CTSCC partners Compass360 Racing (C360R) and BimmerWorld will field up to 5 cars in the Daytona race on Friday the 25^th of January. All cars will be carrying some form of Team Seattle logo or livery with the two C360R Honda Civic Si’s fielding the Hearts sold via the ‘Buy a Heart, Save a Life program’. As in previous years the hearts will demonstrate the fantastic donations and philanthropy made by the Team Seattle supporters and fans.

Drivers in the CTSCC cars this year include James Colborn, Andrew Newell, Ted Anthony Jr. and Dan Rogers all of whom are active or former participants in the PRO3 race series. The PRO3 group has rallied in previous years to raise upwards of $40,000 for Team Seattle and this year was no exception with PRO3 drivers giving racing experiences to fans and supporters and a special Team Seattle hosted event at Pacific Raceways two weeks ago (the event raising $18,000 towards this year’s funds tally).

Joining the PRO3 contingent will be Andrew Jordan, the current British Touring Car Independent Champion who will be driving with Colborn. “It’s such a thrill to be racing with Andrew. He’s not only one of the nicest people that you could meet but is also extremely fast”, commented Colborn, “his presence is not only a welcome one in our paddock but helps us increase the awareness for Team Seattle in a weekend that will be full of headlines and superstars”.

Bimmerworld Heart Logo

Rounding out the CTSCC driver line up will be the drivers from BimmerWorld. Full season driver Dan Rogers, who helped extend Team Seattle’s presence onto the fleet of BMW 328i race cars, commented; “I raced with Team Seattle last year and to extend the program this year with the BimmerWorld guys is fantastic. As Compass360 Racing and BimmerWorld and competitors we’ve been able to extend a friendly rivalry into the paddock. Our plan is to give the Team Seattle supporters not only the chance to hang out with the guys in the garage area but to essentially pick a team and demonstrate their allegiance during the race with the purchase of a t-shirt sporting the C360R Heart logo or the BimmerWorld Heart logo. All funds made from the t-shirt sales will go directly to the charity”. Roger’s co-driver Seth Thomas commented “Supporting Team Seattle just makes our efforts at Daytona just that little bit more exciting. We’re going to go all out to ensure that there are more BimmerWorld t-shirts sold than Compass but at the end of the day it all goes to a great cause”.

Supporters attending the race should also expect other activities from the teams over the weekend and enjoy the chance to meet and ask questions of the drivers and crews as they progress through the week.

In the Rolex GT race, Team Seattle fans will be able to rally behind the Magnus Racing Porsches No. 44 and No.45 who will compete in the famous 24 hour endurance race held this coming weekend. Team Seattle founder Don Kitch Jr. commented, “We’re absolutely thrilled to be partnering with Magnus Racing. We’ve been in conversations for the past few months and in that time I’ve observed their approach to racing and have been extremely impressed with their professionalism and attention to detail. It was an easy decision for us to make partnering with Magnus and their partnership will help continue Team Seattle’s history at Daytona which is now in its 17^th year!”

To learn more about Magnus Racing visit their website at http://www.magnusracing.com

You can follow Team Seattle throughout the week and the two races via Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/teamseattle) or Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/teamseattle) and follow the race action on SpeedTV, SpeedTV.com and via the Grand-Am website (http://www.grand-am.com)

It’s also not too late to buy a Heart or just make a flat donation to Team Seattle. Simply visit http://www.teamseattle.com/hearts or http://www.teamseattle.com/donate to learn more about how you can make a difference to a child’s life.

Andrew Newell No.73

Team drivers Eric Blois, James Colborn and Andrew Newell, all demonstrated competitive pace in their collective first outing in the 2012 C360R Honda Civic at the historic Daytona International Speedway. The pairing of Blois and Newell in the No.73 car set almost identical lap times in the dry sessions and in true Pacific Northwest style laid down some of the fastest wet laps of the weekend in the rain soaked Friday sessions.

