ATHERTON APPLAUDS PRESIDENT OBAMA'S STANCE ON RENEWABLE ENERGIES, AUTO INDUSTRY

Braselton, GA. February 25, 2009: Scott Atherton: The American Le Mans Series "can and will make an impact" in a re-tooled and re-imagined auto industry that can compete and win.

American Le Mans Series President and CEO Scott Atherton took great satisfaction upon hearing remarks from President Barack Obama's address to the nation last night. Yes, the economic downturn has played its hand with the world's leading sports car series much as it has with every other major sports franchise domestically and around the world, yet Atherton was rejuvenated by the President's remarks.

"He made it very clear that the direction the American Le Mans Series has taken the last several years with clean, renewable, alternative fuels and encouraging innovation within the auto industry in general is paramount to the future success of this nation," said Atherton.

Obama spoke of doubling the nation's supply of renewable energy, the need to make renewable energy profitable as well as the need to rapidly develop technologies to build more efficient cars - all core principles of the American Le Mans Series.

"Working with automobile manufacturers to develop alternative fuels and fuel-efficient technologies has been a mantra of this series for several years," said Atherton, whose series is recognized as the Global Leader in Green Racing. "The President's goal of a re-tooled and re-imagined auto industry that can compete and win is one in which we also believe and one in which the American Le Mans Series can and will make an impact."

The American Le Mans Series will open its 11th season with the 57th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida on Saturday, March 21. SPEED will televise the race live from 10 a.m. to noon and 2-11 p.m. ET. American Le Mans Radio and Live Timing & Scoring will be available at americanlemans.com. Sebring also will mark the debut of the MICHELIN® Green X® Challenge for 2009.

Tickets are available at sebringraceway.com or by calling (800) 626-RACE. A limited number of hotel rooms and rental condos are still available. Information is available by contacting the Sebring Chamber of Commerce at (863) 385-8448.

The American Le Mans Series: Global Leader in Green Racing

The American Le Mans Series is the first motorsports series to be recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in conjunction with SAE International for meeting their green racing criteria and standards. The Series is the only major racing series to use exclusively "street legal" alternative fuels. All cars in the American Le Mans Series compete with virtually the same low sulfur clean diesel, E10 or cellulosic E85 ethanol blends that a consumer can purchase at the fuel station. In 2009, a gas-electric hybrid will be introduced. Series rules not only allow but encourage various alternative fuels. It readily acknowledges that there is not necessarily "one" alternative fuel solution to the USA's dependence on foreign oil, and it encourages automobile manufacturers to develop alternative fuel technologies over a wide platform that have actual relevance for the consumer.