RICK WEIDINGER

Rick Weidinger is in his third season as owner of A1 TEAM USA Holdings, a founding competitor in A1GP World Cup of Motorsport.

Weidinger also has been co-owner of A1 TEAM USA Holdings-sponsored cars driven in the past two Indianapolis 500s by Al Unser Jr. and Buddy Rice and was co-owner of Kelley Racing in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series in 2004, which included two cars in the Indy 500.

When A1GP came to Weidinger's attention, he immediately recognized the potential of a global racing series pitting nation against nation using cars, engines and tires with identical technology.

It was an opportunity to showcase American driving talent on a level playing field in an international arena. Weidinger acquired the franchise rights in July, 2005.

A1 TEAM USA Holdings finished ninth in the 2006-07 season, scoring 42 points in 11 events. It was a marked improvement from 16th place and 23 points in 2005-06.

"I'm very pleased with our improvement to ninth place and the more competitive performances we've had," Weidinger said. "All the pieces are in place for us to make a run at the championship in our third season and bring the A1GP World Cup Trophy home to the United States."

In addition to his auto racing interests, Weidinger has spent more than 15 years creating a legacy of technology success stories, serving as the chief architect behind the emergence, growth and success of such highly-regarded organizations as the Institutional Communications Company (ICC), MFS Communications (MFS), and Pontio Communications.

At Pontio, from which he retired in 2001, he began as a member of the Board of Directors in 1999 and became Chairman, President and CEO just two months later. In November 2000, Weidinger directed Pontio's acquisition by a Fortune 100 Company, managing the entire process. Pontio built and operated state-of-the-art fiber optic networks throughout the major cities in Texas. Prior to Pontio, Weidinger served as founding member and Vice President Corporate Development for MFS Communications and later as Vice President of Integration and Development for WorldCom, following WorldComs acquisition of MFS, in which Weidinger played a key role. He was also largely responsible for the success of MFS, which made the start-up company an appealing acquisition for WorldCom. Beginning with the company's origin in the late 1980s, Rick was responsible for planning and negotiating more than 25 transactions totaling approximately $18 billion. This includes MFS' $2 billion acquisition of UUNET Technologies, the worlds largest ISP in 1995, and the subsequent acquisition of MFS by WorldCom in a $14 billion transaction in 1996. Weidinger retired from WorldCom in March 1999.

Previously, Weidinger served as Chief Financial Officer for ICC, then considered the flagship of start-up fiber-optic communications companies. Before ICC, Weidinger was hand-selected by Union Pacific Corporation to launch a competitive communications company in 1986, which led to the investment in ICC in 1987. MFS acquired ICC in 1991.

Weidinger holds both Juris Doctor and MBA degrees from Creighton University and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Nebraska. Weidinger is married with three children and resides in Great Falls, Virginia. He presently sits on the Board of Directors of several North American corporations.