GRAND AM (LEXINGTON) - KINETIC MOTORSPORTS ACHIEVES FOURTH PLACE FINISH AT MID-OHIO

After countless hours of working into the night at Mid-Ohio in preparation for the 7th installment of the KONI Challenge, Kinetic Motorsports earned its first top-five finish this season. The No. 79 BMW M3 piloted by Nic Jonsson and Bryan Ortiz started in the 3rd position with the No. 78 driven by Shawn Price and Brian Sellers in 14th, and the No. 80 driven by Charles Espenlaub and Charlie Putnam taking the 18th position.

All of the Kinetic BMWs made their way through the field quickly with the drivers making experienced decisions when taking positions. Jonsson was able to move up to the third spot before the first hour of the race had been completed. He stayed in that position until he pitted for fuel and a driver change with Ortiz. The 18-year-old from Puerto Rico took the wheel and stayed extremely competitive throughout his stint. Encountering a radio malfunction, Ortiz had no communication with the crew in the final laps leading to the end of the race. He was able to overcome odds of depleting fuel and brakes that were almost totally worn out taking the Checkered Flag in the 4th position."

"I really do not know what to say, commented Ortiz. We have been working so hard to get good results and it's nice to finally see the work pay off. The crew did a great job setting the car up and giving Nic and me the ability to do so well. I want to thank all of the guys at Kinetic Motorsports for giving me the best car possible and to Nic for being such a great teammate. This is the race that we have been waiting for. We have shown that if we are able to stay out of trouble we are definitely a top team."

This weekend at Mid-Ohio marks the best finish yet for Kinetic Motorsports in the KONI Challenge. Crew Chief James Pauly who joined Kinetic at the beginning of the season commented on the weekend and the top-five results.

"After the successful Mosport weekend we brought some new life into the crew," said Pauly. "Working into the late hours of the night here at Mid-Ohio the young crew got the taste of a fourth place victory. The maturity level of the whole team is finally getting to a point where we can see the top step of the podium. The young up and coming driver Bryan Ortiz earned a hard fought finish but we all knew of his talents from earlier in the season. He was a major part of the success that Kinetic achieved here at Mid-Ohio. All of the guys are looking forward to the next race at Watkins glen and hopefully coming away with another great finish."

Kinetic co-owner Russell Smith has watched his team steadily grow throughout the 2007 season. For Smith the results that his team achieved this weekend is a sweet reward for the efforts put forth by Kinetic Motorsports.

"Nic was patient, carefully summing up the two cars ahead of him," said Kinetic co-owner Russell Smith. "He finally took a calculated risk in the last corner coming into the final turn before the straight to gain second. Within a short time he made another equally spectacular overtaking maneuver to take the lead where he remained until he pitted the car for fuel and a driver change. I am amazed at the maturity of Bryan Ortiz having that of drivers who have many more years of championship winning experience. I am so proud of the way the team has developed, grown and come together in the few months they have been a team. I would like to thank James Pauly specifically for the way he has taken a group of already talented individuals and made them into cohesive team. In addition, Kinetic welcomed the opportunity to be involved with Westfield Insurance Group's first major event following its sponsorship and enhanced partnership with Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. We all look forward to building on this weekend's successes during the next event at Watkins Glen."

Putnam who qualified the No. 80 ran in top 20 ran consistently. After an hour he entered the pits to hand over the reigns to Espenlaub who managed to take the car inside the top-10. After stopping for fuel so he could make it the rest of the way, he took to the track again making his way back up in the field. Running a solid race, he was hit in the left front and had to pit again for the required repairs. Although he encountered adverse conditions, he managed to take a top-15 finish.

Price, an emerging professional driver and president and CEO of Savvion, managed to maneuver his BMW into the top-10 after some hard fought racing. He entered the pits and handed the car to Sellers for the remainder of the event. Sellers took control after an hour into the event and drove the BMW to the best of its ability despite the brake problems that were occurring. The young professional was able to hold on until approximately 40 minutes to go when it was determined that the car was not drivable due to the worsening of the brake issue. Sellers entered the pits ending the day for the No. 78.