HENRI RICHARD, SILICON TECH RACING CONCLUDE SUCCESSFUL TEST AT DAYTONA

January 10, 2011 (Daytona Beach, Fl)- Following a three day test that saw everything from top-10 speeds to fluke mechanical issues, Henri Richard and Silicon Tech Racing walked away from this year’s Roar Before the 24 test at Daytona International Speedway with a new sense of confidence and enthusiasm.

Driving the no. 77 Doran Racing Dallara-Ford, Richard had never driven a Daytona Prototype around the high banks of the famed speedway, but quickly got up to speed. Running within a few seconds of the series’ newly recorded track record, Richard wasted no time finding a sense of rhythm to the track, and will have two more days of testing before the season opening Rolex 24 race at Daytona.

For Richard, accomplishing his goal of setting competitive times against the other gentleman drivers in the series was a mark he was happy to meet.

“There’s a lot more downforce and horsepower compared to the Porsche 997 GT car I drove at Daytona last year,” stated Richard. “However the car is a purpose built, evenly balanced racing car and I was able to find my speed rather quickly as surprisingly, it is easier to drive than the Porsche. This is such a different animal. From paddle shifters to extremely detailed data collection, I’m really having a great time learning how to drive this car, and I’m extremely fortunate to have such a strong team and a competitive set of teammates.I now feel confident I will have a very solid race pace.”

Though the test ended on a high with the team regularly finding themselves in the top-10 on the speed charts, the weekend didn’t start out as well as they’d hoped. In the opening minutes of the first session on Friday, lead driver Brian Frisselle had a brake rotor explode as he was getting the car up to speed. The pieces of the rotor subsequently ripped through the car’s bodywork and front suspension, causing the team to lose a lot of time re-building and fixing the car.

With two days left to sort the car, the team quickly got up to speed and cycled drivers Frisselle, Richard, Matt Bell and Ross Kaiser through the car on a regular basis. Frisselle, now in his sixth season of DP competition, played a lead role and was able to put the no. 77 in the top-10 on multiple sessions.

“Brian did a great job all weekend, and I’m lucky to have such an experienced teammate,” explained Richard. “Ross Kaiser is of course here because he performed admirably in the Radical UK Cup, which is why Sunoco is willing to pay for him to be here, and of course Matt Bell has starred in the Continental GT and GS ranks over the last few years, so we’re lucky to have such a great team. I’m extremely excited about this unique event but it’s going to be a busy couple of weeks for me on the business front before we get back to Daytona for the race.”

With only two and a half weeks between testing and the race, all attention is focused now on last minute preparations and attention to detail as the entire racing world focuses on the upcoming Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona.

The Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona will begin at 3:30PM on Saturday, January 29th, and end at 3:30PM on Sunday, January 30th. Television coverage will be provided by SPEED.

Silicon Tech Racing, LLC was created by Henri Richard to address the need of high-tech corporations for an opportunity to leverage exciting road racing events with a dedicated marketing platform focused on technology executives interested in an informal and intimate insight into the sport. Silicon Tech Racing brings together selected, C-level executives at each racing event and provides a high value, targeted business to business networking opportunity to our partners. The team’s partners are carefully selected based on ecosystem synergies and common business values. As a not for profit race team, the aim is to provide a unique, cost effective value proposition to our partners and a memorable experience to our guests.

General and sponsorship inquiries can be directed to info@silicontechracing.com. All media and press inquiries can be directed to press@silicontechracing.com.