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CART: Casey Mears-Dorricott Cleveland Preview

23 June 1999

CLEVELAND NEXT STOP FOR DORRICOTT RACING & 
INDY LIGHTS POINTS LEADER CASEY MEARS


        SUNNYVALE, Calif. (June 23, 1999) - The 1999 PPG-Dayton Indy Lights
Championship is far from decided, but Dorricott Racing and drivers Casey
Mears, Oriol Servia, and Philipp Peter are feeling the momentum and gaining
the confidence that championship contenders desire at any season's midway
point. That said, a key test awaits Dorricott Racing at the Medic Drug
Grand Prix of Cleveland and round six of the 12-race Indy Lights series,
Sunday, June 27.

        The 36 lap/75.816 mile Indy Lights sprint around the Cleveland's
Burke Lakefront Airport 2.106-mile temporary road circuit is scheduled to
begin at 12:00 p.m. (ET) and is the featured support race for the CART
FedEx Championship Series race later that day.

        Casey Mears, of Bakersfield, Calif., is arguably the hottest driver
in Indy Lights as evidenced with five consecutive top-five finishes. The
pay-off so far has Mears atop the Indy Lights leader board with 62 points
and a nine point lead over teammate Servia and Airton Dare.

        Mears has woven consistency and tenacity into a tactical driving
style to score solid finishes despite mostly unnoticeable starting
positions. His podium visits have included third place at Nazareth in round
three and second place at Milwaukee in round four. After scoring
back-to-back fifth place finishes at Homestead and Long Beach to open the
season, Mears added fourth place at Portland last Sunday to the credit roll
of his Sooner Trailer/American Racing Custom Wheels Lola T97/20. 

        Mears, who is the son of legendary Off-Road World Champion and
Dorricott Racing team manager Roger Mears, is the only driver in the series
who has completed every Indy Lights race lap (343 laps) and every mile
(444.944 miles) run to date.

        Ironically, teammate Oriol Servia, of Pals, Catalonia, Spain, is
becoming Mears most adept challenger. Servia, who is one of Indy Lights
most respected qualifiers, has won two of the last three pole positions
(Nazareth, Portland) and started third at Milwaukee. Servia also finished
second place at Nazareth and Portland, and fifth place at Milwaukee in the
Catalonia/RACC/Elf Lola. He opened the year with a strong sixth place
showing at Homestead and ninth place at Long Beach. Servia moved into a tie
for second place in the championship at Portland with 53 points. 

        Philipp Peter's second round victory at Long Beach was duplicated
at Portland making him the first "repeat" Indy Lights winner this season.
His advantage at Cleveland may be the fact that he is the only Indy Lights
driver who has won on road circuits this season. A veteran of European road
racing, the Monte Carlo, Monaco, resident returns to Cleveland with an eye
toward another podium. Peter, who drives the Red Bull/Remus/ESTEBE/Chicco
d' Oro Lola, is in fourth place with 48 points.