MILKA TO RECEIVE THE "ACHIEVEMENT IN SPORTS AWARD" AT THE CITY OF HOPE 'S "MUJERES DE LA ESPERANZA/WOMAN OF HOPE AWARDS"

May 31, 2004 - Recent Grand Prix of Miami winner Milka Duno will receive the 2004 Mujeres de la Esperanza/Woman of Hope award for her achievements in sports from the City of Hope 's Caminos al Exito/Roads to Success at their Mujeres de la Esperanza/Women of Hope Awards Reception. The event will be held at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills , California on Thursday June 3, 2004 .

The Mujeres de la Esperanza/Woman of Hope Award was created in 2001 to recognize exemplary Latinas who have made outstanding contributions to their professions and community. Past honorees have included television personality and actress Sofia Vergara, the former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin and Univision personality and talk show host Cristina Saralegui.

Latinas being honored this year include Ana Maria Canseco, co-host of Univision's "Despierta America " and Sonia Maria Green, Director of Diversity Marketing & Sales for the General Motors Corporation. In total, nine outstanding Latinas will be honored this year.

"I am honored to have been selected to receive such a prestigious award," said Milka. "The City of Hope is known worldwide for the excellent strides they have achieved in the areas of cancer research, prevention and treatment. Their Caminos al Exito/Roads to Success events have been extremely successful in encouraging Latinas to achieve their goals."

Caminos al Exito/Road to Success will be hosting 120 mini-events throughout the month and are designed to empower Spanish-speaking Latinas to achieve their personal and professional dreams.

The City of Hope is an innovative biomedical research, treatment and education institution. Located near Los Angeles , California , the City of Hope is dedicated to the prevention and cure of cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases.

Milka is the only Latina race car driver participating at a top level of world-class motors sports. With her victory at this year's Grand Prix of Miami Milka became the first woman in history to win a major North American sports car race. In her six years of professional racing Milka has competed at the highest levels of sports car racing both in Europe and North America. In each of these racing series Milka was the first woman in history to drive the series' fastest race cars.

Milka is competing, in the 2004 Rolex Sports Car Championship, in the #2 CITGO Crawford Pontiac-powered Daytona Prototype sports car with veteran Andy Wallace as her co-driver.

CITGO, based in Tulsa , Okla. , is a refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals, refined waxes, asphalt and other industrial products. The company is owned by PDV America, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petróleos de Venezuela , S.A. , the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela . For more information on CITGO visit www.citgo.com .

Additional information on drivers Milka Duno and Andy Wallace is available at www.milkaduno.com and www.andywallace.com , respectively. For more information on the Rolex Sports Car Series please visit www.grandamerican.com.

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