turn out."

Townsend Bell Enters The Top 10

Mario Moraes, who earned the seventh starting position in the No. 5 KV Racing Technology-Votorantim entry, led all drivers with a best lap of 222.739 mph (40.4061 seconds). Team Penske teammate and front-row starters Ryan Briscoe (222.406) and Helio Castroneves (222.395) followed, while reigning race champion Scott Dixon (222.374) was fourth and Tony Kanaan (221.890) fifth.

"The car is really good in qualifying setup and now it's very good in race setup," said Moraes, 20, who will be competing in his second 500-Mile Race. "As a team, everyone is working on one thing together. Townsend Bell is doing a great job and was in the top 10 at the end of the week, we're going to put everything together and get one solid race car for everyone."

Bell, one of the three second-week entries, had a quick lap of 220.938 mph (40.7355 seconds) in the No. 8 Herbalife car - good for 10th overall. The third KV Racing Technology car, driven by Paul Tracy, qualified 13th.

RYAN HUNTER-REAY USES CUSTOM DESIGNED INDY 500 PROGRAM

Ryan has commenced using a training program specifically designed by Performance Physixx director Simon Hayes for his Indianapolis 500 preparation. The way the circuit is set up is to balance muscle groups that support the shoulder girdle that come under significant g loads. During high force oval racing the muscles of the Rotator Cuff (shoulder stabilizers) need to be both strong and balanced as a group. The balance ratios between the individual muscles is important to a driver's overall conditioning as this can have a direct affect on driving. When these muscles don't support the spine and shoulder complex effectively other muscles come into play creating muscle fatigue in crucial areas.

The neck muscles are placed under extreme g loads in cornering, thus we use specific drills to place tension in those muscles over time varying both the intensity of tension and direction of applied forces. Specific driving exercises with resistance is also carried out to train proprioceptive movement patterns and the central nervous system. Muscle endurance and aerobic conditioning are emphasized due to the length of the race, the body has to cover a distance of 500 miles (800 km), or 200 laps.

Townsend Bell Interview

Townsend Bell frequently glanced at the Timing & Scoring monitor during an interview relating to the announcement that he'll drive the No. 8 Herbalife/KV Racing Technology car beginning the second week of qualifying for the Indianapolis 500.

The IndyCar Series veteran had to keep an eye on track activity - especially who was atop the speed chart on the initial day of all-car practice.

"This is a race that I can't miss; I have to be here, which makes it really exciting," said Bell, who made his Indianapolis 500 debut in 2006 with Vision Racing.

Bell, 34, who finished 10th in the 500-Mile Race last year with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, will join Mario Moraes and Paul Tracy in a three-car effort. He was KV Racing Technology co-owner Jimmy Vasser's teammate in 2001 with Patrick Racing in CART, and "now I have the honor of racing for him." Bell also was the 2001 Indy Lights champion.

"If you look at the progression KV made last year coming in as a new team, post-Speedway their oval program really started to improve and it has carried through this year," said Bell, who has made 19 IndyCar Series starts. "I've been watching that. To me, it's just an incredible opportunity to come in and have no concerns about the competitiveness of the program and the quality of the equipment and people, and put what I know and what I've learned and put that to good use.
"I'm looking forward to having a fast race car and making the most of it."

Townsend has been increasing his training with Performance Physixx with a specially designed training regime, and has also been out on the Karting track in preparation for the 500.

TRG's Ende and Pumpelly Win KONI Sports Car Challenge Race at New Jersey Motorsports Park

May 2 , 2009
Millville, New Jersey: TRG's Duncan Ende and Spencer Pumpelly won today's running of the Garden State 250 Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge Series GS race at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

In the No. 39 DigiTrust Group/Adam's Polishes/Racer's Roast Coffee/TRG Porsche 997 Duncan Ende started the weekend off right by putting the 997 on the front row in qualifying. In the race Ende turned fast and consistent laps to keep the Porsche upfront, handing the car over to Pumpelly in prime position. The keys to the race win was Ende's qualifying position and early race pace, the strategy call by team owner Kevin Buckler to refuel early and take left side only tires. Pumpelly sealed the deal by driving flawlessly and passing the No. 91 for the lead and taking the victory.

"I had a really good stint," Ende said. "I was able to get a good start, even though I was on lined up on the outside. I was able to avoid any type of carnage in the first couple of corners. I was running second pretty comfortably the first ten minutes or so. Then I got boxed by some ST traffic coming on the straight-away and then I lost a few spots. I settled in after that and ran consistent laps. I was able to maintain a gap and gave it to Spencer who ran a great race to bring it home in first place."

"We originally thought that the 91 was going to have to pit for gas," Pumpelly said. "Then Kevin came on the radio and said maybe they won't. I then had to get a little more aggressive, I was able to get a run on him and get by. TRG did an awesome job the last pit stop. It was super fast, we got on and off pit road the best we have all season. I think that was more than the four second gap than we won with, I really have to hand it to them. Duncan did a great first stint and they helped with those four seconds as well."

The race was the opposite for John Potter and Andy Lally in the No. 41 Magnus Racing/TRG Porsche 997. Potter started the race and handed over to Lally on lap 24. Lally proceeded to run in tandem with Pumpelly until lap 45 when the Porsche lost power, ending the day for the duo.

"We took a big points hit today," Lally said. "I was just cruising along following Spencer to the front when it just let go. No real warning, it just quit. That is a tough way to go when we have had two good races and almost won at Homestead in the last race. We will pick ourselves up and be ready to race tomorrow in the GT event."

Kevin Buckler, TRG team owner, had a near perfect race with the No. 39.

"That was a great race," Buckler said. "Duncan did an excellent job to set the tone for the team in qualifying yesterday by having us start on the front row. He did a great job at the beginning and then Spencer brought it home. We made the right calls in the pits, our pit stops were really good and the win is a great reward for this team. This was a long time coming and well deserved. John Potter was also a superstar today with his stellar first stint. I am sorry for John and Andy, but those guys will come back stronger than ever."
The KONI Challenge Sports Car Challenge Series race from New Jersey Motorsports Park will be televised on the SPEED Channel, tape delayed, on May 9 at 12:00 p.m.

TRG was founded in 1993 and has been competing at the top level of motor racing ever since. The team has the most wins of any team in the Grand-Am Rolex Series with 27, including the 2005 and 2006 Rolex Series GT championship trophy to go along with wins at the Rolex 24 (three) at Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. TRG's young KONI Sports Car Challenge Series team has logged three wins and recorded eight podium finishes in their first three seasons of competition.

TRG is a manufacturer and distributor of high-performance racing parts. The group specializes in engine and chassis tuning as well as full service professional race car preparation. The company also provides electrical and mechanical engineering services, driver development and arrive-and-drive opportunities. TRG is based in Petaluma, Calif., near its home track of Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. The company's NASCAR operation is based in Mooresville, North Carolina with a new state-of-the-art facility coming on-line at New Jersey Motorsports Park in late 2009.
For more information contact please contact Kyle Chura at (248) 821-0468 or chura@aol.com. Detailed team info can be viewed at www.theracersgroup.com and www.trgmotorsports.com

Michael Guasch Continues Winning Ways at Virginia International Raceway
Master Class Competitor Moves Into Top-Ten With Another Solid Outing

April 27, 2009
Danville, Virginia

In a race marred by multiple incidents and caution flag periods, Michael Guasch, of Walnut Creek, California, maneuvered through the trouble to record his second consecutive Master Class victory in Round Two of the Star Mazda Championship presented Goodyear at Virginia International Raceway as
part of the Bosch Engineering 250 race weekend.

Driving the #91 Molecule Labs JDC Motorsports Pro Formula Mazda, Guasch would out-qualify and outrace all fellow Master and Expert Class competitors, recording a fourteenth place finish and move into a tie for tenth place in the overall championship.

“I’m a little disappointed with the number of caution periods we had during the race but I’m excited to be climbing back on the podium again,” Guasch explained afterwards. “JDC Motorsports, my engineer Rick Cameron, and my mechanic Rafael Navarro gave me a great car right from the start of the weekend and I’ve been improving behind the wheel as well. I was able to qualify within one-tenth of a second of the previous track record set in 2007 and was within two seconds of some extremely talented young drivers that are running in this series.”

Starting sixteenth in the field of twenty-eight Guasch would lose several spots on the opening lap as trouble between several cars ahead of him slowed his progress, but he would recover and regain spots on each subsequent restart. “The restarts were challenging as everyone was bunched together and the cars behind were getting a strong tow as we headed towards the first turn,” Guasch explained. “It was a definite challenge to focus on moving up while at the same time protecting your position and your car to avoid contact that might end your race early.”

Joining Guasch on the podium were race winner Peter Dempsey along with fellow JDC Motorsports teammates Alex Ardoin and Joel Miller and fellow West Coast and Molecule Formula Mazda Challenge competitor Patrick O’Neill.

Guasch now shifts his attention towards Miller Motorsports Park, just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah, for Round Three of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear on May 14-16.

MATHIASEN AND BOMARITO RE-SET FOR 2009 ATLANTIC CHASE

For immediate release: Encino, California March 2, 2009 Last season's dominant Team-Driver combination has once again teamed up to chase the 2009 Cooper Tires presents the Formula Atlantic Championship powered by Mazda.

American Jonathan Bomarito once again joins forces with last season's Team Owners of the Year, Ray and Leslie Mathiasen and the Mathiasen Motorsports team that took Bomarito to a series high for race wins, poles and laps led on their way to a close runner up position in the 2008 Atlantic Championship.

The team returns with the full squad intact from last year and race engineer/technical director Alain Clarinval looks forward to getting off to a fast start in the series testing at Palm Beach and Sebring in preparation for the season opener March 20, 2009 at Sebring, Florida during the 12 Hours of Sebring weekend of racing. "This is a fantastic chance for us to go back with our well oiled machine of a team and an outstandingly talented driver that we know how to support and provide for him to be the very best.

It's like wearing old shoes that are so comfortable but that got polished to a mirror and with new laces to tighten them well," said Clarinval. Stated team owners Ray and Leslie Mathiasen, "We are extremely grateful to Jonathan that he has agreed to return and drive for us once again in 2009.

The team we have assembled for the most part will be identical to the one that came so close to winning the Atlantic Championship in 2008 and now also includes a full time data support engineer to assist Alain Clarinval. We definitely have some unfinished business to take care of and with the added incentive of a substantial improvement in the prize fund structure provided by the Atlantic series, everyone on the team is totally committed to achieving our mission of winning the 2009 Atlantic Championship. It's been a long off season and we can hardly wait for the first race of the season in Sebring this month. This is a great series and we are proud to once again be part of it."

Bomarito shared their enthusiasm for the upcoming season. "I am really looking forward to being back with Mathiasen Motorsports. To say we have some unfinished business is an understatement.

I want to thank Ray and Leslie Mathiasen for giving me another opportunity to keep racing and further my career in Motorsports."

01-28-2009

8th and 14th Place Finishes in Koni Challenge and the Rolex 24 Hours Usher in a Strong 2009 Season

It feels like a month ago that I left Los Angeles for Daytona, but I am finally back home after a very, very long week. The Rolex 24 Hours proved to be a dream weekend for TRG and Porsche, the team taking first and second in the GT class with the 67 and 66 cars and Porsche also capturing thrid place in GT, not to mention the overall victory in a Brumos Daytona Prototype in the closest finish in the history of the race! Unfortunately, our 68 car could not rise to that level in the race, but we all honestly knew we were not out there racing for the win and we are all proud of making it twice around the clock to finish 14th in GT. My codrivers, Steve Miller, Chris Pallis, Josemanuel Gutierrez, and Scott Schroeder all did a great job and together we survived a race that saw so many fall by the wayside. We lost some significant time in the garage making repairs during the night, but the crew did a stellar job and got us back out there on track. It really is due to our fantastic crew that we managed to bring home the result we did.The weekend was even better for me in Koni Challenge. Our 8th place finish in the Fresh From Florida 200 on Friday afternoon could have been a bit higher with some different luck, but after leaving Daytona with zero points after an engine failure in 2008, I am immensely happy to start the 2009 season with a solid top 10 result. Spencer and I will be using this is as a good first building block to begin our championship assault on. I'm attaching the team's Koni Challenge post race press release for you below, so please enjoy and look forward to more updates soon!

