THE LINE #432

Roger Penske, Derek Bell, Hans Stuck, Dave Cowart, Audi. The 2008 inductees into the Sebring Sports Car Racing Hall of Fame were announced yesterday. Roger Penske, Derek Bell, Hans Stuck, David Cowart and Audi will join the prestigious Hall of Fame during ceremonies on Friday, March 14, the day before the 56th annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida. Best known for orchestrating 14 wins at the Indianapolis 500 and being the most successful car owner in Indy car history, Penske began his career in sports car racing in 1958. At Sebring he had three class victories, then served as manager for Jim Hall's 1965-winning Chaparral team. Penske's team also won the Trans-Am class and finished third overall at the 1968 12 Hours of Sebring with a Camaro. Penske Racing has claimed the last two class championships with the Porsche RS Spyder. Derek Bell has five Le Mans victories and two Sportscar World Championships to his credit. He is probably the most successful driver at Sebring to never have won the 12 hour classic, recording six podium finishes (including second place four times) in 15 career starts. Hans Stuck is a three-time Sebring winner, driving for BMW in 1975 and then taking two wins driving a Porsche 962 in 1986 and 1988. His victory in 1986 with Bob Akin and Jo Gartner remains the fastest 12 hours ever. Stuck also has two class victories at Sebring driving for Porsche. He won back-to-back Le Mans races in 1986 and 1987. David Cowart achieved success both on and off track at Sebring. As a competitor, he won the IMSA GTO championship, and competed in the Sebring 12-hour 11 times. His greatest contribution at Sebring, however, came as a race official and co-promoter with Charles Mendez from 1978-82, helping maintain the Sebring tradition during a difficult period in sports car racing. Audi becomes only the third manufacturer to be inducted into the Sebring Hall of Fame. Since the world debut of the Audi R8 in 2000, Audi has won every Sebring 12-hour classic, taking the pole position all eight years and setting the fastest race lap seven times. In 2006 Audi made automotive history by becoming the first manufacturer to win a major endurance race with a diesel-powered car. Audi also has won Le Mans seven of the past eight years, including the last two with the R10 TDI prototype.

(ALMS)
Roger Penske will be one of the inductees into the Sebring Hall of Fame for 2008 in March.

(Photo of Danica Patrick from this year’s Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue by Ben Watts; Suit by: Aspara; Location: Singer Island, Fla.)
A sizzling Danica Patrick appears in the Sports Illustrated annual Swimsuit Issue, which hit newsstands this week. More than 69 million people are expected to read the special issue, while more than 250 million people are expected to view photo galleries on the magazine’s website. "What an amazing honor to be asked to be in the SI Swimsuit issue," said Patrick, who joined other models and celebrities at a launch party Feb. 12 in New York City. A four-page spread features photos of Patrick taken at Singer Island, Fla., by photographer Ben Watts last fall following the IndyCar Series Open Test at Barber Motorsports Park. Additionally, a 44-photo gallery is available on Sports Illustrated’s website. "It was a lot of fun, actually," she said. "I expected it to be nerve-wracking. I've posed (for many photos) in clothes, but I'd never posed in a swimming suit. I didn't know if I'd know exactly what to do, but amazingly it all translated over. I was comfortable and we all had fun. We shot so much stuff in a relatively little amount of time. It was a day and half of a good time. We even were able to relax a little after the second day." Patrick is also featured in a full-page Q&A with Dan Patrick, who recently made his debut on the pages of SI as a senior writer and weekly columnist after a well-known stint at ESPN. The 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Special premieres on TNT Feb. 16 at 11 p.m. ET. A home DVD version of the program, with bonus footage and exclusive access to the photo shoots, retails for $9.99. Working directly with Patrick and her Andretti Green Racing team, the Indy Racing League will give fans the opportunity to win a limited-edition, autographed poster from the SI shoot by visiting indycar.com.

(ALMS)
As expected, Peugeot announced Friday (2/15/08) that it will compete for the first time in North America by entering one of its diesel-powered Peugeot 908 prototypes in the 56th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida on Saturday, March 15, the American Le Mans Series season opener. Pedro Lamy, Nic Minassian and Stephane Sarrazin will pilot the entry in the 12 Hours. It was Sarrazin who posted the fastest time in the three-day test at Sebring last month, a blistering 1:42.801 (129.571 mph) that was more than two full seconds better than last year’s record-setting qualifying mark turned in by Audi’s Marco Werner. Peugeot is seeking to become the second manufacturer to win overall at Sebring using diesel power. Audi won in 2006 and 2007 with its R10 TDI. The two marques also finished 1-2 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2007, with Audi taking the win.