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NEWS RELEASE

Communications and Marketing Office
600 S. Clyde Morris Blvd.
Daytona Beach, FL 32114-3900

For more information, contact:
Pam Small
Phone: 386-226-6157
Fax: 386-226-6158
Contact:

Gretchen Flint
Assistant Director, Marketing
Embry-Riddle
Phone: 386-226-6109

Chris and Elaine Larsen
Larsen Motorsports Inc.
Phone: 863-439-3686

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to Unleash a Symphony of Speed in 2009

Announces Expanded 2009 Season Schedule

Daytona Beach, Fla., Nov. 24, 2008 -- Turbine-engine tunes with an emphasis on afterburner base notes will make beautiful music as Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University unleashes a symphony of speed on North America in 2009 when the student-designed Embry-Riddle Jet Dragster hits the highways for the next racing season.

The Embry-Riddle Jet Racing Team is perfectly positioned for its biggest season ever with more than 25 major drag-racing venues already scheduled for 2009, including major events in Bradenton, Fla., Norwalk, Ohio, Atlanta, Chicago, and the EAA airshow in Oshkosh, Wis.

The Florida-based team is spending the off-season preparing its equipment and spares for the fifth full season of exhibition racing of the Embry-Riddle jet car. The Embry-Riddle Jet Dragster, driven by veteran drag-racing driver Elaine Larsen, is powered by a Pratt & Whitney J-60 engine and accelerates from zero to 60 mph in less than a second and reaches top speeds approaching 300 mph in a quarter of a mile. Larsen is one of only three women currently driving jet-powered race vehicles in the United States.

“We have the best crew, engineers, and spare parts inventory in the business, giving the Embry-Riddle team an unparalleled position in the exhibition racing industry,” said Elaine Larsen.

“We’re so proud to exhibit this bio-fueled engineering marvel to mainstream America. We’re touching people who have a passion for high-performance vehicles and the aerospace industry—but may never have heard of Embry-Riddle, the world’s leading aviation and aerospace education institution.”

The Embry-Riddle Jet Dragster, built in 2004 with the help of Embry-Riddle aerospace engineering and aviation maintenance students, is a feature attraction at key airshows and drag-racing events during the year due to its impressive 6,000 horsepower engine and more than 6,500 pounds of thrust.

An all-new jet dragster, based on the existing student-designed car, also is in the works and will debut in 2009, according to Larsen. In addition, Larsen Motorsports and Embry-Riddle will continue their “green fuel” research in 2009 by using a variety of biomass-based fuel combinations in the cars’ engines. Upon completion of the new jet dragster, the current Embry-Riddle car will be retired to become a display car and serve as a running backup after it undergoes a full disassembly, major inspection, and cosmetic cleanup.

“Big changes are coming this year for the Embry-Riddle Jet Racing Team,” said Chris Larsen, vice president of Larsen Motorsports. “Our motto this year is, ‘the students are the stars.’ As we move forward with the design and development of the new car, students will be intimately involved and hands-on more than ever before. It’s an exciting opportunity for Embry-Riddle students to get real-world, high-performance vehicle challenges in a true professional race team atmosphere, both on and off the track.”

For more information about the Embry-Riddle Jet Dragster Racing Team or to check the team’s schedule for a race in your area, go online at www.lmsjets.com

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering. The university educates more than 34,000 students annually in undergraduate and graduate programs, with accreditation pending for Embry-Riddle’s first doctoral programs, in Aviation and in Engineering Physics. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Prescott, Ariz., and Daytona Beach, Fla., through the Worldwide Campus at more than 130 campus centers in the United States, Europe, Canada, and the Middle East, and through online learning. For more information, visit www.embryriddle.edu.