IMPRESSIVE RUN FOR MARYEVE DUFAULT DERAILED AT TOLEDO SPEEDWAY

TOLEDO, Ohio (May 17, 2011) – - Despite her lack of experience on a short track in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, Maryeve Dufault flexed her muscle in the No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / UNOH Dodge Charger during Sunday’s Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care at Toledo Speedway.

The 2011 ARCA Racing Series Rookie of the Year candidate had full intentions of utilizing the experience she gained during a private test at the half-mile oval several days prior. With crew chief Darren Wolfe calling the shots and resultant confidence from spotter Gary Johnson, father of six time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson – Dufault was in good hands.

Mother Nature played havoc with the track conditions early Saturday forcing adjustments in the day’s schedule which now included two practices and the cancellation of qualifying. By the conclusion of the first practice, Dufault had locked her No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / UNOH Dodge Charger in the 15th position right behind teammate Jared Marks.

A few adjustments later and Dufault was ready for final practice. Continuing to learn the tricks and trades of the fast short track, the former open-wheel driver maneuvered the 16th fastest time, very respectable for her first tango with the Northern Ohio race track.

Because of the removal of time trials from the day’s activities, Dufault would start the 200-lap event 29th on the field according to the 2011 ARCA Racing Series rule book.

For the second consecutive weekend, rain would drench the race track on race day forcing ARCA Racing Series officials to spend a majority of the morning drying the Northern Ohio race track. The command to start engines was given shortly before 2:00 p.m. with the drivers circling the track under yellow and green flag conditions together to officially begin the fourth race of the season.

The all-clear would be given by lap 20 putting the field under true racing conditions. Knowing that the race had the opportunity to be called at the half-way point, the Sorel, Quebec native quickly began negotiating her way through the pack.

By the time the second yellow flag waived, Dufault had successfully raced her No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / UNOH Dodge Charger into the top-half dozen competition with a very neutral race car.

Johnson remained a cheerleader on the restart to help to Dufault mull over her competition. “You’re doing a real good job Mary,” said Johnson.  “Don’t worry once the tires wear down you’ll go right around ‘em – just be patient.”

When the leaders stacked up on the backstretch on lap 37, Dufault showed incredible car control as she was able to glide her Dodge Charger through the carnage finding herself beating on the door of the top-10.

Racing resumed with Dufault making her attack but as the group of cars she was racing with entered turn three on lap 58, a slower machine on the bottom of the track forced the No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / UNOH Dodge Charger to check-up; setting off a chain-reaction result from behind but not before another competitor plowed into the back of the No. 12 TMR entry which ultimately sent her machine hard into the wall.

C

oming to rest at the bottom of turn three, Dufault was able to climb from her machine under her own power, agitated but okay. The encouraging performance though would be overshadowed by the 23rd place finish as Dufault; herself experienced what it was like to become a victim of tight short track racing.
“I was really happy with our No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / UNOH Dodge Charger,” said an obviously disappointed Dufault.  “The car was running great and I seemed to really be getting around the track well. I was moving up thru the field to a comfortable position to just ride. The No. 28 closed the door on me while I was outside passing him he was slower. But, he went to the wall like it was clear and that almost squished into the wall where the gate entrance was. I backed off a little but the No. 17 had to go left and hit my rear corner really hard that sent me into the wall. Obviously this is not how we wanted to finish, especially as strong of a car that the Tony Marks Racing team gave me.”

She added, “going around slower traffic is really hard for me I don’t want to cause them to wreck but they caused me a wreck and it’s the second time that has happened. We needed a good day for the points and for everyone who supports me and Tony Marks Racing but they say this is racing. It’s just frustrating. No one likes taking home a wrecked race car and we didn’t need to do it two weeks in-a-row. The positive coming out of Toledo is that we were fast and showed that we can be contenders. We’ll get No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / UNOH Dodge Charger repaired and tackle the again on the next short track.”

