Altamonte Springs, FL/March 26, 2012 – This time last year P1 Groupe and Mitchum Motorsports Driver Tim Bell was preparing for his second career professional race in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series at Barber Motorsports Park. In that race Bell ran fast and consistent laps like a veteran and came home with a 2nd place finish. In a year’s time since that race Bell has been tagged to drive the #6 Extremebidder Chevrolet Camaro GS.R for Mitchum Motorsports, been tested by NASCAR teams, and has shown the demeanor, attitude and poise of a grizzled veteran. This weekend Bell takes to the track once again at Barber Motorsports Park not as a wide-eyed rookie, but as a hardnosed, patient, and determined veteran. For the driver that finished 2nd as a rookie there is only one position left to grab, first.

“I’m really looking forward to this upcoming race at Barber with my co-driver George Richardson. He has a lot of experience with door-to-door racing and he should do a great job moving through the field. This past weekend was a good learning experience for me this weekend in the NASCAR department, despite being rained out for the race. However, I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel of the Mitchum Camaro! I hope for the best of luck both this week in the GRAND-AM race at Barber and next week in the NASCAR race at Caraway Speedway.”

The GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series Barber 200 from Barber Motorsports Park begins on Saturday, March 31st at 4:15 PM ET. The race will be two and a half hours in length, and will be aired on SPEED Channel on Sunday, April 8th at 12 PM ET. Check your local listings to see Tim Bell race against the rest of the field in #6 Mitchum Motorsports Camaro GS.R.

About Extreme Bidder
Extreme Bidder allows its users to save up to 99 percent off the retail price of thousands of new, brand-name products, offering extreme discounts to top-of-the-line merchandise and real estate. Users purchase bids, and the last person to bid on an item when the clock runs out wins, as long as they are the top bidder. For more information or to register for an account, visit www.extremebidder.com.

About P1 Groupe:
P1 Groupe Inc. is a motorsports management company representing drivers and teams from around the world. P1 Groupe offers its high-speed clientele an array of options designed to allow a dedicated focus to the most important task at hand: winning races. Through marketing, management, branding and design, P1 Groupe provides quality solutions with speed and efficiency. For more information, visit www.p1groupe.com.

Additional information may be obtained at www.mitchummotorsports.com, www.timbellracing.com or www.p1groupe.com.

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The RYC (Richmond Yacht Club) which was founded in 1932 has been the training ground for many of the Bay Area’s top sailors and continues to be one of the leaders in races and activities.  “I have been a guest at the Richmond Yacht Club a few times and was very excited to give one of their races a try,” said Gidley.  “It was a quick shift in gears to go from having raced at long Beach a few days before in the Muscle Milk/Molecule LMPC racecar to now getting my crew together to hit the water!”

Close to forty boats lined up for five starts on a nice Wed evening with about 5kts of wind to get the fleet off the line.  “Basic Instinct is a fast boat…but really is a missile when the wind picks up above 15kts,” said Gidley.  “So, it was a little disappointing at the start with so little wind.  We also got boxed in trying to get across the start line at the whistle and lost some more time to our competition.”  As the fleet rounded the first marker the wind steadily picked up.  “As soon as we got some decent wind, we really started to close the gap,” said Gidley. “I had six as crew, and even though most had not worked together before, they really started to get everything figured out.”  At the line, the Basic Instinct Muscle Milk crew came up a little short.  “We had a great second half and just came up a little short,” said Gidley. “These Wednesday night races are really short…about one hour in total so you have to really nail it right from the start.  I look forward to the next one!”

Bell will pilot his #54 Creation Cope Racing Extreme Bidder Chevrolet Impala in the Limited Late Model class in a 30-lap sprint race on Saturday April 21st in front of Team Owner Derrike Cope, Team Manager Andy Woolgar, and all of the fans that watched this sportscar driver turned oval track racer debut his talents three weeks prior.  Bell looks to improve on his 7th place finish in his first race at Caraway Speedway which left him currently in 7th position in the BK Limited Late Model Class Driver Points Championship Standings.  With three career starts and three Top-10s to show for it, Bell’s confidence and potential has skyrocketed to a level that leaves him now looking for his first career Top-5 this weekend.

“The weekend will mark the final race for the month of April in a Late Model for me” stated Bell.  “I’m looking forward to finishing this series with a good clean run to the front and end on a good note.  As long as the weather holds out it should be another successful weekend running door to door and bumper to bumper!”

The festivities at Caraway Speedway will begin on Friday April 20th with practice and sessions for all classes including Tim Bell’s Limited Late Model Class. On Saturday April 21st Bell will go through final practice as well as qualifying for his event. Come Saturday evening Bell will get behind the wheel of his #54 Creation Cope Racing Extreme Bidder Chevrolet Impala Limited Late Model. Checkwww.carawayspeedway.com for results at the end of the event.

