BeaveRun Spring Sprints Stars SCCA Pro Racing North American Championships, Snapon.com Champ Cars Stars of Tomorrow Series and Miata Festival

Over 1,000 participants set to compete May 2-4 as five major racing series and a host of special events debut at region's largest multi-track motorsports destination

April 1, 2003 (Big Beaver Borough, PA) - BeaveRun MotorSports ComPlex, the country's fastest-growing, multi-use destination for motorsports enthusiasts will welcome thousands of racers, fans and spectators as it hosts five major racing series, a three-day Mazda Miata Festival and several other high-profile special events during the weekend of May 2-4. The weekend marks the first time that professional road racing will be staged in western Pennsylvania in nearly one hundred years.

The full-bore competition line-up features four separate racing series under the umbrella of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Pro Racing North American Championships. Racers will be competing in the SCCA Sports Racing Pro Series, the SCCA Mazdaspeed Miata Cup Presented by Hankook Tires, the SCCA Pro Spec Racer series and Formula SCCA. In addition to no-holds-barred open-wheel and sports car racing, the weekend brings together tomorrow's racing superstars at the Snapon.com Champ Cars Stars of Tomorrow karting eastern region finals. This important karting series, run in association with WKA/SCCA Pro Racing, grooms the country's top young racing talent for a future in CART, IRL, NASCAR and Formula One.

The weekend also gives local racers the opportunity to compete in two SCCA regional races hosted by the Steel City SCCA Region. In addition, enthusiasts new to motorsports can participate in the BeaveRun 100 karting enduro Saturday evening and anyone, regardless of experience, is invited to join a Pro-Am charity celebrity kart race on Sunday.

BeaveRun's 400-acre multi-track facility not only accommodates simultaneous racing on two world-class tracks-the 1.6 mile road course and 8/10-mile kart circuit-but the expansive grounds provide an exceptional setting for a multitude of additional events, including a Miata Festival and Driving School sponsored by Baglier Mazda, the BeaveRun 100 endurance kart race, a charity celebrity kart race featuring Beaver county and Pittsburgh area personalities and much more. High-elevation panoramic viewing areas also make this action-packed weekend an ideal destination for anyone who enjoys watching fierce competition.

Appropriately, one of racing's most accomplished drivers will serve as Grand Marshal throughout the weekend. Desire Wilson is the only woman driver ever to have been licensed to drive in both World Championship Formula One Grand Prix and CART IndyCars or to have won an international Formula One race. She has raced competitively in more than 70 different types of race cars, on more than 80 different tracks in 14 countries. She is a partner in Wilson Motorsport Inc.

"This weekend is a must for anyone who loves the sights and sounds of cars and karts," said Tim Silbaugh, co-founder of BeaveRun MotorSports ComPlex. "Not only are we proud to put western Pennsylvania back on the professional racing radar screen, but we're tremendously excited about the economic benefits that this type of large-scale event brings to the region."

Mitch Wright, SCCA Pro Racing Vice President and General Manager added: "We are very excited to bring the SCCA North American Championships to BeaveRun. The combination of pro racing, karting and the Miata Festival will give spectators a weekend full of fun and entertainment."

SCCA Pro Racing Takes Pole Position on BeaveRun's North Course

For three full days, BeaveRun's challenging 1.6 mile road course, the North track, will be a hotbed of fierce testing, qualifying and racing action.

The Mazdaspeed Miata Cup presented by Hankook Tires is growing rapidly as one of the most popular grassroots racing competitions offered by SCCA Pro. The relatively low cost of competing-drivers race identical, only slightly modified first-generation Mazda Miatas- make it an ideal starter-series for professional enthusiasts. The close wheel-to-wheel racing makes for thrilling spectating.

Fans who want to get a view of tomorrow's top pro racers will want to keep a close eye on the Pro Spec Racer Series. This nine-year old series features identical, purpose-built open-cockpit, closed-wheel vehicles and has been designed to provide very tight competition. Many of today's top racers, such as Robbie Buhl, have participated in this extremely popular class.

Formula SCCA, which utilizes the new SCCA Enterprises formula car, requires a high level of driver skills and makes for exceptional spectating. The open-cockpit, open-wheel fixed-specification cars level the racing field by giving every participant the same technology. The result is racing at its purest-skill, not money, determines the winner.

