Tenneco Automotive New Title Sponsor for the Detroit Grand Prix
10 November 1998
Tenneco Automotive Takes the Wheel as New Title Sponsor for the Detroit Grand Prix
DETROIT, Mich.--(BW SportsWire)--Nov. 9, 1998--Tenneco Automotive and IMG Motorsports today jointly announced that Tenneco Automotive has assumed title sponsorship of the Grand Prix of Detroit. The race, owned and operated by IMG Motorsports, will now be known officially as the Tenneco Automotive Grand Prix of Detroit. Run each summer on the streets of Belle Isle, the Grand Prix is sanctioned by Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART), and features some of the top name drivers in the world, including: Michael Andretti, Bobby Rahal, Al Unser, Jr., Jimmy Vasser and Alex Zanardi.
Tenneco Automotive, maker of Monroe(R) ride control, Walker(R) exhaust and Clevite(R) elastomer brand products, replaces ITT Automotive as the title sponsor of the event - a position ITT Automotive held since 1992. The sponsorship and new name of the event are effective immediately.
"We are genuinely pleased to be the new title sponsor of the Motor City's annual summer auto celebration," said Tom Evans, president of Tenneco Automotive. "This is a dynamic and exciting event in a city known throughout the world for its automotive heritage. Given Tenneco Automotive's long association with motorsports, we look forward to continuing a great tradition in Detroit."
Next year will mark the 18th running of the Grand Prix of Detroit. Originally a Formula One Series event, the race was established in 1982 by Detroit Renaissance, Inc. The race then changed to an Indy car format in 1989, and during the past 10 years (1989-1998) has been part of the CART Series. In 1992, the race moved from the streets of downtown Detroit to scenic Belle Isle Park. The Grand Prix was sold to IMG Motorsports in August, 1993.
Bud Stanner, president of IMG Motorsports said, "We had a long and fruitful relationship with ITT Automotive and we will miss them. However, we now have a great opportunity to work with Tenneco Automotive and build for the future. We are excited about our new partnership and looking forward to this coming summer."
"We're excited by the prospect of working with IMG Motorsports, the city of Detroit and racing fans everywhere by sponsoring this coming year's Grand Prix of Detroit, August 6, 7, 8," said Mark Frissora, senior vice president and general manager of Tenneco Automotive's North American original equipment business. "As a global supplier to the world's original equipment manufacturers, we are truly looking forward to sponsoring the Grand Prix - one of racing's premier events," added Frissora.
IMG is a global leader in the field of sports management and marketing - an industry that it "invented" more than three decades ago. IMG continues to expand its foundation in sports by applying its innovative marketing resources and management know-how to advance the business interests of some of the world's most celebrated personalities, organizations and corporations. IMG Motorsports owns and operates a total of three stops on the CART/FedEx Championship Race Series. Including the Tenneco Automotive Grand Prix of Detroit, IMG also owns and operates the races in Cleveland and Australia.
Tenneco Automotive, headquartered in Lake Forest, Ill., manufactures the world's leading ride control and exhaust products and systems, including Walker(R) Quiet-Flow mufflers, Monroe(R) Sensa-Trac shocks and struts, DynoMax(R) performance exhaust products and Rancho(R) premium, off-road ride control products. The company, with 1997 revenues of more than $3 billion, operates 74 facilities in 22 countries in North America, Europe, Africa, South America, Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. Tenneco Automotive's parent company, Tenneco , is an $8 billion global manufacturing company based in Greenwich, Conn.