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Beauty to tame the beast at Pikes Peak

Mike Ryan Motorsports selects Molly Morter to drive the No. 33 Sterling. CHICAGO (April 2, 2002) - Nineteen ninety-eight CIORA Off Road World Champion and Golin/Harris executive, Molly Morter, will be at the wheel of the No. 33 Sterling Hill Climb ...

Mike Ryan Motorsports selects Molly Morter to drive the No. 33 Sterling.

CHICAGO (April 2, 2002) - Nineteen ninety-eight CIORA Off Road World Champion and Golin/Harris executive, Molly Morter, will be at the wheel of the No. 33 Sterling Hill Climb Special for the 2002 Pikes Peak Hill Climb, the "80th Race to the Clouds." Morter will go down in the record books as the first woman in history to race a big rig up the famed mountain.

"This is an opportunity of a lifetime for me, I can't wait to get behind the wheel of that incredible machine," said Molly Morter, driver of the No. 33 Sterling Hill Climb Special. "I have always wanted to compete in the Pikes Peak race, it is every off road racers' dream. And competing behind the wheel of a big rig, well, you might as well do it right the first time."

Molly's No. 33 Sterling Hill Climb Special "Big Rig" is a 2000 Sterling AT9500 powered by a 14-liter race-version of the Detroit Diesel Series 60. The engine, built by Detroit Diesel, puts out 1000 horsepower and is geared for a top speed of 102 mph. The Sterling Hill Climb Truck was designed and built by the Freightliner and Sterling Truck Engineering and Test Center in Portland, Oregon.

Mike Ryan, driver of the No. 77 Freightliner Unlimited SuperTruck and four-time Pikes Peak Champion, views Morter's run up the mountain beneficial for the sport of super truck racing.

"Molly has the potential to take the sport of super truck racing to another level," said Ryan. "I believe she is a great competitor and a wonderful spokesperson. I am confident that Molly will do very well at Pikes Peak."

The 2002 Pikes Peak Hill Climb, "80th Race to the Clouds," will be held June 29, 2002 in Colorado Springs, Colo. The event is a unique auto and motorcycle race that combines a 12.4-mile gravel course with 130 mph plus straight-aways, 156 gravel turns, and cliffs of 2,000 feet with no guardrails. The Pikes Peak Hill Climb is the second oldest motorsports event in the United States: The Indianapolis 500 being the oldest. Morter, 26, has developed a vast knowledge of motorsports: both on the track and off. A full-time senior account executive at Golin/Harris International in Chicago, Molly's clients include Dodge Motorsports, Team Lowe's Racing, and Sirius Satellite Racing.

"My professional career in public relations has opened many doors for me as a driver," said Morter. "I am very fortunate to know what it feels like on both sides of the fence. I have to thank Mike Ryan for recognizing the potential in me and this program."

Molly's love for racing runs deep; her father and brother are both accomplished off road racers. Part of the Morter Sports Racing Team, Molly and her brother, Andy, continue to compete in the Championship Off Road Racing (CORR) Series. Morter has been racing a 1600 cc Volkswagen Single Buggy in the short course off road circuit for six years. Molly and Andy also competed in the historical Tecate Baja 2000; the 2000-mile off road race from Ensenada, Mexico to Cabo san Lucas.

-mrm-

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