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ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – The Rock Island Grand Prix has announced a change to the program for this year’s junior class – the Tom Argy Junior Sportsman class.The popular Junior 3-hole Can class will race a Prefinal /Final format. As in the past, competitors will run timed qualifying on Saturday to determine the starting grid for the Prefinal. An 8-lap Junior Prefinal will be run in late morning on Sunday to determine the starting grid for the Sunday afternoon 10-lap Tom Argy Junior Sportsman race.
The addition of the Prefinal to the Sunday morning schedule will mean that only THREE senior classes will be able to expand to 55 entries and run Last Chance Qualifiers. All other classes will cap at 30 entries. “The juniors have always been an important part of our event. They were also very important to our former race director, the late Tom Argy Jr., after whom the race is named. But the Rock Island Grand Prix by design offers very limited track time. Senior competitors, if they choose, can add more track time by entering additional classes. Juniors cannot. For many, it is a long way to travel to run one 10-lap race,” said Roger Ruthhart, president of the Rock Island Grand Prix. “The new format will allow them additional track time to experience street racing, while providing more time to learn the course under race conditions. Obviously we also hope this move will encourage more junior drivers to participate and result in a more competitive Final on Sunday afternoon,” Ruthhart added.
The Rock Island Grand Prix has drawn top drivers from 34 states as well as Canada, Bermuda, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, France, Italy, Costa Rica and England. Drivers will compete in 14 races featuring around 400 race entries.
Presenting Sponsors of the Rock Island Grand Prix are Mazda and AT&T. Jumer’s Casino Rock Island and Kart Expo International presented by Sodi Kart are also major sponsors. John Deere & Co. returns as sponsor of the John Deere Awards Show for drivers and race teams. Festivities will wrap up just in time for fun on the outdoor stage once again featuring The Travoltas. Outdoor concerts will be offered all three nights.
Others sponsors of this year’ Rock Island Grand Prix include: Zimmerman Cars; CBS4 TV; radio stations B100, 97 Rock, Star 93.5 and The River 104.9; The Dispatch, The Rock Island Argus and The Leader newspapers; Quad-Cities Online; Mediacom. Illinois Oil Products is the sponsor of HyVee VIP Hospitality Park and the Jewell Group is sponsor of the Pre Grand Prix Party. Other sponsors include Budweiser and Stern Beverage, Sprint Kart Speedway and 61 Kartway, PG Racing, JET Karting, Triple E Sales, Courtesy Car City, Rieken’s Racing, CJC Investments, Sunbelt Rentals, Communications Engineering Corp.(CEC), Gas & Electric Credit Union, Rogan Inc., EZ Companies, County Waste, Full Circle Media, Fastenal of Moline, and Rock Island Country Market. Additional sponsorship opportunities are still available. On any given weekend, there are more Mazdas on the road-race tracks of America than any other brand of vehicle. At the track, you’ll see MX-5 Miata, RX-8, MAZDA3, MAZDA6, RX-7 and other vintage Mazda models competing, because every Mazda has the Soul of a Sports Car. In fact, the fastest growing road-racing class in the U.S. is the SCCA’s Spec Miata class, with nearly 1,500 first- and second-generation Miatas tearing up America’s racetracks, making it the most-raced production car in the world. Mazda’s involvement in motorsports extends to its relationship with Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, one of the world’s premier road-racing circuits, and the Skip Barber Schools for driving and racing. Mazda North American Operations, headquartered in Irvine, Calif., oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada and Mexico through nearly 900 dealers. Canadian operations are managed by Mazda Canada, Inc., in Ontario, and in Mexico by Mazda Motor de Mexico, Mexico City. (www.MazdaUSAmedia.com, www. Mazdaspeedmotorsports.com ) AT&T is the largest telecommunications company in the United States and one of the largest in the world. AT&T is the recognized world leader in providing IP-based communications services to business and the U.S. leader in providing wireless, high speed Internet access, local and long distance voice, and directory publishing and advertising services. As part of its "three screen" integration strategy, AT&T is expanding video entertainment offerings to include such next-generation television services as AT&T U-verse TV. With 55.8 million subscribers, AT&T provides international voice services to virtually every country and territory in the world. It is a global company that sets the industry standard for a new era of integrated communications and entertainment services. The AT&T Foundation has contributed more than $1.8 billion to nonprofit organizations around the country, including $60 million in 2006, putting it among the five largest corporate foundations in the United States. (www.att.com) The Rock Island Grand Prix is hosted by The Downtown Rock Island Arts and Entertainment District which features Casino Rock Island, retail shops, excellent restaurants, live entertainment, dinner theater, art galleries and comedy clubs all within walking distance of the host hotel. It is located on the Mississippi River three hours west of Chicago in an area known as the Quad-Cities which straddles the river and the Illinois/Iowa border. It is at the intersection of Interstate highways 74, 88 and 80 and is served by Quad City International Airport in Moline, Ill. (www.ridistrict.com) For more information on the Rock Island Grand Prix, visit our web site at www.rockislandgrandprix.com .
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