Top riders expected to compete again in Toronto and Vancouver this fall
AURORA, IL and MADRID, SPAIN (May 6, 2005) Clear Channel Entertainment - Motor Sports and Dorna Off Road announced today the two international rounds of THQ World Supercross GP will return to Canada in 2005: Toronto's Rogers Centre (formerly SkyDome) on December 3 and Vancouver's BC Place on December 10.
Rogers Centre is home of Major League Baseball's Toronto Blue Jays and is currently undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation. Vancouver's BC Place Stadium is home of Canadian Football League's BC Lions and will be the site of Opening Ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Each venue can hold up to 60,000 spectators.
"Based on the enthusiasm of fans, the support of our teams, riders and sponsors, and the efforts of both SkyDome (now Rogers Centre) and BC Place, it was an easy decision to bring the THQ World Supercross GP back to Canada," said Charlie Mancuso, president, Clear Channel Entertainment - Motor Sports. "We are looking forward to returning to Toronto and Vancouver this December with an even more extensive list of top riders, including our new THQ World Supercross GP champion Ricky Carmichael."
The two international races combined with 15 of the U.S. races (excluding the Daytona Supercross) comprise the 17-round THQ World Supercross GP. Last year Toronto marked Ricky Carmichael's return to supercross due to injuries that prevented him from riding in 2004. He won both the Toronto and Vancouver races on his new Makita Suzuki and clinched his first-ever THQ World Supercross GP championship on April 16 at Seattle's Qwest Field in front of 49,532 fans.
The entire 2005-2006 THQ World Supercross GP/THQ AMA Supercross Series schedule will be announced soon and the entire series will be going on-sale in July:
July 15-17 Exclusive Cross Club password protected on-sale (log on to supercross.cc.com for details on how to become a Cross Club member and gain access to this initial on-sale)
July 18-24 Ticketmaster.com national on-line pre-sale
July 25 National on-sale (via internet, phones, box office, and outlets)
For more information about the THQ World Supercross GP, please log on to www.supercross.cc.com. For media requests, please contact Denny Hartwig at 630-566-6305 or e-mail at dennyhartwig@clearchannel.com.
About THQ World Supercross GP/THQ AMA Supercross Series
THQ World Supercross GP is a 17-round global series that is produced and promoted by Clear Channel Entertainment and Dorna Off Road S.L. Riders must compete in the international rounds to be eligible to win the world championship. In 2004-2005, the 17-event THQ World Supercross GP will be comprised of two international events and 15 of the 16 events that are conducted in major cities throughout the United States as a part of the THQ AMA Supercross Series. The other THQ AMA Supercross Series event held in Daytona Beach, Fla., is independently produced by the International Speedway Corporation and is not a part of the THQ World Supercross GP. A THQ AMA Supercross Series rider will be crowned as the national champion for the series of events conducted in the United States only.
Clear Channel Entertainment, a leading producer and marketer of live entertainment events is a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications (NYSE:CCU), a global leader in the out-of-home advertising industry. Clear Channel Entertainment currently owns, operates and/or exclusively books approximately 130 live entertainment venues, including nearly 100 in North America and more than 30 in Europe. In 2003, 69 million people attended approximately 32,000 events promoted and/or produced by the company, including live music events; Broadway, West End and touring theatrical shows; family entertainment shows; museum exhibitions, and specialized sports and motor sports events. In addition, the company's independently operated athlete representation business, SFX, provides management, marketing and financial consulting services to many of the world's top professional athletes. Clear Channel Entertainment operates throughout North America, Europe, and Australia. More information may be found by visiting www.cc.com and www.clearchannel.com.
About Dorna:
Dorna Off Road is a part of the Dorna Group, an international sports management, marketing and television group founded in 1988, with headquarters in Madrid, Spain, and offices in Barcelona, London and Tokyo. Dorna is mainly dedicated to the organisation, production and marketing of major international motor sports events. It has been the exclusive holder of all commercial and TV rights to MotoGP since 1992 and is also involved in the FIM World Supercross GP, the British Superbike Championship, the Spanish Championship (CEV) and the FIM Trial World Championships. Dorna also markets Ad-Time, a rotating advertising system used in volleyball, baseball and football, in different countries.
About FIM:
The FIM is the international organisation, founded in 1904, acting in all matters connected with motorcycling activities and, as such, is active in domains such as sport (Road Racing, Motocross, Supercross, SuperMoto, Trial, Enduro & Cross Country Rallies, Track Racing, among others), tourism, leisure, environment, mobility, road safety, legal affairs, etc. It has 93 National Federations as members, divided among six Continental Unions. The official titles of World Championships and FIM Prize Events are the exclusive property of the FIM in all disciplines of motorcycling sport. The headquarters of the FIM are in Mies, Switzerland.
About AMA Pro Racing
AMA Pro Racing is the leading sanctioning body for motorcycle sport in the United States. Its properties include the THQ AMA Supercross Series, the AMA Motocross Championship, the AMA Superbike Championship, the AMA Progressive Insurance Flat Track Championship and the AMA Supermoto Championship. For more information about AMA Pro Racing, visit www.amaproracing.com.
Source: Clear Channel Entertainment -- Motor Sports