CLIENT ADDITION: BILLY GOSHENFULL NAME: William J.Goshen

BORN: May 30th
1990

HOME: Brea, California

EDUCATION: Junior at Whittier
Christian High School

HOBBIES: Wakeboarding, Water Skiing,
Riding Quads, Snowboarding
RACING EXPERIENCE

2007 Formula TR Pro Series 2.0 Liter Champion - 7 Wins, 9
other podiums, 8 Poles

2006 Formula TR Pro Series 1.6-Liter Championship Runner-up

Four (4) Times IKF Regional Champion

2005 Stars of Karting National 3rd

2005 Stars of Karting, Western Division Runner-up

Three (3) times IKF Grand National Champion

2004 Shifter Karts USA (SKUSA) Mission Region Champion

Racing Go-Karts since 1997

BIOGRAPHY

Billy Goshen was born May 30, 1990 in Brea, California. He currently is a junior at Whittier Christian High School. Billy has a younger brother, who is also involved in racing, and two younger sisters. Billy’s grandfather, Bill Sr. and his father, Bill Jr. along with an uncle have all been involved in racing. Having been born into a family with two generations of racing it could be said that Billy was “born to race.” His father introduced him to go-kart racing in 1999 at nine years of age. From the very beginning, whenever he was at the track and not in his go-kart, Billy could be found trackside watching and studying the older drivers. When at home, rather than cartoons, Billy would be watching the speed channel. Whether it was Champ Car, the Indy Racing League, NASCAR or Formula One, he could name all of the top drivers and where they stood in points. There is no doubt, Billy Goshen has racing in his blood.

In his first year competing in go-karts, Billy had already begun winning races. In 2001, Billy won the Junior State Shifter Championship and the Apex Club Championship in all three of his classes. Looking for more competition and bigger challenges, Billy began competing in the International Karting Federation (IKF), Region 7. In 2002, Billy repeated his four Championships from 2001 and added the California State Championship in the 60cc shifter class. In the Super Karts USA (SKUSA) Super Nationals 60cc shifter class, Billy finished second out of 40 international participants. He was also beginning to make his mark in IKF, recording his first win and finishing third for the points championship in both the 60cc shifter class and the HPV 1 class.

In 2003, Billy stepped up to the 80cc shifter class, finishing 3rd in the SKUSA, Mission Region Championship and 4th in the IKF Region 7 Championship. In 2004, Billy recorded his first National Championship in the IKF Grand National Championship, 80cc Jr. Superstock CR Shifter Class.
He also won the SKUSA, Mission Region Championship in the 80cc Shifter Class and was runner up for the IKF, Region 7 Championship 80cc Jr. Shifter Class.

Billy’s first love in go-karting has always been shifter karts, which allowed him to showcase his driving talent and his ability to go fast. This became quite apparent in 2005 when Billy went undefeated in the IKF 80cc shifter class. Not only did he win the IKF, Region 7 Championship in the 80cc Shifter Class, he also won the IKF Region 7 Championship in the HPV 2 class.

Prior to 2005, Billy had not raced in the Stars of Karting series because of the travel commitment and the amount of school he would miss.
The second and third race of the year was held at Rocky Moran Kart Track in Beaumont, California. Always looking to compete against the best, Billy entered the two races for the weekend winning the Saturday race and finishing 4th in the Sunday race. With his strong showing, the decision was made to run the rest of the series. Billy won the next three races before blowing an engine in the second race in Canada while leading. In all, he won five of the eight races he entered and finished second in the Stars of Karting National final in Austin, Texas. By not having entered the first race of the year at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, he spotted the National and West Coast champions more than 140 points each and finished 3rd National and 2nd West Coast, losing the championship in each by less than 10 points. His success in Stars of Karting substantiated that Billy was one of the elite shifter kart drivers in North America.

In 2006, Billy graduated to racing an open wheel car on road courses by competing in the Formula TR Pro Series 1.6 liter class. He finished as the runner up for the Championship with 3 wins and 12 podiums out of the 18 races. In spite of concentrating on the Formula TR Pro Series, he still found time race go-karts on a limited basis. Billy made it a great finish to his go-kart career by winning the IKF, Region 7, HPV 4 Championship and an additional two IKF Grand National Championships in the 80cc Limited Shifter Class and the 80cc Senior Shifter Class. Billy’s karting career ended with 3 Grand National Championships, 5 Regional Championships, 9 State and Local Championships, over 80 wins and more podiums than can even be counted.

In 2007, Billy stepped up to the 2.0 liter class in the Formula TR Pro Series. With his 7 wins, 16 podiums, 8 poles and 12 fast laps, Billy captured the USA Formula TR Pro Series Championship, his first car racing Championship. With his desire and willingness to drive anytime and anywhere, Billy drove for Richie Hearn Motorsports in the Formula BMW race at the Grand Prix of San Jose. Without any testing or practice, Billy finished in the top 10 in both Saturday and Sunday’s race, his first time racing on a street course.
Wanting to gain experience in other forms of racing, Billy drove a Mazda RX 7 in the 25 hours of Thunderhill. To gain some oval experience, he also raced a late model on several occasions. In the last two months of 2007, Billy has again teamed up with Richie Hearn Motorsports to drive a Pro Formula Mazda in the West Coast Star Mazda Winter Series. Without any testing, in the first four races, he has 1 win and 2 thirds. Tommy Burns, a former F-1 driver, has had the opportunity to observe Billy at several of his Formula TR races and was quoted as saying “Billy Goshen has the talent to compete at the highest level of open wheel racing.”

Despite his highly competitive nature and strong desire to win, Billy always maintains his composure when driving, no matter what the situation. Before the start of a race, he outwardly appears very calm and collected. Billy likes to get behind the wheel early to collect his thoughts and envision what he needs to do in the race, putting himself in a zone to become one with his car. Even though he has had tremendous success in racing, he remains very humble. In the pits, Billy enjoys talking with the spectators about racing and explaining the intricacies of driving a race car and the handling characteristics. Although they are competitors, he maintains camaraderie with his fellow drivers. Because of his personality, Billy has always had a strong following and tremendous fan support.

When not racing and going to school, Billy has given time to those less fortunate by helping feed the homeless during the holidays. For the past 4 years, he has made an annual trip with his church to Mexico to help build homes in one of the poor areas. Billy attends church regularly and maintains a strong Christian faith. In his limited leisure time, Billy enjoys wakeboarding, waterskiing and snowboarding.

Ende and Pumpelly Ready for 2009 KONI Challenge Championship Run with TRG

December 18, 2008 - Petaluma, CA-Duncan Ende and Spencer Pumpelly will be returning to the Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge Series for the 2009 season. The duo will once again race the No. 39 TRG Carlsen Porsche/TheDigiTrust Group Porsche 997 GS entry.

The 11-race season will kick-off at Daytona International Speedway on January 23, with a three day test planned January 3-5. The '08 season was highlighted by the duo leading several laps as well as posting several fastest race laps resulting in second place finishes at Lime Rock and Miller Motorsports Park.

Ende is looking forward to the KONI season as well a lot more success with teammate Pumpelly.

"Our goal for the 2009 season is the same as it was for 2008, to compete at the front of the pack each weekend and win the championship," Ende said. "The number one thing we had to overcome last season was the lack of reliability we were dealing with. I think we've come a long way in that department. I think we just need to drive our race and get a little bit of luck. We finished second at Lime Rock last year despite being hit hard by another car and needing an extra pit stop to replace a bad wheel. In Utah we finished second again after I needed to stop before the drop of the green flag to replace a belt on the engine and then we worked our way up through a 60+ car field. We definitely would have had a shot at winning either of those races if things had gone a bit more smoothly. Spencer and I like our car setup pretty much the same way, which is a nice start. Besides that, Spencer is one of the quickest guys in the field, so I can just focus on keeping the car clean and in a respectable position throughout the opening stint."

Pumpelly shares Ende's thirst for wins and a shot at the KONI GS championship.

"We are going into the season with the thought of winning the GS title," Pumpelly said. "To do that we need to keep doing the things we did well in 2008 and we should be able to take some wins. A lot of things last year came down to bad racing luck and that is not something we can change, but if TRG remains as strong as the team was last year we should have more good chances. Duncan and I both bring a strong focus to the track and we both have the same championship goal.""Duncan and Spencer showed a lot speed in 2008," Kevin Buckler, TRG team owner said. "Duncan qualified and raced that car upfront consistently all season and really showed his true potential as a front running professional driver. They finished second twice and had top 10 finishes at Mosport, Watkins Glen and VIR. They also led a lot of laps. The TRG crew has had a very busy off season working on the Porsche 997s making many improvements on the speed, engine management, and reliability and handling fronts. We are running for a championship this year. We are looking forward to getting these guys in the winner's circle right off the bat at Daytona and being threat to win every weekend."

Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge 2009 Schedule
Daytona International Speedway January 2- 5- test
Daytona International Speedway January 22-23
Homestead Miami Speedway March 13-15
Thunderbolt Raceway May 1-2
Laguna Seca May 15-16
Lime Rock Park May 22-25
Watkins Glen June 4-5
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course June 19-21
Barber Motorsports Park July 17-18
Trois-Rivieres August 14- 6
Miller Motorsport Park September 18-20
Virginia International Raceway October 2-4

TRG was founded in 1993 and has been competing at the top level of motor racing ever since. The team has the most wins of any team in the Grand-Am Rolex Series with 25, including the 2005 and 2006 Rolex Series GT championship trophy to go along with wins at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. TRG's young KONI Challenge team has logged two wins and recorded seven podium finishes in their first two seasons of competition.

TRG is a manufacturer and distributor of high-performance racing parts. The group specializes in engine and chassis tuning as well as full service professional race car preparation. The company also provides electrical and mechanical engineering services, driver development and arrive-and-drive opportunities. TRG is based in Petaluma, Calif., near its home track of Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. The group also has race prep facilities in Charlotte and New Jersey.

More information and a complete press kit can be found at www.theracersgroup.com. Please contactpress@theracersgroup.com or 707-935-3999 for additional information.

2009 24 Hours of Daytona Testing

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 1, 2009) - Teams from the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 will get a head start on the 2009 season Jan. 3-5 with three days of testing at Daytona International Speedway.
Known as the "Roar before the Rolex 24," the session is the lone scheduled testing at the speedway prior to the 47th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Jan. 24-25. All three days of the session are open to the public for $10 admission, which includes access to the infield, Sprint FANZONE and garage. Saturday's session also includes fan forums, including drivers from GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing, TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Banner Racing and Hyper Sport.

Saturday's schedule opens with Rolex Series practice at 9 a.m., and includes night practice running through 8 p.m. Sunday's schedule runs from 9 a.m. through 5 p.m., with Monday's activities running from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. The Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge will also test all three days in preparation for its Jan. 23 season-opening Fresh From Florida 200 at Daytona.
Nearly 50 entries have been received for the test, which will feature 19 Daytona Prototypes and 29 GT entries.

TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates will have a pair of Lexus-powered Rileys in preparation for a potential fourth consecutive victory in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, including the No. 01 of defending series champions Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas.

Five-time Rolex 24 At Daytona winner Hurley Haywood is part of a two-car Brumos Racing entry, with Michael Shank Racing, Penske Racing and Krohn Racing also entering two cars. Other entries include 2007 co-champions Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty for GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing, with three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson set to join them for the Rolex 24; 2005 Rolex 24 winners and series champions Max Angelelli and Wayne Taylor; 1995 Rolex 24 winner Christophe Bouchot, for Level Five Motorsports; Childress-Howard Motorsports, making its Rolex 24 debut with three-time event winner Andy Wallace; and Spirit of Daytona Racing, featuring motorcycle champions Scott Russell, Jeff Ward and Jason Pridmore.

Several of the teams, including Ganassi, Penske and Shank, are also expected to announce their Rolex 24 driver lineups at the test.

TRG and Farnbacher Loles Racing both have five Porsche GT3s entered in the test to head the GT lineup. Defending Rolex 24 class winner SpeedSource will have a pair of Mazda RX-8s, while 2008 champions Kelly Collins and Paul Edwards share the No. 07 Banner Racing Pontiac GXP.R with Jan Magnussen.

The GT entry also includes three Corvettes and a pair of Ferrari 430s.

CLIENT ADDITION: PHIL GIEBLER
Racing has been a major part of my life since I was ten.

I grew up in Ventura, California and my family and I spent most Friday or Saturday night’s at our local short track at the Ventura County Fairgrounds…it’s funny but you wouldn’t know if it was Indiana, Georgia, Upstate New York or Idaho once you walked though the gates, it’s small town America and my racing roots are no different than AJ Foyt’s, Mario Andretti, Tony Stewart’s or Jeff Gordon’s. On my tenth birthday my dad took me and a friend karting and I knew then and there how I wanted to do for the rest of my life that day.

