Coming to a new race track is always going to produce some challenges but you pair that up with a new driver and the challenges become much more, however, Team Stargate Worlds/HVM Racing and its driver Simona De Silvestro are more than up to the task and are eagerly looking forward to what's ahead at the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season opener at Sao Paulo, Brazil. While the team may be new in name, the personnel that make up the Team Stargate Worlds/HVM Racing organization have a combined talent pool that will serve the young rookie well this weekend.

With 2 very successful IndyCar testing sessions already under her belt, Simona De Silvestro will join her fellow competitors this weekend for her debut at the Sao Paulo Indy 300 and tackle the 2.6 mile temporary street course, which also has the distinction of having the longest straightaway in series history. While De Silvestro will have her hands full, the 21 year old resident of Scottsdale, Arizona will be in the capable hands of the experienced crew, which will be led by her engineer Michael Cannon and crew chief Daryl Fox. “This week the reality is setting in and it is really exciting. My goal this weekend is to finish the race and to soak up as much as I can and use what I learn to help me for the next race,” states De Silvestro. “I have worked very hard in the weeks leading to this race and I'm confident that the Team Stargate Worlds/HVM Racing guys have given me a competitive car for this weekend.”For HVM Racing Team Principal Keith Wiggins, the opportunity to race in Brazil is a welcomed return to a place he has been before. “I love Brazil and have spent a lot of time there as part of Formula One. It was always a place full of excitement,” states Wiggins. Personally, I am looking forward to the IndyCar race and I think it will be fantastic for the fans and the series. For our team, the focus has to be getting Simona comfortable, up to speed and to have a good clean race right up to the checkered flag in what will be a new and demanding environment for her. From there we can focus on building our competitiveness in the following races.”

For Team Stargate Worlds Team Principal Imran Safiulla the road to this point has been long and difficult but there is a sense that the efforts are now bearing fruit. “"We are heading into our first grand prix and it's surreal! There has been a lot of effort put into the program and we are excited as the team is now heading to Brazil. Simona has made a lot of strides in and out of the car. The Team Stargate Worlds/HVM Racing team has realistic expectations as she eases herself into her new role as a rookie in the Izod IndyCar series," Safiulla exclaims.

About HVM Racing:
HVM is based in Indianapolis, Indiana. In its nine years of competition, the team has earned six wins, two pole positions, and an additional 16 podiums. The team finished fourth and third, respectively, in the Champ Car championship standings in 2006 and 2007, and earned drivers Mario Dominguez and Robert Doornbos Rookie of the Year honors in 2002 and 2007, respectively. Since joining the IRL Championship in 2008, the team has earned nine top-10 finishes with drivers E.J. Viso and Robert Doornbos.

About Team Stargate Worlds:
Team Stargate Worlds enters the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series in collaboration with HVM Racing. Simona De Silvestro will be the driver for the team, referred now as Team Stargate Worlds/HVM Racing. In the 2009 Atlantic Championship season De Silvestro won four races and four poles in the Atlantics, and led the most laps, thereby becoming the first woman in series history to lead those categories in a single season. The 2010 season marks the team’s 6^th year of competition in North American open wheel. For more information about Team Stargate Worlds please visit www.teamstargateworlds.com. The Team Stargate Worlds Twitter page can be found at http://twitter.com/TeamSGW while the team’s Facebook page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=70120788804 

Team Stargate Worlds/HVM Racing is very pleased to announce a multi-year partnership with Bernard Richards Manufacture (BRM), a worldwide leader in luxury timepieces.  In addition to becoming Team Stargate Worlds/HVM Racing’s official timepiece provider and Associate Sponsor for the team, the multi-faceted and unique partnership will allow BRM and Team Stargate Worlds/HVM Racing to take advantage of the synergies that all parties bring to the motorsports world.
 

One of the most exciting aspects to the partnership is that BRM has committed to producing 78 customized watches in honor of Simona De Silvestro and her #78 Stargate Resistance entry.  The limited edition model will have De Silvestro's signature emblazoned on the back and will be available to the general public for sale later this year.  “I am honored that BRM has chosen me and Team Stargate Worlds/HVM Racing for this extraordinary honor.  The watch is stunning, unique and its quality, as all of BRM's other watches, is unquestionable”, states an elated De Silvestro.
   

The sponsorship announcement comes on the heels of the newly announced partnership between Team Stargate Worlds and HVM Racing.  “We always enjoy partnering with organizations of quality that have a true appreciation and love for racing,” said Keith Wiggins, HVM Racing team owner.  “BRM is highly regarded in the racing world, so we’re proud to be working with them and thrilled they will be celebrating Simona’s rookie year in the series with a customized timepiece.”  

For his part, Imran Safiulla, Team Stargate Worlds’ Team Principal was elated with the newly cemented deal.  “This is a very prestigious relationship for us. We are very impressed with BRM's luxurious product line and most importantly their consistent creativity influenced from within the motor sports world. I would like to welcome Frederic and his organization into our racing family and look forward to a long and successful association," states Safiulla.  

BRM's customer will also benefit from this new partnership as a select few of its customers will get the rare opportunity to experience the passion and thrill of driving a real race car. B.R.M. and Team Stargate Worlds/HVM Racing have agreed to create the BRM Driver Experience.  Selected customers will get to experience the thrill of strapping themselves into one of the Team Stargate Worlds Atlantic Championship race cars and racing around the team's home track of Buttonwillow Raceway under the guidance, training, and support of the team.  "This was a much anticipated relationship for us.  We are very proud to be associated with a racing team like Team Stargate Worlds/HVM Racing, who represent a unique perspective. Our entire branding and product development revolve around the motorsports arena and to have a team and driver combination that they have, and who we feel are poised to make motorsports history, is a perfect fit. We look forward to a successful 2010 racing season in the IZOD IndyCar Series and beyond," States BRM North America Operations President, Frederic Gasser 

About Bernard Richards Manufacture (BRM) 
Bernard Richards Manufacture is named after its founder.   Filled with the latest machining tools and highly skilled technicians, the BRM workshop is a cutting-edge atelier that allows Richards to control every aspect of production for his handmade timepieces. Just as a sculpture begins as a formless block of stone, every BRM watch begins as a solid bar of metal, which is then cut expertly to exacting specifications. To maintain the meticulous level of quality that Richards demands BRM produces everything from screw and pushbuttons to crowns and lugs.  One of the watchmaker’s hallmarks is its exclusivity. Each month, BRM creates only 200 of its highly collectible, numbered timepieces.  For more information about BRM, please go to www.brm-manufacture.com   
 

About Team Stargate Worlds: 
Team Stargate Worlds enters the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series in collaboration with HVM Racing.  Simona De Silvestro will be the driver for the team, referred now as Team Stargate Worlds/HVM Racing.  In the 2009 Atlantic Championship season De Silvestro won four races and four poles in the Atlantics, and led the most laps, thereby becoming the first woman in series history to lead those categories in a single season. The 2010 season marks the team’s 6^th year of competition in North American open wheel.  For more information about Team Stargate Worlds please visit www.teamstargateworlds.com.  The Team Stargate Worlds Twitter page can be found at http://twitter.com/TeamSGW while the team’s Facebook page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=70120788804 

In a collaborative effort with HVM Racing, Team Stargate Worlds will enter the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series with driver Simona De Silvestro. Known as Team Stargate Worlds/HVM Racing, the team will carry primary sponsorship from Stargate Resistance and associate sponsorship from Bernard Richards Manufacture (BRM), FireSky, Cheyenne Mountain Games, and Cardinal Technologies. De Silvestro and the # 78 entry will also lead the Do Not Text “N” Drive campaign which is designed to increase public awareness about the dangers of texting while driving.

Both groups partnered up and spent the offseason testing De Silvestro in both an Indy car and an Indy Lights car and by all measurements the tests were successful and more importantly, a glimpse of the promising possibilities. De Silvestro, who enters her 6th year in North American open-wheel racing stunned the open-wheel world in 2009 by winning 4 races in dominant fashion, earning 4 pole positions, and gathering an extraordinary 9 podium finishes in the 2009 Atlantic Championship season. She would go on to finish third in the series. Her success was not only impressive but it was also record breaking. De Silvestro was the first woman is series history to have earned the most wins, pole positions, and led the most laps in a single season. “Racing in the IndyCar series, alongside the class of competition that I will be racing with is a true honor. I am very grateful for this opportunity and for the type of team that I will have alongside me. I am equally grateful for the support that I have from my sponsors, family, friends and fans. I am very eager for my debut in the 2010 IZOD IndyCar season,” states the young 21 year old from Thun, Switzerland.

For Team Stargate Worlds, who also enters its 6th year of competition in North American open-wheel competition, this marks an substantial expansion of its operations. Led by team principals Shane Seneviratne and Imran Safiulla, the California based team looks forward to its new partnership with HVM Racing. “This is yet another significant step in Simona's career. We have had a very fortunate few years that have led us here and I could not imagine being able to form this new relationship with a better person than Keith. I am greatly appreciative of every single person and every company that has helped make this possible and look forward to a successful 2010,” states Safiulla.

For HVM Racing having De Silvestro as its driver is exciting and full of possibilities. “From the first day of the first test, we knew she could drive,” said Keith Wiggins, HVM Racing team principal and owner. “The longer we worked with her, the more she impressed us. I think she has a great future in this series. She made a lot of history in the Atlantic Championship and we expect her to make some waves in IndyCar now that she’s here.” The team will now turn its attention on its first race of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season opener, the Saõ Paulo Indy 300, taking place in the streets of Saõ Paulo, Brazil on March 13 and 14.

About HVM Racing- HVM is based in Indianapolis, Indiana. In its eight years of competition, the team has earned six wins, two pole positions, and an additional 16 podiums since 2001. The team finished fourth and third, respectively, in the Champ Car championship standings in 2006 and 2007, and earned its drivers Mario Dominguez and Robert Doornbos Rookie of the Year honors in 2002 and 2007, respectively. In 2008 with driver E.J. Viso, the team earned seven top-10 finishes, including a fourth at St. Petersburg in its inaugural year in the IRL Championship.

About Team Stargate Worlds: Team Stargate Worlds entered the 2009 Atlantic Championship season in partnership with US RaceTronics with one of the world's most talented female race car drivers Simona De Silvestro and Hollywood star turned serious professional racer Frankie Muniz. For more information about Team Stargate Worlds please visit www.usracetronics.com. The Team Stargate Worlds Twitter page can be found at http://twitter.com/TeamSGW while the team’s Facebook page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=70120788804

The 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series testing season got off to a positive start when Team Stargate Worlds/HVM Racing concluded a two-day Open Test at Barber Motorsports Park in Huntsville, Ala., with driver Simona De Silvestro. The test marks the third time in which Team Stargate Worlds and HVM Racing have partnered up with De Silvestro in the cockpit and once again the recipe proved fruitful.

While frigid Alabama temperatures may have greeted the team on the first day, it wasn't going to deter the task at hand. De Silvestro was able to run some valuable learning laps, and by the end of the day had completed 48 successful laps with a best time of 01:12.8124 coming at Lap 36.

On Day 2 De Silvestro roared back on track and soon began carving her way around the 2.38-mile permanent road course. The experience and confidence gained during her previous day served her well and her speeds kept her amongst the more seasoned series veterans throughout the session. By the end of the day, De Silvestro had concluded 58 laps with a top speed of 01:11.335 which put her 16th on the timesheets.

This test was only De Silvestro’s second time in an IndyCar in her career with her first being in December at Sebring International Raceway under similar frigid conditions. By all measures, De Silvestro and her team accomplished the goals of the two-day event and continued to build on what was already a solid partnership between Team Stargate Worlds and HVM Racing. The team continues to put together the final details of its 2010 racing plans with announcements expected before the season opener in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on March 14.

Simona De Silvestro – Driver, No. 78 Stargate Resistance – “I had a little bit of a rough start in the beginning, but it was the first time I had been in an IndyCar on a fast track and it is something still very new to me. However, at the end of the day, the team and I gained a lot of knowledge and we accomplished our goals and in that respect I think we managed to have a very successful test. We used the opportunity to try some new things and I believe collectively as a group we are heading the right way. Overall I am so happy with everything and the team has helped me learn quite a lot and I look forward to learning more this season.”

Imran Safiulla - Team Stargate Worlds Principal – “On behalf of Shane (Shane Seneviratne) and I, the test did not start the way we would have liked and the poor weather conditions were the primary factor. However, it’s always about the recovery and Simona and the team did just that. We got some good laps in and she started to get comfortable. We do have a learning curve as a single-entry rookie, but we are very encouraged with what we have so far.”

Keith Wiggins – HVM Team Owner - “It was another good test for Simona and another demonstration of her talent and what lies ahead. With her approach and our support she will continue to improve and be a serious IndyCar contender.

About HVM Racing: HVM is based in Indianapolis, Indiana. In its nine years of competition, the team has earned six wins, two pole positions, and an additional 16 podiums. The team finished fourth and third, respectively, in the Champ Car championship standings in 2006 and 2007, and earned drivers Mario Dominguez and Robert Doornbos Rookie of the Year honors in 2002 and 2007, respectively. Since joining the IRL Championship in 2008, the team has earned nine top-10 finishes with drivers E.J. Viso and Robert Doornbos.

About Team Stargate Worlds: Team Stargate Worlds entered the 2009 Atlantic Championship season in partnership with US RaceTronics with one of the world's most talented female race car drivers Simona De Silvestro and Hollywood star turned serious professional racer Frankie Muniz. For more information about Team Stargate Worlds please visit www.usracetronics.com. The Team Stargate Worlds Twitter page can be found at http://twitter.com/TeamSGW while the team’s Facebook page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=70120788804 

The long awaited 3rd person shooter game, which battles for control of the entire galaxy, is now here.  Order it at www.stargateresistance.com

Team Stargate Worlds is excited to announce that the first of a line of Stargate themed video games will be released on February 10th, 2010. Titled Stargate: Resistance, this third-person online game is set in the Stargate Universe. Players will join teams and fight other online users, and their teams, with the goal of controlling the galaxy across the various worlds. "I want to personally thank everyone for their enthusiasm and support. It's incredibly exciting to be releasing our first game as a studio, especially with such a great license," said Shane Hensley, President of the Studio. Stargate: Resistance has been highly anticipated in the online gaming world since the game was first announced back on December 2009. The game will be available (for now) only on the PC.

Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment and FireSky both partnered up with Team Stargate Worlds and its drivers Simona De Silvestro and teammate Frankie Muniz for the 2009 Atlantic Championship season.

Please be sure to register now at http://www.stargateresistance.com/register/index.htm for all the latest news and updates on Stargate: Resistance. Our preorder announcement will be within the next two days. In conjunction with Direct2Drive some awesome will offer some awesome exclusive FREE content to those that purchase before launch.

As the holidays rapidly approach and 2009 draws to a close, 2009 Star Mazda champion Adam Christodoulou got his first taste of the Mazda-Cosworth-powered Swift 016.a utilized in the Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda in a two-day test with Team Stargate Worlds at Buttonwillow Raceway on Thursday and Friday.

The 20-year-old British driver logged nearly 400 miles over the two days in cool weather conditions aboard the same No. 78 machine that Simona De Silvestro piloted to four victories and third in points in the 2009 Atlantic Championship. The team, which is based at Buttonwillow, reported that Christodoulou managed to work up to speed quickly and rarely put a wheel wrong over the two days.

“I was pleased,” said engineer Burke Harrison. “He was very consistent and obviously has a lot of raw talent. The conditions here weren't great. There was very little off-track drama at all and the feedback was good. We made progress on the balance of the car, especially the second day. I thought it was a very good test. That's the way I judge someone. We were trying stuff, we weren't just driving around, putting new tires on and looking for a lap. We worked the day like you would a good test. He never got tired, the times were consistent, his feedback was good, he went out and got after it. All in all, it was a positive test.”

After spending the early portion of his career in Europe, Christodoulou made the move to the U.S. and the Star Mazda championship in 2009, claiming the title with three victories and two pole positions from 13 starts. He won the championship over Peter Dempsey in dramatic fashion in the final race of the season at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. As part of his prize for winning the Star Mazda title, Christodoulou receives a free ride in the 2010 Atlantic Championship - the top rung of the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development Ladder - courtesy of Mazda.

“It's been really good,” Christodoulou said. “We never ran into and trouble and ended up just a fraction off Simona's time around here, so I think for my second day in the car, it's gone extremely well. The team did an awesome job. We didn't have any problems on their part. I had one minor detour off the track, but apart from that, everything else ran smoothly. We've had two days of flat-out testing pretty much. It's been quite cold, but it's been some good testing and it's been an enjoyable first experience in the Atlantic car. I've really enjoyed it.”

After a break for the holidays, both Team Stargate Worlds and Christodoulou expect to hit the Atlantic testing trail hard early in the New Year. Both expect to participate in series-sanctioned testing at Sebring International Raceway on the weekend of January 22-24, 2010.

Sebring, Florida (December 10, 2009) - HVM Racing and Team Stargate Worlds wrapped up a successful test Wednesday with Swiss driver Simona De Silvestro behind the wheel of an HVM IndyCar.  De Silvestro ran 147 clean laps over two days at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway.

"She was very impressive," said Keith Wiggins, HVM Racing team principal and owner.  "From the first laps, she showed she was capable of driving the car fast and she progressed rapidly.  She was fast, consistent and gave good driver feedback.  In fact, by the second half of the first day, we were so comfortable that we began working on development of our 2010 program using her feedback.  "By day two, I think everyone forgot she wasn't a seasoned professional.  Everyone enjoyed working with her."

Team Stargate Worlds principals Shane Seneviratne and Imran Safiulla were happy with the test as well:  "These were two very important days for us and our commercial partners.  We want to thank Keith and the entire HVM organization for making us feel right at home. Simona got comfortable in the car over the last few days and it has been very exciting to get a glimpse of what may lie ahead.  We would like to thank the IndyCar Series for making this test possible."

The 21-year-old De Silvestro finished third in the 2009 Atlantic Championship, winning four races this year for Team Stargate Worlds.  She said it did not take long to get accustomed to the IndyCar. "It was a dream come true to step into the cockpit of the Stargate: Resistance IndyCar," said De Silvestro.  "I got comfortable right away and soon came up to speed, and overall thought the test was excellent.  I need to thank Gary Whiting at Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment along with Imran, Shane, and the rest of Team Stargate Worlds for making this happen.  Thanks to Keith Wiggins and the engineers for making the experience so enjoyable and for supporting me.  HVM is a first-class organization."

HVM will return Robert Doornbos to the No. 33 HVM Racing car in 2010 and is exploring options for its second car. 

Team Stargate Worlds' test with HVM coincided with the launch of the Stargate: Resistance Web site, http://stargateresistance.com/, which was displayed on the car.  Stargate: Resistance is an online third-person shooter game being developed based on the popular Stargate sci-fi television franchise.