Additional information may be obtained at www.carawayspeedway.com, www.creationcope.com, www.timbellracing.com or www.p1groupe.com. Follow us on Twitter: @P1 Groupe

Roger Wills was originally slated as the third driver for the May 12 race, but another commitment has him unable to attend the six-hour event. Hamilton will be teaming up with regular drivers Mike Guasch and Memo Gidley.  The London, England-born racer is the grandson of 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Duncan Hamilton. He started driving competitively at the age of 11 in karts and progressed to cars five years later. In 2007, he won on his Formula Ford debut at Silverstone.  The following four seasons saw Hamilton drive in Formula Renault and the Porsche Carrera Cup Championship as well as in a variety of other series which has allowed him to extend his experience in different formulas.  He finished on the podium at the famed Le Mans circuit in the Porsche Carrera Cup race in 2010, one of the supporting races for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The following year he was crowned BARC vice-champion in the Protyre Formula Renault Finals on the strength of five podiums, which included three wins, in six races.
For 2012, in addition to his one-off race with Muscle Milk Pickett Racing at Laguna Seca, Hamilton is competing in the International GT Open Championship.  In preparation for his PC debut with the Muscle Milk team, Hamilton will take part in a two-day private test at Buttonwillow Raceway Park at the beginning of May.
For more information on Archie Hamilton visit www.archiehamiltonracing.com.
Muscle Milk Quotes:

Greg Pickett, Team owner, Muscle Milk Pickett Racing
“We’re looking forward to having Archie Hamilton join our PC team for the Laguna Seca round next month. He’s a talented, young, up and coming driver and I think he will fit in perfectly with Mike Guasch and Memo Gidley.  “At such a young age, he has quite a bit of experience in different forms of racing and I’m confident he’ll be able to help our PC team continue to build on its most recent success.”

Archie Hamilton:
“My goal for this season was to have a good start in endurance racing, so having secured drives in the Le Mans Aston Martin support race, the International GT Open and now an ALMS drive with Muscle Milk Pickett Racing is fantastic!  “My main focus is first on a good result at Portimao. I then have the test and a little time to switch mentally to the Oreca and LMP driving style. Having tested a prototype car last year, it won’t be a completely new experience, which is an advantage. It will be great to experience being part of an American team and I’m really looking forward to tackling the ‘Corkscrew’.”
Please take the time to visit Memo’s sponsors!

Muscle Milk
Cytomax Performance
Red Line Oil
Bell Helmets
MIR Race Line
Marin Bikes
Shawn Thomas Automotive at Infineon Raceway

P1 Groupe, who has ties to hundreds of companies all around the world will use the many contacts it has both in the business sector and the motorsports sector to drive traffic to their new counterparts website while Taap.it, which is headquartered in New York, has offered P1 Groupe the opportunity to equip them with different accounts consisting of goods and services that could be sold online including the goods that are already under P1 Groupe management.  The move comes at a time when both companies are projecting a prosperous 2012.

President of P1 Groupe, Eric Burch had nothing but positive words to say about the newly formed partnership.  “We are very happy to have partnered with Taap.it, Inc.  Their mobile app has the ability to change the way companies do business and their lively atmosphere and out-of-the-box mentality fits perfectly with that of P1 Groupe and our stable of Race Drivers under our management.  We are happy that Taap.it has in turn chosen to partner with P1 Groupe and support the on-track efforts of our drivers to assist them in brand awareness as they branch out further into the marketplace, and expanding into new territories.”

Action this past weekend started with Bells practice in the Creation Cope Racing’s #54 Extreme Bidder Chevrolet Impala. The interesting aspect to the weekend for Bell was the double-feature schedule he would be running for the first time in his oval track racing career. After qualifying in the 11th position for the first 35-lap sprint race, Bell did an excellent job keeping out of trouble and running the same constantly fast laps that earned him the seat in the first place. The main goal for Bell was to keep his nose clean and the car intact as he would have a 2nd race later in the evening. Bell worked his way through the field to as high as 5th when a caution occurred forcing the cars to restart. Bell was positioned by NASCAR to the inside line of cars and NASCAR rules state that cars in that line have to wait to begin passing. This unfortunate rule caused several cars to pass Bell on the restart. At the end of the first race the #54 Chevrolet Impala came home in an impressive 9th place. It was now time for a brief break for Bell and his team as the car was prepped for the second race later in the evening. Bell used the break to study how other cars run around SNMP as well as getting to know the competitors he had raced in the first race and would be racing in the second as well. Once every other class stormed around the short track located in Kenly, North Carolina the green flag waved to start the second Limited Late Model event as well as to start the third career race for Bell. He lined up 9th on start and after running a smart yet aggressive race that saw him muscle the car around the short track without power steering, he took the checkered flag in the 8th position giving him two Top-10’s on the weekend. The progress, heart, passion and determination are there and anyone in the paddock this past weekend could see Bell wants this opportunity in NASCAR and will obtain it.

“This weekend was great for the team and I after a strong night of hardnosed racing at Southern National Motorsports Park and for me to bring the car home clean” Bell stated. “This weekend was a fun experience for me passing competitors on the bottom and top of the track. I was able to run as high up as 5th! Derrike has continued to help me out a lot with spotting and coaching during our down time. If this is a taste of what NASCAR is going to be like, I can’t wait to go play with the big boys. This weekend is my last race for the month and I’m excited to go back to Caraway Speedway and see how I can do my second time around.”

