BAM! - new race team
BAM! A new team will enter American Le Mans Series GT competition in 2004. British American Motorsport (BAM!) is new, but it is managed by skilled veterans. Team owners Tim Munday of Jupiter, Fla. and Peter Baron of Deerfield Beach, Fla. oversee team operations - Munday as technical director, Baron as business director. Lead mechanic Matt Bishop of West Palm Beach, Fla. is supported by a talented crew of British and American mechanics working from the team's race shop in Stuart, Fla. BAM! will field the No. 43 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR for Leo Hindery of New York and co-drivers to be announced later this month. The number 43, carried by NASCAR legend Richard Petty, has special meaning for Hindery. He has enjoyed a long-term relationship with the Petty family and, with the exception of the 24 Heures du Mans, has never raced with another car number. The team principals plan to renew their partnerships with Porsche Motorsport North America and Michelin. The YES Network will continue its sponsorship of the No. 43 Porsche, with additional sponsors to be announced. Members of BAM! were previously affiliated with Orbit Racing, a multi-faceted business that includes a race team, a Porsche parts distributorship and an engine and chassis building and tuning facility. Baron, Bishop, Hindery and Munday have reorganized as BAM!, a racing-only entity, to build on their 2003 success, which included a second-place GT finish in the 24 Heures du Mans and Porsche Cup honors for driver Marc Lieb of Niefern, Germany. Leo Hindery "We really believe in the ALMS and we are totally committed to its 'For the Fans' theme. This racing-only approach allows us to commit all of our energies to the ALMS with no distractions. We look forward to continuing the partnerships we established, especially those with Porsche and Michelin." Tim Munday "I have been looking for the right opportunity to set up a crack racing team of my own. That opportunity has arrived in the shape of Leo Hindery and sponsorship from the YES Network. With the support of Porsche Motorsport and Michelin, and a mix of the best USA and UK mechanical staff, I now have the perfect ingredients to make a serious attack on the ALMS GT championship and the Le Mans 24-hour race." Peter Baron "Tim and I have 40 years of combined racing experience. We've drawn from the 'best of breed'. This team is not a new team, but an evolution of many teams, with all the success and lessons learned from those teams. BAM! has set high standards of excellence, matching Porsche, Michelin and our other technology partners. We're entering the 2004 season with the knowledge, support and expectations to win." ---------- BAM! boys Leo Hindery raced the extremes of NASCAR stock cars and exotic Ferraris before settling in sports-cars. He has been invited to the 24 Heures du Mans twice, and finished second in GT in 2003. Hindery is also involved in the business side of sports. He is a prominent cable-television industry leader, in both programming and distribution, and he was a driving force behind cable television sports. He is CEO and founder of the Yankees Entertainment and Sports (YES) Network, has an ownership interest in Petty Enterprises and is co-author of THE BIGGEST GAME OF ALL: THE INSIDE STRATEGIES, TACTICS, AND TEMPERAMENTS THAT MAKE GREAT DEALMAKERS GREAT. Tim Munday has championship experience in all facets of racing, as a driver, team owner, chief mechanic and race engineer. Armed with engineering and technical degrees, he started his career in open-wheel Formula 3 and Formula 3000 racing, then found a home in sports cars. As a team owner and driver, he won the 1996 Super Coupe Cup championship and was named British driver of the year. After honing his talent in England, Germany and Sweden, he moved to the United States and won two consecutive ALMS team championships and mechanic of the year awards - in the GT class in 2000 and LMP 675 in 2001. Peter Baron has an enviable mix of athletic and business talent. He excelled in tennis and golf before switching his focus to full-time racing, competing in both open-wheel and sports-car series. He has enjoyed success in the 24 Heures du Mans, with a fifth-place GT qualification in 2002 and a second-place GT finish in 2003. Baron has degrees in finance and economics, and experience in financial analysis and applications. He has worked in the pharmaceutical and high-technology industries, and gained a global perspective through responsibility for corporate finance operations in East European countries. ### Sylvia Proudfoot spur07@cs.com 403 287 3945