Walker announces new partners for Lavin.

Walker Racing will welcome new partners to the #5 Corona-sponsored entry of Mexican rookie Rodolfo Lavin this weekend, as round two of the 2003 Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford moves to Mexico.

Vitro, TV Azteca and InterProteccion will team up with the beer brand as Walker Racing continues its successful record of developing innovative and value-added motorsports marketing programmes, including fielding programs for African-American, female, Japanese and, now, Latino drivers. Of the 18 venues on the Champ Car schedule this year, 15 events are in North America - ten in the United States, three in Canada, and two in Mexico's largest cities, Mexico City and Monterrey. According to Scarborough Research, event spectators are thought to be 19 per cent Hispanic - 51 per cent more likely than the national average - while Champ Car viewers in general are reckoned to contain a 12.5 per cent Hispanic quota.

"Corona, Vitro, TV Azteca and InterProteccion have a global reach making for a perfect fit in the Champ Car World Series, which has a global platform as well with an especially strong presence in the growing NAFTA region," said team owner Derrick Walker, "These are highly successful companies and we are pleased that they have chosen to support Walker Racing."

The partnerships mark the companies' first foray into motorsports sponsorship.

"I want to thank Vitro, TV Azteca and InterProteccion for their support this year and I'm pleased we can announce their participation going into a home race at Monterrey," Lavin added, "The companies recognise the value of motorsports sponsorship in the Champ Car World Series, as well as the value of entering into such a sponsorship with a reputable brand such as Corona."

Monterrey-based Grupo Vitro is a major producer of glass products serving a wide variety of markets. The company has joint ventures with twelve major manufacturers that provide it with access to international markets, distribution channels and state-of-the art technology. TV Azteca is one of the world's two largest producers of Spanish-language television programming. It operates two national television networks through more than 300 owned-and-operated stations located throughout Mexico. Additionally, the company recently launched Azteca America Network, a strategic initiative aimed at the attractive, fast-growing United States Hispanic market. Finally, InterProteccion is the Mexican group leader in the brokerage of insurances and guarantees of the market, which has provided service for over 40 years. Through consolidated international alliances and joint ventures with other leading insurance providers, InterProteccion now offers coverage throughout the world.