IRL Trouble in (Surfers) Paradise
The release of the 2009 IndyCar schedule has clouded the future of the Gold Coast event (Held as a Champ Car event prior to the reunification), and is in grave doubt whether the Gold Coast will return.
A dispute has arisen between the local Queensland State Government and IndyCar officials over the increased sanctioning fees, scheduling conflicts and the Government acknowledging this years event and those in the future will be run under a “memorandum of understanding” vice an iron-clad contract.
Tony G is scheduled to attend this year’s event and the Government, as can be expected, will be all pomp, circumstance and probably a bit of butt-cheek smooching in their effort to save the event for future years. “I don’t think Tony George has ever been to our event,” Queensland Sports Minister Judy Spence said.
“I’m sure once he sees our event and sees how different it is he is going to be excited about sitting down with us and talking about a date for the future.”
“We need a contract to make it iron-clad. But I am very confident that we’ll have a race next year and the year after that and the year after that. I’ve been involved with Indy for 10 years and every year someone says it’s doomed,” said event chairman Terry Mackenroth.
V8 Supercars chairman Tony Cochrane, who just signed a new six year Gold Coast deal, has called the omission of the Gold Coast fron IndyCar’s calender nothing more than “argy bargy” between the IRL and the Queensland organizers of the Gold Coast Indy 300.
“Everyone wants the race to be in October and my firm belief is they (IRL) will be there in late October in 2009,” Cochrane said.
“We would never let the Queensland Government down. We’d step in and help any way we could.”
NOTE to the Queensland Government, it might do you well to give Tony G a taste of Aussie hospitality, it can’t hurt.
Technorati Tags: Gold Coast, IndyCar, IRL, Tony George, Australia
Ok there goes my vow to only say nice things about Indycar since reunification.
The requirement for Tony George to “see” the race first hand proves that he is an ignorant fuckwit (if any proof were needed).Apparently George is unaware that the fixture has been on the calendar since 91, 17 years, does not that make it making it the longest running event after Long Beach - please correct me if I’m wrong?
I assume George is also unaware that the race is a standing room only sell-out, with total attendance figures into the hundreds of thousands. Name one IRL event (minus the 500) that has ever come close to that. It is arguably the most successful, profitable & best attended race for Indy or Champcar.
I would have thought that, post unification, George’s priority would have been capitalising on all that was valuable in the Champcar series. If George gives the organizer any shit I’m for ditching the IRL & staging an A1GP event at the venue.
peterg said
“Name one IRL event (minus the 500) that has ever come close to that.”
Texas (a place where Champ Car couldn’t handle
peterg -amen to that. i keep hoping the irl gets better but i think it will be a long, long time before it gets back to the level of excitement of cart/champ car(pre ‘02)had it-if ever. and honestly, i haven’t been following any of it since then, but i do recall my impression of mr george is that he’s a bit lacking in imagination. besides, australia is what took cart international-and pissed berniemax off no small amount in the process.
okla21fan- texans will watch paint dry and consider it an event.
Ouch!!!
That will leave a mark!