IndyCar's Milka Duno Heads to Berlin for Role in Warner Bros.' 'Speed Racer' Movie |
| IndyCar Driver Milka Duno Heads to Berlin for Role in Upcoming "Speed Racer" Movie. (PRNewsFoto/CSS Stellar/GEM Group)
MILWAUKEE, WI UNITED STATES | |||
Latina IndyCar Racer Travels to Germany to Participate in Filming of Next
Summer's Blockbuster
MILWAUKEE, Aug. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Milka Duno, the first Latina to race
in the Indianapolis 500, will travel this week to Berlin where filming is
underway for the 2008 live-action movie "Speed Racer." The driver of the
#23 CITGO Honda Dallara IndyCar has been set to play the role of Gearbox in
the film, which is based on the classic anime series of the 1960s.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070809/NYTH052 )
"I am so excited about the opportunity to appear in such a large
movie," said Duno. "Luckily I am only taking part in some of the races this
year, and when Warner Bros. invited me to take part, I asked my sponsor
CITGO for their approval to change my race schedule, which they have kindly
granted. I am also grateful to the IndyCar Series for allowing us to
withdraw from the Kentucky event at the last minute."
The shoot schedule puts Duno back in the United States the following
week. To make up for lost race track time, additional testing is being
scheduled in preparation for her remaining 2007 IndyCar race schedule.
IndyCar Series VP of Marketing, Mike Ringham, said, "It is very
exciting to have one of our drivers participate in such a high-profile
movie. The timing of the movie's release next year, in May 2008, will
hopefully get even more people excited about racing just in time for the
world's biggest race, the Indianapolis 500, and we wish her well."
"Speed Racer" is a Warner Bros. Pictures presentation, in association
with Village Roadshow Pictures, of a Silver Pictures Production. The film
is being written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, creators of "The
Matrix" trilogy, and produced by Joel Silver. "Speed Racer" will follow the
adventures of the young race car driver Speed in his quest for glory in his
thundering Mach 5. For more information about "Speed Racer," visit
http://www.speedracerthemovie.com.
Milka Duno, a professional race car driver since 1999, has competed in
several racing series including Panoz GT, American Le Mans Series and Grand
American Rolex Sports Car Series. She entered the IndyCar Series in 2007
and became the first Latina to qualify and race in the Indianapolis 500.
The Venezuelan, whose looks have been described as striking, resides in
Miami and is also the first woman to win a major international sports car
race in North America. Duno is a naval engineer by trade and holds four
master's degrees, earning the last three simultaneously. She also strives
to support the importance of education to children of all ages and
ethnicity. For additional information on Milka Duno, visit
http://www.milkaduno.com.
CITGO, based in Houston, is a refiner, marketer and transporter of
transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals, refined waxes, asphalt
and other industrial products. The company has been a major sponsor of
American racing for 21 years in such series as NASCAR, Grand-Am Racing and
now the IndyCar series. CITGO is owned by PDV America, Inc., an indirect
wholly-owned subsidiary of Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil
company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. For more information on
CITGO, visit http://www.citgo.com.
SOURCE CSS Stellar/GEM Group
back to topRelated links:
Photo Notes:
NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070809/NYTH052
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
Laura Tanin, Brand Manager for Milka Duno,
+1-414-708-0226, laura@milkaduno.com
