CART formally announced plans for the Hawaiian Super
Prix (HSP), a $10M PPV TV event to be run on November 19 in
Honolulu, according to Dan Proudfoot of the TORONTO SUN.
CART CEO Andrew Craig "confirmed a three-year contract" with
event organizers, but the Super Prix "has given" HI a
"commitment for 10 years." HSP co-Founder Dick Rutherford
said the event will be a success if 2% of 36 million viewers
with access to PPV pay $19.95 to watch the race.
Rutherford: "That take-rate would give us a break even if we
didn't get a lot of sponsorship." He said research showed a
potential buy rate of 5.8%. Rutherford didn't name the PPV
company, saying it would be announced later. The race will
be run in front of grandstand seating for 100,000 (TORONTO
SUN, 2/26). Members of HSP include President David Grayson
and co-Founder Bob Kachler. GM & COO Phil Heard will run
the race operations in HI (HONOLULU STAR-BULLETIN, 2/25).
NASCAR PRAISE: An editorial in today's WASHINGTON POST
under the header, "Good Ol' Boys Make Good," states that
"even as it approaches the pinnacle of popularity ... NASCAR
is going to great lengths to assure its ever growing legions
of fans that it won't become like all those other sports,
where millionaire athletes turn in lackluster performances
in about half their games and stiff-arm the fans on their
way out of the dressing room" (WASHINGTON POST, 2/26).
