CHAMPCAR/CART: Motegi: FedEx ready to deliver Champ Cars overnight
CART FedEx Championship Series prepares for overnight delivery around the world to Japan for Bridgestone Potenza 500. DETROIT (April 19, 2002) - The CART FedEx Championship Series is ready to take a 6,500-mile whirlwind trip around the globe with ...
CART FedEx Championship Series prepares for overnight delivery around the world to Japan for Bridgestone Potenza 500.
DETROIT (April 19, 2002) - The CART FedEx Championship Series is ready to take a 6,500-mile whirlwind trip around the globe with the assistance of series title sponsor, FedEx. This weekend, FedEx MD-11 aircraft will transport Champ Cars and equipment from the U.S. to Japan for the Bridgestone Potenza 500, Round 3 of the CART FedEx Championship Series on Saturday, April 27.
The FedEx planes, each fully loaded with approximately 180,000 pounds of racing-related freight valued in excess of $70 million, will depart Indianapolis International Airport for Japan early in the morning on Saturday, April 20th. After a 15-½ hour flight, including a brief stop in Anchorage, Alaska to refuel, the FedEx planes will land at Tokyo's Narita International Airport.
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 three hours to its ultimate destination at Twin Ring Motegi. This entire logistical ballet will run in reverse once the checkered flag waves marking the completion of the Bridgestone Potenza 500 at Twin Ring Motegi.
"The short time period available to get the race cars and equipment from the U.S. to Japan as well as the diversity of the cargo provides the perfect environment for FedEx to showcase the logistic and transportation solutions we provide for time-definite delivery," said Gary Molinari, Managing Director for FedEx Charters. "The amount of coordination required between FedEx, CART, its race teams and suppliers as well as officials from Narita International Airport and Twin Ring Motegi to ensure the freight leaves and arrives on schedule is just incredible. FedEx is able to provide CART with our expertise, infrastructure and facilities to manage all aspects of the movement, both in the air and on the ground, in order to get the job done."
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, six race engines, and 17,000 pounds of miscellaneous equipment made up of 80 spare gears, 17 skids, 16 spare sets of wheels, eight tool boxes, four driver helmets, 20 firesuits, two pit boards, 40 two-way radios, 100 spare springs, 75 spare shocks, 100 spare decals, two drink poles, 100 team hats, two timing stands, 1000 hero cards, 100 media guides, 75 notepads, 100 pieces of letterhead, one printer and two 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.
"We would not be able to accomplish this type of movement without FedEx and the integrity, discipline, dedication and personal attention of all their enthusiastic employees," said CART Director of Logistics Billy Kamphausen. "A special thanks should be given to the management and core team of the Indianapolis FedEx national hub and the air, ground and freight services group that have kept us on schedule with our overseas events for more than ten years."
In addition to the Japan movement, FedEx will also transport the series as it travels to other overseas venues on the race schedule which include Rockingham Motor Speedway in Corby, England, EuroSpeedway Lausitz, in Germany, and Surfers Paradise in Queensland, Australia. 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. Former series champions Michael Andretti and Jimmy Vasser are among the stars who will battle for the 2002 FedEx Championship Series title on ovals, temporary street circuits and permanent road courses. CART Champ Cars are thoroughbred racing machines that travel at speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour, showcasing the technical expertise of manufacturers such as American Honda, Ford Motor Company, Toyota, Lola Cars, Reynard Motorsport and Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, LLC. The 20-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--
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