MILKA DUNO PASSES INDYCAR ROOKIE TEST
Duno Aces Speed Requirements, Will Participate at Kansas Race
KANSAS CITY, KS. (April 27, 2007) - Milka Duno has passed the official
"Rookie Test" for the 2007 IndyCar Series and will participate in this
weekend's activities for the Kansas Lottery Indy 300 at Kansas Speedway.
The
race, this Sunday, April 29, will be televised live on ESPN2 beginning
at
4:30pm ET. This will be Milka's first IndyCar Series race on a planned
first-year ten-race schedule that includes the 91st running of the
Indy 500
on May 27.
While Milka is an experienced and race-winning sports car driver -
just like
any driver entering the IndyCar Series for the first time - she will
be
considered a "rookie" during her first season and must pass their "Rookie
Test" in order to compete.
With multiple scheduled test sessions over the last few weeks cancelled
due
to weather issues, there was concern that Milka may not be able to
complete
the desired time behind the wheel of her #23 CITGO Racing Dallara Honda
to
prepare for the required test at the Kansas circuit. But finally, and
for
the first time in several weeks, Mother Nature did ultimately cooperate
and
Milka was able to successfully complete the necessary requirements
and gain
valuable additional seat time yesterday afternoon. Milka and her team
were
officially notified at the end of the session that she had met the
requirements and could move forward.
"I'm happy. I guess now I am Indy," Duno said with a big smile. " We
didn't
have all the track time that we were suppose to leading up to this
because
of the weather conditions. My team did a great job getting the car
prepared
- and I'm learning so much from all the guys that have experience in
IndyCar
racing, especially my engineer, Steve Challis, and my driving coach,
Pancho
Carter. I was trying to do the best I could and follow the grooves.
But this
is just the first step. Like everyone else, you start with your first
race.
Every new driver to IndyCar has to get experience, and it starts with
the
first race. The first practice, the first qualifying, the first race."
"This new accomplishment further demonstrates Milka's great skills
and
racing potential. We at CITGO are very proud of having Milka as the
ambassador of our Energia Latina campaign. She is a very strong role
model
for Venezuelan women and Latinas everywhere. Milka: CITGO is with you
at
every turn," said Rafael Gomez, CITGO's VP of Strategic Shareholder
Relations and Govenrment & Public Affairs.
"We're very happy," Baron said. "With all the drama of the rain and
cold,
it's definitely exciting to be ready and moving forward to Sunday.
I feel
like we've just passed our college exams. It's nice to get that done
and
over with. It's exciting but now we are on to the next chapter."
CITGO, based in Houston, is a refiner, marketer and transporter of
transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals, refined waxes, asphalt
and
other industrial products. The company has been a major sponsor of
American
racing for 21 years in such series as NASCAR, Grand-Am Racing and now
the
IndyCar Series. CITGO 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 additional information on Milka please visit www.milkaduno.com.
For more
information on the IndyCar Series please log on to www.indycar.com.
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