TMR owner Tony Marks commented on Dufault’s performance.
“Maryeve did a great job, it wasn’t her fault,” he said. “While we’re disappointed that we didn’t get the finish that we all wanted, it was great to see both TMR right in the thick of the battle. We are a driver development team, we are here to teach and learn, and this is all part of it. Maryeve is a very smart, talented driver and I am very happy to have her behind the wheel of my race cars. We just have to pick up the pieces and keep moving forward with our head held high; because that’s the way we’ll persevere when we have races like this. Toledo is over and it’s onto New Jersey.”

Teammate Jared Marks, the 16-year old sophomore at Napoleon High School finished a respectable 13th in his ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards debut behind the wheel of the No. 8 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / UNOH Dodge Charger.

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards is the lone stop at a road course. The ModSpace 150 is set for next Sunday, May 22 at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) in Millville, New Jersey. Dufault has high expectations for round five of the season as her previous racing background includes road course racing.

For additional information on TMT, Inc. please visit; tmtcompanies.net.
For more on Maryeve Dufault, please log onto Maryeveracing.com
To learn more about Tony Marks Racing, please click over to Tmr-racing.com
See the buzz that VR-12 is creating by clicking over to their website at VR-12.com.

ERICA ENDERS RETURNS TO SITE OF HER GREATEST PRO STOCK TRIUMPH

TOPEKA, Kan. (May 17) — Erica Enders made history at Heartland Park Topeka six years ago. At this weekend’s NHRA Summer Nationals, the ZaZa Energy-sponsored Pro Stock driver hopes to make some more.

During her second season in Pro Stock in 2006, Enders earned the first No. 1 qualifying spot of her career, simultaneously becoming the first female to earn a No. 1 qualifier in the ultra-competitive category.

She clearly has fond memories of that weekend in America’s heartland.

“Because we qualified well (in earlier sessions), we were running at the back of the pack in the final qualifying round, so we actually knew we had stayed No. 1 before we made our last pass,” Enders said. “Even though it was just qualifying, it was a really big milestone for us and for the sport. It was very exciting. I remember the end-of-the-track celebration. Everyone was going crazy. That’s something I’ll remember forever.”

Running for Cagnazzi Racing – her current team, too – Enders had been fast in prior races in 2006, so it wasn’t totally unexpected. But it was still special, even though Enders doesn’t normally like the “first woman to…” label.

“We had been running very well,” Enders said. “We were No. 2 at Pomona and we went to the semis in Houston that year. Our car was very strong. We had a couple of No. 2 qualifiers where we were just a couple thousandths away from being No. 1. Still, going to Topeka and clinching it and putting it in the books forever meant a lot to me.

“I know it’s just another ‘girl record,’ but it’s something cool. No one can ever take it away from me.”

Enders, 27, has matured as a person and a driver since that race, but is humble enough to know she still learns something every pass down the track. In the six years since making history, she has certainly become a much better driver.

“The difference is night and day,” Enders said. “I have a lot more experience and seat time. I’ve learned so much. This is my seventh year of driving. Just a few days ago in Atlanta, I had something happen to me that I’ve never had happen to me before. That’s the way it is; every run in the car is a learning experience.

“To have seven years of experience – which is still considered a rookie compared to a lot of guys in this class – I’ve got a lot of learning left to do. But I’ve progressed so much, and I feel I’m a night-and-day different driver than 2006.”

Enders is seventh in the NHRA Full Throttle points standings coming off her quarterfinal appearance at Atlanta Dragway last weekend. Enders was fast in the final qualifying session and fast in both rounds of eliminations. Couple that with her fondness of Heartland Park, and Enders carries a lot of confidence into the weekend.

“I’m feeling good, very confident,” Enders said. “I’ve got a tremendous team behind me. The people on this team are what make a program work, and I’ve definitely got the people and the brains and the race car and the horsepower. As long as I keep driving well, the stars are going to line up, and I’m going to get a win very soon.

“Hopefully Topeka is holding one for me and will still be good for me this week.”

Qualifying begins with two rounds at 5 and 7:30 p.m. Friday.

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Contact: Lee Montgomery at 704-258-0903 or lee.montgomery@zazaenergy.com.