About HVM Racing:
HVM is based in Indianapolis, Indiana. In its nine years of competition, the team has earned six wins, two pole positions, and an additional 16 podiums. The team finished fourth and third, respectively, in the Champ Car championship standings in 2006 and 2007, and earned drivers Mario Dominguez and Robert Doornbos Rookie of the Year honors in 2002 and 2007, respectively.  Since joining the IRL Championship in 2008, the team has earned nine top-10 finishes with drivers E.J. Viso and Robert Doornbos.

About Team Stargate Worlds:
Team Stargate Worlds entered the 2009 Atlantic Championship season in partnership with US RaceTronics with one of the world's most talented female race car drivers Simona De Silvestro and Hollywood star turned serious professional racer Frankie Muniz. For more information about Team Stargate Worlds please visit www.usracetronics.com. The Team Stargate Worlds Twitter page can be found at http://twitter.com/TeamSGW while the team's Facebook page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=70120788804

The 2009 Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Championship Powered By Mazda season finale got underway under chilly and foggy conditions at the famed Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.  Team Stargate Worlds driver Simona De Silvestro, who currently leads the championship battle over Newman Wach's Jonathan Summerton, arrived this weekend hoping to put an exclamation point on this season's effort by winning the championship.  Meanwhile her teammate, and local driver, Jonathan Bomarito was looking for a rewarding finish at his home track.  On Friday both drivers had successful practice sessions and with qualifying next, the pair were optimistic about their chances at qualifying well. 

Cloudy skies and temperatures in the low fifties greeted the Team Stargate Worlds duo Saturday morning.  De Silvestro and her crew spent the morning prepping for the 40-minute qualifying session.  As the green flag dropped she roared down pit lane and soon began putting up decent lap times. De Silvestro, who currently resides in Scottsdale, Arizona saw her times float around the fifth spot on the time sheets.  Halfway through the session a red flag came out as a result of an off-track excursion by one of the Atlantic drivers. The interruption disrupted the momentum.  Undeterred, De Silvestro re-entered the track once the green flag was displayed and immediately improved positions by regaining her fifth place spot.  As the final minutes ticked away De Silvestro continued to focus on her lap times and was able to put in a time that maintained her fifth place spot.  Though the result was not what she was hoping for De Silvestro and crew are looking forward to finishing the final race of the season on a high point.

For his part Monterey, California resident Jonathan Bomarito, in only his second race with the team, got into his #77 Team Stargate Worlds entry and began to put up very competitive times.  Bomarito's times jumped around from fourth to seventh.  He came into the pits to change tires and also spent an extended time in the pits as a result of the red flag.  Bomarito regained his focus and tenacity after the red flag and once back on-track he began aggressively carving around the circuit.  His efforts would be rewarded as he managed to eat away at the deficit between him and the cars in front of him. With minutes left and pressure mounting he would go on to put in a lap time that propelled him to the third spot on the grid.  The session would finish with Bomarito earning a third place on the timesheets.  This represents Jonathan's best starting spot of the season.

Simona De Silvestro - "It was a little bit of a tough qualifying session as we wanted to be in the front. I'm confident in knowing that I have a great race car and a great team that will do their best.  A lot can happen tomorrow so I'm going to do the best that I can possibly do and hopefully we can finish this season on a very high note. Much appreciation goes to the team for their phenomenal effort in getting me here."

Jonathan Bomarito - "The session was rough for us actually.  We were on different plan than everybody else. Because it's a 40-minute qualifying session, we started with old tires and wanted to go to two new sets, but with it being this cold outside, it was taking too long for the tires to come in.  The race being at 1 tomorrow, I think, will play into our advantage."

Full story coming soon

Team Stargate World duo of Simona De Silvestro and Jonathan Bomarito opened up this weekends race at the famed Road Atlanta track with strong qualifying efforts.  Going into this weekend's event De Silvestro still leads in the championship points lead but the Newman Wachs duo of Jonathan Summerton and John Edwards are hot on her tail and are making it an interesting points chase.  De Silvestro would go on to qualify in the third spot after being in fourth for most of the qualifying session.

For Jonathan Bomarito, his Team Stargate World debut was impressive and the California native immediately showed his talents and by the end of the session Bomarito ended up at a very respectable fourth place. Considering this is his first time in a new team and a new car, the accomplishment was that more rewarding

Despite contact with Vervisch, De Silvestro escapes the weekend with the points lead.  Full story coming soon.

Team Stargate World's Simona De Silvestro took to the Mospsort International Raceway track today and qualified in the second position. Improving from a fifth place practice effort yesterday, the youngster and current Championship points leader put on another strong qualifying effort in preparation for tomorrow's Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda race.  Despite a 30 minute delay due to wet and foggy conditions at the track the determined De Silvestro kept her focus and put on a very strong effort.  A solid qualifying effort was needed today if she was going to have a chance at continuing her momentum and keep her lead in the Championship.

Her teammate Frankie Muniz will not be competing at this weekend's event and looks to have prematurely finished his 2009 racing season as a result of a first lap incident at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The ensuing injury required Muniz to have 2 pins inserted into his left hand this week and made any chance of returning to racing this year nearly impossible.
Simona De Silvestro, Driver No. 78 - “It was a little bit of a crazy qualifying session considering it started off wet and then changed.  In the end though I am happy with the qualifying effort.  Starting in the second spot will help us a lot in the overall scheme of things and starting 2 positions in front of my competitor John Edwards helps us even more.  I'm very grateful for the team's efforts and know that we will have a very fast car for tomorrow's race”  

About Team Stargate Worlds:
Team Stargate Worlds entered the 2009 Atlantic Championship season in partnership with US RaceTronics with one of the world's most talented female race car drivers Simona De Silvestro and Hollywood star turned serious professional racer Frankie Muniz. For more information about Team Stargate Worlds please visit www.usracetronics.com. The Team Stargate Worlds Twitter page can be found at http://twitter.com/TeamSGW while the team’s Facebook page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=70120788804

After leading the charge on Saturday by taking the pole position award Team Stargate Worlds' Simona de Silvestro arrived on Sunday at Trois Rivieres, Quebec for the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres determined to finish what she had started and win the race, at the same time hoping to propel herself further in the points race against the Newman Wachs duo of John Edwards and Jonathan Summerton. Her teammate Frankie Muniz, suffering from torn ligaments and a chipped bone in his left hand, was just as determined to not allow his condition to interfere with his racing.

De Silvestro took the green flag start of the race and immediately put a gap between her and the second place of John Edwards. She extended that lead by 1.5 seconds on lap # lap 2. From that point on her lead grew substantially. De Silvestro flawlessly executed the 10-turn, 1.521-mile temporary street circuit and made no mistakes. She did not relent and by lap #12 she had cracked the 59 second lap mark and saw her lead grow to over 5 seconds. The blistering pace continued, but by lap # 39, De Silvestro decided to take a cautious approach and slow down her pace. The approach allowed John Edwards to slowly creep up on Simona but she was not in any danger of losing the lead. With the jubilant Team Stargate Worlds crew cheering her on, De Silvestro took the checkered flag and solifified her fourth win of the year and at the same time extend her points lead to 21 points.

Starting the race in the eighth spot Frankie Muniz begun his race and quickly staved off an attack by the ninth place of James Winslow. Muniz maintained his position for most of the race and increased his lead over Winslow by 5 seconds by lap # 19. Muniz set his aim for the seventh place of Borja Garcia and made his move to overtake the Spaniard. By now Muniz began feeling the effects of his injury but despite the pain he went on to chase the sixth place of Frederic Vervisch. Vervisch would eventually be overtaken by Muniz on lap #38. The exhausted and elated Muniz had overcome the painful circumstance of his hand and managed to reel in a sixth place finish.

Frankie Muniz, Driver No. 77 - “Overall I am happy with how the day went. It was a hard race and with the hand the way that it is I am satisfied with the results. We'll leave here with our sixth place and focus on our next race and hopefully we can get our top-5 finish. Congratulations to Simona for her win and thanks to Team Stargate Worlds, our sponsors, and the Atlantic Series, as well as Mazda and Cooper tires.”

Simona De Silvestro, Driver No. 78 - “We had a excelent weekend. I am pretty happy with our accomplishments including breaking the track record yesterday during qualifying and then winning the race today and becoming the first female to win a race at this track. I am so grateful for this weekend. It really was a special weekend. My thanks go to the team and our sponsors for their support and I am very excited about the remaining races”

Imran Safiulla and Shane Seneviratne, Principals Of Team Stargate Worlds- “We made history here this weekend! This was a fantastic effort and we are both sincerely appreciative of every single member of our team. Simona is growing in stature and it's good to see her evolve each day. Frankie displayed great tenacity this whole weekend and deserves a pat on the back .”

About Team Stargate Worlds:
Team Stargate Worlds entered the 2009 Atlantic Championship season in partnership with US RaceTronics with one of the world's most talented female race car drivers Simona De Silvestro and Hollywood star turned serious professional racer Frankie Muniz. For more information about Team Stargate Worlds please visit www.usracetronics.com. The Team Stargate Worlds Twitter page can be found at http://twitter.com/TeamSGW while the team’s Facebook page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=70120788804

With four races left in the 2009 Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda season, Team Stargate Worlds arrived at Trois Rivieres, Quebec for the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres.  As was the case last week at the Mid Ohio race, the team is looking to extend team driver Simona De Silvestro's championship point's lead. De Silvestro currently leads by sixteen points but the Newman Wachs duo of John Edwards and Jonathan Summerton are unrelenting in their efforts to overtake her lead.  Meanwhile her teammate Frankie Muniz is looking to complete this weekend's race minus any bad luck and finish strongly in the top-5.

The team entered the qualifying session hoping to strike first and get the advantage for the race by taking the pole position.  With temperatures in the 80's, the Atlantic field of drivers took to the 10-turn, 1.521-mile temporary street circuit late in the day.  For her part De Silvestro got off to a slow start.  By the third lap she was tenth on the time sheets, however that didn't last very long.  On her fourth lap she shot right up to the top of the time sheet.  By lap #10 Frederic Vervisch jumped to the top when he cracked the 59 second lap mark.  De Silvestro went second but immediately rebounded and put Vervisch back to second.  De Silvestro would go back to second a few more times thanks to Newman Wachs teammates Edwards and Summerton.  At the end though it would be De Silvestro who would come out ahead and claim the pole with a lap time of 58.662 seconds.  The record breaking pole time was fast enough to declare it the fastest lap ever for an open-wheel car at Trois-Rivieres.  This is De Silvestro's fourth pole position of  the year.

Muniz took the start of the session amid difficult circumstances.  During the Mid Ohio race last week Muniz was caught up in an accident that involved John Edwards and Tonis Kassemets.  Muniz suffered a bone chip on his left hand as well as ligament damage which will require him to have surgery at a later date.  Muniz set aside the painful condition and began the session by charging his #77 machine to seventh on the charts.  He slipped to eighth by lap # 7, behind last year's series champion Markus Niemela.  Muniz would stay in the eighth spot for the rest of the session but was constantly challenging for the seventh place spot against Borja Garcia and Tonis Kassemets, despite the injury.  Muniz would go on to finish the session in eighth.

Frankie Muniz, Driver No. 77 - “Overall I am happy to be where we ended up.  It's been a struggle all week with the left hand injury and now we're trying to begin the healing process.  Coming to racetrack like Trois -Rivieres, as bumpy and physically tough as it is, I am happy that we were not too far off the pace and relatively close to the leaders.  We still think a top-5 finish is feasible and that's what my goal is tomorrow.”

Simona De Silvestro, Driver No. 78 - “It was tough session all around.  The track demands a lot and everyone's times are so close that trying to squeeze a great lap required a great deal of effort but in the end my team gave me a great car and I was able to come away with the pole position.  I am very happy to be able to start this race in the front and I hope to turn this start into a race win tomorrow.  Thank you to the team for their great effort.”        

Imran Safiulla and Shane Seneviratne, Principals Of Team Stargate Worlds- “That was a terrific qualifying session.  Simona drove the car very well in conditions different from our earlier  run.  A great effort by the entire team.  Frankie has been brave all weekend with his injury and we are proud of him battling through the pain.  We look forward to hopefully having a good day tomorrow .”

About Team Stargate Worlds:
Team Stargate Worlds entered the 2009 Atlantic Championship season in partnership with US RaceTronics with one of the world's most talented female race car drivers Simona De Silvestro and Hollywood star turned serious professional racer Frankie Muniz. For more information about Team Stargate Worlds please visit www.usracetronics.com. The Team Stargate Worlds Twitter page can be found at http://twitter.com/TeamSGW while the team’s Facebook page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=70120788804

Clouds greeted the participants at this weekend's Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda qualifying day at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, in Lexington, Ohio but by the end of the weekend Team Stargate Worlds would be all smiles. With the championship within her grasp, current points leader Simona De Silvestro was aiming to increase her lead, while teammate Frankie Muniz was looking for another top-5 finish. While it may not have turned out to be a perfect weekend for both drivers, there were plenty of high fives going around at the conclusion of the race weekend.

De Silvestro entered the weekend carrying a five-point lead over Newman Wachs driver John Edwards. De Silvestro faced an uphill battle as she would have to start the race in the third spot behind Edwards and his teammate Jonathan Summerton. Facing the challenge head on De Silvestro took the green flag start of the race, bolted past Edwards, and began to mount a challenge towards the front. De Silvestro and Summerton enjoyed periods of side by side racing throughout the race, however, De Silvestro would eventually settle behind Summerton and stay close enough to take advantage of any mistakes Summerton might make but Summerton never faulted and was able to take the win with De Silvestro following close behind. De Silvestro's second place finish helps her regain some valuable ground in the Championship fight and extends her lead by 16 points with 135 points.

Muniz who qualified for the race in the 8^th spot was hoping to finish among the top-5 spot for the race but his plan took an unfortunate detour on the first lap as he was involved in a 3-way incident involving himself, John Edwards, and Tonis Kasemets. Muniz quickly made his way to the pits where his crew went to work and fixed the front suspension of the car and managed to get Muniz back into the race without losing a lap. The incident relegated Muniz back to the eighth spot. Later it was discovered that Muniz had suffered a chipped bone in his thumb as a result of the accident. Once back on the track Muniz was able to maintain his composure and finished the race in eighth. He now finds himself in eighth place in the championship standings with 54 points, just 6 points away from the seventh spot.

Frankie Muniz, Driver No. 77 - “It's unfortunate that I got caught up in another first lap incident. Tonis and John got together and the #77 car suffered a broken suspension but a lot of credit goes to the team for their fast work and getting me back into the race despite the damage and the chipped bone in my thumb. We'll regroup and be ready for Trois-Rivieres.”

Simona De Silvestro, Driver No. 78 - “It was a very positive weekend. The result allows us to extend our points lead by a bigger margin. This is not a time to rest or take it easy. We will go to Trois Rivieres with just as much focus and intensity that we have had for every race this season. I want to thank the Team Stargate Worlds team, our sponsors, the Atlantic series, Mazda, Cooper Tires, and all of the series sponsors'”

Imran Safiulla and Shane Seneviratne, Principals Of Team Stargate Worlds- “We are happy with our weekend. We were quick out of the box and should have had the pole position, but all in all we are all happy to be leaving Mid Ohio in the points lead. The team has done a terrific job and performing at a very high level and we look forward to continuing that in our quest for the Championship.”

About Team Stargate Worlds:
Team Stargate Worlds entered the 2009 Atlantic Championship season in partnership with US RaceTronics with one of the world's most talented female race car drivers Simona De Silvestro and Hollywood star turned serious professional racer Frankie Muniz. For more information about Team Stargate Worlds please visit www.usracetronics.com. The Team Stargate Worlds Twitter page can be found at http://twitter.com/TeamSGW while the team’s Facebook page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=70120788804

Full Report Coming Soon

Starting third on the grid De Silvestro once again began the race tucked behind the second place of Jonathan Summerton, while his teammate and race leader John Edwards charged ahead. As was the case during race #1, De Silvestro and Summerton spent much of the race battling each other with De Silvestro trying to set up Summerton for a pass and not being able to get the right opportunity. De Silvestro's fortunes changed with 8 minutes to go as Summerton pulled off the track due to a mechanical issue. With Summerton no longer in the mix she picked up the pace and put down lap times quicker than the race leader Edwards but in the end she did not have enough time to show what she could have done. De Silvestro would end up finishing in the second spot. She still retains the 2009 Championship lead by five points.

Muniz begun the race in the tenth spot and after a couple of laps had manage to claw himself to the eighth spot and continued to focus on the seventh place of Markus Niemela. Muniz enjoyed a very big gap between himself and the ninth place of Max Lefevre. Muniz would end moving one position after Summerton pulled out of the race with eight minutes left. Muniz would go on to finish the race in the seventh spot. The solid effort put on by Muniz by charging from the tenth spot to the seventh spot also earned him the race's Hard Charger award. This would be his second such award of the 2009 season. The first award was earned earlier at the Miller Motorsports Park race earlier in the season.

The series returns to competition on August 8^th at Mid Ohio..

Frankie Muniz, Driver No. 77 - “I'm very happy with the result. After having had a poor qualifying for this race I am glad we ended up where we did and equally happy for receiving the Hard Charger award. I learned a lot from this weekend. Thank you to my engineer Gerald Tyler and the rest of the crew for a great car. I'm still learning a lot and I'm looking forward to the next race.”

Simona De Silvestro, Driver No. 78- “We had a great race. We caught a break because of Summerton's issue towards the end of the race. Before that incident he and I had a great battle and we raced each other well. I'm grateful to the Team Stargate Worlds team for all of their hard work this weekend and I'm looking forward to continuing our push for the Championship.”

Imran Safiulla and Shane Seneviratne, Principals Of Team Stargate Worlds- "We are happy to have had a strong result here and stay ahead in the championship lead. Simona drove a fantastic race and its unfortunate that due to the lack of passing ability we weren't able to contend for the win. We are very proud of Frankie's continued development and he had a fantastic run. John Edwards and NWR didn't put a foot wrong all weekend and we congratulate them.”

About Team Stargate Worlds:
Team Stargate Worlds entered the 2009 Atlantic Championship season in partnership with US RaceTronics with one of the world's most talented female race car drivers Simona De Silvestro and Hollywood star turned serious professional racer Frankie Muniz. For more information about Team Stargate Worlds please visit www.usracetronics.com. The Team Stargate Worlds Twitter page can be found at http://twitter.com/TeamSGW while the team’s Facebook page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=70120788804

There was a hiccup at the first start of the race and after the confusion was settled the restart saw the pole winner John Edwards take the lead for the first lap. De Silvestro scooted behind the race leader and began putting pressure. Markus Niemela brought out a full-course yellow flag on lap #2. Restarting in third, as a result of a penalty imposed by race officials when De Silvestro jumped the original race start, she quickly began to battle Jonathan Summerton for the second spot. With De Silvestro all over him, Summerton was doing all he could to keep her behind him. The battle with Summerton allowed his teammate Edwards to put a big gap between him and second place. De Silvestro attempted to set up Summerton for a pass but the opportunities were far and few in between, but nevertheless the Scottsdale, AZ resident never relented. De Silvestro would eventually hold on to third place for the finish.

