For more information:
Linda Mansfield, Restart Communications
E-mail: LindaKMansfield@cs.com
Cell: 317-201-0729
Andersen Racing Signs Hall
For 2008 Star Mazda Season Opener at Sebring
PALMETTO, Fla., March 7 - Add a fifth car and driver under the Andersen
Racing tent in the Star Mazda paddock at Sebring International Raceway next week.
The Palmetto, Fla.-based team announced today that it has signed Britain's
Charles Hall to drive its No. 22 Star Mazda car in that series' season opener at
Sebring, Fla. next Friday afternoon, March 14.
Hall, 28, was short-listed for a Formula 1 test seat in 2005 only to suffer
serious injuries in a traffic accident caused by a drunk driver later that
year. He has worked hard to rebound from that accident, and is committed to
getting his career back on track.
"I'm delighted to finally be back racing after my recovery from my road
accident in 2005," Hall said. "It has been a long road to recovery, but I am now
in the best shape I have ever been, and fully focused for the 2008 season.
"I believe Andersen Racing will give me the equipment and support to have a
fantastic season," he added.
Masterminding the set-up on Hall's No. 22 car will be one of Andersen
Racing's Indy Pro Series engineers, the very accomplished Dominic Cape. Hall tested
a Star Mazda car with the team in January at Sebring, and was very impressive.
"I am very happy we could work out an arrangement to bring Charles in for
this race," said Andersen Racing co-owner Dan Andersen. "We hope to be able to
develop a long-term relationship with Charles, as he is the complete package."
"Having been in negotiations with Dan for many weeks, I'm delighted that
Charles will be racing at Sebring," said his manager, Robert Lewis. "This will be
the start of what we hope will be a fantastic year for Charles, and propel him
back to a position that will allow him to compete at the highest level in
2009."
Hall was a race winner in the British Formula 3 Winter Series in 2004. He had
a terrific year in 2003, winning the Fran-Am Winter Series championship and
being vice-champion of the Fran-Am Pro Series. He was also a top-three
qualifier at the Monaco Formula Renault V6 race that year. The prestigious British
Racing Drivers' Club tabbed him as a rising star in 2002 after he impressed his
countrymen in Formula Renault 2000 competition in 2001.
In addition to Hall, Andersen Racing will field Star Mazda cars for Peter
Dempsey of Ashbourne, County Meath, Ireland; Tom Gladdis of Gibraltar; Juliana
Gonzalez of Mexico City, Mexico, and Yannick Hofman of Rosemere, Quebec, Canada
at Sebring. All are rookies in the series, which is presented by Goodyear.
Hall is sponsored by Pardoes Solicitors, a law firm. All of the Andersen
Racing drivers will have a cheering section on hand, as team sponsors Allied
Building Products and Jig-A-Loo plan to be in attendance to support them and enjoy
all the festivities at Sebring. The featured Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring,
which begins at 10:05 a.m. Saturday, annually attracts the largest crowd of
any endurance sports car race in North America.
Hall is traveling from his home in Sheffield, England to Florida today in
order to be on hand for the first Star Mazda test session at Sebring at 8 a.m.
Monday.
Qualifying is slated for 1:20 p.m. on Thursday, followed by an autograph
session at the series transporter at 4:30 p.m. that afternoon. The 45-minute Star
Mazda race is scheduled to get the green flag at 2:50 p.m. on Friday. It will
be broadcast on SPEED at 3 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday, March 30.
Andersen Racing strives to provide the best training possible for future
open-wheel superstars. It addition to Star Mazda, Andersen Racing fields multiple
entries in the F2000 Championship presented by Hoosier Racing Tire and the
Indy Pro Series, the official development series of IndyCar. It is the official
development team of Rahal Letterman Racing.
For more information on Andersen Racing see andersenracingteam.com and
andersenracepark.com. For more information on the Star Mazda series see
starmazda.com.
About Allied Building Products Corp.:
Allied Building Products Corp., headquartered in East Rutherford, N.J., is
one of the largest roofing and siding distributors in the United States. Founded
in 1950 with five employees and two trucks, today it is a $1.8 billion
building material distribution company with over 3,500 employees, more than 200
branches in 30 states, well over one million square feet of office and warehouse
space, and an inventory of approximately 85,000 products, from residential
roofing and siding to doors, windows, waterproofing, manufactured stone, interior
products and commercial roofing systems. For more information see
alliedbuilding.com.
About Andersen Racing:
Andersen Racing strives to provide the best and most comprehensive training
possible for future open-wheel superstars while giving its marketing partners
media exposure and hospitality opportunities at some of the most prestigious
events in North America. It provides a unique, three-step program utilizing
multiple entries in three different series: the F2000 Championship (webcast), Star
Mazda (televised on SPEED) and the Indy Pro Series (televised on ESPN2). In
2008 it will field multiple entries in 42 races in 19 states and provinces at
some of the best facilities on the continent, including the famed Indianapolis
Motor Speedway.
Andersen Racing's principals, brother Dan and John Andersen, have extensive
experience in series administration as well as team management. They've worked
with many of today's top open-wheel stars, including several Indy 500 winners.
Andersen Racing is sponsored by Allied Building Products Corp. It is the
official development team of Rahal Letterman Racing, which competes in the IndyCar
Series and the American Le Mans Series. In addition, its F2000 team is also
the official factory team of Van Diemen. The team is headquartered at Andersen
RacePark, an 18-acre facility in Palmetto, Fla. that includes a 1-mile test
track. For more information see andersenracingteam.com and andersenracepark.com.