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TEAM REPORTS (HILLIARD, OH.) - Andersen Racing and Rahal Letterman Racing Expand Their Relationship


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Andersen Racing and Rahal Letterman Racing (RLR) have agreed to expand their relationship in 2008, marking an unprecedented association between the junior open-wheel ranks and a majorleague team.

Last February Andersen Racing was named as the official Indy Pro Series development team of RLR, which fields entries in both IndyCar and the American Le Mans Series (ALMS). Now components of that relationship will expand to include not only Andersen Racing’s Indy Pro Series team but also its multi-car entries in the IMSA Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear and the SCCA F2000 Championship Series presented by Hoosier Racing Tire.

Andersen Racing recently moved from New Jersey to the 18-acre Andersen RacePark in Palmetto, Fla., which includes a 1-mile test track. RLR is headquartered in Hilliard, Ohio.

As part of the new, multi-year agreement, the RLR/Andersen Racing Indy Pro Series cars will summer at RLR’s nearly 60,000-square-foot shop in Ohio. This will cut down on travel expenses for the Indy Pro Series effort and also give Andersen Racing’s Indy Pro Series engineers and mechanics better access to RLR’s IndyCar personnel and equipment.

Andersen Racing’s Indy Pro Series engineers and mechanics will have more access to similar personnel at RLR at the track too. They’ll be available for consultations about gearing, suspension and aero concerns, etc. In addition, RLR will conduct twice-yearly driver symposiums for all of Andersen Racing’s drivers and their parents. The symposiums will be hosted by driving legend and RLR co-owner Bobby Rahal. They will include presentations by additional key RLR personnel.

RLR will also provide guidance and/or support for Andersen Racing’s marketing, hospitality, public relations and administrative work in all three series. "Our relationship with Rahal Letterman Racing and with Bobby Rahal in particular has proven to be very important to our vision for Andersen Racing,” said Andersen Racing co-owner Dan Andersen. “RLR represents the top of the ladder system we have created, taking young drivers from karts to the IndyCar Series. The assistance, expertise and guidance offered by the fine staff at RLR are very important to our program."

"We are not only looking forward to another year of competition in the IndyCar and American Le Mans Series, but another year of working with the next generation of drivers through our partnership with Andersen Racing,” said Bobby Rahal. “Rahal Letterman Racing is well known in motorsports for its ability to develop young driving talent, and we expect to continue that legacy in the years to come through our relationship with Andersen Racing."

Andersen Racing strives to provide the best possible training for future openwheel stars and give them one central home during the time they are honing their skills in support series. Each of its full-season F2000 and Star Mazda drivers earn a test at the next-highest level at year’s end. RLR also provided an IndyCar test for RLR/Andersen Racing’s lead Indy Pro Series driver, Andrew Prendeville, last year. Andersen Racing is sponsored by Allied Building Products Corp.

About Rahal Letterman Racing:

In its second decade of competition, Hilliard, Ohio-based Rahal Letterman Racing has carved a niche as one of the leading open-wheel racing teams in North America. The growth of the team from its origins as a single-car entry to a multi-car team has been a testament to the leadership and vision of its founder, Bobby Rahal. Shortly following the 1995 season, racing enthusiast David Letterman joined Rahal as a co-owner of Team Rahal. The name would later change (2004) to Rahal Letterman Racing in order to reflect Letterman’s extensive involvement in the team. The headquarters of Rahal Letterman Racing is one of the finest race shop facilities of its type in the world of motorsports. Encompassing nearly 60,000 square feet of space in suburban Columbus, Ohio, it houses in two adjacent buildings all of the personnel and equipment necessary to develop, field and maintain Rahal Letterman's IRL IndyCar Series, American Le Mans Series and BMW Mobile Traditions programs. In the past it has also housed the team's Champ Car, Atlantic, Indy Lights and Formula BMW programs. For more information please visit rahal.com. m-o-r-e

About Andersen Racing:

Andersen Racing strives to provide the best and most comprehensive training possible for future open-wheel superstars while giving its marketing partners media exposure and hospitality opportunities at some of the most prestigious events in North America. It provides a unique, three-step program utilizing multiple entries in three different series: the F2000 Championship (webcast), Star Mazda (televised on SPEED) and the Indy Pro Series (televised on ESPN2). In 2008 it will field multiple entries in 42 races in 19 states and provinces at some of the best facilities on the continent, including the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Andersen Racing’s principals, brother Dan and John Andersen, have extensive experience in series administration as well as team management. They’ve worked with many of today’s top open-wheel stars, including several Indy 500 winners. Andersen Racing is sponsored by Allied Building Products Corp. It is the official development team of Rahal Letterman Racing, which competes in the IndyCar Series and the American Le Mans Series. In addition, Andersen Racing’s F2000 team is the official factory team of Van Diemen. The team is headquartered at Andersen RacePark, an 18-acre facility in Palmetto, Fla. that includes a 1-mile test track. More information is available at andersenracingteam.com and andersenracepark.com. About Allied Building Products Corp.: Allied Building Products Corp., headquartered in East Rutherford, N.J., is one of the largest roofing and siding distributors in the United States. Founded in 1950 with five employees and two trucks, today it is a $1.8 billion building material distribution company with over 3,500 employees, more than 200 branches in 30 states, well over one million square feet of office and warehouse space, and an inventory of approximately 85,000 products, from residential roofing and siding to doors, windows, waterproofing, manufactured stone, interior products and commercial roofing systems. For more information see alliedbuilding.com.