For more information:
Linda Mansfield, Restart Communications
Cell: (317) 201-0729
E-mail: LindaKMansfield@cs.com
Three RLR/Andersen Racing Drivers
Take First Laps on IMS's Oval Tuesday
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., May 6 - RLR/Andersen Racing's three rookie Firestone
Indy Lights drivers recorded their first laps on the oval at the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway on Tuesday at an open test in preparation for the Firestone
Freedom 100 there on Friday, May 22.
The trio gave their engineers 159 laps of data to study in the next two
weeks, as Mario Romancini turned 78 laps, Jonathan Summerton recorded 55
circuits of the 2.5-mile oval and Ali Jackson circled the world's most famous race
track 26 times at speed.
The drivers' goals were to learn the track and try to help develop a
comfortable set-up on worn tires rather than generating pure speed. Romancini
posted the 13th fastest time of the 21 drivers who tested when the driver from
Sao Paulo, Brazil ran a lap in 47.6794 seconds (188.761 miles per hour) on
his 11th lap in the No. 5 sponsored by Andersen Racing, Revita Recycling, Win
Brazil Marketing, Allied Interior Products and Lafarge North America.
Summerton, of Kissimmee, Fla., was 16th with a 47.8657-second (188.026 mph)
lap at the end of the test in his car, which advertised Mockett & Co.
Although the current Firestone Indy Lights points leader was making his first
laps on the oval here, Summerton won a Formula BMW race on IMS's road course
in 2004.
Jackson, of Belfast, Northern Ireland, was participating on his first
official day as a member of RLR/Andersen Racing. He ran a 48.0448 (187.325 mph)
in the No. 6 sponsored by Moyvalley Hotel & Golf Resort in Kildare, Ireland.
The team just received his car at 9:30 a.m. Monday, so there wasn't time to
prepare it for the test as well as they would have liked.
After four races in five weeks from coast to coast, the team welcomes the
14 days it will have to work on the cars at Rahal Letterman's headquarters in
Hilliard, Ohio before it returns here for Community Day on Wednesday, May
20. Practice and qualifying are slated for Thursday, May 21. The Freedom 100
is scheduled to be telecast live on VERSUS at noon Friday, May 22.
For more information on the team, which is sponsored by Allied Interior
Products and Lafarge North America and offers programs in karting, Formula BMW
and Star Mazda in addition to Firestone Indy Lights, see its Web site at
andersenracingteam.com. For more information on its 1-mile road course test
track in Palmetto, Fla., see andersenracepark.com.
Driver quotes follow:
Mario Romancini: "It was a good learning day. Now we have two weeks to
work on the cars back at the shop. That is good, because we haven't had any
time to spend in the shop lately. We'll try to take what we learned today and
improve. We tried some stuff that we wanted to try. Now we'll try to come
back and be ready for the race weekend.
"The first time I was ever here was yesterday. I am impressed."
Jonathan Summerton: "It was fun. It's a good, high-speed track. It's
really harsh on the tires though. It wasn't really a productive day, except
that we know we have to find something a little different. We have to free the
car up more. We weren't where we wanted to be today."
Ali Jackson: "The car was not where we wanted it to be; we just got it
yesterday, and it wasn't really race-ready.
"But it was still an enjoyable day. Now I've driven at speed at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, so I can take that off my list of things I've always
wanted to do.
"This is the first time I've ever been here; I've never even been to a race
here. It's impressive."
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 the Lafarge Group:
The Lafarge Group is the world leader in building materials, with
top-ranking positions in all of its businesses: cement, aggregates and concrete, and
gypsum. With 83,000 employees in 78 countries, the Group posted sales of
19.0 billion Euros in 2008.
Lafarge North America Inc. ("Lafarge North America" or "Lafarge"), a
Lafarge Group company, is the largest diversified supplier of construction
materials in the United States and Canada.
In 2009 and for the fifth year in a row, the Lafarge Group was listed in
the "Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World." With the
world's leading building materials research facility, the Lafarge Group places
innovation at the heart of its priorities, working for sustainable construction
and architectural creativity.
For more information about Lafarge North America, go to lafarge-na.com or
contact Louise Muth, director of external communications, at (703) 480-3707.
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
Americas, Star Mazda 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, brothers 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. and Lafarge
North America. It is the official development team of Rahal Letterman
Racing. 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.