Hawaiian Super Prix Turns Up the Double Heat

30 April 1999

Hawaiian Super Prix Turns Up the Double Heat

    HONOLULU--(BW SportsWire)--April 30, 1999--As audacious in its execution as in its financial incentives, the first annual Hawaiian Super Prix(TM) (HSP) has announced an unprecedented format that will guide its 16 world-class drivers to the finish line.
    A Championship Auto Racing Teams-sanctioned event on Nov. 13 that will award an extraordinary $5 million to the winner from an equally historic total purse of $10 million, the HSP will consist of a one-hour race segment, a one-hour intermission and a second one-hour segment set against "the paradise of the Pacific."
    Qualifying for the HSP will be unique in several aspects. Thursday, the first day, all drivers qualify according to road racing rules in a one-hour group session to determine their fastest lap. On Friday, the qualifying will be oval racing rules, one-at-a-time, with the best of four laps determining the day's fastest qualifiers. The average time of both days' fastest laps (on the HSP Roval racetrack, combination road course and oval) will determine the $250,000 pole position award and the remaining starting positions for the world's richest race.
    In the first race segment the starting order is determined by qualifying sessions on Nov. 11 and 12. During this first segment, points are awarded each lap based on the driver's position as he crosses the start/finish line (i.e. First Place = 16 points through 16th Place = 1 point). This gives drivers an incentive for passing and charging hard during this exciting half of the race.
    During a turbo-charged 60-minute intermission, television viewers can expect to enjoy performances by some of today's hottest bands, a spectacular air show and enticing Hawaiian Tropic beauty contest, among other memorable live and pre-taped events. Clues will be given during the broadcast for viewers to call a special phone number in order to win prizes, including an unbelievable $1 million grand prize.
    Starting positions for the second race will be determined by the total number of points accumulated in the first segment. Drivers who do not finish the first heat due to a crash or mechanical problem will be placed on the grid in their back-up cars if necessary, according to their points, behind the other drivers. No points are given during the second heat -- it's just hard-driving, pedal-to-the-floor race action until the first to cross the finish line wins $5 million.
    The fist annual HSP takes place at the Barbers Point Airport in Oahu in a weeklong series of events, Nov. 7-14, culminating in a three-hour race event on Nov. 13. HSP is an invitational that draws the top 12 points finishers in the CART FedEx Championship Series season plus four additional invited racers. The live event will be broadcast in the United States on Showtime pay-per-view and in more than 195 countries.
    Contact the Hawaiian Super Prix at 600 Kapiolani Blvd., Suite 100, Honolulu, HI 98613. Phone: 808/550-0955; fax: 808/550-0644.