Joining the PRO3 trio of drivers was Andrew Jordan, current British Touring Car Independent’s Champion, who is partnering with Colborn in the No.77 car. Despite also being new to the car and track Jordan demonstrated fantastic pace throughout the weekend setting the fastest time of the whole weekend of any ST car on Sunday morning. Jordan didn’t drop out of the top 3 in every session. Colborn set competitive and consistent lap times throughout all sessions and with the 73 and 77 cars having strong outings the Team Seattle contingent has the opportunity to show well at the race later this month.

James Colborn No.77

From a fundraising focus, the weekend also allowed for more of the fundraising activity to be solidified with both C360R and new partners Bimmerworld. While the finer details of the relationship(s) are still being ironed out, both cars will carry some form of ‘Heart’ livery and fans will be given an opportunity to support and experience two race teams at work during the Continental Tire Series Challenge race weekend.

Keep up to date with Team Seattle on Facebook and Twitter and be sure to follow our partners Bimmerworld and Compass360 Racing as they prepare to take on the mighty banking of the Daytona International Speedway.

Barrier Motors and Pacific Raceways in conjunction with ProFormance Racing School will be hosting the 2013 Send Off Event at the Pacific Raceways track just outside of Auburn WA on January 13th. The event will be a fun packed day event to raise money for the Team Seattle Guild benefitting Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Event Details are as follows;

• Location: Pacific Raceways, Auburn, WA (link to map on bottom of the page)
• Timing: 10am to 3pm with lunch being served at 12pm (noon)
• Special Guests include (but aren’t limited to): Tomas Jones M.D, Director of Cardiac Catheterization at Seattle Children’s as well as the 2013 Team Seattle drivers

There will be a series of fundraising activities that include;

• Take your own car on a race track
• Have a ‘Thrill Ride’ in a prepared race car or Track Taxi
• The opportunity to have a right seat ride in a full PRO3 Race Experience (see below)
• Tricycle drag race(s) in a bracket elimination format

Join the “Heart Army” Racing for Children’s Hospital

2013 Hearts

In addition to fundraising activities, the ProFormance Hospitality Center will become the recruiting center for the “Heart Army”. For a minimum donation of $50, you can buy a heart that will ride in either the Continental Tire Series Daytona race or the Rolex24. You’ll have a choice of heart designs and 100% of your donation will go directly to the Hospital.

PRO3 Race Experience

Of the 6 Team Seattle driven cars in this year’s Continental Tire Series Challenge race, 4 are PRO3 Drivers. To celebrate this, and the fantastic partnership that Team Seattle has had with the entire PRO3 Racing Group for many years, the guys have come together and are offering a chance in a lifetime ‘race experience’ in a PRO3 car. For a donation to Seattle Children’s Hospital of $250 you will get a fantastic right seat experience.

The experience will include the following;

• The warm up lap, weaving, tire warming, heating brakes, double file rolling towards the start
• An actual race rolling race start
• At minimum, 3 race laps driving nose to tail against other PRO3 cars (come rain or shine)
• You’ll get to experience drafting, passing and race craft
• Finally you’ll get to cross under the checkered flag

Right now, drivers include, but aren’t limited to PRO3 Champions, Team Seattle drivers (and maybe the Founder if he can find his race gear!) and former Team Seattle and Daytona drivers.

You’ll not be disappointed and all proceeds go to Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Pacific Raceways Map & Directions

BimmerWorld Racing

BimmerWorld Racing will involve the entire three-car team in the fundraising effort for the Daytona CTSCC race, and will run a single car sporting a Team Seattle Heart for the entire season.  Team Principal James Clay, a supporter and sponsor of the Pacific Northwest PRO3 racing series, is excited about the opportunity to help out.  “With all of our friends and supporters in the Pacific Northwest, it was an easy decision for BimmerWorld Racing to work with Team Seattle on the Children’s Hospital fundraising effort” Clay commented. 

