The driver, who is supported by Motegi Racing, will start the race from the inside of Row 5.

His pit crew was the fastest qualifier for the Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge which will take place during Coors Light Carb Day on May 24.

About Panther DRR

The 2013 season will mark the 14th year of full-time competition for Panther DRR (previously Dreyer & Reinbold Racing), making it one of the longest tenured teams in INDYCAR. Current co-owners Dennis Reinbold and Robbie Buhl won the first race they competed in at the Walt Disney World Speedway in January of 2000 with Buhl behind the wheel. The team now has over 300 race starts in the IZOD IndyCar Series and has successfully qualified 32 cars for the Indianapolis 500. Panther DRR has the most history of any IndyCar team as Reinbold’s grandfather, the legendary “Pop” Dreyer, built leading roadsters that raced at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the 30s, 40s, and 50s.

SOURCE: Panther DRR

All three Team Penske drivers will start among the first three rows for the start of the legendary race May 26. AJ Allmendinger qualified in the fifth position Saturday, with Motegi Racing driver Will Power sixth and Helio Castroneves eighth.

Will Power completed an even 100 laps in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet Sunday, with a fast lap of 222.780 mph, 12th-fastest of the day.

“We had pretty good day in the Verizon car,” said Power, who will go for his sixth attempt at winning “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” next Sunday. “We did a lot of miles and worked with AJ and Helio to optimize our efforts. At the end of the day I feel pretty good about what we’ve accomplished. All in all we are as prepared as we can be heading into the race. The guys have done a great job preparing and setting up the Verizon Chevy all week long. Now we look forward to a shake down run on Carb Day and then we’ll give it our best come the race.”

Power’s No. 12 machine brushed the wall late in the practice session, but the damage didn’t appear to be significant.

“At the end of the today’s practice we we’re doing live pit-stop practice and I went out on cold tires and just brushed the wall at the exit of Turn 4,” explained Power. “It wasn’t too bad though as we were able to drive it back to the pits.”

Three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves completed 93 laps in the No. 3 Shell V-Power Pennzoil Ultra Dallara/Chevrolet. His fastest lap of 222.731 mph was the 14th-best of the day. Allmendinger also recorded 93 laps in the No. 2 IZOD Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet. His lap of 222.255 mph was the 19th-fastest of the day.

Castroneves, Power and Allmendinger will attempt to win Team Penske’s 16th Indy 500 when the race begins shortly after noon ET on May 26 on ABC.

SOURCE: Penske Racing

Piergiuseppe Perazzini, Federico Leo and Marco Cioci took the second position in the GTE category after starting from the sixth position on the grid in their N.55 Ferrari 458 Italia GTE.

In the GTE drivers classification, Perazzini-Leo-Cioci are fifth (24 points, 21 off the leader).

In the GTC category, Stefano Gai, Andrea Rizzoli and Lorenzo Casè took their N.62 Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 to the second step on the podium.

The Italians were very fast, showing they had a very strong pace all weekend.

After the first two races, Rizzoli-Casè-Gai are second with 36 points, just four points off the lead.

Seventh position and very good performances from Howard Blank, Yannick Mallegol and Jean Marc Bachelier, a trio of drivers who are gaining more and more experience in their No. 54 Ferrari 458 Italia GTE. In the drivers classification, they are seventh with 10 points.

Motegi Racing is a technical partner to the AF Corse team.

Tagliani’s No. 98 Barracuda Racing eleventh place starting position matches his qualifying effort from last year’s race. The team was provisionally P4 when the Canadian driver turned his four laps. When all teams had a chance to qualify, Barracuda Racing missed the top nine by only one tenth of a mile per hour.

After a week of ups and downs in practice, the team was satisfied with the car after morning practice on Pole Day. Tagliani was confident that they had found the setup that he was comfortable with, in addition to his Honda power.

“I’m very pleased with the Barracuda Racing team,” said Tagliani, who is supported by Motegi Racing. “The boys had somewhat of a rough week and worked really hard to make sure that we had a really strong car.

“I’m super confident with the car that we have for the race. I’m also very pleased with how Honda improved during the week of practice. They responded really well to what I was asking for from the engine for my qualifying run. Honda worked with us to make sure we had a fair chance to fight the competition, and I’m pleased with the way they responded.”

Regarding his team and lead engineer, Tagliani added, “I’ve got nothing but great things to say about Todd [Malloy]. He is always pulling things off when it counts. I couldn’t ask for anything more right now. The way we recovered during the week can definitely be attributed to the Barracuda Racing team.”

