Michael Petersen, Bio Owner/Driver

born: Southern California
Current Residence: Las Vegas, Southern Calif.
Marital Status: married, Jodi
Children: son, Chandler
Helmet: chrome, orange, yellow and blue with Michael Petersen on side
Web Site: www.PetersenMotorsports.com
Unique Note: Petersen holds a hotel management and business degree from the University of Las Vegas

Major Accomplishments - Owner
Championships: Road Racing - Team Owner of ALMS Driver and IMSA Cup championships ('06), Team, Driver and IMSA Cup championships ('05) Off-Road - SCORE, SNORE and SODA
Factory Team: Chevrolet, Class 8 off-road truck, 1995-'99
Major Sports Car Wins: 9 ALMS GT2 class wins, two 24 Hours of Le Mans ('03, '04), two Petit Le Mans ('05 & '06), 24 At Daytona ('01), 12 Hours of Sebring ('05), Six Hours of The Glen ('98)

Bio Brief
Michael (Mike) Petersen began his racing career at age two, racing a kart at his family's home. His love affair with speed took him to the world of off-road competition in his 20's. The need of a new 'pre-runner'- the vehicle used to study the race course prior to off-road events- led him to the door of Dale White. Petersen Motorsports/ White Lightning Racing began operation in the late 1980s competing in off-road endurance events. The duo of Petersen and White joined to win over 50 off-road truck victories including three-consecutive overall wins at the Baja 1000 and Baja 500. Before coming to the pavement fulltime in 2000, the team had earned four SCORE, SNORE and SODA championships. Petersen himself stepped out of the off-road trucks and began racing sports cars in 1997 with GT1 class starts in Las Vegas and Laguna Seca. He met with immediate success earning a sixth-place finish at Laguna. In 1998, Petersen competed in his first 12 Hours of Sebring with a seventh-place finish in the GT3-class (now GT2). He drove his first ALMS event in 1999 taking sixth at Laguna Seca. In 2000, he drove in three ALMS events with a career-high fourth-place finish, again at Laguna Seca. He has also run in two 24 At Daytona. Today, Petersen lends his skill to Petersen Motorsports/ White Lightning Racing more often as an owner than a driver. In 2003, his team won the Road America-round of the ALMS in GT class and, working with AJR, won the GT class at the 24 Heures Du Mans in France. Proving its prowess that year, Petersen/ White Lightning finished on the podium twice (including a second at Sebring) and in the top-five two other times in the six races they started. They competed in the full 2004 ALMS season earning six podiums and four IMSA Cup trophies for the highest finishing privateer team. The highlight of the season was the GT class pole position and race victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 2005, Petersen had his greatest season as an owner earning the ALMS GT2 Team Championship and IMSA Cup Championship as well as the Driver Championship with pilots Jörg Bergmeister and Patrick Long. In all, Petersen's Porsche took five of 10 race victories, nine IMSA Cups, nine podium finishes and two pole positions (Sebring and Lime Rock). Race titles included the 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans. The team also earned a second-place in its third 24 Hours of Le Mans. The team returned for a fourth full season of ALMS competition in 2006 with a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR in GT2 class. They won three races (Lime Rock, Road America and Petit Le Mans) earned three pole positions and captured a second consecutive GT2 Driver Championship and IMSA Cup Championship. They finished second in the Team Championship. While regularly acting as a test and development driver for the program, Petersen had not taken a green flag in several years. He stepped back into the cockpit in competition at the 2007 Euromilhões Dakar in January returning to the world of off-road. In what is widely considered the world's most difficult motorsports event it is almost unheard of for first year, privateer team to finish the race. However, not only did the team finish in its debut, Michael Petersen drove in the two wheel-drive class with co-driver Matthew Stevenson (Ipswich, England) to 23rd-place overall finish, fifth in the class and as the third-highest finishing American. The team will return for a second effort in 2008.

Away from the Track
Growing-up in Las Vegas, Petersen began working in casinos at age 18. He had worked in nearly every facet of the business until, late 2005, he and his family sold the Westward Ho Casino/ Las Vegas. Petersen continues to run MMPIE, an investment and real estate company developing properties in Southern California and Nevada. Petersen enjoys doing any athletic activity including skiing, boating, surfing and physical training. An avid car enthusiast, Petersen owns several high-performance cars. Petersen lives and works in both Las Vegas and Southern California. He is extremely close to his son, Chandler, bringing him to the track as often as possible. He and his new wife, Jodi, were married in February.