TV anchor announced for series

INDIANAPOLIS (July 12, 2001) -- Veteran motorsports broadcaster Rick Benjamin has been named by NBC Sports to anchor the network's coverage of the American Le Mans Series, starting with the telecast of The X-Factor Grand Prix of Sonoma from California's Sears Point Raceway on July 22.

Benjamin will be joined in the broadcast booth by former sports car racing standout Bill Adam, who will serve as analyst. Pit reporters Calvin Fish and Martin Haven will complete the NBC Sports team.

"I couldn't be more excited about this opportunity," said Benjamin. "The American Le Mans Series is a wonderful series with a lot of good things going for it, and lots of potential for even more good things in the future."

NBC Sports will televise three more events this season for the sports car endurance racing series following Sears Point, including an event at Canada's Mosport International Raceway on Aug. 19, at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Aug. 25 and at Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca in California on Sep. 9.

"Obviously, the series has been doing very well on television," said Benjamin. "We're going to try and build on that success."

Though he is no stranger to televised motorsports, his work with NBC Sports with the American Le Mans Series will be Benjamin's first on a broadcast network, and his first with the ALMS. His work has appeared on nearly every American cable sports network, including the ESPN networks, TNN and Fox Sports Net. He hosted the former "Raceday" program on TNN for several years and has worked race telecasts of stock cars, sports cars, open-wheel cars and short track cars.

Benjamin has been a fixture this year on Speedvision, where he was an anchor for the network's recent coverage of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and has also hosted its Sunday night "Speedvision News" program.

"I consider it a great honor to be asked by NBC Sports to lead their broadcasts of the American Le Mans Series," he said. "I'm looking forward to getting started."

-ALMS