Backstretch Motorsports

FAULKNER, LEWIS JOIN INTERSPORT RACING AT MID-OHIO

Intersport Racing announced today Star Mazda veteran John Faulkner will join Champ Car Atlantic star Ryan Lewis in the team’s second LMP1 car as driver for the Acura Sports Car Challenge July 17-19 at Mid-Ohio in the 2008 American Le Mans Series.

Lewis will be behind the wheel for the balance of the season while Faulkner is slated to drive at Mid-Ohio, Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta and the Monterey Sports Car Championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Jon and Clint Field and Richard Berry will continue as drivers of the No. 37 Very Berry Exotics entry. The trio is fresh off a second place finish in the Utah Grand Prix at Miller Motorsports Park, having led the race overall for a brief period.

Faulkner began racing in 1995, winning various national races in Spec Racer Ford, C Sports Racer and Mazda up until 1998. He then competed in the American City Racing League in a Toyota WSR Sport Racer, claiming the championship and winning several races. The 2003 season saw Faulkner step into the Star Mazda Series, where he won the Masters division. He also placed second in 2005 and 2006. Last year, Faulkner tested Velocity Motorsports’ Lola B06/10, which is now Intersport’s No. 37 car.

Intersport Racing announced earlier this month that it will field a second Lola prototype in the American Le Mans Series starting at the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio on July 17-19. The Ohio-based squad has purchased Team Cytosport’s former Lola B06/10 AER and will run it alongside its other ex-Dyson Lola.

This isn’t the first time Intersport has run two cars in the Series. In 2004, the team fielded a Lola B160 Judd and a LMP2 Lola B2K/40 Judd. That year, Clint and co-driver Robin Liddell combined to win six races, finishing runner-up in the P2 drivers and teams’ championship. The following season, Clint scored five class victories en route to the P2 class championship. More success may just be right around the corner for the ever-expanding team.

Attending a test session this week where both drivers performed well in the car, team owner Clint Field expressed is confidence in the direction of the Intersport Racing expansion.

“We definitely feel the momentum is building, especially after our good run in Utah,” Clint added. “Now with the addition of Ryan and John, the team will be elevated to a whole new level. Ryan’s past experience in Atlantics and John’s success in Star Mazda will help make Intersport a serious contender at every race.”

BUSINESS HONORS FOR TEAM OWNERS McMURRY, PAPPAS

McMurry, with Autocon’s Chris McMurry as CEO, was named America’s top 25 “Best Small Companies to Work For” in America.
Two American Le Mans Series drivers - Autocon Motorsports’ Chris McMurry and Black Swan Racing’s Tim Pappas - recently received national recognition for their work off the track in their respective business ventures.

McMurry Marketing, of which Chris McMurry serves as Chief Executive Officer, was named as one of America’s top 25 “Best Small Companies to Work For” in America. McMurry was named No. 5 on the prestigious list. This is the fourth time McMurry has been named one of the top 25 “Best Small Companies to Work For.”

“One of McMurry’s top three priorities is always making our company a great place to work,” said McMurry, who drives the Autocon Creation-Judd in LMP1 with the entry scheduled to rejoin the Series at Mid-Ohio after it competed earlier this month at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“And we have quantified, for many years now, what our staff thinks of their company and how they think it should evolve, and we’ve followed their lead to this success,” McMurry added.

In 2006, McMurry was named the No. 6 Best Place to Work in America, and in 2007 was No. 10 on the list. In 2004, McMurry was named the No. 1 Best Place to Work among small companies in Maricopa County (the greater Phoenix market) by the Great Place to Work Institute, which at the time was evaluating workplaces on a regional basis.

McMurry (mcmurry.com), with three offices in Arizona and New York, offers a complete line of marketing communications services to a variety of clientele, including GlaxoSmithKline, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co., Amtrak, CBS, Aon, CVS Caremark, IBM and OfficeMax, as well as professional resources to more than 10,000 corporate professionals. The company has specialized practices in healthcare, finance and insurance. It is among the largest independent marketing communications companies in the U.S.

Pappas’ Macallen Building lauded for green efforts

The Macallen Building Condominiums, a 140-unit construction in South Boston developed by Pappas, received numerous honors and a Gold Certification from the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

Pappas’ Black Swan Racing team will make its debut next week in the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park. He will drive a Ford GT-R with Anthony Lazzaro.

The Macallen Building Condominiums is Boston’s first residential green building and incorporates a variety of features that reduce environmental impact. Among them is a green roof that controls stormwater runoff, filters pollutants and carbon dioxide out of the air, reduces heating and cooling loads, reduces the project’s contribution to the urban heat-island effect, and provides an ecosystem for wildlife. The building also is well insulated and features several energy-saving technologies. Rain-water and condensation from air conditioners are used for irrigation.

The project also received the following honors:

The 2008 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee On The Environment (COTE), Top Ten Green Projects Award 2008

The 2008 AIA Housing Award in the Multi-Family Custom Residences Category

The 2008 Boston Society of Architects / AIA New York Housing Design Program Award

Construction Management Association of America, Project of the Year Award (Category: Private Projects $50-$100 million)

BSA/AIA NY Housing Design Award, 2008

Residential Architect Design Awards, 2008, Grand Award (Category: Multifamily)

Residential Architecture Magazine’s 2008 Best In Housing Award

In addition, Pappas said Black Swan will partner with Renewable Choice Energy to offset 100 percent of the team’s carbon emissions through a financial contribution to wind power initiatives in the western United States.

The American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix is race is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 12 at Lime Rock Park. SPEED will televise the race from noon to 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 13. XM Satellite Radio will air the event live on XM Sports Nation Channel 144. Additional live coverage from American Le Mans Radio and IMSA’s Live Timing & Scoring also will be available at americanlemans.com.