The start of the race for De Silvestro's teammate Frankie Muniz didn't go as he would have liked and by turn #4 on the first lap Muniz saw himself relegated to the last spot. He was able to regroup and by lap # 5 Muniz had rebounded back to his original starting spot of eighth. With 21 minutes left Muniz had caught up to the seventh place of Max Lefevre and began his attack. He dug in his heels in and with seven minutes left Muniz made a spectacular pass on turn #8 and from that point he began to put a lengthy gap between him and the eighth place. Muniz would go on to finish the race in seventh spot.

Frankie Muniz, Driver No. 77 - “I am pretty pleased with the way the day went. I drove very well. Even though I got passed on the start by two guys I managed to pass them back and I finished in seventh and we're pretty happy with that given how difficult this track is and where I have been running. I'm looking forward to the race tomorrow. Many thanks to the team for giving me a great car.”

Simona De Silvestro, Driver No. 78- “We made a bit of a mistake at the start but we had a great car and though it was unfortunate that we couldn't get around Summerton we're happy that we did come out in third place and still retain the lead by 10 points and we know we have a good car for tomorrow so hopefully we'll get a better result.”

Imran Safiulla and Shane Seneviratne, Principals Of Team Stargate Worlds- "There was some confusion at the start and that took a little of our momentum on the restart. We had a little bit of a roll on Simona's car at the start and got a penalty rightfully handed down to us, which was unfortunate. As far as Simona's race goes it was a hard race and while she was unable to pass, she drove a great race. Frankie showed that he belongs with the front runners by driving a strong race and though he was stuck behind a slower car he was able to get by and pull away. We're happy with today and hope to put on a great race tomorrow.”

About Team Stargate Worlds: Team Stargate Worlds entered the 2009 Atlantic Championship season in partnership with US RaceTronics with one of the world's most talented female race car drivers Simona De Silvestro and Hollywood star turned serious professional racer Frankie Muniz. For more information about Team Stargate Worlds please visit www.usracetronics.com. The Team Stargate Worlds Twitter page can be found at http://twitter.com/TeamSGW while the team’s Facebook page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=70120788804

Team Stargate Worlds Returns to Competition Sitting and Hoping to Stay on Top
After a successful weekend of competition last weekend, Team Stargate Worlds returns this weekend to pick up where it last left off at this weekend's doubleheader race event.  The Harrah’s Autobahn Grand Prix presented by Mazda double race event will once again test current Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda points leader Simona De Silvestro and teammate Frankie Muniz and their respective crews.  The team has enjoyed tremendous success this year but there are no plans to rest on their laurels, instead they are focusing all of their energies this weekend on maintaining their success and increasing De Silvestro's Championship lead.

For De Silvestro, a third year Atlantic Championship racer, and current series leader, she arrives at this race enjoying a 17 points lead over John Edwards.  This is the first time in her career she has led the series in points and she earned that lead in astonishing fashion by winning 3 out of the 5 races held this year.  That feat made De Silvestro the winningest female driver in the 36-year history of the series.  This weekend, like weekend's past Simona has a competitive field of racers gunning for her lead, but the poise and talent that she has shown thus far will hopefully put a dent in those plans.

The second half of the Team Stargate Worlds team, Frankie Muniz shows up this weekend looking for a brand new start after a disappointing race at last week's Lime Rock event.  Muniz suffered a first lap incident that put him 3 laps down .  Despite that early disappointment he was able to finish tenth and ran lap times as fast as the top-5 race finishers.  Muniz has already enjoyed a top-5 finish when he finished fourth at this years race at Miller Motorsports Park and he is looking forward to repeating that career best performance this weekend.

The Team Stargate World is also proud to announce that it is teaming up with Empress Casino Hotel for this weekend's event. Empress is based in Joliet and offers its guests first-rate accommodations and exciting casino action with 1,194 slot machines and 23 table games, including craps, blackjack, roulette and poker.  For the Team Stargate Worlds team, Empress provides a huge logistical advantage as the hotel is in close proximity to the track. The convenience and top notch service provided by the Empress staff allows the team to rest and enjoy themselves after what will be a couple of hard days at the track this weekend.

Frankie Muniz, Driver No. 77 - “I'm excited about this weekend and the fact that we didn't have much downtime between Lime Rock and this race. We're shooting for a top-5 finish this weekend especially since I know it's a very achievable goal.  I've shown I can do it and that has always been our plan this year so that's what I'm hoping to achieve. I have confidence in the team's abilities this weekend and I'm hoping for no more bad luck”

Simona De Silvestro, Driver No. 78 - “I'm looking forward to racing on this new track and we're hoping that we can maintain this momentum and capitalize on it.  My engineer Burke Harrison and my crew have given me a great car for the last couple of races and so I'm hoping for the same  success this weekend.  Going into this race with the points lead is a great advantage and it's our hope to extend that lead by the time this weekend is over”               

Imran Safiulla and Shane Seneviratne, Principals Of Team Stargate Worlds- “Going to this weekend's race with the points lead is great but our hope is to extend that lead and to that end we are confident that both Simona and Frankie and the rest of the team will give 100%.  We would like to welcome Empress Casino group.  Their hospitality has been fabulous and we look forward to expanding our relationship into the long term”  

Kevin McMaster, Empress Casino & Hotel- “We are delighted to welcome Team Stargate Worlds to our casino hotel and are excited to partner with a team of such high caliber.  This partnership highlights our common goal to be the first and best in everything we do in our competitive arenas.  We hope to provide Team Stargate Worlds a memorable weekend.”

About Empress

Empress Casino Hotel is conveniently located 45 minutes southwest of Chicago near the I-80/I-55 interchange in Joliet.  The 50,000 square-foot-casino – the most spacious in Northern Illinois – offers wide aisles, more slot machines than any other casino in the state, action-packed table games and multiple smoking environments conveniently located off the casino floor.

About Team Stargate Worlds:

Team Stargate Worlds entered the 2009 Atlantic Championship season in partnership with US RaceTronics with one of the world's most talented female race car drivers Simona De Silvestro and Hollywood star turned serious professional racer Frankie Muniz. For more information about Team Stargate Worlds please visit www.usracetronics.com. The Team Stargate Worlds Twitter page can be found at http://twitter.com/TeamSGW while the team’s Facebook page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=70120788804

Lakeville, CT (July 17, 2009) – Team Stargate Worlds Lime Rock Friday Report Team Stargate Worlds arrived at the Lime Rock track hoping to continue the success it experienced at its last event at the New Jersey Motorsports Park. In that dominating performance, Simona De Silvestro led every lap from the pole and went on to win the race. At the same time overtook the Championship point's lead, while teammate Frankie Muniz finished ninth, continuing his streak of top-10 finishes. This weekend's event would test the team's resolve and abilities in their overall quest to maintain Simona's points lead and Frankie's top-10 finishing streak.

After leading the practice session De Silvestro and the team prepped for the upcoming qualifying session and were unceremoniously greeted by rain showers. With the understanding that the session would now be a wet qualifying session Simona and her crew, guided by race engineer Burke Harrison, quickly scrambled and adapted the car to the new conditions. She climbed into her #78 entry for the session not knowing how the weather would affect her qualifying opportunity. After the first couple of laps it became clear her times were very competitive, but her fellow Atlantic Championship competitor Borja Garcia owned the top spot for much of the session. With every lap it appeared that De Silvestro would have to settle for second. On her last lap a determined De Silvestro carved around the track with precision and speed and crossed the checkered flag. Immediately the Team Stargate Worlds crew looked up at their monitors and saw Simona at the top of the time sheet. Silvestro had indeed bested Garcia's time and earned herself a pole position. This is her third pole position of the 2009 Cooper Tires Atlantic Championship Powered By Mazda season.

After a promising practice session earlier in the day, which had his #77 entry in the fourth place spot, De Silvestro's teammate Frankie Muniz also took to the wet track for his qualifying session. The Scottsdale, Arizona resident powered down and focused every lap on a perfect lap but, with the rain affecting everyone, Muniz had to deal with slower traffic. Though he tried, it became painfully clear that traffic, caused by the rain, would dash all hope of an uninterrupted lap. Undeterred, Muniz kept his focus and clawed his way into the tenth spot on lap twenty, which is where he would end up finishing. Muniz has earned a top-10 qualifying result for every race this season.

Frankie Muniz, Driver No. 77 - “While the session didn't yield the results I would have liked, a top-10 at this track is still a very good accomplishment. Thanks to my crew and engineer Gerald Tyler for their hard work. We will go over the data and come back tomorrow stronger and determined to have a great race and continue to the team's goals and success. Congratulations to Simona for a great session. Hopefully, Team Stargate Worlds will have a very successful race tomorrow.”

Simona De Silvestro, Driver No. 78 - “I am so happy about this result, especially since we had rain and that really tested us as a team. A lot of thanks go to my engineer and crew for dealing with the rain and still giving me a great car. This pole is important because after our break we still have been able to maintain our momentum and I'm hoping that tomorrow we will capitalize on this success.”

Imran Safiulla and Shane Seneviratne, Principals Of Team Stargate Worlds- “The team was very impressed with Simona's qualifying session and her ability to adapt to the difficult changing weather. She never panicked and maintained her focus throughout the session and when it counted she made it happen and put a great lap together. We are equally impressed with Frankie's performance. His result was a result of bad timing and rain. He gave his all on the track and overcame his obstacles resulting in a top-10 spot, and continues his top-10 qualifying run”

About Team Stargate Worlds: Team Stargate Worlds entered the 2009 Atlantic Championship season in partnership with US RaceTronics with one of the world's most talented female race car drivers Simona De Silvestro and Hollywood star turned serious professional racer Frankie Muniz. For more information about Team Stargate Worlds please visit www.usracetronics.com. The Team Stargate Worlds Twitter page can be found at http://twitter.com/TeamSGW while the team’s Facebook page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=70120788804

With Saturday behind them, Team Stargate Worlds drivers Simona De Silvestro and Frankie Muniz arrived Sunday morning looking to improve their results from Saturday's race.  With clouds dotting the beautiful blue New Jersey sky, the 13-car field lined up with Simona in front of the pack.  During the last race De Silvestro had a misstep at the start which cost her greatly.  For this race she was determined not to let that happen again.  

As soon as the green flag waved, De Silvestro got a great launch off the starting line and put the second place starter Jonathan Summerton behind her.  She had built a 1.1 second gap between her and Summerton by the time the first lap was completed.  De Silvestro continued to build up her lead incrementally and by lap #5 her lead increased to 1.5 seconds.  Summerton was not about to let De Silvestro walk away from this race unchallenged and midway through the race he managed to eat away at her lead.  He was now only 0.7 seconds away from De Silvestro and kept his lap times evenly matched with hers.  Nevertheless, De Silvestro drove a flawless race and sliced her way around the track perfectly, never allowing Summerton to take advantage of a mistake.  De Silvestro would cross the finish line first, capping off a successful weekend.  This is her second victory this year with Team Stargate Worlds and her third career victory in the Atlantic series.  She leaves New Jersey leading the Atlantic Championship by eight points.

De Silvestro’s teammate Frankie Muniz had an eventful start of the race by falling one position back to 9th.  All hope was not gone as the 8th place car of James Winslow only led Muniz by .03 seconds.  With Winslow in his sights Muniz drove a methodical race, looking for the perfect opportunity to set up a pass to capture 8th.  Muniz would try to make the pass on the front straightaway but with time running out just could not get it done.  It wasn’t until the second to the last lap when Muniz tucked his #77 behind Winslow’s machine and pulled off the spectacular pass.   At that point Muniz explicitly displayed his fast pace by running away from Winslow.  In the 2 laps that remained Muniz had increased his lead over Winslow by over 4 seconds.  

Simona De Silvestro, Driver No. 78 – “It was a very tough race.  I got a great start but Jonathan Summerton made consistent laps and I was never able to get a very big gap over him.  He kept his car right behind me the whole time so in that respect it was tough. I was a bit concerned when I got caught in traffic and Jonathan did gain an advantage every time I did run into traffic but I was always able to regain my distance over him.  The win was especially nice since I now have the Championship lead.  Many thanks go to the Team Stargate Worlds crew, our Engineers, and to our great sponsors.”

Frankie Muniz, Driver No. 77 - “Overall I'm happy with the result.  Even though I didn't have the start that I wanted, I did have a great fight with James Winslow for the 8th spot throughout the whole race and with 2 laps to go I made the pass and was able to get by him cleanly.  I then managed to put a 4 second gap between James and me.  While this weekend may not have gone how I would have planned it with the blown engine on Friday, the lack of practice time, and our last race #1 tangle with James and the ensuing damage, I did learn a tremendous amount, I also gained a lot of confidence and I feel like the next step now is a podium finish.  Hopefully that will come at our next race”

Imran Safiulla and Shane Senevirante, Principals Of Team Stargate Worlds, - “We are both proud of the team.  It was a strong effort in all departments and Simona drove an excellent race. She fully deserves the results she’s been having.  The hard work is paying off.  Frankie had a good race pace but was held up behind a slower car.  He has gained precious experience at this event and we hope to take this momentum into Lime Rock.”        

About Team Stargate Worlds:
Team Stargate Worlds entered the 2009 Atlantic Championship season in partnership with US RaceTronics with one of the world's most talented female race car drivers Simona De Silvestro and Hollywood star turned serious professional racer Frankie Muniz. For more information about Team Stargate Worlds please visit www.usracetronics.com. The Team Stargate Worlds Twitter page can be found at http://twitter.com/TeamSGW while the team’s Facebook page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=70120788804

After an eventful Friday that saw Team Stargate Worlds drivers Frankie Muniz and Simona De Silvestro having mixed qualifying sessions where Muniz ended up 8th and De Silvestro 2nd ,  followed up with wild weather interrupting their sessions, the Team Stargate Worlds duo arrived Saturday looking to improve their fortunes for Saturday's qualifying session as well Race #1 at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

For qualifying Simona immediately shot to the P1 spot.  She would end up getting shuffled back to 5th   place as the session continued.  With time quickly elapsing, and her tires beginning to heat up, she once again took over the P1 position on the timesheets by posting a fast lap of 1:110:985, followed by Genoa Racing's Jonathan Summerton, who posted a time of 1:110:985 , good enough for P2.  Frankie picked up where he left off yesterday and slotted himself into 6th place and maintained his position.  As conditions on the track began to change Muniz slid to the 8th spot with a time of 1:11.549.  With the checkered flag being displayed De Silvestro's fast time solidified her P1 spot, earning her her second pole position of the year and Muniz would eventually end up in 8th.

For the race, sunny skies had arrived and this time stuck around for the entire race session.  Simona, starting 2nd  and Frankie, starting in 8th, began the race and immediately had some scary moments.  Simona went down a position as Genoa Racing's Frederic Vervisch scooted by her before turn # 1.  She tried to maintain her position but lost another position when Condor Racing's Borja Garcia put her in the fourth spot after she missed a gear shift and briefly went off track.  Focused and determined, the young Swiss racer charged back and kicked it up a couple of notches and began nailing down some of her fastest laps.  She soon caught up to Garcia and regained her 3rd spot and made her way towards Vervisch.  On lap #12 Simona caught up to Vervisch and rebounded back to 2nd.  Facing a 6 second gap between her and race leader Summerton, Simona began to slice around the 2.17 mile track and peeled away at Summerton's lead.     With each lap Simona grew closer to Summerton and with 22 minutes to go the 6 second lead was cut to 2.7 seconds, but as the end of the race grew closer, De Silvestro was not able to close the gap and eventually finished in the 2nd spot. While it may not have been a win De Silvestro's 2nd place finish did accomplish one of her weekend goals:  To take over the championship lead.

Frankie took the green flag, however, by lap #3 he found himself in 11th place.  He fought his way to keep from going back any more positions.  On lap #10 it was being reported that smoke was being seen coming from Muniz's #77 machine.  As it turns out the #77 car was bottoming out, meaning it was too low to the ground and the car's bottom was scrapping the track.  The problem didn't seem to affect Muniz and he continued his forward progress. Halfway through the race Muniz climbed back to 10th, taking it away from Mexican racer David Garza and soon thereafter he had caught up to the 8th place of Tonis Kasemets, only separated by 0.3 seconds.  Both Kasemets and Muniz passed Frederick Vervisch, who had an ailing gearbox.  Muniz now owned 8th place and it looked as though he would finish in the 8th spot, however on a last lap move, the 9th place of fellow racer James Winslow made a poorly executed pass attempt and hit Muniz, causing him to go off track.  After a brilliant save, Muniz continued and would officially finish in the 9th spot.  Soon after the race, Race Control reviewed the incident and determined that there was avoidable contact between Winslow and Muniz and thus Muniz was awarded the 8th place finishing spot.

Frankie Muniz, Driver No. 77 - “It was a tough day but with that said we got some valuable points and are determined to do even better tomorrow.  The whole Team Stargate World's crew did a great job and together we overcame a difficult day.  We'll be back tomorrow in force”

Simona De Silvestro, Driver No. 78 - “I'm happy about taking the points lead and going into tomorrow's race with that lead.  Today's race was tough.  If it wasn't for that mishap on the start of the race and our 2nd lap incident, where I went off track for a bit, I know we could have had a better chance at catching the first place of Jonathan Summerton, but this is a long season and I'll gladly take the 2nd place and our new points lead!  Many thanks to my engineer Burke Harrison and the Team Stargate Worlds crew for their hard work.  A big thank you to our sponsors for their wonderful support ”

Imran Safiulla and Shane Seneviratne, Principals Of Team Stargate Worlds- “It's been a weekend of mixed fortunes for Team Stargate Worlds.  An oil leak yesterday on Frankie's car set us back a fair bit, but we recovered well.  Our Engineers Gerald Tyler (Frankie Muniz's #77) and Burke Harrison (Simona De Silvestro #78)  did a great job dealing with variable weather conditions during qualifying.  Simona had a strong race and we've sneaked ahead in the Championship lead.  Frankie made the most of his misfortune to drive hard and he picked up some very valuable points.  We are hoping for a stronger day tomorrow.”

About Team Stargate Worlds:
Team Stargate Worlds entered the 2009 Atlantic Championship season in partnership with US RaceTronics with one of the world's most talented female race car drivers Simona De Silvestro and Hollywood star turned serious professional racer Frankie Muniz. For more information about Team Stargate Worlds please visit www.usracetronics.com. The Team Stargate Worlds Twitter page can be found at http://twitter.com/TeamSGW while the team’s Facebook page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=70120788804

Round 3 and 4 of the 2009 Cooper Tires Atlantic Championship Powered By Mazda season at the New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, New Jersey finally arrived and after a memorable weekend 4 weeks ago the Team Stargate Worlds crew were anxious to get the weekend activities started.

Practice for the team had mixed results.  The first half of the Team Stargate Worlds duo, Simona De Silvestro, quickly showed that her Utah dominance was no fluke by leading much of the practice session.  She was closely being trailed by Newman Wach's driver John Edwards.  Though Edwards would go on to finish P1 for the session, Simona finished closely behind him in 2nd.  The team's overall impression was positive as De Silvestro's car looked strong and looked to be even stronger for the upcoming qualifying effort.  Frankie Muniz's session was unfortunately very brief.  A small oil leak caused an engine blow up on lap #1 ending any chance for Muniz to get some valuable practice laps.  Undeterred the team went straight to work on replacing the engine for the #077 entry.

