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 2 p.m. PDT. 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.
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