P1 Groupe Drivers Finish Barber Strong

Altamonte Springs, FL -- (SBWire) -- 04/14/2010 -- P1 Groupe, the premiere motorsports management company is proud to announce that four of its top drivers finished strong this past weekend at the GRAND AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series and the GRAND AM Rolex Car Series at the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. Nineteen year old, GRAND AM racing sensation Dion von Moltke earned his first Top-5 in DP competition in his first full Daytona Prototype season. Mike Sweeney, one of the hottest names on the GRAND AM circuit finished in the 12th position of a very deep field at the end in the ST class after a 3rd place start. Matt Bell is considered one of the fastest rising stars of the GRAND AM circuit ran consistently in the Top-5 and Top-10 before turning his car over to co-driver Jeff Bucknum. Owen Trinkler ran as high as 4th position in the ST class also to give his team a strong showing on the weekend.

“We are very proud of the strong showing that our drivers had at Barber,” said Eric Burch, President of P1 Groupe. “Dion, Matt, Owen and Mike are demonstrating at each race why they are some of the hottest names in GRAND AM racing and will throughout the sport for years to come. We are glad to represent them.”

Von Moltke, will be driving Doran Racing’s #77 McDonalds/South African Airways/PR Newswire Ford Dallara throughout the remainder of the GRAND AM season. At Barber he qualified in the 5th position and in taking advantage of yellow flag conditions, turned the car over to team mate Memo Gidley in 7th to bring the tandem home a Top-5 position in 4th overall. His performance at Barber significantly moved the Doran Racing squad up to sixth in the Team Championship, and moved Dion into the Top-10 in Driver points. “We definitely had a very solid weekend across the board. Things are starting to click in a very positive way for this team. Memo and I are working incredibly well together and the entire crew from Kevin on down is on the ball, and delivering a great car to Memo and I. The smiles on the faces of the entire Doran Racing crew at the end of the race made this weekend even more special for us.” Dion continues; “I admit that I really enjoy driving at Barber, it is challenging and changes all the time. We are on a roll and I can’t wait for VIR!!”

Monterey, California based driver Mike Sweeney qualified the #171 APR Motorsports VW GTi in 3rd position. Sweeney mentions; "What a tough race! GRAND AM gave us a small weight break, which helped me to qualify the car up front, but until we are allowed to make the kind of power that the Mazdas, Hondas, and BMWs have found, it's going to be an uphill battle. APR Motorsport has gotten every ounce out of this chassis, and it is handling great, but we are giving up a lot off every corner. It was nice to be up near the front, though, especially in front of this amazing crowd Barber Motorsports Park put together. Finally, I'd like to say what a huge pleasure it is to be carrying the VW Driver Gear brand on the car, having the factory get involved is a huge compliment, and makes us realize our efforts as a team are definitely getting noticed!" Sweeney first signed with P1 Groupe in 2009 around the Barber race that year so this year’s race was a special anniversary of sorts for both Sweeney and P1.

Matt Bell qualified the #6 Stevenson Motorsports Chevy Camaro sponsored by Sunoco in 7th position in what was a pleasant surprise following a very difficult outing at Homestead-Miami Speedway in March. Bell was able to run consistently in the Top-5 and Top-10 before turning the car over to co-driver Jeff Bucknum. Misfortune struck the team as while leaving the pits as Bucknum hit misplaced equipment which is a violation as per GRAND AM rules, and was forced to come back to pit lane to serve a stop-and-go penalty with a 60-second hold. This forced the #6 to restart outside the Top-20 and the #6 Camaro was able to climb its way back up to a very respectable 14th position at the end. Bell still has his sights set on the GS Drivers Championship that barely eluded him in 2009.

These drivers will next compete on April 24th at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia for the fourth round of the 2010 GRAND AM Series season. Keep your eyes on our line-up of drivers as they continue to pave the way towards their respective career and season goals in the blazing fashion you’ve become accustomed to seeing them do.

Additional information on P1 Groupe may be obtained at http://www.p1groupe.com.