2008 Atlantic Championship Events to Air on SPEED This Fall and Winter

Race fans will have the opportunity to catch the excitement of the 2008 Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda on Sunday afternoons in November and December as officials from the series, Mazda and SPEED today announced that 2008 Atlantic races will be shown on the network.

"With the invaluable assistance of our partners at Mazda, we are pleased to announce that all of our races from an exciting, 35th Anniversary Atlantic Championship will be televised on SPEED later this fall," said Atlantic Championship President Vicki O’Connor.

"This is a homecoming of sorts for Atlantic, as we enjoyed five great years on SPEED earlier in this decade. Television coverage for this season was the last piece of the puzzle for us as we reorganized following the reunification at the top of open-wheel racing in February, and I am thrilled that we are finally able to make this announcement."

The season-opening race from Long Beach will be the first 2008 Atlantic Championship event to air on SPEED on Sunday, November 9. One week later, on Sunday, November 16, Round 2 from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and the first race of July’s doubleheader at Edmonton will be aired.

The second half of the Edmonton doubleheader and the first race of the Road America doubleheader are set to air on Sunday, December 14, followed by the second race from Road America and the race at Trois-Rivieres on Sunday, December 21. The penultimate round from Miller Motorsports Park and the season finale from Road Atlanta will air on Sunday, December 28.

All SPEED telecasts will be aired beginning at 5:00 p.m. ET. The broadcast team will consist of veteran announcers Bill Stephens and Jon Beekhuis.

"We welcome the Atlantic Championship back to the network," said SPEED coordinating producer Pete Richards. "The series has provided some great racing throughout the years, as many of sport’s biggest stars cut their teeth and launched their careers towards IndyCar racing or Formula One stardom. Each race is compelling, as up-and-coming drivers not only compete for podium finishes – but their futures as well."

Atlantic events previously aired on SPEED from 2002 through 2006. Last season, ESPN2 provided the coverage as part of the Champ Car World Series television partnership with ESPN. In addition to coverage on SPEED, video from most 2008 Atlantic Championship events is currently available on www.atlantic-championship.com. The 2008 Atlantic season has also had continued exposure throughout the season on FOX Latin America.

Mazda has been the engine partner for the Atlantic Championship since 2006, and has been a consistent advertiser on SPEED since it’s early days as Speedvision.

Jim Jordan, Alternative Marketing Manager, Mazda North American Operations, noted that, "This scheduling will give road racing fans a great off-season TV fix and is a nice complement to the Star Mazda Championship currently broadcast by SPEED. Viewers can watch the progress of 2007 Star Mazda Champion Dane Cameron in the Atlantic Championship.

Series presenting sponsor, Cooper Tires, meanwhile, will undoubtedly also have a strong presence on the SPEED Atlantic telecasts. Since joining the series as presenting sponsor and official tire prior to the 2007 season, Cooper Tires has been extremely active in promoting the series.

The Atlantic Championship is the longest-running open-wheel driver development series in North America and celebrates its 35th Anniversary season in 2008.

The series is noted for its long history of graduating its drivers into the top levels of motorsport throughout the world, including IndyCar champions such as Bobby Rahal, Danny Sullivan, Michael Andretti, Jacques Villeneuve, Jimmy Vasser, Greg Ray, Sam Hornish Jr. and Dan Wheldon, Indy 500 winners such as Sullivan, Rahal, Villeneuve, Buddy Rice, Wheldon and Hornish, and Formula One world champions such as Villeneuve and Keke Rosberg.

In 2008, Atlantic graduates will battle for race victories and championships in top North American series such as the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the American Le Mans Series and the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series in addition to various other series all over the world. Learn more about Atlantic at www.atlantic-championship.com.

Mazda is the brand of choice for road-racers across North America. More than 9,000 grassroots racers compete in various classes with the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and the National Auto Sport Association (NASA). Racers who are years away from earning a driver’s license can now begin their professional motorsports careers in the Mazda family.

A driver can begin in karts and progress through the Skip Barber series, Club Racing Formula Mazda, professional Star Mazda and finally to Formula Atlantic, all with Mazda. No other car company has ever connected the dots this way.

On any given weekend, there are more Mazdas on the road-race tracks of America than any other brand of vehicle. At the track, you’ll see MX-5 Miata, RX-8, MAZDA3, MAZDA6, RX-7 and other vintage Mazda models competing, because every Mazda has the Soul of a Sports Car.

In fact, the largest road-racing class in the world is Spec Miata, with more than 1,500 first- and second-generation Miatas tearing up America’s racetracks, making it the most-raced production car in the world. Mazda’s involvement in motorsports extends to its relationship with Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, one of the world’s premier road-racing circuits, and the Skip Barber Schools for driving and racing.

Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., Mazda North American Operations oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada and Mexico through nearly 900 dealers. Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada, Inc., located in Ontario, Canada, and in Mexico by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.

SPEED is the nation's first and foremost cable television network dedicated to motor sports and the passion for everything automotive. From racing to restoration, motorcycles to movies, SPEED delivers quality programming from the track to the garage.

Now available in more than 78 million homes in North America, SPEED is among the fastest-growing sports cable networks in the country and, the home to NASCAR on SPEED and an industry leader in interactive TV, video on demand, mobile initiatives and broadband services. For more information, please visit www.SPEEDtv.com, the online motor sports authority.

- Nate Siebens -