Champ Car drops Ford and Bridgestone from logo

The Champ Car World Series enters a new era in 2007 with six new venues, a number of new drivers and the brand-new Panoz DP01 chassis. To go along with the new-look series, Champ Car today unveiled its new logo that will be featured prominently on the cars, the driver and official uniforms as well as the new-look television package.

The logo is a sleeker, racier design than that of the past, and features the new DP01 on the right side of the layout. The traditional Champ Car colors of orange, silver and black are featured, and the style of the logo includes a chicane-like quality that stylizes the road and street courses that make up the 2007 Champ Car schedule.

The logo was designed in conjunction with that of the Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda, and the similarities between the two distinct brands reinforces the connection between the Champ Car World Series and the Atlantic which is the longest-running development series to run with Champ Car in the 98-year history of the series.

“This new logo portrays many of the things that makes Champ Car special and unique and does it in an effective and stylish manner," said Champ Car President Steve Johnson. “Having the DP01 in the logo is also a key for us, as it displays what Champ Car racing is all about."

The logo will begin to be displayed on the cars as early as tomorrow in the first of the year’s three open test session, which is taking place at Sebring International Raceway. Further tests will take place at MSR Houston in February and at Laguna Seca in March as teams prepare for the 2007 season opener, April 6-8 in Las Vegas.

[Editor's Note: This will now clear the way for another engine manufacturer to get involved with Champ Car. Having Ford in the name and logo precluded any other involvement as it looked like a Ford series. Ford nor Bridgestone should have never been in the logo in the first place.]