Qualifying threw a wrench in everyone's plan when weather conditions brought light rain soon after the session had begun.  De Silvestro once again started off strong as she quickly climbed to P2 and maintained that position until after midway through the session (Lap #14).  After the change De Silvestro continued her charge and shot up to P1.  The rest of the field soon caught up and De Silvestro began shuffling between 2nd and 5th place.  Genoa Racing's Jonathan Summerton put on a late session charge and took P1 with De Silvestro trailing behind in P2.  The session would go on to end in that order.

Muniz qualified without even putting in a full practice lap, however, he was up for the challenge and immediately stormed onto the track and quickly excelled himself to the eighth spot.  Shortly after he got his tires up to temperature the rain began to fall and the team called him into the pits for a tire change.  Times stayed unchanged as a result of the wet conditions and with eight minutes left the team called him in again for another tire change as the track was now drying and the car required slick tires.  Frankie's time would fall one position to ninth as the session drew to a close.

Frankie Muniz, Driver No. 77 - “Even though it was a mixed day I'm looking forward to tomorrow and seeing how our qualifying session goes as well as our first race.  Today, despite the engine problem, the team managed to regroup and get me up and running for qualifying.  So tomorrow will be  a fresh start and I'm looking forward to racing again”

Simona De Silvestro, Driver No. 78 - “Well I'm happy to be starting on the front row once again.  The session was interesting and had its challenges but I have to give credit to the Team Stargate Worlds crew and engineer Burke for giving me a great car.  I think the car still has more in it but we're in a good position for tomorrow's race and I'm hoping for a great result”

Imran Safiulla and Shane Seneviratne, Principals Of Team Stargate Worlds- “Today was a bit of a mixed day.  Simona did a great job in qualifying the car, considering we had such a mix of weather, with rain and sun all during the session.  She managed to stay consistent and focused despite the obstacles.  Frankie had an unfortunate day but at the end he managed to still put on a great qualifying effort considering he had not run a full lap prior to qualifying. For practice he had an oil leak which caused his motor to blow up so credit to the team for getting him ready for the qualifying session.”

About Team Stargate Worlds:
Team Stargate Worlds entered the 2009 Atlantic Championship season in partnership with US RaceTronics with one of the world's most talented female race car drivers Simona De Silvestro and Hollywood star turned serious professional racer Frankie Muniz. For more information about Team Stargate Worlds please visit www.usracetronics.com. The Team Stargate Worlds Twitter page can be found at http://twitter.com/TeamSGW while the team’s Facebook page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=70120788804

It was there that #78 Simona De Silvestro garnered the pole position, led every practice session, and finally led every lap to go on to win the race. Her teammate #77 Frankie Muniz also had a stellar weekend by driving to a career best finish of fourth place. This week the team is back in action for Rounds # 3 and # 4 at the New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, New Jersey and they are looking to continue the momentum they started 4 weeks ago.

For her part De Silvestro arrives at New Jersey second in the championship standings, trailing first place Jonathan Edwards by a mere 5 points. In what was only her second career win, her performance at last month’s Utah Grand Prix not only put her amongst a rare group in history of women who have won a professional motorsports race, but it also elevated the whole Team Stargate Worlds group and raised the bar for the season. With a year end prize of 1 million dollars awaiting the series champion, Simona and the team both have two goals they are focusing on: to win and to leave this weekend leading the championship standings. Simona will have strong competition to contend with this weekend but she has experience and history on her side since it was her current race engineer Burke Harrison who helped Carl Skerlong win this exact race last year in dominating fashion.

De Silvestro’s teammate Frankie Muniz shows up this weekend as the hometown hero. Muniz was born and raised in New Jersey before he embarked on his Hollywood acting career. With a heavy friends and family presence expected this weekend Muniz is looking to continue his quest for a podium finish which eluded him at the last race. The 4 week break also allowed Muniz to finally take care of an old foot injury that required minor surgery and the use of crutches. He now returns to New Jersey fully ready to tackle the task at hand. Last year’s race saw Muniz locked in a battle with his current teammate De Silvestro where he would ultimately end up in tenth place.

Frankie Muniz, Driver No. 77 - “I'm really looking forward to this weekend. It really is a home race for me as I will have a lot of my family and friends here to cheer me on and coming off a fourth place finish at Utah, I'm hoping this is the weekend we'll get our first podium.”

Simona De Silvestro, Driver No. 78 - “I'm pretty excited for this weekend because the last race we were so dominating and I believe that we can transfer that same game plan over to this race. I'm confident that we will start off with a good base with the car because my Engineer, Burke Harrison, won here last year with Carl Skerlong”

Imran Safiulla and Shane Seneviratne, Principals Of Team Stargate Worlds- “We are excited to get back to business. We have had success at this track before and we hope to be competitive again. This is a double header weekend and therefore important for us to be competitive and pick up some valuable championship points. The team has been working hard over the last few weeks and everybody is excited to get back to racing”

About Team Stargate Worlds:

Team Stargate Worlds entered the 2009 Atlantic Championship season in partnership with US RaceTronics with one of the world's most talented female race car drivers Simona De Silvestro and Hollywood star turned serious professional racer Frankie Muniz. For more information about Team Stargate Worlds please visit www.usracetronics.com. The Team Stargate Worlds Twitter page can be found at http://twitter.com/TeamSGW while the team’s Facebook page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=70120788804

After a phenomenal Saturday that saw Team Stargate Worlds driver Simona De Silvestro put her #78 machine on pole, her first career pole position, and her teammate Frankie Muniz put on his best qualifying effort at seventh, the team gathered on Sunday in the hopes of putting an exclamation mark on the weekend's activities for the Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix at the Miller Motorsports Park.

Under another perfect Utah sun the Team Stargate Worlds drivers hit the grid preparing for a dogfight. The standing start was going to have to be perfect for Simona to take the lead going into turn #1 and as the lgreen flag waved Simona launched herself into the first spot and never looked back. After turn #1 the second place of Jonathan Summerton went off track which opened up the second place to his Newman Wachs Racing teammate Jonathan Edwards . But Simona was well ahead of the field. By lap #5 De Silvestro had put a 5 second gap between her and Edwards and didn't let up. With every lap she hammered down and built her lead in dominating fashion. Her lead was up by 8.6 seconds by lap #15. For the duration of the race De Silvestro executed razer sharp laps and by the end of the race her dominant lead had grown to over 11 seconds. She would end up taking the checkered flag in first capping off a weekend where she led every session. This is the first time in professional open wheel motorsports a woman has won a race after leading every session and winning the pole.

Her Team Stargate Worlds teammate Frankie Muniz also had an incredible race. After starting the race in seventh, he shot to fifth place and spent the majority of the race behind rookie Borja Garcia. Muniz spent most of the race trying to set up Garcia for the pass for the fourth spot. On lap #47 Frankie made the move only to be hit by Garcia. Although he lost 2 spots as a result the Scottsdale resident kept his cool and on the final lap he again attempted to set up Garcia for the pass only to have Garcia and reigning Atlantic champion Marcus Niemela get together at turn #1. Muniz scooted past and took the fourth spot where he would end up finishing. This was Frankie's best race finish in his career.

Frankie Muniz: “Ive never been happier in my racing career! The Team Stargate Worlds team worked really hard this weekend and I'm happy for them as well. I'm just real ecstatic especially since I have really been working for this for the past 2 years. I think I proved that I belong in this series, amongst the best drivers in the world”

Simona De Silvestro: “I'm so happy. This was such a good weekend. Beginning with the first practice session the car was great and now with a win, I am very happy. My thanks go out to the sponsors who have supported us and thanks to the Team Stargate Worlds crew who gave me a great car. I'm looking forward to New Jersey where my engineer Burke had great success last year and we'll take the momentum from this race.”

Imran Safiulla and Shane Seneviratne, Principals of Team Stargate Worlds- “This is our maiden win as partners. We are are very proud of the job the entire crew has done over the last few weeks, and specially this weekend. We can't say enough about Simona and Frankie's effort here. We think we might have made history here with Simona leading every session of the weekend and winning the race from flag to flag. We would like to sincerely thank all our sponsors for their extended support and belief in our program.”

About Team Stargate Worlds
Team Stargate Worlds entered the 2009 Atlantic Championship season in partnership with US RaceTronics with one of the world's most talented female race car drivers Simona De Silvestro and Hollywood star turned serious professional racer Frankie Muniz. For more information about Team Stargate Worlds please visit www.teamstargateworlds.com

The Team Stargate Worlds duo of Frankie Muniz and Simona De Silvestro arrived Saturday looking to continue the streak of good fortune that they've experienced since their arrival at the track where De Silvestro has enjoyed leading every session for the Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda at Miller Motorsports Park. The question on everyone's mind was whether De Silvestro and Muniz would be able to make it count for Saturday's 30 minute qualifying session.

Under sunny and breezy conditions the Team Stargate Worlds drivers took to the track and immediately put up fast numbers. De Silvestro once again rocketed to the top of the time charts and posted the fastest lap and continually improved her times. With ten minutes left Jonathan Summerton leaped to the front of Simona on the time sheets, relegating her to second best. With every lap thereafter it looked like the De Silvestro's efforts would only be good enough for second. Undeterred Simona charged ahead and with 1 minute left she retook the Pole Position with a lap of 1:36.891 (113.249 mph) and held it. Summerton would finish second while rookie driver Frederic Vervisch rounded out the top-3.

For his part the other half of the Team Stargate World driver combo Frankie Muniz hustled his #77 machine around the track and within 10 minutes posted a top-5 time. With each lap Muniz grew more confident and improved to fourth fastest. As the minutes ticked away the track grew faster and Muniz saw his times slip down to fifth as other drivers came up to speed, and with 2 minutes remaining a flurry of fast laps were completed by the field and Muniz saw his time dip to seventh best.For Muniz this was a great session as it represents his best qualifying effort yet.

Imran Safiulla and Shane Seneviratne, Principals of Team Stargate Worlds- “This is a very proud day for us. We have worked very hard over the last few weeks and the team has done a phenomenal job. Simona is getting stronger with each passing day and Frankie is not far behind. Simona has done a great job so far and we hope to have a strong finish tomorrow.

About Team Stargate Worlds Team Stargate Worlds entered the 2009 Atlantic Championship season in partnership with US RaceTronics with one of the world's most talented female race car drivers Simona De Silvestro and Hollywood star turned serious professional racer Frankie Muniz.

Salt Lake City, UT (May 15, 2009) – Team Stargate Worlds Welcomes Maakoa and Kimpton’s Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City as Partners.

Team Stargate Worlds is also honored to have Kimpton’s Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City as a sponsor. The partnership will last for the duration of the weekend's festivities. Like an urban oasis in the high desert, Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City is all about guilty pleasures. The 225 guest rooms and hotel suites offer up a mix of vibrant and soothing colors and eclectic style defined by plush, plump furniture, designer patterns and whimsical touches. Guests at the Hotel Monaco can sink into a velvet sofa and sip wine by the fire, luxuriate in a setting that evokes the Hollywood glamour of the forties and contemplate dinner in any one of several intriguing restaurants, most just a stroll away. Reservations and prices are available by calling (801) 595-0000. Located at 15 West 200 South in Downtown Salt Lake City. This weekend's Utah Grand Prix will be seen by thousands of Utahns and visitors from out of state and with the #77 and #78 cars displaying the hotel's branding, the fast and exhilarating world of motorsports will add a unique avenue to the hotel's marketing approach. You can visit the Kimpton’s Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City website at www.monaco-saltlakecity.city.com

Maakoa: “Maakoa is looking forward to a successful year with our partners and customers. When it comes to responsible, healthy living, Maakoa is poised to deliver”

MaryLynn Beck, General Manager Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City: "Kimpton's Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City is happy to be a part of Team Stargate Worlds and is excited to support its two strong drivers. We are fortunate to be a part of this winning team"

Imran Safiulla and Shane Seneviratne, Principals of Team Stargate Worlds- “We are happy to welcome Maakoa into our family of partners. They are positioned to develop some unique products for the global markets and we look forward to being a part of their growth and success. We are also pleased about our new relationship with The Hotel Monaco. Their hospitality has been nothing but the best.

ABOUT KIMPTON
San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, a collection of boutique hotels and chef-driven restaurants in the US and Canada, is an acknowledged industry pioneer and was the first to bring the boutique hotel concept to America. Founded in 1981 by Bill Kimpton, the company is well-known for making travelers feel welcomed and comfortable while away from home through intuitive and unscripted customer care, stylish ambience and having a certain playfulness in its approach to programs and amenities. Each hotel provides a range of exciting culinary experiences through locally-loved, top-rated, destination, chef-driven restaurants. Kimpton leads the hospitality industry in ecological practices through its innovative EarthCare programs that span all hotels and restaurants. Privately held Kimpton has consistently earned the highest ranking customer satisfaction scores by the Market Metrix Hospitality Index, exceeding other hotel companies including those in luxury and upscale segments. Among the company’s newest properties are Lorien Hotel & Spa and restaurants BRABO by Robert Wiedmaier and BRABO Tasting Room in Alexandria, VA, which opened in February 2009.Currently, projects are underway in New York City, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Baltimore and Chicago. For more information, please visit www.KimptonHotels.com or call 1-800-KIMPTON.

About Team Stargate Worlds
Team Stargate Worlds entered the 2009 Atlantic Championship season in partnership with US RaceTronics with one of the world's most talented female race car drivers Simona De Silvestro and Hollywood star turned serious professional racer Frankie Muniz. For more information about Team Stargate Worlds please visit www.teamstargateworlds.com

Team Stargate Worlds returns to compete in what looks to be an exciting and competitive weekend.

With renewed determination the Team Stargate Worlds duo of Frankie Muniz and Simona De Silvestro intend to show up and fight their way to the front, seeking to improve their point standings for the prized 2009 Championship. The competition will be fierce but these two seasoned veterans of the series are up to the task. With more than 4 years of combined experience in the Atlantic Championship series Muniz and De Silvestro look to be using that experience on track. The race track, located in Tooele, Utah, provided De Silvestro with a fifth place finish last year while Muniz was able to reel in a fourteenth place finish.

Team Stargate Worlds has not been idle during the long break. Muniz, De Silvestro and crew have been busy testing at various tracks throughout California in recent weeks. Last week the team tested at the team’s home track of Buttonwillow Raceway Park. Before that they tested at Thunderhill Raceway Park. All tests produced valuable data that the team hopes to convert into success at Miller.
The team is also pleased to be able to announce that starting this weekend it will start communicating with its fans using Twitter and Facebook. The Team Stargate Worlds Twitter page can be found at http://twitter.com/TeamSGW while the team’s Facebook page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=70120788804
Both will serve as an enhancement to the official websites for the team. The Facebook page is an effort to reach out to the multitude of Facebook Atlantic Championship race fans while the team’s Twitter presence will add the ability to update its fans in a real-time environment. Both will also add an on and off-track behind-the-scenes perspective.

Frankie Muniz, Driver No. 77 - “I'm very excited about returning back to racing after our break. Miller is one of my favorite track so it definitely adds to my excitement about this weekend. We did a lot of testing during the break and that provided us with an opportunity to learn and gather data that we can hopefully use for this weekend. The test also allowed for the team to mesh together.”

Simona De Silvestro, Driver No. 78 - “I’m really looking forward to this weekend, especially after the testing we’ve done since our last race. We have made a lot of progress and I feel that we are ready. The success that my Engineer Burke Harrison had last year at this track also provides me with a lot of confidence. I had a good result here last year as well so I'm excited about this weekend."

Imran Safiulla and Shane Seneviratne, Principals Of Team Stargate Worlds- “This is an important race weekend for us. We have some close business partnerships in the region and a lot of good friends there. It's a home race of sorts. Simona and Frankie showed well in the last couple of tests and we are excited to get to Miller and pick up some valuable championship points.

About Team Stargate Worlds:
Team Stargate Worlds entered the 2009 Atlantic Championship season in partnership with US RaceTronics with one of the world's most talented female race car drivers Simona De Silvestro and Hollywood star turned serious professional racer Frankie Muniz. For more information about Team Stargate Worlds please visit www.teamstargateworlds.com and www.usracetronics.com

Sebring, FL (March 22, 2009) – After days of testing and a solid qualifying effort Team Stargate Worlds' Frankie Muniz and Simona De Silvestro showed up Friday afternoon to compete at Round One of the Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda race at Sebring International Raceway. Under perfect weather conditions the team was looking forward to a great race. While it eventually turned out to be a great race it wasn't under ideal conditions.

Starting in the eighth and ninth spots respectively Team Stargate Worlds drivers Simona De Silvestro and Frankie Muniz lined up on the grid awaiting for the signal to start their engines. When the call finally came Muniz's #77 did not start. The team had no choice but to push the car off-course and began to methodically figure out the source of the problem. A bad ECU was discovered and a new one was installed, but it came too late and Muniz was forced to start at the end of the pack. Efforts were further hampered by the fact that Muniz had lost all radio communication. The team was unable to listen to him and vice versa. Undeterred by the issues Muniz quickly made up ground and fought his way back into the race by swiftly passing the C2 category cars and immediately began attacking the rest of the field. With determination Muniz quickly caught up to tenth place and made the pass. With the race ending Muniz had closed the gap between him and the ninth place of Jensen Motorsport's driver Matt Lee. Separated by only a few feet Muniz and Lee battled for the position but unfortunately time ran out and a pass was never realized. Muniz would end up in tenth. Coming back from the nineteenth spot Muniz's tenth place finish was an impressive feet. He also ran the sixth fastest lap of the race. For his efforts Muniz earned 4 valuable points towards the 2009 Atlantic Championship

For Simona De Silvestro's she began the race and charged through the first turn and narrowly escaped being part of the horrific incident between defending series champion Markus Niemela and 2008 championship runner-up Jonathan Bomarito. Both of whom were involved in a scary crash in turn 17 on the opening lap. Avoiding the incident De Silvestro began to focus on the # 6 of Borja Garcia and after stalking him for the first half of the race De Silvestro made her move on the inside and passed Garcia on lap # 8 for fifth and proceeded to chase the fourth place car of rookie driver Harald Schlegelmilch. De Silvestro's time would eventually run out and she would go on to earn a fifth place for her debut with Team Stargate Worlds. De Silvestro earned 10 points for her fifth spot finish.

