CHAMPCAR/CART: FedEx Championship Series prepares for delivery down under

CART FedEx Championship Series prepares for delivery down under for Honda Indy 300.

INDIANAPOLIS (October 17, 2002) - The CART FedEx Championship Series is ready to take a 9,000-mile whirlwind trip around the globe with the assistance of series title sponsor, FedEx. Beginning tomorrow, two FedEx 747 jumbo jet aircraft will transport Champ Cars and equipment from the United States to Australia for the Honda Indy 300, Round 17 of the CART FedEx Championship Series on Sunday, October 27.

The FedEx planes, each fully loaded with approximately 240,000 pounds of racing-related freight valued at almost $70 million, will depart Indianapolis International Airport for Australia late tomorrow evening. After a 20-hour flight, including stops in Honolulu, Hawaii and Nadi Airport in the Fiji Islands, the FedEx planes will land at Brisbane International Airport in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Upon arrival, the cars and equipment will be unloaded from the planes by FedEx ramp specialists. The precious cargo will then be transported by ground for 70 miles to its ultimate destination in Gold Coast. This entire logistical ballet will run in reverse once the checkered flag waves to mark the completion of the Honda Indy 300 on the streets of Surfers Paradise.

"FedEx is proud that CART, its teams and suppliers have put their trust in us to transport this valuable and sophisticated racing equipment across the world for them," said Managing Director for FedEx Charters Gary Molinari. "It's a unique challenge each time for our air, ground and freight services group to handle for the CART FedEx Championship Series, but we are ready for the challenge again. Coordinating and managing this logistical puzzle will show off our ability once more to provide on-time delivery while using almost every aspect of our diverse shipping resources."

For the past three days, CART, its teams and series suppliers have been dropping off their equipment at the FedEx AGFS cargo facility located in Indianapolis.  As equipment arrives at the cargo facility, FedEx loadmasters and ramp crews take charge and build up the massive amount of high-dollar freight according to the load specifications for each FedEx plane. During this build up process, the freight is positioned into the exact order it will be loaded onto the planes. 

The average cargo load for a two-car team consists of four assembled race cars, five race engines, and 17,300 pounds of miscellaneous equipment made up of 80 spare gears, four skids, 16 spare sets of wheels, four tool boxes, four driver helmets, 20 firesuits, two pit boards, 40 two-way radios and headsets, 100 spare springs, 32 spare shocks, 100 spare decals, two drink poles, 50 team hats, two timing stands, 1000 hero cards, 75 media guides, 75 notepads, 100 pieces of letterhead, four printers and 10 monitors. Champ Cars are stacked on special racks designed by FedEx to hold two Champ Cars each, while other equipment will be placed in cargo containers made to utilize every inch of available space on each FedEx aircraft.

"Loading and preparing this cargo for the long trip to Australia is an incredible task requiring personal attention and efficiency," said CART Director of Logistics Billy Kamphausen. "It's a journey that mandates the expertise, infrastructure and facilities both on the ground and in the air that CART has confidence only in FedEx to handle. We want to thank the dedicated FedEx workers at Honolulu, Memphis, Nadi Airport, Brisbane and especially the Core Team at the Air, Ground and Freight Services Complex at the FedEx Indianapolis International cargo facility who all will have a hand in making sure the equipment arrives on time and in tact."

In addition to the Australia movement, FedEx also transported the series to other overseas venues on the race schedule which included the April trip toTwin Ring in Motegi, Japan and last month's journey to Rockingham Motor Speedway in Corby, England. As the "Official Transportation Company of CART," FedEx offers its legendary time-definite, delivery service to meet the transportation and distribution needs of CART and provides freight and document shipping solutions for CART, its race teams and promoters. 

With annual revenues of $20 billion, FedEx Corp. is the premier global provider of transportation, e-commerce and supply-chain management services. The company offers integrated business solutions through a network of subsidiaries operating independently, including: FedEx Express, the world's largest express transportation company; FedEx Ground, North America's second-largest provider of small-package ground delivery service; FedEx Freight, the largest U.S. provider of regional less-than-truckload freight services; FedEx Custom Critical, the world's largest provider of expedited time-critical shipments; and FedEx Trade Networks, a provider of customs brokerage, consulting, information technology and trade facilitation solutions.

Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc. (NYSE: MPH) owns, operates and markets the CART FedEx Championship Series. Newly-crowned 2002 CART FedEx Championship Series champion Cristiano da Matta is among the open-wheel stars competing with teams such as Newman/Haas Racing, Player's/Forsythe Racing, Team Rahal, Fernández Racing, Patrick Racing, Herdez Competition, Mo Nunn Racing, Walker Racing and others. CART Champ Cars are thoroughbred racing machines that reach speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour, showcasing the technical expertise of manufacturers such as Ford Motor Company, Lola Cars, Reynard Motorsport and Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, LLC. The 19-race 2002 CART FedEx Championship Series will be broadcast by new television partners, CBS, FOX and SPEED Channel. CART also owns and operates its top development series, the CART Toyota Atlantic Championship. Learn more about CART's open-wheel racing series at www.cart.com.

--CART--