WELCH AND NUMBERIX DEBUT WITH WORLD CHALLENGE GT SERIES

Sebring FL March 20, 2009 - David Welch from Kirkland, Wa. achieved his goal in the SPEED World Challenge GT season opener at the historic “Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring” March 19, 20, 2009. David drove the Numerix/Viper Competition Coupe of Woodhouse Performance and achieved his first top ten of the year on his way to a Rookie of the Year Championship.

David arrived in Sebring, Fl. with humble expectations. He was learning a new car, a new race track, and struggling to solve a mysterious handling issue. With help from the Woodhouse Crew Chief Rick Maxwell and visiting driver celebrity Tommy Archer, David was able to earn a respectable 15th qualifying position. He was familiar with standing starts and got a great launch but misjudged the top of first gear and was immediately passed by teammate Jeff Courtney.

David quickly moved up to tenth place where an epic battle broke out with Andrew Aquilante for what seemed like an eternity with neither driver making a mistake or giving ground. In the first ever Speed World Challenge double file restart five laps from the finish, David drove the Numerix Viper up to 6th position heading into turn one but was punted from behind by Andrew who in turn was clobbered in the rear

“With two laps to go I could have made it challenging for teammate Jeff Courtney to pass me” said David “but this comes back to haunt you and I want Jeff to know I am a team player.” David finished in 8th position but the official results awarded him 7th due to his teammate’s 5th position car scaling 6#’s light on the front axle causing a disqualification.

“We came to Sebring seeking a top ten finish, top rookie, and be the first Viper across the finish line. We are blessed to achieve those goals in our first outing." said Berle Smith, Promotional Director. “We hope to test prior to Long Beach and get a handle on the dynamics of the Viper rather than take a chance within the confines of the Long Beach concrete canyon walls. Every time David has gets in the car he goes faster; we need to keep raising the bar until he is in a position to podium consistently.” said Bob Woodhouse, team owner. Our new partner to these efforts is Numerix, a derivative analytical programming software design company that provides information systems for financial institutions to make calculated decisions.

GOOD START TO SEASON LOST AT SEBRING Courtney Gets Double-Duty at Historic Sebring

Sebring, FL, March 20, 2009 – The 2009 SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge racing season opened at the famous Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring this last weekend with veteran driver Jeff Courtney competing in the #99 KENDA Tires Viper Competition Coupe. Even though the Woodhouse Performance Team had spent many hours during the off-season preparing for the 2009 season, they were met with frustration during practice runs and qualifying. The Woodhouse Team struggled to get the chassis set up on the #99 KENDA Tires Viper, battling a strong front-end push. Ultimately, Courtney qualified a dismal 16th place starting position. “After qualifying, we spent hours pouring over the data to find more changes to make before the race to make us competitive,” said Courtney, “The whole team worked very hard to come up with a solution.”

At the green light, Courtney had a great start and picked up a few positions, but early in the race had a quick spin in turn 17. “I was still frustrated with the way the car was handling and tried to force the issue. Very upset with myself after the spin, I knew I needed to clear my head and stay focused the rest of the race,” said Courtney. “I did manage to pick up a few more positions, but I knew we would need a yellow flag to tighten the field.” A late race double yellow set up the field for its first ever double-file restart. “The field started to accordion up, it was crazy,” said Courtney. “I was just looking for a hole and trying to stay out of trouble.” Courtney received a slight nose-hit during the restart shuffle, others suffered more. “I felt fortunate that all we had was a little ding to the nose, for others it was worse,” said Courtney. “The series was searching for more action, and with the double-file restarts, they found it!” Courtney finessed his way through the field and gained a few more positions and remained strong during the last five laps to finish in fifth place overall and received the Sunoco Hard Charger award, a great end to a frustrating few days.
However, the post-race technical inspection of the #99 KENDA Viper Competition Coupe found that the front axle was six pounds under weight, disqualifying Courtney’s position and awards.

Earlier in the day, Courtney had an opportunity to race in the Touring Car competition thanks to Peter Cunningham and the RealTime Acura Racing Team. Courtney drove the #45 Acura TSX Acura/RealTime/Red Line Oil finishing 10th overall. “I want to thank Peter Cunningham for the opportunity to drive one of his cars, I had a great time and I really enjoyed the experience,” said Courtney.
A half-hour before the TC qualifying, Cunningham approached Courtney about racing the #45 car. “I had almost zero experience in a front-wheel drive touring car and I was a little hesitant,” said Courtney. “But then I realized that if I was ever going to drive one, the best case scenario would be one of RealTime’s cars.” Cunningham, in the #1 Acura TSX Acura/RealTime/Red Line Oil finished 9th, just ahead of Courtney. “Yeah, I did the politically correct thing and finished behind the eight-time champion/boss,” joked Courtney.
“We had a new co-driver with Jeff (Courtney) on the team named David Welch who drove for Numerix, a new sponsor to our series. This was Dave’s first race professionally in about four years so we were proud of how well he jumped back on the horse with a 7th place finish.” Said Bob Woodhouse owner of Woodhouse Performance. Welch drove the number #13 car for Woodhouse Performance.
If excitement is what you want, find it in the SPEED World Challenge series. Go to www.world-challenge.com to get race times for SPEED TV and www.goracetv.com for other video options. Sign up for World Challenge Fantasy Racing. Next is the famous Long Beach Grand Prix in the streets of Long Beach, California April 16-19, 2009.

COURTNEY AND WOODHOUSE SET THEIR SIGHTS ON SEBRING AND THE 2009 SEASON

Milwaukee, Wisconsin (March 10, 2009) –Jeff Courtney is anxious to return to the SPEED World Challenge GT Series at the track in Sebring, Florida. Kenda Tires is again teaming up with Courtney for 2009, as Courtney’s major sponsor.

“I’m really excited to have Jimmy Yang and every one at Kenda Tires back on board,” says Courtney. “Kenda’s support has been very important to me over the past few years, as well as my other supporting sponsors, Coins of America, RecSTUFF.com, JG Wheels and Badger Components.

In the 2008 season, Courtney finished 8th in the points standings overall and this year he is pushing to pass that benchmark. “Last year we had some great opportunities that unfortunately slipped past us, this year our goal is to capitalize on every chance for success,” said Courtney.

“I’m also glad to be back in the familiar seat of the #99 Viper Competition Coupe with the support of the entire Woodhouse Performance Team,” says Courtney. He is currently slated to race the #99 car for the first two races in Sebring, Florida and Long Beach, California.

When asked about any changes to the cars this year, Courtney replied, “The Woodhouse Performance Team always does a great job, I’m confident in what we will bring to the track.”

SPEED World Challenge has teamed with WC Vision for increased marketing and merchandising operations. Internal Combustion Group will be producing the broadcasts of all of the SPEED World Challenge races with enhanced video and audio features.

“I look forward to a great season,” says Courtney, “I can’t wait to get back to the track!”

Catch the race on Friday, March 20th, at 4:55 EST. Get live lap updates at www.world-challenge.com. Broadcast times TBD.