ESPN acquires rights to second-tier US motor racing championships

Sports broadcaster ESPN International acquired ex-North America rights for motor racing’s Star Mazda Championship and the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship.

The broadcaster will show 13 hours of racing across the two championships in 2012. Production company Carolinas Production Group will handle the production and distribution of the coverage.

The championships act as feeder series for the IndyCar series.

The Disney-owned ESPN International network covers more than 178 countries and territories worldwide, including Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Oceania.