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All
Press Releases by Melanie Paterson
October 20, 2003
Successful
LMP900 Debut at Petit Le Mans
Melanie
Paterson had a successful race at the 2003 Petit Le Mans at
Road Atlanta. Joining the American Spirit Racing team, Melanie
drove the Amerisuites Riley & Scott MKIIIc LMP900 powered
by a Lincoln V8 to a 5th place finish in LMP900. Melanie joined
the regular team of Michael Lewis and Tomy Drissi for the
1000 mile race at Road Atlanta on October 18. The Petit Le
Mans was the finale for the 2003 American Le Mans Series and
was broadcast live on SPEED Channel.
 "What
a great experience it was to run an LMP900 at Road Atlanta!"
said Paterson. "I have always wanted to step up to an
LMP900, and this was a great chance. We stuck with our plan
and had good reliability and consistency the whole race. The
whole team was very helpful and Michael and Tomy were great
to work and race with!"
This
was Melanie's debut race in an LMP900 car and, without the
benefit of pre-event testing, the first time in the car was
on Wednesday afternoon. She had this to say about her experience
in an LMP900 vs LMP675:
"It
was very different than an LMP675, but not in the ways which
I expected," stated Paterson. "The power was not
a surprise and there was more grip, although, there were huge
differences with the carbon brakes and the g-forces acting
on your body. My seat insert, which was fine for the 675,
did not have enough lateral support and we had to make a new
one after the first practice because I was moving around too
much in the car. It was great to get into the race and get
a good rhythm going. I absolutely loved the car!"
Melanie
is already looking forward to next season. "I have a
lot of things to work on in the off season, and Sebring will
be here before you know it! There are a number of new opportunities
for me to evaluate and I am looking forward to being back
in the American Le Mans Series in 2004."
Melanie's
corporate partners are technology leader Imation Canada Inc.
and Cartech of San Antonio, Texas, a manufacturer of forced
induction and high performance automotive components. Melanie's
other corporate partners include Maraca Canada, Driving Unlimited,
GeoGraphics Motorsports Graphics and Digital North Media.
Melanie's
website at http://www.melaniepaterson.com.
Contact:
Danny Kok – 604-828-5450
Melanie Paterson – 416-986-0887
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