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
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