the all sino-am series

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From the Twin Ring Montegi site
Another t.g. milestone..

Twin Ring Motegi will hold the Indy Racing League Series "BRIDGESTONE INDY JAPAN 300mile" from 2003
For the first time in Japan, Twin Ring Motegi Co., Ltd. will hold a round of the Indy Racing League (IRL) for 3 days from April 11 (Friday) to 13 (Sunday) in 2003; the race that will be held is the third round of the Indy Racing League (IRL) series that represents true American motor sports.

IRL is a formula car race series where drivers compete for the championship over 16 annual races which culminate with the "Indianapolis 500" (popularly called the "Indy 500"), the biggest motor sports event in the world. The "Indy 500" which has long been known to many Japanese, at least by name, was first held in 1911 and marked its 86th race this year is the world's biggest motor sports event attracting 400,000 spectators to its final.

IRL races are all held on oval courses where drivers drive machines at high speeds with the throttle kept fully open. Spectators, regardless of their seat locations, can enjoy the view of exciting battles with two to three machines running at incredible speeds side-by-side. IRL, never forgetting to stress the entertainment aspect of auto racing, is the most representative motor sports of America.

The "BRIDGESTONE INDY JAPAN 300 mile" will be the first IRL race to be held outside the U.S. and marks a historically important point in both Japanese and American motor sports.

In presenting the "BRIDGESTONE INDY JAPAN 300 mile" as an outstandingly attractive event, Twin Ring Motegi Co., Ltd. will also hold a wide variety of events during "Indy Week" which will last for nine days from April 5 (Sat.) to 13 (Sun.).

HIGHLIGHTS OF BRIDGESTONE INDY JAPAN 300mile

The BRIDGESTONE INDY JAPAN 300mile will take place at the 1.5-mile oval course of Twin Ring Motegi, covering a total of 200 laps or 300 miles (approx. 480 km.)

The oval course of Twin Ring Motegi has a course layout consisting of two 10-degree banked corners, one with a diameter of 220m and the other with 160m, linked by two straight courses. Since an Indy car provides powerful down force and has excellent cornering performance, the spectators can expect to witness scenes where two to three machines are racing side by side.

Also, the high slipstream effect, in which the low pressure created behind a fast-moving car makes the machine following the car go faster, makes the race very exciting. The spectators will not be able to take their eyes off this spectacle until the end of the final lap.

The average lap speed of the BRIDGESTONE INDY JAPAN 300mile is expected to be over 200 miles per hour (320km/h) with a top speed of 350 km/h. Each team is expected to make three to four pit stops during the race and the total race time including a number of yellow cautions will be about two hours.

One of the attractions of the race for Japanese fans will be that there are many teams that are familiar in Japan, including the Andretti Green Racing, whose entry from next year has been announced, as well as Marlboro Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing.

As for the participating drivers, those who have raced in Japan before such as Michael Andretti, and his teammates Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan have already announced their entries in next year's IRL. A total of 26 to 28 entries are expected to take part.

Furthermore, the IRL has announced the entries of several Japanese drivers including Toranosuke Takagi, who has been announced to join the race next year, and the performance of these Japanese drivers will also be attracting considerable attention.

OUTLINE OF THE EVENT

Name of the Race
INDY JAPAN 300mile
Organizer TWIN RING MOTEGI Co.,Ltd.
M.O.Sports Club(M.O.S.C.)
Official Recognition FEDERATION INTERNATIONAL DE L'AUTOMOBILE(FIA)
JAPAN AUTOMOBILE FEDERATION(JAF)
Title Sponsor BRIDESTONE CORPORATION
Official Airline ANA NCA
Partner AUTOBACS SEVEN CO., LTD.
Supported by The Embassy of The United States of America,State of Indiana, Tochigi Prefecture, Motegi Town,The Yomiuri Shinbun, Nippon Television Network Corporation,The Hochi Shinbun, FM Japan
Venue TWIN RING MOTEGI Super Speedway
(1.5miles{2,4km})
120-1 Hiyama, Motegi-machi, Haga-gun, Tochigi, Japan
Schedule deadline 2003. 4.11(Fri) /Practice
4.12(Sat) /Practice Qualifying
4.13(Sun) /Race(300miles: 200Laps)
4.14(Mon) /Reserved Day in the case of Rain