Team Owner Derrike Cope was very pleased with Bell’s progress after the event. “I am extremely pleased with the results from this weekend’s test and race at Southern National Speedway. Tim continues to adapt quickly to this form of racing and is making major strides in understanding the key elements of oval track racing and how they relate to his continued success in his pursuit of a NASCAR career.”

Creation Cope’s Team Manager Andy Woolgar shared his thoughts and comments on the two sprint races following the checkered flag of race two. “”Tim executed two very good, clean races this weekend, the second event under trying circumstances when his car lost power steering. These LLM races are teaching Tim a great deal about what it takes to become a NASCAR driver, and I can honestly say that watching him this weekend was like watching someone who had discovered their talent for racing all over again. We could see that he was more confident than ever before from the positioning of the car on the track and the conviction shown when passing other cars and finishing the races. This weekend we’ll go back to Caraway Speedway, a track that he knows, so it will be interesting to see progress made”.

Stay tuned for updates on www.p1groupe.com, and www.creationcope.com to see when and where you can check out Tim Bell behind the wheel of the Creation Cope Racing #54 Extremebidder Limited Late Model.

Swiss based but Italian at heart Sun and Eyeglass Company Exalt Cycle has signed P1 Groupe to become the brand’s American Distributor. This will be Exalt Cycle’s second term being present in the States after the first one albeit short, was very successful, and with the wealth of contacts and opportunities P1 Groupe has created over its 5 years of operation, the partnership between the two companies creates an even greater winning position for everyone involved. Having an avenue to market and sell the sun and eyeglasses utilizing motorsports to promote the brand, is one of the many reasons why P1 Groupe earned this position. Other reasons include the company’s professional demeanor, sales techniques and ability to market any product. Being a respected company with a number of clients within different racing series, Exalt Cycle Sun and Eyeglasses will be worn by drivers all over the country. This endeavor is one that President and CEO of P1 Groupe, Eric Burch finds exciting, challenging, and humbling as his company was tagged for the responsibility.

“We are very happy that Exalt Cycle chose P1 Groupe to handle distribution of their product in America” stated Burch. “We are proud that we stood out for our professionalism, marketing savvy and sales techniques during their selection process. We look forward to re-launching their line in the US, and exceeding their expectations as we create sales and brand awareness for them. The lineup of P1 Groupe race drivers will be integral in creating this exposure as an overall marketing alliance created via their fan following and exposure during race events nationally.”

Andrea Trevisol, Exalt Cycle General Manager comments “I strongly believe in the synergy with P1 Groupe: We established a partnership which will help us to reintroduce the brand in the U.S market with innovative and creative communication in the eyewear scenario in line with our XY DNA! I’m personally impressed with Eric Burch’s capability to understand how to present Exalt Cycle collection to the best U.S optician. This, together with the strong managerial ability makes P1 the perfect partner. Exalt Cycle is one of the few true lifestyle brands in the world and with passion, energy and innovation capability, we can build together a successful positioning, providing the brand the value and role it deserves”.

The relationship between Exalt Cycle and P1 Groupe has already generated a great deal of buzz at last month’s International Vision Expo in New York City. A number of buyers,  professionals in the industry and fans alike expressed their excitement for the re-launching of Exalt Cycle in the States. The process between the two companies begins now. Look for Exalt Cycle and P1 Groupe to make splash here soon!

About Exalt Cycle:

Exalt Cycle is the expression of a contemporary lifestyle, symbolic of belonging to an exclusive and selective world. XY chromosomes, not just as a decorative feature but as a central element around which the architecture of each model is developed, a unique visual element that has a strong impact. Design, comfort and technology are the three founding principles for Exalt Cycle’s positioning in their market.

Mark Donahue and Matt Bell started their professional racing careers at age 22, both possessing engineering backgrounds, and both running the No. 6 Sunoco Camaro. There are many parallels between the late, great Mark Donohue and sports car pro-driver Matt Bell. Donahue put Camaro racecars on the map in Trans-AM, and Bell put Camaro on the map again in Grand-AM, after a 30-year hiatus.

Matt Bell quickly began making a name for himself as both a driver and an articulate engineer. The ability to put a racecar at the front of a grid, among the best drivers and teams in the sport, showcases many attributes. Matt has an innate ability to understand exactly what a racecar is doing and engineer a setup from the driver’s seat. Having established his reputation in BMW’s, it was driving the famed No. 6 Sunoco Camaro in Grand-AM, which caught rival team’s notice.

Bell has driven for some of the great teams in sports cars today. Daytona Prototype team owners, Kevin Doran and Michael Shank, both team winners of the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, have campaigned cars with Bell driving. Bell impressed both owners with his knowledge, feedback and engineering prowess, particularly unusual in a young professional. Bell currently drives Stevenson Motorsport’s (factory) Camaro, in the Continental Sports Car Challenge and in the Rolex GT Series. Bell also holds a NASCAR Nationwide Series competition license for road courses.

Bell, who creates engineering projects in his spare time, has multiple patents on parts he’s designed. The final story has yet to be written as a promising career, with interesting parallels to one of the all-time greats, continues to unfold.

Orignal Post Date: May 7, 2012