Fans Can Feel the Speed Through CART's 'Driving 101' Program
4 November 1998
Fans Can Feel the Speed Through CART's 'Driving 101' Program
LAS VEGAS, Nov. 3 -- For all the auto racing fans in the
world that have watched their favorite Champ Car driver and said, "I could do
that if I just got the chance," -- here's your chance.
At the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association show in Las Vegas
today, CART Chairman and CEO Andrew Craig and CART Licensed Products President
Robert Hollander joined with Robert J. Lutz, president and chief executive
officer of newly formed CART Driving 101, to unveil plans for the first
full-sized open wheel driving experience in the world.
"We are very pleased to be joining with Driving 101 to provide one of the
ultimate driving experiences," said Craig. "Bob Lutz has proven he can
successfully provide those who want to see what race car drivers feel and
experience on a first-hand basis."
The program is set to kick off in 1999.
"Our goal at CART Driving 101 is to offer the most professional and
technically advanced driving experience in the world," said Lutz. "We want to
bridge the gap between fantasy and reality in this once-in-a-lifetime driving
experience."
CART Driving 101 will offer auto racing enthusiasts the choice of six
on-track programs, including:
-- Champ Ride - Ride three laps with an instructor at Las Vegas Motor
Speedway.
-- Driving 101 - Three-hour program highlighted by eight laps behind the
wheel.
-- Driving 200 - Similar to Driving 101, with two eight-lap sessions on
the track.
-- Driving 300 - A sequential learning program featuring three 10-lap
sessions.
-- Driving 400 - Two-day program offering a total of 80 laps on the track.
-- M.B.A. Program - "Extra" laps sold in 5O- and 100-lap blocks.
CART Driving 101 will offer these programs at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
beginning in June 1999, with more locations being considered for future
expansion.
And while professional facilities will be one of the key elements in CART
Driving 101's success, another goal was to design a replica car that closely
matches the size, weight and data acquisition systems of an authentic Champ
Car that is raced in Championship Auto Racing Teams competition throughout the
world.
"The design and components of our cars have been specially chosen to best
simulate a real Champ Car," said Lutz. "We wanted to consider our
participants first and foremost by offering the most realistic racing
experience possible, combined with every possible safety factor."
Those two factors, along with the allure of potentially attracting new
fans to the sport, were vital in CART's decision to endorse and license
Driving 101 as the organization's official driving experience.
"We believe our fans will love this," said Hollander. "Equally important,
we believe we can reach out and touch a new audience, people who do not
regularly follow the sport. I am confident that once they experience what it
takes to be a race car driver, we will gain new fans."
Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc., a New York Stock Exchange-listed
company that completed an initial public offering on March 10,
1998, is the leading promoter of open wheel racing in the United States and
owns, operates and markets the FedEx Championship Series, which is comprised
of 19 races in five countries on four continents in 1998. Drivers such as
Michael Andretti, Bobby Rahal, Al Unser, Jr., and 1997 and 1998 champion Alex
Zanardi race 800-plus horsepower, open-wheel cars at speeds of more than
230 miles per hour on some circuits. CART also owns and sanctions the PPG
Dayton Indy Lights Championship as well as the KOOL Toyota Atlantic
Championship.
Just last weekend, CART wrapped up the 1998 FedEx Championship Series at
California Speedway in Fontana, Calif. The series, won for the
second-straight season by Italian driver Alex Zanardi, garners a yearly
worldwide television audience of nearly 1 billion viewers in 190 countries.
Driving 101 is a Las Vegas-based company, with offices at 6935 Speedway
Blvd., Las Vegas, Nev., 89115.