Ryan and Morter Rein King and Queen of the Mountain--Morter Wins "Rookie of the Year" at Pikes Peak

												Contact: Yancey Casey
												(312) 729-4379
																ycasey@golinharris.com
			
CHICAGO (July 1, 2002)--Mike Ryan and Molly Morter each added a page to the history books on Saturday at the 2002 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.  Ryan broke his former time record while Morter made it to the summit making her the first woman to compete in the powerful big rig division.

Morter, driver of the No. 33 Sirius Satellite Radio Sterling took home a second place finish in the tandem-axel division of the Big Rig class.  Not only was Morter the first female to race a big rig up the mountain, she received the prestigious "Rookie of the Year" award.

Morter achieved her goal of reaching the peak with a posted time of 15:56.4 on the 12.4-mile grueling racecourse.

"I just had one of the best races in my life," said Morter.  "Reaching the top truly proves that I can do anything.  Winning "Rookie of the Year" is such an honor; I have to thank the people of Pikes Peak for sharing their mountain with me.

"It was an incredible feeling to strap into the Sirius Sterling and race up such a steep and dangerous course.  I couldn't have asked for a better day, I had all of my friends, family and sponsors in attendance; I really couldn't have done it without them.

"I have to thank Mike Ryan for providing me with this opportunity and sharing his love of big rig racing, I'm hooked.  I would also like to pay special thanks to my crew that built and maintained the Sirius Sterling, as well as, Sirius Satellite Radio for their continuous support."

Mike Ryan, driver of the No. 77 Freightliner SuperTruck broke his previous time record of 13:39.2 with a fast time of 13:21.4.  Nicknamed "Hollywood Mike" for a reason, Ryan flipped his truck through the finish line just making it passed the timing light.

"What an incredible day, you have to say I'm truly blessed," said Ryan.  "My goal was to break my previous record on the mountain, so I really drove the Freightliner hard.  I pushed the truck on the last leg and hooked my tire just before the finish line.  The truck flew side ways across the line; I have to admit it was pretty dramatic.

"I have to thank all of our sponsors, crew and families that have supported this effort through the years, each year seems to get bigger and better.  Thank you to the staff at Pikes Peak for putting on yet another amazing event and allowing us to continue our love of racing Pikes Peak Mountain."

The "80th Race to the Clouds" will be televised on ESPN2 on Saturday, August 24th at 3 p.m. (EST) and Sunday, August 25th at 11:30 p.m. (EST).  

Mike Ryan Motorsports' success depends on its sponsors. Mike Ryan and Molly Morter would like to thank its sponsors; Freightliner Trucks, Sterling Trucks, Sirius Satellite Radio as well as; Delphi, Mercedes-Benz Power, Shell Oil, Michelin Tire, Meritor, ZF Transmissions, SelecTrucks, Accuride, Detroit Diesel, DAT Transcore, K&N Filters, Gabriel, Delco Batteries, Landoll Trailer, California Truck Duster, Interstate Wood Products, Fluidyne, Picture Vehicles Unlimited, TransWest Trucks, Gramag Seats, Trace Engineering, ConMet, Detroit Locker, Hogebuilt Fenders, and Spal Fans.