January 1, 2008 - Enfield, CT - Al Hanna, President of Hanna Motorsports, one of the nations premier jet car exhibition teams, proudly announces the choice of veteran professional race car driver Jill Canuso, of Vineland, NJ, as the new driver for the very popular BIC Lighter "Queen of Diamonds" 300 MPH Jet Dragster for 2008.

"Over the past two months, we were inundated with more then 80 applications from across the nation representing a tremendous cross-section of the terrific young women in the sport of drag racing, all wanting to work with Hanna Motorsports. All had great credentials, great family support, much experience and a goal to succeed in our sport." stated Hanna. "The fact that so many had a similar background and similar credentials actually made it much more difficult then we had anticipated."

"Upon receipt of Jill Canuso’s application, her credentials were quite different then the rest." Rich Hanna said. "First, she has raced professionally for many years and in many categories. That meant she was familiar with the travel, the issues of being a pro on the road, the media, the risks, the financial pressures and so forth. Also, she is based within our region, which allows us to work closely through training, with our difficult travel schedule, and on sponsorship programs as well. It’s a win-win for all of us."

Jill’s passion for motorsports was first sparked while watching her father compete at North East drag strips. She became a permanent fixture in his garage by age three, retrieving wrenches, cleaning parts and bringing cups of coffee. His dedication, passion and impressive trophy shelf left a lasting impression on young Jill, forming her into the competitive, winning professional that she is today. She started riding motorcycles at five years old and collecting her own trophies won from many Track, District, State, Regional and National Championships. Jill’s background includes racing Motorcycles, driving Midgets and Professional Monster Truck racing. Very impressive.

Jill herself is very excited. "I race to win. Hanna Motorsports is a winning team that I am fortunate to be a part of." Jill has a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design and currently leads the Sales & Marketing team at M&R Products, a manufacturer of Driver Safety Equipment and Tie-Downs in Vineland, NJ.

"We now move to the training phase of this new program and plan to debut the new BIC Lighter 'Queen of Diamonds' driver at the 'Super Chevy Show' in Memphis, TN April 18-19, 2008." stated Hanna. "We look forward to a great future with Jill as part of our team."

Hanna Motorsports fields a three-car team of professional jet exhibition cars including the "Top Secret" Firebird, driven by Ken Hall, and the "First Strike" Firebird driven by Rich Hanna. For the past decade, these three machines have performed a 75-90 event schedule each year and 2008 will be no different.

For more information or bookings for the Hanna Motorsports' cars and drivers, contact Hanna Motorsports, Enfield, CT, Nichols and Associates, Rockford, IL – 815-877-8041, or visit the hannamotorsports.com website.