While the BimmerWorld driver lineups for the #80 and #81 cars are still being finalized for 2013, returning drivers Seth Thomas and Dan Rogers will be piloting the #82 BimmerWorld/CRC Brakleen car again in 2013, which will be carrying the banner for the Children’s Hospital fundraiser for the entire season.  Anchorage-based Rogers, who has worked with Team Seattle for a number of years and drove with Team Seattle in the 2012 Daytona 24 Hour GT car, is again looking forward to another GRAND-AM season, this time with an additional focus.

Thomas & Rogers' No.82

“As a former heart patient, I’ve been really proud to be a part of the effort to work raising funds for the hybrid cardiac care suite at Children’s.  As an Alaskan, having a top notch regional Children’s hospital in Seattle is important for the entire Pacific Nothwest.  Seth and I have some great ideas that we’ve been bouncing around with James, and are looking forward to working with the Team Seattle “Heart Army” on a season of raising money for the kids.”

Team Seattle founder Don Kitch Jr. commented “It’s great to be back to Daytona with Dan and the BimmerWorld team.  We’re going to have some fun running the cars at Daytona – maybe developing a little friendly rivalry between the Compass cars and the Bimmers.  While the competition between the cars will be fun, we’ll use that rivalry to generate some additional awareness for the Seattle Children’s Hospital program.”

Follow Team Seattle on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with our developments as we prepare for the race and focus our efforts on both driver preparation and fundraising for Seattle Children’s Hospital.

ABOUT TEAM SEATTLE

Team Seattle is a group of road racing fans, drivers, and sponsors who combine two passions: a love of motorsports and a commitment to Seattle Children’s Hospital. Using corporate and private sponsorship to underwrite the cost of the racecars, Team Seattle field’s cars in races like the 24 Hours of Daytona and now, the Grand-Am Continental Tire Series to raise awareness and drive donations for the Hospital. More information about Team Seattle can be found here.

ABOUT BIMMERWORLD RACING

BimmerWorld Racing is a leading BMW race team and tuner, fielding BMW E90 3-series sedans in GRAND-AM’s Continental Tire Series.  More information about the team can be found here.

2013 Honda Heart (click to download)

The C360R Honda Civic Si racecars will be the flag bearers in the CTSCC race for the 2013 Team Seattle Hearts program. Each car will field either the female or male heart and carry the names of those who have participated in the Heart Army. Team Seattle founder Don Kitch Jr. commented, “We’re delighted to be partnering with Compass360 Racing. This relationship takes our efforts into new territory at Daytona, as it’ll be the 1^st time we’ve entered the CTSCC race in the 15 years we’ve competed at the 24. The additional awareness we can garner from a championship winning team like C360R will only help us drive greater awareness for our cause and raise additional funds for Seattle Children’s Hospital”.

The driver line up is still being firmed up, however Team Seattle volunteer and recent C360R driver James Colborn will be partnering up with C360R alumni and Team Seattle supporter Ted Anthony Jr. to drive the first of the two cars. “Driving for Team Seattle has been a personal goal for me since I started volunteering with Don Kitch Jr. a few years ago” says Colborn. “I’m excited to be driving with Ted who has been a big part of my racing career since I started back in 2009. To partner with Karl is just fantastic having raced with him and his team at a couple of races in the 2012 CTSCC season and having experienced their professionalism and team dynamic both on and off the track”.

C360R Honda Civic Si

Karl Thomson, principal of C360R commented “We’re equally excited to extend our effort at Daytona to support Team Seattle and their philanthropic efforts. Both James and Ted have driven with us before and I believe that not only will they bring good awareness and fundraising for the charity but also have a shout at a great finish in the race.”

More news will following in the coming weeks on the driver line up for the second of the two cars and the team will be preparing for the race with entry into the early January practice days at Daytona.

Follow Team Seattle on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with our developments as we prepare for the race and focus our efforts on both driver preparation and fundraising for Seattle Children’s Hospital.

ABOUT TEAM SEATTLE

Team Seattle is a group of road racing fans, drivers, and sponsors who combine two passions: a love of motorsports and a commitment to Seattle Children’s Hospital. Using corporate and private sponsorship to underwrite the cost of the racecars, Team Seattle field’s cars in races like the 24 Hours of Daytona to raise awareness and drive donations for the Hospital. More information about Team Seattle can be found here.

