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For Immediate Release:
August 9, 2001
Contacts:
David Imre - Imre Communications - 410-821-8220
Steve Winter -Brotman·Winter·Fried Comm.-202-296-7200
Andy Hall - ALMS Media Director -317-295-3500 x 31
Chris Bender - Executive Office of the Mayor - 202-727-6365
Washington, D.C. Officials Announce 10-Year Agreement
to Stage
"NATIONAL GRAND PRIX OF WASHINGTON, D.C."
AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES Roars To Life In Nation's
Capital for International Racing Event July 19- 21, 2002 at RFK Stadium
Washington, D.C. - Mayor Anthony A. Williams and the D.C. Sports &
Entertainment Commission today announced that Washington D.C. has entered
into a 10-year agreement with National Grand Prix Holdings, LLC to stage
the "National Grand Prix of Washington, D.C." - an
international, annual motorsports event and festival on the grounds of
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium beginning with the American Le Mans
Series Race, Friday through Sunday, July 19 through 21, 2002. The event,
which is expected to provide economic impact of $350 million over a
ten-year period, will showcase the American Le Mans Series, an
international sports car endurance racing series.
"Professional racing showcases some of the world's greatest
cities: Melbourne, Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Montreal. I'm proud that
Washington, D.C. is a member of that group," commented Mayor Anthony
A. Williams. "With our world-class hotels, restaurants,
transportation, shopping, entertainment and cultural attractions, we're
the ideal city for racing enthusiasts - and their families - to spend the
weekend."
Christopher Lencheski, founder and chairman of National Grand Prix
Holdings, LLC, said, "We are grateful for the hard work and
determination of D.C. Sports & Entertainment Commission President,
Bobby Goldwater, Legg Mason Sports Industry Group and our racing partners.
This city, with its cosmopolitan flair and importance on the global
business scene, provides a terrific combination that will only grow over
time into a signature racing event for all involved."
The weekend will include a three-hour race for the American Le Mans Series
on Sunday, July 21, 2002, as well as an event for the popular Trans-Am
Series, a celebrity race and other support services. Other aspects of the
festival will be announced later.
The racing will be held on a temporary road racing circuit that will be
set up on the grounds of RFK Memorial Stadium. The circuit length is
estimated at 1.7 miles. The ALMS race will-be televised live by NBC Sports
in the United States, with additional coverage in many countries around
the world.
"This is a tremendous development for the American Le Mans Series
and for motorsports in general, said Scott Atherton, president and COO
Panoz Motor Sports Group, which includes the American Le Mans Series.
"This event will showcase our series and motorsports to the world
from our nation's capital. Washington, DC, joins an elite group of cities
from around the world in hosting this type of racing and we are grateful
to those who have made this become a reality."
According to Bobby Goldwater, president, D.C. Sports &
Entertainment Commission, "We welcome this event to our city. Its
economic impact, plus the opportunity to showcase the city to an
international television audience will be very significant. In the past
other host cities have drawn huge crowds. We are looking forward to a
great event."'
Tickets for the event can be purchased by calling 888-456-8448, or on
the web at NationalGrandPrix.com.
NATIONAL GRAND PRIX HOLDINGS
National Grand Prix Holdings, LLC, a Delaware Limited liability Company
was founded in 1999 by Christopher Lencheski to develop and execute the
National Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. - A three day Motorsports event
festival featuring an internationally sanctioned racing event in the
District of Columbia.
AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES
The American Le Mans Series was founded by entrepreneur Don Panoz in 1999
and is based on the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans; the world's most famous
endurance race. Many of the cars, drivers and manufacturers that compete
at Le Mans also compete in ALMS events, which are held at North American
venues as well as those in Europe and Asia. Participating manufacturers
include Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Corvette, Dodge, Panoz, Porsche and Saleen.
D.C. SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT COMMISSION
The D.C. Sports & Entertainment Commission, an independent agency of
the District of Columbia government, is responsible for the management and
operation of RFK Stadium, the D.C. Armory and its adjacent facilities and
for presenting and promoting sports, entertainment and special events in
the District.
Aerial photograph of plan for race
track
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NATIONAL GRAND PRIX HOLDINGS,
LLC
Fact Sheet
In 1999, at the request of the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission;
Christopher J. Lencheski began a due diligence process to ascertain the
level of interest in a major league racing event on a temporary street
circuit venue in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore corridor. The result of
this research was an indication of tremendous demand for a racing event of
this nature from both the sanctioning bodies and the sponsors. This
information, in conjunction with preliminary conversations and meetings
between the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission and Mr. Lencheski led
to the decision by Mr. Lencheski to organize National Grand Prix Holdings,
LLC (NGPH).
