Another Podium for Skerlong, Muniz Races for Best Finish of the Season
Sommet des Legendes
Mont Tremblant, Quebec
June 29, 2008

St. Jovite, Quebec - Wishes came true today as the sun came out to dry the track after a very wet qualifying day yesterday, at the Sommet des Legendes race in Mont Tremblant, Quebec. Carl Skerlong started on the second row, and Frankie Muniz started a spot higher than he qualified, due to Greg Mansell’s unfortunate crash in the morning’s warm-up. As the green flag fell, Carl immediately passed Kevin Lacroix for third on the first turn of the first lap. James Hinchcliffe, the current leader in the championship, tried to hunt down Skerlong, but Carl pulled away, finishing ahead of Canada’s Hinchcliffe and scoring coveted championship points. Carl ran a clean and consistent race until the end, earning his second podium finish in the first three races of 2008.

Frankie Muniz followed in Carl’s footsteps, gaining a position on the second lap. He had a car that was consistently faster than the cars ahead of him, giving him the opportunity to pass throughout the race. On the last lap, Frankie was wheel-to-wheel with Kevin Lacroix on the straight, in a battle for 11th place. Frankie came out ahead, passing Lacroix in the corner and grabbing his best finish of the season, just short of his goal, a top-ten. The Pacific Coast Motorsports/USRT cars ran strong all day, allowing both Skerlong and Muniz to pass early on and work their way through the field, producing points-paying results for both.

CARL SKERLONG, #14 King Taco/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires

Carl on the race: “The race today was great. I was able to make a pass for third on the first lap, and after that we ran a clean and consistent race. I continued to pull away from Hinchcliffe, who was in fourth, throughout the race. He did a good job in the race as well, but finishing in front of him today really helped me in the points. After dealing with inconsistent weather all weekend, I’m very happy with the overall outcome. I would have loved a win today, but I’m so happy to be finishing in the top three again, and we’ll take all the points we can get. Thanks to the PCM team who gave me a great car today. I’m looking forward to racing the King Taco car in two races at Edmonton and hopefully finishing on more podiums.”

Frankie Muniz #41 PCM/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires

Frankie on the race: “I am very happy with the way this weekend turned out. We struggled initially in testing on Friday, and we didn’t get very much time to run on a dry track in qualifying on Saturday, but all our struggles paid off in the race today. I was wheel to wheel with Lacroix in the last turn of the last lap, and ended up passing him to take 11th place. I was 15th in Long Beach, 13th in Laguna Seca, and today I achieved my best finish yet, and came one-step closer to our goal which is to finish consistently in the top ten. I’m so excited to head off to Edmonton next month where we will have two races and hopefully two top -ten finishes.”

Shane Seneviratne, Team Manager: “The race today was awesome. We were off to a rough start yesterday, but the crew was really able to put the cars together to give us excellent results. Our biggest goal is to keep gaining as many points as we can, and both drivers did a great job today making that happen for our team. Carl is a very consistent driver who keeps finishing on the podium which is great for the championship. Frankie, too, keeps finishing higher in the field and getting more and more points. Burke Harrison gave Carl a great car to work with today and Tim Lewis did a great job guiding Frankie through the field. I want to give a big thank you to Lee Bentham (driver coach), and the whole crew for making it possible to achieve such fantastic results at the Sommet des Legendes in Mont Tremblant.”

Visit the Pacific Coast Motorsports website at www.pcmracing.com


Skerlong Scores a Second Row Start in Rain, Muniz Holds on to Position
Sommet des Legendes
June 28, 2008

CARL SKERLONG, #14 King Taco/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires

Carl on qualifying: “I had a good session in the morning, finishing P3, but both qualifying sessions were tough since it rained for most of the time. We had a good car, though, and unfortunately I made a mistake on my last lap of the second session and crashed into the tires. With rain on the forecast for tomorrow, we’ll see what we can do. However, I’m very glad to still be ending the day with a second row start for the race.”

Frankie Muniz #41 PCM/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires

Frankie on qualifying: “I was really happy with the way this morning’s practice went. I was only one second off from the top of the pack, and the car was much better today. I was excited to go into the first qualifying session, but I really only got three good laps in before it started to rain. It was my first time out in the rain since January, so it was exciting to drive in it again, even though it was pretty slick on the track. I had a good lap going in the second session until I spun on the last turn. I’ll have a lot of cars to pass tomorrow, but I’m looking forward to it and hoping it’ll be a dry race.”