The end of qualifying weekend will signal the start of a fan-centered week for Tagliani, beginning with a media tour in Toronto on Monday. From there, it’s back to Indianapolis for Community Day, Carb Day and Legends Day, all leading up to the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

The 97th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race will take place on Sunday, May 26. The 200-lap race on the legendary 2.5-mile oval will be broadcast live on ABC, with pre-race ceremonies beginning at 11 a.m. ET. Barracuda Racing aims to add another win to the history books.

About Barracuda Racing

Barracuda Racing is operated by Bryan Herta Autosport (BHA). Founded by veteran driver Bryan Herta, and noted race engineer and team manager Steve Newey, Bryan Herta Autosport has been a race-winning team in Firestone Indy Lights competition since 2009 and won the 2011 Indianapolis 500 with driver Dan Wheldon in only its second IZOD IndyCar Series start. BHA currently fields entries in the IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights with Curb – Agajanian. Since 2012, BHA has partnered with Bowen and Bowers Motorsports, Inc. (BBM). Based in Toronto, Ontario, BBM is the coming together of leading sports and entertainment property development professionals, Chris Bowers and David Bowen, along with the financial management experience of Trapeze Asset Management Inc. For more information, visit www.bryanhertaautosport.com.

About Barracuda Networks Inc.

Protecting users, applications, and data for more than 150,000 organizations worldwide, Barracuda Networks has developed a global reputation as the go-to leader for powerful, easy-to-use, affordable IT solutions. The company’s proven customer-centric business model focuses on delivering high-value, subscription-based IT solutions for security and storage. For additional information, please visit http://www.barracuda.com or follow us on Twitter: @barracuda.

About 40 guests turned up to the luncheon to experience Motegi Racing hospitality and the excitement of the speedway. The guests met personally with Sam Schmidt along with a tour of Gasoline Alley and Sam Schmidt Motorsports.

Schmidt is an Indy Car team owner and former driver who was paralyzed from the chest down in a serious crash. He founded the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation (SSPF). The foundation is leading the charge for a cure for paralysis by funding scientific research, medical treatment, rehabilitation and technological advances. SSPF provides quality of life grants to organizations throughout the country benefiting people with paralysis and other life challenges.

BRASELTON, GA (May 13, 2013) – Fredric Aasbo scored the No. 1 qualifying spot at Road Atlanta this weekend and went on to secure a top-five result following an incredible on-track clash that saw a rival driver launch over the hood of his Hankook Tire Scion Racing tC.

After managing slick conditions in intermittent drizzle to make a confident advance into the round of eight, Aasbo faced former series champion Vaughn Gittin Jr. It was a much-anticipated battle that pitted Gittin’s brawny V8 against Aasbo’s nitrous boosted inline-four EFR turbo Scion tC, but the match-up produced more excitement than fans predicted.

While following Aasbo, Gittin slid wide and tangled wheel-to-wheel, climbing over the hood of the Scion tC. Aasbo could have stopped there, earning an immediate victory for his lead run. But, in the kind of move that makes him a fan favorite, he chose instead to complete the tandem drift run.

“It’s instinct: you see a car in the air, then so see a car in front of you and what do you do? You try and chase him down,” said Aasbo after the match.

Aasbo looked set to advance but, during his chase run, his battle-scarred car suffered a transmission failure on the final corner that caused him to briefly lose drift. The judges called for a “One-More-Time” rematch and although Aasbo gamely returned to the line for the fight, he was unable to advance.

The clash was popular with the crowd in Atlanta and a fan-created satirical snapshot of Gittin’s car climbing over Aasbo’s — coupled with a “Go home Vaughn, you’re drunk” tagline — went viral online virtually before the match-up was over. Some 14,000 fans braved the damp weather to attend the weekend event, while over 150,000 unique viewers tuned in to the live webcast.

“On the excitement side, this weekend was an A-plus,” said team owner Stephan Papadakis.

The Hankook Tire Scion Racing tC produces more than 700 horsepower from its nitrous-boosted turbocharged, four-cylinder engine. It’s an increasingly popular set-up in a field once dominated by big-muscle V8 power.

“Turbo cars are having their renaissance in Formula Drift,” said Aasbo. “The power we’re pushing is really apparent; the car is a rocket ship.”

The full-commitment Road Atlanta track suits Aasbo’s style. He earned secondplace there in 2012. He scored a fifth-place result this past weekend and remains firmly in the championship’s top-10 as the series heads into the third of seven rounds.

