Help Promote AAMDS Awareness at the Racetrack

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We are thrilled to announce that an AAMDS awareness campaign will be coming to professional motorsports!! We are a Grand American Porsche race team that race in the Koni Challenge Series, Nascar's dedicated road racing series. Our next race will be at Limerock Park in Lakeville CT on Monday May 26th at 9:45am. This race will be televised on a tape delay broadcast on SpeedTV, Saturday May 31st. AAMDS logos will be displayed on the car and additioanl information regarding the event and future fund raising efforts will be available via the team's web site.

To find out more about our team and series visit our website at http://www.BGBMotorsports.com. Information about the Koni Challenge Series is available at http://www.Grand-am.com/koni.

For information on joining the fundraising/awareness efforts you may call AAMDS at 301-279-7202

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Contacts

Sandra Walter-Steinberg, AA&MDSIF

walter@aamds.org o/301.279.7202 x104 c/202.550.7692

Judi Wilkinson, BGB Motorsports

jwilkinson@teambgb.com



BGB Motorsports Inspired to Fast Track Awareness for Aplastic Anemia & MDS at Lime Rock Park Memorial Day Weekend



Lakeville, CT, May 22, 2008 – BGB Motorsports #83 PerformanceDrink.com Porsche 997 piloted by Craig Stanton will be raising awareness about little known, life-threatening bone marrow failure diseases this weekend as it sports the 25th Anniversary logo of the Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation (AA&MDSIF). The team’s involvement is personal – Judi Wilkinson, the team’s office manager, whose husband Garry and son Danny both work for BGB Motorsports, was diagnosed and treated for aplastic anemia five years ago. Hers is the story of a survivor turned driven advocate.

Knowing that thousands of people were watching the team’s #83 car win at Daytona earlier this year, Judi decided that if she could put the AA&MDSIF logo on the car it would mean thousands of people learning about a disease too few have ever heard of. From her own experience when she was diagnosed with aplastic anemia in 2003, Judi knows how difficult it is to explain to family and friends that you have a disease of which they’ve never heard.

Wilkinson explains, “When I was diagnosed in 2003 I was the healthiest I’d ever been in my life; I didn’t look sick. One day I lost my breath just walking to the mailbox, found bruises on my body without explanation, and saw signs that I was bleeding internally. Within days, I was treated by experts at the National Institutes of Health in Rockville, MD who weren’t sure I’d make it. A month later I came home to my husband and children looking well again. To my family and friends, I’m the same old Judi – but this experience has changed me. I want to use the second chance I’ve been given to make sure more people know how important it is for patients and families to immediately turn for answers, support and hope to the Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation.”

“A recent survey taken by AA&MDSIF indicated that more than half of patients diagnosed with aplastic anemia, MDS or another bone marrow failure disease PNH had not heard of their specific disease, let alone bone marrow failure diseases, before their diagnosis,” says AA&MDSIF Executive Director John Huber. “Bringing these little known but increasingly diagnosed diseases to the public’s attention is a valuable service, and we thank BGB Motorsports for helping us reach thousands of racing fans in this exciting way. The Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation logo on car #83 has special meaning as AA&MDSIF celebrates the 25th anniversary of its founding in 1983. Today we know there are people alive thanks to our work providing patient support and education, and funding medical research.”

John Tecce, Principal and Director of BGB Motorsports adds, “BGB Motorsports has been inspired by Judi to drive up awareness with race fans about the Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation and bone marrow failure diseases. Among those watching the race at Lime Rock and on SPEED TV here are sure to be people whose lives will be changed from having seen the AA&MDSIF logo and website on our cars. We are proud that the awareness building partnership between AA&MDSIF and BGB Motorsports will continue throughout the 2008 Grand-Am KONI Challenge season.”



The Grand-Am Series comes to Lime Rock Park this Memorial Day weekend, May 23-26, to kick off Lime Rock Park’s 2008 season. The Grand-Am GT Classic will feature the Rolex GT cars, KONI Challenge ST and GS classes, the SCCA Speed World Challenge and the Mazda Invitational (Skip Barber Racing Series).

