Denver signs seven-year CART deal

A seven-year deal has been signed for Denver to become an established part of the CART calendar. A 1.65-mile temporary circuit will be prepared close to the city's downtown area. The focal point will be the Pepsi centre, home to the Denver Nuggets Baseball and the Colorado Avalanche American football teams.

CART chairman Joe Heitzler expressed his delight at adding Denver to next year's schedule. "We are extremely excited about the opportunity we have in Denver," he said. "We conducted races in the downtown area in 1990 and '91 and the fans here provided us with a terrific amount of support. The passion the people of Denver have for sports of all types make this a great opportunity for CART."

The race will be organised by street course promotion experts the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach, run by British expat Chris Pook. The company has also formalised an agreement with CART to work on building up more races in other US cities.

"We have enjoyed an 18-year relationship with CART and therefore it makes all the sense in the world for this division of Dover Downs Entertainment to promote and operate this event," said Pook. "We have also developed an excellent working agreement with Kroenke Sports [owner of the Pepsi Centre] that will allow us to present an exciting event featuring all the magnificent vistas that Denver has to offer."

US racer Bryan Herta said the event will be welcomed by the drivers. "Denver is a terrific city and, speaking on behalf of all the drivers, we are looking forward to racing here," he said.

No date has been announced for the event. The full calendar for 2002 is expected to be published within the next few weeks.