BRASELTON, Ga (October 5, 2011) – The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) announced the 2012 Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Championship Powered by Mazda schedule this week, highlighted by a return to Miller Motorsports Park in Salt Lake City, Utah, and a new venue to be announced.

First up on the agenda is the IMSA Development Series Winter Test, in Sebring, Florida February 6 and 7, dovetailing into the new “Cooper Tires Winterfest” which also includes a weekend shootout at Palm Beach International Raceway February 11 and 12. Specific details on the Winterfest program will be announced shortly.

The seven-event, 14-race season starts with a bang at the 60^th Annual Twelve Hours of Sebring, and tours with the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón to some of the most famous venues in motorsports – Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Mosport International Raceway, Road America and finishing the season at Road Atlanta’s Petit Le Mans. The Lites series also returns to Miller Motorsports Park after a one-year absence for the Utah Grand Prix in April. Of note is the change of date for the annual trek to Monterey, California, which returns to its popular May date for 2012, and an ALMS venue in September or October which will be announced shortly.

Steven Sewell, Director, IMSA Development Series, introduced the schedule to the teams and drivers at the annual champion’s banquet.

“Our priority was to put together a schedule that addressed the teams’ desire for a less compressed racing schedule,” explained Sewell. “In 2012, we will have races throughout the summer, in some of the world’s top racing venues - with one race a month to accommodate drivers’ personal and professional schedules. We do believe this is a spectacular calendar of events, appropriate for the increasingly popular ALMS prototype development series.”

"The 2012 Prototype Lites schedule is shaping up to be very balanced with the Teams racing each month from March to October at some very historic locations," stated Chris Pantani, Director of Motorsports for Cooper Tire.  "Based on the tight competition for the 2011 Championship this year, we look forward to some exciting racing ahead, starting with the Cooper Tires Winterfest in Florida during February of 2012 at Sebring and West Palm Beach."

"Mazda is looking forward to a great 2012 season,” said John Doonan, Director of Motorsports, Mazda North American Operations. “We're happy that the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites schedule hits many of the greatest racetracks in North America, including our favorite, Mazda Raceway."

The Prototype Lites mission is two-fold: present an opportunity for semi-professional race car drivers to compete in a world-class environment while also providing an avenue for drivers to move up the ladder into the LMPC or LMP classes in the American Le Mans Series Presented by Tequila Patrón. The series is divided into two classes: Lites 1, featuring the Élan DP02 chassis, which will be powered in 2012 by a 230hp 2.0L Mazda MZR engine; and Lites 2, utilizing the West WX10 and WR1000 chassis, with either a Kawasaki ZX10R or a Suzuki GSXR motor.

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