Champ Car Grand Prix of Montreal
FIFTH EDITION OF CHAMP CAR GRAND PRIX OF MONTREAL: ACCESSIBLE, AFFORDABLE AND CHARITABLE! New stadium seating feature will put racing fans in the heat of the action Montreal, Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - Racing fans will be closer than ever to the action when the fifth edition of the Champ Car Grand Prix of Montreal is presented on the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve road course, August 25-27. "The Champ Car race in Montreal has always been extremely fan-friendly, and we want to make this year's edition even more accessible and affordable," said race promoter Alan Labrosse at a news conference today outlining plans for the 2006 event. "We are introducing a seating configuration which we believe will provide fans with a different perspective and further enhance the experience of watching North America's premier open-wheel racing series." Fans purchasing tickets in the Senna curve for this year's race will be 75 feet closer to the action than they have ever been for any type of open-wheel racing on Ile Notre-Dame as organizers introduce stadium-style seating, which will offer a truly unique vantage point. The three-day Senna stadium package includes a Champ Car paddock pass and on Friday and Saturday permits the holder to move from grandstand to grandstand, and watch on-track activities from any available seat. The other novelty in the seating configuration, which involves the start-finish grandstand, is remarkable in more ways than one. Three-day passes in this section, which also include paddock access, are available exclusively at Wal-Mart stores throughout the province of Quebec. Wal-Mart, in partnership with the Champ Car Grand Prix of Montreal, is donating one-third of the ticket money to Opération Enfant Soleil, a non-profit organization devoted to improving the quality of care for sick children. "We are thrilled to see Wal-Mart Canada making such a bold statement of support, not only to the event, but also to a great cause," said Labrosse. "I believe people will really get behind the idea of purchasing a ticket, which will be offered at a discount, knowing they are making a significant contribution to a fund-raising initiative aimed at helping kids in need." Kevin Kalkhoven, co-owner of the Champ Car World Series, who joined Labrosse at the news conference, is confident that Labrosse and his team will stage an event that will again showcase the city of Montreal to a worldwide audience, including viewers of the NBC network, which is televising the race live. "The city of Montreal is one of the world's great sporting cities and that love of sport makes it a coveted destination for Champ Car," remarked Kalkhoven. "The hundreds of thousands of people who have enthusiastically embraced Champ Car racing at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in the last four years have seen close racing on one of the world's most fabled circuits and we look forward to another great event in 2006." In addition to being one of the most acclaimed events on the Champ Car World Series schedule, the Montreal race is a homecoming for local drivers competing in the series. That group includes Quebec racers Alex Tagliani and Andrew Ranger, and long-time stalwart Paul Tracy, of Scarborough, Ontario. Fans will also get a good look at talent in other series such as the Atlantic Championship which will be one of the support events, with others to be announced at a later date. Tagliani, a well-established performer in the Champ Car World Series, has raced in all four previous events in Montreal and knows from experience how special it is to be able to compete in front of a home crowd. "There is such a tremendous atmosphere surrounding the whole race weekend," said Tagliani. "Fans who attend the Champ Car race in Montreal are so passionate about the sport and they want to see you do well, I guess because they regard us as their ambassadors internationally. But it's not just the home-grown drivers who love racing in Montreal. Lots of other drivers have told me they look forward to racing at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve." Tickets for the Champ Car Grand Prix of Montreal go on sale today. A three-day Senna stadium package is available for $169, while three-day seating in the hairpin section of the track starts at $139. All three-day grandstand tickets include a paddock pass. A three-day general admission ticket (no reserved seating, no paddock access) is also available for $60. The three-day start-finish grandstand package, sold exclusively in Wal-Mart stores throughout Quebec is $81 and will be available as of June 12. Tickets can be ordered online at www.champcarmontreal.com or by calling toll-free 1-877-530-2727.