Dorna Sports, 3FourTexasMGP and Full Throttle Productions have signed a 10-year contract to bring MotoGP to the new Circuit of the Americas beginning in 2013. The agreement includes the three categories of the Championship, the MotoGP class – the pinnacle of motorcycling, Moto2 and Moto3. The 10-year MotoGP deal is coupled with the already scheduled ten-year deal to host the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™, for which the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas is currently under construction.

“We are delighted to be adding the Circuit of the Americas to the MotoGP calendar. It is an honor to expand our Championship to Texas, which has a rich history of producing World Championship riders,” said Mr. Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports, S.L. “We have had a wonderful and special relationship with Kevin Schwantz for twenty years and often talked about a mutual dream of increasing the popularity of MotoGP in the U.S. and raising our already successful worldwide profile. Now, with what Tavo Hellmund is doing in Austin, we have realized that situation and are looking forward to this new venture together. The 10-year agreement is a sign of our confidence and commitment to the future success of MotoGP racing in Austin.”

Established as a World Championship by the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) in 1949, MotoGP is now in its 63rd year. Its Grand Prix events have taken place in every corner of the world and in 2010, more than 2.2 million people came through the gates of the world circuits to watch a weekend of world-class motorcycle racing.

Kevin Schwantz, Manager of 3FourTexasMGP, L.L.C. and the 1993 FIM MotoGP World Champion, stated, “For me this is a dream come true, that the FIM MotoGP World Championship will be in my home state of Texas. I am such a believer in the sport and know how popular motorcycling is in Texas. I am sure that this will be a resounding long term success.”

During his racing career, Schwantz accumulated 25 Grand Prix wins and he won the 1993 MotoGP World Championship. After his retirement from racing in 1995, the FIM, in an unprecedented gesture of respect, retired #34, his racing number. In 2000, the organization declared Kevin a Legend, their highest honor, as a testament to his popularity with fans and fellow drivers alike.

“We are extremely pleased to add the best motorcycle World Championship to our annual schedule,” said Tavo Hellmund, Managing Partner of Full Throttle Productions, L.P. “This is a fantastic opportunity for the State of Texas and this region and I believe it is the first time in American Motorsports history that both the cars and motorbikes world championships are held at the same facility annually. We are very proud of becoming the United States international facility for motorsports.”

Construction of Circuit of the Americas is progressing well and is scheduled for completion sometime in mid 2012, in time for the first Formula 1 United States Grand Prix.

“Kevin and I have been close friends for a long time and I enjoy a great relationship with Carmelo.  I respect so much what they and the FIM have done for MotoGP globally.  It’s going to be great for the state, the product is fantastic and you never know, we may even have a reigning Texan in Ben Spies as World Champion for our first event…that would be icing on the cake,” concluded Mr. Hellmund.

World-Class Riders

Ben Spies from Longview, Texas is considered among a small field of favorites to challenge for the 2011 title. He was the 2010 MotoGP Rookie of the Year and recently finished sixth in the Qatar Grand Prix, the inaugural MotoGP race of the 2011 season.

The 2010 MotoGP World Champion is factory Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo, originally from Palma, Spain. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) from Catalonia, Spain finished runner-up behind Lorenzo last year with seven-time World Champion Valentino Rossi from Urbino, Italy placing third.

Race Weekend Schedule

A Grand Prix event takes place over three days with total attendance nearing 200,000 fans. The first two days of the Grand Prix are set aside for practice and qualification for each class. In each category the three fastest qualification-time riders take positions on the first row of the grid, with the rest lining up in rows of three behind. Traditional race days begin with the 125cc contest with the Moto2 class following and finally the premier MotoGP event. Races vary in length between approximately 60 and 80 miles and normally last 40 to 45 minutes.

What better backdrop for football’s biggest game than the world’s largest domed stadium, in the state where everything is bigger? On February 6, 2011, the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington will make history by hosting Super Bowl XLV, marking the first Super Bowl in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and the third Super Bowl held in Texas.  The stadium will seat more than 90,000, serving as the largest venue to host a Super Bowl since 1993. This event presents a valuable opportunity for visitors to experience the Lone Star State, and to enjoy all the experiences Texas has to offer beyond the stadium.

Sixteen events hosted by several North Texas cities will surround the 45th Super Bowl, including the NFL Experience at the Dallas Convention Center on January 27-30 and February 2-6. On February 5, the Taste of the NFL will take place at the Fort Worth Convention Center, and the NFC Fan Party will be held in Dallas’ historic Fair Park. Fort Worth’s Sundance Square will serve as ESPN’s production headquarters. For the schedule of events,  visit http://www.northtexassuperbowl.com.

“The Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex is a vibrant melting pot of nightlife, cuisine, shopping, culture and family fun, and we encourage visiting sports fans to spend a few extra days exploring,” said Julie Chase, Tourism Director for the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and Tourism.

