GRAND AM (ATLANTA) - Patrick Dempsey, Hyper Sport Team Up With SoBe Beverages

Hyper Sport announced today the team’s return to Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve competition with a SoBe Beverage-sponsored Mazda RX-8 GT with television and movie star Patrick Dempsey as one of the teams drivers. The SoBe Hyper Sport RX-8 GT, appearing in a striking “Lizard Camo” paint scheme, will make its debut during the Sunchaser 1000k Sept. 12-15 at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah.

Sharing the driving duties with Dempsey will be Hyper Sport regulars Joe Foster and Charles Espenlaub. The team will make its 2007 debut in the Rolex Series GT class, but has participated all season long in the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Grand Sport (GS) class.

“The team is pumped up for our first run in the Mazda and we couldn’t be happier to bring SoBe to our party,” Dempsey said. “I was honored to run in the Baja 1000 off-road race last year with SoBe Life Water and this event represents a logical step forward for Hyper Sport as a team and myself as a racing driver. We are taking things one step at a time and are focusing on this race to test the waters for the Rolex Series. Our goal is to start and finish the race as professionals and get as much experience as we can.”

Hyper Sport is hoping to grow a successful KONI Challenge campaign into full time Rolex Series competition. In addition to the No. 54 Hyper Sport Supercuts Mustang piloted in the GS class by Dempsey and Rick Skelton, the team also fields the No. 55 Supercuts Ford Mustang driven by Foster and Scott Maxwell. Currently second in team points in the KONI Challenge series with two races to go, Foster also sits third in the driver’s championship standings. The No. 55 recorded a win this season at Mosport and has recorded two runner-up finishes.

“We’ve been looking for a way to advance the team into the GT class of the Rolex Series and the Mazda package is clearly a sorted and competitive option,” added Hyper Sport KONI Challenge Series regular and team principal Rick Skelton. “The SpeedSource guys have been great in getting the new car built and we can’t wait to get the SoBe machine on track.”

Though Dempsey’s busy work schedule has kept him from competing a full season in the highly competitive KONI Challenge series, the Grey’s Anatomy star has a season-best finish of sixth place. A relative newcomer to the sport, Dempsey continues to improve each time he climbs into a race car.

“We continue to enjoy a great relationship with Patrick Dempsey,” said Darrell Johnson, marketing director, SoBe. “Patrick and Hyper Sport share our passion for racing and we’re looking forward to joining them at the Sunchaser 1000k in Salt Lake City where we’ll be cheering them on to the checkered flag.”

The Grand American Road Racing Association, which operates and sanctions the Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve and the KONI Challenge Series, is the premier road racing organization in North America. The 15-race 2007 Rolex Series schedule and the 12-race KONI Challenge Series calendar delivered professional sports car racing to key markets throughout North America in addition to being televised in the United States and Canada on SPEED and distributed globally through ESPN International. With title sponsorship support from Rolex Watch USA and presenting sponsorship from Crown Royal Special Reserve, the Rolex Series showcases emerging and legendary drivers from around the globe and thoroughbred racing machines from the industry's leading constructors and the world's top automobile manufacturers. Learn more about Grand-Am at www.grand-am.com.