Cart Champ Car World Series Announces Fifteen Confirmed Venues For 2004

[RaceTime]

CART CHAMP CAR WORLD SERIES ANNOUNCES A SLATE OF FIFTEEN CONFIRMED VENUES FOR 2004 SEASON INCLUDING THE SERIES FIRST-EVER VISIT TO LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY


MIAMI (September 28, 2003) - The 2004 Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car
World Series Powered by Ford season will feature another year of providing
one of the most challenging tests in all of motorsports, as its drivers will
continue the tradition of having to master every discipline of racing.
Challenging street courses, fabled road venues, short ovals and
superspeedway slugfests await the drivers of the Champ Car World Series in
2004 as the series today released a list of confirmed venues for the
upcoming season.


The 15 confirmed dates include 14 traditional Champ Car venues as the series
continues to build on the support that has seen the CART Champ Car World
Series draw over 2.3 million fans for each of the last 11 seasons. The
traditional list will be augmented by an exciting new addition in 2004 as
the 750hp Champ Cars will take to the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway oval
for the first time next season. In addition, there are six other venues that
are also under consideration for spots on next year's schedule.


"The addition of such a strong market such as Las Vegas, where our
television numbers have always been well above average, gives us even more
reason to be excited about the upcoming campaign," said CART President and
CEO Christopher R. Pook. "We are confident that 2004 will provide our fans,
sponsors, teams and drivers with a series that they can be proud of and that
delivers maximum value across the board."


The confirmed dates will see the series race in four different countries,
including three stops in Canada, two in Mexico along with the annual sojourn
to Surfers Paradise in Australia. Oval races will take place at California
Speedway and the Milwaukee Mile along with Las Vegas, while road and street
circuits in Cleveland, Denver, Long Beach, Miami, St. Petersburg and Elkhart
Lake will test the drivers.


Recent Champ Car venues such as Brands Hatch, EuroSpeedway Lausitz, Mazda
Raceway Laguna Seca, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and Portland International
Raceway are under consideration to join the 2004 schedule, as is a new track
in East Asia. The complete event and television schedule will be announced
in the very near future. The list of 15 confirmed venues signifies races
that will be run in 2004, although specific dates continue to be coordinated
with Champ Car television partners.


Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc. (NYSE: MPH) owns, operates and markets
the 2003 Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford.
Veteran racing teams such as Newman/Haas Racing, Player's/Forsythe Racing,
Team Rahal, Patrick Racing and Walker Racing will compete with many new
teams this year in pursuit of the Vanderbilt Cup. CART Champ Cars are
thoroughbred racing machines that reach speeds in excess of 200 miles per
hour, showcasing the technical expertise of manufacturers such as Ford Motor
Company, Lola Cars, Reynard Motorsport and Bridgestone/Firestone North
American Tire, LLC. The 19-race 2003 Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car
World Series Powered by Ford will be broadcast by television partners CBS
and SPEED Channel. CART also owns and operates its top development series,
the Toyota Atlantic Championship. Learn more about CART'S open-wheel racing
series at www.champcarworldseries.com.


CONFIRMED VENUES FOR 2004


California Speedway - Fontana, California - Superspeedway
Burke Lakefront Airport - Cleveland, Ohio - Temporary road course
Denver, Colorado - Street course
Las Vegas Motor Speedway - Las Vegas, Nevada - Oval
Long Beach, California - Street course
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez - Mexico City, Mexico - Permanent road course
Miami, Florida - Street course
The Milwaukee Mile - Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Short oval
Fundidora Park - Monterrey, Mexico - Temporary road course
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve - Montreal, Canada - Permanent road course
Road America - Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin - Permanent road course
St. Petersburg, Florida - Street course
Surfers Paradise, Australia - Street course
Toronto, Canada - Street course
Vancouver, Canada - Street course


DATES TO BE CONFIRMED


Brands Hatch, England
East Asia
EuroSpeedway Lausitz
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
Portland International Racewayb

[RaceTime]

From the series calendar announced in Australia last week, the date for Surfers can be pencilled in:

11 Oct 21-24 Surfers Paradise Indy 300

[macdaddy]

Two-thumbs-up for adding Vegas!

I was kinda expecting Chicago to appear on the list, as I'm somewhat surprised that no new street venues have been added.

I'm reasonably happy with this schedule, all things considered. Sad to lose (up to) four of our road courses, and I've always loved the German track. But I guess I can understand why venues such as Miami and Denver are remaining. (Title sponsors!)

And the presence of "East Asia" on the list seems to confirm S.Korea as a possibility, something which (up until now) I hadn't given much credence.

At least now sponsors have an idea of what their money will buy them next year, and perhaps more of them will begin comitting!

[Jay]

Help me out here....what's the oval in Las Vegas all about?

[macdaddy]

LVMS is a 1.5-mile trioval. 12-degree banking in all turns, 3-degree banking on the backstretch and 9-degree banking on the front stretch.

http://www.lvms.com/track_info/

[Flatspot]

The schedule looks pretty good but I certainly hope Laguna Seca, and/or Mid-Ohio and/or Portland gets back on the schedule.

Vegas is very smart. Great new facility that is in an excellent market and will add back some of the diversity to the series as the ovals have slowly disappeared. Although ovals aren't my favorite I think it's important to the series.