Part of the Prairies and Lakes Region, the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex is a popular Texas destination. Located between Dallas and Fort Worth, Arlington is also home to the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, the International Bowling Museum, Six Flags over Texas and Hurricane Harbor. The region stretches north and south through charming small towns, as well as natural attractions such as freshwater lakes, forests, and authentic dinosaur tracks.

A sophisticated city with superb nightlife and restaurants, Dallas welcomes visitors to shop and dine at NorthPark Center and the Galleria, to explore the Dallas Arboretum, bustling Uptown area, historic West End Entertainment District, Dallas Museum of Art or Nasher Sculpture Center, and experience the multi-venue AT&T Performing Arts Center with four state-of-the-art facilities featuring music, opera, theatre and dance. F ort Worth, the “City of Cowboys and Culture,” is home to some of the country’s best museums, in addition to Bass Performing Arts Center, the annual Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo (January 14 through February 5), the world’s largest honky tonk (Billy Bob’s Texas) and world’s only twice daily cattle drive in the Stockyards National Historic District.

Visitors to Plano enjoy museums, shopping, historic landmarks, and the famous Southfork Ranch of “Dallas” fame. Grapevine is easily accessible by the Tarantula Train from the Fort Worth Stockyards, and features wineries, parks, the Grapevine Opry, shopping at Grapevine Mills and downtown, and more. Denton is known for its lively music scene and is considered Texas’ horse country. Centrally located in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, Irving is home to numerous hotels, golf courses, and the Mustangs of Las Colinas, the largest equestrian sculpture in the world.

The Prairies and Lakes Region is only one of Texas’ seven diverse regions, each of which offers dramatic landscapes, storied history, and opportunities for exploration and adventure. This includes outdoor adventure in the Big Bend Region and live music, art and cuisine in the Hill Country, the 624-mile Texas Gulf Coast, world-renowned birding in the Rio Grande Valley and lush national forests in the Piney Woods. In Texas, there truly is something for everyone.

Tickets are now on sale for Red Bull X-Fighters Texas – the stateside stop of the world’s premier, most-progressive freestyle motocross series. The Texas event is the third of five rounds in the 2009 global series. What should you expect? Come ready to see the best freestyle motocross riders in the world in action, the largest competition course and highest-caliber elements ever created, rodeo queens, live bull riding, the iconic Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and all the authentic pageantry of a summer night in the Texas Wild West. There is no question – the Historic Fort Worth Stockyards is the only place to be on Saturday night, June 27!

Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.redbullxfighters.com. Three price categories are available – General Admission is $20; Grandstand Seating is $40; and Premium Grandstand Seating is $50.

The invite list of world-class riders includes previous Red Bull X-Fighters winners Mat Rebeaud (Switzerland), Dany Torres (Spain), Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg (USA) and newcomer Levi Sherwood (New Zealand), as well as Eigo Sato (Japan), Thomas Pages (France), Andre Villa (Norway) and Robbie Maddison (Australia), the Guinness World Record holder for longest motorcycle jump. Rounding out the 12-rider competition will be the riders who advance from the qualifying round on Friday, June 26.

In the 2009 series opener in Mexico City, 43,000 fans packed Mexico City’s famous Monumental Plaza de Toros. Riders from eleven nations did battle in the biggest bullfighting arena in the world. Sherwood, the 17-year-old debutant, took a stunning victory. Second place went to Sato, a competitor almost twice his age. Red Bull X-Fighters heads to Calgary for the series’ first event in Canada on May 30 at the Calgary Stampede.

After the Fort Worth event, the series will pack up for the Madrid’s Las Ventas bullring, hosting its eighth-consecutive event, on July 16-17. The 2009 series finale will take place in London on August 22.

Red Bull X-Fighters was created in 2001, debuting in Valencia, Spain at the bullring where the legendary ‘Mad’ Mike Jones claimed victory. Since that historic night, Red Bull X-Fighters events have taken place in the world’s most legendary locations, including the famous bullrings in Madrid and Mexico City, Slane Castle in Ireland, the Sambodromo in Rio de Janeiro, a massive stone quarry in Wuppertal, Germany and the Stadion X-Lecia in Warsaw, Poland.

For additional information on Red Bull X-Fighters, visit www.redbullxfighters.com.

Source: Red Bull

Robert Henson, former football standout from Texas Christian University, was drafted by the NFL in the 6th round Sunday by the Washington Redskins. Henson, an outside linebacker for the Horned Frogs and first team Mountain West Conference selection, was excited to be picked by the Redskins.

“It is truly a dream come true,” said Henson who celebrated with his wife Sarah, family and friends at the home of father-in-law Bishop T.D. Jakes. “I’ve dreamed of this moment from the first day that I started playing football, and I can’t believe that this day is finally here.”

Henson, who was honorable mention his first three years at TCU, said the Redskins will teach him all three linebacker positions as well as consider him for special teams play.

Speaking to Redskins personnel, Henson told them, “I’m ready to work.”

Bishop T.D. Jakes was moved not so much by the fact that his son-in-law was drafted, but by the amount of work it took for him to get there.