My dad and I started going to every race we could and my love of motorsports grew and my dream became a near obsession.

When I was eleven, I got my first racing Go-Kart, which is where most successful racers start their careers these days, and within months I was winning regularly and became a US National Karting Champion by the time I was twelve years old. I earned two additional National Titles by the time I was 16. A year later, I was competing internationally as Factory Kart driver, representing the USA in several world championships. Highlighting my karting career was a First Place Finish in an International Race. This had not been accomplished by an American driver in more than 25 years. Two Time F1 World Champion, Fernando Alonso was a regular competitor in my in karting days and we beat each other on several occasions.

My karting successes awarded me the opportunity to move up into racing cars, by way of the Skip Barber Karting Scholarship, I won my first car race as a result. In 1999 I continued following my dream and moved to France. I had won a scholarship to be a part of a World Famous driver development program called Elf La Filiere, several top racers in F1 were part of the La Filiere program. I became the first and only American to win in the Elf La Filiere Championship in its 25 Year history. I won several races and finished second in the 99 Championship. I continued driving for ELF moving up to the 2000 French Formula 3 Championship, where I also won several races and finished second in that Championship.

Competing in this diverse, high-level European racing brought me success, and I received the Team USA Scholarship, given to America’s most talented driver. I ended up winning the Formula Palmer Audi Winter Championship in England, late in 2000, as a result of that scholarship.

In 2001 and 2002, I decided to accept every test day that was available and jumped at every opportunity I was given to drive. I tested and raced in England, Germany, Spain and Italy. I was able to demonstrate my natural driving ability by adapting to new tracks, new teams, and a variety of cars and I ended up finishing third in the 2002 Spanish F3 Championship.

In 2003, my hard work and perseverance paid off and I landed a ride in the Formula 3000 Series for a total of four races. It was an amazing experience to represent my country on what is considered the final step to F1, the Formula 3000 Championship, on the famous Monaco Grand Prix Circuit.

2004, saw me return to the United States to race the IRL’s Indy Pro Series…I won out of box at the Miami Homestead Gran Prix after starting in last place due to engine problems at the beginning of the race. It was my first major open wheel race in America and the very first time I’d ever driven on an oval.

The Indy Pro Series win and several other podium finished awarded me the opportunity to represent America in the A1GP World Series. I loved every minute of it. I became the first American in history to step onto the A1GP Podium with a second place finish in Zandvoort, Holland. I continued to compete for the team from 2005 to 2007, and remain the most successful American to ever compete in A1GP.

May, 2007, I made it…qualifying for my first Indianapolis 500 in dramatic fashion after a mechanical failure sent me hard into the wall during a qualifying attempt that would have soundly put me into the field…batter and bruised, I bumped my way into the final, 33rd qualifying spot within mere minutes of the final gun. I went on to become Rookie of the Year as the top finishing rookie last year.

After Indy, I decided to give something back to the sport that has brought me so much happiness and success, and I returned to karting. I began coaching and developing promising drivers, opening a karting shop and running a successful Karting Team.

But once you run a lap at nearly 220 MPH, inches from the wall…it’s hard to think about wanting to do anything else. Here I am fifteen years later and the dream and desire hasn’t changed a bit. I am out pounding the pavement, looking for my next ride, win and championship.

Phil Giebler

David Coulthard- Retirement
November 3rd, 2008 - Best of luck to DC in all his future endeavors both business and personal, and many thanks for allowing me the privilege of working with one of the best Formula 1 Drivers.

ATLANTIC RACING SERIES, LLC PURCHASED BY ATLANTA BUSINESSMAN BEN JOHNSTON

October 31, 2008 BROWNSBURG, Ind. (October 31, 2008) - On the heels of an outstanding, 35th anniversary season of the Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda, which wrapped up at Road Atlanta earlier this month, the series' future has been solidified as it was announced today that Atlanta-area businessman Ben Johnston has purchased Atlantic Racing Series, LLC from Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerald Forsythe.

Terms of the sale were not disclosed. "It is very exciting to play a part in the future of such a historic racing series," Johnston said. "The Atlantic staff and teams are the best racing has to offer and we are honored to have the continued sponsorship of Cooper Tires and Mazda. It will be a fantastic season." Johnston, 53, also owns Alpharetta, Ga.-based Media Brokers, Inc., which specializes in media planning and buying. He is a long-time road racing enthusiast and owns eight regional titles in SCCA Atlantic competition. Johnston also made one start in the Atlantic Championship in 2005. "I am absolutely thrilled that Ben has stepped forward to ensure the Atlantic series' position as the longest-running open wheel driver development series in North America will continue well into the future under his ownership," said Atlantic Championship President Vicki O'Connor. "At the same time, I must thank Kevin Kalkhoven and Jerry Forsythe for their outstanding support and ownership of the series over the past several years, and for ensuring the series' operation in 2008.

Likewise, we are indebted to our wonderful partners in Cooper Tire & Rubber Company and Mazda North American Operations for their contributions to making the 2008 season a reality and we look forward to continuing those relationships well into the future as well. We literally couldn't have done it without them or the fantastic teams and drivers that made this one of the most competitive and memorable seasons in Atlantic history." The series will continue to operate out of its Brownsburg, Ind. headquarters under the leadership of O'Connor, who has helmed the Atlantic Championship since 1985. The series plans a schedule of 10 to 12 events for 2009, with an official schedule announcement expected shortly. Also expected in the near future is an announcement regarding television coverage for the 2009 season. Series partners Cooper Tire & Rubber Company and Mazda North American Operations applauded the sale to Johnston. Mazda just completed its third season as the series exclusive engine supplier and sponsor, while Cooper Tire wrapped up its second season as presenting sponsor and official tire.

"Cooper Tire is thrilled to have Ben on-board as the series owner," stated Chris Pantani, Director of Motorsports for Cooper Tire. "His vision for the series is a breath of fresh air, and Cooper Tire looks forward to working closely with Ben and the other series partners for a successful 2009 season." "The Atlantic Championship is the top rung of the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development Ladder," added Robert Davis, Senior Vice President, Product Development and Quality, and the man responsible for Mazda's North American motorsports operations under the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development banner.

"We have greatly enjoyed our past three years with the Atlantic Championship and are looking forward to continuing that partnership with Cooper Tires and the new series owner. We greatly appreciate the heritage of the series. Our team members have been attending Atlantic races as far back as 1976 and we want to do our part to carry on the tradition." The Atlantic Championship is the longest-running open-wheel driver development series in North America and celebrated its 35th Anniversary season in 2008, with Finnish rookie Markus Niemela taking the series championship in the final race of the season.

The series is noted for its long history of graduating its drivers into the top levels of motorsport throughout the world, including IndyCar champions such as Bobby Rahal, Danny Sullivan, Michael Andretti, Jacques Villeneuve, Jimmy Vasser, Greg Ray, Sam Hornish Jr. and Dan Wheldon, Indy 500 winners such as Sullivan, Rahal, Villeneuve, Buddy Rice, Wheldon and Hornish, and Formula One world champions such as Villeneuve and Keke Rosberg.

In 2008, Atlantic graduates battled for race victories and championships in top North American series such as the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the American Le Mans Series and the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series in addition to various other series all over the world. Learn more about Atlantic at www.atlantic-championship.com.

One more race.. DC

21/10/2008 Well here I am one race away from the end of my F1 career and I guess I should be feeling nostalgic, but the reality is I am focused on trying to prepare for the race as best I can which will include a trip to Argentina for a Red Bull promotion.

The marketing machine that surrounds formula one never stops so the quest to sell more cans of Red Bull see a very active promotional team working the various markets. I had tried to see if ex Argentinean F1 driver Carlos Reutemann (who is a politician now) would be around to drive my car but unfortunately he is out of the country so I will have to entertain the expected 10 000 crowd on my own. Back to Brazil and I am really looking forward to the race.

I have been able to podium there a few times over the years and I won in 2000 so hopefully a good omen for the coming race. I was thinking of asking the drivers to keep well clear of me into turn 1 to give me a better chance of finishing my last GP but I know all too well that when the lights go out racing instincts take over. So for me a good end would be of course first of all seeing the chequered flag and if I can do that in the points then I would be happy. All good things come to an end so although it has been the driving force in my life I am looking forward to the next phase which will still involve Formula one through my consultancy agreement with Red Bull and of course the big thing will be the arrival of little DC this winter, I am really excited about that because at the end of the day that’s what life is all about.

I have been asked repeatedly how I would like my career to be remembered and although I don’t really think too much about the past I would like to think that I would be viewed as someone who tried there best with the talent they had, was a team player (which I think my long team relationships would confirm that!) And last but most importantly was a sportsman, after all without following the rules what do you have?

Client addition: Townsend Bell
September 23rd, 2008 - Townsend Bell has begun a training program with Performance Physixx to increase his muscular endurance in upper body and core muscle groups for open wheel Indy racing for the end of season Nikon Indy 300 Streets of Surfers Paradise sat October 25 th to Sunday October 26 th.

Townsend Bell's motorsports travels have taken him to Europe in the FIA Formula 3000 Championship and back to the United States in a variety of series. He won the 2001 Indy Lights title, has competed in CART and now is back in the IndyCar Series where he had made 12 starts between 2004-06. Bell competed in his first Indianapolis 500 in 2006.

TRG Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 22, 2008
TRG KONI Challenge Team Battles to Second Place in Utah

In the course of Sunday's two-and-a-half hour Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series race at Miller Motorsports Park, the two-car TRG Porsche team experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows and finished the day celebrating on the podium with a second-place finish.

No. 39 Carlsen Porsche/The DigiTrust Group/Adam's Polishes/Fox River Coffee Porsche 997 co-drivers Duncan Ende and Spencer Pumpelly battled all the way from the back of the field to score a hard-earned podium result. Meanwhile, the No. 41 Carlsen Porsche/Cohen Financial Porsche 997 co-drivers Andy Lally and Scott Schroeder missed out on what would have likely been their second victory of the season due to a mechanical failure.

"This was a crazy week-and-a-half or two weeks," said TRG owner Kevin Buckler. "We had just a total thrash getting everything built and ready for this weekend, and we had lots and lots of issues to get here. The guys just persevered and did a really good job to get everything ready."

Schroeder and Ende both turned in stellar qualifying performances on Saturday, with Schroeder taking second on the grid for his second front-row qualifying performance of the season and Ende slotting in just behind Schroeder in third. Just as the green flag dropped on the race, however, the day's first dramatic moment unfolded as Ende brought the No. 39 machine to pit lane to replace the fan belt.

Miraculously, Ende managed to get back on course without losing a lap, although he rejoined the race in last place on a 4.5-mile road circuit where full-course cautions are somewhat rare. Nevertheless, Ende took up the challenge and fought all the way back up into the top 10 before pitting to turn the car over to Pumpelly.

Pumpelly picked up where Ende left off, although he was still a good distance behind the race-leading No. 41 machine with Lally at the wheel. The No. 39 team got just the break it needed when the double yellows flew for the second and final time with less than 10 laps remaining. The caution period allowed Pumpelly to line up in fourth place, directly behind the lead group of cars for a restart with five laps to go. He moved into second place when the second- and third-place running cars tangled and went off course and brought the No. 39 Porsche home 4.009 seconds behind the race-winning No. 96 BMW.

"When they told me that I had to come in at the start to change the belt on the engine, I never imagined that we were going to wind up on the podium," Ende said. "I was actually sure we were going to go a lap down. The guys on the crew did a phenomenal job getting the belt changed, and then it was just up to us to put our heads down and get through the field. We got the yellows we needed, but it was a tough race. We both drove our hearts out. Spencer would like to have one more spot, but it was a helluva race. Everybody did a great job."

It was the second KONI Challenge Series podium result of the season for Ende and Pumpelly. The duo also finished second in Round 2 at Lime Rock Park in May.

"We had an issue that was just a completely random failure of a part that was checked and triple-checked by the guys," Pumpelly said. "They do such a great job that you hate for things like that to happen, but we came in the pits on Lap 1 and the guys fixed it like rock stars and got us right back out. We were able to get some lucky yellows and catch back up. We didn't really have the time to get to first, but a podium was good after all of the effort that the guys put in today."

In the No. 41 Porsche, Schroeder held his second-place position for the first seven laps of the race before taking the lead on Lap 8. He would go on to lead a race-high 15 laps before pulling onto pit road to make way for Lally's stint. Once the pit stop cycle was complete, Lally put the No. 41 machine back at the head of the field and led seven laps of his own.

