A New Chapter of Historic Racing at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Begins
The Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP) announced that it will be producing the historic races at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in 2010, and that General Racing, Ltd., the creator and producer of the Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races for the last 36 years, will no longer be producing the event.
SCRAMP will produce an event that reflects the prestige, integrity and quality that fans and participants expect of the vintage automobile races held at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. SCRAMP has contracted for the use of the trademark Monterey Historic Automobile Races for 2010 and General Racing will assist SCRAMP for this transitional year.
“This has certainly been a long and rewarding relationship with Steve Earle and General Racing,” said Gill Campbell, CEO/general manager for Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. “SCRAMP has always admired Mr. Earle’s creation, which has brought historic car racing to the enthusiast on such a level. We look forward to our 2010 event, scheduled from August 13-15, and beyond with the mission of continuing the tradition of historic automobile racing here while enhancing the enjoyment factor for the fans, participants and sponsors.”
SCRAMP has operated Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, the site of the Monterey Historic Automobile Races, for more than 50 years and, as a not-for-profit organization, has donated more than $12 million to the communities in and around the Monterey Peninsula.
“SCRAMP is proud to continue the legacy General Racing began,” Campbell added, “And we are excited about the prospect of opening a new chapter in historic racing at America’s premier road racing circuit.”
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca was established in 1957. The world-renowned raceway has been operated since its inception by the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP), a not-for-profit 501C(4) corporation. Each race season, SCRAMP donates its net proceeds to the volunteer groups that help put on the races.
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca’s world-class 2009 racing schedule includes the Monterey Sports Car Championships featuring the American Le Mans Series October 9-11.
Source: Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
Inside MMA Knocks Out One Hundred Episodes on HDNet
Bas, Kenny and Ron to celebrate milestone episode with a look back at some of the program’s memorable moments – Friday, August 21 at 9:00 p.m. ET
“Inside MMA,” HDNet’s original weekly program devoted completely to news and highlights from the world of Mixed Martial Arts will celebrate 100 episodes with a special installment on Friday, August 21 at 9:00 p.m. ET.
The program, which launched in September of 2007, filled a gap in the world of sports news and has since become the primary news for all things MMA.
“I’m certainly thrilled by, but not surprised at, the success of ‘Inside MMA,’” said Mark Cuban, chairman and co-founder of HDNet. “Launched as the first and only program of its kind, ‘IMMA’ has quickly become THE source for MMA, thanks especially to the hard work of the program’s outstanding staff.”
“Inside MMA’s” Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten have played host to some of the biggest stars in MMA including Fedor Emelianenko, Tito Ortiz, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre and Chuck Liddell – all who have taken part in the program’s panel discussion segment.
“Inside MMA” also includes features like ‘Kruck’s Korner’ where co-host Ron Kruck covers the unique people and in-depth stories from the world of mixed martial arts, a news segment providing up-to-the-minute news, and ‘Toe-to-Toe with El Guapo,’ where co-host Bas Rutten answers viewer questions about the sport and its fighters.
Over the program’s nearly two year run, “Inside MMA” has covered 135 different promotions in 39 different states and 12 different countries, bringing the worldwide and wide ranging sport of MMA right into viewers’ homes. “Inside MMA” has also covered some of the biggest stories in the business, including the recent downfall of Affliction, Seth Petruzelli’s upset win over Kimbo Slice – and the Florida State Athletic Commission’s investigation of that fight, the fall of Elite XC and Brock Lesnar’s suggestion that Frank Mir was embellishing an injury to avoid facing him.
The special 100th episode of “Inside MMA” airs Friday, August 21 at 9:00 p.m. ET on HDNet.
Source: HDNet
Action packed soccer season announced on Setanta Sports
Barclays Premier League, UEFA Champions League, World Cup Qualifiers and more to be played on Setanta in August
Setanta Sports continues to provide a robust soccer line-up on their 24 hour a day, 7 day week television channel, highlighted by the Barclays Premier League and UEFA Champions League. On top of these two hallmark competitions Setanta will continue to broadcast the French Ligue 1, FA Cup, Carling Cup, Coca-Cola Championship, Scottish Premier League, Russian Premier League, World Cup Qualifiers, and more. Additionally, much of the programming that is available on the channel can be viewed on Setanta’s broadband service, Setanta-i.