Please visit www.ZaZaEnergy.com for more information.

BUSY WEEK AHEAD FOR MELANIE TROXEL AS TEAM PREPARES FOR TOPEKA AND BEYOND

TOPEKA, Kan. (May 17) – There is about 900 miles of road between Atlanta Dragway and Heartland Park Topeka, site of this weekend’s NHRA Summer Nationals, but Melanie Troxel, driver of the ProCare Rx Toyota Funny Car will be taking the long way around.

“We’re going to pack a lot of stuff into this week before we get to Topeka,” Troxel said. “But all signs point to good things to come.”

Following a couple of Pro Mod test days in Atlanta, Troxel’s first stop will be Circle City — Indianapolis.

“We’re going to the John Force Racing shop so I can be fitted for a new chassis,” Troxel said. “We’re hoping to have it delivered in a couple of weeks. I still think there’s a lot of progress we can make with the chassis we have, but we should have a new three-rail chassis by Englishtown.

“We may do some R&D work with it before we bring it out to the track. I’m not real sure at this point. Either way, the hope is it will be better for us and lead to improved results.”

Next stop will be a Thursday trek to California.

“I’m going out there to play in the In-N-Out Burger Foundation Children’s Benefit Golf Tournament,” Troxel said. “Then we’ll turn right around and head to Topeka so we’ll be ready to race on Friday afternoon. It’s going to be a busy few days, but there’s lots to get done.”

Troxel put her ProCare Rx Toyota in the Funny Car field for the first time all season last weekend at the Southern Nationals. She said the accomplishment shows the determination R2B2 Racing has from team owner Roger Burgess all the way down to the newest crew member.

“Roger is a very successful businessman and he applies the principals that helped him succeed in the business world to the race team,” Troxel said. “It’s not always easy, but he’s done what it takes to make this team successful. And no one is going to stop until we become successful.

“The most satisfying thing to me has been the attitude of the crew guys. Despite our recent performances, they’ve never wavered in their commitment to our goals. There’s been no inner turmoil. Everyone is just working as hard as they can to get this car running well.”

Qualifying for the 23rd annual NHRA Summer Nationals gets underway at 5 p.m. CST on Friday at Heartland Park Topeka. Qualifying continues Saturday at 11 a.m. with eliminations starting at 11 a.m. on Sunday. ESPN2 will air its qualifying show at 5:30 p.m. EDT Saturday and eliminations will air starting at 7 p.m. Sunday.

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Contact: Geiger Media at 832-971-9345 or rob@go2geiger.com.

JESSICA BRUNELLI SET TO MAKE NASCAR K&N PRO SERIES WEST DEBUT IN JUNE

Plans announced for races at The Bullring and Infineon Raceway

Team Release
May 6, 2011 - 2:19pm

 

LOS GATOS, Calif. – Jessica Brunelli is set to make her debut next month in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, competing at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on June 11 and at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., on June 25, according to a Racers Drive announcement.

The 18-year-old high school senior is from Hayward, Calif.; but relocated to Mooresville, N.C., to participate in NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program.

Brunelli will be teaming with Naake Motorsports of Roseville, Calif., and the Stephanie Bellotti Foundation. The foundation was formed by Stephanie’s parents after they tragically lost their daughter in an automobile accident. Their organization now provides funding for Teen Driving Clinics, to at give young drivers competence and confidence aimed at keeping them safe and under control in an emergency situation.

Brunelli has been competing since she was 7 years old – racing go-karts, quads, Modifieds and Late Models. She is in her second year driving for Revolution Racing in the D4D program and competes in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. In 2010, she registered six top-five and 10 top-10 finishes in 19 races in that series.

In 2009, she competed in the Modified division at All American Speedway in Roseville – where she finished third in points and had 10 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. She also raced in two Late Model events at the Roseville track, notching a top-10 finish.

Brunelli has also been involved in several driver development programs, including the Lyn St. James Women in the Winner’s Circle Academy.

Naake Motorsports is headed by Mike Naake, a veteran driver, car builder and shock specialist on the West Coast. Naake’s No. 88 Chevrolet finished fifth in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Roseville in April.

