Even teams are getting in on the game with the exclusive new system that was developed to provide race fans with real-time race information.
     iCard™, a unique cartridge that works with Nintendo’s handheld Game Boy™ systems, is designed for race fans, teams and officials, and delivers up-to-date, real-time race information. This simple yet brilliant new product will be introduced at America’s venerated sports car classic, the 51st Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, scheduled for March 12-15.

     The Twelve Hours of Sebring launches the 2003 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) season. ALMS events feature several races in one as four separate classes compete for class victories plus the overall win on challenging and exciting road courses across North America.
     Exciting as these races are, it can be difficult to follow the action and identify who is in the lead at any given time. The iCard™ cartridge is an extension of ALMS’s Light System, which debuted during the 2002 ALMS season and enabled fans to know who was in first, second and third place via lights installed on competing cars.
     The new iCard™ cartridge now provides race fans with all of the current standings as well as a wide assortment of additional race information, and it will operate at all of the ALMS North American events.
     The slim iCard™ cartridge, which fits into the game slot on Nintendo’s Game Boy Color™ or Game Boy Advance™, is linked directly to the ALMS official timing and scoring system and receives radio transmission broadcasts at the track, allowing data updates every few seconds.

     “iCard™ allows a user to view real time race information that he wants to see when he wants to see it,” said C.Y. Smith, one of the creators of iCard™. “It makes it very easy for him to turn his attention elsewhere and, at his leisure, easily bring himself back up to speed.”
     Users may access a wide range of information with several menu options: event schedule, real time and archived practice and qualifying results, late-breaking announcements and race standings. Within each of these menus are even more options.
     For example, when the race standings page is selected, a list of all the competitors is displayed including each competitor’s current overall race position, the class he competes in, class position and lap-by-lap results. From this same page, any single competitor may be highlighted to dive into details specific to that car.
     iCard™ also features:
– A screen that turns yellow within seconds of and during a full-course caution.
– A bottom line “footer” on each screen that is used to broadcast late-breaking updates such as “Last Lap” or “Team Panoz Penalized,” and may be selected to learn more, such as “Team Panoz car #51 assessed a stop-and-go penalty for avoidable contact at turn 7 on lap 12.”
     iCard™ is available in two models. The basic iCard™ cartridge was designed for fan use, while iCard™ Pro was developed specifically for more demanding day-in and day-out durability required by race competitors. Race enthusiasts also may purchase iCard™ Pro.
     To promote the launch of iCard™ and entice race fans to bring their Game Boys to the track, the company is offering various incentives. Fans who bring with them their own Game Boy can try out iCard™ for no charge on Thursday and Friday, March 13-14. A drawing for more than 50 giveaways will be held on Friday. Fans can register for the drawing on Thursday and Friday at all Sebring Official Merchandise outlets. The winners, whose names will be selected at the end of the day on Friday, will be awarded the following prizes:
– 50 winners will receive free use of an iCard™ on race day
– 10 winners will receive free iCard™ cartridges
     iCard™ also has joined a select family of companies as an official ALMS season sponsor.
     iCard™ will be available at Sebring Raceway’s Official Merchandise outlets beginning March 12. At the track, iCard™ will retail for $129.95 or can be rented for $25 for the weekend. iCard™ Pro retails for $199.95.
     Race fans may buy or lease the iCard™ cartridges to work in their own Game Boy Color™ or Game Boy Advance™ units. A limited number of Game Boys will be available for weekend rental at $10. A credit card is required for deposit on all rentals.
     For more information on the Twelve Hours of Sebring or ALMS, visit http://www.americanlemans.com/.
     A patent is pending on iCard™, which was developed by SPP Services, LLC, Braselton, Ga. For more information or to reserve your iCard™ cartridge in advance, visit http://www.icardus.com/.