Champ Car to get major shot in arm

AutoRacing1.com has learned more about Champ Car's TV deals for 2005 and they will be a major shot in the arm for the organization and for the teams trying to land new sponsors. When it is all said and done, 2005 Champ Car races will be available to over 420 million households worldwide, which equates to 1.125 billion potential viewers, a 68% increase over previous years. In addition to the great deal in Europe where all races will be shown live on Eurosport or Eurosport 2, new deals are close to being done in China, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, India, Thailand, Korea and others in Asia. South America will have excellent coverage and a TV deal in Mexico is progressing. The Tsunami in Asia slowed the contract negotiations in that part of the world, but they should all be done in late January, early February. Hopefully Champ Car's PR department will put this news to good use once all the deals are signed. We are also assured that for 2006, TV deals will be announced and done by September……as they should always be. Bottom line – compared to where the series was one year ago (bankrupt) the news of an extensive international TV package is evidence that the series is definitely turning the corner. Mark C.