The Racers Drive team is seeking additional marketing partners to help fund this operation. For more information about the program, contact Mike Cesario at mike@racersdrive.com or 408-220-3167. Racers Drive is a Los Gatos, Calif.-based motorsports marketing management organization.

GEICO’s KAREN STOFFER STAYS THIRD WITH STRONG SEMIIFINAL RUN IN HOUSTON; LUCAS GOING ROUNDS

HOUSTON (May 1) – Karen Stoffer is having such a good time racing the GEICO Suzuki, it’s almost like 2010 never happened.

“It’s so much fun to ride right now,” Stoffer said. “I want to race it as much as I can every weekend. It feels like more than a whole new year, it feels like a whole new life.

“It’s a 180 degree turnaround from what was going on last year. The bike and I are in sync better than ever and I’m enjoying it immensely.”

Stoffer reached the semifinals of the 24th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals on Sunday, marking the second straight race she’s won at least two elimination rounds. It’s a far cry from her 2010 season, which saw more gnashed teeth than smiles.

“We’ve started the year with back-to-back consistent races,” Stoffer said. “We just had one issue where we had to abort one qualifying run; that’s it. We’re trying for consistency this year and we’ve accomplished it so far.”

Morgan Lucas, Stoffer’s GEICO teammate, reached the second round of Top Fuel eliminations for the first time since his victory in the season opener.

Stoffer had one of the fastest bikes on the property all weekend. She qualified No. 2 and easily beat Angie Smith in the first round before following it up with a victory over Shawn Gann.

However, Stoffer and her crew could see that the performance was slipping just a touch with each passing round.

“It’s not the direction you want to go on elimination day,” she said. “You want to get faster and faster. It bit us in the end.”

In the first round, Stoffer ran a 6.880 second pass at 196.62 mph to win by almost .2 seconds over Smith and claim low ET of the round. In the second, she ran a 6.904 at 195.73 which beat Gann’s 6.975 at 190.54 mph.

In the semifinals against eventual race winner Andrew Hines, the lag caught up to the GEICO Suzuki. Stoffer got off the line first but could only muster a 6.974 at 195.59 mph lap, which wasn’t enough to stay ahead of Hines, who ran a 6.888 at 195.70 mph.

“We still had a good, consistent bike, it was just a little off on the tuneup,” Stoffer said. “We spun the rear tire pretty hard against Andrew.

“We are still feeling good and we’re looking forward to another strong outing in Atlanta.”

Lucas had a wild ride in the GEICO/Lucas Oil dragster in his first round win over Terry McMillen before a clutch issue proved to be his undoing in against quarterfinal foe Tony Schumacher.

Lucas and McMillen were the first pair out on a track that was unpredictable at best. The pair put on a show for the fans as they smoked, pedaled and weaved their way down the track. Lucas won on the most unlikeliest of hole shots. McMillen’s 5.530 second pass at 146.93 mph was quicker than Lucas’ 5.624 at 177.56 mph, but Lucas’ .074 second reaction time was more than enough of cushion against McMillen’s .348 reaction.

“We just shook the tires loose,” Lucas said. “The track was way better than it had been all weekend. We just underestimated it a little bit.

“We learned a lot all weekend. We went down three out of four runs in qualifying, it’s testimony to the progress we made in testing.”

In the second round, Schumacher sailed down with a 3.991 second pass at 298.93 mph was too much for Lucas’ wounded dragster, which ran a 4.938 at 157.65 mph.

“Losing still stinks, but we’re happy to get that first round loss monkey off our back,” Lucas said. “We’re going to get out of here with our heads held high and look forward to our next race.”

Up next for both Lucas and Stoffer is the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals May 13-15 from Atlanta Dragway.

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Contact: Geiger Media at 832-971-9345 or rob@go2geiger.com.

Please visit www.geicogarage.com for more information

PODIUM FOR PIZZA RACE AT COOKSTOWN 100

Maria Costello M.B.E. achieved an impressive podium finish on her Kawasaki ER650 Supertwin ‘the pizza race bike’ in it’s debut race at the Cookstown 100 Northern Ireland in which marks the start of the 2011 Ulster road racing season.

