Michael Valiante heads off to Denver

Press Releases

RACING TOWARD THE BIGS

"A ball player's got to be kept hungry to become a big-leaguer.
That's why no boy from a rich family ever made the big leagues."
- Joe DiMaggio

Fast Facts -- Lynx Racing driver Michael Valiante in Sunday's Toyota Atlantic race at the Centrix Financial Grand Prix of Denver

- Lynx Racing driver Michael Valiante, currently competing for the most famous woman-owned AAA team in auto racing, has signed a 'development deal' with Walker Racing that virtually assures he will be driving a Champ Car next season.

- Valiante has won two races so far this season (Mexico and Mid-Ohio), and is 3rd in the battle for the 2003 CART Toyota Atlantic championship.  He led last year's championship coming into the Denver race, but spun during a daring passing attempt and finished second in the points battle.

- Lynx Racing, a championship-winning combination of racing team and driver development program, is owned by two women, Peggy Haas and Jackie Doty.  Lynx provides rising stars with a 'scholarship' worth $2.5 million U.S. over two years.  Graduates of the Lynx program include Patrick Carpentier (Player's/Forsythe), Alex Barron (Mo Nunn Racing), Buddy Rice (Red Bull Cheever Racing) and Memo Gidley (Rocketsports Trans-Am).

_________________________________

Joltin' Joe knew what he was talking about, and it's just as true for auto racing as it is for baseball.  Of course hunger isn't a guarantee of success, but it is a prerequisite.  Nor is that all it takes to succeed in 'the bigs,' but it's the foundation on which all else rests.  And it's as true for a team as for a big-leaguer, be he ballplayer or driver.

Such a hungry combination will be on display this weekend at the Centrix Financial Grand Prix of Denver: Lynx Racing, the most well-known and successful team in auto racing's AAA-league, the CART Toyota Atlantic Championship; and Michael Valiante, a 23 year-old hotshoe whose appetite and talent are so apparent that even though the 12-race minor-league season won't be over until the end of September, he has already signed a contract with renowned talent-spotter and CART team owner Derrick Walker that virtually assures he will move up to the majors - the seat of an 800-horsepower Champ Car - in 2004.

"I'm happy to know there's a place set for me at the table next year, but you've got to eat your meal one bite at a time, and we're focused on taking as big a bite as possible out of Denver this weekend," says Valiante.  "And not to carry the food metaphor too far, but it's no easy job because half a dozen of the top young drivers in North America will all be fighting over the same steak.  You've got to want it more than all of them combined or they'll not only take the meat away from you, but also the plate, silverware and the chair you were sitting in.  It makes me really appreciate the level of experience and education I've gotten from Lynx Racing these past two years."

Now in its 13th year, Lynx Racing is a hugely successful combination of racing team and driver development program created and owned by two women - Peggy Haas and Jackie Doty - both of whom will be attending the Denver event. 

The team's mission is to seek out young drivers who have the potential to become champions at the top levels of the sport.  Once a driver is identified, the team provides him with a 'scholarship' worth $2.5 million that includes two years of racing in the Atlantic series with the Lynx team, as well as a comprehensive education in the arts and sciences of auto racing - everything from on-track racing strategy and working with sponsors and media to meditation and visualization techniques that help clear the mind of doubts and hesitation.  It's a completely unique process the team calls 'Destiny by Design.'

Graduates of the Lynx program include CART driver Patrick Carpentier (Player's/Forsythe) as well as Alex Barron (won the Michigan 500 with Mo Nunn Racing), Buddy Rice (Red Bull Cheever Racing) and Memo Gidley.

The racing series in which Lynx competes -- the Toyota Atlantic Championship - is now in its 30th year of producing some of the top open-wheel drivers in the world, including Michael Andretti, Bobby Rahal and Jacques Villeneuve.  Champ Car drivers competing in this weekend's Grand Prix of Denver who graduated from the Atlantic series include Patrick Carpentier, Alex Tagliani, Jimmy Vasser, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Rudolfo Lavin and Roberto Moreno.  Sam Hornish, who recently signed to replace the retiring Gil De Ferran at Marlboro Team Penske was also an Atlantic driver earlier in his career.

Atlantic is the triple-A baseball of open-wheel auto racing, a place where the stars of tomorrow hone their skills at 160 mph in front of the Champ Car team owners who are their potential future employers.  Atlantic cars are 'spec' race cars, placing a premium on driver skill and team preparation.  The 1260-pound, single seat race cars are powered by 1.6-liter, 250 horsepower Toyota engines, have a top speed of approximately 160 mph and will accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds.
On-track Atlantic action at Denver begins with an 8:45 am practice session on Friday, August 29.  One of the two front-row grid positions will be determined in preliminary qualifying at 1:45 pm Friday afternoon, with the starting grid for the race set in final qualifying at 3:00 pm Saturday, August 30.  The 37-lap CART Toyota Atlantic race is scheduled to take the green flag at 10:30 am Sunday, August 31.  The race will be broadcast same-day tape-delay on Speed TV, at 2:00 pm Eastern.

For further information on Lynx Racing, please visit the team's web site at www.lynxracing.com, or telephone team P.R. Manager Peter Frey at (818) 906-6997. The Toyota Atlantic series has a web site at www.toyotaatlantic.com.