The IndyCar Series race set for July 24 in Edmonton is dead.
IndyCar officials said the city of Edmonton in Canada changed the deal and expected the race promoter, Montreal-based Octane
Racing Group, to pay $2 million to $3 million in paving costs at the race venue. The race was to be held at the Edmonton City
Centre Airport.
Terry Angstadt, president of the IRL’s commercial division, who stood up with Octane boss Francois Dumontier and Edmonton
Mayor Stephen Mandel making the much-ballyhooed announcement in July, called the cancellation “a tremendous disappointment.”
Angstadt said the Honda Indy Edmonton, which was raced on a 1.96-mile road course, was successful and well attended for the
open-wheel series. He added that it’s likely too late to replace the race on the 2011 schedule. But IRL CEO Randy Bernard
said he hasn't given up on the idea of finding a replacement race for Edmonton.
Octane officials were told that Edmonton airport officials decided to keep the west runway on which the race previously has
been held open and wanted to move the race to the east runway, which has been closed. The east runway, however, needed substantial
upgrades for the race, and Octane declined to pay.
The untimely cancellation reduces the schedule to 16 races and leaves almost a month between races in the heart of the season.
Without Edmonton, the IndyCar Series will race in Toronto on July 10 and not again until Aug. 7 in Mid-Ohio.
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Welcome to The Score, your place for hard-hitting sports business news, fast-breaking updates and fuel-injected debate. Buckle up. I'm your host, Anthony Schoettle, IBJ sports reporter.
IndyCar Series' Edmonton race black flagged for 2011
November 3, 2010
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RKW's comments read like a modern "Chicken Little". As a Raintree resident for many years, "Yes, I'm ready for this." Matter of fact, I welcome The Farm because it's a development that compliments our town, brings new and desirable shopping & dining closer (specialty grocer, upscale shops, micro brew pub, etc), offers upscale condos for empty nesters who want to stay in Zionsville, is being planned and constructed by local, well-reputed firms and, of course, provides desirable non property tax benefits. We all knew the Pittman's were going to develop their property sooner than later. That one of the Pittman's will continue to live on the property helps assure The Farm will be everything promised. This also sets a standard for other developers as to the quality of future developments - which should keep an ugly Walmart at bay for decades. As we've no meglomaniac mayor, I seriously doubt Zionsville would ever aspire to over-priced statues or subsidized retail rents. And we already have a very nice public theater, the Zionsville Performing Arts Center, that meets our cultural needs quite nicely.
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Do we add (or subtract) these from the bounty we recieve from RTWFL, Daylight Savings Time, corporate tax giveaways, and the crack job IEDC is doing?? Or is Mike going to blame these on Mitch?
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Who makes Tater Tots? They would be a good sponsor, because $3 Million for the alleged "Greatest Spectacle In Racing" is taters. Tiny, tiny taters. But at least they are making up something of the losses accumulated over the years in this dying sport. Buttock in seat is certainly not doing it, nor eyeball on TV, as evidenced by the lack of both.
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We loved lakehouse and think the Arbor Village would be a great location. It is less than 2 miles from over 1000 rooftops in the 225,000 to over 1 million range. Many people could use the great fishers trail system to bike or walk there. Just an idea Scotty -- but maybe something closer to 3 Wiseman would good. The only microbrew in area is Ram (boring)
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True, it's an ESPN production, but ESPN is just another name for ABC Sports, or what used to be ABC Sports since ABC Sports no longer exists as a name. ESPN=ABC Sports= ESPN. ESPN is, according to Forbes "the world's most valuable media property" worth $40 billion. Despite that, they fired 400 people this week.
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How successful and well attended could it have been?
"The race lost $9.2 million in its first two years and an estimated $3 million in 2010."
Read more: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Edmonton+Indy+race+dead/3767074/story.html#ixzz14EXllkqd
I guess when you lose >$500,000,000 in 12 years, a $12,000,000 loss in 3 years looks like success.
Another perfect day in the Bizarro world of AOW's saviors...
Git 'em, Burl.....
do you know if the shortened schedule could reduce the sponsor money to the teams?
I know if I pay for 12 doughnuts and they only give me 11, I want some $$$ back.
Updated: Thu Mar. 25 2010 16:26:24
ctvedmonton.ca
Honda was introduced as the title sponsor of the 2010 Edmonton Indy Thursday. The new sponsor could mean the event continues racing in our city for years to come.
YEARS TO COME...YEARS TO COME
Let me help you out Terry. "Just looking at it from a realistic standpoint, what IzodCar offers with the low-quality of the so-called racing, the name recognition of our only star when she is not in NASCAR, the outrageous fee we demand and the commerical rights we provide for an audience of less than 300,000, we're a lousy investment for ROI."
There, that is what you were trying to say, Terry.
This Simon is still sticking around, thinking there might be a 2012. That's a can of gas right there, I don't care who you are.
Mari, see it through for the Centennial, please. Then do whatcha gotta do.
Actually, these are reason why the IRL is a Horrid idea
You really can't be surprised at this due to the present economy. Not good politics to invest public funds to reconfigure a race track for a revenue losing race that no longer gets the attendance or coverage to make it fiscally viable.
RACER article also said Indy Racing would work with Octane promoters to find another Canadian venue for 2012 - not 2011. Vancouver and Calgary were mentioned. Yellow Knife was not.
The IRL product can NEVER eclipse the popularity of the CART series which paved the way for the IRL's failure.
Let's face it, Edmonton, Australia, Toronto, Cleveland, Long Beach and many others were cultivated for the sophisticated open wheel fans....the fans that has rejected the IRL. Without those fans, the IRL can't survive.
