Corner5
07-14-08, 07:37 PM
Not Good-
Indy stalls on grid with no sponsor
Peter Gleeson
July 15th, 2008
LESS than 100 days before Gold Coast Indy, organisers are yet to secure a major sponsor and there are doubts about the contract with the Indy Racing League for this year's non-championship race.
The Bulletin has been told that no formal agreement has been reached between Indy bosses and the IRL over the timing of the Surfers Paradise race.
It is understood the problem lies with the timing of the Japanese Indy race which is vital to the Coast event because it has the capacity to halve transportation costs for some competitors coming here.
The IRL's website, Indycar. com does not mention the Surfers Paradise race in its schedule of championship events, which finishes in early September.
The IRL plan was to run an international non-championship series among four countries at season's end, including Japan.
The V8s -- which share equal billing with the Champ Cars -- have been locked in for the Gold Coast event from October 22-26.
Indy chairman Terry Mackenroth said yesterday while nothing referred to Surfers Paradise on the IRL website or in ESPN's cable TV race coverage schedule, people had to understand that the Gold Coast event was not part of this year's championship.
"I'm expecting to make an announcement on a major sponsor soon," he said. "We're part of all the IRL forward dates and we're booking the planes and transport this week. It's all systems go as far as we are concerned."
The credit crunch has inhibited the Surfers Paradise event's chances of securing a $2 million a year sponsorship, after Lexmark pulled out this year.
The Queensland Government pumps $11 million a year into the event, which covers transport costs and staging the race.
Sports Minister Judy Spence was in Indianapolis in May to help sign the memorandum of understanding between IRL boss Tony George and Mr Mackenroth.
But with no major sponsorship and doubts over the international cup format, some people within the business and motorsport industry are getting nervous.
http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2008/07/15/13673_gold-coast-news.html
There is no contract, another mess.:shakehead
Indy stalls on grid with no sponsor
Peter Gleeson
July 15th, 2008
LESS than 100 days before Gold Coast Indy, organisers are yet to secure a major sponsor and there are doubts about the contract with the Indy Racing League for this year's non-championship race.
The Bulletin has been told that no formal agreement has been reached between Indy bosses and the IRL over the timing of the Surfers Paradise race.
It is understood the problem lies with the timing of the Japanese Indy race which is vital to the Coast event because it has the capacity to halve transportation costs for some competitors coming here.
The IRL's website, Indycar. com does not mention the Surfers Paradise race in its schedule of championship events, which finishes in early September.
The IRL plan was to run an international non-championship series among four countries at season's end, including Japan.
The V8s -- which share equal billing with the Champ Cars -- have been locked in for the Gold Coast event from October 22-26.
Indy chairman Terry Mackenroth said yesterday while nothing referred to Surfers Paradise on the IRL website or in ESPN's cable TV race coverage schedule, people had to understand that the Gold Coast event was not part of this year's championship.
"I'm expecting to make an announcement on a major sponsor soon," he said. "We're part of all the IRL forward dates and we're booking the planes and transport this week. It's all systems go as far as we are concerned."
The credit crunch has inhibited the Surfers Paradise event's chances of securing a $2 million a year sponsorship, after Lexmark pulled out this year.
The Queensland Government pumps $11 million a year into the event, which covers transport costs and staging the race.
Sports Minister Judy Spence was in Indianapolis in May to help sign the memorandum of understanding between IRL boss Tony George and Mr Mackenroth.
But with no major sponsorship and doubts over the international cup format, some people within the business and motorsport industry are getting nervous.
http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2008/07/15/13673_gold-coast-news.html
There is no contract, another mess.:shakehead