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SCCA Pro Racing to sanction Formula Three

19 August 1999

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.SCCA Pro Racing will sanction the United States Formula Three Championship beginning in the 2000 racing season.

The series will be organized by G. Garvin Brown III, Active Worldwide Sports LLC Chairman. Brown has appointed Thomas M. Duddy as Active Worldwide Sports Vice-Chairman, and R. Cary Capparelli as Active Worldwide Sports President and CEO.

The United States Formula Three Championship will meet International Formula Three category specifications, which allow for open-chassis designation. Four race car manufacturers currently build cars to Formula Three specifications (Avia, Dallara, Martini and Ralt). Cars will be powered by spec two-liter engines, which will be leased to competitors on a seasonal basis. The engine manufacturer will be announced at a later date.

The inaugural United States Formula Three Championship season will consist of 10-12 races, many run in conjunction with the BFGoodrich Tires Trans-Am Series. The United States Formula Three Championship schedule will be announced in the fall.

"The United States Formula Three Championship will position the United States into the international feeding system for Formula 3000 and Formula One," said Brown III. "This championship will be sensibly priced. The motor program will be affordable. The chassis market, new and used, will be open. Best of all, it will allow American drivers to experience the exciting international phenomenon of Formula Three racing."

The United States Formula Three will be an ideal and natural progression for competitors in the U.S. F2000 National Championship, said K.C. Van Niman, SCCA Pro Racing President and CEO. This series will allow drivers to obtain both additional exposure and competition experience before making the next step up the open-wheel racing ladder to the CART FedEx Championship Series or the Pep Boys Indy Racing League in the U.S., or Formula 3000 and Formula One internationally.

SCCA Pro Racing is pleased to be able to bring this international category of open-wheel racing to America, said Carl A. Haas, SCCA Pro Racing Chairman of the Board. We have an excellent entry-level open-wheel series in the U.S. F2000, and the United States Formula Three Championship is the perfect complement to fill SCCA Pro Racings void at the next level.

The Active Worldwide Sports corporate offices will be located in suburban Chicago, Ill. For further information, contact Cary Capparelli (773) 631-4020, or via mail at the United States Formula Three Championship, P.O. Box 1291, Park Ridge, IL 60068.

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