ABOUT C360R

Compass360 Racing (C360R) is a championship winning race team that fields front running Honda Civic Si’s in Grand-Am’s Continental Tire Series Challenge and SCCA PRO’s World Challenge. More information about the team can be found here.

Female Heart (click to download full size)

The Heart Program returns for a third consecutive year but has two (maybe even three) new designs and a brand new program designed to increase the awareness and penetration of the program.

Thanks to Rich Werner, Team Seattle supporter and fantastic artist, the Hearts are back with a twist. For the first time ever, donors will be able to select what type of Heart they’d like. There are two clear options, male and female, with the possibility of a third choice as the program rolls out in the lead up to Daytona. “We’re all very excited for the roll out of the new Hearts for 2013” says Don Kitch Jr. who founded Team Seattle back in 1997 with his wife Donna. “As Team Seattle supporters and fans have evolved we’ve had to do the same to continue to keep the Guild fresh and exciting”, “The addition of a second design will allow us to weave a new element into our fundraising program and growing on a proven model”.

The second big difference in 2013 will be the addition of the ‘Heart Army’. The goal will be to offer Team Seattle fans and supporters, the life blood of the charity, a chance to make an even bigger difference by taking the Hearts program to new markets and new audiences. “Last year’s Hearts program, while successful, didn’t see as many donors as the inaugural year” says James Colborn who created the Hearts Program with Kitch back in 2010. “We need to expand our distribution without shunning our faithful base of fantastic supporters and the Heart Army program will allow us to do that at the same time as rewarding the long term [and short term] Team Seattle faithful with team exclusives and recognition”

Male Heart (click to download full size)

The Heart Army has also created some of Team Seattle’s corporate partners to create programs within their own organizations and customer bases to drive even greater traction. At launch, companies like Blue Sky Journeys, Asset Control, Talking Rain, Kelly Image Systems, Hilton Homewood Suites of Daytona Beach and The North Turn Bar and Grill of Daytona Beach have all pledged to participate in some way. Blue Sky has gone as far as to create their own Facebook page (called the Blue Sky Heart Brigade) which has had an immediate impact.

As ever the program is effective in its simplicity. For a donation of $50, a donor receives a Heart stuck on the Team Seattle Rolex GT effort at the 24 Hours at Daytona as well as a mention on the 24 Hour Tote Board. All of the donation goes directly to Seattle Children’s Hospital and helps to make a material difference to a child’s life. As an added bonus, anyone who is physically attending the 24 Hour race can walk up and stick their Heart to the car and sign it.

To learn more about both the Hearts Program and the Heart Army please visit http://www.teamseattle.com and to keep up to date with the team throughout their preparation (both on and off track) for Daytona, follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/teamseattle and on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/teamseattle

It’s early days and there isn’t a huge amount of substance to announce yet, however, a few key factors are known. Firstly we’re going and secondly we need your help!

Corporate Sponsorship

If you are interested in partnering with Team Seattle please let us know. We’ve updated our Sponsorship page and are always interested in understanding how we can create a custom program together.

Join Us in Daytona

If you are an individual who wants to join us in Daytona, we’ve updated our Daytona package page. Come join us and have one of the most memorable experiences you’ll ever experience!

Donate

It’s never a bad time to make a donation. As we build out the specific programs for Daytona, we’re always looking for folks who want to make a pledge and make a difference to a child’s life

We’ll keep you all updated as we develop our plans but you should expect a constant update of information now as we move quickly toward January and the 51^st running of the 24 Hours of Daytona. For the most up to date information, follow us on Twitter or Facebook.

It also goes without saying that we’d like to extend a big THANK YOU for your continued support and interest in Team Seattle.

Car No.41's amazing new livery

For the 3^rd year running the team will partner with Dempsey Racing in a Mazda RX8 GT car. This year’s race promises to be one of the most competitive and exciting ever and the Dempsey Racing package is tipped to be a dark horse for a good finish based upon the growing strength of the team and their 3^rd place podium in 2011.