Frankie Muniz: “It was a pretty disappointing start. First it was the radio that didn't work then the car didn't start and with that I thought my day was done but we changed the ECU and started in the back. With all that I still think I ran a strong race and ran fast lap times throughout the race. It was unfortunate that the circumstances were that way but we'll learn from this and be ready for the next race. I have to thank everyone at Team Stargate Worlds for their great work and thanks to our sponsors for their continued support. ”

Simona De Silvestro - “Well I think we did very good and had the caution been a bit shorter I think we might have had a shot to take one more position. This being our first race and to finish fifth is a strong finish and if we can continue to finish strong and win races I believe we can be in a great position for the Championship. Team Stargate Worlds gave me a great car and I want to thank them and our sponsors for their great efforts”

Sebring, FL (March 19, 2009) –  The Team Stargate Worlds duo of Frankie Muniz and Simona De Silvestro completed two days of qualifying for the Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda at Sebring International Raceway. Under partly cloudy and breezy conditions the team was looking forward to completing two good sessions in the hope of getting great race start positioning 

Wednesday's session saw Muniz run a best lap of 1:54.846 (115.981 mph) which put him in the ninth spot while his teammate Simona De Silvestro turned a best lap of 1:54.525 (116.306 mph) good enough for eighth. With another qualifying session scheduled for the next day the team worked hard into the night in preparation for the next session. 

Thursday's session saw the track conditions change quite a bit from the previous day due to the various types of cars that had been on the track since. Muniz and De Silvestro entered the track and quickly got up to speed. Muniz muscled his #77 entry around the 3.7-mile permanent road course. The Scottsdale, Arizona resident jumped up as high as sixth on the grid before pitting for some adjustments . He quickly got back on track and eventually hung in to clench eleventh with a best lap time of 1:56350 (114.482 mph).  Simona De Silvestro attacked the track and immediately put up a lap that put her second on the grid, but she also experienced a different track from yesterday so the session was going to not be without its challenges. She pitted on her third lap and changed tires and the team made some minor adjustments before she was off again. De Silvestro was able to gain ground on the timesheet and was able to claw her way to an eighth best time of 1:55.161 (115.664 mph) as the checkered flag waved. 

Frankie Muniz: “I'm satisfied with our performance today, especially since it's my best qualifying effort yet. The track was not as fast as it was yesterday so we dealt with that but overall I think the crew did a great job prepping the car and I am very excited about tomorrow and where we will be for tomorrow's race. 

Simona De Silvestro - “We struggled a bit out there today but I am very confident going into the race tomorrow and I know the Team Stargate Worlds car will be ready for the challenge at hand. I have a great crew and a great teammate and we're all hoping for a great race tomorrow” 

About Team Stargate Worlds Team Stargate Worlds entered the 2009 Atlantic Championship season in partnership with US RaceTronics with one of the world's most talented female race car drivers Simona De Silvestro and Hollywood star turned serious professional racer Frankie Muniz. For more information about Team Stargate Worlds please visit teamstargateworlds.com and usracetronics.com.

The 36th anniversary of the Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda season got underway officially today in front of thousands and the Team Stargate Worlds duo of Frankie Muniz and Simona De Silvestro were prepared to start the season on a strong note.

 Frankie Muniz ran a total of 16 laps in the #77 machine and ultimately would end up at a very respectable 9th place qualifying position while his teammate Simona De Silvestro hammered her #78 machine to a 8th place qualifying finishing position

Atlantic Championship series competitors Team Stargate Worlds announced today that it has entered into an agreement with the Hilton Garden Inn Palm Beach Gardens hotel to provide lodging services for the team during it's recent stay for the series test session on March 9th -10th.

Located in the heart of Palm Beach Gardens the newly built lavish hotel features 175 spacious rooms, 17 suites, and is surrounded by restaurants and shopping destinations. The convenience and top-notch service provided by the facilities and staff of the hotel impressed Team Stargate Worlds and further discussions led to both groups discussing future opportunities to partner up. As Florida becomes more of a hub for racing with events at Sebring International Raceway, Palm Beach International Raceway, Homestead, Daytona, the Hilton Garden Inn Palm Beach Gardens hotel is welcoming the opportunity to cater to that type of clientele and teaming up with Team Stargate Worlds is part of that plan.

“We are delighted to partner up with Team Stargate Worlds this year as they contest the 2009 Atlantic Championship season. The quality of service and care that we provided the team during their stay is just an example of what we have to offer the rest of the racing community, whether they are competitors or their fans. We pride ourselves in providing impeccable service and making our customers’ stay an experience they will not soon forget,” said Elia Wyatt, Spokeswoman for the Hilton Garden Inn Palm Beach Gardens hotel. “We realize the racing community is important to this area and the Hilton Garden Inn Palm Beach Gardens has worked very hard to showcase our hotel to those within this community,” adds Wyatt.

Team Stargate Worlds is equally pleased to align itself with the Hilton Garden Inn Palm Beach Gardens hotel. After their first night stay it was apparent that this was a partnership to be pursued. “In the past Team Stargate Worlds has aligned itself with quality companies who provide top-notch products and services so we were very excited for the opportunity to partner up with the Hilton Garden Inn Palm Beach Gardens hotel. “The way we were treated, their facilities, and the overall experience sealed the deal. We look forward to this new relationship growing with the Hilton group” states Imran Safiulla, Principal of Team Stargate Worlds. “Being away from family and the stress of the racing schedule can be overwhelming. Our time at the hotel was very welcomed and very rewarding so it makes sense that this is the type of company we want to partner up with,” adds Shane Seneviratne, Team Stargate Worlds Principal.

Situated 14 miles from the Palm Beach International Airport, the Hilton Garden Inn Palm Beach Gardens is located at 3505 Kyoto Gardens Drive, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; phone: 561-694-5833; fax: 561-694-5829. Recreational facilities consist of a workout facility featuring Precor® state-of-the-art cardiovascular and strength training equipment, Stay Fit Kits® available for complimentary check-out from the front desk, outdoor swimming pool and whirlpool. For outdoor enthusiasts, the beach and golf courses are located nearby. About Team Stargate Worlds

Team Stargate Worlds entered the 2009 Atlantic Championship season in partnership with US RaceTronics with one of the world's most talented female race car drivers Simona De Silvestro and Hollywood star turned serious professional racer Frankie Muniz. For more information about Team Stargate Worlds please visit teamstargateworlds.com and usracetronics.com.

For Team Stargate Worlds the last three weeks have been hectic.  With the team announcement and unveiling a couple of weeks ago,  a newly redesigned website, the addition of new crew members and a recent test session at Buttonwillow Raceway, the team showed no signs of fatigue as they arrived for the first Atlantic Championship series test at the 2.034 mile Palm Beach International Raceway road course.  By the end of the two days Team Stargate Worlds drivers Simona De Silvestro and Frankie Muniz had turned heads and gave notice that Team Stargate Worlds would be a formidable team for the 2009 Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda season.

The two days for Simona De Silvestro were very productive.  Day one saw her put up strong lap times.  Working closely with her engineer Burke Harrison, De Silvestro quickly put up very strong times and made great progress learning the track and experimenting with various adjustments.  The result was a day best lap of 1:08.823 which put her third quickest of the day.  Day two saw Simona continuing to explore new ideas and adjustments, and even though the times were not as quick as other drivers, valuable information was gained and progress was achieved.  At the conclusion of the two days the No. 78 Stargate Worlds/Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment/FireSky/Cardinal Technologies machine would end up a strong ninth on the timesheets.

Frankie Muniz's development continued to shine as the series sophomore left an indelible exclamation mark after his two-day testing performance.  Coming off a very long off-season with only one test session before this, Muniz climbed into the No. 77 Stargate Worlds/Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment/FireSky/Cardinal Technologies car and stormed onto the track and posted the sixth best time of day.  Feeling very relaxed and having "the greatest time", Muniz arrived on day 2 and improved his times with an overall best lap time of 1:07.919, which was enough to catapult him to fourth quickest.  This represents Frankie's career best testing session.

The March 25^th Sebring race season-opener is next up for Team Stargate Worlds.

Frankie Muniz - "I am extremely happy with the outcome of these two test days.  Being fourth quickest overall was a real accomplishment for me and the team and it just shows how we're all clicking.  This is the first time that I've had so much fun during a test.  I was very relaxed and had a smile the whole time.  My engineer Gerald Tyler has done a great job as has the rest of Team Stargate Worlds.   I am looking forward to next week's race"

Simona De Silvestro - "The first day went very well.  We were third fastest and everything came together fairly quickly and on the second day we struggled a bit.  My engineer Burke Harrison and I are communicating and working very well.  Team Stargate Worlds has been great and I'm very confident going into the first race of the 2009 season."

Imran Safiulla and Shane Seneviratne, Principals of Team Stargate Worlds - "It was a good test for us.  The team did a great job and we are pleased with our preparations leading up to the season-opener.  Both drivers have done a phenomenal job in the off-season and we were very excited to see Frankie move up on the grid.  Simona had a tough second day but she's going to be just fine."

About Team Stargate Worlds: Team Stargate Worlds entered the 2009 Atlantic Championship season in partnership with US RaceTronics with one of the world's most talented female race car drivers Simona De Silvestro and Hollywood star turned serious professional racer Frankie Muniz. Both Muniz and De Silvestro will play characters in the Stargate Worlds game.  For more information about Team Stargate Worlds please visit http://www.teamstargateworlds.com/ and http://www.usracetronics.com/.     

Buttonwillow, CA (March 3, 2009) - A little less than a week after announcing its formation Team Stargate Worlds completed its first test of the season with drivers Frankie Muniz and Simona De Silvestro. The cars made their debut at the team's home track of Buttonwillow Raceway. The 1.374-mile track provided a full day's worth of testing as well as an opportunity for both drivers to get acquainted to their new Team Stargate Worlds surroundings.
The occasion marks the first time both drivers have hit the track since the last race of the 2008 Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda season. Though the threat of rain continually loomed over the track throughout the day the conditions remained dry and ideal for the Team Stargate Worlds duo. Both Muniz and De Silvestro combined for a total of just over 400 miles.

It also marks the first time that both drivers began working with their race engineers. For 2009 Muniz will work alongside his engineer Gerald Tyler, while Burke Harrison joins Team Stargate Worlds as De Silvestro's engineer. Both Tyler and Harrison have a long history together that goes back to the 2002 Atlantic Championship season where, along with US RaceTronics Team Principal Shane Seneviratne, Dorricott Racing won the 2002 championship in dominating fashion with Jon Fogarty. Tyler and Harrison followed that up by winning the Championship again the following year with RuSPORT.

At the conclusion of the day both drivers and their engineers were happy with what was accomplished and were confident in moving forward. The team will regroup next week at the series-sanctioned test at Palm Beach International Raceway on March 10-11.

Frankie Muniz, Driver No. 77 - "I'm very happy with how the day went. We were very productive and we got to run a lot of miles, which dusted off the cobwebs. I also got to work with my new engineer Gerald Tyler which was great. I'm confident that we'll have a very good year just based on what we've learned thus far. I just want to thank the Team Stargate Worlds team and I can't wait to get back in the car for our next test."

Simona De Silvestro, Driver No. 78 - "Overall the day went very well. The Team Stargate Worlds crew did a great job today and working with my new engineer Burke Harrison had a lot of positive results, which allowed us to be very productive. We tried a lot of things out in order to see what worked and what didn't but overall I think today's test was a definite step in the right direction."

Gerald Tyler, Engineer - No 77- "It was the first time working with the team and I have to say it's a great team. Shane and Imran have a great team here and it was great working with them and I'm looking forward to working with them this year. As far as the test, you couldn't really tell that this was our first test in that once we got going everything just clicked, from the team to Frankie. It all just fell into place very nicely. Working with Frankie and Bob Perona, our driver's coach, I know that we'll all try to get the best out of each other this year and I'm sure 2009 will be great."

Burke Harrison, Engineer, No 78- "What I really wanted to work on was the communication aspect with Simona and we made good inroads on that. There were also a few test items we wanted to complete as well which we managed to do. The track conditions were not that great but I believe we managed to make great progress. The 2009 season will be a very exciting one and I'm looking forward to it."

About Team Stargate Worlds
Team Stargate Worlds entered the 2009 Atlantic Championship season in partnership with US RaceTronics with one of the world's most talented female race car drivers Simona De Silvestro and Hollywood star turned serious professional racer Frankie Muniz. For more information about Team Stargate Worlds please visit teamstargateworlds.com and usracetronics.com.

On the heels of announcing its formation Team Stargate Worlds ^TM is pleased to announce that Cardinal Technologies, Inc, a leader in Program Management will join its 2009 Atlantic Championship season campaign as a sponsor.

Team Stargate Worlds drivers Frankie Muniz and Simona De Silvestro will compete in the 2009 Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda. Both racers look to attack the 2009 season with tenacity and efficiency and partnering with Cardinal Technologies Inc is a step in the right direction for the duo. Cardinal Technologies brings with it years of experience in the Program Management field and the Team Stargate Worlds team will be relying on that valuable knowledge to assist its operations throughout the 2009 Atlantic Championship season.

Earl M. Furfine, President and CEO of Cardinal- “We are thrilled to be able to bring Cardinal’s Program Management staff expertise, tools and methodologies to the Stargate Team, particularly now that there is an emphasis on racing within a budget and stringent management of the planning, scheduling, and financial aspects of racing programs. Cardinal will provide the Team with a proven and tested approach to Work Breakdown Structure and the ability to manage costs at each step of their program, as well the ability to provide risk management of unexpected items and evaluation of the impact of those items to the budget and schedule.”

Imran Safiulla and Shane Seneviratne, Principals of Team Stargate Worlds- “We are both excited to have a structured approach to Program and Configuration Management for our team. Having appropriate Work Breakdown Structure and being able to allocate cost, resources and dependencies at all steps of our program provides us the ability to manage change effectively and efficiently, as well as react to that change before the risks become too great. In a sense, we are able to see and react to bad news very early, which is absolutely good news!”

About Cardinal Technologies
Cardinal Technologies, Inc. has been providing PMO and Information Technology Services to Private and Public Sector clients since 1995. Cardinal has the expertise to build, staff, and ensure the quality performance of the PMO as well as the programs and projects it governs. Cardinal Program Managers and staff understand the critical importance of the PMO, from how it is planned and established to the systems and processes it employs to sustain its various functions and disciplines When assembling the right team to support a major program, decision makers need specialized knowledge sets that work together seamlessly to advance the program's goals. Cardinal provides critical PMO and technology services that help move programs forward, on time and on budget. More information regarding Cardinal Technologies can be found at www.cardinaltechnologies.com.

About Team Stargate Worlds
Team Stargate Worlds entered the 2009 Atlantic Championship season in partnership with US RaceTronics with one of the world's most talented female race car drivers Simona De Silvestro and Hollywood star turned serious professional racer Frankie Muniz. For more information about Team Stargate Worlds please visit www.teamstargateworlds.com

The worlds of gaming, racing, Hollywood, and women sports all merged today when it was announced during the annual MAZDASPEED Motorsports Media Lunch in Irvine, California that Frankie Muniz and Simona De Silvestro would be teaming up for the 2009 Cooper Tires Atlantic Championship Powered By Mazda as part of Team Stargate Worlds™.  The team will be operated by US RaceTronics but will run under the banner of Team Stargate Worlds and features sponsorship from Stargate Worlds™ developer Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment™ and publisher FireSky™. The sponsorship is unique in that Muniz and De Silvestro will be featured in the upcoming Stargate Worlds massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). Based on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s (MGM) very sucessfull Stargate franchise, Stargate Worlds features tactical modern combat vs. science-fiction weapons and instant travel across the galaxy in a story-driven MMO.

With a challenging 12-race 2009 schedule and a significant prize package that includes a $1 million prize for the series champion, Muniz returns to the Atlantic series after a solid season in 2008 in which he earned three top-10 race results and narrowly missed finishing inside the top 10 in the championship. This marks Muniz’s third year in the series and his second year with the team.

De Silvestro is no stranger to the Atlantic Championship. The native of Thun, Switzerland who currently resides in Phoenix, Ariz. made history last year by becoming the second woman in Atlantic Championship history to win a race by taking the season-opening Imperial Capital Bank Atlantic Challenge of Long Beach. In addition to her historic win last year, De Silvestro’s 2008 season included an impressive eight top-10 finishes and a career-best eighth-place position in the final championship standings.

In addition to the sponsorship from Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment and FireSky, Team Stargate Worlds is also pleased to continue to have the support of Meguiar’s Car Care Products and Mechanix Wear, both of whom have a long relationship with USRT.

Frankie Muniz, Driver No. 77 - “I'm excited about Team Stargate Worlds and the upcoming 2009 Atlantic Championship season. I would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone at Cheyenne Mountain and Mr. Gary Whiting for this incredible opportunity. I'm looking forward to working with everyone at US RaceTronics once again including my new engineer Gerald Tyler. I am very excited about the scenario of mixing my two passions of racing and acting, as I will be starring as a galactic racer in the upcoming Stargate Worlds game.”

Simona De Silvestro, Driver No. 78 - “I'm really excited for the 2009 season with Team Stargate Worlds. I want to thank Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment especially Mr. Gary Whiting for the opportunity of a lifetime. The team has a great combination of proven winners including the capable engineering of Burke Harrison, and we hope to have a very strong team this year. I'm also ecstatic about entering Frankie's world of acting in a virtual sense as I will be starring as a intergalactic racer in the Stargate Worlds game. I'm really looking forward with partnering with Frankie in bringing our team success.”

Imran Safiulla and Shane Seneviratne, Principals of Team Stargate Worlds, - “We are very pleased to have created this association with the USRT family and believe that Team Stargate Worlds will be a very exciting team to watch for in 2009. The Stargate Worlds game is being anticipated as one of the most exciting MMOs to be released and we are very grateful to Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment for their belief in us to develop a strong pre-launch campaign for the game. Both Simona and Frankie are very unique drivers and represent fantastic human journeys. We look forward to being a part of their success and making history.”

Gary Whiting, Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment Founder: “The evolution of Team Stargate Worlds is very exciting for our group. The reach of motorsports to a very large and wide audience demographic is undeniable. The Atlantic series and its assets will prove to be a solid platform that can be used to begin our pre-launch activities for our game, Stargate Worlds. Frankie and Simona are fantastic brand ambassadors and this is just a beginning of what I hope will turn into a long and successful relationship. I would like to specifically thank Shane and Imran for having created a marvelous program.”

About FireSky

FireSky ™ is dedicated to the fusion of social experiences with entertainment software and games. FireSky’s first product is the Social Networks at Play game (SNAP), Stargate Worlds, based on the popular science fiction television series Stargate SG-1® and Stargate Atlantis ™ which are officially licensed by MGM Interactive. For more information, visit the company's website www.FireSky.com and the Stargate Worlds community site at www.stargateworlds.com.

About Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment

Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment ™ is dedicated to the fusion of social experiences with entertainment software and games. Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment's first product is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG), Stargate Worlds, based on the popular science fiction television series Stargate SG-1® and Stargate Atlantis ™ which are officially licensed by MGM Interactive. For more information, visit the company's website www.cheyenneme.com and the Stargate Worlds community site at www.stargateworlds.com

About Team Stargate Worlds

Team Stargate Worlds entered the 2009 Atlantic Championship season in partnership with US RaceTronics with one of the world's most talented female race car drivers Simona De Silvestro and Hollywood star turned serious professional racer Frankie Muniz. For more information about Team Stargate Worlds please visit www.teamstargateworlds.com

This is $1 million in cold hard cash that the champion may use in whatever way he or she sees fit. Likewise, the $500,000 prize for the driver who finishes second in the championship far exceeds what most other driver development series pay out to their champions, while the $1.5 million in per-race purses makes every race an opportunity for the drivers to win big money."

