Crown Royal Named Official Sponsor of the International Race of Champions Series

New Sponsorship Brings Massive Increase in Prize Money

STAMFORD, Conn., Jan. 15 -- Crown Royal has signed a multi-year agreement to be the official title sponsor of the International Race of Champions Series (IROC). The Crown Royal International Race of Champions Series includes four races, the first in Daytona Beach, Fla., on Friday, Feb. 13, 2004.

IROC is auto racing's All-Star Game. It is an invitational auto racing series that matches 12 drivers from different disciplines of auto racing in equally prepared cars. The Series consists of four 100-mile races with points awarded for finishing positions. At the end of the fourth race, points are tallied and a champion of champions is named.

Venues in 2004 include Daytona International Speedway on Friday, Feb. 13, Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday, April 2, and Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Va., on Thursday, Sept. 9. IROC is also finalizing a fall date for the Crown Royal IROC Championship finale at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Atlanta, Ga. IROC is in negotiations with Fox/Speed Channel to televise all four events.

With the new Crown Royal sponsorship comes a significant increase in the Series' prize money. The purse for the 2004 IROC season will be $1.9 million including $1 million to the Series champion. This is a major increase from the 2003 season in which the champion received $250,000 and represents the highest payout for a Series Champion in IROC history.

"Motor sports lines up very nicely with the Crown Royal consumer and we think there is a strong future for our brand in the International Race of Champions Series," said Rob Warren, Vice President, Marketing, North American Whisky at Diageo. "We are excited about the improvements made to the 2004 series and we look forward to providing the kind of support that will help IROC grow. Our brand team will be very involved in this program and we will use our IROC sponsorship to extend our responsibility messaging and increase overall awareness of the Crown Royal brand." Warren added that all Crown Royal IROC cars and all promotional materials associated with the sponsorship will carry the message "Be a Champion, Drink Responsibly."

Crown Royal, America's leading super premium whisky, has a tradition as long and distinctive as its taste. Specially blended to commemorate a grand tour of Canada made by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain in 1939, Crown Royal's smooth, elegant style reflects its aristocratic origins and is considered the epitome of Canadian whisky. In addition to its sponsorship of the Crown Royal IROC Series, the brand also sponsors Team Crown Royal, a professional fishing team; The Crown Royal Comedy Soul Fest and a number of other major regional and national events. For more information on Crown Royal, visit www.crownroyal.com .

About Crown Royal

Crown Royal is proudly owned by Diageo, the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wines, and beer categories. These brands include: Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff, J&B, Baileys, Cuervo, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines.

Diageo is a global company, trading in more than 200 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com .

About IROC

The International Race of Champions is an invitational auto racing series that matches 12 championship drivers from different divisions of auto racing in equally prepared cars, on Goodyear radial racing tires. The goal is to eliminate the mechanical advantages and to produce a winner solely on driver skill. The series consists of four 100-mile races at different racetracks with points awarded for finishing positions. At the end of the fourth race, the points are tallied and a champion of champions is named.