Negotiations are heating up between Formula One and Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials that could bring F1
racing back to Indianapolis in 2009. Speedway boss Tony George told an audience at yesterday’s IU Business Conference that
he’d like to bring Formula One back in time for the Brickyard’s centennial celebration. The facility opened in 1909.
Just Marketing, an Indianapolis-based firm that pairs sponsors with motorsports properties, has been hired by the IMS to help sign a title sponsor for the F1 race. Just Marketing President Zak Brown said F1 czar Bernie Ecclestone and the series’ existing sponsors have a “strong interest” in returning.
“I know there’s been talk of having an F1 race at Las Vegas or Miami, but the Speedway is the only facility in the U.S. that is up to F1 standards,” Brown said. “Indianapolis is turnkey and ready to go. If the right sponsors can be put into place, I think this can happen in 2009.”
Brown said he and George had private meetings with potential sponsors late last year, and those discussions are progressing. Brown called interest among companies willing to fork over an eight-figure sum for a multi-year title sponsorship “fairly high.”
“I think F1 will come back,” Brown said. “At this point, I think it’s a matter of when, not if.”
F1 officials announce their schedule for the following year by late August. “We’d have to have a deal done by then,” Brown said. “The sooner we can make an announcement, the sooner [Speedway officials] can start marketing and promotions and selling tickets.”
If F1 races back into Indianapolis, Brown thinks it will stay for a long time.
“Tony wants to have F1 at his track for the rest of his life,” Brown said. “F1 is a huge global brand, and it fits with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s history.” George is 48.
The inaugural U.S. Grand Prix F1 race was run at the Speedway in 2000 before a crowd of more than 200,000. Attendance slid in subsequent years, settling around 100,000. F1 and Speedway officials were not able to agree on an extension after its 2007 running.
Do you think an F1 race can make a successful comeback at the Speedway?
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All those improvements he has done on the brickyard he financed by himself. He has never asked the city for money or subsidies and I don't think he'll start now. I think getting city/state money involved takes some of his control away. As we've seen from Indycar, he doens't like relinquishing control.
I would be ecstatic if this came back.
Also, lets not lose sight of the fact that U.S. Open Wheel is the most competitive of all racing products. So now with the Champ-IRl merger in place, we need to begin thinking creatively how we can expand our market share. I’m sure that both the global fan base and the international sponsors will find that U.S. Open Wheel is much more competitive and interesting than the F-I extravagances. They are great events, although hardly competitive racing.
Indy would cement itself as not only the motorsports capital with 5 of the biggest races of their kind in the world, but we would further entrench ourselves as the sports capital of the world.
I'm guessing the car manufacturers - Mercedes, Honda, Toyota and BMW - have already pressured King Bernie to reconsider his hasty Indy exit last year as the US represents their biggest sales market.
What cracks me up is the city of Indianapolis' inability to recognize how important an annual F1 race is to the local economy. Hotels and restaurants all reported their biggest sales during the F1 race weekend.
Instead of pursuing the one-time NFL Super Bowl, the city should put some $$$ towards marketing & promotion so as to secure F1 in Indy for years to come.
As for Bernie, remember he sold just south of half his F1 empire to a consortium of banks (2004?) He now has to deal with people who expect the highest net profit he can get them. It was reported that TG would only go $15MM (his money). Shanghai: $30MM (gov't/tax payers). Which do you think the other owners would say???????????
As for public/private funded races, only two (now one) is privately funded: British GP (BRDC and sponsored by Sandanter) and the USGP.
TG needs a title sponsor....ING?
Indy a bad place for open wheel? You do realize open wheel racing was born here.
With that said, the previous track configuration has been pretty weak. I think the changes in the (traditional oval) first turn for the motogp will make the race a little more interesting.