DUNO READY FOR ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA THIS WEEKEND
Driver Team of Carpentier, Manning, Dalziel & Duno
is Strong Combination
January 22, 2007, Los Angeles, CA...Milka Duno is ready to go for this
year's Rolex 24 At Daytona this weekend with teammates Patrick Carpentier,
Darren Manning and Ryan Dalziel in their #11 CITGO Pontiac Riley Daytona
Prototype. The 45th running of the legendary 24-hour race at Daytona
International Speedway will begin this Saturday, January 27 at 1:30pm
ET and
will continue until 1:30pm ET the following day - Sunday, January 28.
The Rolex 24 At Daytona marks the start of the 2007 Rolex Sports Car
Series
season and is considered one of the most prestigious 24-hour sportscar
endurance events in the world. Race activities on the 3.56-mile road
course
begin this Thursday and include five practice sessions and two qualifying
sessions leading up to the big race on Saturday.
This will be Duno's fourth consecutive challenge with CITGO Racing
of the
Rolex 24 and she hopes to top her 2006 finish - when she scored an
8th place
overall and became the highest scoring female driver in the Rolex era.
Milka Duno
"We've worked very hard in preparation for this race and we built upon
each
of the testing sessions leading up to this event. The driver team is
very
solid and we work and perform very well together. The team have been
working
non-stop to get the car ready and they too are performing at peak level.
This is one of the most challenging races in the world and you have
to be
very prepared and in top form to be in contention for the win. I'm
feeling
really good about my teammates, the crew and the car. We'll be working
very
hard for a win!"
Patrick Carpentier
"I'm excited to start the season and am looking forward to the 24-hour
race
in Daytona. It is a long race and one of attrition. We have tried to
think
about all the mechanical problems that could arise during the event
and
think we should be ok. We have to run and stay on track all the time
and see
the checkered flag at the end - and hopefully in good position. We'll
see
you there!"
Darren Manning
"I'm looking forward to the race as I think we have one of the strongest
line-ups of anyone out there - both team and driver wise. "We all had
a good
test and we will be stronger for the race as well. We have prepared
well -
as that's what will win this race."
Ryan Dalziel
"I am really looking forward to the race. It is by far one of my favorite
events of the year and this year is very special because I think we
have a
great team with CITGO Racing - and a very realistic chance for success.
I
know our car will run fast and reliably, and with the driver line up
we have
with Pat, Milka and Darren we have no weak links in our chain. Bring
on race
day!"
FOX Sports and the SPEED Channel will combine to air live fifteen hours
of
the big race. At 1:00pm ET on Saturday live FOX Sports coverage will
begin
and will include 30 minutes of extensive pre-race programming and the
first
hour of race action. SPEED's coverage will be broken into three segments
totaling 13.5 hours - from 2:30-6:30pm ET on Saturday, then again from
8:00-10:00pm ET the same evening, and then resuming at 6:00am ET on
Sunday
and continuing until the checkered flag and post-race interviews.
Live Timing and Scoring of all practice and qualifying sessions and
the
24-hour race is available on the Internet at www.grandamerican.com.
CITGO, based in Houston, Texas, 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.
For the past three years, well-known Latina racecar driver Milka Duno
has
been featured in Pontiac's advertising campaigns. Pontiac is a division
of
General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM) and markets the G6 sedan, coupe
and
retractable hardtop convertible; Grand Prix; Solstice roadster; Vibe
and
Torrent. In 2005, Pontiac sold more than 437,000 vehicles, ranking
third
among GM divisions in total sales. For the 2007 model year, Pontiac
will be
launching the turbocharged Solstice GXP. Pontiac also launched the
entry-level G5 coupe in the Fall 2006. More information on Pontiac
and its
products can be found at www.pontiac.com.
Information in Spanish can be
found at www.pontiac.com/sp.
For additional information on Milka please visit www.milkaduno.com.
For more
information on the Rolex Sports Car Series please log on to
www.grandamerican.com.
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