Newsroom

'Gold Coast: October 20 to 23’ on Champ Car Calendar

Monday, 4 April 2005

The Lexmark Indy 300 on Queensland’s Gold Coast will be the penultimate round of the Champ Car World Series in 2005, in what is shaping to be another progressive year for the acclaimed international open wheel formula.

The dates of October 20, 21, 22 and 23 have been confirmed for the Lexmark Indy 300, which has cemented its annual October date on the Australian sporting calendar and International motorsport calendar.

Ever since 1998 when the Gold Coast Event moved to October (from March / April), the crowds have increased from 226,000 to more than 309,000, while Australia’s premier motor racing category the V8 Supercar Championship Series has joined the Champ Car World Series as the headline acts.

The Lexmark Indy 300 will once again be rated as the ‘crown jewel’ in the Champ Car World Series.

The 2005 Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered By Ford currently features 14 rounds on the calendar, with the first set for Long Beach in California on April 8 to 10 and the final round scheduled for Mexico City on November 4 to 6.

Rounds will be staged on three continents and five countries as the worldwide appeal of the Champ Car World Series continues to grow. The calendar includes seven rounds in the United States, three in Canada, two in Mexico and one each in Australia and Korea.

Races will once again be staged on a mix of permanent road, temporary street and oval circuits.

“This is a schedule that really shows the international flavour of our series, and is one that we think will make our teams, sponsors and fans very happy,” said Champ Car President and CEO Dick Eidswick.

“In our last race (in 2004), drivers from seven nations were among the top eight finishers and it is diversity like that which helps broaden our appeal and makes our series attractive throughout the world. We believe that this year’s schedule will develop awareness of Champ Car even further.”

The 2005 schedule welcomes three new rounds to the Champ Car World Series. Edmonton in Canada will host its first Champ Car race on July 17. The series will also travel to Ansan, Korea for a race on October 17, the week before the Lexmark Indy 300. In addition, a race will be held in California’s Silicon Valley on July 31.

“We’re very pleased with the interest we have gotten from venues around the world and the fact that we have added three new venues speaks to the strength and attractiveness of the Champ Car product and we believe that the ones that are currently on the schedule provided Champ Car with the highest potential for long-term growth,” said Champ Car Vice-President of Development, Governmental Affairs and Planning Joe Chrnelich.

The new venues are mixed with a number of long-running events on the Champ Car calendar. Long Beach returns for its 22^nd year on the Champ Car schedule, while Cleveland will host the turbocharged Champ Cars for the 24^th time. The Milwaukee Mile will again see the Champ Cars in early June as it has for 56 of the last 57 years, while teams will battle at Portland International Raceway for the 22nd consecutive season. Toronto will celebrate its 20^th anniversary of Champ Cars and the Gold Coast will look to keep the longest streak of different race winners in the series alive for the 15^th straight year.

“As everybody saw last year, Australia is a tremendous, tremendous race destination for us,” said Chrnelich.

“We have got a strong partner promoter down there, James O'Brien and his team continue to show us they know what they are doing and the market continues to respond favourably to us in terms of their attendance and the excitement in that area. It's a great destination and one we're going to be at for a long time to come.”

Lexmark Indy 300 General Manager James O’Brien said the October date has now become a fixture on annual calendars.

“The October date is important for us for a number of reasons,” said O’Brien.

“It is the business-end of the season for the Champ Cars and V8 Supercars bringing extra focus to these championships, the weather is typically beautiful, it adds another peak period for tourism on the Gold Coast during a traditionally off-peak period, and it doesn’t normally clash with other major events in Australia.”

The Lexmark Indy 300 will be held on the Gold Coast from October 20 to 23. The Lexmark Indy 300 will be round 13 of the Champ Car World Series, while the Gillette V8 Supercar Challenge held at the Lexmark Indy 300 will be round 11 of the V8 Supercar Championship Series.

2005 CHAMP CAR WORLD SERIES – CALENDAR