Ortsbo and IZOD IndyCar Series Host Interactive Live & Global Fan Event With Championship Contenders Dario Franchitti and Will Power

INDIANAPOLIS and LAS VEGAS, Oct. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- On the eve of the last race in the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series, Championship Contenders Dario Franchitti and Will Power will chat with racing fans and members of the media worldwide about their season-long battle for the overall title during a live, video streaming and web chat hosted by INDYCAR and Ortsbo, the world's leading real-time experiential language platform.  Members of the media and fans who register at www.indycarliveandglobal.com will interact live with the drivers in up to 53 languages via Ortsbo's Guinness World Record-holding platform, Live & Global (www.ortsbo.com / www.liveandglobal.com).

The chat will be broadcast in front of a live audience from the INDYCAR Fan Village at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, at 10 a.m. (PT) on Oct 15.  The event will be hosted by 2011 Indianapolis 500 Champion Dan Wheldon.  Wheldon also will field questions about the $5 million Go Daddy INDYCAR Challenge taking place during the IZOD INDYCAR World Championships Presented by Honda race on Sunday, October 16, when the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series title will be decided between Franchitti and Power.  Wheldon will be starting from the rear of the field of entries on race day and, if he wins the race, he and a lucky sweepstakes winner will split $5 million.

"INDYCAR and Ortsbo will be using the most unique and innovative technology yet developed to bring together three of the sports' leading drivers with racing fans in every corner of the world," said Greg Gruning, Vice President, Sales for INDYCAR.  "Social media has evolved to a point where the latest, most advanced technology makes it possible to ask questions and talk with Franchitti, Power and Wheldon in advance of the Championship race in this special one-time experience. I can't think of a better way for fans to get ready for one of the most anticipated races of the season."

This Live & Global event is the latest in a series of INDYCAR events with Ortsbo, the Official Online Translation Partner for the IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights. Ortsbo's record-setting Live & Global event software has been used for previous events that featured rock legends Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS, two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash, and the legendary Andretti racing family.

With participants from more than 90 countries participating in previous Live & Global events, the Ortsbo cloud application, powered by Microsoft Windows Azure, holds the Guinness World Record for the most nationalities in an online event.

For more information on the IZOD INDYCAR World Championships, visit www.indycarworldchampionships.com

About INDYCAR

INDYCAR is the governing body of the IZOD IndyCar Series, the premier open-wheel racing series in the United States, and Firestone Indy Lights, which serves as an essential stepping stone for drivers and teams striving to reach the IZOD IndyCar Series and the Mazda Road to Indy, a development ladder system for career-minded drivers who wish to compete in the IZOD IndyCar Series. INDYCAR events are available to a worldwide audience through a variety of multimedia platforms, highlighted by long-term and broad-reaching partnerships with ABC and VERSUS. INDYCAR is continually at the forefront of motorsports innovation with drivers, teams and tracks benefiting from major safety and technological improvements such as the SAFER Barrier, SWEMS wheel tethers, chassis enhancements, ethanol fuel and the Holmatro Safety Team.

SOURCE Ortsbo