Driving this year in car No.41 will be Team Seattle founder Don Kitch Jr, returning Dempsey Racing drivers Ian James and Scott Maxwell and for the first time running the 24, Dan Rogers and Rick Johnson.

As with all previous efforts, the goal remains to raise valuable funds for the Team Seattle Guild, which benefits the Cardiac Care Unit at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Since partnering with Dempsey, the team has raised well over $1M dollars and in the 16 years has now topped $5M. The premise remains simple: get a car to a 24-hour race and use it as a catalyst to raise money. Philanthropic efforts have ranged from pledge donations per lap, to photographs of donors (or their loved ones) appearing on the car.

Last year, the team introduced the “Buy a Heart. Save a Life” campaign that in its first running raised $70,000. This year, the team returns with a similar idea but a revised ‘heart’ to commemorate the 50^th year of the Seattle Space Needle as well as the 50^th running of the race. Donors have, once again, embraced the idea and while the total amount will remain secret until the race, really made a significant contribution.

To keep up to date and interact with Team Seattle, there are a series of options available to fans both at the track and online. The following are ways of tracking Car No.41s progress throughout the weekend:

AT THE TRACK

• Come and visit Dempsey Racing and meet the driver team for car 41
• Buy a heart at the track and we’ll have you sign and stick it on the car
• Buy Team Seattle merchandise at the garage or make a donation
• Timing and scoring will be available on mobile devices from m.grand-am.com
• Visit the team during the autograph session and get a signed hero card

ONLINE

• We’ll post photographs, videos and daily recaps on Facebook
• We will be tweeting so follow us @teamseattle
• Grand-Am will have live timing and scoring throughout the race
• Speed TV are covering all 24 hours (between online and TV)

If you haven’t done so already, you can “Buy a Heart. Save a Life” until Friday night where we’ll stick the final hearts to the car. Even if you don’t want to buy a heart, any donation will be most welcomed.

As the team gets the final preparations taken care it goes without saying that a big THANK YOU must be extended to each and every supporter who makes such a huge difference to our campaign.

First FishingCaptial.com/Bass 2 Billfish Run For Espenlaub & Putman; Rogers & Johnson Join Team Seattle

ATLANTA (December 13, 2011) – Dempsey Racing will race in support of Team Seattle at the 50^th Anniversary Rolex 24 At Daytona, January 26 – 28, and throughout the 2011 season for the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope and Healing, with both the No. 40 VISIT FLORIDA Mazda RX-8 GT and No. 41 FishingCapital.com/Bass2 Billfish Mazda RX-8 GT and a full lineup of drivers that includes full-season pilots Patrick Dempsey, Joe Foster, Charles Espenlaub and Charlie Putman, Dempsey’s designated stand-in Tom Long, and Team Seattle Rolex 24 specialists Don Kitch Jr., Rick Johnson and Dan Rogers.

All but Long and team owner/driver Dempsey tested the No. 41 Mazda last week at Daytona International Speedway (DIS) where a productive session saw Foster, Espenlaub, Putman, Kitch, Johnson and Rogers drive a combined 225 laps – more than 800 miles – over the two days.

“It was great to have the 41 car out, going around, making laps,” said Foster, Dempsey’s co-driver and motorsports business partner. “We just announced earlier this month the VISIT FLORIDA, FishingCapital.com, Bass 2 Billfish portion of the 41’s backing for next year, which is great, and the Team Seattle guys are getting ready for our usual January Rolex 24 program.  Don Kitch was there with Rick Johnson and Dan Rogers and on Tuesday alone we did 108 laps with those guys in the car, and they didn’t put a foot wrong all day. We just focused a lot on spotting, traffic, coaching and getting these guys used to the car even though they are all experienced racers, and Don has won this race before.”

Team Seattle is returning to its Rolex 24 roots for the 50^th Anniversary running of the Daytona endurance classic after fielding the No. 41 as a season-long fundraising entry with Dempsey Racing in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series the last two years.  Kitch, who founded the Team Seattle Guild in support of Seattle Children’s Hospital in 1997, will be among the team drivers from the Northwest U.S. driving the No. 41 at Daytona next month.

