LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 9, 2005) – In a hotly contested race that wasn’t decided until the last turn of the last lap, Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz proved victorious at the 29th annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race. Champion Rally and Formula Drift Team Racer Rhys Millen finished first among all drivers and won in the Pro category.
“This year’s race was exciting for the full 10 laps,” said Les Unger, national motorsports manager with Toyota Motor Sales. “There were several lead changes and a finish that was a surprise to everyone. The celebrities put on quite a show and demonstrated a fantastic competitive spirit. That’s what the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race is all about.”
General Hospital’s Ingo Rademacher, a favorite named by many of the celebrities as “the man to beat,” found himself in trouble early on in the race, hitting the wall in the first turn. He quickly got back into the race, but the lead had shifted to Mark Steines, anchor for Entertainment Tonight. Steines held on to it for one lap until he spun out and surrendered the lead to Olympic gold medal swimmer Aaron Peirsol. Peirsol fought to hang onto the overall lead as Champion Rally and Formula Drift Team Racer Rhys Millen weaved through the celebrity field to take the second position on lap four. By lap five Millen had taken the overall lead and Peirsol settled into second place (first in the Celebrity category).
In the meantime, Rademacher was coming up through the field all the way from the back of the pack, and had moved into third place. With the professional Millen firmly in the overall lead, Peirsol and Rademacher battled for first place in the celebrity category. It remained that way until the very last lap when Peirsol and Rademacher went into turn 9 side by side. Racing side-by-side, they missed their braking point, turned in too late and both ended up in the tire wall on the exit of the t
urn. This turn of events opened the door for third place Frankie Muniz to move to the lead and capture first place honors for an exciting and surprising finish.
“Racing is what I have wanted to do my whole life,” said Muniz. “This is a dream come true for me. It was a great race.”
In the professional category, Millen triumphed over 2004 Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race champion Christopher McDonald, Three-time Baja 1000 Champion racer Ryan Arciero and Sport Compact Pro Drag racer Matt Scranton.
Overall Winner:
1. Rhys Millen – 18:30.451
Celebrity Category:
1. Frankie Muniz – 18:44.117
2. Ingo Rademacher – 18:50.411
3. Aaron Peirsol – 18:54.264
4. Mark Steines – 18:57.944
5. Misty May – 19:00.791
6. Mike Sullivan – 19:14.139
7. Meat Loaf – 19:21.117
8. Amanda Beard – 19:26.035
9. Karl Malone – 19:27.185
10. Justin Berfield – -1 lap (Did Not Finish)
11. Patrick Dempsey – -1 lap (DNF)
12. Paige Hemmis – -1 lap (DNF)
Pro Category:
1. Rhys Millen – 18:30.451
2. Ryan Arciero – 18:42.996
3. Matt Scranton – 18:57.189
4. Christopher McDonald – 19:20.314
During the last 14 years, the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race has raised close to $1.2 million for “Racing for Kids,” a national fund-raising program that benefits children’s hospitals in Long Beach and Orange County.
WATCH IT! Catch the racing action on Speed Channel , May 1 at 12:30 p.m., EST.