Last year, the Atlantic Championship offered $1.6 million in prize money, with $300,000 going to series champion Markus Niemela. With nearly double the prize money available in 2009, it is expected that the increased prizes will be a major incentive to help Atlantic teams to recruit drivers.

In addition to the $3 million prize package, bonus and contingency prizes will continue to be offered in the 2009 Atlantic Championship, including the $1,000 Cooper Tire Pole Award for the fastest qualifier at each race. The Cooper Tire Pole Award has been a mainstay in the Atlantic Championship since Cooper joined the series as presenting sponsor and official tire in 2007.

The 12-race 2009 Atlantic Championship will get underway on Friday, March 20 at Sebring International Raceway in support of the prestigious Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh From Florida for the American Le Mans Series.

The series will run seven weekends alongside the American Le Mans Series, while "headlining" events at Trois-Rivières, Quebec, New Jersey Motorsports Park and Autobahn Country Club in suburban Chicago. The Atlantic Championship runs alongside both the American Le Mans Series and the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on the weekend of August 8

BROWNSBURG, Ind. (February 2, 2009) - During a productive and well-attended owners meeting at Media Brokers International headquarters in Atlanta, several key components of the 2009 Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda were discussed and finalized.

The meeting was attended in person by Thomas Knapp of Genoa Racing; Eddie Wachs, Brian Halahan and Roger Soeldner of Newman Wachs Racing; US RaceTronics owner Shane Seneviratne, Condor Motorsports owner Carlos Bobeda, Jensen MotorSport owner Eric Jensen, Walker Racing owner Derrick Walker, Alain Clarinval of Mathiasen Motorsports and Paladin Motorsports owner Reza Honarvar. Also in attendance were John Doonan from Mazda; David Bowes, Élan Technologies CEO representing Élan and IMSA, and Atlantic Championship President Ben Johnston, Executive Vice President Vicki O'Connor and Vice President of Operations John Brunner.

Joining the meeting via teleconference were Brooks Associates Racing owner John Brooks, Mathiasen Motorsports owners Ray and Leslie Mathiasen, Gelles Racing owner Bob Gelles, Michael Maroney on behalf of both Mathiasen Motorsports and Genoa Racing, and Chris Pantani of Cooper Tire.

"I've been to many team owner's meetings, and by far, this was the most productive and constructive meeting that I've participated in," said Seneviratne. "It was a very important meeting with the racing situation being what it is, that we all pull our strengths together and make one of the world's premier series stronger and come up with a solid plan for 2009 and beyond. I think we definitely accomplished that at this meeting, and I'm looking forward to a lot of good things coming down the road."

"It went very well," Knapp added. "It was a super productive meeting. Ben was very receptive to our ideas. Everybody genuinely appreciated finally being able to sit in the same room and talk. These are people that are genuinely passionate about Atlantic racing and don't want to see it fail."

Details on the items that were finalized follow below:

2009 ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE FINALIZED
While the 2009 Atlantic Championship schedule was announced last fall, both the Hutchinson Island road circuit in Savannah, Ga. and Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Ill. were subject to circuit homologation. While the Atlantic Championship has approved Autobahn Country Club for use, the homologation process revealed that the safety systems currently in place in Savannah are not adequate for Atlantic competition. As a result, the race in Savannah has been postponed until 2010.

With the postponement of Savannah, it was decided during the meeting that doubleheader races would be contested at New Jersey Motorsports Park and Autobahn Country Club in order to arrive at the desired 12 races for 2009. The full 2009 Atlantic schedule is as follows:

March 20 Sebring International Raceway - Sebring, Fla.
May 17 Miller Motorsports Park - Tooele, Utah
June 13 New Jersey Motorsports Park - Millville, N.J.
June 14 New Jersey Motorsports Park - Millville, N.J.
July 18 Lime Rock Park - Lakeville, Conn.
July 25 Autobahn Country Club - Joliet, Ill.
July 26 Autobahn Country Club - Joliet, Ill.
August 8 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course - Lexington, Ohio
August 16 Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres - Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada
August 30 Mosport International Raceway - Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada
September 25 Road Atlanta - Braselton, Ga.
October 11 Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca - Monterey, Calif.

Seven of the 10 weekends will be run alongside the American Le Mans Series, including Sebring, Miller Motorsports Park, Lime Rock Park, Mid-Ohio, Mosport, Road Atlanta and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The Atlantic Championship will be the "headline" attraction at New Jersey Motorsports Park, Autobahn Country Club and Trois-Rivieres.

"Our finalized 2009 Atlantic Championship schedule is among the finest in North America," said Atlantic Championship Executive Vice President Vicki O'Connor. "The venues we will visit are many of the most challenging and beautiful road racing circuits on the continent. We will visit markets that are important to our partners, teams and drivers on weekends that have been deemed 'must attend' events for road racing fans everywhere."

MAZDA AND COOPER TIRES REAFFIRM SUPPORT FOR ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP
Providing the lifeblood of the Atlantic Championship together since 2007, both Mazda and Cooper Tire once again reaffirmed their commitment to the series in Friday's owner's meeting.

Mazda, which has been the Atlantic Championship engine supplier and sponsor since 2006, continues to identify Atlantic as the highest rung on its MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development Ladder. The ladder also includes Star Mazda, the Skip Barber National Championship Presented by Mazda and the SCCA Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup series.

Driver Jonathan Bomarito, who finished third in the 2008 Atlantic Championship, competed in the Rolex 24 At Daytona last month in the No. 70 SpeedSource Mazda RX-8. Bomarito won the ride in a shootout with other MAZDASPEED Ladder drivers, and Mazda officials committed to similar opportunities coming available in the future.

"Mazda is pleased to continue our association with the Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda," said Mazda Manager of Motorsports Team Development John Doonan. "All of us at Mazda share the same spirit, excitement, and support over the Atlantic Championship that we have had since we became a series partner in 2006. In addition, the series holds a key place in the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development Ladder that we have had in place since 2007. We will continue to provide opportunities for top Atlantic drivers to grow their careers into the pinnacle of our ladder - our top two sports car programs - in American Le Mans Series LMP 2 and Grand-Am Rolex Series GT programs."

Cooper Tire, meanwhile, has been the Atlantic presenting sponsor and official tire since 2007. Cooper has been extremely active in promoting its involvement in the series for the past two seasons and will do more of the same in 2009. Over the past two seasons, the Cooper Tire interactive display has been a fixture in high-traffic fan areas at every Atlantic Championship race, and has played host to wildly popular all-driver autograph sessions.

Cooper has also been an active promoter of Atlantic through advertising, and has provided unprecedented support to the drivers and teams in the series. Cooper will continue its enthusiastic support for Atlantic again this season.

IMSA SANCTIONING RENEWED FOR 2009
Continuing a successful relationship from 2008, Atlantic Championship officials announced that the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) has been renewed as the series' sanctioning body for 2009. The 2008 Atlantic Championship season was the first to be sanctioned by IMSA since 1976.

"Having IMSA as our sanctioning body makes sense on a number of levels for the Atlantic Championship," said Atlantic Vice President of Operations John Brunner. "We would be hard-pressed to find a more professional or enthusiastic sanctioning body than we have in IMSA. This relationship also affords us the opportunity to race alongside the American Le Mans Series on several weekends this year, and American Le Mans Series events are clearly the best-attended and most popular road racing events in North America."

As was also the case for the 2008 Atlantic Championship, 2009 Atlantic events will be conducted under the IMSA code, which establishes and oversees event, participant and safety parameters and conduct, as well as governing rules for each of its sanctioned series.

"IMSA is proud and pleased to sanction the Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda for 2009," said Doug Robinson, Executive Director of IMSA. "The series shares a history and heritage similar to IMSA, which proudly is celebrating its 40th year of sanctioning top-level road racing in North America. We consider the Atlantic Championship a valuable member of our development ladder and anticipate continued success."

Pena resides full time in Winchester, Virginia and though he's only sixteen years old he brings with him a wealth of experience. Pena's experience in the racing circles includes a successful karting background, wins in the Formula TR Pro Series 1600 class, and he recently tested an ASA Speed Truck at the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale to expand his racing experience.

Another East Coast native, Sistos lives in Miami, Florida and made the trek to the West Coast to test with the US RaceTronics team. Sistos, who also brings with him extensive karting experience and last year competed in the Skip Barber National series, most recently raced in the LATAM Challenge Series presented by KUMHO Tires.

The two day test took place under spectacular conditions at the team's home track at Buttonwillow, California. With blue skies and a cool breeze the first day consisted of both drivers handling driver duties. Pena put the #14 Atlantic car through its courses and gradually got up to speed and by mid-day his times were earning him the respect of the US RaceTronics team. As he grew more and more comfortable with the braking and ground effects of the Atlantic car he grew more and more confident. With US RaceTronics Team Owner Shane Seneviratne there Pena's first experience behind the wheel of an Atlantic machine was fruitful and an eye opener.

For Sistos, his test consisted of 2 days. By the end of the 2-day test Sistos had racked up over 375 miles. With careful instruction and guidance from Seneviratne, Sistos to was able to climb into the cockpit and gradually accustom himself around his new surroundings. While it would be safe to assume a youngster like Sistos, who also is 16 years old would feel like a fish out of water behind the wheel on an Atlantic car, but he met the challenge and exceeded all of our expectations and was turning comparative lap time on his second day.

Shane Seneviratne - USRT Team Owner - “We had another successful test this week both cars ran well. We ran both Sergio and JC the first day. JC ran over 375 miles for both days and Sergio completed over 125 miles on his day as well. A lot of progress was made for both drivers. Both were very comfortable driving the cars and performed above our expectations. Kudos to the team for having two weeks of testing without any mechanical issue flawless. It's a true testament of the quality of people here at US RaceTronics and our testing program.

Sergio Pena – Test Driver - “ The test was great. I learned quite a bit and was just amazed at the power and braking of the car. With each lap I gained more respect for the car and was really impressed with the car. It was great working with Shane and the whole US RaceTronics team.

Juan Carlos Sistos – Test Driver - “The test exceeded my goals. I was really happy with the 2 day test and really learned a lot from the US RaceTronics team. I was very impressed with the sheer power of the car and how great the braking and turning are. It was an experience I will remember.

About US RaceTronics: 2008 marked the fourth year of competition in the Atlantic Championship Series for US RaceTronics. Led by Team Owner Shane Seneviratne, US RaceTronics, along with Pacific Coast Motorsports, entered the 2008 season with American Carl Skerlong and Frankie Muniz. The team earned its first win in 2008 and Skerlong and Muniz finished the season in 6th and 11th respectively.

Buttonwillow, CA (October 23, 2008) – US RaceTronics Prepares for 2009 Season 

While the 2008 Atlantic Championship season is officially in the books and drivers are enjoying the off-season vacationing and getting some rest, the US RaceTronics (USRT) team was back at it preparing for the 2009 racing season. The team was  joined by young driver Juan Camilo Acosta.  Acosta, who resides full time in Colombia, made his Atlantic car debut on October 21 with the team at the its test track in Buttonwillow, California.  For the team it was a chance to work with a new driver and bring him up to speed in an Atlantic car and for Acosta it was an opportunity to work with the USRT team and strap himself into the 300+ horsepower car.

The conditions at the Central California track were perfect.  After a brief Atlantic 101 class Acosta took the wheel and put the car through it paces.  With each lap Acosta grew more comfortable with himself and the car and his speeds gradually improved over time.   The test was a new and exciting opportunity for Acosta who, by the end second day, had completed over 350 miles.  With as much power, braking, and g forces that the body of drivers in an Atlantic car must endure Acosta, while tired, handled all of his duties in impressive form.

For Team Owner Shane Seneviratne the test was an opportunity to keep the team sharp and focused on the future season.  As the team prepares for the 2009 season it is currently exploring all driver opportunities and hopes to announce its plans in the near future.

Shane Seneviratne - USRT Team Owner - “I really enjoy testing new drivers and seeing them come up to speed in the Atlantic car.  That said, it was great to have J.C. in the car for the first time.  It was a similar step Carl Skerlong took in his Atlantic career, since he to came from the Formula Renault cars.  Seeing J.C get adjusted to the down-force, getting used to the cornering speeds and  braking all the while becoming more comfortable with the car and his driving was very satisfying.  He's definitely got the natural talent and can be a competitive driver in the Atlantic Championship Series.  I'm looking forward to further testing opportunities and looking forward to a possible season with him”

Juan Camilo Acosta – Test Driver - “Driving the Atlantic car for the first time was awesome. The power of the car and its g forces and the brakes were definitely a lot more than what I am used to and I was pleased that I was able tot get up to speed quickly.  I had a great deal of fun with the USRT crew.  The track was challenging and gave me a variety of different types of corners to adapt to driving a car with high down force.  I'm excited to explore my racing opportunities in the US and possibly in the Atlantic series"

About US RaceTronics: 2008 marked the fourth year of competition in the Atlantic Championship Series for US RaceTronics. Led by Team Owner Shane Seneviratne, US RaceTronics, along with Pacific Coast Motorsports, entered the 2008 season with American Carl Skerlong and Frankie Muniz.  The team earned its first win in 2008 and Skerlong and Muniz finished the season in 6th and 11th respectively.

Braselton, GA—Although Carl Skerlong was unable to compete this weekend due to an injury in Tuesday’s testing session, the final race weekend of 2008 in the Atlantic Championship looked to be a promising one for his teammate, Frankie Muniz. After continuing to improve all season, Frankie amazed everyone again in Friday’s race, by going one step further and obtaining not only the best qualifying result of his career, but also matching his career best finish.

Frankie had a great start in the race, holding onto his well-earned 10th place qualifying spot, only two positions down from championship competitor, Greg Mansell. He raced hard until a small mistake caused him to drop his tires off track in turn 7, costing him three important positions. He stayed in it though, fighting to gain those positions back. With less than 15minutes to remaining in the season’s final race, J.R. Hildebrand caused a full course caution by going off in turn 1, moving Frankie up to 12th place. As soon as the race resumed, another big incident happened at the front of the pack, taking out Dane Cameron and championship contender, Jonathan Summerton. The incident moved Frankie up to 9th, where he finished the race under a yellow flag conciliations.

Although Carl Skerlong was unable to compete this weekend, he was still able to finish in a well-deserved 5th place in the championship and earned the reputation of “the driver to beat”. Frankie finished 11th in the championship, only three points away from his goal of tenth. Although he was unable to claim a top ten, he successfully finished every lap of every race this season, which was a huge accomplishment and says a lot about his capabilities as a driver. Needless to say, the 2008 season was a success for the entire PCM/US RaceTronics Atlantic team.

Frankie on the race: “Overall, I’m extremely happy with this season. PCM really helped me progress throughout the year, and for that I am very thankful. The fact that I can say I’m slightly disappointed with a 9th place finish says a lot about how far I’ve come. I’m disappointed I didn’t make the top ten in the championship because I know I could have done it. I made a mistake in the race today on my own merit by going off in turn 7, allowing three cars to pass me. I want to thank the whole team at PCM for everything they’ve done for me this season. I’m so proud to say that I have improved immensely as a driver after this year. I’ve learned so much that I will take with me throughout my entire racing career.”

Shane Seneviratne, Team Manager: “It was a difficult race weekend, not having Carl able to compete. We were looking forward to challenging others in the championship fight. It wasn’t the best way to finish the year for Carl, but he is an awesome driver who has impressed a lot of people in the paddock this season. I want to thank Burke Harrison for giving Carl an awesome car all year. I’m proud to say that Carl has established himself as the ‘driver to beat’. Frankie made steady progress all year long. It’s really nice that he was able to end the year with his best finish of the season here at Road Atlanta. I want to thank Lee Bentham and Tim Lewis for all their hard work in helping bring Frankie up to speed. It’s been a pleasure working with Tyler Tadevic this year. He’ll always be my best friend in the paddock. I can’t say enough good things about the crew at PCM. This is the best group of people I have ever worked with in my racing career. I’m proud to say that our team has some of the best chemistry among us that I’ve ever seen.”

Tyler Tadevic, Team Owner: “All I can say is thank you to everyone. Thank you to Joel and Carl Skerlong, thank you to Frankie Muniz and to Shane and US RaceTronics, and thank you to all our crew members. Everyone made a lot of sacrifices for us to get through this season and to get where we are now. I’m so glad to have 2008 in the books, and I’m looking forward to 2009.”

Millville, NJ—After dominating every session throughout the weekend, Carl Skerlong earned his first Atlantic victory and his second pole position of the season today at the Mazda Formula X event at New Jersey Motorsports Park.  It was also the first victory of the season for Pacific Coast Motorsports and the first ever victory for Shane Seneviratne whose US RaceTronics team prepares the Mazda/Swift Atlantic cars.
 
After starting on pole for the second time this season, Carl Skerlong had a strong start and pulled away from Markus Niemela who started second. By the seventh lap, Carl was already over two seconds ahead of Niemela, and maintained that margin, under hot and humid conditions until he took the checkered flag in the #14 King Taco car. Skerlong also claimed the fastest race lap (1:11.533) and gained three bonus points (fastest lap, prov. pole and pole) in addition to the 34 points he scored for the victory.
 
Frankie Muniz racing on his home turf drove a great race that led to his second top-ten finish this season. Muniz was in a heated battle for tenth position with Simona de Silvestro of Newman-Wachs racing throughout the last 30 minutes of the race.  Despite de Silvestro’s hard-charging, Muniz prevailed in front of his home crowed and claimed the top-ten finish,  which moved him up to 11th place in the championship.
 
This weekend was a huge victory for the US RaceTronics/PCM Atlantic team, and the team hopes to keep the momentum going for continued success in Salt Lake City next weekend and the season finale in Atlanta.
 
CARL SKERLONG, #14 King Taco/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires
Race
Position • Time • Speed
Finished 1st • 1:11.533 • 109.561

Carl on the race: “This was the best race ever.  It was immensely physical and therefore very difficult, but it was a lot of fun.  To be first in every session this weekend and to win at a track that no one has raced on yet is just incredible.  I want to thank Mazda and Cooper Tires for putting on an amazing race, and I want to send a huge thank you to everyone at PCM.  The crew just did a fantastic job this weekend with the King Taco car.  I couldn’t be happier right now.”

Frankie Muniz #41 PCM/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires
Race
Position • Time • Speed
Finished 10th • 1:13.025 • 107.322

Frankie on the race: “I am so happy with my result.  Physically, this was the most challenging race I have ever competed in.  I was battling with Simona (de Silvestro) for the last 30 minutes of the race; she would gain on me, then I would have a less than perfect lap, but I was still able to stay ahead of her.  This is the third top-ten finish of my career, and finishing in the top-ten has been my goal all season.  I’ve also moved up to 11th in the points which brings me one-step closer to finishing in the top-ten in the championship.  Thank you to the whole team at PCM, and especially Tyler, for getting me to where I am this weekend.”
 
