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02/28/2008
RLR/Andersen Works Hard During Testing
at Homestead
By Linda Mansfield, Restart Communications
 HOMESTEAD,
Fla., Feb. 28 - RLR/Andersen Racing didn't
complete as many laps as it hoped during the
open Indy Pro Series test Thursday at
Homestead-Miami Speedway, but the Palmetto,
Fla.-based team still ended up fifth and 12th on
the time charts at the end of the day with its
two Dallaras.
Matt Lee of Syosset, N.Y., who is looking for
sponsorship in order to run a full season in
IndyCar's development series, ran a lap in
28.6248 seconds (an average of 186.761 miles per
hour) for the 1.5-mile oval at the end of the
day to place fifth in the rundown in the
RLR/Andersen No. 25. His fastest lap was the
79th and last one he ran Thursday. He only did
two laps before the lunch break due to a clutch
problem, and Thursday's test was only his third
time on an oval.
The Best Friends Animal Society No. 5 driven by
Andrew Prendeville of Las Vegas was plagued by a
fuel pick-up problem. Prendeville was seventh at
lunchtime with a 28.8296-seconds lap, one of 74
he ran before the break. He ended up 12th at the
end of the day with a lap in 28.7764 seconds
(185.777 mph). His fastest lap was also run
during the heat of the afternoon, as it was
recorded on his 116th trip around the oval out
of the 124 he completed.
The competition is so fierce in the series that
12th place was just 0.2236 of a second off the
fastest time of the day, which was set by
Raphael Matos in the morning with a lap in
28.5528 seconds (187.232 mph) on the 46th of the
53 laps he ran before lunch. Lee's best lap in
the much warmer afternoon was just 0.0720 of a
second off Matos's top time.
RLR/Andersen Racing, which is sponsored by
Allied Building Products, will continue to work
hard to prepare for the Indy Pro Series season
opener here on Saturday, March 29. It hopes to
announce the name of the driver who will join
Prendeville on its two-car Indy Pro Series team
within the next 10 days.
A total of 21 drivers posted times Thursday.
For more information see
andersenracingteam.com and
andersenracepark.com.
Post-testing quotes follow:
Andrew Prendeville: "The Indy
Pro Series looks like it will be even more
competitive this year than it was last year. Our
team is working well together and we're ready
for Homestead."
For more information about Andrew Prendeville,
visit his new website at:
www.AndrewPrendeville.com
Matt Lee: "It was an
interesting day. We got a late start; I think it
was 2:20 before we really got going because of
the problem with the clutch. But once I got
going I felt really good, especially in the
draft. I really got comfortable running close
with the other guys.
"The RLR/Andersen crew did a great job getting
the car back together after the clutch problem.
The engineering department also did a great job
to give me a good car for this track. I hope to
be able to compete in the race here too; we're
working hard on sponsorship."
Dan Andersen (team co-owner):
"I'm generally pleased with the results. We were
able to work on different set-ups, and it was a
practice day, after all.
"Despite losing a lot of laps, Matt Lee proved
he definitely can drive fast on an oval in
addition to a road course. We knew he was fast
on road courses due to his background in Formula
BMW and Atlantics, but with very little practice
he was fast on an oval too.
"Andrew had a frustrating day, but we learned a
few things that should help us on race day."
About Allied Building Products Corp.:
Allied Building Products Corp., headquartered in
East Rutherford, N.J., is one of the largest
roofing and siding distributors in the United
States. Founded in 1950 with five employees and
two trucks, today it is a $1.8 billion
building material distribution company with over
3,500 employees, more than 200 branches in 30
states, well over one million square feet of
office and warehouse space, and an inventory of
approximately 85,000 products, from residential
roofing and siding to doors, windows,
waterproofing, manufactured stone, interior
products and commercial roofing systems. For
more information see
alliedbuilding.com.
About Andersen Racing:
Andersen Racing strives to provide the best and
most comprehensive training possible for future
open-wheel superstars while giving its marketing
partners media exposure and hospitality
opportunities at some of the most prestigious
events in North America. It provides a unique,
three-step program utilizing multiple entries in
three different series: the F2000 Championship
(webcast), Star Mazda (televised on SPEED) and
the Indy Pro Series (televised on ESPN2). In
2008 it will field multiple entries in 42 races
in 19 states and provinces at some of the best
facilities on the continent, including the famed
Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Andersen Racing's principals, brother Dan and
John Andersen, have extensive experience in
series administration as well as team
management. They've worked with many of today's
top open-wheel stars, including several Indy 500
winners.
Andersen Racing is sponsored by Allied Building
Products Corp. It is the official development
team of Rahal Letterman Racing, which competes
in the IndyCar Series and the American Le Mans
Series. In addition, its F2000 team is also the
official factory team of Van Diemen. The team is
headquartered at Andersen RacePark, an 18-acre
facility in Palmetto, Fla. that includes a
1-mile test track. For more information see
andersenracingteam.com and
andersenracepark.com. |
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