From: Michael Powell 
 
INDY RACING LEAGUE NEWS AND NOTES # April 1, 2004
 
Today#s IRL headlines
 
* Road to Indy # Yasukawa seeks landmark win
 
* Indy Racing Fan Experience nominated for award
 
* Franchitti inks deal with Revo sunglasses
 
* Fernandez completes first test
 
* Drivers to make appearance at Pacers game
 
Road To Indy # Yasukawa Seeks Landmark Win: Before last season, Roger Yasukawa
had never visited the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, let alone raced there.
 
This year, his goal is to win there.
 
#It#s certainly my goal to win the Indy 500. I think that#s my ultimate goal,#
said Yasukawa, who will drive as part of 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby
Rahal#s three-car effort at Indianapolis. 
 
#Last year was my first time ever at Indy. To participate in it made me
realize how big an event it is. This year, I know what to do in the race. I
have a year experience. Last year, I finished 10th and I think I can finish
better than that.#
 
The 26-year-old Yasukawa, who was runner-up to Dan Wheldon in the 2003
Bombardier Rookie of the Year standings, finished 12th in the IRL IndyCar#
standings driving for Super Aguri Fernandez Racing. But he hasn#t driven in a
race since the season-ending Chevy 500 in October.
 
He will make his season debut in the No. 16 Sammy Panoz G
Force/Honda/Firestone at the Indy Japan 300 on April 16 at Twin Ring Motegi. He
tested his car for the first time on March 30 during a Honda manufacturers#
test day at Phoenix International Raceway. 
 
He said he will use the Motegi event to prepare for his run at Indy and the
chance to land a full-time ride with Team Rahal, which announced it would field
a second full-time IndyCar Series entry earlier this month.
 
#Joining Team Rahal, I know the team is great,# he said. #I just need to put
my focus on the driving part, and hopefully, I can finish in the top five at
both Motegi and Indy.#
 
#I think being here for the whole month of May you get a lot of track time,
but one thing that I learned is things change a lot here during the month, and
you have to stay on top of everything. So every day seemed new to me, and this
year I think I know what to expect, which is good, and also during the race.#
 
He#ll also have teammates for the first time in his IndyCar Series career,
working with Buddy Rice and veteran Kenny Brack. Brack, who is recovering from
injuries suffered in an accident at Texas, is serving as a consultant to the
team until he is ready to drive.
 
#As long as Kenny offers me all that advice, I will take everything,# Yasukawa
said. #Last year I was just by myself. The team was new to the 500, as well. So
everything was on a learning curve. I think this year I know what to expect. I
think the team#s going to help me a lot.#
 
But he said it will be difficult to gauge where he stands against the other
IndyCar Series drivers, especially those who have been competing since the
beginning of the season.
 
#It#s hard to see how it#s going to be,# he said. #You just have to be
mentally and physically prepared going into it. I did get a day of testing to
help me get my rhythm. I just try to be as prepared as I can before the event.
Motegi is a big event for me and Honda, since they haven#t won there yet.
Hopefully I, or someone for Honda, can be the first car to win there.#
 
But equally as big would be a win in the 88th running of #The Greatest
Spectacle in Racing.#
 
#It would be big,# he said. #In terms of the IndyCar Series in Japan, I think
they#re still looking for a Japanese hero # someone who can win races. No one
has done that yet. Hopefully I can be the first one to do that.#
 
And, he said there may be perks.
 
#If  anything, I know I#ll have a job for the rest of my life,# he joked.
#Maybe they#ll make me president of Honda.#
 
***
 
Indy Racing Fan Experience nominated for award: The Indy Racing Fan Experience
is a finalist for a 2004 Ex Award presented annually by Event Marketer. The Ex
Awards honor the proven effectiveness and creativity behind the year#s best
event and experiential programs.
 
The Indy Racing Fan Experience, a one-of-a-kind, interactive mobile
entertainment experience, touched more than 1.6 million people in 2003 and
returned for its second season-long, country-wide tour in February. It is one
of three finalists for the #Best Mobile Marketing Program# appearing in 25 or
more markets in a year. The Indy Racing Fan Experience is a joint project of
the Indy Racing League and ignition Inc., an Atlanta-based experiential
marketing agency.
 
