CART teams with Sega to introduce 'CART Flag-to-Flag' Racing for Sega Dreamcast video game system
17 September 1999
DETROIT - Strap yourself into your virtual Champ Car cockpit and hold on tight, because Championship Auto Racing Teams and Sega of America have introduced the most-advanced and realistic video racing game ever developed, 'CART - Flag to Flag,' for the new Sega Dreamcast systemThe Sega-created game is available this week at retail locations nationwide - as well as at sega.com on the Internet. Fans who attended CART's FedEx Championship Series event last weekend at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, Calif., were treated to Sega displays that allowed them to be among the first in the world to play the CART game on the just-released system.
"This game is incredibly life-like and exciting," said Jonathan T. Frank, president of CART Licensed Products, the Atlanta-based licensing arm for the open-wheel racing sanctioning organization. "The detail in this game is the best ever created for a racing game and we are very pleased and excited that 'CART - Flag to Flag' racing is one of the few 1999 releases to be featured as part of the rollout of the new Sega Dreamcast system."
'CART - Flag to Flag' offers players 19 challenging courses, intense 3D graphics, screechingly realistic audio and a choice of the real CART Champ Cars and drivers. One of CART's top race teams, Team Rahal - co-owned by three-time CART champion Bobby Rahal and entertainer David Letterman - provided its input to ensure the accuracy and authenticity of the game.
"Sega Sports' goal is to set all-new standards in sports and racing games," said Greg Thomas, vice president of product development for Sega of America. "With 'CART - Flag to Flag,' Sega Sports is bringing gamers the best in fast-action racing, 3D graphics and detail."
Using the 128-bit graphic engine of the Sega Dreamcast system, 'CART - Flag to Flag' delivers real-time racing that takes into account the actual racing environment. Motor oil gathers on the car's windscreen as you race. When the weather conditions change from dry to wet, tires on the car change to adjust to the slick track conditions. Players may change the set-up of their cars - adjusting front and rear wing angle, gear ratios and tire compounds.
Individual drivers drive own unique cars, including sponsor identification. Players can choose from five different camera perspectives while racing and will be treated to the actual sounds of a Champ Car as it goes through its paces.
Gamers are engulfed in exact replicas of the courses which make up the FedEx Championship Series, right down to the minute detail of chain links in track fencing. The distinctive characteristics of each track - from Motegi, Japan to the streets of Toronto - are another realistic feature found only in 'CART - Flag to Flag.'
Sega of America is the arm of Tokyo, Japan-based Sega Enterprises, Ltd., responsible for the development, marketing and distribution of Sega videogame systems and videogames in the Americas. Sega Enterprises, Ltd., is a nearly $2.5 billion company recognized as the industry leader in interactive digital entertainment media and is the only company that offers interactive entertainment experiences both inside and outside the home. Sega of America's World Wide Web site is located at www.sega.com.
Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc owns, operates and markets the FedEx Championship Series, which is comprised of 20 races in five countries on four continents in 1999. World class drivers such as Michael Andretti, Dario Franchitti, Juan Montoya, and Jimmy Vasser race 900-plus horsepower, open-wheel cars at speeds of more than 230 miles per hour on some circuits. CART also owns and operates its top two development series, the PPG-Dayton Indy Lights Championship and the KOOL/Toyota Atlantic Championship.
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