TEAM PLAYER'S RENEWS ITS ASSOCIATION WITH PATRICK CARPENTIER
AND SIGNS FELLOW CANADIAN PAUL TRACY FOR THE 2003 SEASON
Montreal, Quebec, November 19, 2002 -- Team Player's announced its drivers' lineup for the 2003 CART Championship today, as Patrick Carpentier returns for his sixth season and fellow Canadian Paul Tracy signs on as his new teammate.
"We are delighted to have two exceptionally talented drivers who are immensely popular with racing fans, not only for their on-track achievements but also because of their personality, which has made both of them outstanding ambassadors for Canadian auto racing," said Bob Bexon, President and Chief Operating Officer of Player's Ltd.
Carpentier, 31, has just completed the most productive season of his CART career, finishing in third place in the drivers' standings with 157 points. Carpentier earned a pair of race wins in 2002, in Cleveland and Mid-Ohio, and made his way to the podium in Rockingham (England), Surfers Paradise (Australia) and Fontana (California).
The Joliette, Quebec driver, who joined Team Player's in 1998, is pleased that the new contract will enable him to remain in the CART series with a team that is familiar to him and an organization that shares his pursuit of excellence.
"For the first time in my career, I was really free to go anywhere I wanted," stated Carpentier.
"My decision to continue my association with Player's is an expression of confidence in the team and the constant progress that it is making. There is a really good chemistry between me and my engineers and a great relationship with my mechanics. It felt good to know that they were just as eager to have me back with the team."