Drifting is a high-skill, high-powered motorsport with an emphasis on car control skill. Drivers compete in knockout heats on a closed course, sliding sideways in trials judged on speed and style. With origins in Japan, it is the fastest growing form of motorsport in the world.

Aasbo will next travel to Norway, where he will make an appearance at the Gatebil festival. His next U.S. competition is Round 3 of the 2013 Formula Drift Championship in Palm Beach, Florida, May 31 – June 1.

ABOUT FREDRIC AASBO
Fredric Aasbo returns to Formula Drift for his third full season of U.S. competition on the Papadakis Racing squad in 2013. The Norwegian driver, voted “Fan Favorite of the Year” after a successful 2012 Formula Drift season, is a two-time Nordic Drifting champion (2007, 2008) and 2010 Formula Drift Rookie of the Year. He ran select Formula Drift events in 2009 and 2010 and made his U.S. debut at a global drifting invitational in 2008. He has rapidly progressed through the drifting ranks around the world and has established himself as both a fan favorite and proven championship contender.

Originally from Ski, Norway, Aasbo splits his time between his native country and Redondo Beach, California. He campaigns a full international season, with a commitment to the 2013 Formula Drift schedule as well as select events worldwide in Europe and China.

ABOUT PAPADAKIS RACING
Team owner Stephan Papadakis is a legend of sport-compact racing who began building his reputation in the 1990s with the first front-wheel-drive, tube-chassis drag car in the U.S.

The team earned multiple records and championships in the discipline, turning in elapsed times and trap speeds previously thought unattainable in front-drive drag cars. Papadakis’ successes in front-wheel drive were matched by his efforts in rear-wheel drive when he campaigned a Civic that became only the fifth car to join the Nora’s Sport Compact 200 MPH club.

Aasbo is the newest member of Papadakis Racing, who signed the Norwegian driver when Tanner Foust announced his retirement from the sport after the 2010 season. The team began drifting in 2005 and has shown impressive results in seven years of Formula Drift competition, earning two championship titles (2007, 2008). The team finished in the runner-up position in the 2010 championship. The Hankook Tire Scion Racing tC is the team’s latest competition build.

PAPADAKIS RACING IS PARTNERED WITH
Hankook Tire (www.hankooktireusa.com); Scion Racing (www.scion.com); Motegi Racing (www.motegiracing.com); AEM Electronics (www.aemelectronics.com); ACT (www.advancedclutch.com); SPC Performance (www.spcperformance.com); RS-R (www.rs-r.com); Torco Advanced Lubricants (www.torcousa.com); BorgWarner (www.borgwarner.com); Takata Racing (www.takataracingproducts.com)

Bell (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) had the controls of the red and white 458 for the opening stint in today’s four hour race.  Getting a great start, the central California resident moved up from his third row starting position to second place on the first lap.  Getting a tap on the front straight from a Corvette, Bell proceeded to run strongly in the top four throughout his early time in the car.  On lap 60, he pitted and handed the Ferrari over to Sweedler (Westport, Conn.). Sweedler proceeded to keep the Ferrari on pace with the front of the GT field through his middle laps in the car.  Bell returned to the seat on lap 108 to keep the charge going. A fortuitous penalty to the Paul Miller Porsche and the tenacious driving of Bell moved the Team West Ferrari to fourth in the last hour.  An aggressive pass by Marc Goosens in the SRT Viper moved Bell to fifth with 10 laps remaining. But the Californian wasn’t having it. A restart with just one lap to go had Bell pull alongside Goosens down the main straight with the inside position into Turn One.  Goosens stayed outside which put him to the inside going into Turn Two, and proceeded to shove Bell off the track into Turn Three. Bell used the next nine turns to clean his tires for one last run into Turn Eleven to get by Goosens.  The aggression paid off placing the 458 in fourth for the team’s best finish to date.

“The lower temperature definitely helped us along with the adjustments the guys made,” Bell said.  “The car just got better as the race went on into the evening. We weren’t all the way there, but we were close enough, with traffic getting mixed up it kept things interesting. That big Viper tried to push us around, but we smacked it in the face and left him in the dust.  On the last lap I pulled by him on the inside down the front straight. He tried to drive me into the wall and rubbed me there.  Down into Turn Two I out braked him, then he tried to shove me off the track into Turn Three. I got my tires cleaned up and coming into Turn Eleven, there wasn’t any way I was going to leave it alone. At this point our car had been hit enough, so I just stuck it in there and we just made it happen.”

Sweedler is ecstatic at the finish and progress of the team.

