For more information:
Linda Mansfield, Restart Communications
E-mail: LKMRestart@gmail.com
Cell: (317) 201-0729

Team GDT to Field Three Star Mazda Cars
At Toronto for Méndez, Tveter and Lewis

TORONTO, Ontario, July 5 - As the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear approaches the mid-point of its 2012 season, Team GDT will be in full force for Rounds 7 and 8 this weekend at Honda Indy Toronto.

The Dallas-based team will field cars for three rookies in the doubleheader on the streets around Exhibition Place this Saturday and Sunday.

Andrés Méndez of Bogotá, Colombia, who is scheduled to compete in all 17 events this year, will be in the No. 53 sponsored by DataFile Internacional S.A. and Grupo Kriterion.

Ryan Tveter of Oyster Bay, N.Y. will make his third and fourth start ever in the series in the No. 33, which is advertising Rogers TV and Motorola Mobility Canada here.

Joining them will be Corey Lewis of Nazareth, Pa., who will be making his first start of the season with the team after several previous test days. Lewis’s No. 39 is supported by the Monticello Motor Club (where he is an instructor), Raceseng, Bell Helmets and Troy Boiler Works in addition to Team GDT.

Team GDT’s drivers are among a field of 22 on the preliminary entry list.

Rogers TV partnered with Tveter for a special promotion where two fans based in Ontario won a behind-the-scenes experience with Team GDT at this event. A Rogers TV crew is also shadowing Tveter this weekend to tape footage for an upcoming documentary on him and the team.

Tveter is also slated to visit with Mazda Canada officials on Friday morning, while Lewis plans to participate in a Mazda Road to Indy outreach program to Canadian karters on Friday too.

The Team GDT trio tested on Shannonville Motorsports Park’s 2.5-mile road course in Belleville, Ontario for two days last week in preparation for this weekend’s challenge.

That preparation was crucial because there are only two 30-minute practice sessions on Friday (at 8 a.m. and 1:05 p.m.) before Peak Performance Qualifying at 8 a.m. Saturday. An autograph session is slated for 10:45 a.m. Saturday as well, and then the first race will get the green flag at 12:10 p.m. that day, right before the IZOD IndyCar Series’ qualifying session. The second Star Mazda race is scheduled for 9:50 a.m. Sunday.

Live timing and scoring is available during sessions on the series’ Web site at StarMazda.com. Additional information can be found on the event’s Web site at HondaIndyToronto.com.

Fans can learn more about Team GDT on its Facebook page or through Twitter @TeamGDT. All three drivers also have Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Driver quotes follow:

Andrés Méndez: “This will be my second street-course race. My first one was the Star Mazda season opener this year in St. Petersburg, Fla.

“I tested both days at Shannonville. I’ve never been in a race in Canada, but I’m looking forward to changing that this weekend.

“A lot of people will come, and I’m looking forward to driving as fast as I can. My goal is to have my best result of the year, and to keep working and improving my driving skills.”

Ryan Tveter: “I’m extremely excited for Toronto. The test last week at Shannonville went very well and I think we’re going to have a strong car for the event.

“The track looks like a lot of fun to drive and a good challenge, so hopefully I will be able to adapt well to the track and to the changing track conditions as grip levels increase over the weekend.

“It will be nice to drive on a street course again. I really love the challenges that they present to the driver with the concrete walls, surface changes, crowns in the road, and bumps. Toronto looks to be one of the best.

“It’s also exciting to have Rogers TV on board with us as well as Motorola Mobility Canada. I’d like to congratulate Nikki Fullerton for winning the three-day Rogers TV VIP Race Weekend Extravaganza. Unfortunately at the last minute she found out she’s not going to be able to attend, but two of her friends will be our special guests at the event and we’re all looking forward to having them and the Rogers TV crew with us.”

Corey Lewis: “Testing in Shannonville went great! I was able to test both of the days on a limited amount of tires. For being out of the car since the Barber test back in March, the first morning session was all about me getting acquainted with the car again. It only took a few laps before I felt back home again. We worked on our setup for the remainder of the day and the following day. I was able to knock over a second off my best time on the second day. I’m really pumped to get to Toronto and fight for a solid result.

“I've never been to Toronto before. I've always watched this race on TV and said to myself one day I will race at this track. It's just a legendary track and has such history. I

would love to add my name along to the greats that have won there. It's going to be very difficult, but with Team GDT's help I know it is for sure possible!

“Going into this event, the main thing to remember is simple: bring the car home in one piece. Since Toronto is a fairly tight track there probably will be many caution laps. If I can keep my nose clean and make smart decisions on track I believe we will be able to make a solid result.

“With the very limited amount of practice before going straight to qualifying, my main goal is to get acquainted with the car and track as quickly as possible so the team and I can start working on qualifying and race setups for the car. It’s going to be a challenge, but I can't wait!

“I haven’t been to a Canadian race in quite some time, but I’ve seen on TV over the past few years that the fans really love to come to this event. Shutting down the city streets and putting on a huge racing event like this can only attract more fans!

“I've never raced on a street circuit before, but I believe that it suits my driving style. It’s very physical and technical with very little room for error. With most of the drivers never racing here before I believe it presents a somewhat level playing ground. It will all come down to who can get a handle on the track first. From what I've seen the most challenging part on the street courses is that they’re just so bumpy and the pavement changes in the track really give the drivers a hard time. I'm really looking forward to getting on track and experiencing all this first hand myself!

“My parents will be at this race; they are really looking forward to it because it’s my first race in a little while.”

About Team GDT:

Team GDT is a multi-car professional race team headquartered in Dallas that is owned by businessman and racing driver J.W. Roberts. The team focuses on the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear, part of the IZOD IndyCar Series' Mazda Road to Indy, and the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge.

In 2011 Team GDT won its second Star Mazda Expert Series championship in a row with Roberts behind the wheel. The Expert Series is a race-within-a-race and a championship-within-a-championship for drivers 30 and older. Roberts won the Expert title driving his Team GDT/General Data Tech Mazda No. 65 with a total of five class victories.

Team GDT is also well known for nurturing rising stars, including Motorsport Ireland “Young Racing Driver of the Year” Patrick McKenna and multi-Star Mazda race winners Alex Ardoin and Richard Kent. Fans can learn more about Team GDT on its Facebook page or through Twitter @TeamGDT.