Santa Monica, California –– Eco-Challenge welcomes the addition of Team Spie of France to the racing roster for Eco-Challenge Sabah 2000. Team Spie, the best team from France, joins previous Eco-Challenge champions and winners of other expedition races competing for the title of "World Champion" this August in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

The 7th Eco-Challenge is the most competitive field of world-class teams ever assembled in such a race. All previous winning teams of Eco-Challenge since June 1995 are confirmed to race. In addition to the Eco-Challenge champions, the best teams from many other countries are also confirmed to race.

Here are some of the world's best teams looking to challenge for the title of "World Champion" this August:

Team Fairydown Fleet CookieTime (New Zealand): John Howard, Keith Murray, Andrea Murray and Neil Jones.

Team Spie (France): Eric Cassaigne, Karim Benamrouche, Beatrice Piolat and Jean Francois (Jeff) Robin.

Team Nokia Adventure (Finland): Pasi Ikonen, Dominick Arduin, Petri Forsman and Mika Hirvinen.

Team AussieSpirit.com (Australia): Jane Hall, John Jacoby, Matt Dalziel and Nigel Alyott.

Team Red Bull-Playstation (Spain): Antonio de la Rosa, Nerea Urruzola, Jose Torres and Miguel Torres.

Team Condór (Argentina): Pedro Usandizaga, Nancy Goye, Alejandro Fagiani and Guillermo Simpson.

Team Salomon/Eco-Internet (USA): Ian Adamson, Robyn Benincasa, Issac Wilson and Mike Kloser.

Team Vail/PacketVideo (USA): Billy Mattison, Ellen Miller, Andreas Boesel and Andy Lapkass.

Other top teams include: Team Subaru Outback (Canada), Team QLX – The Turtles (Denmark), Team AXN Salomon EastWind (Japan), Team Schroders (UK), Team Hi-Tec, (USA), Team EarthLink (USA), Team Friction Free (USA), Team oobe (USA) and Team Tactel Ispira (USA).

Eric Cassaigne, Captain of Team Spie said, "We are proud to represent the country of France, a country which has been very strong in this sport for many years. Each of us has strong backgrounds in Expedition Racing and a French team has not won Eco-Challenge since 1995. We are looking forward to racing against many of the best teams in the world in Sabah."

John Howard, three-time winner of Eco-Challenge said, "There are so many top teams racing in Borneo, we expect quite a race for 1st place, especially in the jungle where the navigation is difficult. This year's Eco-Challenge is shaping up to be the most exciting race yet and I am looking forward to racing against Team Spie and the other very competitive teams in the front."

Pasi Ikonen, captain of Team Nokia Adventure said, "Our team is eagerly waiting for the Eco-Challenge in Borneo. It will be nice to race against not only Team Spie, but against all the best teams from all around the world. The jungle environment is totally new for us, but we will do our best in the race."

Ian Adamson, previous winner of Eco-Challenge and many other races said, "Our last race against Team Spie in the tropics was in the 1999 Elf race. Isaac Wilson and I were pipped at the post by them after 11 days of neck and neck racing. This time though, they don't have the "obvious advantage" of John Howard to lead them. We have always had a fierce but amicable rivalry with Spie, so it will be great to meet them again in the top expedition race in the world."

Race Director Mark Burnett said, "I am extremely happy that Team Spie of France has registered for Eco-Challenge Sabah 2000, as it makes our first World Championship complete! I feel certain that whoever becomes the World Champion will feel they truly earned it, considering it is the strongest field of competitors ever assembled."

Eco-Challenge, in keeping with the Expedition Race philosophy, did away with assistance crews in 1997, and beginning this year will require all teams to carry all of their food for the entire race when they leave the starting line in Sabah. They must find water along the way and plan their food intake for the entire 7-12 day race as Resupply points will only allow teams to change their race equipment, not resupply food. Burnett said, "This is a true Expedition Race, not a triathlon in the outdoors. The test will not only be strategy, planning, good decision making and team dynamics, but also a calculation of necessary food intake and resourcefulness (such as fishing) if the food runs out."

USA Network will devote four hours over two days in prime time US programming during the first half of 2001, airing the Eco-Challenge race.

Gordon Beck, Senior Vice President of Sports & Production for USA Network said: "With perhaps the strongest competitor field of any expedition race to date, Eco-Challenge Sabah 2000 will truly be a "World Championship"event - exactly what USA Network was looking for. Mark Burnett and Eco-Challenge Productions have come through every step of the way in our quest to make the Eco-Challenge on USA unique as THE premier international Expedition Race."

Discovery Channel Canada has secured the exclusive Canadian rights and will air Eco-Challenge Sabah 2000 in the second quarter of 2000.

Columbia TriStar International Television has obtained international distribution rights to Eco-Challenge. The agreement begins with this year's Eco-Challenge Sabah 2000 and extends through 2002. Not only will Eco-Challenge® be available on free broadcast networks worldwide, but CTIT's new action adventure cable channel, AXN will carry the four-hour event as well. AXN is represented regionally by AXN Asia, AXN Japan, AXN Latin America and AXN Spain (their general entertainment channel). Together these channels will reach nearly 25 million global viewers.

For the first time, 48 Hours, CBS' critically acclaimed prime-time news series will be covering Eco-Challenge. Now in its 13th season, 48 Hours has won 17 Emmy's, a George Foster Peabody Award and an Ohio State Award.

Also covering Eco-Challenge for the first time, is the Emmy Award-winning, Entertainment Tonight. With over 12 million nightly viewers in more than 70 countries, E.T. is the world's #1 Entertainment Newsmagazine.

With the most paddling of any Eco-Challenge to date, the Sabah 2000 course travels through mysterious Borneo via ancient headhunter trails, remote rivers and surrounding tropical seas. Competitors will rappel down isolated jungle cliffs using fixed ropes, paddle along winding rivers in indigenous Sampan canoes, trek and mountain bike along dense rainforest trails, sail through tropical seas to magical coral-fringed islands using the native Perahu outrigger canoes and even scuba dive down to an underwater coral reef checkpoint.

Eco-Challenge is the world's premier Expedition Race attracting the best adventure athletes from around the world; it is held in a remote region of the world each year. The Eco-Challenge name and logo are registered trademarks of J. Mark Burnett and cannot be reproduced. Eco-Challenge, The Expedition Race, Expedition Racing and Expedition Competition and all associated logos and service marks are all trademarks or registered trademarks of J. Mark Burnett in the United States and/or other countries.