“I am really excited to be back,” Kitch said. “This will be the biggest Rolex 24 we have ever seen, any of us, and you can feel it building. Great to be back with our partners Dempsey Racing, the chemistry here is very good, and it has been very good for three years now. I love working with these guys, it’s a good marriage and it only gets bigger and better. Dempsey Racing was very well prepared and staffed at the recent test and Team Seattle wanted for nothing these two days.”

Although the 2012 partnership is more Rolex 24 focused than the efforts of the previous two seasons, Dempsey Racing remains deeply committed to the Team Seattle cause.

“Even though we have had a changing of the guard a bit in terms of the way the Team Seattle program is packaged for us, Patrick and I definitely want to continue to support that effort,” Foster said. “We want to continue to have Seattle Children’s Hospital and Team Seattle as part of what we do at Dempsey Racing.  We had a good couple of days testing and we are looking forward to the race.”

Johnson and Rogers are Team Seattle’s newest drivers in the No. 41 Mazda in next month’s race.

“I am so excited for Rick and Dan to come and participate in this event and they did a good job in testing,” Kitch said. “This is a big step for a guy to come to this facility and this event, and they have done great getting comfortable in the car. They were quicker and quicker each time they went out and I am really proud to have them representing Team Seattle and the city of Seattle for our Seattle Children’s Hospital.  Dan and Rick are going to be great teammates and, of course, Dempsey Racing is throwing a couple of other very quick guys with us, so it is going to be good.”

Espenlaub, a Demspey Racing regular, will join Putman as the full-season co-drivers of the No. 41 in 2012.

“It’s fantastic, for one, to be back with the Dempsey guys for 2012, and then to be fulltime and get to drive with Charlie – we have had a lot of success together – makes it even better,” Espenlaub said. “It was his first time in a Rolex GT car at the test so we kind of spent the morning getting him acclimated to the differences of the car, and he adapted well.  He seems to be enjoying it and we are looking forward to a great year.”

Espenlaub and Putman co-drove to the 2010 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge GS (Grand Sport) Championship.

“Daytona has got a lot of mystique about it, and this being the 50^th anniversary, it is just a special year for the Rolex 24,” Putman said. “I am pretty at home with Daytona because we have run the Continental cars here a bit, but when you get in a new car and a higher horsepower car, it’s always an experience to go out there.  I was really pleased with how well the car handles and what it feels like out there.  The only thing I am not used to is that it goes into the corners a lot faster than I think it will, but I am getting used to it.  There’s still some adjustments to make as far as getting accustomed to it, but we are off to a good start, and the car is very nice to drive.”

Johnson and Rogers joined Putman in making Rolex GT debuts at the test, the first laps ever for Johnson on the legendary DIS road course.  Johnson is the Porsche General Sales Manager at Carrera Motors Porsche in Bend, Oregon, where he also runs Club Carrera, the dealership’s high-performance division.

“It’s a little different than what I am used to,” Johnson said. “This was my first time ever at Daytona and first time ever in a Mazda. The first lap at Daytona is something I will never forget.  It wasn’t as difficult as I thought but it was certainly inspiring to come back after the first session and realize that you are at the hotbed of endurance racing in this country.  It’s a good feeling, great team, everybody at Dempsey Racing is a joy to work with and the car is way different than I thought. It is so well balanced, they may not have an advantage this year, but for sure it is very light, very nimble and extremely quick around the banks.”

Rogers is from Anchorage, Alaska, where he owns a construction company and engineering firm that focuses on large power systems.  Seattle Children’s Hospital has an extension in Alaska, doing work not only in Anchorage but also in some of the more rural communities.

“It was great,” Rogers said after his first GT laps at Daytona. “Last year I ran with Compass 360 in ST and stepping up to a GT was just wonderful.  I couldn’t have done it with a better group of guys, like Joe and Charles, and, of course, the Team Seattle guys, it was great.”

