Hearn Motorsports Sees Mosport as Best Shot at Victory

LAS VEGAS, Nev., August 2, 2004 � Hearn Motorsports travels north to Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada this week to continue pursuit of its first Star Mazda North American Championship victory. The two-car team of 1995 Toyota Atlantic champion Richie Hearn enters its fifth race of the 2004 Star Mazda championship at the ultra-fast and historic Mosport International Raceway feeling its best shot at victory comes in the next two races at Mosport and Road America. Rookie Raphael Matos, driver of the No. 70 Showtime/ Samsung/ Skip Barber Racing School Mazda, is fresh off a top-ten finish at Portland on July 24th and sits 13th in Star Mazda championship points entering Saturday's 45-minute race. The long straight-aways and sweeping turns of Mosport play well to Belo Horizonte, Brazil-native's natural driving talents. Team boss Hearn feels it is the rookie's best shot at victory this season. The No. 77 Thienes Engineering Star Mazda of second-year driver Brian Thienes is entered for its second race under the Hearn Motorsports banner at Mosport. The Huntington Beach, California-resident had a hair-raising ride into the gravel trap at Portland but final preparations to his red Star Mazda are being completed prior to Thursday's test day at Mosport. Richie Hearn, team owner/manager: “Our best chances are the next two races. Mosport and Road America are two tracks that Raphael knows better. It wouldn't surprise me if he wins one of them, or at least gets a podium. Our goal is to have Raphael in the top-five in points and Brian into the top-ten or higher at the end of the year. I think that is definitely a realistic goal for us. We are being realistic about our objectives and our plan each race. We have five more races, including the oval at Phoenix, and I think that is something that is definitely doable for this team. The damage to Brian's car at Portland wasn't too bad. We are borrowing a shop in Minnesota to finish the gearbox replacement and that is speeding-up our turn-around time. We'll be set for Mosport with both cars. I'm really looking forward to these next two races.”The Toronto Grand Prix of Mosport Star Mazda race can be seen on SPEED, at 2pm (EDT), August 29.For more on Hearn Motorsports and its 2004 Pro Formula Mazda Series' effort please visit www.richiehearn.com. To learn about Raphael Matos, visit his bilingual site at www.rafamatos.com. More on Brian Thienes can be found at www.thieneseng.com. For information on the Star Mazda Series, please visit www.starmazda.com.###