However, just as the No. 39 team began to celebrate its opportunity to close the gap to the leaders with the second full-course caution, disaster struck the No. 41 team as an engine failure cruelly ended the race for Lally and Schroeder with less than 30 minutes remaining.

"It's a bit disappointing," Schroeder said. "We had a great car. This TRG Porsche was really strong. During my stint, I managed to pull away a big lead and handed over to Andy with a clean car. Unfortunately, we just got caught out by one of those little things that get you every sometimes. I'm not too worried about it. We'll find out what happened and go to VIR with a stronger car. We have the pace, now we just need some things to go our way. I look forward to the next race."

"It's a shame because it was such a solid car, and we were in the captain's chair there," Lally added. "We were in charge of our own destiny, and unfortunately we just had a little bad luck. We dropped the oil pressure and the engine just shut off, just like that. It happened in a 10-second period. It's a shame. I'd cooled down for probably 30 seconds and I thought I'd heard a miss and I had been coasting. I thought at first that it was a header, and I put it in gear and stepped on the gas. As soon as I did that, the low oil pressure light came on and that was it. We were done."

The No. 41 team was credited with 26th place in the Grand Sport (GS) class, but for most of the race, it appeared that Lally and Schroeder would be celebrating in Victory Circle, just as they did last month at Iowa Speedway.

"Having the cars throughout the course of the weekend come together to culminate in those guys qualifying second and third was incredible," Buckler concluded. "Scott handily leading half the race like that was absolutely fabulous for him and for TRG. I was so proud. Then, it goes from absolute joy and ecstasy to heartache as Andy was handily leading the race and the engine blew. We don't know what happened, but we'll figure it out.

"Duncan did a great job. They had a little miscue in the beginning with the fan belt. We're glad we brought him in to check it. Duncan, especially, scratched his way back from dead last clear through the field and ended up pitting in ninth or 10th. It was unbelievable. Spencer did a great job, the yellow fell our direction, and we ended up finishing P2. It was a gamut of emotions and a roller coaster ride this weekend, no doubt, but we'll take that second place for Duncan and Spencer."

Next up for the TRG KONI Challenge team is the six-hour season finale at Virginia International Raceway on Sunday, October 5.

BOMARITO TAKES THIRD WIN AND EXTENDS ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD AT
TROIS-RIVIERES August 17, 2008 TROIS-RIVIERES, Quebec, Canada (August 17, 2008) - Jonathan Bomarito took a big step forward in his quest to be champion of the 2008 Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda with a dominating victory in the Grand-Prix de Trois-Rivieres.

After starting from the pole position in his No. 26 Del Taco/Stone Brewing/Discount Tire/RLM Investments machine for Mathiasen Motorsports, Bomarito got away clean on the race's standing start and was never seriously challenged, leading every lap of the 44-lap race to score his third victory of the season and the fifth of his Atlantic career. He won by 1.590 seconds over American rookie Jonathan Summerton, who he now leads by 28 points, 191-163, in the championship standings with three races remaining. Although Sunday's race was the first for Atlantic on the legendary 1.521-mile street circuit in Quebec since 2003, Bomarito became the 10th consecutive polesitter to win in Atlantic competition at Trois-Rivieres.

"First of all, I can't tell you how thankful I am and happy to keep that streak alive, that's for sure," said Bomarito. "It was an amazing weekend. It was perfect for us, both qualifying sessions and the race. The guys were telling me on the radio my gaps and also where James (Hinchcliffe) and Markus (Niemela) were. James went out and then Markus went out a little bit later in the race. I think we were within seven or eight points before the race and now to be leading by 28 points is huge with only three races to go. It refocuses how we have to approach these last three races, but realistically, as long as we're quick and continue to do what we're doing, and the car keeps living like it is--the guys keep doing an amazing job--we'll be okay at the end of the championship."

Summerton moved to second in the overall point standings and the Rookie of the Year points lead with his second-place performance. It was Summerton's third top-two result in his past four starts and was his sixth top-six result in eight races this season. He gained two spots in the point standings this weekend, and earned a bonus point for running the fastest lap in the race.

"It turned out to be a very fun race in the end," Summerton said. "With the two yellows, it didn't quite help us as we'd planned. I don't know if we started with a little too low tire pressure, but every time a yellow came out, the first two or three laps were a real fight with the car. Then, the tires started to come in again and we were able to lay down some fast laps and start catching Jonathan (Bomarito). In the end, he was constantly very fast and had a great car. We were just trying to push away and it didn't quite work out, but second place, we're quite happy with it. To take over Rookie of the Year point standings is a great accomplishment. I'm real happy about that and hopefully we can bring a win back from New Jersey."

Dutchman Junior Strous returned to the podium for the first time since winning at Mont-Tremblant in June with a third-place run in the No. 6 NEM/Shell/HTP/Muermans Group/Red, White & Bluezz entry for Condor Motorsports/Team Holland. It was the third podium result of the season for Strous and moved him back into the top five in the point standings heading into the final three races of the season.

"Obviously, I'm really happy with this," Strous said. "After Mont-Tremblant, I thought, 'Well, we've got it now.' I kept working really hard, but Edmonton was really bad and Road America was really bad for us, but I always finished. We had some engine problems in Edmonton in both races. This weekend, we were struggling again. We didn't really have the speed. We tried to minimize the damage in qualifying. I started eighth and I knew it was going to be a tough race, because the walls are really close here, it's slippery off-line, and everybody wants to win here. You can do it. If you're a bit further back, you can advance quite well, you can pass really well. The car was really good. I'd like to thank the team.

"Everybody worked hard the last few weeks and months to get it all back together again. It's a podium finish and with all these guys that dropped out of the race, I think we're doing pretty good (in the championship). Jonathan (Bomarito) was really quick this race. He did a really good job. I'm looking forward to the next race. We've got a little time off. I'm heading back to Holland. Again, I'd like to thank the team and all my sponsors, Shell, HTP and NEM for their support, and especially (Condor Motorsports team owner) Carlos Bobeda."

Finishing fourth for her best result since a season-opening victory in Long Beach was Simona De Silvestro in the No. 34 Nuclear Clean Air Energy/NEI/Entergy machine for Newman Wachs Racing. De Silvestro got the bonus point for the most positions improved from start to finish for her charge from 11th on the grid. Rookie Dane Cameron completed the top five in the No. 19 MAZDASPEED/Finlay Motorsports/Lynx Racing machine for Genoa Racing. It was the rookie's fifth top-five result in his last six Atlantic starts.

NOTEBOOK:
· Despite a damaged front wing, which dropped him back a few positions in the running order, Canadian rookie Daniel Morad matched the best result of his Atlantic career with a sixth-place run in the No. 70 Metro Directories of Georgia/Grapeking machine for Eurointernational. Morad also finished sixth in the season-opener at Long Beach.

· Mexican driver David Martinez picked up his third seventh-place result in three races aboard the No. 7 Axtel/Tecate/Madisa entry for Forsythe/Pettit Racing. He returned to Atlantic competition last weekend at Road America for the first time since 2006 as a replacement for his injured countryman, David Garza.

· Tom Sutherland picked up an Atlantic career-best result of eighth in the No. 88 ClickAway Computers & Networking machine for Brooks Associates Racing. Sutherland's previous best result was 10th in the first race of the Edmonton doubleheader last month.

· Greg Mansell matched the best finish of his Atlantic career with a ninth-place run in the No. 5 Sunseeker entry for Walker Racing. Mansell previously finished ninth in the first race of the Edmonton doubleheader.

· Finnish rookie Henri Karjalainen picked up the first top-10 result of his Atlantic career with a 10th-place performance in the No. 2 GNLD machine for Montreal's Jensen MotorSport. Previously, Karjalainen's best result was 11th in the second race of the Edmonton doubleheader. Karjalainen's team owner, Eric Jensen returned to the Atlantic cockpit for the first time since 2005 and finished 15th in the No. 22 Jensen MotorSport entry.

· It was a tough day for James Hinchcliffe and Markus Niemela, who both came into the weekend within seven points of leader Jonathan Bomarito. Hinchcliffe, who was second in points coming into the race in the No. 3 Indeck/Tire Rack/NOCO machine for Forsythe/Pettit Racing, was involved in an incident with the No. 25 Uni-Select/Deans Knight/Wasteco entry of fellow Canadian driver Kevin Lacroix on the seventh lap of the race, taking both drivers out after contact with the barrier. Series officials determined that Hinchcliffe was guilty of avoidable contact and he was penalized one position, leaving him 20th in the final race results, one spot behind Lacroix. Niemela, meanwhile, suffered a mechanical failure on Lap 30 and he was forced to retire in 17th place. Hinchcliffe and Niemela are now tied for third in the championship with 155 points apiece.

SPECTACULAR FIRST 2008 PODIUM FINISH FOR RUM BUM RACING!

Matt Plumb and Gene Sigal posted their best finish of the season and their best Daytona Prototype career finishes with a third. Plumb led a race-high 31 laps in the No. 7 Rum Bum Racing BMW Riley, which was the highest-finishing BMW in the race. The pair's previous best finish was fifth, which came twice this season.

Plumb led a race-high 31 laps before Gurney's winning pass, and Darren Law made a pass for second-place with just under two laps remaining. Plumb and Sigal advanced 15 positions to third in the No. 7 Rum Bum Racing Dinan BMW Riley, taking home the Suntrust most improved position award. Matt Plumb and Gene Sigal posted their best finish of the season and their best Daytona Prototype career finishes with a third. Plumb led a race-high 31 laps in the No. 7 Rum Bum Racing BMW Riley, which was the highest-finishing BMW in the race. The pair's previous best finish was fifth, which came twice this season.

Plumb led a race-high 31 laps before Gurney's winning pass, and Darren Law made a pass for second-place with just under two laps remaining. Plumb and Sigal advanced 15 positions to third in the No. 7 Rum Bum Racing Dinan BMW Riley, taking home the Suntrust most improved position award.

While it rained - and sometimes poured - during Saturday's EMCO Gears Classic for the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16, Rum Bum Racing co drivers of the #7 Rum Bum/Big Vision Miami/ Caramba Tequila/ Dinan BMW Riley almost won their first race of the season but Plumb had to give up the lead only 9 laps before the end to finish third. Matt Plumb crossed the finish line 1.347 seconds behind the race winner Gurney.

Plumb was spectacular in his stint and proved once again his unbelievable talent.

"It felt great. The conditions were a little sketchy, but obviously it allowed us to move up pretty quickly because we had a good wet setup", declared co-driver Matt Plumb after the race. "The Rum Bum Racing car ran flawlessly. We never had any issues. I am excited, the team needed a strong result and we got one at the right time. The Pirelli tires were great, but obviously, near the end, we may have found the limit on the rain tires."

"I am so happy for the entire Rum Bum Racing team and for Luis Bacardi, the owner of Rum Bum who trusted us to get that kind of results in 2008" announced Rum Bum Racing team owner and co-driver Gene Sigal. "It was exciting, the Dinan BMW engine was awesome and very powerful and definitely the best engine out here in the rain condition. We thought it was going to rain all weekend, but we thought we would get some practice time in the rain. When the race started, I just tried to keep it clean and give a good car to Matt. But right at the beginning of the first lap, I got rear-ended. That was the worst of it, but I saw parts flying everywhere. But it all worked out well. The team did a great job. We've been through a lot the last few weeks, but everyone stayed with the game plan. We set up the car to work through both dry and wet conditions. The Pirelli tires worked out great, they held up for two hours. Matt had a handful at the end but we had a great time." Added Sigal.

Gene Sigal who started Sigalsport in 2004 is one of the only active series drivers that has now scored a podium finish in all classes of the Rolex Series including SGS in 2004, GT in 2005 and 2006 and DP last Saturday at Mid-Ohio.

Rum Bum Racing gained four positions in the championship and is now 10th in points in the 2008 Rolex Series team point standings. The next race is at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday, July 3.

TRG's Ende and Pumpelly finish second in KONI Challenge GS race at Lime Rock Park-strong showing from Schroeder and Ludwig.

May 27, 2008 - LAKEVILLE, Conn. - TRG drivers Duncan Ende and Spencer Pumpelly earned their first podium finish of the 2008 Grand-Am Koni Challenge Series season today finishing second in the GS race at Lime Rock Park.
Ende started 13th in the No. 39 DigiTrust Group/Adam's Polishes/Fox River Coffee/Sherab Khandro.com Porsche 997 and quickly fell six positions at the start due to getting caught behind a slower car. But, as the field began to spread out, Ende began picking up positions and even had the No. 39 machine in the top-10 before handing it over to co-driver Pumpelly.