Shane Seneviratne, Team Manager:  “This weekend is what I would call a perfect storm.  With Carl, we ran at the top in every session.  A lot of credit goes to Burke Harrison for rolling the car off the transporter and giving it an amazing setup, and also to Lee Bentham for getting Carl up to speed on a new track.  Carl has such a great personality, and the whole team loves him very much and is so proud of him.  Frankie did an outstanding job all weekend.  At times, he was even racing right behind the championship leader, Jonathan Bomarito.  The further up he moves in the field, the tougher it gets, and he’s been proving with every improvement that he is a real professional racecar driver.  I want to thank the crew for doing an excellent job this weekend.  We are so proud of everyone at PCM and US RaceTronics.”
 
Tyler Tadevic, Team Owner:  “First of all, the fact that this was the first win for Carl is just incredible.  Carl’s car was dominant all weekend, claiming first in every session.  The team has had its struggles to get to this point, so we needed this win badly.  The timing is perfect.  I want to give props to the crew for sticking in there all season and making this happen.  Frankie was terrific out there today and it is very exciting to watch him compete and improve every weekend. I’m very proud of the entire PCM/US RaceTronics crew, it was a terrific weekend.”

Carl finished in the top-three in both practice sessions, but just outside of the top-three in both qualifying sessions.  In the race, he was forced to come into the pits under green flag conditions for a new nose, due to contact with Markus Niemela.  Although it seemed like trouble, he was back on track in a flash, coming out just behind the current race leader, Jonathan Bomarito.  He stayed on Jonathan’s tail, and even snagged the fastest lap at one point, before a mechanical issue beckoned him back into the pits, where he had to park the King Taco car.
 
Frankie’s race followed his plan, he drove a clean and consistent race, gaining six positions and finishing up in 12th position.  He just missed the point for gaining the most track positions by one place; Simona de Silvestro gained seven positions.   
 
Although the weekend was filled with ups and downs for the drivers, they fought hard against everything that stood in their way and still came out of the weekend with some championship points and a hunger for victory in New Jersey next month.
 
 
CARL SKERLONG, #14 King Taco/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires
Warm-up • Position • Time • Speed
Finished • 7th • 1:00.325 • 90.768
Race • Position • Time • Speed
Started • 6th • :59.481 • 92.056
Finished • 18th • 1:00.267 • 73.001

Carl on the race: “Today was a disappointing end to the weekend.  We’ve had a fast car at every track we’ve been to all season, and if we don’t have any incidents, we’ve finished at the front.  This weekend, we had a car that if not capable of winning, was at least close to it.  Unfortunately, I got hit by (Markus) Niemela right at the beginning of the race and had to come in for a new nose under green.  The guys did a great job getting me back out there quickly.  I then raced for about 20 laps before having to park the car because of a broken rear sheer plate.  We had a tough weekend, but I want to thank the guys for all their continued hard work with the King Taco car.”
 
Frankie Muniz #41 PCM/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires
Warm-up • Position • Time • Speed
Finished • 16th • 1:01.333 • 89.277
Race • Position • Time • Speed
Started • 18th • 1:00.461 • 90.564
Finished • 12th • 1:01.312 • 79.359

Frankie on the race: “First of all, I’m very happy to have finished the race today.  I struggled all weekend with this track and the right mind set to race on it, so to finish and to finish in 12th makes me so happy.  I’m really glad I was able to drive a clean race and stay in it until the end.  I want to thank the guys for sticking with me when things got tough.  I’m really looking forward to New Jersey next month.  It’s my real home race, so it’s going to be great.”

Shane Seneviratne, Team Manager: “We didn’t necessarily get the results we were hoping for this weekend.  Unfortunately, Carl had some bad luck in the race.  He had contact with Markus Niemela on lap 3 and had to come in for a new nose under a green flag.  The guys did a fantastic job changing the wing so quickly. Despite such a short track, Carl ended up returning to the track right behind the leader (Jonathan Bomarito).  He hung right in there with Jonathan (Bomarito) and even had the fastest track time at one point before his rear sheer plate failed near the end.  Frankie drove a decent and consistent race.  He gained six positions, moving from 18th to 12th.  It seemed like he had a good battle going with (Douglas) Soares and (Dominick) Muermans and was having fun out there.  I want to thank the team for all the hard work and dedication they’ve put into this weekend.  We’re looking forward to New Jersey next month.”

Pacific Coast Motorsports driver's Carl Skerlong and Frankie Muniz rallied for strong results today at Road America after a frustrating start to the double-header weekend on Friday.

The morning kicked-off with qualifying for tomorrow's race #2. Both PCM drivers had strong sessions, Skerlong will start fourth tomorrow and Muniz 13th. This afternoon, race #1 was held and got off to a wild start, but both Frankie and Carl avoided the melee, for strong points paying positions. Skerlong started ninth and raced to fourth, while Muniz started 16th and finished 12th. The green flag will fall for race #2 on Sunday at 2:30 pm (CT) and live timing is provided at www.champcaratlantic.com.

CARL SKERLONG, #14 King Taco/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires

Race 1
Started • Finished
9th • 4th

Carl on Race 1: "I didn't have a great start at the beginning of the race, but I was able to stay clean and avoid the incidents. After 20 minutes, we had only raced two laps due to two cautions right at the beginning of the race. I've been struggling the past couple days, but I had two good restarts and was able to race the King Taco car all the way up to fourth. I scored a good amount of championship points, too, which I definitely want and need. Thanks to my team for giving me such a great car. I'm hoping for the same great car for tomorrow's race."

Frankie Muniz #41 PCM/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires

Race 1
Started • Finished
16th • 12th

Frankie on Race 1: "The start was absolutely crazy. There was a lot of blocking going on, and it was probably the most nerve-wracking race of my career. After the cautions at the beginning, I had some oversteer and was having trouble turning left, but I was still able to hold on to my position. I'm happy to finish 12th, getting closer to my goal of a top-ten finish, and I'm now up to 11th in the points which is fantastic. Thanks to the guys, and I'm ready to race again tomorrow."

About Pacific Coast Motorsports: Formed in 2002 and based in Oxnard, California, Pacific Coast Motorsports are champions on the track and in the marketplace. The 2004 Toyota Atlantic Champions have competed in a diverse array of motorsports challenges, from open wheel to sports car racing and succeeded in every discipline. This season PCM returns to Atlantic competition in partnership with US RaceTronics. PCM's two-car effort fields American standout drivers, Carl Skerlong and Frankie Muniz. Off the track, PCM has represented some of the countries most recognizable names, from Imperial Capital Bank to Menards, TECATE and Vonage to Uniden establishing successful, high-profile marketing platforms that deliver meaningful exposure and a quantifiable return on investment. PCM is dedicated to success and committed to go beyond the traditional means to deliver value and exceed the expectations of our partners. Follow our 2008 season at www.PCMracing.com.

Carl Skerlong earned his third podium of the season today in the second of two Atlantic races this weekend in Edmonton. He also set the fastest lap of the race, recording a 1.06.020 lap. Muniz recovered from a first-lap incident which sent him to the pits for a new nose. He fell to 18th position but charged back through the field to finish 13th

Skerlong set his second “fast lap” of the race today; his first was at the season-opener at Long Beach. He also earned his first Atlantic pole position this weekend.

CARL SKERLONG, #14 King Taco/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires
Started: 1st Finished:2nd

Carl on the race: "At the start of the race, we just didn't have it, and Jonathan (Summerton) did. He passed me right at the start, and I stayed in second for the remainder of the race. I'm happy with my finish, especially after an unfortunate race yesterday. The more we compete, the more it's proving that if we can finish the race, we will finish on the podium. I'm still looking for that checker and a win, but we will take every championship point we can; consistency is the key right now. The King Taco car ran great all weekend and even gave me the fastest lap of the race. Thank you to everyone on the team for helping me finish on another podium, and I'm looking forward to Road America."

Frankie Muniz #41 PCM/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires
Started 14th Finished 13th

Frankie on the race: "I was involved in an incident on the first lap with Simona (de Silvestro) and Leo (Mansell). I broke my front wing and had to come into the pits two different times under yellow, once for a new nose and once for new tires. I really want to thank the guys for getting me back out quickly and keeping me on the lead lap. I moved down to 18th after that, but then I worked my way up to 13th and even passed two cars at once near the end. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't make my goal of finishing in the top-ten today, but I did get a lot of racing experience chasing the field which was awesome."

Frankie Muniz followed in Carl’s footsteps, gaining a position on the second lap. He had a car that was consistently faster than the cars ahead of him, giving him the opportunity to pass throughout the race. On the last lap, Frankie was wheel-to-wheel with Kevin Lacroix on the straight, in a battle for 11th place. Frankie came out ahead, passing Lacroix in the corner and grabbing his best finish of the season, just short of his goal, a top-ten. The Pacific Coast Motorsports/USRT cars ran strong all day, allowing both Skerlong and Muniz to pass early on and work their way through the field, producing points-paying results for both.

CARL SKERLONG, #14 King Taco/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires
Session • Position • Time
Started • 4th • 1:30.358
Finished • 3rd

Carl on the race: “The race today was great. I was able to make a pass for third on the first lap, and after that we ran a clean and consistent race. I continued to pull away from Hinchcliffe, who was in fourth, throughout the race. He did a good job in the race as well, but finishing in front of him today really helped me in the points. After dealing with inconsistent weather all weekend, I’m very happy with the overall outcome. I would have loved a win today, but I’m so happy to be finishing in the top three again, and we’ll take all the points we can get. Thanks to the PCM team who gave me a great car today. I’m looking forward to racing the King Taco car in two races at Edmonton and hopefully finishing on more podiums.”

Frankie Muniz #41 PCM/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires
Session • Position • Time
Started • 15th • 1:31.330
Finished • 11th

Frankie on the race: “I am very happy with the way this weekend turned out. We struggled initially in testing on Friday, and we didn’t get very much time to run on a dry track in qualifying on Saturday, but all our struggles paid off in the race today. I was wheel to wheel with Lacroix in the last turn of the last lap, and ended up passing him to take 11th place. I was 15th in Long Beach, 13th in Laguna Seca, and today I achieved my best finish yet, and came one-step closer to our goal which is to finish consistently in the top ten. I’m so excited to head off to Edmonton next month where we will have two races and hopefully two top-ten finishes.”

Shane Seneviratne, Team Manager: “The race today was awesome. We were off to a rough start yesterday, but the crew was really able to put the cars together to give us excellent results. Our biggest goal is to keep gaining as many points as we can, and both drivers did a great job today making that happen for our team. Carl is a very consistent driver who keeps finishing on the podium which is great for the championship. Frankie, too, keeps finishing higher in the field and getting more and more points. Burke Harrison gave Carl a great car to work with today and Tim Lewis did a great job guiding Frankie through the field. I want to give a big thank you to Lee Bentham (driver coach), and the whole crew for making it possible to achieve such fantastic results at the Sommet des Legendes in Mont Tremblant.”

Oxnard, CA - Carl Skerlong earned his first podium finish of the season Sunday at the Monterey Festival of Speed at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca when he finished second. The 19-year old from Mukilteo, Washington started on the front row and led the race before eventual race-winner James Hinchcliffe passed Skerlong on a re-start. While the podium may have given some relief to Skerlong, it comes as no surprise. Skerlong was very quick in off-season testing, he ran in the top three through most of the Long Beach weekend where he was knocked off course at the start but came back and shattered the track record with the fastest lap. The Laguna weekend opened on a positive note with a strong practice session Friday morning, but Friday's preliminary qualifying session ended in the barrier. Skerlong took the positives from the day and turned them into a front row starting position on Saturday followed by his third Atlantic podium and the second fastest race lap on Sunday.

Frankie Muniz was optimistic about his Laguna debut, following a successful test there last winter. Friday and Saturday's qualifying results were not what the young American expected. He felt like his results did not show the potential of his #41 Mazda. Notoriously difficult to master, the historic Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca features dramatic elevation changes, hairpins and fast straights. In just this third year of professional racing Muniz found the track exciting rather than daunting. Muniz felt he was driving well, but he felt he was not wringing every opportunity out of every lap, leaving some time on the track, which led to his 18th place starting position. Muniz made up for it in the race, he stayed consistent in his battle to move up the field and turned in a 13th place finishing position, an strong run, Muniz is approaching his goal of top-ten results early in the season.
The PCM/USRT has nearly one month off before round three at Mont Tremblant in Quebec.

CARL SKERLONG, #14 King Taco/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires
Starting Position: 2 Finished: 2
Carl on the race: "I had a great time racing out there today. Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is blast to drive. It is frustrating because it is very challenging to pass there, but it is also fun because it is fast and full of unique turns. We had a good race going and it looked like possibly even my first win, but I am very happy to have my first podium in the King Taco car for 2008 in the books. I hope this is the first of many and I feel good about the season ahead. My team did a great job all weekend and I had a great car. I am disappointed we have a month before our next race, but I will spend that time racing my go-kart and preparing for Mt. Tremblant."

Frankie Muniz #41 PCM/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires
Starting Position: 18 Finished: 13th
Frankie on qualifying: "It was a good day. Mazda Laguna Raceway is the type of track where you learn a lot every lap. It is challenging to hit your marks lap after lap, but it teaches you to find a rhythm and race. I had a great car and a few good battles. My goal is to run in the top-ten this season and we are getting closer."

About Pacific Coast Motorsports: Formed in 2002 and based in Oxnard, California, Pacific Coast Motorsports are champions on the track and in the marketplace. The 2004 Toyota Atlantic Champions have competed in a diverse array of motorsports challenges, from open wheel to sports car racing and succeeded in every discipline. This season PCM returns to Atlantic competition in partnership with US RaceTronics. PCM's two-car effort fields American standout drivers, Carl Skerlong and Frankie Muniz. Off the track, PCM has represented some of the countries most recognizable names, from Imperial Capital Bank to Menards, TECATE and Vonage to Uniden establishing successful, high-profile marketing platforms that deliver meaningful exposure and a quantifiable return on investment. PCM is dedicated to success and committed to go beyond the traditional means to deliver value and exceed the expectations of our partners. Follow our 2008 season at www.PCMracing.com and USRaceTronics.com

t looked to be a promising day for Carl Skerlong. The 19-year old from Seattle sat on row two as the green flag fell for the Imperial Capital Bank Challenge at the Long Beach Grand Prix. His hopes for a podium finish in the season opener were destroyed as fellow American and pole-sitter Jonathan Bomarito pushed Carl into the tire barrier in turn one. The incident forced Carl to return to the pitlane for a new nose. He anticipated a strong race, where he could show the potential of this US RaceTronics prepared PCM race car, but instead, he had to demonstrate from one lap down. He did get the chance to make his point setting the fastest lap of the race, for which he was rewarded with a bonus point.

Frankie Muniz made a big improvement over his Long Beach debut last year by starting ten positions ahead in the field and finishing four over his 2007 result. Frankie turned in the 15th fastest qualifying lap of the 23 drivers yesterday, less than a second over Simona de Silvestro, the pole and eventual race winner. Muniz drove an incident free race, held on to his position, and left the Beach pleased with his improvement.

CARL SKERLONG, #14 King Taco/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires

Started 3^rd /Finished 23rd

Carl on the race: "Without question, we had the car to win. Unfortunately Bomarito made an unsafe and unnecessary move which cost me my race. I had to come in for a new nose and we lost a lap. After that we chased the field, and the fact that I set the fastest time of the race, proves we had a great car. We're leaving with one point, which certainly is not what I had in mind, but I am going to turn my focus to Laguna, where I am sure we will have a better weekend. Thanks to King Taco for all of their support, I really wanted to win for them at their home race, it wasn't meant to be this weekend, but we'll do it for them in California next month."

Frankie Muniz #41 PCM/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires

Started 15th/ Finished 15th

Frankie on the race: "I am very happy with how the race went. We had a good start and we didn't lose any positions. We stayed consistent with the pack and the pace. I wish we were faster but I drove a safe race, I didn't make many mistakes and I didn't let anyone pass me, so I am pleased. I can't wait for Laguna Seca."

Tyler Tadevic, Team Owner: "In regard to Carl, he had a tough day through no fault of his own. We think Bomarito's move was unreasonable, it cost us the podium as well as potentially a victory. No sour grapes about it, the King Taco car is going to be rewarded at Laguna Seca. Very proud, of the team, unfortunately they couldn't get the results that they were capable of achieving.

Frankie struggled initially, but by the end of the second qualifying session, he was less than a second off of the pole, and we think that is pretty good for a driver who is only in his third year of racing. It is a big improvement over last year when he was three seconds off of the pole. I am really proud of him. Thanks to Mazda and Cooper Tires for making sure the Atlantic series exists. Shane (Seneviratne, team manager), Lee (Bentham, driver coach), Tim (Lewis, engineer #41) and Burke (Harrison, engineer #14) and all the boys did a great job all weekend.

Noteworthy: Carl Skerlong scored a bonus championship point for setting the fastest lap of the race.

About Pacific Coast Motorsports: Formed in 2002 and based in Oxnard, California, Pacific Coast Motorsports are champions on the track and in the marketplace. The 2004 Toyota Atlantic Champions have competed in a diverse array of motorsports challenges, from open wheel to sports car racing and succeeded in every discipline. This season PCM returns to Atlantic competition in partnership with US RaceTronics. PCM's two-car effort fields American standout drivers, Carl Skerlong and Frankie Muniz. Off the track, PCM has represented some of the countries most recognizable names, from Imperial Capital Bank to Menards, TECATE and Vonage to Uniden establishing successful, high-profile marketing platforms that deliver meaningful exposure and a quantifiable return on investment. PCM is dedicated to success and committed to go beyond the traditional means to deliver value and exceed the expectations of our partners. Follow our 2008 season at www.PCMracing.com.

The test was the official spring training for the Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Championship, powered by Mazda, North America's premier open wheel development series."The test went really well.Obviously this one of our most important open tests because Laguna Seca is a track that we will come back and race on," said US RaceTronics owner, Shane Seneviratne."I couldn't have asked for more from the whole crew. There were no mechanical issues, the engineers gave great setups making both cars quick out of the box and they developed fast race set-ups for our return in May.Both drivers were at the top of their game and we think we are great shape for our return."

20 year-old Carl Skerlong earned two-podiums en-route to his top-ten finish in the 2007 championship.Skerlong is heading into his second season in the Atlantic series and ran up front throughout the two-day test.He completed 514 trouble-free miles and clicked off the second-fastest time of the test both days, despite it being just his second visit to the scenic raceway.Frankie Muniz officially joined the team last month; he is entering just his third season of professional racing.

Muniz's racing skills and times have improved with each test and he turned in a strong performance, completing 487 miles on the challenging 2.238-mile circuit, which features 11 turns. 

"We'll do one more test at MSR Houston the last week of March and then we'll be set for our season debut at Long Beach. It's going to be a great season; the field is deep with very talented drivers," said Seneviratne.

