Toyota to sponsor 2003 Fontana race.
The 2003 Indy Racing League event at California Speedway will be named the Toyota Indy 400, speedway and Toyota officials confirmed last night, tying in with the Japanese manufacturer's planned arrival as an engine supplier to the category next season.
The 2003 Indy Racing League event at California Speedway will be named the Toyota Indy 400, speedway and Toyota officials confirmed last night, tying in with the Japanese manufacturer's planned arrival as an engine supplier to the category next season.
Bill Miller, president of California Speedway, and Les Unger, national motorsports manager for Toyota Motor Sales USA, announced a multi-year sponsorship agreement between the speedway and Toyota beginning with the 2003 Indy Racing League weekend next September. Toyota's agreement with the speedway continues a six-year relationship between the auto manufacturer and California Speedway.
"Since day one of California Speedway, Toyota has been an integral part of our growth and development," Miller said, "Toyota brings an aggressive marketing and advertising campaign to our events, and the southern California Toyota dealers have been tremendous partners in support of the events at California Speedway. We look forward to these elements continuing with our Indy Racing League event in 2003."
The Toyota Indy 400 will be the second IRL race at the two-mile superspeedway. Sam Hornish Jr, who won his second consecutive Indy Racing League championship last weekend, won the inaugural event at California Speedway by 0.0281secs over Jaques Lazier on March this season. The California Speedway result was one of eight races with a finishing margin of less than one second during the 2002 15-race IRL schedule, including five races decided by less than one-tenth of a second.
As part of the agreement, Toyota will serve as the official car and truck for the Indy Racing League event at California Speedway.
"Event sponsorship like the Toyota Indy 400 is a tremendous platform for Toyota dealers to market our products and our overall involvement in the Indy Racing League beginning in 2003," Unger said, "We look forward to our continued involvement with California Speedway in 2003 as we work hand in hand to maximise the exposure of this exciting event to the fans."
