Team Salvo - News
PR1 Motorsports Beats The Clock, Earns Impressive Finish in Rolex 24 At Daytona Debut

Daytona Beach, Fla. (January 25, 2009) -- For Fresno-based PR1 Motorsports,
the initial trip to the Rolex 24 At Daytona on the 3.56-mile road course at
Daytona International Speedway was bittersweet. Ultimately, the team¹s
11-place Grand-Am Rolex Series GT class finish and 21st overall (out of 49
cars) was a successful first attempt at the legendary 24-hour race. With a
couple of breaks, the end result could have been even better.

With a combination of great preparation by the PR1 crew on the No. 32
Miracle Sealants Pontiac GXP.R and smart driving by pilots Mike Forest
(Edmonton, Alberta), Thomas Merrill (Salinas, Calif.), Al Salvo (Arcadia,
Calif.) and Jeff Westphal (San Carlos, Calif.), the PR1 Motorsports team
completed 656 laps for a total of 2,335 miles.

The finish was a result of a steady climb from a 21st starting position that
was slowed by contact from a Daytona Prototype early in the third hour of
the race. That meant just over 40 minutes in the garage to repair the right
rear wishbone, probably costing at least 25 of the 39 laps the team finished
behind the GT class winning No. 66 TRG Porsche. Brumos Porsche captured the
overall race win in the No. 58 Porsche Riley Daytona Prototype, by a record
setting 0.167-seconds after 735 laps (2,616 miles).

Forest negotiated the final stint to the checkers, avoiding not only the
battle of the leaders but running without second gear. The gear issue
plagued all of the drivers throughout Sunday after failing early in the
morning.

"I'm completely exhausted," Forest said. "It was so tough to keep focus
during those last few laps. It¹s a great feeling, though. The crew guys did
a tremendous job before the weekend to put together such a solid car. We
were able to have a few scrapes and keep the car running. Had our incident
with the DP not happened, we would have met our goals this weekend. Given
that was out of our control, we have to be satisfied with the race."

It was a satisfying feeling for all of the drivers, none of whom had
competed at Daytona before the Rolex 24.

"It feels so good to be able to finish in our first Rolex 24," Merrill said.
"Just being able to finish this race is an accomplishment; to do it in a
respectable position is incredible. The crew did a flawless job putting the
car together. For a team that¹s never done this before, its just a great
feeling."

Not only did Westphal enter his first Rolex 24 this weekend, but it was the
first sports car race for the young driver, who has only been racing cars
for three years. Westphal qualified the Miracle Sealants Pontiac for PR1 in
his debut with the Rolex Series.

"There's no way to describe it," Westphal said. "I had no idea it was going
to be this hard. The team did a fantastic job. For being here for the first
time, being able to finish, and even making up some spots -- it was exactly
what we wanted to do. Our crew was on point every time. Even when it was our
fault, or another car's fault, the got us back out on track and that's what
gave us our success today. They were ready for what ever happened."

Salvo ran a number of solid stints throughout the night and through Sunday.
His most important stint may have come following the hour three incident.
Staying calm, the team regained its momentum with Salvo's hour-long stint.

"I don¹t think you can put this weekend into words," Salvo said. "It
exceeded all of my expectations. To finish 11th in our first attempt here is
incredible. This is a fantastic team, and we did it. PR1 as an organization
is wonderful, and the crew really out did themselves. They repaired the car
when it needed it, and I can't put into words my feelings for these guys."

Completing the Rolex 24 at Daytona was a step forward for the sports car
program at PR1 Motorsports after capturing championships and race wins in
open-wheel series from the Formula Atlantic Championship to the Formula Ford
Zetec Series.

"This weekend definitely met expectations, and in a lot of ways exceeded
them," said PR1 owner and team manager Bobby Oergel. "Our drivers were
concerned with speed, and it just shows -- we lost probably 25 laps after
our incident with the prototype, and had we not done that we¹d probably be
fifth. Everyone said you race the clock, and that¹s true. Everyone of these
crew guys is a family member in some way -- if they¹re not blood, they¹ve
been my friend for 20 years. Its just amazing, we put our heart and soul in
this and it shows."

PR1 Motorsports will return to the track with the Grand-Am Rolex Series at
Virginia International Raceway on April 25th.

For more information on PR1 Motorsports, the team, and drivers, visit
www.pr1motorsports.com.