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B-K Motorsports Long Beach Report

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: johnt@c2group.com

B-K Motorsports BP Lola Mazda Records Strong Finish in Long Beach

Long Beach, Calif. – B-K Motorsports earned its second consecutive  
top-10 finish overall Saturday in the Tequila Patron American Le Mans  
Series at Long Beach. The No. 8 BP Lola B07/46 Mazda MZR-R LMP2 car  
enjoyed a solid run in the 100-minute race on the historic street  
circuit in Southern California. Gerardo Bonilla drove a consistent  
opening stint before handing over to Ben Devlin, who took the car to  
the checkered flag.

"It was pretty challenging," Bonilla said after climbing from the car.  
"We started really well and the track got very slippery. So it was a  
struggle to maintain a pace. The tires started really well, but the  
track temperature got really high."

B-K Motorsports, like many other teams, got caught out by the weather  
at race time. Initial forecasts for Saturday called for cooler and  
overcast conditions, much like what was seen in the morning. This  
would have been ideal for the team, as Bonilla clocked the third  
quickest time in warm-up. But conditions changed by the afternoon,  
bringing increased track temperature for the race.

"I think we were a bit off with the setup change we made overnight and  
this morning with the colder weather, trying to get a bit more front  
grip," Devlin said. "So I think we lost out a little bit there. But  
the tires did a great job, thanks to Yokohama. They've worked hard to  
produce a soft tire for street racing."

John Doonan, Manager, Motorsports Team Development for Mazda also  
thought cooler track conditions could have better suited the car's  
setup.

"The temperature changed on us," Doonan said. "We felt really good  
this morning. We were third quick in warm-up, it's just the sun came  
out. We needed it to stay cloudy and cool, which was what the forecast  
was for. But there's nothing you can do about it, so we'll just get  
after it in a couple of weeks."

After making the one and only pit stop for fuel and Yokohama tires in  
the race, Devlin drove the Mazda-powered Lola prototype to a eighth  
place finish in the highly competitive LMP2 category.

"We're just looking to get better every single time we go out,"  
Bonilla said. "That last stint that Ben did showed that we are making  
some progress. We learned some things with the stint I drove and we're  
going to figure out what the difference is and go from there."

With another solid finish in the books, it's mission accomplished for  
B-K Motorsports as they now turn their focus back to racing on  
permanent road-racing facilities. The next round of the American Le  
Mans Series takes the team to Miller Motorsports Park, which will host  
a the two-hour, 45-minute race on the circuit's outer course. The team  
conducted a successful test on the new layout last week and can't wait  
to return next month.

"We wanted to get out of here with a finish," Doonan said. "This is an  
awesome event, but we're looking forward to a natural terrain course  
and getting after it. We had a great test in Salt Lake City this past  
week. So we'll go into there with a lot of confidence and see what we  
can do. The car is in one piece, so we'll go home with that and get  
them next time."

On Saturday, the team and tire partner Yokohama announced their  
partnership with the upcoming motion picture "Speed Racer". The stars  
of the movie were on hand for photo opportunities with Ben, Gerardo,  
the entire crew, and the team's Mazda LMP2 race car, which carried  
"Speed Racer" decals this weekend. "Speed Racer" hits theaters  
nationwide on May 9.

B-K Motorsports' next stop will be at Miller Motorsports Park for the  
Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix presented by The Grand and  
Little America Hotels on May 16-18. SPEED Channel will provide live  
coverage of the two-hour, 45-minute race on starting at 3:00 p.m. EST  
on May 18.

About Mazda:
On any given weekend, there are more Mazdas on the road-race tracks of  
America than any other brand of vehicle. At the track, you’ll see MX-5  
Miata, RX-8, MAZDA3, MAZDA6, RX-7 and other vintage Mazda models  
competing, because every Mazda has the Soul of a Sports Car. In fact,  
the largest road-racing class in the U.S. is the SCCA’s Spec Miata  
class, with over 1,500 first- and second-generation Miatas tearing up  
America’s racetracks, making it the most-raced production car in the  
world. Mazda’s involvement in motorsports extends to its relationship  
with Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, one of the world’s premier road-racing  
circuits, and the Skip Barber Schools for driving and racing.

Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., Mazda North American Operations  
oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of  
Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada and Mexico through nearly  
900 dealers. Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada, Inc.,  
located in Ontario, Canada, and in Mexico by Mazda Motor de Mexico in  
Mexico City. For more information go to www.mazdausa.com

About BP:
BP markets more than 15 billion gallons of gasoline every year to U.S.  
consumers through 13,000 BP and ARCO branded retail outlets and  
supplies more than four billion gallons of fuel annually to fleets,  
industrial users, auto and truck manufacturers, railroads and utilities.

BP is the single, global brand formed by the combination of the former  
British Petroleum, Amoco Corporation, Atlantic Richfield (ARCO) and  
Burmah Castrol. BP is a global producer, manufacturer and marketer of  
oil, gas, chemicals and renewable energy sources. For more information  
go to www.bp.com

About Yokohama Tire Corporation:
Yokohama Tire Corporation is the North American manufacturing and  
marketing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., a  
global producer and distributor of premium tires since 1917. Servicing  
a network of more than 4,500 points of sale in the U.S., Yokohama Tire  
Corporation offers a complete line of tires, including high- 
performance, light truck, passenger car, commercial truck and bus, as  
well as off-the-road mining and construction applications. For details  
on Yokohama’s environmental efforts, go to www.ecotreadsetters.com.

American Le Mans Series
The American Le Mans Series is the premium brand of motorsport in  
North America, featuring high-tech sports cars from the most  
prestigious automobile manufacturers in the world. Its unique four  
classes of competition showcase exotic, open-top prototypes and  
sophisticated production-based GT cars, all competing on the track at  
the same time. The American Le Mans Series competes at the premier  
road racing tracks across North America and at selected temporary  
street circuits in major urban markets. With a 2007 television package  
that includes five network broadcasts on CBS and NBC and seven  
telecasts on SPEED, plus live broadcasts across Europe, the Series  
delivers a global marketing platform that is unmatched in motorsports.  
The Series, founded in 1999 by Georgia entrepreneur Don Panoz,  
represents a mirror image to the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans, the  
world’s most famous and authentic automobile race. The American Le  
Mans Series features elite marques such as Audi, Porsche, Corvette,  
Aston Martin, Ferrari and Panoz, and premium brands such as Michelin,  
Yokohama, Kumho, Lowe’s, Shell and many others. To follow the series,  
go to www.americanlemans.com.

NOTE: For additional images for editorial use, please contact John  
Thawley at johnt@c2group.com

Photo Credit: John Thawley ~ Creative Communications Group

________________________________________________________
John Thawley  ~  Creative Communications Group ~ 248.227.0110