Dempsey Racing will also support once again next season the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope and Healing, which is located in Dempsey’s hometown of Lewiston, Maine.  A primary focus of these efforts will center on building funding and awareness for the Dempsey Challenge, a cycling event held each year to benefit the Dempsey Center.

“In the off season we had a fantastic cycling event up in Maine at the Dempsey Challenge, which really went well and we generated well over $1 million dollars in one day for the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope and Healing,” Foster said. “One of the amazing things was that at the awards banquet we had up there for the fundraising, all of the awards were handed out by patients from the Dempsey Center.  So everyone there, including Patrick, myself and my wife Claudette, and all of our Dempsey Racing teammates that supported the Dempsey Challenge, got to actually see and hear firsthand what the fundraising does for patients and their families.”

Dempsey Racing’s support efforts for both Team Seattle and the Dempsey Center will get an extra boost at the Daytona opener for the second consecutive year at next month’s 50^th Anniversary Rolex 24.  A special ticket offer to be announced shortly, which includes a group meet and greet with the Dempsey Racing drivers, will see a portion of the sales donated equally to Team Seattle and the Dempsey Center.

“At Daytona we are looking forward to doing another ticket package this year,” Foster said. “We are going to do a charity promotional event for race fans to benefit Seattle Children’s Hospital through Team Seattle as well the Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope and Healing.  Working with our friends at Daytona International Speedway, we are going to give fans the chance to be part of a group meet and greet with the drivers so these folks can hear what they have to say while providing some equal support for both charity groups.”

Next up for Dempsey Racing is the annual Roar Before the Rolex 24 Test Days at Daytona, January 6 – 8. Both the No. 40 VISIT FLORIDA Mazda RX-8 GT and No. 41 FishingCapital.com/Bass2 Billfish with Team Seattle Mazda RX-8 GT are scheduled to participate.  The 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 At Daytona will be run January 26 – 29

Noteworthy

Although his busy Hollywood schedule usually makes Dempsey’s participation in any racing activity a last-minute situation, January’s Roar Test Days event is currently on his calendar. “Patrick is definitely scheduled, from what we understand, to be back for the Roar Before the Rolex 24 to test the VISIT FLORIDA/ShareaLittleSunshine.org No. 40 Mazda,” Foster said.  “That event will kind of be the unveiling as well of the livery for both cars for the season. We are further enhancing and extending our partnership with VISIT FLORIDA and Mazda this year and really look forward to it.”

After being coached and instructed in driving schools by both Espenlaub and Foster early in his career, one of Putman’s first victories came nearly a decade ago co-driving a spec Miata with Espenlaub in a 13-hour endurance race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.  Espenlaub later helped Putman make the step up to World Challenge competition where he was also first welcomed into the Mazda racing family. After three seasons in World Challenge, Putman turned to the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge where he resumed co-driving with Espenlaub. They captured the 2010 GS Championship in their third full season of Continental Tire competition.

Racing full season for FishingCapital.com and Bass 2 Billfish is ideal for Espenlaub. “It couldn’t be a more perfect match for me, obviously, being a lifelong Florida resident and avid sportsman in just about everything that I can find to get myself in a little bit of trouble and have some fun with in the Sunshine State,” Espenlaub said. “Working with VISIT FLORIDA, FishingCapital.com and Bass 2 Billfish again is like a match made in heaven.”

Rogers has a personal connection to Team Seattle. “I have been working with Team Seattle for about five years now, doing fundraising and coming to Daytona and spotting for them, so we have just kind of escalated the effort,” Rogers said.  “As a racer, this is obviously a lot of people’s dreams. It is a great opportunity to run with Team Seattle and raise money for the hospital.”

Although he is driving for the team for the first time, Johnson has also been a strong proponent of Team Seattle the last few years.  “I am extremely proud to be a part of Team Seattle and everything they are doing for Seattle Children’s Hospital,” Johnson said. “My involvement started from a relationship that I formed with Don Kitch to educate people on driving through his performance racing school and Carrera Motors Porsche and Club Carrera since 2009. This has always been on the radar and this year we made it happen.  Team Seattle is really made up of a lot of interesting people trying to raise a lot of money for Seattle Children’s, and this year will probably be one of the bigger years.”

