RACERSITES.COM Launches Grand-Am.com Website
January 25, 2008
Leading Web Provider Lands Biggest Client; Showcases LapTrax T&S Software
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 25, 2007) – In the biggest development in the company’s short history, RACERSITES.COM announced today it has reached a partnership agreement with the Grand American Road Racing Association and has re-launched the series’ website, Grand-Am.com. The series’ new website will provide in-depth coverage of both the Rolex Sports Car Series and the KONI Challenge Series.
The announcement comes just days before the green flag waves for the Rolex 24 at Daytona, where Grand-Am.com will debut RACERSITES.COM’s new live timing and scoring software, LapTrax – which retrieves data directly from the official race timekeeper and delivers it to web viewers in real time.
“We’ve had a lot of success in our short history, but as a group we’ve never been as happy to announce a new website partner as we are today,” RACERSITES.COM President Chuck Tate said. “The Grand-Am series is one of the most respected motorsports championships in the world, and we’re proud to design, develop and host Grand-Am.com. The supporters of this championship deserve a quality online product, and with LapTrax, they won’t miss a minute of the action.”
The Rolex 24 at Daytona will be broadcast live on both FOX and SPEED channels this weekend, with the green flag scheduled for 1 p.m. this Saturday on FOX.
“Obviously, Grand-Am.com is the best place for fans to stay up to speed on all the action during the early morning hours when the Rolex 24 is not on live television,” Tate added. “But, LapTrax is also a great companion application while you’re watching the television broadcast. Because we’re getting our timing and scoring data directly from league officials, if you watch LapTrax while the broadcast is on, you’ll be working with the same real time information as the teams have in the pit stand. We can’t get the fans behind the wheel, but we want to get them as close as possible.”
In addition to the new timing and scoring software, Grand-Am.com features live audio webcasts of events, extended team and driver profiles, on-demand video, photo galleries and RSS feeds for team and series news. As a standard RACERSITES.COM signature, the administration tools built into the website help make the maintenance and updating of the site easy and effective for Grand-Am officials.
“We’ve been especially impressed by the administration tools and how effectively our staff utilize their time when working on the website,” Kevin Hindson, Grand-Am Vice President of Marketing and Communications, said. “We can publish one story on Grand-Am.com and it can appear in four, five, six different places on our website. That is extremely useful for fans, media and participants in our series when they visit the site, but it’s also especially efficient for the staff that are constantly working on the site, because it frees up time for them to work on other things.”
Discussions have already begun on expanding the site’s capabilities even further.
“One thing we always strive for, regardless of the size of the engagement, is to establish long-term relationships with our clients,” RACERSITES.COM Director of Client Operations Kevin Hofer explained. “One of the biggest goals for us was to develop a website that could grow with Grand-Am as an organization. This first generation will be a great experience for fans, but we’re already looking at new features to add next.”
Grand-Am Vice President of Marketing and Communications Kevin Hindson agreed.
“The Grand-Am Series continues to develop into one of the premiere and competitive road racing organizations in the world,” Hindson explained. “With the re-launch of Grand-Am.com our online product has advanced in the same manner as our racing. Fans who attend our races experience the thrill of a lifetime, and now they have the ability to stay involved with the action from the comfort of their living room. We knew RACERSITES.COM could design and deliver a great product, which they have, and now we’re already researching ways to advance even further.”
Over a year of growth for the website design and development company has culminated with today’s announcement; a showcase of both the web development and innovation of RACERSITES.COM. With a client roster that already includes Indianapolis 500 winning drivers (Sam Hornish Jr., Al Unser Jr.), championship winning race teams (Chip Ganassi Racing, Wayne Taylor Racing and Panther Racing) and venues, the newest addition of Grand-Am.com takes RACERSITES.COM to new heights.
About Grand-Am:
The Grand American Road Racing Association, which operates and sanctions the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 and the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series, is the premier road racing organization in North America. The 15-race 2008 Rolex Series and the 11-race KONI Challenge Series calendars deliver professional sports car racing to key markets throughout North America in addition to being televised in the United States and Canada on SPEED and distributed globally through ESPN International. Learn more about Grand-Am at www.grand-am.com.
About RACERSITES.COM:
RACERSITES.COM is a leading provider of web design, development and management services for clients in racing industries. RACERSITES.COM creates unique and easy-to-manage websites for all participants in the motorsports business – drivers, teams, venues, suppliers and sanctioning bodies. From Indianapolis 500 winners, championship winning race teams to first-time go-kart racers and up-and-coming racing businesses – RACERSITES.COM has an online solution to fit their needs.
LINK :: www.grand-am.com
