John Faulkner Joins Intersport Racing at Mid-Ohio

photo by John Thawley Intersport Racing announced today Star Mazda veteran John Faulkner will join Champ Car Atlantic star Ryan Lewis in the team's second LMP1 car as driver for the Acura Sports Car Challenge July 17-19 at Mid-Ohio in the 2008 American Le Mans Series.

Lewis will be behind the wheel for the balance of the season while Faulkner is slated to drive at Mid-Ohio, Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta and the Monterey Sports Car Championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Jon and Clint Field and Richard Berry will continue as drivers of the No. 37 Very Berry Exotics entry. The trio is fresh off a second place finish in the Utah Grand Prix at Miller Motorsports Park, having led the race overall for a brief period.

Faulkner began racing in 1995, winning various national races in Spec Racer Ford, C Sports Racer and Mazda up until 1998. He then competed in the American City Racing League in a Toyota WSR Sport Racer, claiming the championship and winning several races. The 2003 season saw Faulkner step into the Star Mazda Series, where he won the Masters division. He also placed second in 2005 and 2006. Last year, Faulkner tested Velocity Motorsports' Lola B06/10, which is now Intersport's No. 37 car.

Intersport Racing announced earlier this month that it will field a second Lola prototype in the American Le Mans Series starting at the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio on July 17-19. The Ohio-based squad has purchased Team Cytosport's former Lola B06/10 AER and will run it alongside its other ex-Dyson Lola. Champ Car Atlantic star Ryan Lewis will be joined by Star Mazda veteran John Faulkner as drivers for the Mid-Ohio round.

This isn't the first time Intersport has run two cars in the Series. In 2004, the team fielded a Lola B160 Judd and a LMP2 Lola B2K/40 Judd. That year, Clint and co-driver Robin Liddell combined to win six races, finishing runner-up in the P2 drivers and teams' championship. The following season, Clint scored five class victories en route to the P2 class championship. More success may just be right around the corner for the ever-expanding team.

Attending a test session this week where both drivers performed well in the car, team owner Clint Field expressed is confidence in the direction of the Intersport Racing expansion.

"We definitely feel the momentum is building, especially after our good run in Utah," Clint added. "Now with the addition of Ryan and John, the team will be elevated to a whole new level. Ryan's past experience in Atlantics and John's success in Star Mazda will help make Intersport a serious contender at every race."

NEXT UP: The American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix is race is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 12 at Lime Rock Park. SPEED will televise the race from noon to 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 13. XM Satellite Radio will air the event live on XM Sports Nation Channel 144. Additional live coverage from American Le Mans Radio and IMSA's Live Timing & Scoring also will be available at americanlemans.com.

Very Berry Exotics specializes in buying and selling some of the world's more exotics and hard to find automobiles. Not only do they sell cars already in the inventory, Very Berry Exotics will search for automobiles that are their customer's dream cars. Company owner Richard Berry founded Very Berry Exotics in 2004 and is himself a racer.

The American Le Mans Series is the premium brand of motorsport in North America, featuring high-tech sports cars from the most prestigious automobile manufacturers in the world. With its direct link to the world famous 24 Hours of Le Mans in France, its unique four classes of competition showcase exotic prototypes (LMP1 and LMP2 classes) and sophisticated production-based GT cars (GT1 and GT2 classes), all competing on the track at the same time. With a 12-race schedule in 2008, the American Le Mans Series competes at premier road racing tracks across North America and at selected temporary street circuits in major urban markets. With a television package that includes five network broadcasts on ABC and NBC as well as seven live telecasts on SPEED, plus live broadcasts across Europe, the Series delivers a global marketing platform that is unmatched in motorsports. The Series, founded in 1999 by Georgia entrepreneur Don Panoz, represents a mirror image to the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world's most famous and authentic automobile race. The American Le Mans Series features elite marques such as Acura, Aston Martin, Audi, Corvette, Dodge, Ferrari, Ford, Mazda, Panoz and Porsche, and premium brands such as Michelin, Yokohama, Kumho, Lowe's, EPIC, Shell, DHL, Hyatt Hotels, XM Radio and many others. The teams competing in the Series range from top professional teams such as Penske Racing, Andretti Green Racing and Rahal Letterman Racing to top-level independent teams such as Dyson Racing and Intersport Racing.

The American Le Mans Series features technical rules that not only allow new technology, but actually encourage auto manufacturers to introduce new innovations into the racing environment as a means of rapid development for production car application. The Series is the only motorsports body in the world that features multiple street-legal alternative fuel sources - clean diesel, E10 gasoline and E85 cellulosic (non-feedstock) ethanol. Through partnerships with diesel fuel supplier Shell, VP Racing Fuels and EPIC (Ethanol Promotion and Information Council), the American Le Mans Series has taken the global leadership role in motorsports for the development of alternative fuel technology and its practical use in production cars.