ARIE LUYENDYK JR. TO RUN #9 MULTIMATIC FORD FOCUS DAYTONA PROTOTYPE IN ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA FOR SPEEDSOURCE
January 2, 2004 ARIE LUYENDYK JR. TO RUN #9 MULTIMATIC FORD FOCUS DAYTONA PROTOTYPE IN ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA FOR SPEEDSOURCE (Scottsdale, AZ) - Arie Luyendyk Jr., Indy Racing League competitor and son of two-time Indy 500 winner Arie Luyendyk, will pilot the #9 Multimatic Ford Focus Daytona Prototype car in the upcoming Rolex 24 At Daytona for the SpeedSource team on January 29-February 1, 2004. Arie Jr. will be teamed with veteran endurance racers Mike Borkowski and Paul Mears Jr., with a fourth driver for the #9 team being announced in the near future. Arie Jr. is participating in a practice session for the Rolex 24 At Daytona January 3-5, 2004. SpeedSource has had many years of success in endurance racing, particularly in Mazda's, but 2004 will be their first attempt in the Rolex 24 At Daytona in the powerful Prototype machines, the premier class in the Rolex Sports Car Series "I am very excited about the chance to compete in the Rolex 24 At Daytona," said Arie Jr. "This will be the SpeedSource team's first run at that prestigious race in the Daytona Prototype class, so I'm hoping I can run a strong race for them in their inaugural attempt in that class. SpeedSource and owner Sylvain Tremblay have given me a great opportunity to show my talents in the greatest endurance race in America. I can't wait to get on track and start working with my new teammates, Mike (Borkowski) and Paul (Mears Jr.)" SpeedSource owner Sylvain Tremblay assembled a few veterans to partner with 22-year-old Arie Jr. for this mammoth event. "We're excited to have Arie on our team for this prestigious race," stated Tremblay. "It's great that we were able to put Arie Jr. with seasoned veterans like (Mike) Borkowski and (Paul) Mears Jr. on the #9 car. A good finish will be expected by the entire team with the talent and experience we have in that car. It's going to be fun to watch." Keep up with the progress of Arie Jr. and the SpeedSource team during the Rolex 24 At Daytona by checking your local SpeedChannel listings for broadcast times on January 31st. Photos of Arie Jr.'s test session at Daytona International Speedway from Jan. 3-5, 2004, can be furnished upon request to Janie Vogel at ilikeracing@comcast.net or by calling (440) 808-1813. Thank you!. Additional information about Arie Luyendyk, Jr., SpeedSource, the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Daytona Prototype cars and the Rolex Sports Car Series is listed below. # # # About Arie Luyendyk Jr. Age: 22 Residence: Scottsdale, AZ Birthplace: Den-Bosch, Netherlands Height / Weight: 6' 2", 175 lbs. Marital Status: Single Website: www.ArieLuyendykJr.com Racing Lineage: Son of two-time Indy 500 winner, Arie Luyendyk (1990, 1997); Future: Will attempt to run in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series, including the Indianapolis 500, in 2004 Awards: Named IRL Crew's "Most Popular Driver Award" winner for the IRL Infiniti Pro Series in 2003 2003 Major Media Appearances: Italian Vogue: Feature article and full-page, color photo (July); Abercrombie & Fitch Fall catalog; Feature article and full-page color photo (current); USA Today; Autosport; Racer Magazine; RPM2Nite (ESPN2) television show; Spike TV - "Super2nr"; Stuff Magazine (November shoot); ABC Sports Radio Other Job: Currently signed by the world-renowned Ford Modeling Agencies in both Scottsdale and Los Angeles Hobbies: Enjoys listening to music, working out, practicing yoga, traveling, cooking and snowboarding Racing Stats: 2003 - Final 2003 Indy Racing League Infiniti Pro Series Point Standings: 7th - 2nd in IPS laps completed - 5 top-5 finishes - Tied with Ed Carpenter for IPS all-time consecutive starts with 19 - Most consecutive IPS top-10 finishes with 11 - Won Pole Position during the recent "dreamerscandles.com 100" at Texas Motor Speedway, and also the "Michigan 100" at the 2-mile Michigan International Speedway in August (the second year in a row for this accomplishment) Other - 2nd in Indy Racing League Infiniti Pro Series standings in 2002 - Won the SCCA F2000 SoPAC National Championships on the strength of 4 victories in 2001 - Finished third at the FF1800 Marlboro Masters event in front of home crowd in Zandvoort, Netherlands, in 2001 - Wins in SCCA Regional and National races - Wins in Skip Barber Formula Dodge Series - Top-5 finishes in