#We are very proud of the Indy Racing Fan Experience and the work done by
ignition to offer our fans a one-of-a-kind experience,# said Bill Long, vice
president of marketing for the IRL. #The Indy Racing Fan Experience is a
one-of-a-kind experience that was designed to not only have a creative impact
but give the league, its drivers and tracks tangible results.#
 
Designed to bring fans of all ages closer to the excitement of the IRL
IndyCar# Series, the Experience is divided into five properties # Indy Racing
Challenge, Indy Racing Kids, the Indy Racing Live stage, Indy Racing Pit Stop
Challenge and Indy Racing Gear. All five properties traveled to race markets
throughout the 2003 season and came together as one to create a carnival of
sight, speed and sound at the racetrack each weekend.
 
Although the Fan Experience made many stops in each race market, it could also
be found at many other venues from coast to coast. It visited more than 20
states and covered more than 30,000 miles in 2003. 
 
Several of the properties visited Major League Baseball parks, car
dealerships, city parks, national retail stores and national landmarks. The Fan
Experience also made a two-day stop at the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in
Louisville, Ky.
 
According to Event Marketer the Ex Awards are #100 percent about pure Grade A
events and judged by a panel of brand-side marketers. Event programs are
emerging as the marketing medium of the 21st century, where the many
"established" marketing disciplines come together to support a
LIVE expression
of the brand. Accomplishing it all in a way that is relevant, entertaining, and
engaging#and did we mention flawlessly executed?#takes creativity, talent,
skill, experience, and, ahem, guts.#
 
The Ex Award winners will be announced on April 19 during a gala evening
reception at the Hotel InterContinental Chicago. 
 
***
 
Franchitti inks deal with Revo Sunglasses: Dario Franchitti has signed an
endorsement deal with Revo sunglasses for the remainder of the 2004 season. 
 
As part of the deal, Franchitti will appear in the main "Front
Door" promotion
in more than 1,300 Sunglass Hut outlets throughout the U.S. during the month of
May, just prior to the Indianapolis 500.
 
"I'm delighted to be involved with such a fantastic sunglass brand as Revo and
aligned with a retail outlet like Sunglass Hut," said Franchitti. 
"In my line
of work, vision is an important asset to my at-track performance and the Revo
advancement in lens technology is second to none. I'm looking forward to
wearing their sunglasses at the Indy 500 and for the rest of the IRL season."
 
Franchitti will promote Revo's new line of stainless steel sunglasses in
storefront windows of Sunglass Hut stores in the U.S.
 
***
 
Fernandez completes successful test: The IndyCar Series# newest driver, Adrian
Fernandez, turned a total of 157 laps around Phoenix International Raceway
during a manufacturer#s test day on March 30.
 
#We had a really good test,# Fernandez said. #We had the opportunity to learn
more in a relaxed manner. We did a lot of work for Honda and some for ourselves
with the chassis. I was able to practice restarts, and the issue like we had at
the Phoenix race. The gearbox is very critical and you have to be careful; I
learned what areas to be careful. This was our last test before Japan. On the
whole, we are not quite there yet but we learned a lot today and I think we
will be competitive in Japan.# 
 
***
 
Drivers to make appearance at Pacers game: IndyCar Series drivers Ed
Carpenter, Mark Taylor and Dan Wheldon will appear at Indy 500 night on April 2
at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
 
The drivers will sign autographs from 6:30 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. in the IMS
Pavilion and serve as honorary scorers for the Indiana Pacers game with the
Toronto Raptors.
 
***
 
The 2004 IRL IndyCar Series season continues with the Indy Japan 300 at 11:30
p.m. (EDT) on April 16 at Twin Ring Motegi. The race will be broadcast live on
ESPN2 and the IMS Radio Network. The Menards Infiniti Pro Series Futaba Freedom
100 will take place at 2 p.m. (EDT) on May 22 at the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway. The race will be broadcast live by ESPN2.
 
___ Internet Rex 2.29
 


--- GTMail 1.26