Ronn Bailey to Compete in the OPIC 2000 Tunisia Rally 2008 as the Only U.S. Race Car Participant

23/04/2008 21:20

PR Newswire

LAS VEGAS, April 23 /PRNewswire/ --

- The Longest African Road Rally This Year -

Vanguard Integrity Professionals CEO & CTO Ronn Bailey announced today that he will be the sole U.S. participant entering this year's most challenging African road rally, the FIA OPIC 2000 Tunisia Rally 2008. The nine day race, which extends over three countries and 4,123 km of terrain, is the first step of the Rally World Cup. The 2008 Tunisian race starts in Marseilles, France on April 23rd, runs through Libya and Tunisia and finishes in the city of Djerba, Tunisia on May 3rd.

Bailey and his co-pilot Sebastien Delaunay will drive a Nissan Patrol. As the sole American race car driver, he will join 97 motorbikes and quads, along with 90 other cars, 11 trucks and 110 support vehicles, in the largest African rally of 2008. "We've been planning the Tunisia Rally for some time now but didn't announce our participation until today for security reasons," Bailey explains. "Doing the Tunisia Rally was always a given for me -- part of an even bigger plan." Vanguard Integrity Professionals, which provides enterprise security software to 500 U.S. and foreign governments, multinational corporations and large enterprises, is sponsoring Bailey's race team in the rally.

Bailey is commandeering one of 14 teams that will fight for victory in the highly challenging "Regularity Rally" competition. The object for each team is to score points by completing timed sections and overcoming difficult navigational challenges. Sections of the course are only for the Regularity class competitors and are intentionally more difficult to navigate.

Bailey will be at somewhat of a disadvantage competing in the Regularity Rally for the first time, going against 13 other professional teams that frequently compete in this type of event. "All of my previous races in Dakar and Morocco have been in the unlimited open class, which requires driving as fast and hard as possible," Bailey explains. "The Regularity class is a race of strategy and skill, requiring flawless navigation and consistency. I chose to participate in this class to become more skilled in navigation and race strategy which will improve my chances to win the longer and even more difficult TransOrientale Rally in June and the Dakar 2009 in South America."

In total, the rally's caravan represents nearly 1,000 people and
350 vehicles. NPO has more than 160 people monitoring the race course, including French, Tunisian, and Libyan rescuers, policemen, and armed forces. Security is overseen by 18 doctors, three helicopters, two planes, four "tango" vehicles, two "friends" rescuers on motorbikes and a medical post. Each competitor will have a satellite system that reports their position at every moment, as well as an anti-collision plan and a direct telephonic link with the PC Course.

Bailey concludes, "I've been told the deserts in Libya have cathedral dunes that are the most beautiful in the world. This is particularly exciting since this will be the first time in 27 years the race will enter into Libya. I'm really looking forward to experiencing the Tunisia and Libya terrains. It's a blessing to be able to do it my way -- living adventure. Camping out and sleeping on the desert floor will make it an even more enjoyable experience."

About the OPIC 2000 Tunisia Rally 2008 Course
The race begins with a quick special section through the streets of Marseilles, France on the evening of April 23rd. The 91 cars, trucks and motorcycles participating will cross the Mediterranean sea by boat, and spend the next days racing on some of the most treacherous and beautiful deserts in Libya and Tunisia. The race will consist of nine sections through two frontier countries: Libya and Tunisia. For the first time in 27 years, the Rally enters Libya for a four-section loop, with some breathtaking, barren landscapes and the famous cathedral dunes. More information can be found at http://www.npo.fr/en/

About Ronn Bailey
For more than three decades, Bailey has been a recognized leader in information security technology. He has worked closely with governmental agencies and Fortune 500 companies worldwide to solve security issues at the highest levels. Bailey decided his first off-road race should be the 2005 Dakar. Since then, Bailey has raced in the 2005 Rally Maroc race in Africa, the Dakar in 2006 and 2007, and has been a first through third place finisher in six North American and Mexican races. The Tunisia Rally will be his 11th race. To track Ronn's progress during the race and obtain more information go to http://www.wheresronn.com.

About Vanguard Integrity Professionals
Vanguard Integrity Professionals provides enterprise security software and services that solve complex security and regulatory compliance challenges for government agencies and Fortune 500 companies around the world. With solutions for Identity Management, Assurance & Compliance, Access Management and Intrusion Detection, Vanguard automates processes necessary to identify and mitigate the risks customers face. Vanguard's customers receive a rapid return on investment and are able to focus on other critical business needs thereby becoming more productive and more secure. For more information, visit http://www.go2vanguard.com.

Web site: http://www.go2vanguard.com
http://www.wheresronn.com
http://www.npo.fr/en

Andrew Lavin of A. Lavin Communications, +1-212-290-9540, alc@alavin.com, for Ronn Bailey Motor Sports