Rockingham 500

It was created in the hope of competing with the Formula One British Grand Prix, but CART had difficulty publicising the event.

Several observers questioned CART's chances of staging a race in England, noting that previous similar schemes were unsuccessful.

[7] The Michaelides & Bednash agency oversaw the advertising, which began in the printed press in August and included two television commercials and an official poster.

[11] Despite two days of practice and qualifying rounds being cancelled because of the drainage issues, 38,000 spectators watched the race.

He noted that moving the dates did not increase the risk of bad weather because the track's meteorological data showed that the months of May and September were the driest of the year.

[18] Rockingham Motor Speedway CEO Ashley Power began talks with CART officials in November 2002, hoping to end the race's five-year contract early due to a poor trading environment and inclement weather.

[19] This was due in part to the track financing Team St. George, though Rockingham sold sponsorship to recoup some of its losses.

[20] It was revealed that the track lacked the resources and time to create a marketing programme and find a new title sponsor.