TSN: Edmonton going ahead with 2010 IndyCar / NASCAR event

TSN is reporting that the Edmonton City Council has voted to go ahead with the 2010 Rexall Edmonton Indy, despite higher than expected losses in 2009. There had been speculation that the race might be called off for 2010. Edmonton's mayor calls the event a "valuable tourist attraction" that will likely take place beyond 2010. In addition to the IndyCar Series, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series also has a race scheduled for the Edmonton event.

Click here for the full story.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: 2009 Edmonton Indy lost $3.9M... 2010 race in jeopardy?

"EDMONTON — Councillors are bracing for a public backlash after the city revealed Tuesday that last July's Rexall Indy car race lost $3.9 million, more than double the expected amount.

Although Edmonton's civic budget assumed a $1.5-million shortfall, revenues for the event came up short because of the economy and lower-than-anticipated grants from the provincial and federal governments, Northlands president Ken Knowles said."

and...

"...council will decide Dec. 7 if it wants to cancel the final race scheduled for next July 25."

Click here for the full story, on the Edmonton Journal site.

IndyCar: Conquest Racing announces title partnership with Rexall Edmonton Indy for 2009 Indianapolis 500

- AmazingMail and LifeLock also on board as associate sponsors of the #34 car -

INDIANAPOLIS (May 5, 2009) – In addition to unveiling the new King Tut livery of its #34 Dallara Tuesday, Conquest Racing announced the return of Northlands and its premier event, the Rexall Edmonton Indy as title sponsor for the 2009 Indianapolis 500. The team also revealed the signing of AmazingMail and LifeLock for the 2009 Indianapolis 500.

After joining Conquest Racing at the season opening race in St. Petersburg, Edmonton-based Northlands, which promotes the Rexall Edmonton Indy that takes place July 24 – 26 at City Centre Airport in Edmonton, will once again have the logo of their signature event outfit the sidepods of Canadian Alex Tagliani’s #34 Rexall Edmonton Indy car.

“Northlands is extremely pleased to play our part in bringing Alex Tagliani to the starting grid for the 2009 Indy 500 through our sponsorship of the #34 Rexall Edmonton Indy car,” said Ken Knowles, Northlands President. “Our sponsorship provides an incredible opportunity to further profile Edmonton and the Rexall Edmonton Indy to the world - reaching unprecedented international audiences through one of the biggest sporting events in the world.”

“We’re very excited to be announcing new and returning sponsors to the team,” said team owner Eric Bachelart. “We couldn’t be happier to continue our partnership with Northlands and the Rexall Edmonton Indy and we’re thrilled to be welcoming new partners AmazingMail and LifeLock. We’re thankful for everyone’s support this month and we look forward to making them proud over the next few weeks.”

Conquest Racing and Rubicon Sports agency are also welcoming a couple of new partners in AmazingMail and LifeLock, which will both be associate sponsors on the #34 Conquest entry. AmazingMail, a company from Scottsdale, Arizona, is a leading provider of personalized digital direct marketing solutions. Much like in racing, AmazingMail is a company that is continuously innovating in order to maintain a competitive advantage for their clients. The AmazingMail logo will be visible on the rear wing of the black, white and gold Conquest car.

"It's great to be able to bring LifeLock back with me to join Eric and the Conquest team this year and to welcome our new partner AmazingMail as well. The combination of these two companies make a great B2B partnership and I am excited to expand on what I have already built with LifeLock in the last 15 months. AmazingMail is an incredible concept as well and can integrate very well with our existing partners on the B2C side as well," stated Jim Freudenberg of Rubicon Sports Agency.

Lifelock, a privately owned company located in Tempe, Arizona, is a leader in proactive identity theft protection, focused on educating consumers about the increasing threats of identity theft. Lifelock’s logo will be featured on the top of the sidepods of the Conquest machine.

Conquest Racing and Tagliani will be on track today for Rookie Orientation, which gets underway at 2 p.m. eastern time. The 2009 Indianapolis 500 takes place Sunday, May 24 and will be broadcast live on ABC starting at noon eastern time.

About Northlands: Northlands rocks Edmonton and Alberta with 2,500 events each year that attract over 4 million visitors to Alberta’s Capital City. Think Rexall Edmonton Indy, Canadian Finals Rodeo, Farmfair International, Capital EX, the best of horse racing, headliner concerts, international events and all the trade shows you can handle. Visit northlands.com to find out more.

