Manteca's Scott Speed Begins Formula One Career This Weekend

Contact: John Cardinale

707-334-9805

 

Manteca's Speed, Former Russell Racing School Star, 

Begins Formula One Career This Weekend

 

SONOMA, Calif. (IMMEDIATE RELEASE) - Manteca native Scott Speed will
make history this weekend in Bahrain when he becomes the first American
to start a Formula One race since Michael Andretti in 1993 in the
Bahrain Grand Prix.

 

Speed began his open-wheel racing career at the Jim Russell Racing
School, which is based at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, and will drive
this season in F1 for Scuderia Toro Rosso. This is the former Minardi
team, which has been bought by Red Bull and renamed Scuderia Toro Rosso
- Italian for Red Bull.

 

            "There's a ton of excitement, as well as a lot of nerves,"
Speed said. "I'm trying to tell myself that I'm not really expected to
do much with my lack of experience and everything else, but at the same
time I'm a racing driver and I want to do really well performance-wise.
I'm just really trying to keep my head down and keep focused and hope
it's a good weekend."

 

            Speed began his career by capturing the first Jim
Russell/RACER Magazine Trophy in 2000. He followed that with a banner
year in 2001, winning the SCCA Formula Russell Championship (presented
by Yokohama), as well as being named Rookie of the Year. Speed was
discovered at Infineon Raceway in 2003 at the Red Bull American Formula
One Driver Search by legendary driver Danny Sullivan, who is also a Jim
Russell Racing School graduate.

 

            "All of us at the school and those who competed against him
are extremely proud of his accomplishments," said Kjell Kallman, vice
president/general manager of the Jim Russell Racing Schools. "We look
forward to watching him race on television this weekend while our event
(SCCA Formula Russell Championships) is taking place in Sonoma."

 

Since being selected to the Red Bull Junior Team in 2003, Speed has won
the Formula Renault German and Eurocup Championships, both in 2004. He
completed a successful GP2 Series season in 2005, taking third place
overall. The GP2 Series is a feeder series to Formula One. Speed was
also a test driver for the Red Bull Racing Formula One team in 2005.

 

Race fans will get their first glimpse of Speed on American soil in F1
competition at the United States Grand Prix in Indianapolis, July 2. 

 

"It's for sure going to be an emotional experience," Speed said. "I am
so much looking forward to it. I remember last year doing the test
driving duties at Indy. Everyone there was so friendly."

 

Speed will be part of a two-car stable at Scuderia Toro Rosso, with
teammate Vitantonio Liuzzi. The drivers make up one of the smaller F1
teams, and they will be hard-pressed to compete with the likes of
Renault, McLaren and Ferrari, among others. Practice takes place in
Bahrain on Friday, with qualifying on Saturday and the green flag set
for Sunday at 3 a.m. (Pacific). The race will be broadcast live on SPEED
and replayed at 9:30 a.m., also on Sunday.

 

Fernando Alonzo (Renault) is the defending champion of the race, which
will span 57 laps over the 3.366-mile circuit.

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---------------------------

John Cardinale

VP of Media/Community Relations

Infineon Raceway

Highways 37 &121, Sonoma, CA 95476

wk: 707-933-3907

cell: 707-334-9805