Lynx - Houston Pre Race

TWO FOR THE SHOW

Fast Facts --  Lynx Racing driver David Rutledge and teammate Jason LaPoint
in the CART Toyota Atlantic support race at the 
             Texaco/ Havoline Grand Prix of Houston, October 5 - 7. 

- Lynx Racing driver David Rutledge, who finished second in this event last
year, has already won three races from the pole this year.  He is the
leading candidate to win in the streets of Houston and move up to CART in
2002.
- His teammate, Jason LaPoint, who won the U.S. F2000 championship last
Sunday at Sebring, is a highly regarded rookie making his second Atlantic
start with the Lynx team.
- Lynx is the most unique and successful driver development program in
open-wheel racing today.  Now in its 11th year, Lynx is owned by two women
- Peggy Haas and Jackie Doty - and includes among its graduates CART FedEx
drivers Patrick Carpentier, Memo Gidley and Alex Barron.  The program
focuses on mental and spiritual growth as well as on-track performance.

        Lynx Racing driver David Rutledge and his teammate, Jason LaPoint,
will be putting on a show in the streets at the Texaco/Havoline Grand Prix
of Houston this weekend... the kind of show you don't see much of in racing
these days - a flat-out sprint from start to finish.  No consideration of
fuel or championship points will slow these drivers down.  With the
championship already won by Hylton Motorsports driver Hoover Orsi in the
previous race at Vancouver, there's nothing left to win but the race in
Houston.
        Obviously we're not talking about the champ cars, but rather the
CART Toyota Atlantic support series that serves as a triple-A training
ground for hot young drivers hoping to graduate into CART's 'major
leagues.'
        Both Rutledge, who has already won three races from the pole this
season and finished second in Houston last year, and LaPoint, the 2001 U.S.
F2000 champion making his second-ever Atlantic start, drive for Lynx
Racing, the most unique and successful combination of racing team and
driver development program in open-wheel racing today.  Lynx graduates
include CART FedEx drivers Patrick Carpentier (Player's/ Forsythe) and Memo
Gidley (Target Chip Ganassi), as well as Alex Barron.
        "The single thing on my mind this weekend is to win the pole and
win the race," says Rutledge, 23, of Vancouver, BC.  "It's time for me to
move up to CART, and winning the last two races at Houston and Laguna Seca
would be a great way to finish off a really good season.  We've done a lot
of work and preparation leading up to these final two races, and I know
that the team and I are focused on exactly the same goals."
        Rutledge's teammate in the final two races is Jason LaPoint, the 24
year-old phenom from Woodburn, Oregon who won the U.S. F2000 championship
last weekend at Sebring in his #89 Van Diemen Ford fielded by the Richard
Morgan Racing team (with sponsorship from Infinity Racing, Regency Aviation
and Trackmagic Karts).  LaPoint made his Atlantic debut with Lynx Racing at
Road America on August 19, qualifying second and finishing 7th with
handling problems.
        "There's no better way for a driver to come into a race than to
have won the last one," says LaPoint, who is also an international karting
champion.  "Momentum is a real force during a race weekend, and I'm
carrying a ton of it into Houston.  Getting to drive with a top team like
Lynx gives me a real feeling of optimism about both Houston and my chances
of moving up to Atlantic full-time next year."
        Action at Houston begins on Thursday, Oct. 4 with an informal press
conference at the Davy Jones Kart Track 12:30 pm - 3.00 pm.  On-track
action begins Friday morning, with qualifying scheduled for 1:00 pm on
Saturday.  The 43 lap Atlantic race takes the green flag at 10:15 am
Sunday, Oct. 7.  The race will air on ESPN2 and ESPN International
Saturday, Oct. 13 at 4:00 pm. (EST).    
        2001 marks the 11th anniversary of Lynx Racing, one of the most
unique organizations in auto racing today.  Created and owned by two women,
Peggy Haas and Jackie Doty, Lynx is both a championship winning racing team
and a uniquely successful driver development program that focuses on a
driver's mental, psychological and spiritual growth in addition to their
on-track skills. 
                The Lynx mission is to seek out young drivers with the
desire and potential to become champions at the highest levels of the sport
and provide them with the funding, equipment and training to take the last
step toward realizing that potential, a process the team calls 'Destiny by
Design.'  Lynx alumni include CART FedEx drivers Patrick Carpentier, Memo
Gidley and Alex Barron.  
_______________________

For further information on Lynx Racing and its drivers, please contact the
team's public relations manager, Peter Frey, at (818) 906-6997 or visit the
team's web site at www.lynxracing.com. For more information about the CART
Toyota Atlantic series, visit www.toyotaatlantic.com.
_______________________

David Rutledge has a personal sponsorship from The Keg Steakhouse & Bar, a
group of 82 casual, contemporary steakhouses spanning from Victoria across
to Halifax in Canada, and into the United States in Washington, Oregon and
Texas. Further information can be found at www.kegsteakhouse.com.

October 1, 2001