ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, FL, July 25, 2010
/24-7PressRelease/ -- Matt Bell made a stunning debut in Doran Racing DP by joining the leading DP Rookie of the Year candidate, Dion von Moltke in the #77 McDonalds/South African Airways/PR Newswire Doran Racing Ford Dallara at the NJMP 250 presented by Crown Royal at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Bell, who had never sat in or tested in a DP prior to this weekend, put in a commanding performance in the car particularly with wet track conditions during much of the weekend. His stellar performance earned Bell the coveted Jim Trueman Award for this round of the series. For Dion, who won the same award earlier in the 2010 season, the race demonstrated his expertise as he stepped into a new role as a closer this past weekend.
"I could not have been happier with my new co-driver Matt Bell this weekend," said Dion von Moltke. "We went into the weekend expecting it to be extremely hot and tough, but we also went in with quite a bit of confidence. Matt drove fantastic all weekend and was right up to speed like I was expecting, he drove an excellent first stint getting up to 6th position before handing me the car. With the way the track was and the heat we knew that new tires were going to be very important, and running in 9th when a caution came out, Kevin Doran made an excellent call to pit for tires. It was unfortunate for us that Matt was stuck behind a slow GT car under the yellow and unable to fully take advantage of the great strategy call."
In making his debut, Bell ended up qualifying a solid eighth place for the race with a time of 1:16.502, and was set up to have a top-5 time but was balked coming out of the carousel on his fast lap. Bell had a bit of an off in the opening stanza of the race, but was able to rebound nicely and turn the car over to von Moltke in 6th position. Dion ran fast and consistently the balance of the race, taking opportunities as they arose, including several late to finish in P6.
"My first time with the role of the closer and racing with the big names in GRAND-AM Daytona Prototypes, and man was it fun, close racing," said Dion. "We ended up in a hard fought 6th position and with Matt winning the Trueman Award that I was proud to bring home just a few races ago, I knew how rewarding that was for me, and just very happy for Matt and the entire team. It was a pleasant surprise when we pulled this deal together at the last minute and with so little time to prepare for the weekend. I have been working very hard on my fitness and it paid off big time in the summer heat of New Jersey and I think it will be very important in the upcoming races. I really cannot wait to get on the track with Mark Patterson at Watkins Glen, I really believe we have a good chance at challenging for podiums yet this season!"
Additional information on these drivers and P1 Groupe may be obtained at http://www.p1groupe.com, http://www.dionvm.com, and http://www.mbellracing.com.
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