“Robert has been through so much and worked so hard, I am so proud of him, not just for being a football player, but for being a man,” said Bishop Jakes.

Henson, no stranger to adversity and struggles during his lifetime, became emotional when he recalled conversations he shared with his now deceased brother, Nicholas Sterling, about his chances of playing football at the highest level. “My brother and I would spend hours sitting on our porch talking about me being drafted and playing in the NFL and now this day is here and I am so excited.”

Henson finished his career at TCU with 270 tackles and 4 interceptions. He married Bishop Jakes’ youngest daughter, Sarah, in June of 2008.

“Words cannot express how happy I am for my husband,” said Sarah Jakes-Henson.

Source: The Potter’s House of Dallas

The Tostitos brand today crowned six die-hard University of Texas fans champions of this year’s Tostitos “Race to the Bowl” competition and awarded them $200,000 for their school’s general scholarship fund during the national broadcast of the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Starting on New Year’s Eve in New York City, a team of fans from Ohio State University and the University of Texas embarked on a cross-country dash to Glendale, Ariz. – home of the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl – with stops along the way in Columbus, Ohio, Austin, Texas and Las Vegas where they competed in a variety of challenges to test their school pride and spirit. The winning team was announced, along with a highlights presentation of the entire journey, during the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl halftime show, which was televised nationally on FOX Sports.

As a long-time supporter of college football and the Fiesta Bowl, the Tostitos brand created its “Race to the Bowl” as a tribute to the ultimate true-blue college football fans and the friendships that can be fostered over the mutual devotion to their team. Tostitos recognizes the truly devoted fans as college football’s unsung heroes and rewarded the most devoted Buckeye and Longhorn fans with the trip of a lifetime with their friends to the 2009 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and the chance to give back to their school with a scholarship contribution.

Emotions ran high as the winners were announced before the enthusiastic crowd at the University of Phoenix Stadium, and were presented with a surprise, final challenge – correctly answer one trivia question testing the team’s knowledge about past Fiesta Bowl appearances by the Longhorn football team for the chance to double the prize for their school’s scholarship fund. Following a quick team deliberation, the team of true-blue fans provided the correct answer, winning the ultimate prize of $200,000 for the University of Texas general scholarship fund.

“The Tostitos brand congratulates the winning team of University of Texas fans and we are thrilled to present them with a $200,000 scholarship for their university,” said Ann Mukherjee, group vice president, marketing, Frito-Lay North America. “What an amazing journey this has been for these groups of friends, and it has been great to see the passion and school pride from both teams. We have always seen college football as a unique opportunity that brings friends together to share fun, memorable experiences and we hope both teams of true-blue fans will remember their ‘Race to the Bowl’ as one of their highlights of 2009. We congratulate both teams on a job well done.”

The Tostitos “Race to the Bowl” put six die-hard Ohio State University fans head-to-head against six ultimate University of Texas fans in a race across America to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and a chance to win $100,000 for their school’s general scholarship fund. The race kicked off on New Year’s Eve day in New York City where teams faced-off for their first challenge – a football passing drill against the backdrop of the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, and then performing their school’s fight songs to earn “tips” from the public. The teams then traveled to their respective college towns for a test of hometown school spirit that had teams recruiting local fans to have their faces painted in school colors as the truest demonstration of school pride. Next, the teams competed in a football scoring competition at Planet Hollywood on The Strip in Las Vegas and then raced to Glendale, Ariz., where they completed a football training camp-style obstacle course before crossing the finish line inside the University of Phoenix Stadium.

“This entire experience has been nothing short of amazing. After hearing about the ‘Race to the Bowl,’ I knew we had to compete as we’re the loudest, most die-hard group of Longhorn fans. We definitely proved it this week,” said Dani Peebles, captain of the team of University of Texas fans. “We’re so thankful to Tostitos for not only giving us the opportunity of lifetime, but also allowing us to give back to our school. We couldn’t have asked for a better way to cheer on the Longhorns in the Fiesta Bowl.

The winning team members and their home towns include:

• Tiffany Fogarty, Austin, TX
• Shawn Fogarty, Austin, TX
• Scott Hauptmann, Kyle, TX
• Jeffrey Judkins, Austin, TX
• Megan Luther, Austin, TX
• Dani Peebles, Austin, TX

In addition to the $200,000 scholarship presented to the University of Texas, the Tostitos brand also will award a $50,000 scholarship to Ohio State University on behalf of its team of die-hard fans that competed in the Tostitos “Race to the Bowl.”

Between November 26 and December 14, 2008 the Tostitos “Race to the Bowl” received more than 1,000 entries from true-blue college football fans who boasted their unwavering school pride and spirit. Entries were submitted through the official Tostitos “Race to the Bowl” Facebook page and the competing teams were determined by a panel of Tostitos judges.

Fans can view recaps of the race by visiting the official Tostitos “Race to the Bowl” Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/TostitosRaceToTheBowl.

Source: Frito-Lay North America