Make plans for Le Petit Elegance at Road Atlanta

The American Le Mans Series will play host to the 2nd annual Le Petit Elegance breast cancer charity event at Road Atlanta on Sunday, September 28. The premier sports car series will partner with the premier cancer research hospital, Emory University School of Medicine.

Le Petit Elegance will serve as the kick-off event for the famed Petit Le Mans, where the stakes are high as the winning team in each of the Series' four classes receives an automatic invitation to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. During Le Petit Elegance, teams and drivers will be participating in a final test before race week. Charity invitees will have the opportunity to talk to the drivers, tour pit lane and - if the price is right - get a ride at speed around Road Atlanta.

"Last year's Le Petit Elegance represented an exciting and new type of fundraising event for breast cancer research. When we talked with the American Le Mans drivers, team owners, and fans, we realized that everyone--regardless of age, gender or interest--is affected by breast cancer," says Dr. William C. Wood, Chairman of Emory's Department of Surgery.

"Not only does this annual event allow Emory to connect with a new audience, but thanks to the generosity of Don and Nancy Panoz and the American Le Mans Series family, every dollar raised from Le Petit Elegance 2008 will be used for breast-cancer research at Emory."

The inaugural Le Petit Elegance raised a significant amount for breast cancer research at Emory through a silent auction and generous donations. This year, attendees can look forward to live and silent auctions, a live concert by Nashville-based recording artist Coles Whalen, and up close and personal interaction with the cars and drivers.

For more information on how to donate or be involved please contact LPE@americanlemans.com

The American Le Mans Series is the premium brand of motorsport in North America, featuring high-tech, relevant sports cars from the most prestigious automobile manufacturers in the world. Its unique four classes of competition showcase exotic, open-top prototypes and sophisticated production-based GT cars, all competing on the track at the same time.

The American Le Mans Series competes at the premier road racing tracks across North America and at selected temporary street circuits in major urban markets. With a 2008 television package that includes four network broadcasts on ABC and NBC as well as seven telecasts on SPEED, plus live broadcasts across Europe, the Series delivers a global marketing platform that is unmatched in motorsports.

The Series, founded in 1999 by Georgia entrepreneur Don Panoz, represents a mirror image to the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world's most famous and authentic automobile race. The American Le Mans Series features elite marques such as Acura, Audi, Aston Martin, Porsche, Mazda Corvette, Ferrari and Panoz, and premium brands such as Michelin, Yokohama, Kumho, Lowe's, EPIC, Shell, DHL, Hyatt Hotels and many others.

The American Le Mans Series is the only motorsports body in the world that features multiple street-legal alternative energy sources - clean diesel, and E10 and E85 cellulosic ethanols.

Through partnerships with diesel fuel supplier Shell, VP Racing Fuels and EPIC (Ethanol Promotion and Information Council), the American Le Mans Series has taken the leadership role in motorsports for the furthering of alternative fuel technology and use. It also illustrates deeper the Series' relevance to its list of prestigious manufacturers and affluent consumer base.

The Department of Surgery at Emory University School of Medicine is a leader in breast cancer treatment and research. From 1975, when Emory plastic surgeons pioneered the development of the musculocutaneous flap procedure (which became the foundation for the techniques that are now the standard for reconstructive surgery of the breast) to the recent naming of faculty member Sheryl Gabram, M.D. as a 2008 Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Cancer Clinician and Scientist, the Emory Department of Surgery has distinguished itself as a leader in breast cancer treatment and research.

William C. Wood, M.D., chairman of the Department of Surgery and a breast surgeon known internationally for his outstanding contributions to cancer therapy and his influence on the design and meta-analysis of conceptually driven national clinical trials.

Dr. Wood received the 2007 Statesman Award of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the 2005 James Ewing Award of the Society of Surgical Oncology, and he has chaired the the Intergroup Committee of Cooperative Group Breast Cancer Chairs, National Cancer Institute since 1991.

He serves as Editor-in-Chief of Oncology, the field's most widely read journal, and is co-editing Surgery of the Breast: Principles and Art and Advances in Breast Cancer Management.

- Bob Dickinson-  photo ALMS