Long Beach: Frisselle Racing preview

Frisselles relishing Long Beach opportunity

Racing on the streets of Long Beach the culmination of long-time dream for young brother driving duo

(Long Beach, CA ) 5 April 2006-- After first finding their passion for the sport as young race fans at the Long Beach Grand Prix, Burt and Brian Frisselle are looking forward to this Saturday's Crown Royal Grand American Challenge of Long Beach, fulfilling a lifetime dream of racing at one of motorsports most famous venues.

Burt and Brian will be teaming up once again in the Synergy Racing Porsche powered Doran for round four of the 2006 Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal. Shoes for Crews, which is the worlds leading anti-slip shoe maker, has signed on as sponsor for the Long Beach effort with Synergy Racing and the Porsche/Doran will sport a special Shoes for Crews livery for the weekend.

The weekend marks the Rolex Series debut at the famed 1.98-mile Long Beach street circuit, the site where the young brothers first fell in love with the sport.

The Frisselle name is not a new one in the sport, as Burt and Brian's father Brad took wins at Daytona and in the Sebring 12 hour as well as competing at Le Mans. Brad had hung up the helmet and sold his race team, Frisbee Racing, by the time that Burt and Brian were children, but the family trips to Long Beach helped to pass on the passion for the sport to the next generation.

"This is the first race track we ever went to, and we never missed a race growing up," said Brian. "So to have the chance to race there, as brothers sharing the same car, is really just an amazing opportunity for us. I'll never forget the battles we saw here growing up with Unser and Andretti and now we have the opportunity to add our names to the history of this track. Hopefully we will be able to do that this weekend."

Burt and Brian established themselves in the open-wheel ranks before moving into the Rolex Series, so they both have experience racing on a street circuit with uncompromising walls lining the track, but this weekend will mark the first time they will be doing so with a roof over their head.

"We have both raced on street circuits before, but never in the Daytona Prototype," said Burt. "It should be really exciting, and I can't wait for my first hot lap and tearing down Shoreline Drive with that Porsche power behind me."

The Long Beach race will be just ninety minutes long, a far cry from the endurance challenge that the series usually stages. The shortened race distance, along with the tight confines of the track, will likely make for some unpredictability.

"This is absolutely going to be one of the most interesting races this season as far as strategy, with the race being as short as it is," said Burt. "Yellows and track position are going to be absolutely key. We don't get a whole lot of time on track, though, so we are hopefully going to have a good set up right off the truck and can qualify well to be in a good position late in the race."

Notes:

Elway--John Elway is the Grand Marshal for the Long Beach Grand Prix weekend, and as life-long Broncos fans, the Frisselle brothers are hoping to get a chance to meet their gridiron hero this weekend. Elway led the Broncos to two Super Bowl wins, and in addition to his duties as Grand Marshal, will also be competing in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity race for the second time, having finished sixth in the 2000 event.

Unser Reunion--Brad Frissselle designed the Frisbee Can-Am car that launched Al Unser Jr.'s Can-Am career and went on to win three of the last four Can-Am championships. The Unsers and the Frisselles have known each other ever since, and with Al Unser III racing in the Champ Car Atlantic event, the second generation racers are hoping to catch up with some old friends this weekend.

-fr-