About Amazing Mail: For over a decade, AmazingMail has continually led the direct mail marketing industry with technological innovation, cutting edge products, and world-class service and performance. Currently providing three 'solution tiers' from web-to-print, to dedicated account management, to integrated/automated platforms, AmazingMail is unequalled in the digital direct mail marketing space. Leveraging its U.S. Patent No. 6,732,152, AmazingMail can produce a superior mail piece in record time, efficient in quantities as few as one, making true the promise of one-to-one marketing.

About Lifelock: Founded in 2005, LifeLock is the industry leader in proactive identity theft protection. The organization has a strong focus on educating consumers and working with law enforcement and elected officials to better understand the increasing threats of identity theft. A multiple award-winning organization, LifeLock has most recently been recognized as a Best Place to Work by the Phoenix Business Journal. LifeLock (www.lifelock.com) is a private company backed by Bessemer Venture Partners, Goldman Sachs and Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers.

# # #

From Karina Redmond / Conquest Racing & Darren Krill Senior Communications Manager, Northlands

Rexall Edmonton Indy unveils its 2009 event schedule

On March 18 in Edmonton, the organizers of the Rexall Edmonton Indy held a press conference outlining some of their plans for the IndyCar / NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race weekend that will take place this summer (July 24-26) at the Edmonton City Centre Airport.

Alex Tagliani, the winner of last year's NASCAR race in Edmonton (shown above), took part in the proceedings. The weekend schedule was unveiled at the press conference. Below is a release from the event.

The Rexall Edmonton Indy is gearing up for the hottest three-day weekend of the summer from July 24-26, 2009! With the fastest drivers in the world competing on Edmonton’s challenging track, this year’s Indy is bound to be the highlight of an already scorching Edmonton summer. The Track Schedule for the 2009 Rexall Edmonton Indy will feature:

Friday, July 24 / Event / Minutes

8:00 - 8:30 Canadian Tire NASCAR Series Practice 30
8:45 - 9:45 FIL Practice 60
10:00 - 10:30 NASCC Practice 30
10:45 - 11:15 Canadian Tire NASCAR Series Practice 30
11:30 Gates Open to Public
11:45 - 12:30 IndyCar Practice 45
12:30 - 1:15 IndyCar Practice 45
1:30 - 2:15 FIL Qualifying 45
2:30 - 3:30 Corporate Race 60
3:45 - 4:45 IndyCar Practice 60
5:00 - 5:45 Canadian Tire NASCAR Series Qualifying 45
6 :00 - 7:00 Pace Car / 2 Seater Program 60

Saturday, July 25 / Event / Minutes

8:00 - 8:30 FIL Warmup 30
8:45 - 9:15 NASCC Practice 30
9:30 Gates Open to Public
9:45 - 10:45 IndyCar Practice 60
11:00 - 12:15 Canadian Tire NASCAR Series Race 75
12:30 - 1:15 NASCC Qualifying 45
1:30 - 2:00 FIL Pre Race 30
2:00 - 3:00 FIL Race 60
3:20 - 4:50 IndyCar Qualifying - Live Versus 90
5:00 - 6:00 Pace Car / 2 Seater Program 60

Sunday, July 26 / Event / Minutes

9:30 Gates Open To Public
9:45 - 10:45 2 Seater Rides 60
10:45 - 11:45 IndyCar Warmup 60
12:00 - 12:30 NASCC Warmup 30
12:30 - 1:30 Pace Car Rides 60
1:30 - 2:30 NASCC Race 60
3:00 - 4:00 IndyCar Pre Race 60
4:00 - 6:00 IndyCar Race - Live Versus 120

Tickets for the 2009 Rexall Edmonton Indy are on sale now at all Ticketmaster locations. Call (780) 451-8000 or secure yours online at http://www.ticketmaster.ca/. Northlands rocks Edmonton with 2,500 events each year that attract over 4 million visitors to Alberta’s Capital City. Think, Canadian Finals Rodeo, Farmfair International, Capital EX, Rexall Edmonton Indy, the best of horse racing, headliner concerts, international events and all the trade shows you can handle. Visit northlands.com to find out more.

By Darren Krill / Senior Manager, Communications / Northlands

Photos courtesy of Perry Nelson