CART: Marconi GP of Cleveland Construction Underway
26 May 2000
CLEVELAND (May 25, 2000) - IMG Motorsports, owner and operator of the 19th Annual Marconi Grand Prix of Cleveland Presented by Firstar, has begun construction on the racetrack at Burke Lakefront Airport. The nine-week project is in preparation for the yearly CART FedEx Championship Series race - set for June 30-July 2. The track construction will be 65 percent complete prior to IMG Motorsports' temporary acquisition of the airport at 6:00 a.m. on the Friday of race weekend. Planes will continue to take off and land at Burke Lakefront Airport right up until that time. Once IMG takes complete control of the airport, the remaining 35 percent of the track will be finished in just four hours prior to the first race car taking the circuit at 10:30 a.m. To construct the 2.106-mile temporary road course, the track will require the following materials to be installed/removed: * 38,000 feet or over 7.2 miles of fence. * Over 30,000 feet or over 5.7 miles of cable. * 1,400 concrete barriers (equivalent of 3.2 miles) for a collective weight of over 11,200,000 pounds which is equal to over 5,600 tons. * 100,000 grandstand seats. "While it's a three-day special event, the whole construction project really lasts 12 weeks. Construction began on May 1 and teardown of the site won't be completed until the week of July 17," stated Graham Hearns, Vice President of Operations for IMG Motorsports. "Over 75 different vendors will assist in coordinating this transformation of Burke Lakefront Airport. Without the support of these vendors, Mayor White and the entire City of Cleveland, IMG could not put on such a successful event." To order tickets to the Marconi Grand Prix of Cleveland Presented by Firstar, call 1-800-498-RACE or (216) 781-3500. Tickets can also be purchased at all Tickets.com locations, select Tops Supermarkets, and www.tickets.com. Any one interested in being a part of the race as a volunteer should contact Race Event Volunteers (REV's) at 216-781-3600 (press 6). Visit www.imgmotorsports.com for further event and ticket information. -30-