The Supertwin podium success tasted even sweeter due to the fact that Maria, the PR Agent for the Bering motorcycle clothing brand, had built the bike herself over winter, finishing it with only a day in-hand prior to this event.

With only a short three lap practice session of the Orritor circuit at Cookstown Maria’s lap times put her fifth on the grid for the Supertwin B Race.

A cracking start put Maria with the four front runners from the off. With each lap she got more accustomed to her new race bike and picked off riders one-by-one until she only had the leader, Tom Llewelyn, ahead of her. Maria chased hard and in doing so improved her lap times by almost six seconds. A red-flag incident brought the race to a premature end and saw Tom LLewelyn take the win from Maria, a delighted runner-up.

Maria commented on her success, ‘I’m over the moon with the pizza bike. Everything came together just in time. I only got to test-ride the bike the day before we boarded the ferry to Ireland. With so little testing time there was always going to be unknown territory. So I’m even more delighted with it’s performance. It’s fast, light as a feather and handles brilliantly – it’s mega and I built it.”

The Supertwin race-bike has been nick-named the pizza race bike due to it’s former vocation as a pizza delivery bike.

Costello added, “The nick-name just stuck and it’s got a huge following on-line via the blog I wrote which documents the build from day one. I wanted to improve my mechanical knowledge and thought that the blog could be a way of passing on tips to others. Plus it’s a great way of giving all the people who supported the project a place to showcase their products.”

You can view the blog via her website www.costelloracing.com.

Maria can’t thank her personal sponsor Tony Morris of CMS and her boyfriend enough, without their hard work, advice and support the pizza race bike project wouldn’t have been possible. Special thanks also go to Gavin at Jap4Performance for the fantastic product support.

Costello would also like to extend her gratitude to Radicool, EBC Brakes, Rock Oil, Alpha Powder Coatings of Peterborough, Draper Tools, Hel, NGK, Hol Taj, Abel-Labels, Stomp, Pipercross, Skidmarx & ChristianBaker.net.

Maria hopes to contest the pizza race bike in as many of the Ulster road racing events as possible. If you are interested in sponsoring Maria for the remaining rounds of the Supertwin championship, contact her via maria@costelloracing.com


Image courtesy of Simon Patterson Photography

Pippa Mann to enter the Indy 500 with Conquest Racing

Pippa Mann, who sat on the pole for the Firestone Freedom 100 last May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, will attempt to be among the 33 starters for the 100th anniversary Indianapolis 500.

IndyCar.com reports today that Mann will drive for Conquest Racing, joining full-time entrant Sebastian Saavedra, in the No. 36 car. Mann is the fourth female and sixth rookie confirmed as one of the 42 entries for next month’s Indy 500, and she will be the first British female to be on the entry list for the 500 Mile Race.

“Having the chance to compete in the Indy 500 is something that we have been working extremely hard to bring to fruition over the winter," said Mann, who won the Firestone Indy Lights race at Kentucky Speeday from the pole last September. "I tested with Conquest Racing earlier this year, and given how well that test went we have since been working tirelessly to put this deal together.

"The past few months have been a rollercoaster ride for me, and I’m just thrilled that we’re now able to tie things up. There are a lot of entries for the race this year, so it’s a somewhat interesting time to be a rookie, but my qualifying record on superspeedways is good and I’m definitely up for the challenge.

“For obvious reasons, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one of my favorite ovals, so I can’t wait to get out there in the No. 36 car and see what we can achieve.”

In 27 Firestone Indy Lights starts over two seasons, Mann earned seven top-10 finishes and three pole starts. She closed 2010 with a flourish -- after breaking her hand in July -- with four consecutive top-five finishes (including the win on the 1.5-mile Kentucky oval).

"Pippa is a natural on ovals and we could judge how good she is when we tested her about six weeks ago in Texas," Conquest Racing owner Eric Bachelart said. "She has been part of the team since then and we are all looking forward to working with her at the Speedway this year.”