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For
Immediate Release
Contact: Jody Meacham, 408 / 288-2934, jody@sjsa.org
SAN JOSE (Nov. 24, 2004) – The
addition of the San José Grand Prix to the Champ
Car World Series annual racing schedule – announced
Friday by Mayor Ron Gonzales – ratifies the city’s
position as a prime venue for high-visibility sports
events, Dean Munro, executive director of the San Jose
Sports Authority, said today.
"The mayor’s announcement
is the culmination of two years’ planning and work,
and it means another event with national stature and
media attention will
be staged each year in downtown San Jose,’’ Munro
said. ``The San José Grand Prix and the Dew
Action Sports Tour announced last month each will bring
large
crowds to multi-day sports festivals in the heart of
our city beginning next year."
Already the host of the
annual State Farm Pac-10 Women’s
Basketball Tournament, conference officials recently
announced they were extending the tournament’s
run at HP Pavilion for three more years through the 2008
season. Earlier this year the NCAA announced that its
2007 Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament would
play one its four regionals in San Jose.
"The San José Grand Prix
will bring world class racing excitement to our streets,
and it will bring
San
Jose to the attention of millions of people across
the nation and around the world," Mayor Gonzales
said.
The 2005 San José Grand Prix – an open-wheeled
auto race on a downtown street course centered on HP
Pavilion – is scheduled for July 31, with qualifying
and supporting races July 29 and 30. With its accompanying
concerts, charity events and promotional activities,
the Grand Prix will be a one-week festival. The San
Jose City Council will consider a proposal at its Dec.
7 meeting
in which it and the San Jose Redevelopment Agency would
invest $650,000 toward street and other infrastructure
improvements to make the race possible.
The San José Grand
Prix will be produced by Canary Fund Enterprises, an
affiliate of the Canary Fund, founded
by former Cisco executive Don Listwin. The fund is working
to create an early biomarker for cancer detection and
is the official social cause of the Champ Car World Series.
"The
Bay Area market, and San Jose in particular, offer
Champ Car all the elements that make for a long-term,
successful event," said Joe Chrnelich,
executive vice president for development, government
affairs and
planning of the racing organization. "We look forward
to working with the Canary Fund and the city officials
in showcasing San Jose for the world to see."
Tickets
for the San José Grand Prix are on sale
now and can be purchased through Ticket Master online
at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at (408) 998-TIXS,
(510) 625-TIXS or (415) 421-TIXS. For additional information
go to www.sanjosegrandprix.com.
The San José Grand
Prix is among more than 130 sports events brought to
the city by the San Jose Sports
Authority. Visit our website at www.sjsa.org.
Major annual San Jose sports events
| Event |
Venue |
2005 dates |
 |
| State Farm Pac-10 Women’s Basketball
Tournament |
HP Pavilion |
March 4-7 |
| San José Grand Prix |
Downtown streets |
July 29-31 |
| Dew Action Sports Tour |
HP Pavilion |
Sept. 7-11 |
| Silicon Valley Football Classic |
Spartan Stadium |
late December |
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