Ronn Bailey to Race in the First TransOrientale Rally as the Only U.S. Driver in Russia to China Off-Road Race
31/03/2008 23:24
PR Newswire
LAS VEGAS, March 31 /PRNewswire/ --
- The World's Longest Off-Road Race, from June 12th to 28th Ends at the
Great Wall of China -
Vanguard Integrity Professionals CEO, CTO and founder, Ronn Bailey, today
announced that he will be the only U.S. driver entering the first
TransOrientale Rally from St. Petersburg, Russia to Beijing, China -- more
than 10,000 km in 17 days -- June 12 to June 28, 2008.
Bailey's team will be among the 160 cars, motorcycles, four-wheelers and
trucks competing across three countries, through two continents, and over
incredibly diverse terrain. He is piloting his custom built buggy powered by
a Chevy LS7 engine and outfitted with a body composed of lightweight carbon
fiber and Kevlar materials with an aerodynamically shaped with enclosed
cockpit and gull wing doors.
An adventurer and amateur driver with only a few years of racing
experience, Bailey was making his fourth attempt to complete the Dakar Rally
2008, an equally punishing race, through Africa. On Jan. 4, 2008, the Dakar
Rally 2008 was cancelled by the organizers, Amaury Sport Organization (ASO),
due to threats of terrorist attacks by al Qaeda against the Rally and its
participants.
"It is truly exciting to be the sole U.S. car team in an extraordinary
new endurance race through forbidden territory few have been allowed to
visit, let alone drive race vehicles. And think of this, crossing sand dunes
that are more than a mile high -- now that is a challenge of epic
proportions," explains Ronn Bailey. "This is like a worldwide Olympic event,
just for off-road racing. I'm going for the podium and plan to bring a medal
home to America. From a sponsorship perspective, the visibility for the
Vanguard brand name through the gateways of two major world economies is an
extraordinary opportunity."
Vanguard Integrity Professionals, which provides enterprise security
software to 500 U.S. and foreign governments, multinational corporations and
large enterprises, is sponsoring Bailey's race team in the TransOrientale.
"I admire Ronn's courage and dynamism and believe he has an excellent
chance to finish among the top drivers," says Giles Martineau, TransOrientale
Organization Director. "Ronn has acquired significant off-road experience in
the three Dakar rallies and local U.S. races he has entered which will be
important facing the diverse terrain the competitors will encounter in
Russia, Kazakhstan and China. TransOrientale will be the greatest race
marathon event the world has ever seen and much tougher than Dakar."
The TransOrientale Course
The Russian race features five short stages through dense forests, and
fast sandy tracks with rollercoaster drops. In Kazakhstan, the four stages
traverse numerous lakes and flood zones, though mountainous and difficult to
navigate birch forests.
After one rest day before starting the seven TransOrientale stages in
China, the race will continue along the Sino-Kazakh border. This series of
stages winds through slippery undulating dunes as well as gigantic sandy
mountain dunes which reach close to 2,000 meters in height. The last legs
lead to the foot of the Great Wall, close to Beijing and the finish line on
June 28.
The TransOrientale Rally-Raid Marathon mixes competition, driving,
navigation and adventure with several innovations in all terrain rallies that
have been created to encourage greater participation. The "Relay" category
allows sharing of one vehicle between several people, with each person
driving a complete leg. The "Regularity Raid" enables drivers to participate
in parts of the marathon and is open to all vehicles. The "Discovery
Rally-Raid" enables people who simply want to drive the course on roads but
are ranked on their ability to find the correct routes and entry paths to
reach designated sites.
About Ronn Bailey
For more than three decades, Bailey has been a recognized leader in
information security technology. He has worked closely with governmental
agencies and Fortune 500 companies worldwide to solve security issues at the
highest levels. Bailey decided his first off-road race should be the 2005
Dakar. Since then, Bailey has raced in the 2005 Rallye Maroc race in Africa,
the Dakar in 2006 and 2007, and has been a first through third place finisher
in six North American and Mexican races. The TransOrientale 2008 will be his
11th race.
About Vanguard Integrity Professionals
Vanguard Integrity Professionals provides enterprise security software
and services that solve complex security and regulatory compliance challenges
for government agencies and Fortune 500 companies around the world. With
solutions for Identity Management, Assurance & Compliance, Access Management
and Intrusion Detection, Vanguard automates processes necessary to identify
and mitigate the risks customers face. Vanguard's customers receive a rapid
return on investment and are able to focus on other critical business needs
thereby becoming more productive and more secure. For more information, visit
www.go2vanguard.com.
Web site: http://www.go2vanguard.com
Andrew Lavin of A. Lavin Communications, +1-212-290-9540, alc@alavin.com, for Vanguard Integrity Professionals