September 3, 2011 - Baltimore, MD - On Saturday, Simona De Silvestro proved that she wouldn't be deterred by last week's events, as she put forth a solid qualifying effort for Sunday's Baltimore Grand Prix.
A week of uncertainty followed a misunderstanding with the U.S. Customs & Border Patrol office, forcing De Silvestro to return to her home country of Switzerland. She arrived in Baltimore on Thursday afternoon, where she and her team quickly got to work preparing the car for the race weekend.
This is the second visit to Baltimore for the Swiss driver. She and her team visited this market in February to announce a three-year sponsorship deal with Entergy Nuclear and kick off the Nuclear Clean Air Energy campaign. Because of the campaign's continued success, HVM Racing and Entergy are also joined this weekend by AREVA, the global leader in nuclear energy.
In front of what De Silvestro referred to as a "home crowd," she was able to advance to the second round of qualifying and put the car in P12 to start Sunday's inaugural race on the streets of Baltimore.
"I feel really good about what we did out there today," said De Silvestro after her qualifying run. "We were able to make the top twelve and I'm proud of the Nuclear Clean Air Energy team for giving me a good car. I'm okay with starting mid-pack tomorrow. We're just going to have to drive a smart race and I'm confident that we'll be able to bring home a solid finish."
De Silvestro and the other drivers of the IZOD IndyCar Series will compete in the Baltimore Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon. The 75-lap race will begin at 2:45 p.m. EDT and will air live on Versus TV, with pre-race activities beginning at 2 p.m.
About HVM Racing
HVM Racing was founded by Keith Wiggins and is based in Indianapolis, Indiana. HVM enters 2011 as its tenth year of competition since forming in 2001 and has earned six victories, two pole positions, and an additional 16 podiums. They earned "Indianapolis Rookie of the Year" honors with driver Simona De Silvestro at the 2010 event and since joining the IZOD INDYCAR Series in 2008, the team has earned nine top-10 finishes. HVM finished fourth and third, respectively, in the Champ Car World Series in 2006 and 2007, and earned drivers Mario Dominguez and Robert Doornbos Rookie of the Year honors in 2002 and 2007, respectively. Follow HVM Racing at www.hvmracing.com, on twitter at www.twitter.com/HVMracing, and on facebook at www.facebook.com/HVMRacing.
About Entergy
Entergy is the second largest owner and operator of U.S. nuclear energy plants. They operate or provide management services to 12 reactors at 10 sites. Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity and delivers electricity to 2.7 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $11 billion and more than 15,000 employees. Follow at www.NuclearCleanAirEnergy.com and www.entergy-nuclear.com; on Twitter at www.twitter.com/EntergyNuclear and www.twitter/NuclearCleanAir, and on facebook at www.facebook.com/Nuclear Clean Air Energy.
About Areva
AREVA provides its customers with solutions for low-carbon power generation in North America and all over the world. As the leader in nuclear energy and a significant, growing player in the renewable energies sector, AREVA combines U.S. and Canadian leadership, access to worldwide expertise and a proven track record of performance. Sustainable development is a core component of AREVA's strategy. Its more the 5,000 U.S. and Canadian employees work every day to make AREVA a responsible industrial player helping to supply ever cleaner, safer and more economical energy to the greatest number of people. AREVA Inc. is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. Visit us online at http://us.areva.com or follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/AREVAinc.
For more information, contact:
Monica Hilton, Public Relations
HVM Racing, LLC
Phone: (608) 669-3211
Email: mhilton@hvminc.net
Web: www.HVMRacing.com