US FF2000 Series - Wins in SCCA FF2000 National Series - 5th in US FF2000 Oval Crown Championship (2001) - 3rd in SCCA FF2000 Valvoline Runoffs (2001) - Began racing karts in 1992 About SpeedSource In 1995, Sylvain Tremblay established SpeedSource to provide full-service race services and custom components to both club level and professional series drivers. With countless wins, and multiple driver and team championships, SpeedSource is now one of the largest road racing teams in the country. SpeedSource is committed to develop emerging technologies and build each of its cars in-house to remain at the forefront of road racing in the US. SpeedSource Facilities Specializing in Mazda racing since its inception, SpeedSource is strategically located in the city of Sunrise in South Florida between Moroso Motorsports Park and the Miami-Homestead Speedway, just hours from Daytona and Sebring. Excluding paint and bodywork, each SpeedSource car is built entirely in-house in a state-of-the-art stand-alone, 12,000-square-foot facility on 1.6 acres. Because all necessary fabrication and development equipment is on-site, SpeedSource has the depth of expertise to strictly control both the development and production processes. Start-to-finish in-house capacity also provides the needed flexibility to respond quickly to rule changes, ensure sufficient testing and optimize the performance of the cars and equipment throughout the season. SpeedSource Achievements Driver Accomplishments · 1993 SCCA ITS Champion (Tremblay) · 1993 SCCA Regional Driver of the Year (Tremblay) · 1996 SCCA Regional Driver of the Year (Haskell) · 1997 PSR Speedvision Cup Rising Star (Tremblay) · 1997 PSR Speedvision Cup Driver Champion runner-up (Tremblay) · 1998 PSR Speedvision Cup Driver Champion runner-up (Tremblay) · 1998 SCCA ITS Florida Enduro Champion (Tremblay) · 1998 SCCA SARRC ITS Champion (Haskell) · 1998 SCCA ARRC ITS National Champion (Haskell) · 1999 Rolex 24 at Daytona GT 3rd Place (Tremblay) · 1999 SCCA Enduro ITS National Champion (Haskell) · 1999 SCCA ECR ITS Champion (Tremblay/Abello) · 1999 SCCA ARRC ITS National Champion (Tremblay) · 1999 ARL ITS Champions (Haskell/Tremblay) · 2000 SCCA ECR ITS Champions (Haskell/Tremblay) · 2001 Grand-Am Cup Grand Sports 2 Rising Star (Haskell) · 2001 Grand-Am Cup Grand Sports 2 Driver Champion (Tremblay) · 2002 Rolex 24 at Daytona GT 2nd Place (Tremblay) · 2002 Grand-Am Cup Grand Sports 2 Rising Star (Sturm) · 2002 Grand-Am Cup Grand Sports 1 Rising Star (Mears Jr.) Team Accomplishments · 1997 IMSA Technician of the Year (Haskell) · 1998 Speedvision Cup Grand Sports Team Champion · 2001 Grand-Am Cup Grand Sports 2 Team Champion · 2001 Grand-Am Cup Grand Sports 2 Manufacturers Champion (Porsche) · 2002 Grand-Am Cup Grand Sports 2 Crew Chief of the Year (Haskell) · 2001 Grand-Am Cup Paddock of the Year · 2002 Grand-Am Cup ST 1 Crew Chief of the Year (Beitz/Schellenberg) · 2001 Grand-Am Cup Paint Scheme of the Year · 2002 Grand-Am Cup Paddock of the Year · 2002 Grand-Am Cup Paint Scheme of the Year · 2002 Grand-Am Cup all-time record for most entries in a season Professional Stats, 1995 - 2002 Series Results for IMSA, Professional SportsCar Racing, and Grand-Am Cup: 170 Entries 15 Wins 33 Top 3's 59 Top 5's 103 Top 10's 16 Poles For more information about SpeedSource, contact them at 10870 NW 52nd Street, Sunrise, Florida 33351, 954-578-7071. Fast Facts: 42nd Rolex 24 At Daytona The Rolex 24 At Daytona is the one of the most prestigious sports car races in the world and the season opener to the Rolex Sports Car Series. Dates: January 29-February 1, 2004 Race Start: Saturday, January 31, 2004 Race Finish: Sunday, February 1, 2004 Course: Daytona International Speedway: 3.56-mile combined high bank tri-oval/infield road course Distance: 24 hours Cars: Purpose-built sleek coupes (Daytona Prototype) and production based coupes Event Sponsor: Rolex U. S. A., Incorporated 2003 Overall Winner: No. 66 The Racer's Group Porsche (Drivers: Kevin Buckler, Sonoma, Calif., Michael Schrom, Ghent, N.Y., Timo Bernhard, Germany, Jorg Bergmeister, Germany). Margin Of Victory: 9 laps 2003 Pole Winner: Scott Maxwell, 115.969 mph, 01:50.512 sec, No. 88 Multimatic Ford Focus Daytona Prototype Distance Covered Record: 2,712.720 miles: Masahero Hasemi, Kazuyoshi Hosino, Toshio Suzuki, Anders Oloffson: Nissan R91 CP (1992) Qualifying Record: 136.521mph; 1:33.875 seconds (1993): P. J. Jones, All American Racers Toyota Eagle MKIII Race Record: 112.897mph: