Hearn Motorsports Grabs Top-Five in Team Debut

Hearn Motorsports Grabs Top-Five in Team Debut

  

 

LEXINGTON, Oh., June 27, 2004 - Richie Hearn made his professional
racing debut winning the Winfield Pilote-Elf International Competition
in 1991. With a strong karting career behind him, Hearn started a
professional car racing career that, to date, has garnered four
Indianapolis 500 starts, an IRL IndyCar win at Las Vegas in 1996, two
IndyCar pole positions and the 1995 Toyota Atlantic drivers' title.
Saturday at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Hearn made his debut as a
car owner in the Pro Formula Mazda Series. The competitive launch of
Hearn Motorsports, with driver Raphael Matos, at the famous road course
was a stunning success as the No. 70 Showtime/ Samsung/ Skip Barber
Mazda as the Belo Horizonte, Brazil-native crossed the finish line in
fifth position. 

 

Hearn Motorsports, based at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, was never far
outside of the top-five in any on-track activity all weekend. Hearn
coached the 2003 Formula Dodge National Champion to fifth on the grid
and to the fifth-fastest lap on his way to fifth in the 28-lap race. The
debut of the team turned heads in a paddock full of veterans of the Star
Mazda series sending notice to all that Hearn Motorsports is going to be
a force in the open-wheel, formula car series in 2004. 

 

The race broadcast- which includes exciting footage from the
Showtime/Samsung/ Skip Barber Mazda on-board camera- can be seen on
SPEED, July 11, at noon eastern time. The team will work towards its
first career victory at The New England Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park on
July 3.

 

Richie Hearn, team owner/manager: "We're very pleased. Raphael never put
a foot wrong all weekend. It was a good start for us. We got 32 points
towards the championship and that is what is really important. We didn't
have any problems all weekend and we learned a lot. The car is good for
next week and that is really important to a new team with their first
two races being back-to-back. We set our goal as a top-ten and we
bettered that with a top-five. So, we're really pleased. This was a
great first showing for Showtime and Samsung and really shows what a
Skip Barber champion can do. We're heading to Lime Rock very happy."

 

Raphael Matos, driver: "I am very glad to be with Richie, with Hearn
Motorsports and here in the Star Mazda Series. I had not driven in a
series where I had to worry about the car set-up, races this long or in
a car with this technology. So, there was a lot of learning this
weekend. I am pretty happy with fifth for our first race in the
Showtime/ Samsung/ Skip Barber Mazda. I was very competitive and within
sight of the leader much of the race. We had a great battle for fifth.
It was a great start for our team."

 

For more on Hearn Motorsports and its 2004 Pro Formula Mazda Series'
effort please visit  <http://www.hearnmotorsports.com/>
www.richiehearn.com. To learn about Raphael Matos, visit his bilingual
site at  <http://www.rafamatos.com/> www.rafamatos.com. For information
on the Star Mazda Series, please visit  <http://www.starmazda.com/>
www.starmazda.com.

 

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Digital images and complete bio information available upon request.
Editors, please do not publish any contact information other than web
sites.  Thank you.

 

Contact: Tom Moore, Hearn Motorsports, Inc.: 615-778-1614 (office),
404-229-3703 (cell), tom@darkhorsecom.com