On lap 51, Ende brought the No. 39 Porsche 997 to pit lane for a green flag pit stop that included a driver change. Now with Pumpelly behind the wheel the team had some work to do because Pumpelly fell from 10th to 22nd before all of the pit stops had cycled through.

"My opening stint went pretty well," Ende said of his start. "I lost several spots at the start. I tucked in behind the wrong guy in turn one and people went around us on the outside in turns one and two and then on the inside in three. But, then it was a pretty steady stint. I was basically behind one of the Turner and one of the Automatic cars the whole time. It was just a waiting game - waiting for one of them to make a mistake. But, it was pretty hard to pass.

"It was a steady stint until one of the Automatic cars decided to out-brake himself. He hit the side of the curb and then hit our car. It did not put us out so we counted ourselves lucky."

Undaunted by his position, Pumpelly managed to knife through traffic setting faster lap times as the race went on. In fact, Pumpelly set the team's fastest race lap with a 0:59.029 on lap 102 of the 140-lap event.

On lap125, Pumpelly was running third when he passed the No. 37 Mustang GT for second. With only 15 laps remaining and with the leader having a nearly 12 second lead over the field, Pumpelly did his best to chase down the leader. But, he simply ran out of time cutting the eventual race-winner's margin of victory down to 2.302-seconds.

"TRG gave me an excellent car this weekend," Pumpelly said. "I couldn't have been happier with the team and my co-driver Duncan. We dug ourselves in a hole with the DNF in Daytona. So, we are looking for nothing but good finishes from here on out if we are going to be in the championship hunt. I think Duncan and I can contend and that's what were here for and what TRG is here for. Today was a good day."

David Coulthard celebrated his first podium for two years at the Canadian Grand Prix - the race where he claimed the first points of his career in 1994.
The Scot had not scored in the first five races of 2008 but made amends with a surprise third in Montreal.
"I am delighted because I never expected to get a podium this weekend," the 37-year-old Red Bull driver said.
"Canada was where I scored my first points so I am in a reflective mood - 15 seasons seems a long time."
Coulthard, who was last on the podium in Monaco in 2006, used his experience to pick his way through the field from 13th place on the grid.
He worked his way up to third following the intervention of the safety car and the fall-out from Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen's pit-lane crash.
After two retirements this season and two best-place finishes of ninth, Coulthard was satisfied to get his campaign up and running.
"I have had a horrible, ugly start to the year," said Coulthard, who has now finished on the podium 62 times in his Formula One career.
"So I'm delighted to get a podium for the team, it's a real credit to Red Bull for the efforts they are putting in."
Coulthard had to run to take his place on the podium after his car ground to a halt after the race.
And the Scot said he had to nurse his car through the closing stages of the race as its performance began to deteriorate.
"You cannot believe how difficult it was at the end," Coulthard said.
"I just had to bring the car home. Funny enough the car stopped in the pit lane so I'm glad it did it after the chequered flag.
"You can expect some unusual results here, so we fuelled it long and the one-stop strategy worked well.
"The start was pretty hairy with all the cars bunched up but my goal was to get to the finish and get the points so this is a great result.

May 22, 2008

TRG's Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series Team Ready for Restart After Long Break

PETALUMA, Calif. - It has been four long months since the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series opened its season in the Fresh From Florida 200 at Daytona International Speedway, but TRG's Grand Sport (GS) program is ready for this weekend's restart at Lime Rock Park.

TRG will field a pair of entries in Monday's 2.5-hour race around the 1.53-mile, seven-turn road circuit at Lime Rock. Co-driving the No 39 DigiTrust Group/Adam's Polishes/Fox River Coffee/Sherab-Cando.com Porsche 997 will be Duncan Ende and Spencer Pumpelly, with Scott Schroeder and Peter Ludwig sharing the No. 41 Cohen Financial/Wolf-Tec Inc./www.WTinc.com/Ludwig Motorsports Porsche 997.

"I'm really impressed with the level of professionalism all of our drivers have projected during this unusually long break in the season," said TRG Team Manager Jason Myers. "They have maintained their level of fitness, training as often as possible, studying tracks and of course, getting behind the wheel as much as possible. It really shows how much they care about their performance with TRG and ultimately their racing careers."
Schroeder co-drove the No. 41 machine to an eighth-place finish with Andy Lally in the season opener at Daytona after starting from 42nd on the grid. He is joined for the first time in the No. 41 machine by New Paltz, N.Y. resident Peter Ludwig, who won the KONI Challenge GS race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca last year alongside Pumpelly and started and finished second in the Lime Rock GS race with Pumpelly while driving for Marcus Motorsports.

Pumpelly and Ende, meanwhile, swing back into KONI Challenge action looking for a bit of revenge after missing out on a potential victory in the Daytona season opener. Ende qualified 10th and kept the car within sight of the leaders throughout his stint before handing the controls over to Pumpelly to finish it out. Pumpelly drove the No. 39 machine all the way to the front of the field within the final half hour, only to have a terminal mechanical failure strike just seconds after taking the lead. They wound up 32nd in the GS race standings. Pumpelly is also currently second in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series GT standings with co-driver Tim George Jr. heading into this weekend's sixth round of the season, also at Lime Rock Park on Memorial Day Monday.

"We have worked on our engine reliability issues," Myers said. "The No. 39 car had a podium in the bag at Daytona before the pop, no questions asked. That much was proven by Schroeder and Lally climbing all the way from 42nd to finish in eighth position. We just need them to go the distance, and we believe we have now remedied this. All of us here at TRG-the engineering staff, the car chiefs and mechanics, etc.-have been working extremely hard trying to scrounge every ounce of performance we can out of the cars."

In last year's GS race at Lime Rock, both Ende and Schroeder led the historic event. Ende and Grant Maiman wound up fourth in the No. 39 TRG Porsche, while Schroeder and John Bibbo co-drove to a 20th-place result in the team's No. 40 machine.

"Last year, Duncan Ende and Scott Schroeder both led the race at Lime Rock and each are coming back for some sweet revenge," said TRG owner Kevin Buckler. "The drivers have been working hard on their fitness and the team has done everything it possibly could on the mechanical side. Everybody has been working really hard and we're ready for the race. We want this one bad."

The KONI Challenge Series GS race from Lime Rock will be televised on SPEED at 8:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 31. Live Timing & Scoring data from every session will also be available on www.grand-am.com.

TRG was founded in 1993 and has been competing at the top level of sports car racing ever since. The team has the most wins of any team in the Grand-Am Rolex Series with 23, including the 2005 and 2006 Rolex Series GT championship trophy to go along with wins at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 24 Hours or Le Mans.

TRG is a manufacturer and distributor of high-performance racing parts. The group specializes in engine and chassis building as well as full service professional race car preparation. The company also provides electrical and mechanical engineering services, driver development and arrive-and-drive opportunities. TRG is based in Petaluma, Calif., near its home track of Infineon Raceway in Sonoma as well as its new facility in Charlotte.

ENDE PREPARING FOR THE FITTEST SEASON OF HIS LIFE

April 15, 2008 - Duncan Ende partnered with Spencer Pumpelly who started the 2008 Grand Am Rolex and Koni Challenge Series with a debut in the 24 hours of Daytona, which was only hampered by mechanical trouble to his TRG Porche. He now sets his sights on pushing for the Koni Challenge title and has been preparing during the long break by ramping up his physical conditioning program by working with Former Mclaren F1 and David Coulthard’s personal fitness consultant.

Simon Hayes is the director of Performance Physixx and has worked with professional race drivers for the past decade including many in Formula 1. The training Duncan has been doing is principally targeted to assisting him to perform physiologically and mentally better in the car. This requires the driver to incorporate resistance/weight training exercises in a pattern that keeps the muscle groups in balance but also stresses the major muscle groups required in racing. Advanced weight routines are used such as single arm bench presses with heavy dumbbells whilst balancing on a stability exercise ball for high repetitions. Duncan will move from exercise to exercise resting only long enough to set up for the next exercise, these short rest periods serve to work the individual in a state of constant muscular fatigue. Also, every workout the exercises are changed or equipment used is changed to challenge the body to constantly have to adapt to a new stress. Further, to constantly develop increased levels of endurance through a variety of workouts, which include:

The grueling infamous Santa Monica stairs in California, involving running up and down over 50 steps set in a steep staircase where Duncan will perform a variety of interval training regimes. This means alternating single step sprints with double step striding. A very different workout is carried out in Manhattan Beach running up sand dunes, which calls for unbelievable core stability to balance the body whilst running up steep dunes. As race drivers perform high levels of activity whilst seated a much ignored form of cardiovascular training is kayaking again using sets of sprints and recovery intervals to both work the active muscle groups used in driving and work core stabilizers.

On the face of it, this is not training one would immediately identify with training for motor racing. However when you can operate in an environment where you limit fatigue this relates to improved concentration and performance in the car, the ability to win, states former British Royal Marines Commando and Performance Physixx Director Simon Hayes.

Simon continues ‘Duncan is one of the best young drivers out their in GT racing, and I don’t use those words lightly. His comittment and determination to succeed have been the cornerstone for his consistent improvement in not only his fitness levels but also each part of his race craft’.

Duncan Ende can be reached at: www.duncanende.com
Simon Hayes and Performance Physixx currently have openings for new clients and can be reached through their web site at: www.performancephysixx.com

May 6th, 2008 - Team Rum Bum racing finished 5th in the Rolex Sports Car Series, Bosch Engineerig 250 at Virginia International Raceway. Watch video.

April 1st
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE FOR SIGALSPORT RUM BUM IN MIAMI!

The Sigalsport Rum Bum Dinan BMW Riley co-driven by Gene Sigal and Matt Plumb finished 5th at the 2008 Grand Prix of Miami last Saturday. This fantastic performance for the Los Angeles based team is further proof that the team is strong and ready to fight with the best teams of the 2008 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car series DP class this season.

Sigal and Plumb ran a great race and Plumb was even able to run one lap in third place but had to give up the podium finish position after a hectic battle with Goossens and Negri in the last laps of the race.

This race marked the first race for Sigalsport’s new sponsor, Rum Bum. Freshly launched on Friday, March 21, Rum Bum is a multimedia entertainment company owned by Louis Bacardi, great grandson of the Bacardi company founder. In addition to launching his new brand and introducing a new lifestyle, Louis Bacardi also launched Rumbum.com, a unique sports and entertainment website designed to interact with sports fans from all around the world.

“This is a remarkable performance for our Sigalsport Rum Bum Dinan BMW racing team,” said Sigalsport Rum Bum team owner and co-driver Gene Sigal after the race. “I am so proud of my teammate Matt Plumb and our crew. They did an outstanding job and even if we did not win this year like we did in 2007, the 5th place is like a victory after what our team has been through in the last three months! I really want to thank Louis Bacardi for giving us a chance to prove to him that the Sigalsport team combined with the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series can be a great formula to develop and create brand awareness for a new brand like Rum Bum. I am very excited by the idea of taking our Sigalsport Rum Bum team to Mexico in less than three weeks,” added Sigal. “Mexico is a motor racing nation and this will be a great marketing opportunity for Rum Bum to be exposed to a new international Hispanic crowd.”

With this excellent result, the team jumped from 14th to 8th in points in the 2008 Grand-Am Rolex Series team point standings.

“I am so happy to finish 5th in my second Daytona Prototype race,” declared Matt Plumb after the race. “Gene did an excellent job in his stint. I have to commend the team for putting such a great car together and our engineer, Brian, for a well-though-out race strategy. I am delighted at the idea of going to Mexico with Gene and the Sigalsport Rum Bum team. We will use the new version of the V8 Dinan BMW engine out there and even if I don’t know the Hermanos Rodriguez track yet, I have a feeling that our car will be very competitive in Mexico City,” added Matt Plumb.

The Sigalsport Rum Bum team will make several announcements before the Mexico City race. The next Rolex Sports Car series race is scheduled in Mexico City on April 17-19 and will be broadcast live on Speed TV, Saturday, April 19.

March 24, 2008
O'Malley: Sigal Looks to Reclaim Magic
By J.J. O'Malley

Last year, Sigalsport broke through with a victory in only its eighth start in the Daytona Prototype ranks, winning at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Saturday, owner/driver Gene Sigal is hoping to repeat that magic in the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami, when he debuts the No. 7 Rum Bum BMW Riley he shares with Matt Plumb.

"It's very exciting to be coming back," Sigal said. "There's definitely a lot of pressure. A lot of things have changed since last year, but nevertheless, we're hoping to use the momentum from last year. Hopefully, we'll get a podium finish there."