Also, I see this as a big step in C^RT's determining its own destiny and wound healing. Las Vegas is owned by Speedway Motorsports Inc. who also owns Texas Motor Speedway (remember the lawsuits). IMO this is a demonstration that the track owners have a new faith in C^RT and are willing to work with both C^RT and the IRL as opposed to shutting one or the other out of their facilities.

Best yet its only 400 miles from my home.

[Snrub]

I'm quiet happy they have got some ovals on the schedule. I'm surprised they're carrying on in so much the Pook tradition! Sounds like they're willing to keep CART going as it has been rather than to water it down to keep it afloat. I'd feel a lot better if Laguna and Portland were confirmed.

I thought Portland had decent attendance and a city that was commited to keeping it there?

[macdaddy]

Thanks for pointing out the LV-SMI connection, Flatspot!

[gttouring]

Laguna Seca MUST be on the schedule-
Brands hatch full circuit would be terrific i hopethey get it, and Lausitz- it is becoming legend i think

[rustyfan]

About TIME they added Vegas - should be a great race

[rdjones]

As for Brands Hatch it appears to the be weekend of 1/2/3 May as the Britsh Touring Car Championship is there that weekend and the calander says it will be supporting Cart again.

[Omega99]

Originally posted by Snrub
I'd feel a lot better if Laguna and Portland were confirmed.

I agree 100%, and add Mid-Ohio to that list. I'd be very sad to lose any of those tracks with so much history. CART needs American Road courses, and they might as well have the best.

[codename_47]

IF (and I'm guessing it's a big if) Champ Cars return to Brands Hatch, PLEASE make it the full Grand Prix track, if it's going to be the Indy course once again, don't bother....all that way for a parade won't be in ANYONE's interests....

Does anyone know about the likelyhood of the TBC races actually making it on the calender, or are they just optional extras?? (Please Laguna...PLEASE!!)

Still though, overall, good news....it could've been a lot....lot worse!

[The Snout]

There's reports elsewhere that if the Germans can find a sponsor to pay for CART to come over then we'll be going. CART shouldn't go unless someone is paying them to go, that's what happens in Surfers.

Las Vegas is a complete surprise and a big bonus. They were saying that Milwaukee was going to be the only oval, yet Fontana stays and we get a big time event in Vegas, great news. Also signals there's no hard feelings between CART and SMI, CART has a big opportunity in Vegas, lets make it work.

[Liz]

Not bad, if they add Brands back in! I am going to Vegas (I have always wanted to go anyway) even though I don't like ovals.

[camcartfan]

Didn't CART just announce a multi-year extension at Laguna Seca?

[Flatspot]

According to this, yes, Laguna Seca Announcement

I think there is much pressure from the track to put the race back to Sept./Oct. I suspect it will come back on when they get the balance of the dates worked out.

[The Snout]

Originally posted by Flatspot
According to this, yes, Laguna Seca Announcement

I think there is much pressure from the track to put the race back to Sept./Oct. I suspect it will come back on when they get the balance of the dates worked out.

I suspect that too. Once the dates settle and they can find a Sept spot for it it will be confirmed.

[racefanatic]

YES!!! Fontana has another year!!!

[Dov]

Originally posted by me
Gentilozzi is meeting with the International Speedway Corporation this week about California Speedway, which now hosts an IRL race that is part of the NASCAR season ticket package. CART's finale in November is not.

This quote comes from the thread I posted called "Miller talks about OWRS/CART's future. It's a good read....gives a little info on OWRS plans for CART in the near future.

[indycool]

No dates announced, although the St. Pete, Long Beach and Road America websites list dates and posters here have added dates for Surfers and Brand's Hatch. No television announced.

It's nice to be excited about a list of "confirmed" venues but it's a far cry from a schedule. Remember this year's Road America fiasco.

Las Vegas could be a good venue but Heitzler couldn't work it out and the IRL hasn't been able to work it out, either.

And I think the "casino mentality" there would be adverse to the idea of a group coming to town with sportsbook.com, who some (including an assistant U.S. attorney in a Forrest Bond piece) allege to be an illegal offshore gambling operation, under its arm and plastered on the side of one of its race cars into a townful of casinos in direct competition with it.

[DNQ]

Hey, that's a damn cool calendar atm, as long as they can find somewhere to squeeze Laguna Seca on to it, and hopefully Mid-Ohio as well.

Either way, it could have been a lot worse. It's good

And we have another oval, which is great news, definantly. I'd like to see Lausitz on there as well, so there'd be four ovals - the perfect amount IMO.

[BootsOntheSide]

I think mroe like 6 ovals would be ideal, btu it's not going to happen. 4 is enough considering that there's anotehr series teh ovallovers can race in and watch.

If we lose Laguna Seca, Mid-Ohio and the European vist, I won't be 100% happy, but only Laguna is truly essential. 16/18 races is a more realistic amount consdiering that costs are rising, and ideally need to be as low as possible to attract new teams.

[indycool]

More on Las Vegas:

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/st...515681074.html

[sgw2]

Laguna Seca it seems has no real contract. Like Portland, it the contract extension was "verbal" not written.

This sucks double for me, since this is a great venue and my local track.

FYI: from various web sources I gleaned the following "fixed" dates.

February 20-22 St. Petersburg (Tickets on Sale)
April 16-18 Long Beach (Tickets on Sale)
June 4-6 Milwaukee Mile
October 21-24 Surfers Paradise