“The Team West AJR Ferrari was unbelievable,” Sweedler said.  ”We were knocking on the door to the podium.  It was an amazing finish.  Townsend had a great last stint. The aerodynamics were not a hundred percent, we were hit from behind at the beginning of the race.  Despite that the car was outstanding on the Yokohama tires tonight.  Lime Rock is the next race, my favorite track, in my home state, I can’t wait.  We are going to do some testing in June and I can’t wait to come back in July rocking and rolling.”

Eduardo Espindola, team co-owner, liked the exciting finish.

“Awesome,” Espindola said. “It was a great team effort today.  The crew did a good job adjusting and keeping the car together.  The Yokohama tires got better as the air got cooler and Bill and Townsend were terrific behind the wheel.  Fourth is a nice reward this early in the season.  It just makes us want more.”

Team co-owner, Alex Job, had the team positioned for success.

“What a finish,” Job said. “Even though it was for fourth it was very exciting and rewarding for the team.  The crew put a lot of work in the car and Bill and Townsend gave the effort right back today.  Bill put in a great middle stint and Townsend wasn’t going to let anyone push him around.  It is a small victory, but one that will motivate us to Lime Rock in July.”

The team was awarded the Green X Challenge award, second in as many races, for their effort.  The Michelin Green X Challenge recognizes the cleanest, fastest, most efficient cars at each ALMS race.

The American Le Mans Series will take its annual break for competitors running at Le Mans and return to action July 5-6 at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut.

The Grand Prix of Monterey at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca television broadcast will air tomorrow, May12, at 4:00 pm EDT on ESPN 2.

Alex Job Racing is one of the most successful teams in sports car racing with 68 wins (since 1995); including two Rolex 24 GT Class wins in 1999 and 2013. This record is supported by 48 pole positions and 106 podium finishes. The team has won four championships (GTC 2012, GT in 2004, 2003 and 2002) complimented by their two GT class wins at Le Mans. The team also boasts nine Sebring 12-hour wins.

The ALMS GT Class is comprised of production-based, moderately-modified, two-wheel drive race cars including the BMW Z4, Corvette C6.R, Ferrari F458 GT, Viper SRT and Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. The GT cars share many similarities to their showroom brands. With top speeds of up to 180 mph, these elite GTs produce between 450-500 horsepower and have a minimum weight of 1,145 kilograms (2,480 pounds). All GT race cars have green Leader Light System race position lights and green car numbers.

Motegi Racing is a performance supplier of the West Alex Job Racing team. Motegi Racing Competition and High Performance Tuning wheels are designed and engineered for performance. Motegi Racing is owned by Wheel Pros, one of the largest suppliers of branded custom wheels, performance tires and related accessories for cars, SUVs and light trucks.  Find more information at motegiracing.com and facebook.com/motegiracing.

Both team Porsches led during the four-hour American Le Mans Series race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and the 27 Tully’s Coffee Porsche 911 GT3 team nearly pulled of the GTC-class victory. Shaking off some early race issues and penalties, Lally moved into the lead in the race’s final hour and appeared set for the win before the race’s final full-course caution period just 10 minutes from the finish.  Lally found himself just in front of the second-place No. 30 Porsche of Nick Tandy, with only a Corvette GT car between the Porsche GT3s for what ended up being a one-lap dash to the finish when the green flag flew.

“It is nice, only my second race with Dempsey Del Piero and we have a pole and now we have a podium,” Lally said. “We have one more step to climb up to achieve our big goal here of winning a race in GTC and we came so close today.”

Lally won the pole in Dempsey Del Piero Racing’s ALMS GTC debut in March at Sebring and nearly gave the team its first victory today.  It was only his second race with Dempsey Del Piero after missing last month’s race in Long Beach while competing in the GRAND-AM Road Racing event at Road Atlanta.  He was in the lead when the dual white and green flags flew for the race’s final lap.

“It was a heartbreaker,” Lally said. “I am bummed about it but Tandy got a run and somehow by got under the GT Corvette before we even got on to the front straight. That put him on my rear bumper and he did a good job there. He made a move going into Turn 2, but I was able to come out with the lead there, but as we were going into Turn 4 I saw him pop to the inside.  This was the confusing part for me because I did not realize a prototype in my blind spot coming off of his right rear made it three wide.  As I turned in prepared to be two-wide with the 30, he backed out and the PC car came just barreling up the inside and it just punted me into the marbles.  That moved me back to second and that was it, but I have to hand it to Tandy, he did a good job.”

Lally also had some high praise for his Dempsey Del Piero teammates.