Highlighted live and exclusive August games on Setanta include:
Wednesday, August 12
FIFA World Cup 2010 Qualifier, Norway vs Scotland
Saturday, August 15
Barclays Premier League, Blackburn vs Manchester City
Coca-Cola Championship, Newcastle vs Reading
Russian Premier League, Lokomotiv vs Cska
French Ligue 1, Toulouse vs St Etienne
Sunday, August 16
Barclays Premier League, Manchester United vs Birmingham City
French Ligue 1, Nice vs Rennes
French Ligue 1, Marseille vs Lille
Tuesday, August 18
Barclays Premier League, Sunderland vs Chelsea
UEFA Champions League, Sporting Lisbon vs Fiorentina (same day coverage)
Sunday, August 23
Barclays Premier League, West Ham United vs Tottenham
French Ligue 1, Bordeaux vs Nice
Tuesday, August 25
UEFA Champions League, Anderlecht vs Lyon
Wednesday, August 26
UEFA Champions League, Olympiacos vs FC Sheriff
A full listing of Setanta’s soccer schedule can be viewed on: www.setanta.com/us/TV-Listings
“Setanta strives to bring the very best international live soccer to the homes of our valued viewers. We are delighted to offer a strong and diverse line-up as will continue to seek out and deliver the best soccer events from around the globe,” commented Managing Director, Roger Hall.
Source: Setanta Sports
Aqua-Mania wins inaugural Super Boat Grand Prix in front of huge crowd
Seminole Hard Rock Casino overcomes slow start and takes a victory in Vee Class
The Super Boat International Great Lakes Grand Prix was everything fans and race teams expected and more. An estimated 40,000 fans turned out and witnessed an exciting day of racing and a tense battle in the powerful Turbine class with Aqua-Mania putting on a spectacular show.
“We came into the first turn and unfortunately, we got squeezed out and had to duck under that first buoy. Rick (Rick Merola – throttleman) was screaming at me ‘left, left, left’ and we just had to shut it down and get back on course. The good thing is that we had two and a half miles to race down the course to catch everybody. It was a tense moment, but we both worked together and got through it,” says driver Gregg Rosen.
Rosen reflected that as the race went on, they had the opportunity to actually have some fun. “While racing hard along the beach, we wanted to show the fans that this is an exciting sport and show them what Super Boat International is all about.”
Peter Meyer (owner Seminole Hard Rock Casino Vee-bottom), was overwhelmed by the big crowd. “I saw about 40,000 fans out there. It looked like a Rose Bowl game. There were spectators on the left, the right, everywhere,” comments Meyer. While overcoming a slow start and knowing it was a long race, Meyer marched on and eventually took the lead and a win in the Superboat Vee unlimited class.
With big crowds and hundreds of boats watching the inaugural event, race producer John Carbonell said it was the biggest spectator fleet he had ever seen for a first-time event. “I think everyone was treated to a great race. Michigan City is a very friendly town and is a great place to hold a race. I would expect that next year it will be even better,” comments Carbonell.
Panasonic Racing took a win in the Superboat Vee Extreme class and throttleman Benny Robertson was amazed by both the city and the large crowd. “This is awesome for a mid-size town to have so many people show up to the event. This is going to be a great addition to the national racing series as well as a fun place to come race,” says Robertson.
For a complete list of race results visit http://www.superboat.com/. The next race on the 2009 schedule is the 19th Annual New York Super Boat Grand Prix on September 11 – 13, 2009, between Battery Park (New York) and Liberty State Park (New Jersey) on the Hudson River.
Source: Super Boat International
Phillies voices pitch in to honor Harry Kalas
As a way of paying tribute to their colleague, Harry Kalas, the Philadelphia Phillies broadcasters are pleased to announce the creation of The Kalas Award, a college scholarship given annually to a student in the Philadelphia region who hopes to become a sports broadcaster, perhaps following in the footsteps of the late, Hall of Fame voice of the Phillies.
The Kalas Award will be given annually to a rising college junior at Philadelphia-area colleges and universities who has expressed a desire and shown initiative toward a career in sports broadcasting.
Phillies radio and TV broadcasters Larry Andersen, Scott Franzke, Gary Matthews, Tom McCarthy, Chris Wheeler and Jim Jackson together have funded the Philadelphia Broadcasters Foundation, a charitable trust whose primary purpose is the funding, selection and distribution of scholarship awards for local students.
“We were looking for a way to establish a lasting legacy in Harry’s honor,” said Andersen, “and the scholarship seemed like the right way to go. Harry touched so many lives with his work, with his soothing voice and his generosity of spirit; we believe this is a fitting way to continue that generosity for years to come.”
Kalas, who passed away on April 13, 2009, while preparing to do what he loved most, was for 39 years the voice of the Philadelphia Phillies. Enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002, Kalas joined the Phillies in 1971 and was for generations of fans not only the voice of the Phillies, but also an inspiration to countless young fans who pursued the same career path.
Scholarship applications and the complete eligibility requirements are available online at www.phillybroadcasters.org. Fans interested in honoring Harry’s legacy by contributing to The Kalas Award scholarship fund are encouraged to visit the website or call 215-218-5228 for more information. Donations can also be made payable to the Philadelphia Broadcasters Foundation, P.O. Box 20139, Philadelphia, PA 19145.
Currently, the Philadelphia Broadcasters Foundation is an organized trust awaiting 501(c)(3) designation from the United States Internal Revenue Service. As with any tax deduction, donors should consult a tax advisor as to the deductibility of contributions to the Foundation.
Source: Philadelphia Broadcasters Foundation