Indianapolis (March 16, 2004) – Champ Cars are among the most technologically-advanced race cars in North America, and will now be seen in 2004 in an equally-advanced television broadcast format courtesy of HDNet.
Champ Car today announced that HDNet, the first full-time high-definition cable and satellite network in the U.S., will be the exclusive home of live HDTV telecasts of the 2004 Champ Car World Series.
Beginning with the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 18, fans can catch the turbocharged racing action of the Champ Car World Series on HDNet in cutting-edge 1080i HDTV.
‘We are very pleased that HDNet has licensed the rights to air Champ Car World Series racing action,’ said Champ Car President Dick Eidswick. ‘Our fans have always been among the first to adopt new technology, so high-definition programming is a great fit for our series and our fans.’
In addition to the high-speed racing action of the Champ Car World Series, the HDNet telecasts, which will be produced by the award-winning Betelgeuse Productions, will also feature live final-round qualifying events and live coverage of the Motorock TransAm Tour at Champ Car venues.
HDNet became the first network to broadcast an auto race in high-definition format last year when it aired the Mario Andretti Grand Prix at Road America Presented by Briggs & Stratton. The network used 16 high-definition cameras and two HD mobile units to capture all the action of the race won by Bruno Junqueira.
‘HDNet is thrilled to add Champ Car racing to our network,’ said Mark Cuban, co-founder and president of HDNet.
‘Thanks to the incredible picture and sound quality, our audience will feel the excitement in every turn and experience every pit stop like they were there. Once again, HDNet is leading the television industry in applying HDTV to yet another deserving sport.’
The schedule below lists the live 2004 Champ Car World Series telecasts on HDNet (all times are Eastern and are subject to change). A complete schedule is available at www.hd.net or at www.cart.com.
Date Event Time (ET)
Sunday, April 18 Grand Prix of Long Beach 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 5 Milwaukee 9:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 20 Portland 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, July 3 Cleveland 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 11 Molson Indy Toronto 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 25 Molson Indy Vancouver 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 8 Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 15 Grand Prix of Denver 3:00 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 29 Montreal 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 12 Grand Prix of Monterey 4:00 p.m.
Learn more about Champ Car’s open-wheel racing series at www.champcarworldseries.com.
Media Contacts:
Eric Mauk, Champ Car News Manager, 317-715-4133, Emauk@cart.com
Sherry Yeaman, HDNet, 214-366-3449, smanno@hd.net