“I also have to give two big thanks,” Lally said. “One to the team for keeping us in the race after going two laps down early and the other to Patrick who did what I think was the drive of his life. He had great lap times, didn’t make a mistake, and did a great job to get it on the lead lap and then hand it to me.  We put it in the lead and if we didn’t have that late yellow this thing was ours.”

Dempsey started the No. 27 from the third grid position only to encounter a bad vibration and a related stripped wheel nut issue for the second race in a row. The Dempsey Del Piero avoided disaster and managed to fit a new wheel but by then the No. 27 was two laps down less than 15 minutes into the race.  It set the stage for one of Dempsey’s best races to date.

“I think it is probably the best race I have ever driven to come back from two laps down,” Dempsey said. “We had the same problem we had at Long Beach.  We have to get that figured out, but we overcame that and battled back. I really worked hard, then Andy took over, he had his issues he had to deal with too, so it was all about really overcoming a boat-load of obstacles that were really out of our control.  Everybody stayed calm, the crew did a great job with the pit stops and that helped us get back on the lead lap. Andy led for a long time, it was unfortunate that yellow came out with 10 minutes left, but it was a great battle.”

The No. 10 Tully’s Coffee Porsche had its best performance so far after a pair of frustrating races to open the season.  Davis even led several laps early in the race’s final hour before joining Avenatti for the duo’s sixth-place showing.  Avenatti also ran as high as fourth in his opening shift in the No. 10 despite being hit by another class competitor even before the green flag flew.

“It felt really good, especially in light of the fact that the car was a real handful at that point,” Avenatti said. “I was just happy to be able to keep on the lead lap and run up front there for a while. The crew did a phenomenal job today, our hats are off to them, Andy drove a great race and second-place in this class is nothing to sneeze at.  I am very impressed, and I am very impressed with the drive my teammate Andrew put in today. We had some issues early on, and even got hit by a Flying Lizard car on the parade lap, but all in all it was a great race for Dempsey Del Piero Racing and I am very excited about the future.”

Dempsey, who has been in top-level sports cars for nearly a decade now, is also encouraged about the future.

“I am really excited about the team and I really feel we can win now,” Dempsey said. “It is the first time ever for me racing that I know that I can win a race.  To be out there running around with everybody today and coming back from the deficit we were in, there is no question that we can win races and a championship.  That is the first time that I have felt that.”

Saturday’s top-five added to the strong results Davis has seen at the iconic Laguna Seca circuit. “Personally, Laguna Seca is a very special place for me due to its rich history in sports car racing, particularly for Porsche,” Davis said. “My first event at the circuit was back in 2005 in the GRAND-AM Rolex Series, and I have returned there each year since.  My most memorable moment at the track occurred in 2011 at the Rolex Series event.  I started from pole position and went on to claim the victory. That race really put a stamp on my 2011 championship season in Rolex GT.”

About Dempsey/Del Piero Racing: A fulltime and year-round enterprise supported by Tully’s Coffee, Dempsey Del Piero Racing is a professional international sports car auto racing team with operational bases in both Los Angeles and Atlanta in the United States.

At Portimao (Algarve circuit), Duncan Cameron (GB) and Matt Griffin (IRL) in the #21 Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 won the second race, after a perfect perfomance dominating from the green light to the checkered flag.

In the same race, the young drivers Micheal Lyons (GB) and Matteo Beretta (I) gained the second position in the GTS category in their N°55 Ferrari 458 Italia GT3. Claudio Sdanewitsch (DE) and Michele Rugolo (I) in the N°54 Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 took the 15th place among the GTS cars.

In the first race, Cameron-Griffin did not join the starting grid after a mechanical trouble in qualifying. Sdanewitsch-Rugolo closed in 14th position and Lyons-Beretta was forced to the pits.

Also noteworthy were the brilliant results gained by the #1 AT Racing Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 (managed by AF Corse). In the first race, Alexander Talkanitsa (BY) and Alexander Talkanitsa Junior (BY) finished 3rd in the Super GT category. In the following race, they ended 4th. The results in the first two rounds of the championship put the AT Racing Ferrari 458 among the aspirants to the title.

At the wheel of the Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 lined up by the Italian team in the GTC category, Steve Wyatt (AUS), Andrea Bertolini (Ferrari driver, from Italy) and Michele Rugolo. The three drivers take the field to win and add their names in gold book of the Oriental championship.

Four the events scheduled in the 2013 Asian Le Mans Series: Inje (South Korea, August 4th), Fuji ( Japan, September 22nd), Zhuhai (China, October 13th), Sentul (Indonesia, December 8th).