[Craig]

Just a quicj post before I leave for the airport...

Just received word from our own Hyla Breese that he is hoping to be out at Le Mans this year! Let's hope he pulls it off...

LE MANS CALLING HYLA WITH RAY MALLOCK AND PANOZ

Aussie racing driver Hyla Breese just never gives up. After a successful season in 2001 racing in the Autobytel Lotus Sport Championship, Hyla was offered the chance of a top British Touring Car drive with the Egg Sport team who run the highly competitive Vauxhall Astras. Unfortunately not enough funding for this top drive was found in time, and it was taken by someone else. A number of Production Touring car drives have been offered also, however the same funding dilemma applies.

However in the last few weeks Hyla’s management have been holding brief talks with well-known racecar builders Ray Mallock Ltd, who are seen as the Masters of sportscar design and build. Best known for their 1998-99 Championships with Nissan in the BTCC. Mallock have teamed up with the famed American Industrialist Don Panoz for 2002, and together they will be running the remarkable Panoz LMP 900 Roadster in a number of race meetings. Including the European FIA Spotscar Championship, the ALMS in the US and also the world famous Le Mans 24 hour in June.

More talks with Mallock will hopefully follow in the coming weeks and Breese is optimistic. "It’s another good opportunity for me. After the BTCC thing with Vauxhall I’m moving on and I guess it just wasn’t to be. I would really like to move into the Sportscar series with Ray Mallock this year but I need backing urgently. It’s a fantastic opportunity for the corporate world to get involved with the various races around the world, and who can pass up the chance of racing at the Le Mans 24hr, both as a driver and a sponsor?" he said.

With the season kicking off mid March there is little time for the Norfolk based (Norwich) Australian.
With races in the USA, Portugal, France, Netherlands, Germany and the UK, his future hangs in the balance.

"It’s really hard to deal with the fact that my career is stalling - not because I’m not good enough, because I’ve proved myself over the years and that’s backed up by the offers I’ve had from teams - but due to reasons out of my control…. There has to be some backing out there somewhere!"

For further details contact Hyla through his website at www.hylabreese.co.uk.