Mr. Lencheski, a proven sports and entertainment professional assembled
a small organizational committee of advertising, finance, legal,
construction, marketing and auto racing professionals. He and the
committee secured the commitments necessary to run a successful Grand Prix
in the nation's capital and then negotiated with Washington, D.C.
officials to gain the approvals for the event.
Concurrently, Mr. Lencheski agreed to preliminary contracts with the
American Le Mans Series, Trans Am series and Hollywood-Madison Group to
sanction and produce races for the event. On July 19, 2001 the culmination
of nearly two years of negotiation with the city of Washington, D.C.
resulted in the signing of an historic 10-year agreement to stage and
produce an internationally-sanctioned race event in the District of
Columbia.
On August 9, 2001, NGPH and the city of Washington, D.C. formally
announced a 10-year agreement to hold annual Grand Prix events in the
city. The first such event/festival will be held on the grounds of Robert
F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Friday through Sunday July 19 through July 21,
2002.
The following is a list of the National Grand Prix Holdings team
National Grand Prix Holdings, LLC
Founder, COB Christopher Lencheski
Principal, George deBidart
COO, Hayne Dominick
Legal
Mark Pollak - Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, P.C.
Finance Services
John Moag, Jr. - Legg Mason Sports Industry Group
Site Construction
Bill Hager - T&B Equipment
Billy Bunting - B&K Equipment
BroaD.C.asting
Mike Clark - ALMS, Domestic Television BroaD.C.aster - NBC
Creative & Advertising
Gary Jordan - Azzam Jordan Advertising
Public Relations
David Imre - Imre Communications, LLC
Marketing
David Cope - Gilco Sports & Entertaimnent Marketing, LLC
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Christopher J. Lencheski
Founder and Chairman of the Board, National Grand Prix Holdings
Chris Lencheski is the Founder and Chairman of the Board for National
Grand Prix Holdings (NGPH). Mr. Lencheski's reputation and experience
within the motorsports industry, including his relationship with the
various motorsports sanctioning bodies, is of considerable importance to
the company: He has nearly 15 years of professional sports management and
marketing experience.
Mr. Lencheski is Chief Operating Officer of Innovative Motorsports,
part of a triad of companies including Sports Marketing Agency, The Source
International and Innovative Hospitality. Innovative Motorsports competes
in the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series and is currently top 10 in
series points with driver Kenny Wallace in the Goulds Pumps Chevrolet.
Prior to founding NGPH, Mr. Lencheski served as president of MFP, LLC,
the Malibu, California-based marketing communications firm founded by
former Campbell & Company Chairman and CEO, Rod Campbell. Lencheski
also served as Managing Director of Commercial Operations for the Mo Nunn
Racing Team, which runs two teams in the CART FedEx World Series.
Before joining MFP and Mo Nunn Racing, Lencheski was Executive Vice
President and Chief Operating Officer of Chesapeake Motorsports
Development Corporation (CMDC), having been previously its Vice President
and General Manager. CMDC also served as managing agent in 1997 and 1998
for South Boston Speedway, South Boston, Virginia. Lencheski oversaw the
development of CMDC's event marketing and management contract to stage the
Lycos.Com 300 presented by Valleydale Foods and the Textilease Medique 300
presented by Advance Auto Parts NASCAR Busch Series events.
Mr. Lencheski's previous experience also includes marketing, licensing
and event management responsibilities in conjunction with Atlanta
Centennial Olympic Games.
Mr. Lencheski is a graduate of Syracuse University.
Hayne Dominick
Chief Operating Officer, National Grand Prig Holdings, LLC
As COO, Hayne Dominick will be responsible for overseeing the
day-to-day operations of the National Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. He
has been involved in the planning and development of the project since
it's inception in 1999.
Prior to joining NGPH, LLC, Dominick served 16 years as General Manager
of the International Show Car Association, the largest sanctioning
organization for indoor automotive events, governing as many as 220 events
a year in the mid-80s. Dominick also served as President of the
International Hot Rod Association over 5 seasons, Dominick was responsible
for the planning and execution of an average of 15 nationally recognized
annual motorsports events, while managing the operation and development of
the organization.
Prior to joining the NGPH, LLC, he served as Project Manager for NASCAR
Busch Series events at South Boston Speedway in Virginia and as Field
Operations Manager for Protech & Associates, a motorsports marketing
firm.
Dominick attended George Washington University.