As Sigal said, a lot has changed. The team went winless through the remainder of 2007 AFTER Bill Auberlen and Matthew Alhadeff took the checkered flag at Homestead.

Then, Sigal planned a major revision for 2008. He renamed the team Fortune Market Racing and switched numbers from No. 05 to No. 7 for himself and new co-driver Plumb. It was not a lucky number, though. The sagging stock market was not the best time to debut a publicly traded race team.

"The Fortune Market ordeal was very unfortunate for us," Sigal said. "It forced the team to take about 10 steps backwards. It put us in a very feeble position, knocked out and down on our butts. Now, we're starting to move forward again."

It was back to Sigalsport for the Rolex 24, where Sigal was forced to step out of the cockpit to secure funding to run the event. The team finished 28th overall and 14th in Daytona Prototype.

Now, there is new hope for the team. Friday night at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla., Luis Bacardi announced the launch of Run Bum Nation, a new brand and lifestyle company. A highlight of the festivities was the unveiling of the Rum Bum Sigalsport BMW Riley Daytona Prototype that Sigal and Plumb will drive in the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami.

"Hopefully, we can get a relationship going that will last through the next couple seasons," Sigal said. "It's going to be very exciting when you have Rum Bum Racing, Rum Bum TV - which is going to host webisodes - along with a concert series and Rum Bum apparel, which will have everything from t-shirts, hats to dog leashes, everything under the sun.

"Obviously, Rum Bum Racing is what we're responsible for, and we're going to try to take the Rum Bum Nation and promoted it through the Grand-Am Series. It's a very diverse company, and it's a very exciting project. We're glad to be part of it."

Sigal isn't the only driver looking to recapture past magic this weekend.

Auberlen will join Joey Hand in Alex Job Racing's No. 23 Ruby Tuesday Porsche Fabcar. While Auberlen shared in last year's triumph, Alex Job won the Homestead event in 2006 with drivers Mike Rockenfeller and Patrick Long, in only the team's second start in the Daytona Prototype class.

JC France also won at Homestead in his second Daytona Prototype start in 2003. He will have a new co-driver in the No. 59 Brumos Porsche Riley, 2002 Homestead GT winner Joao Barbosa. France had perhaps his best personal drive in a Daytona Prototype last year in the Miami event, when he finished fifth with Hurley Haywood.

While 2005 Miami winner Max Angelelli is no stranger to Gatorade Victory Lane, his new co-driver, Michael Valiante, is looking for his first victory. They'll be debuting a new car, the brilliant orange No. 10 SunTrust Pontiac Dallara.

With a long list of non-Miami winners competing this weekend - including Alex Gurney, Jon Fogarty, Scott Pruett, Marc Goossens and Oswaldo Negri - odds are that we'll have a first-time Homestead victor. That is, unless one of the past winners can reclaim some old magic.

RUM BUM TO SPONSOR SIGALSPORT AT GRAND PRIX OF MIAMI

Miami, Florida, Thursday, March 20, 2008 - Sigalsport won the 2007 Grand Prix of Miami last year and 2008 co-drivers Gene Sigal and Matt Plumb will do everything they can to score another success on Saturday, March 29, when the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series returns to Homestead Miami Speedway for the second round of the 2008 Rolex Sports Car Series.

After a good season start at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Sigalsport found a new sponsor for the 2008 GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami. Rum BumSM is a company and brand owned by Luis Bacardi which is officially being launched to the media and the public on March 21. Rum Bum’s business plan includes the launch of Rumbum.com, Rum Bum TV SM, Rum Bum GearTM and the development and marketing of Rum BumTM signature products.

"I am very pleased to start a relationship with the Sigalsport team. Miami is our home town and sponsoring the defending Grand Prix of Miami Champion is definitely the best vehicle for Rum BumSM to launch and start promoting its new brand and lifestyle," announced Luis Bacardi, President of Rum BumSM.

"Our goal is to combine the Sigalsport sponsorship with a focused objective for the Rum BumSM brand to emerge as a pioneer and best-in-class broadband, event and viral marketing platform, as a sponsor within the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series racing community designed to catapult Rum BumSM as a leading lifestyle brand within the nation," announced Luis Bacardi.

"I am very excited that Luis Bacardi selected our team to promote its new brand and lifestyle" announced Gene Sigal, team owner and co-driver of Rum Bum Sigalsport. "Our objective for Rum Bum is to identify entertainment investment opportunities surrounding the sponsorship of the Sigalsport team in affiliation with the Grand Am Rolex Series and to assist with creating and implementing a marketing plan for Rum Bum," added Sigal.

The Grand Prix of Miami will be broadcast March 29 on Speed at 6:00 PM ET.
SIGALSPORT: Started in 2004 by American businessman and racecar driver, Gene Sigal, to operate his Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series racing program, Sigalsport is poised to become one of the most successful sports car racing teams in North America. In just its eighth Daytona Prototype start as a team, Sigalsport scored its first Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series overall victory in the 2007 Grand Prix of Miami. In only four seasons, Sigalsport evolved from a newborn team to a Daytona Prototype championship contender in the Rolex Series. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, in a 30,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility, Sigalsport is one of the fastest growing and most ambitious teams in the paddock and is always ready for the next challenge.

MILLER AND RUSSEL SCORE TOP 5 IN THE FRESH FROM FLORIDA 200 AT DAYTONA

Jon Miller, co-driving with David Russell in the #99 Automatic BMW M3 sponsored by Weeden Consultants and Fresh From Florida started the season off on a high note. Miller took advantage of a rainy qualifying session to post the 3rd fastest time. Starting from the second row, Jon challenged for the lead as soon as the green flag fell.

“It was nice to be starting up front of such a huge field. I had some bad luck here last year so I was really looking for some redemption. I was focused on making a clean start and settling in to a good rhythm. Coming into turn 1 I had a run on the leader, but I decided to back off and follow him down to the horseshoe. I wanted to push him pretty early in an effort to run with him and gap the cars behind us, or force him into a mistake. I was able to slip into the lead in turn 6 on the first lap and I never looked back. I had such a great car that I was able to build a lead of over 10 seconds at one point. I didn’t need to be overly aggressive with the ST traffic because of this, and it was a real joy to run at the front.”

These were the first laps that Miller has led in Koni Challenge competition, and he led for a race-high 28 laps before pitting to hand off to co-driver David Russell. Russell rejoined in second and fought inside the top 3 until the final laps. He and teammate Jeff Segal in the #09 car worked together, trying everything to get around the two Mustangs in front of them, but the horsepower differential proved to be too much.

“Dave did an awesome job, as always. It was a treat to get to drive with him, because he and I have been friends for a long time. It’s always so tough to be sitting in the pits, watching your co-driver go by. You’ve got to trust that he will do his best and when you get out of the car, it’s out of your hands. I had total confidence in Dave and I was glad to see him and Jeff working together at the end of the race.”

However, with only a few moments remaining in the race, it almost all came crumbling down. Dave was locked in a tight battle with the lead group of GS cars fighting for a spot on the podium, when an ST car lost control at the entry to the bus stop and made heavy contact with the driver’s side of the #99 car.

“I was watching the live Speed channel coverage in the pits and I saw the crash happen with less than ten minutes to go. I couldn’t believe how hard the hit was, and once I recovered from the shock of that, I realized that Dave was still circulating and didn’t even lose a position! I have a bad history in that corner, but this time it was just a bit of body damage, so I was relieved to see the car cross the finish line. “

Miller and Russell pick up valuable championship points with their strong finish and Miller hopes to continue the trend of strong drives at the front of the field and strong finishes for the rest of the season.

Jon’s 2008 plans are not final yet, but he plans to continue to compete for the Koni Challenge GS championship at the next round at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut on May 26th

Sigalsport Prepares To Defend Race Title At Homestead

Gene Sigal and Matt Plumb were on hand at Homestead-Miami Speedway, taking the first steps in defending their team's GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami race win from a year ago.

Well, not exactly. Sigalsport captured the win a season ago, with Bill Auberlen and Matt Alhadeff behind the wheel. Though each driver has moved on this season, the team still wants to prove they can compete for Rolex Series wins.

"It's exciting for Sigalsport to come back to Miami," said Sigal, the team's owner as well as pilot. "This was our first DP win in only eight tries. I know we're going to have some tough competition, there are teams setting blistering paces out here."

From the outside, a lot has changed for the Sigalsport BMW from a season ago. In addition to the driver changes, the yellow and blue paint scheme and the No. 5 has given way to a red and black No. 7.

Internally, however, consistency has been one of the team's key strengths.

"Our team has been around for five years now, all with the Grand-Am Series," Sigal said. "We've got guys that have been around that entire time, and even the guys that are new aren't really new; we had relationships with them in the past. My new co-driver Matt Plumb, we've always had a chance to work together away from the pro events and I think it's going to be a good combination so we'll see what happens."

Sigal drove the Tuttle Racing Daytona Prototype at the test, with his co-driver on hand to provide coaching.

"Matt was here for the two days and kind of helped me get up to speed in the car," Sigal continued. "I had to get out of the seat for Daytona, so the only time I've had in the car recently was one test at Daytona and that's not enough time to drive one of these cars."

Sigal also hinted at one more big change before the team returns for the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami.

"The team unfortunately couldn't come to the test this week because of sponsorship issues, but we're going to be running a very exciting sponsor from the Miami area at the race and do our best to defend our win," Sigal said.

Miller Opens 2008 KONI Challenge with top-five at Daytona

Contact: Matt Cleary, Sunday Group Management
media@sundaymanagement.com

Orlando-based racer Jon Miller got his 2008 Grand-Am KONI Challenge season off to a fast start recently, taking a strong fifth-place finish in the No. 99 Weeden Consultants Automatic Racing BMW M3 with co-driver David Russell the season-opening Fresh From Florida 200 at Daytona International Speedway. Miller, who raised eyebrows as he shrugged off difficult and changing conditions to take third on the nearly 100-car grid, kept his foot in it as the green flag dropped, immediately challenging another BMW for the lead and securing it in a clean move.

“It was nice to be starting up front of such a huge field,” said Miller, who will complete his studies at the University of Central Florida this spring. “I had some bad luck here last year so I was really looking for some redemption. I was focused on making a clean start and settling in to a good rhythm. Coming into turn 1 I had a run on the leader, but I decided to back off and follow him down to the horseshoe. I wanted to push him pretty early in an effort to run with him and gap the cars behind us, or force him into a mistake. I was able to slip into the lead in turn 6 on the first lap and I never looked back. I had such a great car that I was able to build a lead of over 10 seconds at one point. I didn’t need to be overly aggressive with the ST traffic because of this, and it was a real joy to run at the front.”

The run at the front marked the first laps that Miller has led in KONI Challenge competition, and he proved it was no fluke as he led for a race-high 28 laps before turning the controls over to co-driver David Russell during a pit stop. Russell rejoined in second and fought inside the top 3 until the final laps. He and teammate Jeff Segal in the #09 car worked together, trying everything to get around the two Mustangs in front of them, but the horsepower differential proved to be too much.

“Dave did an awesome job, as always,” said Miller. “It was a treat to get to drive with him, because he and I have been friends for a long time. It’s always so tough to be sitting in the pits, watching your co-driver go by. You’ve got to trust that he will do his best and when you get out of the car, it’s out of your hands. I had total confidence in Dave and I was glad to see him and Jeff working together at the end of the race.”

Locked into a battle for the final spot on the podium, things looked to be crumbling down as an ST-class entry lost control at the entry to the bus stop corner and made heavy contact with the drivers side of the No. 99 Weeden Consulting machine.

“I was watching the live Speed Channel coverage in the pits and I saw the crash happen with less than ten minutes to go. I couldn’t believe how hard the hit was, and once I recovered from the shock of that, I realized that Dave was still circulating and he didn’t even lose a position! I have a bad history in that corner, but this time it was just a bit of body damage, so I was relieved to see the car cross the finish line with a top-five finish.“

Miller and Russell pick up valuable championship points with their strong finish and Miller hopes to continue the trend of strong drives at the front of the field and strong finishes for the rest of the season. Miller’s 2008 plans are not final yet, but he plans to continue to compete for the KONI Challenge GS championship at the next round at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut on May 26th

Additional information available:

Weeden Consultants:
www.weeden-consultants.com

Driver Contact:
John Miller, jonmiller34@gmail.com
www.jonmillerracing.com

Sigalsport led the Rolex 24 at Daytona and finished 14th in DP.

