From TSN.ca
The Canadian Grand Prix has been dropped from the 2009 Formula One calendar.
Following a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Paris, France on Tuesday, the FIA announced an 18 race schedule which did not include the popular Montreal event.
Instead, the Turkish Grand Prix has been moved from its August date to June in order to maintain the summer break which F1 teams have enjoyed the past few years.
With the U.S. Grand Prix still in limbo, the loss of the Canadian race marks the first time since 2006 that there will not be a North American Formula One stop.
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Tuesday, October 07, 2008
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11 comments:
Is there room to put a Montreal date on the IndyCar sked?
Is this an cynical attempt by F1 and the promoter to shakedown the Canadian taxpayer (again) during the federal election?
Should Canadians (and Americans) turn their backs on F1 for good and get behind IndyCar in an attempt to build something more relevant than F1?
The 2009 IndyCar Series schedule:
Date Track Layout
Sun 5-Apr Streets of St. Petersburg 1.8-mile street course
Sun 19-Apr Streets of Long Beach 1.968-mile street course
Sun 26-Apr Kansas Speedway 1.5-mile oval
Sun 24-May Indianapolis Motor Speedway 2.5-mile oval
Sun 31-May The Milwaukee Mile 1.0-mile oval
Sat 6-Jun * Texas Motor Speedway 1.5-mile oval
Sun 21-Jun Iowa Speedway .875-mile oval
Sat 27-Jun * Richmond International Raceway .75-mile oval
Sun 5-Jul Watkins Glen International 3.4-mile road course
Sun 12-Jul Streets of Toronto 1.721-mile street course
Sun 26-Jul Edmonton City Centre Airport 1.973-mile airport course
Sat 1-Aug * Kentucky Speedway 1.5-mile oval
Sun 9-Aug Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course 2.258-mile road course
Sun 23-Aug Infineon Raceway 2.245-mile road course
Sat 29-Aug * Chicagoland Speedway 1.5-mile oval
Sun 6-Sep The Raceway at Belle Isle Park 2.07-mile street course
Sat 19-Sep Twin Ring Motegi 1.5-mile oval
Sun 11-Oct Homestead-Miami Speedway 1.5-mile oval
* - night race
Schedule subject to change.
absolutely ridiculous.
Now TSN is reporting that the Montreal organizers had no idea that they were going to be dropped... but that they learned about it from media reports.
If you believe that one, I have a Subway smoked meat sandwich to sell you... it's just as good as Schwartz's.
Sun 12-Jul Streets of Toronto 1.721-mile street course
I think Montreal fits here :)
Sun 26-Jul Edmonton City Centre Airport 1.973-mile airport course
"Is this an cynical attempt by F1 and the promoter to shakedown the Canadian taxpayer (again) during the federal election?"
Good question. Legault has always been good at playing the political game and getting government money. Will the Quebec media call for government aid?
I love racing but I would not vote for any party that wanted to use my tax dollars to put more money in the pockets of Ecclestone and Mosley.
Indycar? A lame series with second rate drivers nobody cares about (check the TV ratings)? If it was CART circa 1995, OK. But that is all gone now. Will people flock to Montreal to watch guys like Dixon and Wheldon? Champ Car could not sell tickets the last time it raced in Montreal. Is the IRL any better?
It might not be next year, but the series will begin to look more and more like CART 1995 in fewer seasons than many think.
Everything about the two series during the split stunk (the racing, the 'names' and the TV). But that's over now.
Put Tag, Tracy and Carpentier in IndyCars in Montreal... with the Penskes, Andrettis, Ganassis... and you're darn right the thing will be a hit.
Champ Car Montreal was intentionally scuttled by the promoter who wanted to clear the way for NASCAR, so that's a bogus statement.
In two years, IndyCar will look more like ChampCar '95 than the IRL or ChampCar '07. People will go. Screw F1 and their crap.
Yes, Legault scuttled the final Champ Car race but ticket sales had already dropped bigtime in 2003 and 2004.
In 1995 CART was a destination series not a dumping ground. It had good TV ratings. It had American and Canadian stars. It had drivers whose names people recognized. The IRL is nothing like that. American road racers like Allmendinger and Speed bypass the IRL for NASCAR. Tracy, Carpentier and Tagliani are at the end of their careers. Racing fans in Quebec are smart enough to know that Carp and Tags are not major stars and never were. If the new IRL ever becomes like the old CART, it may sell in Montreal. Until then, you will have a tough time selling it in Montreal. People there want world class. IRL '08 does not qualify.
sounds like nascar is the beneficiery on this deal. when we raced there this year the fans loved it. they didnt know many names , they just love racin!!! thanks to gilles villenuve, he left a motorsports legacy i that city!! nascar all the way
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