Rounding out the SCCA North American Championship races is the new Sports Racing Pro Series, which features a variety of sports racing classes and stars some of the most competitive performance cars in the industry.

Regional enthusiasts will also have the opportunity to take part of the action with two days of racing offered by the Steel City SCCA Region. To hone their competitive edge even further, racers who compete in these four series can also choose to sign up for The BeaveRun 100, a special kart enduro race scheduled for Saturday evening, March 3.

Top Talent Competes in Snapon.com Champ Cars Stars of Tomorrow Series

Karts deliver serious thrills, especially when the track is BeaveRun's acclaimed Wilson Circuit, home of the BeaveRun Karting Center and recently designated a World Karting Association (WKA) master track. Professional karting arrives at BeaveRun with the eastern regional finals of the Snapon.com Champ Cars Stars of Tomorrow series. A sanctioned series of WKA/SCCA Pro Racing, the Stars of Tomorrow series was founded by racing star Bryan Herta and is now owned by a group of racing veterans including racing legend Bobby Rahal. Stars of Tomorrow attracts top young talent because it is the official first level in CART's driver development system. The series is the only one of its kind in the United States and adheres to the stringent International du Karting (CIK) standards-the same standards that the Wilson Circuit was designed to meet.

Celebrity Kart Race for Charity Highlights Sunday's Entertainment

Spectators are invited to cheer on ten very special VIP and media guests-as well as their co-drivers-during a Sunday, May 4 celebrity kart race. The "no experience required" racers will assemble at High Noon to duke it out on the twists and turns of the Wilson Circuit, battling for bragging rights and raising funds for regional fire fighters. Pittsburgh's Ted Sohier, the voice of classical music station WQED, will serve as the race announcer. Sohier, a former SCCA club racer whose passion for motorsports equals his love for music, challenges area media to "get out of their chairs and into the driver's seat." Companies or individuals are invited to help support regional fire companies by purchasing a co-driver slot for $300.00. The full amount will be donated.

Mazda Miata Festival Celebrates Racing and Roadsters

In addition to enjoying the racing thrills provided by the Mazdaspeed Miata Cup series, fans and owners of Mazda's popular two-seater are invited to participate in a special Miata Festival throughout the weekend. Designed exclusively for Miata owners and drivers, the three-day Miata Festival features events and hospitality, as well as a private two-day driving school on the North Track, the same track that features high-speed wheel-to-wheel racing during the weekend. Miata aficionados enjoy premium-location reserved parking in the paddock area and can sign up for a May 4 "Miata owners only" Barbeque lunch. All

Miata drivers attending May 4 can also experience the BeaveRun North track from behind the wheel, during a pace-car led Grand Parade lap, free of charge. For Miata fans who want to sharpen their driving and racing skills, the May 2-3 Miata Driving School is the perfect ticket. Each day's session combines classroom with on-track instruction. Pre-registration is required and package pricing is available. The two-evening school for one driver, a Barbeque for two and preferred parking is $150. The cost for the one-evening school, Barbeque and parking is $90. Guests can also enjoy the May 4 Barbeque and parking for just $10 per couple. The driving school is limited to 20 individuals each evening.

Admission Information

Spectator admission is $10 per person for a one-day pass, $15 for a two-day pass and just $20 for a weekend pass. Parking is included and children under 12 are free. For complete information on participation costs as well as a complete schedule of events, contact Krystal Barry at 724.535.1000 or visit the event detail page. Press credentials for working media are available by contacting Phillip Mauney at 770.938.2811.

About BeaveRun MotorSports ComPlex

BeaveRun MotorSports ComPlex (www.beaverun.com) is conveniently located in Big Beaver Borough, Pennsylvania, just 40 minutes north of Pittsburgh on Route 18. With I-76 (Pennsylvania Turnpike) Exit 13 just two miles south of the 400-acre destination complex, and Pittsburgh Airport only 25 minutes away, driving and motorsports enthusiasts from around the country can take full advantage of BeaveRun's world-class, multi-use facilities. Highlights at BeaveRun include the world-class 1.6-mile North Course road race course and the equally challenging 8/10-mile Wilson Circuit-home of the BeaveRun Karting Center. A third track, the 2.2-mile South Course is planned for completion in 2004. Also open for public and private use are the superb testing and training facilities of the six-acre BeaveRun Vehicle Dynamics Center, home of the BeaveRun Vehicle Dynamics Academy.