IndyCar - Simona de Silvestro Gears Up For The Month Of May

Indianapolis, May 18, 2011: In 2010, at her first Indy 500, Simona de Silvestro was named Rookie of the Year. One year later, she has her sights set on the podium as the month of May kicks off at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Last Saturday, Opening Day marked the beginning of a variety of track activity and celebrations in May, all leading up to the 100th Anniversary of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing: the Indianapolis 500.

De Silvestro was eager to step into the cockpit of her #78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy car. Now that she's familiar with the historic track, she's anxious to prove that she can be a front-runner.

"I couldn't wait to get out there," she says with her signature grin. "I'm a bit nervous because it's such an important race, but overall I think we're going to do really well. My engineer has some great oval experience and I feel confident about our Nuclear Clean Air Energy car. I'm ready and honored to be one of the few people who get to take part in this prestigious event."

The rain has been somewhat of a factor for the first few days of practice, cancelling track activity altogether on Sunday. DeSivestro and her crew won't be deterred. With plenty of practice time on the schedule for this week, they're confident that they'll get the right setup for race day.

De Silvestro's team, HVM Racing is also proud to announce a continued partnership with TDS Telecommunications Corp. (TDSŪ) for this year's Indy 500. TDS partnered with HVM last year and returned to experience the race with a team that knows the importance of hospitality, marketing and technology.

"We believe Ms. De Silvestro, HVM Racing, and TDS have a lot in common, including performance, reliability, and speed. It's what the fans and our customers expect every day," says Nick Ruskowski, market manager for TDS. "We're proud to be part of the HVM Racing team and look forward to showcasing all our shared-traits and winning styles."