CANADIANS LEAD THE WAY AS TALENTED FIELD COMES TO MOSPORT

Courtesy Glenn Butt, Mosport

Bowmanville, ON (June 15, 2005) A host of talented racers from across North America are travelling to Mosport International Raceway for this weekend's Father's Day 500 (June 17-19), with Canadian drivers front and center in both co-features - the Grand-Am Cup race for high-performance sports cars and sedans and the CASCAR Super Series, Canada's national stock car championship.

The Father's Day 500 is sponsored by Melody Homes, Berms-R-Us and The Municipality of Clarington.

While the Grand-Am Cup boasts some of America's top sports car racers like Boris Said, Terry Borcheller and Gunnar Jeannette, Canucks have been running at or near the front of the pack through much of the 2005 season.

Leading the way has been the Multimatic Motorsports Mustang duo of Scott Maxwell and David Empringham, who sit on top of the point standings with one win and two seconds through five races. Both drivers hail from Toronto and Multimatic is based just north of the city, in Markham. Maxwell's commitments to the Panoz Esperante ALMS Team in this weekend's 24 Heurs de Mans will force him to miss the Mosport round, but Empringham is at home on Mosport's 4-km road course and highly motivated to turn in a winning performance (his team-mate for the weekend has yet to be confirmed).

Several other Canadians will also be looking for strong outings in front of their hometown fans. Former Grand-Am Cup champion, Devon Powell from nearby Port Perry (ON), currently sits in the top ten and has scored third and sixth-place finishes this year in his Cadillac CTS-V.

Toronto's Greg Wilkins and Dave Lacey will share driving duties in the Doncaster Racing Porsche 996. Both drivers come with impressive off-track credentials too. Wilkins is CEO of Barrick Gold Corporation, the second-biggest gold-mining company in the world. One of Wilkins' competitors, Kenny Wilden, has played an instrumental roll in his driver development and now coaches his son Mark.

Wilden, who lives in Oakville, Ont., is no stranger to Mosport. This talented driver is a former champion of the Player's/GM Series and has competed in a variety of cars including Trans-Am. Wilden's co-driver in the BMW M3 is Aurora, Ont. resident, Alan Wortzman.

Of the American contingent expected to race here this weekend, Said could be one of the most popular with Mosport fans. The Carlsbad, Ca. racer, who splits his driving duties across several series including the NASCAR Nextel Cup, has tasted champagne at Mosport in the past with wins in various classes including the 2002 Trans-Am race.

It's virtually an all-Canadian affair in the Berms-R-Us presents the Clarington 200, round three of the 10-race CASCAR Super Series. Defending race champion and road course master, Jeff Lapcevich of Caistor Centre, Ont. has won five consecutive CASCAR road course races. While this streak might sound daunting to his competitors, guys like 'Iron Man' Kerry Micks (Mt. Albert, Ont.) and 4-time defending series champion Don Thomson Jr. of Ayr, Ont. come well-prepared to turn both left and right at Mosport, the first of two road course events on the schedule.

At the other end of the spectrum will be the road course rookies who will be turning their first road course race lap. This list includes short-track oval standout Derek Lynch (Peterborough, Ont.) and experienced Late Model female racer Tara MacLeod of Innisfil, Ont. Macleod is leading CASCAR's rookie-of-year battle.

There is plenty more racing on tap throughout the Father's Day 500 Weekend.

Fresh from their race at the Montreal Formula One Grand Prix, the Honda/Michelin Challenge Series returns to Mosport for round three. Didier Schraenen won the season-open at Mosport last month. Rounding out the weekend schedule is the Mazdaspeed Miata Cup, Cup Lites, the ISSECO Formula 1200's and the Race Ontario G.T. series.

The three-day SuperTicket for the Father's Day 500 is just $50 and can be purchased at the gate. Admission includes free parking and access to the paddock. As with every Mosport race weekend, Children 12 and under are free (when accompanied by a paid adult admission). All SuperTickets also include admission to Mosport Speedway's Saturday night of stock car racing on Ontario's fastest half-mile oval, which features the season-opener of CASCAR's Power Water Sportsman Series.

Along with your weekend ticket camping is also available for only $30 per vehicle for tents or pop-up trailers (maximum 6 people per vehicle) or $50 for RVs.

For more information about Mosport tickets and camping, call the Mosport Hotline at 1-800-866-1072 (Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm ET) or visit online at www.mosport.com.