Catchfence

NEWTON, Iowa (June 19, 2010) – After a 2-week break that saw the Team Stargate Worlds/HVM Racing crew work at a blistering pace to get the team’s sole back up car prepared for this weekend, Simona De Silvestro and crew arrived at Iowa Speedway this morning looking forward to qualifying for tomorrow’s Iowa Corn Indy 250 race. The young rookie was hoping to post a qualifying run that would allow for a good starting spot for tomorrow’s race.

Simona made good use of the two practice sessions earlier in the day. For the first practice session she ran a total of 48 laps with a best lap time of 00.18.4767 and a best speed of 174.187 mph. As the team improved her car, and with more experience, her speeds increased during practice session #2. For that session Simona ran a total of 63 laps with a best lap time of 00.18.0262 and a best speed of 178.540 mph.

Qualifying 12th in the order, Simona entered the track and threw down a first lap speed of 176.945 mph. She continued to progress and her 2nd lap was faster with a speed of 177.891 mph, She followed that with a third lap speed of 178.364 and finally her last lap was fastest at 178.485 mph. Her 4-lap average speed was 177.919 mph. After the remaining drivers had completed their qualifying run Simona would end up in the 20th spot.

The Iowa Corn Indy 250 race will be broadcast this Sunday, Father’s Day, on Versus at 1:30 pm (EST). Live Timing and Scoring, along with Video feeds, will be provided at www.indycar.com. In addition, the IMS Radio Network and XM Channel 145 and Sirius Channel 221 will be airing the race.

Simona De Silvestro, Driver No. 78 - “It’s been a hectic 2 weeks and now, having qualified the car in the 20th spot, I feel this is a big accomplishment for the team. It’s a testament to how hard work and perseverance pays off. Now I will have to do my part and race a smart race and hopefully we can have a great result tomorrow. A big thanks to the crew.”

Keith Wiggins, HVM Racing Team Principal – “It was a satisfactory day for her first run here, as it is again a different style of oval with its own characteristics and many teams tested here earlier. We of course want to be better, but again we expect to progress forward in the race.”

About HVM Racing:

HVM is based in Indianapolis, Indiana. In its nine years of competition, the team has earned six wins, two pole positions, and an additional 16 podiums. The team finished fourth and third, respectively, in the Champ Car championship standings in 2006 and 2007, and earned drivers Mario Dominguez and Robert Doornbos Rookie of the Year honors in 2002 and 2007, respectively. Since joining the IRL Championship in 2008, the team has earned nine top-10 finishes with drivers E.J. Viso and Robert Doornbos. For 2010 HVM Racing has partnered up with Team Stargate Worlds and driver Simona De Silvestro for its IndyCar program. You can follow HVM Racing on twitter at www.twitter/HVMracing.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HVMRacing

About Team Stargate Worlds:

Team Stargate Worlds enters the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series in collaboration with HVM Racing. Simona De Silvestro will be the driver for the team, referred now as Team Stargate Worlds / HVM Racing. In the 2009 Atlantic Championship season De Silvestro won four races and four poles in the Atlantics, and led the most laps, thereby becoming the first woman in series history to lead those categories in a single season. The 2010 season marks the team’s 6th year of competition in North American open wheel. For more information about Team Stargate Worlds please visit www.teamstargateworlds.com. The Team Stargate Worlds Twitter page can be found at www.twitter.com/TeamSGW

- Team Stargate Worlds / HVM Press Release