Hasemi, Hoshino, Suzuki, Oloffson; Nissan R91 CP (1992) Tickets to the 42nd Anniversary of the Rolex 24 At Daytona are available by calling 1-800-PITSHOP or online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com About the Daytona Prototype car The Daytona Prototypes are the premier class for the Rolex Sports Car Series. When Daytona Prototypes competed in their first race - the 2003 Rolex 24 At Daytona - there were only six sleek and stylish coupes on the starting grid. In the 42nd anniversary of the Rolex 24 on Jan. 31-Feb. 1, Daytona Prototype entries could be as many as 15, and with a year of racing under their belt, the competition should be fierce. A new era in American sports car racing began at the 2003 Rolex 24 At Daytona when the Daytona Prototypes led the field to the green flag. At a cost of just under $400,000, the Daytona Prototype is a flat-bottomed, closed cockpit, mid-engine coupe with a complete frame (non-stressed engine). It uses independent suspension with adjustable shock absorbers. Each car is aerodynamically designed to be as efficient as possible in speed and downforce, using a mandated, common to all cars, rear wing. Engines for Daytona Prototypes are available from production car manufacturers from throughout the world. To be legal, an engine must be submitted to Grand American for approval. Engines are tested and inspected to determine the power characteristics and internal components, and then that engine is approved for competition with the configuration established during testing. All engine components are available to any competitor who wishes to use them. This guarantees each competitor a chance to run near the front of the pack and race fans the prospect of exciting, close racing from start to finish. Among the Daytona Prototype teams returning for North America's most prestigious sports car race are Brumos Racing, Bell Motorsports, Cegwa Sport and G&W Motorsports. Among the competitors expected to make their Rolex 24 debuts in the Daytona Prototype class include Chip Ganassi Racing, Spirit of Daytona, BOSS Motorsports, Howard Motorsports, two-time Rolex 24 winner Doran-Lista, Essex, Michael Shank Racing, Silverstone Racing, Southard Motorsports, SunTrust Racing and SpeedSource. About the Rolex Sports Car Series At speeds approaching 200 mph on some of the most demanding racetracks in North America, the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series features the new Daytona Prototypes and GT cars with professional drivers from the United States and around the world. The season begins at the legendary Rolex 24 At Daytona, the true test of endurance. The Rolex Series continues with races ranging from two-hours to six-hours in length. The schedule includes an excellent mix of traditional road courses, like Watkins Glen International, Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Virginia International Raceway, Barber Motorsports Park and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and stadium tracks, like California Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway and Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Rolex Series consists of three primary classes of competition that race together. The sleek and stylish Daytona Prototypes will lead the production-based GTS and GT cars to the green flag at each Rolex Series event. The 'race within a race' concepts adds drama and excitement as Daytona Prototypes will weave their way past race-bred Porsches, Ferraris, Corvettes and BMWs. The on-track action will be easier than ever for fans to follow in the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series in 2004, with four competitive classes of cars competing simultaneously for both class and overall honors. Whether it's the roar of a Daytona Prototype or the scream of a high-revving sports car, the Rolex Sports Car Series has the most diverse lineup of cars, models and manufacturers offered in sports car racing. The Rolex Series treats fans to the explosive power and pinpoint handling of prototype race cars; the exciting action of race-bred production cars; plus fender-banging American performance from Ford, General Motors and Dodge. The four classes of the Rolex Series are designed to provide close and exciting competition that can be enjoyed to its fullest by competitors and fans alike. Related Websites www.ArieLuyendykJr.com www.speedsourceinc.com www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com www.grandamerican.com www.indyracing.com www.peedtv.com