About Dempsey Racing

A fulltime and year-round enterprise, Dempsey Racing (www.dempseyracing.net) is a professional sports car auto racing team based in the greater Atlanta area in Norcross, Georgia. Owned by actor/driver Patrick Dempsey, the team races in support of the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing (www.dempseycenter.org) in Dempsey’s hometown of Lewiston, Maine, and the Team Seattle Guild (www.teamseattle.com) to benefit the Seattle Children’s Hospital Heart Center (www.seattlechildrens.org).

Successful Inaugural Event Was Hosted by James Gué and Dane Cameron for Team Seattle Guild Cause

SEATTLE, Wash. (November 22, 2011) – The Inaugural 6 Hours of Seattle Go-Kart race, held Sunday, November 13 at SyKart, in Tukwila, Washington, was a record-setter on and off the track with more than $25,000 in donations raised from the fun and first-time event that was organized by GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series drivers James Gué and Dane Cameron to benefit The Team Seattle Guild for Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Photo Credit: Chris Mason

“It was a great event,” Gué said. “We had a much bigger turnout than we thought, we met and even exceeded our goal of raising $25,000 and some additional donations may still be coming in.  All in all it was really successful and a lot of fun. I hope we can continue to make it bigger and better next year.  I really think we have something here that we can build on for the future.”

Overall winners Team SyKart used their local track knowledge to score a comfortable six lap victory, completing a total of 595 laps, but not far behind a tight group of competitors made the inaugural 6 Hours of Seattle one for the record books.

“It was really amazing how close the race was,” Gué said. “The local Sykart team obviously had a little home field advantage but the second, third and fourth place teams were all within 30 seconds of each other after six hours.”

John Meredith, Javier Cantu, Randy Olivarez, Davin Roberts Sturdivant, TJ Henson and Nathanial Lewis made up SyKart’s winning team. Team Seattle’s own squad, that included Don Kitch Jr., finished second while Team DirtFish, from the nearby off-road racing school, finished third. Cameron raced with both Team Seattle and Team Global.

Global took the prize as the highest donating team.  Global’s Bruce Humberstone was the top earner and enlisted his employees for per-lap pledges and lump-sum donations.

Global also fit right in with the fun spirit of the event by wearing team shirts featuring a Global crest on the back, “Scuderia Global” logos and even Italian nicknames – Cameron was “Luigi” – for all drivers and crew.

The more than $25,000 in total donations for the event included proceeds from the silent auction that featured Dempsey Racing memorabilia and collectibles and other quality items.  Among the big ticket items were a racing suits donated by Patrick Dempsey and Gué.    

Additional funds were also raised from a trackside XBOX system that gave everyone in attendance the chance to race Forza 4 for a donation, regardless of their participation in the 6 Hours.  At the end of the event, the entire system – the XBOX, a copy of Forza 4, a wireless wheel and pedal set and a new Forza 4 Simulator seat donated by www.playseatamerica.com – was won by Ryan Hieronymus who posted the day’s fastest lap time on the system.

A hot-lap go-kart was also available throughout the race for any driver that wanted to make a donation and take a stab at the day’s overall fastest lap time.  That honor went to SyKart General Manager Todd Baker who also raced with the second-place Team Seattle squad.

The silent auction, hot laps and Forza 4 contest accounted for nearly $10,000 of the event’s earned proceeds.

Gué and Cameron raced together this year as teammates this year in the No. 41 Team Seattle/Global Diving  & Salvage/Dempsey Racing Mazda RX-8 GT, closing out the season with three third-place finishes in the year’s final four races.  After racing with Team Seattle to raise awareness and funding for Seattle Children’s all season, Gué and Cameron scheduled the 6 Hour event for one final fundraising push as well as some year-end fun and camaraderie with friends and colleagues.

Learn more about the Team Seattle Guild at www.teamseattle.com