02,25,2010 -
Birmingham, AL (February 25, 2010) - Dreyer and Reinbold Racing announced
today that Brazilian driver, Ana Beatriz, will join the team's IZOD IndyCar
Series effort at the season opener in Sao Paulo, Brazil on March 14th.
"We are excited about going to Brazil for the first time with the IZOD
IndyCar Series as it makes its travels down to South America and putting Ana
Beatriz in our car at Brazil adds another dimension to our program and we
are happy to have her on board for the Brazil race. We will be testing her
at Sebring this weekend and we are excited to get her acclimated to the car.
She was a very talented Indy Lights driver and we are converting her over to
IndyCar and we are excited to be the team that she makes her IZOD IndyCar
Series debut with", commented Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Co-Owner, Dennis
Reinbold.
The Brazilian driver will make her debut IZOD IndyCar appearance at her home
race in Brazil on March 14th. The Sao Paulo native will step up to the
IZOD IndyCar Series after competing in the Firestone Indy Lights category
for the last two seasons. Her accomplishments include finishing third in
2008 in the Firestone Indy Lights point standings for Sam Schmidt
Motorsports with one win, nine top-five finishes and 11 top-10 finishes.
Beatriz also became the first female driver to win in Firestone Indy Lights
when she won at Nashville in July. As a result she was named winner of the
Firestone Indy Lights Rising Star Award. For 2007, she tested for A1 Team
Brazil in A1GP at China. In 2006, Beatriz finished fifth in South American
Formula 3 with five podium finishes and one pole. She was named winner of
the São Paulo Citizen Driver. In2005, Beatriz became the first female to
ever win a Formula Renault race and she went on to finish third in Formula
Renault Brazil with three wins (Campo Grande, Vitória and Tarumã) and four
pole positions (Campo Grande, Vitória, Interlagos (twice). Beatriz won a
Gold Helmet Award and in 2004 finished fifth in Brazilian Formula Renault.
"It's great to be with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for the Brazil IZOD IndyCar
race. I was very happy when my manager, Andre Ribeiro, came back from
Indianapolis and had set everything up with DRR. Hopefully we can get the
rest together for the whole season. I'm really, really excited and happy to
be here. I think the team is very professional and I have great teammates
with Mike Conway and Justin Wilson. I hope that I can learn a lot from
these British drivers. This is very special for me doing my debut in the
IZOD IndyCar race at my home event. It's also very special to be the first
female Brazilian race car driver to race there and it will be a great
experience", stated Ana Beatriz.
Ana Beatriz will put her talent and experience to the test this weekend at
Sebring International Raceway. Tomorrow will mark the first day for her to
get behind the wheel of an IndyCar. Once the test is complete, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing will head back to Indianapolis to put the final touches on
the cars before heading to Brazil for the IZOD IndyCar Series opener on
www.dreyerreinboldracing.com.
About Dreyer and Reinbold Racing:
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing is entering its 11th season of full-time
competition in 2010, making it one of the longest-tenured teams in Indy
Racing League competition. Current co-owners, Dennis Reinbold and Robbie
Buhl, first teamed in full-time competition at the Walt Disney World
Speedway in January of 2000. With Buhl behind the wheel, the two owners
tasted victory in their debut race. The 2009 IndyCar Series season-opener on
the streets of St.Petersburg marked Dreyer & Reinbold Racing¹s 200th series
start. DRR now has over 240 starts to tuck under its belt and has qualified
a total of 23 cars for the Indianapolis 500. In its history, the team has
boasted a championship list of alumni drivers. Besides Buhl, the team has
run Indianapolis 500 winners, Al Unser, Jr., Buddy Lazier, and Buddy Rice,
along with IndyCar Series race winner Ryan Briscoe. The team has one of the
longest lines of heritage in American open-wheel racing and the Indianapolis
500 as Dennis Reinbold's grandfather, "Pop" Dreyer, built leading roadsters
that raced at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the 30s, 40s, and 50s.
More information on the team can be found at www.dreyerreinboldracing.com.
More information on the IndyCar Series can be found at www.indycar.com.
Media Contact
Elizabeth Cannon
(317)332-7260 cell
ecannon@dreyerreinbold.com
contact@biaracing.com