On March 17, 2012, the newly formed Merchant Services Racing team will take part in the 60th Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring fueled by Fresh from Florida, the first race of the 2012 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) season and Merchant Services Racing’s personal ALMS debut. For the 2012 ALMS season, Merchant Services Racing will field two LMPC cars, and will be supported by a host of sponsors, including: Merchant Services LTD, One24.com, MBRP, Lafarge, Butterfield Farms, Lamex, Nasamax, Sun Ski and Braille Battery.
“When given the opportunity, we jumped at the chance to be the title sponsor of Merchant Services Racing,” said Chapman Ducote, President and CEO of Merchant Services LTD.
For the 60th Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring fueled by Fresh from Florida, Merchant Services Racing’s #7 LMPC will be driven by Chapman Ducote, Javier Acheverria and Pablo Sanchez, its sister car, the #8 LMPC will be driven by Kyle Marcelli, Lucas Downs and Dean Stirling. This first endurance race not only kicks off the ALMS season, but also serves as the first round of the newly forged 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship, which will attract new teams and manufacturers from all over the world to the small town of Sebring, Florida and one of the world’s most demanding race tracks.
“The twelve hours of Sebring will surely be the toughest race on the 2012 calendar. Not only is it the longest race of the year for the American Le Mans Series but will also be the busiest as the track will be filled with over 60 of the worlds most exotic sports cars and prototypes. It will be a race of attrition for sure. It will be important we drive fast, keep our noses clean and work well as a team.” said Marcelli, who has been signed to lead the #8 car. “Although we’re a new team this year, we have a tremendous amount of combined experience, between our team principals, managers, engineers and drivers. It is not our first rodeo and we have our sights set on the top step of the podium.”
Amongst the talent and experience at Merchant Services Racing is Brian Alder who will act as Team Manager for the 2012 campaign. “We are certainly looking forward to the launch of this new team, its been a lot of work behind the scenes to get to this point. We’re all looking forward to Sebring but its important we race smart and keep our eyes set on a driver and team championship,” Alder said.
Don’t miss a moment of the action! Live coverage of the historic 60th Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring fueled by Fresh from Florida will begin on March 17, 2012 at 10:15am EDT on ESPN3.com, and the action will be replayed for a wider television audience on March 18, 2012 at 12pm EDT on ABC.
For more information on Merchant Services LTD visit www.merchantservicesltd.com, and additional information on the American Le Mans Series can be found at www.ALMS.com.
