Team MER Announce Driver Line-Up for 2008 Mazda MX-5 Championship

FORT WORTH, Texas (May 1, 2008) --- Team MER (Motorsport Enterprises Racing) has released the complete driver line-up for the 2008 SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup. Team MER has swept the top two driver positions in each of the first two seasons of MX-5 Cup competition and has a solid driver line-up hoping to continue that trend for this year.

"We've very excited about the driver lineup we have assembled for '08,” team owner, Shannon McMasters said. “It's really important to us to retain the crown we've held since the series started and we feel our drivers will give us the very best chance of doing just that. We've been working really hard at logistics and organizational excellence to ensure that each of our drivers have an equal chance at winning."

Leading the team will be Eric Foss, a long-time driving instructor and lead instructor for MER’s driving school program located at the Motorsport Ranch in Cresson, Texas. Foss competed in one MX-5 Cup event at Road Atlanta and secured the pole and a podium position in the race, as well as several SCCA National Spec Miata wins to his credit.

Anders Hainer will also return after taking a year off of competition. The 2006 Grand-Am GS champion has several wins and podiums to his credit and was a front-runner in the Mazda MX5 Cup series in 2006.

A large group of returnees will rely on Team MER to assist them in 2008, including past Rolex 24-Hour winner, Forest Barber, Brad Adams, Mark & Mike Jenkins, who both raced with the leaders in last year’s finale, and Deborah Loth, who is also returning after a year off following a fourth-place finish in the 2006 championship.

Though Team MER is full of veterans, the team returns with a crop of very promising rookie drivers, including Rob Huffmaster and Ran Schmisk. Huffmaster comes off a season where he claimed the SCCA Touring 3 Championship and an ITS ARRC win. Schmisk comes from a karting and Spec Racer Ford background. Testing has proven him to be a very quick driver. Both will be competing for the podium in their first outings.

Susan Krohn will also be joining the team for some of the 2008 events. Team MER is currently negotiating with other drivers that may fill seats in their rental program cars. 2007 Mazda MX-5 Cup Champ, Jason Saini, will return with Team MER in a support role as his driving focus remains in the SCCA SPEED Touring Car Championship as a driver of a Mazda6 out of the Tri-Point stable.

"I'm looking forward to taking on a team role, helping coach and instruct our great driver lineup,” Saini said. “It will be cool for me to finally get to watch one of these races, although I'm sure after a few laps of watching I'll want to dive right in. Mazda has created an amazing series, from the equal cars to the unbelievable ladder system. I'm just happy to still be able to take part and help with Team MERs title defense."

Team MER is hard at work preparing race-winning MX-5 Cup cars for the 2008 season, with race seats still open for drivers interested in select events or the remainder of the season. The team boasts an experienced staff, public relations & marketing services, design department, driver coaching and testing facility.

Stepping up in place of the former MAZDASPEED Miata Cup, the Mazda MX-5 Cup made its debut in 2006. Featuring identical Mazda MX-5s on spec Kumho tires, MX-5 Cup gives drivers the opportunity to run on high-profile weekends in an economical, entry-level racing series. As part of the MAZDASPEED Driver Development Ladder, the 2008 MX-5 Cup Champion will receive a ride in the SCCA SPEED World Challenge Touring Car Championship, courtesy of Mazda. The 2008 MX-5 Cup schedule features eight races at prestigious events across North America, and with grids composed of roughly 30 cars at each race, MX-5 Cup has become one of the best shows in motorsports today. For more information, visit www.mx-5cup.com.