Visit the Pacific Coast Motorsports website at www.pcmracing.com


PCM Atlantic Quotes – Mont Tremblant Testing
Sommet des Legendes
June 27, 2008

CARL SKERLONG, #14 King Taco/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires

Carl Skerlong: “Overall, we had a good day of testing. There was a long break from Laguna Seca to this race, so we spent today just trying to get back up to speed. We improved in our second session from the first session’s time, staying at the top of pack. We were P1 for the first half, and moved down to P2 in the last few minutes. I’m very happy to be back in Tremblant and even happier to be in the top three today. Thanks to all the guys for all their hard work on the King Taco car today. I’m looking forward to qualifying tomorrow and the race on Sunday.”

Frankie Muniz #41 PCM/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires

Frankie Muniz: “Testing today was all right. I had a lot of trouble with the car, so we really just spent both sessions trying different things and finding out what was going to work best for us. We had a long break in between the last race and this one, and I really wish I could have driven more over that break. At the end of the day, we learned some things that will give us a better jump for qualifying. I’m happy to be here at this track, and I’m ready to get back out there tomorrow.”

Visit the Pacific Coast Motorsports website at www.pcmracing.com


Muniz, Skerlong Ready for Action at Mt. Tremblant, Dominguez will Return to IndyCar Competition at Watkins Glen
(June 25, 2008)
Event: Sommet Des Legendes
Round: 2 of the 2008 Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda
Where: Circuit Mont Tremblant, St. Jovite, Quebec, Canada 2.65-mile perm. road course
TV: June 29, 2008 at 1:00 pm ET

Off to a Strong Start: Carl Skerlong heads to Mont Tremblant with his first front-row start and first podium of the 2008 season on his resume. Skerlong started and finished second at Laguna Seca. Muniz is looking to break-in to the top-ten for the first time this season. He came close last month at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca when he finished 13th.

Keeping Busy: The PCM Atlantic drivers have been keeping their skills sharp with go-karts since the last month’s event at Laguna Seca. Skerlong has been competing in the Rotax karting series while Muniz is getting acquainted with a new kart track in Arizona. Muniz recently bought a home in Scottsdale, Arizona and will spend part of the year there.

IndyCar News: The Visit Mexico City/Pacific Coast Motorsports IndyCar team will return to action at Watkins Glen next weekend, with driver Mario Dominguez. The team is currently working from their Oxnard, California headquarters and took some time off from IndyCar competition to strengthen their effort. Veterans of Champ Car and Sports Cars, PCM looks forward to their return to road courses. The historic Watkins Glen track is familiar to PCM; they raced there while competing in the Rolex Grand Am Series in 2006.

Carl Skerlong #14 King Taco/PCM/USRT/Mazda/Cooper Tires
Atlantic Standings: 7th Atlantic podiums: 3 (Laguna Seca 2008, Houston, R. American 07)

Carl on Tremblant: “I can’t wait to get back to Atlantic competition, especially at a track like Mont Tremblant. We had a strong run finishing second at Laguna and I am looking forward to taking that momentum with me to Quebec. The track is terrific, I especially enjoy the chicane. There are so many ways to get extra speed through there, it is a real challenge. I hope to score my first victory in the King Taco car at Mont Tremblant this weekend and strengthen our position in the championship.”

Frankie Muniz #41 PCM/USRT/Mazda/Cooper Tires
Atlantic Standings: 15th Top Atlantic finish: 9th (Toronto 2007)

Frankie on Tremblant: “I am definitely ready to get back racing. These long breaks are challenging because I want to stay focused on the season and our continued improvements on track. I’ve been training a lot at the gym and at the karting track. I’ve also been playing a lot of racing video games to stay focused. The Mont Tremblant circuit is incredible, very fast and very challenging, like a true European road racing circuit. I am looking forward to working with my engineer Tim Lewis and coach Lee Benthem, we have a couple of test sessions Friday which will be great for me for the weekend. I am still learning so much, this is drivers track and I am sure they will have a ton of valuable input for me this weekend.”

Visit the Pacific Coast Motorsports website at www.pcmracing.com