January 27, 2008 - Sigalsport Dinan BMW team finished 14th in the DP class at the 2008 Rolex 24 at Daytona, the first round of the 2008 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car series and the most grueling endurance race in North America. With Matt Plumb at the wheel, the No. 7 HighCo / Cintas/ GRW.com.mx / Careco Sigalsport Dinan BMW Riley qualified 9th, proving once again the competitiveness of the team.

The No. 7 car co-driven by Matt Plumb, Stephan Gregoire, Quentin Wahl, Michael Cullen and Paddy Shovlin, led 16 laps during the first hour of the twice around the clock race! This was a remarkable performance from the Sigalsport team and its drivers who did not have a ride a week before due to problems encountered with Fortune Market.

"It was an outstanding performance that we finished the race and also that we led the race" declared Sigalsport team owner, Gene Sigal. "Our crew did a phenomenal job in preparing the car for the race and knowing the budget we had to do it, this was a miracle" added Sigal. "I had to step out of the car and sell my seat to one of our drivers because we had no budget to go racing after what happened with Fortune Market. Our drivers, Matt Plumb, Stephan Gregoire, Quentin Wahl, Paddy Shovlin and Michael Cullen formed a great driver roster and despite four accidents during the race and a gearbox problem that forced the team to change the XTRAC box after six hours, they were able to finish the race in 14th place in DP. We want to thank all the vendors (Dinan, Suntrust, Riley, XTRAC, EMCO, OMP, Guarneros, Dynamic Suspensions, Windrush Evolutions, MOTEC, etc.); our dedicated sponsors (HighCo, Careco and Cintas); our drivers, the friends of the team that financially helped too and our crew who scarified so much and stuck with us. Without all of them the team would not have been able to race at all" declared Sigal.

Matt Plumb and Stephan Gregoire did most of the driving at night and kept the car at the top of the speed chart at all times during their stints. They really helped the team climb back from 45th position after the first two accidents to 28th overall at the finish.

The Dinan BMW V8 engine that was in the car was extremely reliable, knowing that it was the same engine used for the January tests and the race. It really showed that Dinan BMW technicians developed a fantastic engine over the last two seasons and that they must be commended for their efforts. The new Dinan BMW engine will be used for the first time at Homestead by the Sigalsport team in the No. 7 car.

Alex Job Racing/Bill Auberlen Post-Daytona Press Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 27, 2008) - Just a couple hours after the sun came up on the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Rolex 24 At Daytona, the Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team suffered a disappointing blow when something happened to No. 23 Porsche-powered Crawford Daytona Prototype engine.

Driver Joey Hand was running third with nearly four hours remaining in the race when the crew noticed light smoke coming from the rear of the No. 23 machine. At first, they thought it might be a light tire rub and told him that there was some smoke coming from the car. Hand radioed back and said he didn't feel anything wrong. Just about that time, more smoke trailed behind the car and the team told him to pit.

On lap 569, Hand brought the car to pit lane thinking it might be a tire problem. When Hand stopped in the pit box, Hand got out of the car (completing his third consecutive stint) and Bill Auberlen got in. As the team diagnosed the problem, they noticed a lot of fluid under the car and pushed it back to the garage. Once in the garage, the team realized its day was finished due to an engine problem.

"I just wheel when I am told to wheel," Hand said of third consecutive stint. "I drive as hard as I can all the time and as long as I possibly can. And, that's what I did in this race. These guys put a lot of heart and dedication into this program and the least I could do is give it my all. I coach a lot of kids in go karts and I tell them, ‘I'll either win or I'll put on a show.' And, I think we did a great job of putting on a show for Ruby Tuesday and Alex Job.

"We proved that we're going to be contenders. Bill and I are going to be in this car the rest of the season. It was a real pleasure to drive with Pat Long and Andy Wallace. I think we had a team that could have won today. This result was very disappointing because fourth place was five laps back. All I had to do was keep it out of the fence and we would've been fine. Porsche gave us a new, great motor, which is what kept us in the race all night long."

"I told you this car was going to race better than it practiced," Auberlen said encouragingly. "And, it raced like a great piece of machinery with a great team behind it. Everything was going our way. We had a five lap lead on fourth. At worst, I thought, ‘Let's bring this thing home, get a podium, and get some points.' But, this is racing. You can't count your eggs before they hatch.

"This was disappointing. I am not disappointed so much for myself because I've been racing this race since I was 17 years old. I've won it a few times, but I've lost it more than I've won it. So, I am use to it. But, when you see the crew that have been working all night long with their faces black from all of rubber and brake dust, with no sleep, you feel bad for them. Alex Job, the team and all the guys did phenomenal job and I just want to thank them."

"The whole crew prepared the car flawlessly," driver Andy Wallace said. "And, my co-drivers did a fantastic job throughout all of the changing conditions. It was sure nice to see ourselves at the top of the board for quite a long time. Our team put a lot of effort into this race and this year it wasn't meant to be."

"It's very disappointing," Team Owner Alex Job said. "We had a roller coaster ride for about 20 hours. We led a couple of different times. Something happened to the engine. I feel real bad for the drivers because they gave it everything. I feel real bad for the crew. They also gave it everything because they don't sleep. They work straight through. I feel bad for Porsche because we came real close to winning this thing. But, unfortunately it was not today."

The Ruby Tuesday Championship next heads to Homestead Miami Speedway for Round Two of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 March 27-29.

Ruby Tuesday is one of the nation's leading casual dining restaurant companies, with more than 900 restaurants worldwide. It was founded in 1972 by Sandy Beall, who serves as Chairman and CEO today. The company is committed to uncompromising freshness and quality, served by passionate employees who take pride in delighting guests with an excellent dining experience. The menu features a wide variety of fresh signature items and entrees, among them the Fresh Garden Bar, Jumbo Lump Crab Cake, Chicken Fresco and Premium Aged Prime Sirloin. Guests can also enjoy Ruby Tuesday's renowned fresh handcrafted burgers, featuring its exclusive Triple Prime Burger. Ruby Tuesday, Inc. is traded on the NY Stock Exchange (symbol: RT). To find out more about Ruby Tuesday, visit www.rubytuesday.com.

Automatic Racing Daytona Release
January 27, 2008 - DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Automatic Racing started the 2008 Grand-Am KONI Challenge season in style, with finishes of fourth, fifth and seventh for three of the team's BMW M3s.

Grand Sport title defenders Jep Thornton and Jeff Segal finished fourth in the No. 09 Fresh from Florida/Automatic Racing BMW M3, followed across the line by Jon Miller and David Russell in the No. 99 Fresh from Florida M3. Charlie Putnam and Charles Espenlaub had a solid run, moving from 36th on the starting grid to seventh over the course of the three-hour race.

Miller, one of the most impressive drivers in the race, was the top qualifier for Automatic Racing after posting the third-quickest time. After the green flag, he moved into the race lead on the first lap and held onto the top spot for a long 28 laps.

Finally, after an hour of racing, Miller had to pit to refuel the No. 99, which carried the Weeden Consultants banner this weekend, and he turned the controls over to Russell. Russell ran as high as third during the remainder of the race before finally finishing fifth. With only two laps to go, Russell managed to keep the car in control despite a violent hit from another car, narrowly avoiding late-race disaster.

"Given our drama at the end I just wanted to see the car make it to the checkered flag," said Miller. "I'm ecstatic to have led so long at the start. The cautions didn't go our way but that's racing."

"I'm really happy we were able to get a great finish for the Fresh from Florida representatives and the Commissioner," said Russell, referring to Florida's Commissioner of Agriculture Charles Bronson, who was on hand for the race. "It's great to get a solid standing in the points early. The next track is much better for BMWs and we'll be aiming for the podium."

Thornton was only able to qualify 25th because of rain during the qualifying session, but he got to work moving the No. 09 through the field and led the race for three laps before pitting under caution to hand over to Segal.

Segal ran as high as third, lapping without a hood after a mounting bracket broke. The loss of bodywork didn't slow him down, and he and Thornton got an excellent start to their championship defense by earning fourth.

"I'm very happy with fourth today," said Thornton. "This is traditionally a Mustang track and to be the top BMW is great for the team. As a team owner I'm extremely pleased to have three cars in the top seven. Everybody did great today."

Putnam and Espenlaub are making their debut with Automatic Racing this weekend, but their flawless teamwork handed them seventh in their first outing in the No. 91 M3. Espenlaub, who drove the second stint, was up to 11th before a stop and go dropped him to 20th. Undaunted, he got to work making up positions before finally breaking into the top ten.

"It's fantastic to get this result for our first race in the car. Charles did a fantastic job. I'm happy I could get the car to him in a good position and in good shape. I can't say enough good about the car and the team," said Putnam.

The No. 90 Automatic Racing BMW M3 of Joe Masessa and Nick Longhi were plagued by a fuel pump failure that forced the car into retirement. It was a disappointment to both since the drivers were steadily working their way toward the front.

The next KONI Challenge race for Automatic Racing will be at Lime Rock Park from May 23-26.

Fans can keep up with Automatic Racing's season in both KONI Challenge and the Grand-Am Rolex Series at www.AutomaticRacing.com.

01-22-2008
Duncan Ende Returns to the Track and the Tube This Weekend!
While winter is still very much in evidence in much of the country, the Grand Am Rolex Sportscar Series and Grand Am Koni Challenge are poised to kick off the 2008 racing season this weekend.
The action gets started on Friday afternoon when Duncan Ende and Spencer Pumpelly begin their run at the 2008 Koni Challenge championship. The No. 39 Digitrust Group/Adams Polishes/Fox River Coffee Porsche 997 is set to take on a field approaching 100 cars in the Fresh From Florida 200 along the high banking of the world famous Daytona International Speedway.

The following day, Duncan Ende makes his Rolex Series debut aboard the No. 63 TRG Porsche GT3 Cup car in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Teaming with Ron Yarab Jr., Pierre Bourque, and Hima Maher, Duncan and his codrivers will pilot the 420 horsepower, 175 mph GT car twice around the clock in one of the most historic and prestigious tests of car and driver speed and endurance in the world.

The Rolex 24 will be televised live on Fox on Saturday the 26th, starting with a half hour pre-race show at 1:00 pm Eastern, 10:00 am Pacific, and continuing through the wave of the green flag for 90 minutes of coverage before turning over to Speed Channel, who will bring you another 15.5 hours of coverage up to and past the fall of the checkered flag on Sunday afternoon. Don/'t miss the bright red No. 6 car take on the best field of sportscar racers in the world on the legendary 3.56 mile Daytona track!

Duncan Ende and Spencer Pumpelly return to the airwaves with the Koni Challenge series aboard the No. 39 Porsche. Speed Channel will bring you the Fresh From Florida 200, Saturday February 2nd, at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific. Speed will be airing six Koni Challenge races throughout the year, bringing you some of the most exciting and diverse production based car racing in the world!

www.duncanende.com
The DigiTrust Group
Adams Polishes
Fox River Coffees Racers Roast
Koni Challenge

11-06-2007
Successful Rookie Debut Hints at Great Possibility In 2008
When Los Angeles native Duncan Ende first decided to take on the call of the Koni Challenge in 2007, to many outsiders it seemed like a daunting task. With a background purely in the open wheel ranks, the change to a heavier, softer-sprung TRG Porsche 997 was undoubtedly a major challenge for the 22-year old.

“The Porsche was definitely a different beast from what I’d been driving in the past, but the opportunities with Grand-Am and TRG were just too tempting to pass up” stated Ende.

However, after dueling it out with a number of very experienced competitors during the 12-race season, Duncan can proudly look back on a very accomplished debut year, which would result in three top-10 finishes, including leading several races & a season best 4th in Lime Rock, Connecticut.

“Duncan’s progression throughout the season was exceptional” noted TRG team owner Kevin Buckler. “We had a young man who came in to our development program as one of open wheel racing’s more promising talents, and through his focus, determination, and open minded attitude with our engineers and driving coaches, I can proudly say that Duncan is becoming one of sports-car racing’s fastest-rising stars.”

One of the reasons Duncan decided to take the plunge with TRG was because of their highly-rated driver development program. Utilizing the best available on-board data acquisition software and video, and coupling Duncan with such standout coaches as Daytona 24 Hour winners Andy Lally, Spencer Pumpelly, and Grant Maiman the ability for Duncan to quickly get on the pace was greatly helped by TRG’s resources.

“I have to thank guys like Andy and Spencer, and of course my 2007 co-driver Grant Maiman. These guys were constantly feeding me with positive re-enforcement as well as constructive critiques, and I think that all combined to such a fun year,” stated Ende.