BGB Motorsports is an ambitious, professional motorsports business. In 2006 the team won the 6 hour VIR finale, securing the manufacturers trophy for Porsche Cars North America. During 2007 BGB Motorsports finished 3rd in the 2007 Koni Challenge Team Championship. The #38 Porsche finished in the top-10 seven consecutive times in seven attempts and visited the podium during all 3 final races in 2007. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, the team operates as a customer oriented business, running cars under the Grand American Road Racing, SCCA and Porsche Club of America sanctioning bodies.


Founded in 1983, the Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation, Inc. is dedicated to serving as a resource for patient assistance, advocacy, and support. AA&MDSIF provides patients and their families with the latest medical information and funds research to find cures for aplastic anemia, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), and other bone marrow failure diseases. Educational publications are free to patients and families, the media and the general public at
www.AAMDS.org or by calling the Foundation at 800/747-2820.

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After finishing first in the timed practice, BGB Motorsports car #83, featuring an AA&MDSIF logo, finished fourth at Lime Rock and is in a tie for first place in both Driver and Team points in the Koni Challenge Series. BGB car #38 finished sixth at Lime Rock.



Best of all, Judi Wilkinson reported to the AA&MDSIF that a woman with MDS who lives in the Lime Rock area and received the AA&MDSIF’s press release on the event, tracked down the team at their race hotel to say she wanted to meet Judi. Judi says, "To know that we are reaching people through our awareness campaign and connecting them through AA&MDSIF means this is worth our effort."

More information is available in the AA&MDSIF June 2008 eBulletin.

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Our next racing event continuing our awareness campaign for AA&MDS Foundation will be July 3rd thru the 5th at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Watkins Glen, NY.
We will then continue on to BarberMotorsports Park Birmingham, Alabama July 16th thru the 20th.

You may see our complete scheduele at www.grand-am.com and view all of our pictures at www.Bgbmotorsports.com .

Anyone interested in coordinating a fundraising event or getting more info may contact BGBMotorsports at 386-672-3336 or email me at Jwilkinson@teambgb.com. You may also contact AA&MDS directly to get more information.

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Just wanted to share with all that we won the race at Watkins Glen with our AA&MDS Awareness Banners on the front fenders. An Awesome sight to see in Victory Lane:

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BGB Motorsports will be having a busy month of August racing with the AA & MDS awareness campaign running on the front fenders of both the #83 Lime green and #38 Orange Porsches in the Koni Challenge Series. August 9th&10th will be at Iowa Speedway on Rusty Wallace Dr. August 14th thru the 17th will be a the Grand Prix de Trois Rivieres Quebec and then finally moving east to New Jersey at Thunderbolt Raceway August 27th thru Aug 31st. Hope you all are following our progress in our chase for a championship and supporting our cause.

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Just wanted to keep you all up to date on our progress in our run for the championship (This all means more press,airtime and pictures for the AA&MDS campaign) We finished 2nd in Iowa (on the podium), Trois Rivieres Canada, we finished 4th and 6th. The very first race held at Thunderbolt Raceway in Millville, New Jersey was a WIN!!! Two more to go..the next will be MillerMotorsports Park, Utah on 9/21 and then we finish with a 6 hour race at Virginia International raceway on Oct 4/5th. As always, you can see all the pictures at WWW.Teambgb.com and press release at www.Grand-am.com. The New Jersey race will air on SpeedTV on Sunday 9/7@2:00pm.

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Unfortunately the TV coverage of our New Jersey Motorsports Park win on Sept 7 @ 2pm was bumped due to Tropical Storm Hannah and the Nascar Race. It is reschedueled for 3am (yes a.m.) on Sept 13th. Set your Tivos!!

We will be racing at Miller Motorsports Park Salt Lake City Utah on Sept 21st at 11:00am which is scheduled to be televised on SpeedTV on Sept 27th at 3:00pm and then again the 28th at 3:00am.

We thank you for all the support and hope you are continuing to cheer us on in our bid for the championship which will be decided at Virginia International Raceway in a 6 hour event on October 5th at 11:00am.