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Townsend Bell Signs w/Dorricott Racing

11 January 2000

BARBER DODGE ACE TOWNSEND BELL SIGNS WITH DORRICOTT RACING 
FOR 2000 INDY LIGHTS SEASON

        SUNNYVALE, Calif. (Jan. 10, 2000) - Defending Indy Lights champion
Dorricott Racing has announced that Barber Dodge Pro Series veteran driver
Townsend Bell, of Costa Mesa, Calif., will officially drive for Dorricott
Racing in the 2000 Dayton Indy Lights Championship. Bell will fill one of
two openings created by the departures of 1999 PPG-Dayton Indy Lights
Champion Oriol Servia and Philipp Peter, who finished third place in the
Indy Lights championship. Indy Lights championship runner-up Casey Mears
will return for his second season with Dorricott Racing.

        "I had been speaking with Mr. Dorricott for the past year and a
half in looking to lay a foundation for any future possibilities," said
Bell. "We had an up and down year in Barber Dodge but we still finished
third. When it came time to make the next step, Dorricott Racing remained
the best direction I could go if only I could become involved with their
program. I feel very fortunate to have been chosen. It's rare to step into
one of the best seats of any series as a rookie. There are a handful of
people out there that know how hard I've worked to get to this point.
They'll be happy to know I've secured one of the top rides in racing."

        Bell finished third place in the 12-race 1999 Barber Dodge
Championship. His eight top-10 finishes included six showings in the
top-five and highlighted by a third round victory at Lime Rock Park. Bell
displayed tactical prowess on numerous road and street circuits including
second place at Watkins Glen and third place at Laguna Seca. After winning
the pole at Portland with a Barber Dodge Pro Series track record, he
finished fourth. His first career oval race at Nazareth was equally
impressive where he finished third place. His first career race at Road
America netted a fifth place finish.

        The 24 year-old Bell entered nine of 12 Barber Dodge Pro series
events in 1998 and quickly showed a natural ability to be a front-runner.
In scoring three top-10 finishes, he did so behind a third place at Road
Atlanta, fifth place at Laguna Seca (race one), and eighth place in a
return to Laguna Seca later than season. 

        As a successful competitor in regional and national karting
competitions, Bell attended the Skip Barber Racing School in 1996. He
finished fourth place in the 1997 Formula Dodge Western Championship that
included two first-place and eight overall podium finishes in 10 rounds. He
scored a fourth place finish in his first career Barber Dodge Pro Series
race at Laguna Seca after qualifying seventh. 

        "He was quite impressive in our testing sessions and got up to
speed as quickly as anyone we've ever tested," said team owner Bob
Dorricott. "He not only showed he can race with the best in the Barber
Dodge Pro Series, he also proved he can win and consistently run in the
front of the field."

        The first round of the 12-race 2000 Dayton Indy Lights Championship
will be at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, April 16, 2000.