For more information:
Linda Mansfield, Restart Communications
Cell: (317) 201-0729
E-mail: LindaKMansfield@cs.com
RLR/Andersen Racing Tabs Romancini
For Full Firestone Indy Lights Campaign
PALMETTO, Fla., March 3 - One of the most competitive rides in the Firestone
Indy Lights Series will go to Brazil's Mario Romancini.
RLR/Andersen Racing co-owner Dan Andersen announced today that the
21-year-old from Sao Paulo, Brazil will be behind the wheel of his team's No. 5, which
will be sponsored by Allied Building Products Corp., Win Brazil Marketing and
Revita, a recycling company for paper, plastic and aluminum beverage bottles
and cans.
Romancini is signed to participate in the full 15-race season and compete for
both the championship and the series' Rookie of the Year award. He has
already won two other Rookie of the Year awards in other open-wheel series, as he
was the top rookie as well as the series runner-up in the South American
Formula 3 series in 2007. The year before that he was Rookie of the Year and
finished fifth in the Formula Renault series in Brazil. Last year he drove on many
legendary European circuits while competing in the World Series by Renault.
Prior to focusing on formula cars he honed his craft by recording many impressive
records in karting.
One of the many things that impressed the executives of Andersen Racing about
Romancini is how quickly he adapted to driving a Firestone Indy Lights car.
He was fast the first time he was in one when he participated in the team's
private test at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla. on Feb. 17. He took
what he learned that day and methodically but quickly built on that when he
tested there again on Feb. 20.
He was already comfortable in the car when he took his rookie oval test at
Homestead on Feb. 23. He ended up second on the time charts that day, which was
reserved solely for rookies, just three one-hundredths of a second off the top
time. When the series veterans joined the rookies the following day at the
series' open test he was a solid fifth all day long. His fastest lap around the
1.5-mile oval that day was done at an average speed of 187.136 miles per hour,
not far off the day's top speed of 187.726 mph.
"I was extremely pleased with Mario's performance in the four days of
testing on both road courses and ovals that he just completed with our team,"
said Andersen. "He learned oval driving techniques much faster than most
drivers do, and in fact was the fastest driver out there when running without the
benefit of a draft on the final open test day when all 18 drivers were
testing. He is very smooth. He has excellent hand movements, which is very
important on ovals where steering input affects car speed so much.
"Mario also demonstrated a focused, positive attitude, and he works very well
with our entire crew," Andersen added. "We're looking forward to a great
season with Mario driving the No. 5 car for RLR/Andersen Racing."
Andersen Racing is the official development team of Rahal Letterman Racing.
Bobby Rahal has been keeping a close eye on how things have been going too.
"We are extremely pleased to see the progress that the RLR/Andersen Racing
team has made in preparation for the 2009 season, and are excited to welcome
Mario Romancini into what we expect will be a strong year for the team," Rahal
said. "The recent Firestone Indy Lights testing was very positive for
RLR/Andersen Racing, and we believe that the work done in the last few months will
position the team to contend for victories and championships this season."
Andersen Racing offers one of the most comprehensive programs for future
open-wheel stars available anywhere. In addition to Firestone Indy Lights, it
fields entries in karting, Formula BMW Americas and the Star Mazda series as part
of its ladder system.
Romancini said driving on an oval track for the first time was amazing.
"In the beginning it was a strange feeling, but after some runs I was used to
the speed and to the different style of driving," he said. "We worked on the
car and improved at the end of day. For the first time on an oval I think we
did a fantastic job, as we were very quick! We were fast even running alone
without the help of a draft, which showed us that we'll be competitive on road
courses as well as ovals.
"I think we will be able to fight for wins this year," Romancini added. "The
team did a great job. I feel comfortable with the car and with the guys, and
now we'll just keep working so we can start the championship off on the right
foot. I'm very happy to be running with RLR/Andersen Racing. I want to thank
Dan and John Andersen and all the team members for trusting that I can do the
job. I will do my best to fight for the title this year!"
One other driver will soon be as excited as Romancini, because there is still
one seat available on RLR/Andersen's Firestone Indy Lights team for 2009.
The Andersen brothers are continuing to weigh the attributes of the candidates
vying to drive their second Firestone Indy Lights car, the No. 25, which J.R.
Hildebrand drove to a fifth-place finish in the 2008 championship after winning
the race at Kansas City, Kan. More information about all the seats available
in the various series that the team competes in may be obtained by contacting
Dan Andersen at (201) 532-9630 or dandersen@andersenracingteam.com.
The Firestone Indy Lights season opener is a doubleheader April 4-5 in St.
Petersburg, Fla. Romancini's American base is Miami.
The team's Web site is at andersenracingteam.com. Information on the team's
1-mile road course test track in Palmetto, Fla. can be found online at
andersenracepark.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, four-step program utilizing
multiple entries in four different platforms: karting, Formula BMW, Star Mazda
(televised on SPEED) and Firestone Indy Lights (televised on VERSUS). In 2008 it
fielded multiple entries in 42 races in 18 states and provinces at some of the
best facilities on the continent, including the famed Indianapolis Motor
Speedway.
Andersen Racing won the team championship for 2008 for both the F2000
Championship Series presented by Hoosier Racing Tire and the Star Mazda Championship
presented by Goodyear. Two of its drivers finished first and second in the
F2000 driver point standings, while another was sixth. Three of its Star Mazda
drivers placed third, fifth and sixth in that series' driver standings.
RLR/Andersen Racing finished sixth in the 2008 Firestone Indy Lights team standings,
while one of its drivers placed fifth in that series' driver point standings.
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. The team is headquartered at Andersen
RacePark, an 18-acre facility in Palmetto, Fla. that includes a 1-mile road
course test track. For more information see andersenracingteam.com and
andersenracepark.com.