ENCINO, CALIF. (Sept. 18, 2007) Following a successful 2007 campaign, Mathiasen Motorsports has announced that it will expand its racing operations to field a two car effort in the 2008 Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda. With the 07 Atlantic season recently concluded, the team's focus now turns to an aggressive off-season testing program commencing in October. The ultimate goal of this program is for Mathiasen Motorsports to select two drivers capable not only of challenging for, but winning the 2008 Atlantic Championship. Team owners Leslie and Ray Mathiasen and Technical Director Alain Clarinval look forward to the challenge of expanding the three year old team, after a season that saw its performance improve significantly. Over 12 events, the Mathiasen team completed every race, scored six top ten finishes, earned 114 championship points, finished 11th/34 in the driver's standings, and again won the series award for the best presented car. The 2007 Atlantic campaign was the first season for Clarinval with the team, and his wealth of motorsports experience was one of the major reasons for the team's improvement. Along with Clarinval's engineering expertise, Mathiasen Motorsports also added a new race shop in Indianapolis with updated equipment, top level mechanics and a team manager, all of whom have years of professional motorsports experience. The team is expected to continue as an intact unit for the 2008 season. As part of its planned expansion, Mathiasen Motorsports intends to secure additional engineering and support personnel, and further update its equipment and race shop to provide the best possible platform for two drivers to focus upon achieving podium finishes and victories in what is widely known as one of the most, if not the most, competitive driver development series in the world. “Everyone on the team is very excited about the expansion of our Atlantic racing program for 2008,” said team owner Ray Mathiasen. “Both Leslie and I are pleased to be able to keep the team we assembled this year together and, consistent with our longer term plans when we decided to form the team in 2005, we are now in a better position to provide two young drivers with the opportunity to win the Atlantic championship in 2008. We intend to use the sharing of data and driver input from our two-car campaign to enhance our ability to achieve these results.” Interested drivers, including those with previous Atlantic experience, and/or their representatives are advised to contact Mathiasen Motorsports quickly, as the list of drivers selected to participate in the October tests will be finalized very soon. For additional information, please contact Alain Clarinval directly at (970)227-9808 or via email to: aclarinval@aeolustech.com