Atlantic Championship Live Timing Available Now

SEBRING, Fla. March 19, 2009: Supporters of the Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda who cannot make it to the track have enjoyed the opportunity to see live results from every on-track session for the past several years.

This season is no exception for the Atlantic Championship, although the Live Timing feature is now coming from a new source with a somewhat different format than in previous years. Live Timing may now be accessed from two different locations, through the official website of the Atlantic Championship, www.atlantic-championship.com, and also via the official website of the International Motor Sports Association, www.imsaracing.net.

“We are grateful to IMSA for extending this service to the Atlantic Championship this season,” said Atlantic Executive Vice President Vicki O’Connor. “Live Timing has been one of the most popular features of our website for many years, and we are pleased that supporters of Atlantic will continue to have the opportunity to follow the live action online if they can’t be with us at the track.”

The Atlantic Championship website is currently undergoing a major redesign, but all Atlantic news and information is currently available on www.imsaracing.net in addition to Live Timing. The new and improved Atlantic Championship site is expected to relaunch shortly.

The 12-race 2009 Atlantic Championship gets underway this Friday, March 20, at Sebring International Raceway as part of the prestigious Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh From Florida weekend.

The Atlantic Championship is the longest-running open-wheel driver development series in North America and celebrated its 35th Anniversary season in 2008, with Finnish rookie Markus Niemela taking the series championship in the final race of the season. With a $1 million champion’s prize and a total of $3 million in prize money up for grabs, the 2009 Atlantic Championship offers one of the most lucrative prize packages in North American open-wheel racing.

The series is noted for its long history of graduating its drivers into the top levels of motorsport throughout the world, including IndyCar drivers such as Bobby Rahal, Danny Sullivan, Michael Andretti, Jimmy Vasser, Danica Patrick, Dan Wheldon, Graham Rahal and Raphael Matos, Formula One world champions such as Jacques Villeneuve and Keke Rosberg, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Sam Hornish Jr. and A.J. Allmendinger and sports car stars like Jon Fogarty, Alex Gurney, Michael Valiante, Joey Hand and Simon Pagenaud.

Atlantic Championship graduates have won races and championships at the highest levels of motorsport, including Formula 1, IndyCar and Champ Car, and sports cars. In 2009, Atlantic graduates will again be top competitors in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series, the American Le Mans Series, the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series and even the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series among many others. Learn more about Atlantic at www.atlantic-championship.com.