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Noblesville, Ind.'s Baas Has Mechanical Difficulties
In Friday's SPEED World Challenge
Touring Car Season Opener at Sebring

SEBRING, Fla., March 16 - Ian Baas vaulted from 17th to 13th by the end of
lap one in Friday's SPEED World Challenge Touring Car season opener at Sebring
International Raceway, much to the delight of everyone cheering for the rising
star from Noblesville, Ind.

Unfortunately Baas got no further up the scoreboard, as he had to retire from
the race with four of 18 laps complete due to mechanical difficulties.

Baas started 17th in the 25-car field for his first SPEED Touring Car event
ever. Driving the red STaSIS Motorsport Audi A4 No. 18 with support from Audi
Performance Racing and Clear Capital, he got right to work at the drop of the
green.

Charlie Putman's Tindol Motorsports Mazda and Jason Martinelli's Techmark BMW
made contact but continued on that initial lap, allowing Baas to get by both
of them. He also passed Brandon Davis's Acura and Michael Galati's Mazda to
complete lap one in 13th position.

The Dodge SRT-4 of Stan Wilson was just ahead and Davis was right behind him
in one of the RealTime Acuras at the start of lap two. Davis and Galati both
got around Baas on that lap to push him to 15th, as the trouble was already
developing. He had to drop out a couple of laps later, and his official
finishing position was 24th.

Two Mazda 6s driven by Jeff Altenburg and Randy Pobst finished first and
second, followed by Pierre Kleinubing in another of the RealTime Acuras. One of
Baas' teammates, Chip Herr, finished fourth. The other one, Dino Crescentini,
finished ninth despite some contact.

There wasn't a scratch on Baas' Audi A4 after Friday's race, part of the
Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring program. It will be broadcast on SPEED on Sunday,
March 25 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern time. The next Touring Car race is May 17-19 at
Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah.

Baas will drive in a Rolex Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in
Homestead, Fla., next Saturday. He will be in the At Speed Motorsports No. 28 Porsche
997 sponsored by Celette and Ian Global Shipping. His co-driver will be Bob
Miller of Sykesville, Md. That race will be broadcast on SPEED live beginning
at 3 p.m. Eastern time next Saturday, March 24.

For more information see Baas' Web site at ianbaasracing.com and the Web
sites of the two series in which he's competing this year at world-challenge.com
and grand-am.com.