SAM SCHMIDT MOTORSPORTS SIGNS YACAMÁN FOR 2009 FIRESTONE INDY LIGHTS

Gregg Kielma and Sam Schmidt 2008 St Petersburg

INDIANAPOLIS — Sam Schmidt Motorsports has announced today that it has
signed its first driver of the 2009 Firestone Indy Lights Series season –
Gustavo “Tigrillo” Yacamán.

Yacamán, who will become 18-years of age on February 25th, comes from Santiago de Cali, Colombia, and will join the championship as a rookie.

“I’m very excited to enter the series,” Yacamán said. “The new experience
of racing on ovals is something I’m looking forward to. I’m also very
pleased to drive a car with so much horsepower. In addition, being with Sam
Schmidt Motorsports makes me even more motivated because of its legacy as
the most successful team in the Firestone Indy Lights Series.”

Joining Sam Schmidt Motorsports was a decision influenced by a couple of
famous Latin American racing drivers. Both Juan Pablo Montoya and Eliseo
Salazar told Yacamán that Sam Schmidt Motorsports was the team to partner
with in the Firestone Indy Lights Series.

“Speaking to Juan Pablo Montoya about which team would be best in Firestone
Indy Lights, he mentioned several teams, but the one he spoke best of was
Sam Schmidt Motorsports,” Yacamán said. “Eliseo Salazar also reached out to
me about racing in the U.S., and he was the one that introduced me to Sam
Schmidt. The team’s results speak for themselves.”

In 2008, Yacamán lived in Madrid, Spain, and competed in the Spanish Formula
3 Championship. His season was highlighted by a win at the famed Circuit
de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. Yacamán also competed as a rookie in the
series in 2007, and as a 16-year old, set the record for youngest race
winner in Formula 3 in Europe when he took the checkered flag at the Jerez
round.
He’s made his name known in U.S. racing circles with his impressive
performances in the karting ranks. In 2005, he won the National and East
Coast JICA championships in the Snap-On Starts of Karting Presented by the
IndyCar Series. He was also the champion in the Rotax Junior class in that
year’s Florida Winter Tour.
Team owner, Sam Schmidt, said, “Gustavo’s resume is certainly impressive and
when both Montoya and Salazar call to support a driver, you have to listen.
He brings a strong and broad background to our team, as well as a maturity
level beyond his years. Even at such a young age, he’s accomplished quite a
bit in various racing series around the world and we are quite pleased to
have him on the team.”
Sam Schmidt Motorsports enters the 2009 Firestone Indy Lights Series season
as the all-time win and title leader in the series with 27 victories and 3
championships. The 15-race schedule kicks off on April 4th on the Streets
of St. Petersburg, where Sam Schmidt Motorsports has enjoyed a victory both
in 2007 and 2008.