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GRAND PRIX ASSOCIATION OF LONG BEACH,
FORMULA DRIFT TEAM UP IN MARKETING EFFORT
LONG BEACH, Calif. (June 8, 2006) -- After 32 years of successfully promoting full speed ahead racing, the marketing arm of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach (GPALB) will soon be promoting - sideways!
The GPALB, which stages America's premiere street race, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, has inked a contract to act as the exclusive sponsorship marketing agent for Irvine, Calif.-based Formula Drift, Inc., which organizes the North American professional drifting championship series.
The fast-rising new motor sport is featured in the upcoming Universal Studios movie release "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" opening in theaters June 16. Formula Drift, now in its third season, features drivers sliding sideways through corners on smoking, screaming tires. Points are given not for time, but for speed and - more importantly - driving style and skill.
"It's a natural for us," said Jim Michaelian, CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach. "Our race fans, who are pretty sophisticated, fell in love with the sport when the drifters demonstrated their on-the-edge style at the 2005 Grand Prix.
"Since then, we have watched as drifting has grown by quantum leaps. We feel like this is the ideal time for the sport to begin maximizing its potential, and we want to help make that happen."
"Our partnership with the GPALB is a natural progression as we have worked closely with their entire organization on what has become our most successful drifting venue," said Jim Liaw, Managing Director and co-founder of Formula Drift. "We feel their expertise will be instrumental in helping us take the Formula Drift Championship to the next level."
Drifting originated in the mountains of Japan more than 15 years ago before finding its way to the shores of the United States. The first official Formula Drift event on American soil was held in April 2004 at Road Atlanta.
Today, Formula Drift oversees a seven-event schedule. Formula Drift opened the 2006 season last April 2, using Turns 9-11 of the Grand Prix course, then came back the following weekend to compete during the Grand Prix's 33rd annual race weekend.
The series, which is also sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing, travels to Chicago's famed Soldier Field June 10, then will compete at Infineon Raceway (Sonoma, Calif., July 8), Evergreen Speedway, (Monroe, Wash., Aug. 19), Wall Speedway (Wall, N.J., Sept. 9) and Irwindale Speedway (Irwindale, Calif., Oct. 14).
The GPALB is recognized as one of the most innovative promoters in the motorsports industry. Past projects have included marketing for the PPG Firestone Indy Lights Championship and Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca. The GPALB is also credited with assisting Firestone in its return to open-wheel racing in 1991.
"The demographics for drifting nationwide are superb," says Mike Clark, vice-president, marketing for the GPALB. "A full 80% of the drifting audience is in the much-sought-after 16-29 age group, and that's an attractive market segment for virtually any type of sponsor.
"We see drifting as the next big action sport, much like Freestyle Motocross and snowboarding. The sport is definitely X Games-worthy."
Keys to drifting are driver skill, good tires, suspension tuning, brake upgrades and lots of horsepower. This season, no less than eight tire companies - most of any U.S. motorsport - are Formula Drift sponsors, including BF Goodrich, Bridgestone, Dunlop, Cooper, Falken, Maxxis, Nitto and Toyo.
"The tire companies compete for points and, of course, bragging rights," added Liaw. "That translates into better sales to motorsports fans."
The agreement calls for the GPALB to provide sponsorship strategy, marketing concepts and materials and negotiating sponsorship contracts, among other provisions.
The Grand Prix Association of Long Beach, LLC owns and operates the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. The GPALB is jointly owned by Champ Car co-owners Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerry Forsythe, who purchased the company from Dover Motorsports Inc. in June 2005. For more information, visit longbeachgp.com or call (888) 82-SPEED.
-GPALB-
FORMULA DRIFT TEAM UP IN MARKETING EFFORT
LONG BEACH, Calif. (June 8, 2006) -- After 32 years of successfully promoting full speed ahead racing, the marketing arm of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach (GPALB) will soon be promoting - sideways!
The GPALB, which stages America's premiere street race, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, has inked a contract to act as the exclusive sponsorship marketing agent for Irvine, Calif.-based Formula Drift, Inc., which organizes the North American professional drifting championship series.
The fast-rising new motor sport is featured in the upcoming Universal Studios movie release "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" opening in theaters June 16. Formula Drift, now in its third season, features drivers sliding sideways through corners on smoking, screaming tires. Points are given not for time, but for speed and - more importantly - driving style and skill.
"It's a natural for us," said Jim Michaelian, CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach. "Our race fans, who are pretty sophisticated, fell in love with the sport when the drifters demonstrated their on-the-edge style at the 2005 Grand Prix.
"Since then, we have watched as drifting has grown by quantum leaps. We feel like this is the ideal time for the sport to begin maximizing its potential, and we want to help make that happen."
"Our partnership with the GPALB is a natural progression as we have worked closely with their entire organization on what has become our most successful drifting venue," said Jim Liaw, Managing Director and co-founder of Formula Drift. "We feel their expertise will be instrumental in helping us take the Formula Drift Championship to the next level."
Drifting originated in the mountains of Japan more than 15 years ago before finding its way to the shores of the United States. The first official Formula Drift event on American soil was held in April 2004 at Road Atlanta.
Today, Formula Drift oversees a seven-event schedule. Formula Drift opened the 2006 season last April 2, using Turns 9-11 of the Grand Prix course, then came back the following weekend to compete during the Grand Prix's 33rd annual race weekend.
The series, which is also sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing, travels to Chicago's famed Soldier Field June 10, then will compete at Infineon Raceway (Sonoma, Calif., July 8), Evergreen Speedway, (Monroe, Wash., Aug. 19), Wall Speedway (Wall, N.J., Sept. 9) and Irwindale Speedway (Irwindale, Calif., Oct. 14).
The GPALB is recognized as one of the most innovative promoters in the motorsports industry. Past projects have included marketing for the PPG Firestone Indy Lights Championship and Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca. The GPALB is also credited with assisting Firestone in its return to open-wheel racing in 1991.
"The demographics for drifting nationwide are superb," says Mike Clark, vice-president, marketing for the GPALB. "A full 80% of the drifting audience is in the much-sought-after 16-29 age group, and that's an attractive market segment for virtually any type of sponsor.
"We see drifting as the next big action sport, much like Freestyle Motocross and snowboarding. The sport is definitely X Games-worthy."
Keys to drifting are driver skill, good tires, suspension tuning, brake upgrades and lots of horsepower. This season, no less than eight tire companies - most of any U.S. motorsport - are Formula Drift sponsors, including BF Goodrich, Bridgestone, Dunlop, Cooper, Falken, Maxxis, Nitto and Toyo.
"The tire companies compete for points and, of course, bragging rights," added Liaw. "That translates into better sales to motorsports fans."
The agreement calls for the GPALB to provide sponsorship strategy, marketing concepts and materials and negotiating sponsorship contracts, among other provisions.
The Grand Prix Association of Long Beach, LLC owns and operates the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. The GPALB is jointly owned by Champ Car co-owners Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerry Forsythe, who purchased the company from Dover Motorsports Inc. in June 2005. For more information, visit longbeachgp.com or call (888) 82-SPEED.
-GPALB-
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