TEAM NEWS: CET Solaroli Motorsports Puts Wheels In Motion For American Le Mans Series Debut

Sports car racing legends Johnny Herbert and JJ Lehto sign on

Jacksonville, Fla.— In preparation of their highly anticipated entrance to the American Le Mans Series, CET Solaroli Motorsports last month took delivery of two Porsche RS Spyder LMP2 chassis. In addition, the team also announced the signing of sports car racing legends, Johnny Herbert and JJ Lehto.

“We couldn’t be more pleased having the talents of Johnny and JJ as part of our program,” said CET team owner, Al Solaroli. “When we first announced our entry into the American Le Mans Series at this year’s 12 Hours of Sebring, we made a promise to Porsche, the American Le Mans Series and their dedicated fans that CET Solaroli Motorsports would deliver a first class product. We said we would put all of the necessary resources in place to build a championship contending team. I think the addition of Johnny Herbert and JJ Lehto confirm that commitment.”

Former 24 Hours of Le Mans overall winner Johnny Herbert returns to the American Le Mans Series after a stint of nearly two seasons working with the now-defunct Midland team in Formula 1.

American Le Mans Series fans will remember Herbert for his many winning races with Audi including the last two races of the 2004 season in a second Champion Audi. (Road Atlanta's Petit Le Mans and the season finale at Laguna Seca Mazda Raceway.)

JJ Lehto is a perennial Series front-runner and one of the brightest personalities in the American Le Mans Series. JJ has produced 13 LMP1 victories in three previous seasons (2003-2005), including nine victories in his last two full seasons of competition (2004-05).

Lehto also has distinction of winning the very first American Le Mans Series event, the 1999 12 Hours of Sebring. JJ will enter the 2007 season tied for fourth in career victories (23) with Lucas Luhr.

CET Solaris Motorsports is scheduled to take the track midway into the season. Working closely with Porsche and Michelin engineers, the team is scheduled for two closed test sessions at undisclosed locations prior to their debut.

“I’m happy with our progress and feel good about our schedule,” continued Solaroli. “We’re working very hard and taking each step carefully and methodically. I’m extremely confident in the choices we’re making as a team. No one has any grandiose ideas or fantasies of taking the competition by storm. While we expect to build and grow to become a formidable competitor in the paddock and on the grid, we will enter the season when we feel we are properly prepared. Make no mistake, we respect the competition.”

CET LLC (Combustion Engine Technology) holds a US Patent for a combustion engine working on a pseudo adiabatic principle. The engine burns cleaner, with higher specific output and greater efficiency than today's current combustion engine technology. The company is actively establishing worldwide licensing agreements for OEM business, and application for use in over the road diesel engines, standby generators, marine diesel & gasoline engines, and niche racing markets. The company is now dealing with BMW, Daimler Benz, Volkswagen/Audi Group and Ford.

Team owner and founder of CET LLC, Alberto Solaroli resides in Jacksonville, Florida and also has a home / horse ranch in Newcastle, Ontario Canada where he breeds show jumpers as a hobby. He is fully bilingual in English and Italian and has a working knowledge of German.

Solaroli holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters of Science in Thermodynamics. He attended the University of Toronto. He maintains professional affiliations with:

American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) — Chairman of ASTM F15-10

Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) — Member

Canadian Society of Mechanical Engineers (CSME) — Member

American Combustion Institute (ACI) — Member

The American Le Mans Series is the premium brand of motorsport in North America, featuring high-tech sports cars from the most prestigious automobile manufacturers in the world. Its unique four classes of competition showcase exotic, open-top prototypes and sophisticated production-based GT cars, all competing on the track at the same time. The American Le Mans Series competes at the premier road racing tracks across North America and at selected temporary street circuits in major urban markets. With a 2007 television package that includes five network broadcasts on CBS and NBC and seven telecasts on SPEED, plus live broadcasts across Europe, the Series delivers a global marketing platform that is unmatched in motorsports. The Series, founded in 1999 by Georgia entrepreneur Don Panoz, represents a mirror image to the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world’s most famous and authentic automobile race. The American Le Mans Series features elite marques such as Audi, Porsche, Corvette, Aston Martin, Ferrari and Panoz, and premium brands such as Michelin, Yokohama, Kumho, Lowe’s, Shell and many others.