Carl Skerlong, #28 King Taco/PCM/USRT/Mazda/Swift: "Overall it was a very successful test. We kept the King Taco car in the top-three throughout the test. I think we have a very good race to go back with in May.Also we learned some things that definitely will apply to other tracks, but we were really going for a racecar for Laguna and I think we've got that.I've got to thank Tyler and Shane and my engineer Burke and everyone else at PCM for doing such a great job, I really couldn't have asked for a better test."

Frankie Muniz, #29 PCM/USRT/Mazda/Swift: "To run that strong at Laguna, one of the most difficult tracks we compete on, felt really good.We made a lot of progress over the two days.The last run of the test yesterday was awesome. That was the best I've ever felt in a race car.The car felt perfect and I felt like I was able to get a lot out of it, it was awesome.If I'd been able to pick up one-tenth of a second, I would have moved five spots up the time sheets.It's just a test, so times aren't everything, but we are making a ton of progress every time we are on the track. I am in the hunt now, which is very motivating -2008 is going to be a great season.The Atlantic staff is putting together an exciting schedule and there were 20 cars at this test, the competition is going to be tough."

About PacificCoast Motorsports: Formed in 2002 and based in Oxnard, California, Pacific Coast Motorsports are champions on the track and in the marketplace. The 2004 Toyota Atlantic Champions have competed in a diverse array of motorsports challenges, from open wheel to sports car racing and succeeded in every discipline.In 2008 the challenge comes full circle as PCM returns to their roots in partnership with US RaceTronics entering a two-car effort in the Atlantic Championship.Off the track, PCM has represented some of the countries most recognizable names, from Imperial Capital Bank to Menards, TECATE and Vonage to Uniden establishing successful, high-profile marketing platforms that deliver meaningful exposure and a quantifiable return on investment. PCM is dedicated to success in the Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda and we are committed to go beyond the traditional means to deliver value and exceed the expectations of our partners.Follow our Atlantic season at www.PCMracing.com.

Oxnard, CA (November 29, 2007) - Pacific Coast Motorsports gave Atlantic standout Carl Skerlong his first taste of the 750-hp Champ Car yesterday at Buttonwillow Raceway in central California. Skerlong completed 107 trouble-free miles on the 1.86-mile permanent road course.

Skerlong, 19 of Seattle, Washington earned two podium finishes in his rookie season of Atlantic competition. His talents caught the eye of PCM team director Tyler Tadevic, and Skerlong was named to the PCM Jr Team, a program which recognizes and develops future open-wheel stars. "Carl did an outstanding job in his first outing in the PCM Champ Car," commented team director Tyler Tadevic. "His speed improved progressively throughout the day, and his feedback and ability to adapt not only to the extra horsepower but also to all of the additional features and functions of the Champ Car were impressive. Carl proved that he will certainly be ready to step up to big leagues in 2009 and I am sure he will fight for the 2008 Atlantic title with the King Taco car."

Skerlong finished in the top-ten in his rookie season of Atlantic competition racing for Shane Seneviratne's US RaceTronics Atlantic team; he recently re-signed with the California-based squad for the 2008 Atlantic season. Skerlong has set his focus firmly on the 2008 Atlantic title with the hopes of moving up to Champ Car competition in 2009, "I can't thank the Pacific Coast Motorsports and US RaceTronics organizations enough for this opportunity," said Skerlong. "I learned so much about the DP-01 and how to properly test a Champ Car. To get this opportunity at this stage in my career will be key to my progression as a driver; my testing experience just went up to a whole new level. I really do have a new found appreciation of Champ Car drivers and the levels they need to compete at. All in all, the test went very well, we ran 58 laps and I'm thankful for each one."

PCM Jr Team member, David Garza was also awarded a Champ Car test but unfortunately he was not able to participate due to his final exam schedule. PCM is working on a new test date with Garza. For more information on PCM and its Junior team, please visit www.pcmracing.com.

About Pacific Coast Motorsports: Formed in 2002 and based in Oxnard, California, Pacific Coast Motorsports are champions on the track and in the marketplace. The 2004 Toyota Atlantic Champions have competed in a diverse array of motorsports challenges, from open wheel to sports car racing and succeeded in every discipline. In 2007 the challenge comes full circle as PCM makes their debut with a two-car effort in the highest level of open wheel motorsports in the United States, The Champ Car World Series. Off the track, PCM has represented some of the countries most recognizable names, from Imperial Capital Bank to Menards, TECATE and Vonage to Uniden establishing successful, high-profile marketing platforms that deliver meaningful exposure and a quantifiable return on investment. PCM is dedicated to success in the Champ Car World Series and committed to go beyond the traditional means to deliver value and exceed the expectations of our partners. For news, photos and results, please visit www.PCMracing.com.

US RaceTronics kicked off the 2008 Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda season with its first pre-season test last week at the team's home track Buttonwillow Raceway.   While it has been over two months since the team had been on track it didn't take much time for them and driver Carl Skerlong to pick up where they last left off.  While the test served to prep Skerlong for the 2008 season, it also provided fellow Champ Car Atlantic competitor Frankie Muniz with an opportunity to test with the team as well. 

Skerlong, the Seattle, Washington native, has spent his off-season enrolled at Western Washington University and yet being away from the track hasn't had a negative affect proven by the fact that it didn't take very long for the youngster to get up to speed,  and with each session Skerlong only increased his speed. "I'm real pleased about being back in the car.  It's been a while since I've been in the car but it felt real comfortable.  I can't say enough about the team, they are the best," states Skerlong.  "It was a great session.   We tried a lot of things out that hopefully will be to our advantage for the races next year.  I'm real excited about next year and know we will have a great season"

Los Angeles native and fellow competitor Frankie Muniz also ran a full day with the US RaceTronics team.  Muniz, who is still evaluating all of his options for the 2008 season, was also very happy with the way the test went.  With each stint the former actor continued to improve his times and clearly became increasingly comfortable with his new surroundings.  "The test went very well.  I got to run quite a lot of laps and felt very good about the car and where we were heading throughout the day.  I to have been out of the car for a while now so it's good to be back," comments Muniz.

For his part US RaceTronics Team Owner Shane Seneviratne also agreed that the test went well and was pleased.    "I'm happy with the way the day went and think it was very productive.  Having Carl and Frankie in the cars was great.  We didn't encounter any problems throughout the day and the feedback both drivers provided was very helpful," comments Seneviratne. "This series is so competitive that every test is invaluable and so when we have a test that is a success on so many levels it's a huge positive," adds Seneviratne.

The 2007 Champ Car Atlantic season begins on April 20 with the Long Beach Grand Prix. The series will hold tests at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida February 2-6 and at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. for "Spring Training" on March 10-11.

About US RaceTronics: 2008 marks the fourth year of competition in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Series for US RaceTronics. Led by former Dorricott Racing Team Manager Shane Seneviratne, US RaceTronics enters the 2008 season with American Carl Skerlong. US RaceTronics is part of Pacific Coast Motorsports' Jr. Team program.

For more information about US RaceTronics and its partners, visit www.usracetronics.com. You can visit Carl Skerlong's website at www.cskerlong.com and Pacific Coast Motorsports' website at www.pcmracing.com

Oxnard, CA (October 25, 2007) - Pacific Coast Motorsports will test Atlantic standout Carl Skerlong in the #29 PCM/DP01/Cosworth/Bridgestone Champ Car at Buttownwillow Raceway on November 28th.

Skerlong's rookie season featured two podium finishes en-route to his top-ten result in the 2007 Cooper Tires Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Series Powered by Mazda championship. Recognized as an up-and-coming American standout, Skerlong was named to the Pacific Coast Motorsports JR Team in June, which in turn led to this Champ Car opportunity. PCM Team Director, Tyler Tadevic commented, "We're really looking forward to testing Carl in the PCM Champ Car. We knew when we named him to the PCM JR team that he had the speed and mental ability to succeed in the top level of American open wheel racing. He is a committed young man and I expect he will do very well."

Skerlong, 19 of Mukilteo, Washington is preparing for his second season of Atlantic competition in the King Taco Swift; US RaceTronics announced Skerlong's return last month. When he is not testing or training for his sophomore season of Atlantic competition, Skerlong spends his time studying and enjoying dorm-life as he is in his freshman year at Western Washington University. "I can't wait to finally be able to jump into a Champ Car. It is definitely a dream come true to get the chance to pilot a car that is the pinnacle of open wheel racing in the states. I have to thank Shane Senevirante and Tyler Tadevic for the opportunity."

Introduced in 2007, the PCM Jr Team program includes driver involvement in the PCM Champ Car team engineering meetings, tests for the JR team members and inclusion in media and marketing opportunities. PCM began as an Atlantic team, they won the 2004 Atlantic championship and chose this platform to identify and develop promising, young open wheel drivers.

About Pacific Coast Motorsports: Formed in 2002 and based in Oxnard, California, Pacific Coast Motorsports are champions on the track and in the marketplace. The 2004 Toyota Atlantic Champions have competed in a diverse array of motorsports challenges, from open wheel to sports car racing and succeeded in every discipline. In 2007 the challenge comes full circle as PCM makes their debut with a two-car effort in the highest level of open wheel motorsports in the United States, The Champ Car World Series. Off the track, PCM has represented some of the countries most recognizable names, from Menards to Imperial Capital Bank, Vonage to Uniden establishing successful, high-profile marketing platforms that deliver meaningful exposure and a quantifiable return on investment. PCM is dedicated to success in the Champ Car World Series and committed to go beyond the traditional means to deliver value and exceed the expectations of our partners. Follow our Champ Car debut at www.PCMracing.com.

Mukilteo, Washington (September 27, 2007) – Seattle’s Carl Skerlong will return to the Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda in 2008 having concluded a deal to continue to race for the California-based US RaceTronics team for his sophomore season.

Skerlong enjoyed a solid rookie season in 2007 with US RaceTronics, piloting the 300bhp #24 King Taco-backed Swift Mazda-Cosworth to 10th overall in the Driver Standings and a pair of podium finishes which included a second-place effort in April’s third round in Houston , Texas and a third-place finish last month in Round 12, the season finale, at Elkhart Lake , Wisconsin .

“I can’t wait for the 2008 season to start,” Skerlong stated enthusiastically upon signing his new deal.  “We finished this year’s campaign with another podium and I stated afterwards that I wanted to use that as a springboard into next season.  There’s no doubt that continuity can play a big factor in being successful in motorsport and I believe that with US RaceTronics we’ve got everything in place to push for the title in my sophomore year.  Things didn’t always go our way this season but armed with everything I’ve learned and my circuit knowledge I’m looking forward to being back with the team in 2008 and turning the potential we showcased many times into results.”

The 18-year-old American, who arrived in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship this season as the reigning Formula TR Pro Series Champion, impressed many paddock observers with his character and style, a fact that didn’t go unnoticed by US RaceTronics team boss, Shane Seneviratne.

“I’m obviously delighted to have secured Carl’s talents for US RaceTronics and the PCM Junior Team for 2008,” Seneviratne commented.  “He did a great job for us this year and I know there was considerable interest shown in him by other teams based on his performances with us.  I’m extremely pleased that he’s staying with US RaceTronics and our collective goal is to put together a bid to win the 2008 Champ Car Atlantic Championship.”

2007 marked US RaceTronics third season in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship, the team running Skerlong and Mexico ’s David Garza throughout the season.  In June the squad became part of the PCM Junior Team, the driver and team development program created by Champ Car World Series outfit and fellow California residents, Pacific Coast Motorsports (PCM).

 As a result of this relationship, Carl looks set to sample the might of one of PCM’s 750bhp Champ Car DP01’s in a post-season test, the team currently fielding America ’s Alex Figge and Mexico ’s Mario Dominguez in the 2007 Champ Car World Series.

“We’re actively seeking to strengthen our partnership with Pacific Coast Motorsports ahead of next season,” stated US RaceTronics’ Seneviratne.  He added, “As part of that deal we’re also looking to confirm a test date for Carl to sample one of the team’s Champ Cars!”

The 2007 Champ Car Atlantic Championship season ended on a mixed note for the US RaceTronics team.  The team’s first year as a 2-car operation had its ups and downs and Road America continued that.  For Carl Skerlong, his goal was to finish the 2007 in the Top-10 in points while David Garza was looking to continue his quest for finishing this race in the top-10 spot.

Skerlong eventually would achieve his goal and would finish the Road America race in 3rd while Garza was a victim of unavoidable contact.  The crash knocked Garza to the 24th spot, while his teammate’s 3rd place finish rocketed him from 13th to 10th place in the Championship standings with 114 points.  The contact on lap #7 dropped Garza to the 17th spot with 78 points, only 36 points away from placing him in the Top-10 spot.

Skerlong, who on Friday qualified a disappointing 22^nd, quickly turned it around during Saturday's qualifying session.  That qualifying session saw him bounce back strongly with a 3rd place effort.  Sunday's race had the Rookie from Seattle, Washington start the race in 4th.  The race featured exciting racing from Skerlong as he battled on track with eventual race winner Franck Perrera, 2007 Champ Car Atlantic Champion Raphael Matos, and 3rd place challenger Alan Sciuto.  At all times Carl maintained his mature composure and raced hard.

For fellow USRT driver David Garza he would suffer from another bout of bad luck as he was never really able to get the maximum performance out of the car.  He would start the race in the 18th spot and struggled in the beginning of the race all the while maintaining focus and continuing to give his 100% effort.  On Lap # 7 Frankie Muniz and Garza made contact with each other, resulting in Garza spinning.  The unfortunate incident relegated Garza to a finishing spot of 24th.

Carl Skerlong -"Ending third, it's a lot better than where we've been for most of the season.  I can't complain though it's a great way to end the season here. We had a good race in Houston, and then we've really been struggling since then. To go into next season on the podium is a great feeling."

David Garza -"Since the beginning of the weekend we have been fighting with the car and on top of that we had a part on the car break, which complicated it more.  Finally the weekend came to an unfortunate when Frankie Muniz and I had contact.  We had a lot of bad luck this year and I'm hoping we are done with this as next year I am thinking nothing but the Championship.  We are already making plans for next year and the Championship."                                                 

About US RaceTronics: 2007 marks the third year of competition in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Series for US RaceTronics. Led by former Dorricott Racing Team Manager Shane Seneviratne, US RaceTronics enters the 2007 season with Monterrey Mexico native David Garza and American Carl Skerlong.

For more information on US RaceTronics and its partners, visit www.usracetronics.com.  You can visit David Garza's website at www.david-garza.com and Carl Skerlong's website at www.cskerlong.com

After a disappointing start to the season finale at Road America on Friday, US RaceTronics drivers Carl Skerlong (#24 King Taco/USRT) and David Garza (#4 Axtel/Tecate/Madisa/USRT) regrouped for Saturday, determined to turn the tables around with the hope of ending the season on a positive note.

Skerlong had a positive morning outing.  He posted a seventh place fast time of the session which gave much comfort to the crew after yesterday's qualifying performance, while Garza posted a seventeenth finishing spot.

Qualifying would have completely different results as one driver improved while the other continued to be plagued by car performance woes.  After the positive morning session Skerlong was confident going into the day's qualification.  His confidence certainly contributed.  His performance continued to improve as he wavered in the top eight positions on the time sheets throughout most of the qualifying session.  With one lap left to go Skerlong hung in the fifth place spot and before the Checkered Flag managed to hustle his car and finished the session in the 3^rd spot.  Skerlong will start in the forth spot for tomorrow's race.

Garza's fate would not be as positive.  While Garza made the best effort he could, the car was not able to bring the results the driver was capable of doing.   At one time the #4 entry owned the seventh place spot, however, as time went on, the times dipped further down.  Garza would end up in the sixteenth spot.  The youngster who resides in Monterrey, Mexico fulltime will start the race in eighteenth.

Carl Skerlong - "It's obviously great to be back in the front.  After yesterday's disappointment the team worked so hard last night and obviously it paid off.  The car was great and we are back in position to try to go after a great result.  It's important to finish off the year on
a very positive note"

 David Garza -"It was an extremely disappointing qualifying session.  It was the worst effort yet, but we are going to try to make it a better car for tomorrow and see.  We won't give up and we will keep on trying our best for tomorrow's race".

About US RaceTronics: 2007 marks the third year of competition in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Series for US RaceTronics. Led by former Dorricott Racing Team Manager Shane Seneviratne, US RaceTronics enters the 2007 season with Monterrey Mexico native David Garza and American Carl Skerlong.  US RaceTronics is part of Pacific Coast Motorsports Jr. Team program

For more information on US RaceTronics and its partners, visit www.usracetronics.com.  You can visit David Garza's website at www.david-garza.com and Carl Skerlong's website at www.cskerlong.com

US RaceTronics drivers Carl Skerlong (#24 King Taco/USRT) and David Garza (#4 Axtel/Tecate/Madisa/USRT) qualified twenty-second and eighteenth respectively on Friday's Qualifying session for the final round of the 2007 Champ Car Atlantic season.  Engine woes and handling problems contributed to the less than desirable result for the two rookies who are trying to end their first year on a high note. 

For Skerlong his day began well.  The rookie from Seattle, Washington ended up in the eleventh position during an earlier practice session.  It wasn't until Qualifying when Skerlong began experiencing problems.  After only a handful of laps Skerlong alerted the crew that he was coming in to pit, explaining he was experiencing power problems.  The crew quickly teamed up with Cosworth representatives to try to decipher the data that was downloaded during Skerlong's pit.  Not wanting to waste any more valuable time in the pits Skerlong made it back on the track and completed the remaining laps, if only to get the valuable practice times.  Skerlong finished the session in the twenty-second position. The crew will work on the # 24 entry tonight to have it ready for another try at tomorrow's qualifying session.

Garza too was plagued with a Qualifying session issue.  After departing for the start of the day's qualifying session he advised the team that he was coming in as a result of an unstable tire.  Rather than try to find the culprit to Garza's ill handling car, the crew decided to change tires and send the youngster out quickly.  Garza was able to get comfortable with the new tires and eventually brought them up to temperature.  At one point Garza owned the eleventh spot, but would end up in the eighteenth position. 

 Carl Skerlong - "It was a disappointing qualifying session.   We thought we had the speed this morning but it just didn't translate well in the Qualifying session, so we'll work hard tonight and get the car ready for tomorrow's sessions and hopefully get out of the situation we're in.

 David Garza -"It was a definitely a disappointing session.  It wasn't the way we wanted to start the weekend but this happens and all we can do is try to work hard tonight and try again tomorrow and hope for better results. 

About US RaceTronics: 2007 marks the third year of competition in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Series for US RaceTronics. Led by former Dorricott Racing Team Manager Shane Seneviratne, US RaceTronics enters the 2007 season with Monterrey Mexico native David Garza and American Carl Skerlong.  US RaceTronics is part of Pacific Coast Motorsports Jr. Team program

 For more information on US RaceTronics and its partners, visit www.usracetronics.com.  You can visit David Garza's website at www.david-garza.com and Carl Skerlong's website at www.cskerlong.com