V8 Supercars Series Coming to Austin, TX

[[ChaosweaveR]]

So...road trip to Texas when the event comes?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

V8 Supercars Agrees to Five-Year Deal With Austin’s

Circuit of The Americas™ to Host Championship;

SPEED™ to Broadcast Races

Australia’s Most Popular Motorsports Series Makes Its First U.S. Home in

Austin, Texas

AUSTIN, Texas – June 30, 2011 – V8 Supercars and Circuit of The Americas, along with Texas

Governor Rick Perry and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh, announced today a five-year agreement

to bring the famous Australian V8 Supercar series to the new Circuit of The Americas beginning in

2013.

“While Texas has established itself as the nation’s place for business, it’s quickly becoming the

nation’s place for big sporting events, as well,” said Governor Rick Perry. “V8 Supercars now joins

Formula One, MotoGP, NASCAR, the NFL, NBA, NCAA and USTA, among the many that have

chosen Texas to host major events in the last few years. This is more good news for the Lone Star

State, and will provide a significant boost to the economy of Central Texas.”

“The addition of V8 Supercars into our lineup at Circuit of The Americas will add to what we

already know will be a rich and exhilarating fan experience,” said Steve Sexton, President of Circuit

of The Americas. “We’re thrilled the racing world is so excited about our facility. Austin is poised to

become the premiere North American destination for international motorsports. In addition to

hosting the 4 wheel and 2 wheel world championships, the United States will now enjoy the world’s

best touring car series here in Austin.”

V8 Supercars is among the fastest growing motorsports in the world. The Fédération Internationale

de l'Automobile (FIA) recently sanctioned it as an international series. The series is enormously

popular in Australia and New Zealand and will be making its first entrance into North America at

Circuit of The Americas.

V8 Supercars joins the already existing 10-year agreements Circuit of The Americas has to host the

Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™ beginning in 2012 and MotoGP World Championship™

beginning in 2013. This first purpose-built Grand Prix facility in the United States is currently under

construction in Austin, Texas.

Additionally, SPEED™ will televise the two 200-km (124-mile) races live and in full throughout

North and South America.

“I can’t describe how excited we are to bring the V8 Supercars race to such a spectacular facility.

With Formula 1 racing, MotoGP and now V8 Supercars, it’s obvious Circuit of The Americas will

be a top-notch destination that houses the best racing on earth, and we are thrilled to be a part of

it,” said Tony Cochrane, Chairman of V8 Supercars.

“We have expanded V8 Supercars’ geographical influence over the past few years with plans to stage

up to six races each year to complement our existing events in Australia, New Zealand and the

Middle East,” added Cochrane. “Our entrance into the United States marks a new day for the series

and we’re excited for Americans to experience what has made V8 Supercars so popular in many

places around the world.”

Formerly the Australian Touring Car Championship, the current series was devised in 1993 and

branded as “V8 Supercars” in 1997. The cars are based on modified versions of Australia’s two most

popular – and most rivaled – passenger cars, the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore.

V8 Supercars continues as one of Australia’s largest sports both in attendance and

television viewership. In 2010, approximately 1.7 million people attended V8 Supercars

events, including V8 Supercars’ 20 millionth spectator at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.

About the V8 Supercar Championship

The V8 Supercar Championship is one of the worlds’ largest and best-known touring car

categories, recognized internationally as a leader in motorsport and entertainment. The

Championship consists of 15 events across Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East in 2011, as

well as racing at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix™.

In 2010, more than 1.8 million people attended a V8 Supercar event. Every race is telecast live on

the Seven Network across Australia and the TV3 Network in New Zealand. In addition, more than

130 countries telecast V8 Supercars live, as-live or on delay, dependent on time zone and

programming. The massive SPEED™ network in North and South America and ESPN Star

throughout Asia are among the sport’s major international broadcasters.

In 2011, V8 Supercars was granted ‘international status’ by the world governing body of

motorsport, the FIA, which enables it to race at up to six international destinations outside of

Australia and New Zealand each year, elevating the sport to the top tier of all categories worldwide.

The Championship’s world-renowned races include the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide, Supercheap Auto

Bathurst 1000, Armor All Gold Coast 600 and the season-ending Sydney Telstra 500 on the streets

of Olympic Park in Sydney.

Backing for the sport is at an all-time high with annual sponsorship in excess of $150 million across

the 18 teams and Championship series. V8 Supercars’ major sponsor is Australia’s largest Internet

service provider, Telstra BigPond. Its sponsors also include multinational companies, with FMGC

partners becoming increasingly prominent. Etihad Airways recently became the official international

airline of V8 Supercars.

All V8 Supercars run on 85 percent CSR Ethanol, a renewable fuel bi-product of the sugar refining

process.

More information can be found at http://v8supercards.com.au

About Circuit of The Americas

Circuit of The Americas™ will be a world-class destination for performance, education and

business. It will be the first purpose-built Grand Prix facility in the United States designed for any

and all classes of racing, from motor power to human power. It will be the U.S. home to both the

Formula 1 and MotoGP Grand Prix World Championships.

The Circuit of The Americas™ master plan features a variety of permanent structures designed for

business, education, entertainment and race use. Its signature element will be a 3.4-mile (5.5-km)

circuit track with capacity for 120,000 fans. Other support buildings will include a medical trauma

and care training facility, 14 executive meeting suites, a conference center, a banquet hall as well as an

expansive outdoor live music space.

Future proposed amenities include a driving/riding experience, a motorsports driving club, kart

track, grand plaza event center and tower, and a trackside recreational vehicle park.

For more information and downloadable video, audio and photos, visit:

www.CircuitofTheAmericas.com

Media Inquiries:

Russ Rhea

Representing Circuit of The Americas™

Office: 512-344-2040

[email protected]

[markpetersonii]

Read about this. Pretty dang cool! I wanna go!!!!!

[Ringo64]

Definitely would be cool to go!