“Duncan’s progress throughout 2007 was impressive. He really kept me honest at the end of the year, and my best memory was watching him run in the top three in Utah,” stated TRG coach, and Duncan’s 2007 teammate, Grant Maiman.

Spencer Pumpelly will be Duncan’s team mate for the 2008 Koni Challenge season.

I think with Spencer’s talent and TRG’s teamwork, there’s no reason we can’t seriously run for the championship next year.” said Duncan.

With 2007 now fresh in everyone’s minds, and Duncan and Spencer preparing for their first test together at the upcoming November test days, the team shows nothing but promise.

“I think all of our cars have a great shot at the Koni title next year,” exclaimed Kevin Buckler, “but without doubt Duncan and Spencer are going to be really tough for everyone to beat. We have two top-line drivers in that car and a year of experience under all of our belts and I think everyone in the paddock is going to take notice.”

Duncan Ende will continue with his sponsorship from a number of different organizations in 2008, including the DigiTrust Group, Adam’s Premium Car Care Products, KnowledgeNews.net, and even his own “Racer’s Roast” brand from the Fox River Coffee Company.

TRG is a manufacturer and distributor of high-performance automotive parts, an engine and chassis building and tuning facility, a full-service race-car preparation shop and multiple professional race teams. The company also provides electrical and mechanical engineering services, driver development and arrive-and-drive services. TRG is based in Petaluma, Calif., near its home track of Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.

Porsche Lends Support to TRG's Seven-Car Daytona Assault
PETALUMA, Calif (December 28, 2007) -- Setting out for next week's Daytona Test Days, The Racer's Group has one goal in mind-to continue the winning streak. Having reached the podium five of the last six years, including winning once in class and once overall, TRG is seen as one of the favorites to win the GT class in the 46th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona January 25-28.

The odds just got a little better. As if entering seven Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 cars filled with a number of previous winners and strong drivers wasn't enough, TRG has signed four of Porsche's top factory drivers to the TRG roster. Romain Dumas, Emanuel Collard, Richard Westbrook and Martin Ragginger will join the team to assist in the effort at Daytona.

"TRG has had an incredible streak in the last six years, and we're ready to include this year as the seventh," stated an excited TRG team owner Kevin Buckler. "Porsche has been an incredible partner since we started this team, and their continued confidence in us pushes us that much harder to hold up our end of the bargain. 'Excellence was expected' is one of Porsche's mottos, and we plan to deliver."

Hopes are high for TRG's number 66 Porsche GT3 Cup 997. The drivers will be Bryce Miller, Ted Ballou, and Andy Lally. Running the 66 for the full season, Bryce Miller will be driving in his first race with the team after an impressive 2007 rookie season in Rolex GT. As an IMSA Cup champion, Bryce is also widely recognized as one of the best Porsche drivers around. California native Ted Ballou will join the group for his second Daytona run. After a winning season in the Koni Challenge series, Ballou wants to capitalize on his growing experience with a strong team. Andy Lally, TRG's long time multi-series champion, adds an exclamation point to the group.

"I am extremely excited to be driving with TRG at this historic event," stated the young Miller. "The team is focused on a championship in 2008, and I have to thank Porsche and the entire TRG squad for really stepping up to help make this a realistic possibility. Daytona is the toughest race of the year, so having a terrific car and talented teammates will only help.

Looking to defend last year's podium, JLowe Racing's number 64 TRG entry is another standout. The regular pairing of Jim Lowe and Rolex 24 winner Jim Pace will share the 64 car. This will be their fourth year together. Lowe is a Neurosurgeon by weekday and professional race-driver by weekend. He has shown a steady rise in performance over the last two years, highlighted strongly by last year's podium at Daytona.
"Jim Lowe and all of the guys on the 64 have been an incredible group to work with over the past two years," continued Buckler, who is excited to be running another year with the group. "The 64 car has quickly become one of Rolex GT's stronger competitors, and it's been a real treat to have a group of their caliber under our umbrella. Jim and Jim are tough competitors and have become good friends and that makes it even more satisfying to help them achieve their goals."

"We've got a tremendous line up for this year, and we definitely want to be on the podium again, perhaps even higher!" exclaimed Lowe. "Last year's result was a major highlight for me, and I'd love to go home with a watch this year."

Joining Lowe and Pace will be Tim Sugden, RJ Valentine, and Johannes Van Overbeek. Daytona veteran Valentine and teammate Andy Lally won more Rolex GT races than any other driver in 2007, and will be running in at least eight races for 2008. Van Overbeek is the recipient of the 2007 Porsche International Driver's Cup, after being one of only two drivers who managed to take Porsche to victory in the American Le Mans GT2 category. Porsche selects one independent driver a year for the honor, with an alumni list that includes Bob Wollek, Marc Lieb, and Kevin Buckler after his wins at Daytona and Le Mans in 2002. JLowe Racing's fifth driver Tim Sugden won this prestigious trophy in 2005, adding to his impressive list of accomplishments.

TRG's 67 car is yet another entrant with high expectations for this year's Rolex 24. As a car with four hot young talents, patience and consistency will be the key to their race. Driving in his first Rolex 24, season long driver Tim George, Jr. puts it best. "I feel we have one of the top driver line-ups for the race, and I have to thank TRG for helping me get this together. I look forward to making my 2008 debut with TRG among such great co-drivers. I understand that we must all stay clean and consistent. As in everything I do, I will give this race my best effort."

Running in his second Rolex GT race for TRG, New York native Tim George, Jr. will be joined by an all-star line-up. Tim had an impressive rookie season in last years Koni Challenge, and looks to continue his success. Driving alongside Tim for the whole season will be the 2006 Daytona 24 Hour winner Spencer Pumpelly. Spencer will be looking to add another watch to his collection, or perhaps give it to his recently engaged fiancé?! In addition, 2001 US F2000 Champion Bryan Sellers will join the 67 car lineup. Bryan will be running select races in 2008 for TRG with RJ Valentine.

When it comes to legends, look no further than the line-up in TRG's number 62 entry. Featuring five drivers from different backgrounds, the team is highlighted by one of sportscar racing's most colorful characters, Jack Baldwin.

"I've been friends with Kevin for a very long time, and it's great to run together this year," stated the Trans-Am legend Baldwin. "We've got some really hungry guys in this car, and I want to see everyone get the best out of this experience."

Driving alongside Baldwin will be Claudio Burtin, Scott Tucker, and Ed Zabinski. Burtin has a wealth of experience in various sportscar and Trans-Am machines, and is a longtime friend of Baldwin. Kansas native Scott Tucker joins the team for his second run in Daytona. In spite of running his first professional car race in 2006, Tucker has already elevated himself to a proven winner in 2007's Ferrari Challenge series. In his 23 years of racing, Zabinski has driven open-wheel cars, sportscars and Prototypes. "This is a great car with a terrific group of drivers. Keep an eye on these guys" commented Buckler. The 62 car will be sponsored by Foametix, the leader in spray-on foam insulation.

DUNCAN'S VIEW
In the 63 car, youth and experience is the name of the game for this foursome. Starting with 22-year old Duncan Ende, speed and patience will be the key to his race. As one of the up and coming stars in last year's Koni Challenge series, and one of TRG's newest professional drivers, Ende will be making his Daytona 24 debut. Joining Ende will be Ron Yarab, Pierre Bourque, and Hima Maher. Bourque brings a wealth of experience in different forms of motorsports, from driving Porsches to NASCAR. Yarab is making his first Daytona start after testing successfully with the team in 2007. Maher is living his dream with the opportunity to race in the 24, and welcomes his new sponsor Wiegele Helicopter.
"Running at Daytona with the history, prestige, and number of drivers that are coming is unbelievable," stated the young Duncan Ende. "This is undoubtedly the biggest race of my life, and I look forward to making the best of it."

Also in the "legends" category, completing TRG's seven-car attack will be the 65 of Russ Oasis, Tom Atherton, Jim Stout, Jason Daskalos and veteran Tommy Archer. For years the group has been recognized as a staple for the Dodge Viper brand, competing and winning in the Trans-Am and the Speed World Challenge series. Having driven at Daytona for years with Dodge, the opportunity to run with TRG and Porsche will provide a new challenge.
"The 65 car is our sleeper car," stated Buckler. "These guys are all accomplished racers, they're smart, and they are all good friends. These are critical ingredients for a successful race at Daytona. Tommy Archer is one of the most recognized and respected drivers in sportscar racing. He's run his own team for years and managed to garner a lot of success. It's a real honor that they came to us for this year's race, and I know they bet on the right horse."

Car 68 is back with a vengeance again this year piloted by a trio of Skip Barber all stars and friends. Michael Gomez, Michael Auriemma, and John Mayes will be making their first run as a team together in a brand new TRG prepared 08 car. It will be the 2nd Daytona 24 for Gomez and Auriemma. "This is a great group of guys and they all have extensive experience at the speedway and will rely on their speed, smarts and good team chemistry for this years successful run" commented Buckler.

The addition of the four Factory Porsche Drivers will really put a cap on this incredible TRG lineup. Romain Dumas is coming off a stellar year in 2007. Running full-time for Roger Penske's American Le Mans Series effort in the Porsche RS Spyder, the Frenchman accumulated eight wins to earn him the LMP2 championship. Emmanuel Collard is considered one of the most versatile drivers in the paddock. Having driven everything from Formula One cars to Daytona Prototypes he will be looking for his 2nd win at Daytona
Also from the Porsche squad will be 2006 Porsche Supercup Champion Richard Westbrook, the latest in Porsche's arsenal of factory drivers. Completing the line-up will be Porsche's newest German hot-shoe Martin Ragginger.

The addition of these drivers by Porsche to the TRG squad is a major honor for Buckler. "We have a long history of working hand in hand with Porsche and the Factory Drivers here at Daytona and with quite some success. We understand and respect that is a major vote of confidence by Porsche in our teams abilities to once again deliver the goods and we are ready. I honored to a part of this tradition and to have Romain, Emmanuel, Richard and Martin as part of my squad. These guys are the best or the best and they are truly welcome addition to this years Daytona effort.

With the next test only days away and the race only a few weeks away, Daytona brings a combination of challenge and promise. Seven cars are a major task, requiring over 100 crewmembers, a caravan of haulers, and endless amounts of food and drinks. Not to mention many flights, hotels and extremely detailed planning for the whole army. However, for TRG this is all part of the tradition.

"It is sort of a logistical nightmare but these guys are used to it by now and everything tends to flow smoothly," joked Buckler. "We're able to run so many cars because we employ incredibly talented people to run the program. Our experienced and efficient operation allows us accomplish things that smaller teams can't and to try and make every aspect of our program first class so that everyone benefits. As our support from Porsche demonstrates, TRG has always prided itself on putting the best group of guys in place to do what they do best. This is the only way we could continue to pull this off year after year. Our driver line-up is one of the strongest ever for 2008. There's not a weak shoe in the whole group, and not a single driver who can't maintain a solid pace. It's going to be tough, but it would be nice to see the top step of the podium again. We are confident and we are ready."

No. 62 Jack Baldwin, Claudio Burtin, Scott Tucker, Ed Zabinski?No. 63 Duncan Ende, Ron Yarab, Pierre Bourque, Hima Maher.?No. 64 Jim Lowe, Jim Pace, RJ Valentine, Johannes van Overbeek No. 65 Russ Oasis, Tom Atherton, Jim Stout, Jason Daskalos, Tommy ArcherNo. 66 Bryce Miller, Ted Ballou, Andy Lally. No. 67 Spencer Pumpelly, Tim George, Bryan Sellers No. 68 Michael Gomez, Michael Auriemma, John Mayes?At Large Romain Dumas, Emanuel Collard, Richard Westbrook, Martin Ragginger

TRG is a manufacturer and distributor of high performance automotive parts. TRG is also an engine and chassis building and tuning facility. There is a full service racecar preparation shop and facility to house the professional race teams. The company also provides electrical and mechanical engineering services, driver development and arrive and drive programs. TRG is based in Petaluma California, near its home track of Infineon Raceway.

A good read: IndyCar driver Servia gobbles up team's data An erudite sort whose helmet sports a Salvador Dali tribute, Oriol Servia missed the reading as much as the racing when his first stint at Newman-Haas Racing ended six years ago.

In title chase, Servia finds comfort at home

A good read: IndyCar driver Servia gobbles up team's data

An erudite sort whose helmet sports a Salvador Dali tribute, Oriol Servia missed the reading as much as the racing when his first stint at Newman-Haas Racing ended six years ago.