Lynx - Toris Rivieres Results

RUTLEDGE ON PODIUM, VALIANTE FOURTH AT TROIS RIVIERES
        
        Lynx Racing drivers David Rutledge and Michael Valiante, both from
Vancouver, qualified third and fourth - and finished in the same order - in
the seventh round of the CART Toyota Atlantic series at the Grand Prix du
Trois Rivieres.  Rutledge's archrival, Hoover Orsi, won the race from the
pole, and Martin Basso started and finished second.  This gives Orsi four
wins this season to Rutledge's three (all from the pole - at Long Beach,
Montreal and Toronto), and a 24-point lead in the championship battle.  The
Atlantic series awards 20 points for a victory, and there are four races
left in the 2001 season.
        "I had a great car in the opening laps, until I tried to pass Basso
for second and he damaged the front wing on my car while trying to block
me," says Rutledge.  "After the incident, our aero balance was down to
about 25%, which gave the car massive understeer.  It took me a couple of
laps to figure out how to trick the car through the turns by tossing it
into the corners in a massive slide and then catching it just before I hit
the wall.  We still set the fastest lap of the race, and although Orsi
gained a little on me in the points, the championship battle is far from
over.  We'll have a very good car at all the remaining races and it's going
to be a fight to the finish.
        Rutledge's Lynx teammate, Michael Valiante, in only his fourth
Atlantic race, continued to impress with his third top-five placing.  He
finished fourth in his first-ever Atlantic race, at Long Beach, and started
from the front row and finished second at Montreal.  He finished seventh at
Toronto after an encounter with Martin Basso launched him into the air and
damaged his rear wing.
        "My car was as good as David's, and I actually managed to pass him
in the early laps, but I cooked my tires trying to get around Basso, and
that pretty much dictated the rest of my race," said Valiante.  "I'm
reasonably happy about finishing fourth in my first drive on such a
difficult track and I'll be going into high gear to try and find the
sponsorship to run the Vancouver race.  Lynx is a great team, and I'd love
nothing more than to drive every race with them."
        ESPN2 and ESPN International will broadcast Sunday's Round 8 race
from Trois-Rivieres on Saturday, August 11, at 5:00 p.m. ET, while Atlantic
fans in Canada can watch the race on CTV SportsNet on Tuesday, August 14,
at 7:00 p.m. in the EAST, ONTARIO and WEST time zones, and at 8:00 p.m. in
the PACIFIC zone.  CTV repeat dates are: EAST, Thursday, August 16, 1:30
p.m., PACIFIC, Friday, August 17, 3:00 p.m., WEST, Thursday, August 16,
3:00 p.m., and ONTARIO, no repeat date.  ESPN2 will replay the race on
Tuesday, August 14, at 4:00 a.m. 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 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
(Player's/Forsythe) and Memo Gidley (Target Chip Ganassi).
_______________________

For further information on Lynx Racing and its drivers, please contact the
team's public relations manager, Peter Frey, at (818) 906-6997.  The team
also has a web site at www.LynxRacing.com.  For more information about the
CART Toyota Atlantic series, visit www.ToyotaAtlantic.com, and the Barber
Dodge Pro Series web site is located at www.BarberDodge.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.

August 5, 2001