So, Randy, the apology needs to come....or continued failure for the IRL will result. Like at Edmonton...and next will be Toronto and Baltimore.
IRL: Destroying racing markets everywhere. Kicked off ISC ovals, tossed out of streets and roads tracks, no attendance, no tv ratings, Indy 500 lowest ratings in history in 2010. Danica more popular than current 2 and 3 time Indy 500 winners. Old man hulman rolling in his grave. Tony thrown out of family business to the tune of $750 million and COUNTING!
And the formaer CART owners and drivers take all the prize money...like old days, without the burden of running the series! Who won? Who's the boss applesause?
Oh, Paul Tracy sponsorship falling through, apparently due to the IRL failing to keep races on the calendar....everythings coming up roses!
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/sports/City+been+spinning+wheels+Indy+long/3775078/story.html
Looks like they took INDY out behind the shed,,,,,and shot it. This needs to be the approach taken everywhere. Even that $7 million in cash from the state government that's helping finance the IRL next VAPORWARE car in 2012.
This whole thing is going down in FLAMES!!!! and you read it here first racefans!
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/City+actions+Indy+unprofessional/3775120/story.html?cid=megadrop_story
There are those, closer to the truth than you that feel otherwise. Perhaps your cynacism has clouded any possibility of openmindedness. Nonetheless, your rants are mostly shards of hate and a whole lot of getting old. Back to your wizard den you go....
Randy must not make promises he can't keep. Like apologies.
"The event was losing spectators and money and Northlands incurred about $12 million in losses trying to run it on a shoestring for three years."
That's all that's needed to know...it MUST be someone else's fault.
IF INDY was popular it wouldn't have it's lowest ratings in it's history. IF the EDMONTON race was popular, it would have sold tickets and the city would have paid for the new track.
The IRL don't make money and therefore INDY is out. Capeche?
This is just more fallout from it all.
\"Our citizens weren\'t buying tickets, and tourists weren\'t buying tickets either,\" says Krushell.
You can play Mr. Smarty Pants all you want about your clouded thinking. Some may be correct, but it's much too one sided to be the only truth in the matter. If good people didn't want this, it would be nowhere. Problems, sure, like the funky, lousy tv package, all the stuff left over from TG and his brainless minion Barnhart.
But, there are good people that are trying to right the wrongs and they don't deserve your scorn at every turn. All you can ever do is point a finger at any negative and act like a little first grader, "see mommy, look at the bad stuff".
Knock it off, and give Randy some time, and a little extra rope, to get this ship righted or those of us that care won't have anything to cheer for from the once great motor sport. If he didn't think he could do it, he wouldn't be trying against all the obstacles. But, hey, he's trying to do something right, unlike the likes of you that do nothing but run their mouths.
That's why we don't like you. You never tell the whole story, just your little points to justify your snideness.
Perhaps you could qualify as Barnhart's dipstick......just kidding.
No one likes the IRL....time after time it has been proven so. Again, IF Edmonton had been successful the city would have outlayed money for this to continue. But, the reality is the IRL doesn't have the draw no matter how you slice it.
Wait until Toronto figures it out...15K in attendance isn't going to cut it. But, it'll be the same ol' excuses...the promoter wasn't up to snuff, or the city didn't want to cough up more cash etc...
This has been the modus operandi of the IRL since it's inception...and now that it has full control of the sport it couldn't fight it's way out of a paper bag. You, BerwickGuy and all the others...you reap what you had sown....a pathetic harvest no fit to sustain on.
Regarding these races: Their are social, cultural, and political gains from these events. They are community-building, a chance for volunteer groups to raise funds, and cohesion of various political entities (maintenance, police, medics, public works, etc.). These are intangible benefits that are never calculated in economic (tangible) impact analysis.
I didn't sow anything, I'm just along for the ride, as long and as far as it goes.
The IRL has proven to be an ill-begotten idea foisted upon the American public...and by all looks of it from any vantage point, it's a failure. And now, magically it's been transformed into INDYCAR with the swipe of the pen.
Andy, it's still the same old pig. Get with the program.
While IndyCar might/might not matter in the future, there is no doubt motorsports in Indiana is here to stay.
I propose that if Honda were to pull it's sponsorship of the series, the series as a whole would improve for the BETTER.
Why? I think Hondas involvement is limiting manufacturer involvement...get them out NOW! Again, IRL/IMS example of shooting themselves in their own foot...again and again.
Where are your fans going to come from,,,not that you have any now.
There's millions and millions of us Baby Boomers, still (and for a couple decades more at least). By then, someone will figure out how to race Tesla cars. Or souped-up Priuses.
IMS lacks the imagination to conceive or carryout such a daring expedition as Alternative Technologies, such as electric and hybrid. The common potential IRL fan drives a rice-rocket/puddle-jumper. High speed, high tech wrnt out the window with the inception of the IRL.
NEXT....
YES, IT'S OVER!
http://www.autoextremist.com/fumes1/
I'd love to hear how this is bad news.
Hey, Andy. Look here: http://weeklyworldnews.com/headlines/23574/miley-cyrus-to-do-playboy/
Hannah Montana is gonna do Playboy. Why, I hear it's all part of her training to become an elite IRL driver...
honda ran GM out of IRLcar the firsat time around. GM ended up renting Ford motors just to try to keep up. LOL LOL ROTFLMAO
http://www.indystar.com/article/20101108/SPORTS01/101108007/Report-Chevrolet-could-return-to-IndyCar-Series-in-2012?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|IndyStar.com|s
http://www.autoweek.com/article/20101108/IRL/101109887
How about this? If there is no announcement on Friday, I will return and admit I was naive and will hail Jim as king. If there is an announcement, I'd like the same reciprocated.