Rocketsports Racing Las Vegas Race Preview

East Lansing, Mich. (September 20, 2005) – This season, ovals are not exactly a team favorite for Rocketsports Racing, but this weekend the team and drivers Timo Glock and Ryan Hunter-Reay have packed their lucky charms and are geared up for two action-packed evenings in Las Vegas to take on the 1.5-mile Superspeedway oval challenge.

This is the second and final oval event on the 2005 Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford, but the first and only night race this season.  This also marks the second time that the Champ Cars will race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway venue after making an inaugural appearance last year joining the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for the Double Down in the Desert.  

The whole team was busy during the couple of weeks off after a successful weekend in Montreal.  As the team was turning over the cars from a road course setup to an oval configuration, Glock returned to Germany attending the IAA Auto Show in Germany, while Hunter-Reay visited Korea to promote the upcoming race in a new Champ Car market.

Running off the positive momentum and drive of a podium finish in Montreal, Glock is prepared to take on his second-ever oval experience.  The Milwaukee Mile was the first time the young German drove on an oval course; however the Las Vegas Motor Speedway oval will offer the rookie a different challenge.  Willing and eager to get on track, Glock will make his 11th Champ Car start on Saturday evening driving the #8 DHL Global Mail Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone.

Besides three unfortunate DNF’s (Did Not Finish) this season, Glock has managed to finish in the top ten in seven out of ten races.  The former Formula One driver sits in the top ten of the Champ Car championship standings, in ninth, with a total of 146 points and is second to 2004 Champ Car Champion Sebastien Bourdais in laps completed this season, finishing 993 out of 1,017 laps possible.  Glock has extended his lead in the Roshfrans Rookie-of-the-Year battle by 27 points over Ronnie Bremer with four events to go this season.

The Champ Car Hurricane Relief 400 will mark the fourth oval that Hunter-Reay will compete on behind the wheel of a Champ Car.  His best result was at the Milwaukee Mile in 2004, when the American posted his second win in dominating fashion from the pole and in the process setting the single event record for most laps led in the history of Champ Car.  Last year’s race in Las Vegas saw the third-year Champ Car driver start inside of the top ten in the eighth spot, finishing 13th overall.  

Hunter-Reay will drive the #31 Red Paw Systems, Inc. Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone again this weekend, after the new sponsor came on board for the Montreal race.  Pleased with how the weekend went, they have extended their sponsorship and will be displayed again boldly on the #31 Rocketsports machine. 

This will be a short event for the Rocketsports team, as they roll out on Friday and prepare for the Saturday evening race.  Glock will participate in a 45-minute practice session designated for rookie orientation.  Hunter-Reay will join him for an additional practice session running from 12:45 – 2:30 p.m. (local time) on Friday before qualifying begins at 6:15 p.m. that night.  The evening activities will cap with an additional practice session later that night for Saturday’s Champ Car Hurricane Relief 400.    

Coverage from Las Vegas for the Saturday night’s Champ Car Hurricane Relief 400 can be seen via tape delay on Sunday, September 25.  SPEED Channel will air a qualifying show starting at 3:00 p.m. ET with the race to follow at 3:30.




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Notes
	Formed in 1985 by racecar driver and businessman Paul Gentilozzi, Rocketsports Racing is based in East Lansing, Michigan.  In addition to a two-car Champ Car entry, the team runs a multi-car effort in the Trans-Am Series.
	Rocketsports Champ Car entry started in 2003.  The team expanded to a two-car endeavor in 2004.  Hunter-Reay will drive the #31 Red Paw Systems, Inc. car and Glock will pilot the #8 DHL Global Mail machine.
	Rocketsports has recorded one victory (Road America, 2004) and two poles (Milwaukee, Montreal, 2003).
	Hunter-Reay is a product of the Champ Car ladder system.  Coming up through the ranks, Hunter-Reay last participated in the Toyota Atlantic Championship before making his way into Champ Car.
	Hunter-Reay has recorded two Champ Car victories (Australia, 2003, Milwaukee, 2004) in two years of competition.  He also holds the record for leading the most laps in a single event in the history of Champ Car, making him the youngest driver to win a Champ Car oval race and is the first American in over two decades to win a Champ Car race as a rookie.
	Representing Germany in the Champ Car World Series, Glock is a graduate of the Deutsche Post Speed Academy and has shown his driving talents by winning multiple championships and honors throughout the European ranks.
	Glock, a former Formula driver, started as a test driver during 2004 in a season that saw him make his F1 debut, followed by three other appearances (China, Japan, and Brazil).
	This is Glock’s first season in the Champ Car World Series.
	Glock Earns First Podium, One Lap Shy of Win – Timo Glock found himself in front of the pack in Montreal pacing his first laps in a Champ Car.  He maintained the lead for 19 laps as the Molson Indy Montreal headed toward the checkered flag.  Penalized for short cutting the course on two separate occasions, the German was forced to give up the lead on the final lap.  Earning his first podium in only ten starts by finishing second, Glock was the only rookie to finish in the top ten in Montreal and was awarded a point for obtaining the most positions during the race after starting 11th.
	Glock Continues to Fight for Rookie Honors – After his second place finish in Montreal during Round 10, Timo Glock extends his lead in the Roshfrans Rookie-of-the-Year battle by 27 points over Ronnie Bremer.  Trailing behind him by 38 points in third place is Andrew Ranger with four races left in the season before the honor is awarded to the top rookie in the 2005 freshman class.
	The Champ Car 400 will mark the 43rd start for Rocketsports in the Champ Car World Series. 

Quotes
Timo Glock #8 DHL Global Mail/Rocketsports Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone
“The Las Vegas event will be my second oval race not only this year, but in my entire racing career.  The Las Vegas Motor Speedway oval will be a different experienced compared to my first oval race in Milwaukee.  This oval’s style is quicker and it will be a night race, so it should be an exciting event for me, and the fans.  I hope we (Rocketsports) are well prepared for the race, but I can’t predict just yet how the weekend will go for us.  We will have to wait and see how it all goes, but one thing is for sure, we are heading into this event with some positive momentum after our podium finish in Montreal.”

Ryan Hunter-Reay #31 Red Paw Systems, Inc./ Rocketsports Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone
“I’m really looking forward to our first night race of the year in Las Vegas.  This event is a completely different style of racing than anything we have seen this year.  The cars will also have completely different packages when it comes to aerodynamics, so it will be interesting to see what tricks are pulled out of the bag by what teams.  The key to being fast in Las Vegas is minimizing drag as it’s completely flat out all the way around.  You can have a good oval car here, but if your aero package isn’t spot on you could find yourself struggling.  It’ll be an interesting weekend to say the least.”