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 MIAMI,
Fla. (March 5, 2002) – Setting the stage for the first super
weekend of road racing in one of North America’s premier
international cities, officials from Championship Auto Racing
Teams, Inc. (CART) the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) and
Raceworks, LLC jointly announced today that the previously
announced Grand Prix of the Americas will be run on Oct. 4 – 6
on an all-new circuit through the streets of downtown Miami.
The Grand Prix of
the Americas is being packaged and promoted as a rare,
“dual-headline” event, with the ALMS occupying center stage on
Saturday and the CART FedEx Championship Series taking the
spotlight on Sunday. With the CART FedEx Championship Series
joining the American Le Mans Series, the Grand Prix of the
Americas will now feature the two premier road racing series
in North America. The added presence of the Trans-Am Series
for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup and the possible addition of
other racing series will make the Grand Prix of the Americas
one of the foremost motorsports weekends on the entire 2002
racing calendar.
Click on rectangles to see enlargement
The Grand Prix of
the Americas was originally scheduled for April 5 – 7, but
race organizers and the respective motor racing series agreed
to move the event in order to accommodate the FedEx
Championship Series schedule.
Sports car racing and Miami have a long history together.
Among the drivers who have won sports car events in Miami are
Juan Manuel Fangio II, Tom Kendall, Al Holbert, PJ Jones,
Derek Bell, and Paul Gentilozzi. Also - in conjunction with
the 1994 IMSA event on the streets of downtown Miami - 1999
CART FedEx Championship Series champion Juan Pablo Montoya
emerged victorious from the Barber Saab Pro Series support
event.
CART also has a long history of racing in the Miami area,
having staged events at Tamiami Park from 1985-88, a race on
the streets of downtown Miami in 1995, and annual events at
nearby Homestead-Miami Speedway from the 1996 through 2000
CART FedEx Championship Series seasons. Drivers who have
emerged victorious from previous events in South Florida
include CART FedEx Championship Series champions Danny
Sullivan, Al Unser Jr., Michael Andretti, Jacques Villeneuve,
and Jimmy Vasser.
“One of the most successful events in CART history was the
lone race on the streets of downtown Miami in 1995,” said CART
President and CEO, Christopher R. Pook. “The event was
promoted fabulously and the fans came out in droves. CART has
a tremendous fan base in Miami, and these fans have been
asking us to come back to South Florida constantly since we
last raced there two years ago. It is for precisely these
reasons that we worked very hard to return to Miami this
season. We are also extremely grateful to our friends at ALMS
for moving their race date and allowing us to become a part of
the race weekend in October. This event is sure to be one of
the most anticipated of the season, and I firmly believe it
will be successful in 2002 and for many years to come.”
“This is a historic day for both the motorsports industry and
the city of Miami,” said Raceworks President Peter Yanowitch.
“We're all very excited to bring North America's two premier
road racing series, CART and ALMS, together for one mega
weekend of racing. The fans of South Florida will be in for a
unique weekend featuring tremendous motorsports competition on
the track, as well as some exciting entertainment elements as
well."
The expanded Grand Prix of the Americas racing line-up is the
first in history to pair the top open-wheel category of racing
with the premier sports car championship on the same weekend.
Although the annual FedEx Championship Series title is
contested on a variety of oval and permanent and temporary
road courses, CART Champ Car racing has been the motorsports
leader in open-wheel road racing for more than two decades.
The ALMS series, sanctioned by the International Motor Sports
Association (IMSA), has emerged over the last several years as
the leader in North American sports car competition, featuring
many of the same teams and drivers that compete in the annual
24 Hours of Le Mans classic run each year in France.
“Miami is the perfect city for this historic first pairing of
CART and the American Le Mans Series,” said Scott Atherton,
President and COO of the Panoz Motor Sports Group. "The return
of racing to the streets of Miami has generated a large
international buzz since the time it was announced, and
today's announcement will only bring this event even more into
the motorsports forefront.”
While the weekend will mark the first time that CART and the
ALMS have raced together, the Trans-Am Series has participated
in many successful CART FedEx Championship Series race
weekends for several years. Now entering its 37th year of
competition, the Trans-Am Series has a loyal following and the
Trans-Am event in Miami figures to provide another highlight
to the weekend.
The American Le Mans Series is a series of sports car
endurance races based on the world-famous 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The series will hold 10 events at premier permanent road
racing facilities and key major market temporary circuits in
North America during the 2002 season, with all televised live
by either CBS, NBC Sports or the SPEED Channel. The series is
heavily supported by auto manufacturers such as Audi, General
Motors (Cadillac and Corvette), Saleen, Panoz and Porsche,
with participation by Ascari, Dodge, Ferrari, Mazda and
others.
The Trans-Am Series, sanctioned by Englewood, Colorado-based
Sports Car Club of America Pro Racing, is the longest-running
road racing series in North America, entering its 37th year of
competition in 2002. Defending and three-time series champion
Paul Gentilozzi will be looking to claim his fourth title
against a strong field of rivals including Johnny Miller,
Brian Simo, Tommy Archer and Rookie of the Year Justin Bell.
Three of the Trans-Am’s mid-season events will be televised
nationally by CBS Sports, while the others will be carried by
SPEED Channel on either a live or tape-delayed basis. All
Trans-Am drivers compete for the prestigious BFGoodrich Tires
Cup, emblematic of the series title.
CART
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Martin Basso
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