Milka Duno gets Rolex 24 ride with CITGO money

Female driver Milka Duno, one of the slowest drivers to ever get behind the wheel of a race car, will challenge the 2007 Rolex 24 At Daytona with CITGO Racing for their fourth consecutive year together – and their second year with CITGO Racing by SAMAX Motorsport. Open wheel stars Patrick Carpentier, Darren Manning and Ryan Dalziel will join Duno in the #11 CITGO Pontiac Riley Daytona Prototype for the 45th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona at Daytona International Speedway this January 27 & 28, 2007.

In CITGO Racing's Rolex 24 effort last year, Duno and SAMAX Motorsport earned an 8th place finish after 24 grueling hours of competition. Duno's 8th-place overall finish was the highest finish for a female driver in the Rolex Series era. Duno also joined an elite list of only five women to finish in the top-ten overall in the event's 44-year history.

Duno is conducting her final testing session this week at Daytona in preparation for this year's 24-hour classic. The three days of testing started Thursday and run through Saturday and offer Rolex Series competitors approximately 13 hours of on-track practice. Duno will be testing at Daytona along with her three talented co-drivers for the big event – Carpentier, Manning and Dalziel.

Milka Duno

"I'm very happy that I can announce my fourth straight year racing with CITGO and the addition of Patrick, Darren and Ryan to our challenge of this year's Rolex 24. This will be our last test for the race in a few weeks and I know that we're hoping to learn more with the new tires. We've had good tests so far and hopefully we'll continue advancing our performance. I'm looking forward to seeing Patrick and Darren and Ryan and all the crew after the holidays. As a team we've got some really good synergy going on and it will be great to be together again on the track and getting ready for the big race."

Patrick Carpentier

"I am again looking forward to driving with Milka, Darren and Ryan. We're getting closer and closer to the big race at the end of the month. We're working on getting use to one another and of course to the car. Hopefully it's a problem free test and will prove the equipment is ready for the race."

Darren Manning

"The Rolex 24 is one of those marquis races that as a driver you really want to win. There is a great atmosphere in the team and we have a real chance to win. Thanks to CITGO and SAMAX for this exciting opportunity and I'm really looking forward to the race."

Ryan Dalziel

"I'm really excited to be driving for CITGO Racing with Milka, Pat and Darren. I think we have a very strong package and should have a really good chance of winning the race."

CITGO, based in Houston, Texas, is a refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals, refined waxes, asphalt and other industrial products. The company is owned by PDV America, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. For more information on CITGO visit www.citgo.com.