Tour de Road America Fundraiser Returns to ALMS Race Weekend

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (Aug. 13, 2012) – Race fans, families, cancer survivors, and cyclists return this coming weekend to Road America’s four miles of sweeping turns, hills and natural scenic beauty for the 9th annual SUBARU Tour de Road America "Bike Ride to Fight Cancer" on Aug. 17 at 6:30 p.m. CT.

They will be joined on the track by professional racing drivers, teams and their families from the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón, Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Championship, USF2000 Championship and other racing series. Together, they aim to raise $25,000 for three organizations that support cancer survivorship: the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer, the official charity of the American Le Mans Series, as well as LIVESTRONG and the Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinic in Sheboygan, Wis.

The Road America course challenges cyclists with its hills but is still family-friendly. Entire families will come out and enjoy four miles of smooth racing surface, with no cars and no traffic. The fundraising ride follows Friday’s auto racing activities and is open to cyclists of all abilities, and all kinds of bikes. For many cyclists and race fans, it’s the highlight of the summer – the chance to turn laps on the smooth track alongside their racing heroes as the sun sets over the scenic Kettle Moraine countryside of Elkhart Lake.

Guy Cosmo, driver of the No. 02 Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferrari F458 Italia in the ALMS GT class took to a bike for the 2011 event and is now a serious cyclist. "The tour de Road America is an incredible event," Cosmo said. "It’s tons of fun and for a great cause. I wouldn’t miss it for the world!"

Other drivers from the American Le Mans Series scheduled to appear include Cosmo’s ESM teammates Ed Brown and Johannes Van Overbeek, Bruno Junquiera, Colin Braun, Martin Plowman, actor/driver Patrick Dempsey and his teammate Joe Foster, Duncan Ende, Jeremy Dale, and Henri Richard.

With good weather, co-director and Tour de Road America Foundation vice president Brett Edgerle of Kohler, Wis., expects the event to be among the largest the group has held. "People have a great time at the ride and word has really spread. We are likely to have over 400 people out on the track in the BIKE RIDE TO FIGHT CANCER. We have lots of families signed up, entire racing teams, kids, recreational riders, and serious cyclists."

A silent auction of one-of-a-kind motorsports memorabilia, cycling gear, and local items will take place on Friday and Saturday, culminating just before the start of the American Le Mans Series feature race on Saturday afternoon.

For more information and to register for the ride, visit www.pelotonride.org.

The Road America Road Race Showcase is the seventh round of the 2012 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón. The four-hour race is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, Aug. 18. ESPN2’s telecast begins at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 19. Full, live coverage starts at 3:15 p.m. ET on ESPN3.

The Series’ website offers additional content such as live in-car cameras, and timing and scoring for all users around the world. Viewers outside the U.S. can watch the Road America round and all ALMS races live on ALMS.com.

Visit ALMS.com for current and future event information including tickets and area accommodations. Follow the Series on Twitter (#ALMS, #RoadAmerica), Facebook and YouTube.

The Tour de Road America – Bike Ride to Fight Cancer is organized by the Tour de Road America Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization with an all-volunteer staff, and with assistance from the Austin Hatcher Foundation. Since 2004, the Tour de Road America has raised over $190,000 for event beneficiaries the Austin Hatcher Foundation, the LIVESTRONG, and the Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinic in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The SUBARU Tour de Road America is made possible by the generous support of Road America, the American Le Mans Series and other racing series, Subaru, Delta Dental of Tennessee, RacersRoast.com Coffee, Spoke 8 Marketing, Cerulean Web Hosting, Marketing Acuity, and many other businesses and individuals. For more information on the SUBARU Tour de Road America, including photos from previous events, visit www.pelotonride.org or www.facebook.com/tdraride.

The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón: Since 1999, the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) has been North America’s premier sports car championship with 10 endurance and sprint races making up the 2012 schedule. Teams compete in one of five classes: P1, P2 and PC Le Mans-style Prototypes, and GT and GTC Grand Touring cars. Race lengths vary from two hours to 12 hours. The championship is also recognised as the Global Leader in Green Racing. Learn more at www.alms.com, www.facebook.com/almsofficial or www.twitter.com/almsnotes.

About Road America: Established in 1955 as the first permanent road racing course in the United States, Road America is located midway between Milwaukee and Green Bay in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The world’s best racers have competed at this legendary four-mile, 14-turn road circuit for over 55 years. The 640-acre, park-like grounds offer amazing viewing opportunities, fantastic concessions and high-speed excitement to hundreds of thousands of spectators each year. In addition to public race weekends, Road America offers a variety of group event programs, the Blain’s Farm & Fleet Motorplex for karting and supermoto, and the Road America Motorcycle and Advanced Driving Schools. For more information, visit www.roadamerica.com Follow Road America on www.facebook.com/RoadAmerica and on Twitter: @roadamerica or call 800­-365­-7223.