George deBidart
Principal, National Grand Prix Holdings, LLC
As principal of National Grand Prix Holdings, LLC deBidart will oversee
all marketing efforts of the National Grand Prix of Washington, D.C.. A
pioneer in the motorsports industry, deBidart has over 20 years of
motorsports marketing experience.
He founded the incredibly popular "For Race Fans Only"
program on QVC featuring the latest NASCAR merchandise. The program is a
three-time winner of the Q-Star, the program concept of the year award
from the QVC Network. He also created the MBNA Motorsports affinity credit
card program in 1993. deBidart also owns The Source International a sports
marketing and communications consulting company and Innovative Hospitality
a mobile event entertainment vehicle. deBidart also owns the Innovative
Motorsports car which, competes in the NASCAR Busch Series Grand National
Division.
deBidart attended Appalachian State University.
Scott Atherton
President & COO, Panoz Motor Sports Group
In his position as President and COO of the Panoz Motor Sports Group,
motorsports veteran Scott Atherton oversees all aspects of the operation
of the American Le Mans Series, as well as many of the other motorsports
holdings of Don Panoz.
Those holdings include the European and Asia-Pacific Le Mans Series,
Road Atlanta, Sebring International Raceway, Mosport International
Raceway, the Panoz Racing Series and Panoz Racing Schools.
Atherton joined the Panoz firm in August, of 2000, having most recently
been President and General Manager of The California Speedway in Fontana,
Cal. He was with Penske Speedways for several years, running Nazareth, PA
Speedway before shifting to Penskeowned California. Penske Speedways was
purchased by International Speedway Corporation in 1998.
Atherton is a graduate of the University of Washington.
David Brabham
Panoz Motor Sports/Panoz LMP-1(LMP 900)
With a name that is recognized by motorsports fans around the world,
David Brabharn has been a star of the ALMS since its inception in 1999. He
took two wins in the 1999 inaugural season (Portland and Petit Le Mans),
and a win in 2000 at Nurburgring, Brabham has been competitive in the
Panoz LMP entries. He finished second in the 1999 driver championship
standings.
Brabham has been a Panoz driver since 1997, winning four races in the
GT1 class in the USA with co-driver Andy Wallace in 1998 and also
competing with Eric Bernard on the FIA GT Series. He won the most recent
ALMS race at Portland in August of 2001, codriving with Jan Magnussen.
Niclas Jonsson
BMW Team PTGBMW M3 GTR (GT)
A driver with three championships in his native Sweden, Niclas Jonsson
is contesting the GT class championship of the ALMS in 2001 as a driver
for BMW Team PTG. He competed in seven races for the team in the 2000
season, earning a best finish of third in class at Laguna Seca. Before
joining the PTG team, Jonsson drove with Jon Field in a Lola Prototype in
three ALMS races in 1999, but retired with mechanical problems in all
three.
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NATIONAL GRAND PRIX OF WASHINGTON, D.C.
Weekend Schedule
July 19-21, 2002
Fridav, July 19
Practice - Speedvision World Challenge
Practice - American Le Mans Series (all classes)
Practice - Trans-Am .
Practice - Celebrity Group _
Practice - Speedvision World Challenge
Qualifying - Trans-Am
Practice - Celebrity Group
Practice - American Le Mans Series (all classes)
Practice - Trans-Am
Welcome Concert (Friday Night) - RFK Stadium
Saturday, July 20
Qualifying - Speedvision World Challenge
Qualifying - Celebrity Group
Practice - American Le Mans Series (all classes)
Speedvision World Challenge Touring Race - 50 minute window
Celebrity Group Race - 30 minutes
Trans-Am Race - 125 Miles (2 hour window)
Qualifying - American Le Mans Series (GTS/GT)
Qualifying - American Le Mans Series (LMP 900/LMP 675)
Sunday, July 21
Warm up - American Le Mans Series (all classes)
National Grand Prix Of Washington, D.C. (ALMS) - Live Network Coverage on
NBC Sports
Speedvision World Challenge GT Race - 50 minute window
Tentative - schedule subject to change
World Challenge
2 - 40 minute practice sessions
1 - 45 minute qualifying session
2 - 50 minute races
Celebrity Group
2 - 30 minute practice sessions
1 - 30 minute qualifying session
1 - 30 minute race
Trans-Am
2 - 30 minute practice sessions
1 - 45 minute qualifying
1 - 125 mile race (2 hour window)
American Le Mans Series
3 - 60 minute practice sessions
2 - 20 minute qualifying sessions
1 - 30 minute warm up
1 - 2 hour 45 minute race
THE NATIONAL GRAND PRIX of WASHINGTON, D.C. - 888-456-8448 www.nationalgrandprix.com
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