Rahal Letterman Brings Aston Martin Back to SPEED GT

TOPEKA, Kan. (July 15, 2008) – The Aston Martin DB9 will return to SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT competition this weekend for the Mid-Ohio SPEED GT Presented by Remington.

Rahal Letterman Racing has acquired an Aston Martin DBR9 previously owned by Aston Martin North America Board Chairman John Sinders and raced by the Autosport Designs team in the 2006 SPEED GT Championship. The car has been re-engineered by the team and will return to SPEED GT at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend. The car will be driven by 22-year-old Tommy Milner, of Leesburg, Va.

"We are excited about getting the Aston on track and seeing the final product after what was a long and interesting process of rebuilding the car," Team Owner Bobby Rahal said. "Tom Milner is a good driver and we are anticipating a great effort from him. It will be great to get such an historic marque like Aston battling for a win at Mid-Ohio."

Currently the team has only planned to enter the Mid-Ohio round. The last SPEED GT race for the Aston Martin DBR9 was in 2006 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca where Johnny Mowlem and Tom Papadopoulos drove a pair for Autosport Designs Racing.

The Mid-Ohio SPEED GT Presented by Remington begins with two rounds of practice on Friday, followed by qualifying on Saturday morning. The race is schedule for Sunday, July 20, at 4:00 p.m. (EDT). It will air on SPEED, Friday, July 25, at 2 p.m. (EDT).

SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Championships

Consisting of two separate categories that race independently (SCCA SPEED GT and SCCA SPEED Touring Car), the World Challenge Championships are America’s top production car-based series. Competing at 12 high-profile venues in 2008, the World Challenge is the most relevant showcase for the world’s leading auto brands and makers of performance parts. Series events are a maximum of 50 minutes in length, feature standing starts and showcase cars from the world’s leading manufacturers racing head-to-head. More information can be found here: www.world-challenge.com.