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.