'04 OWRS (exCART) Schedule ?!?!

[Flatspot]

GREAT NEWS! A post NorCal on the "Best Memorabilia" thread prompted me to call Laguna Seca to check on the first right to my campsite (since I paid and didn't go this year).

LAGUNA SECA HAS BEEN ISSUED A TENTATIVE RACE DATE FOR 2004. IT IS SEPTEMBER 10-12, 2004.

The lovely thing on the other end of the phone stressed that the date was tentative and said that if CART runs in '04 Laguna Seca will run on that date (or another if this date doesn't pan out) but it will run.

This made my day!

[macdaddy]

That's apt to make alot of peoples' days!

[Gaz170]

Just been said on TV here in Australia that a deal for the Surfers Paradise race has been signed with CART (or whoever is running it now) until 2008.
I'm about 30 minutes away from Surfers Paradise (or a couple of hours drive with the traffic at the moment ), and I'll be at the track Sat & Sun.

[zerO]

OK, so - so far we have six confirmed dates:

St.Petersburg = Feb 20-22
Long Beach = Apr 16-18
Milwaukee = Jun 4-6
Vancouver = Jul 23-25
Laguna Seca = Sep 10-12
Surfers Paradise = Oct 21-23

Ten others have the dates set up as "tentative" at the moment, but sometime next week we shall see the official CART schdule - whether 16 or more races - and expect a few dates to have asterisks next to them... right now, CART is trying to get a May date for Las Vegas and sometime after Australia they'll have a date for the Korean race... Mid-Ohio is still an unknown entity...

zerO

[macdaddy]

My family and I are already planning a trip to LV for the race! If I get to one race next year, that'll be the one! (Never gambled a penny in my life, but I've got family there!)

[Dov]

Macdaddy, maybe you and your family can stay over at PT's place....he's got enough room in that big house of his.

[zerO]

We can add Road America as a "Confirmed Date" = August 6-8 !!!!

zerO

[Dov]

From another forum..................

Kalkhoven speaks about 2004 schedule
Australian-born Kevin Kalkhoven, one of three CART team owners who formed the Open Wheel Racing
Series consortium, told The Associated Press on Saturday that Seoul will be added to next year's
schedule, one of 15 or 16 races to be held in 2004, down from 19 this season.

...snip, snip...

Kalkhoven said Saturday the deal should be finalized by December, when shareholders are expected to approve the purchase, paving the way for the company to be de-listed from the New York Stock Exchange.

Kalkhoven's partners are fellow CART team owners Paul Gentilozzi of the United States and Gerry
Forsythe of Canada, as well as Carl Russo of RuSPORT, which runs cars on the Toyota Atlantic circuit.

``Our focus is in the Americas, North and South, and the Pacific Rim,'' Kalkhoven said in pit lane
outside the garage of his PK Racing Team. ``Going to Europe into the heartland of Formula One is not
the smartest thing we could do.

``We're going to take it steady. We're doing one more Pacific event, in Seoul. We've already got the government backing with all the assistance of the city of Seoul.''
Kalkhoven said there are no plans to go to Europe, where events were held in Brands Hatch, England
on May 5 this year and the following weekend in Lausitz, Germany.

``We have not filed to FIA (motor racing's governing body) to do any races over there,'' he said.

Kalkhoven said South Korean officials are at this weekend's race to watch how the event is being
organized.

[zerO]

OK, so let's look at the possible "schedule" that's shaping up:

1. St.Petersburg = Feb 20-22
2. Monterrey, Mex
3. Long Beach = Apr 16-18
4. Las Vegas
5. Portland ?
6. Milwaukee = Jun 4-6
7. Cleveland
8. Toronto, Can
9. Vancouver, Can = Jul 23-25
10. Road America = Aug 6-8
11. Mid-Ohio ?
12. Montreal, Can
13. Denver
14. Mexico City, Mex
15. Laguna Seca = Sep 10-12
16. Seoul, Korea
17. Surfers Paradise, Aus = Oct 21-23
18. Fontana
19. Miami

Hopefully Portland will get settled and we'll see an 18 race schedule next year. Mid-Ohio is still very iffy - don't think we'll see a 19 race schedule. We shall see.

zerO

[gttouring]

i lament the european loss if that happens- i would like to see the Brands GP circuit and the Rocki Oval, then the lausitz. but another time, after all fighting F1 isn't really the plan is it? especially if they race the European Ovals...
good so far though, i don't see much South America...were is argentina, and brasil?

[3state]

Agreed gt. There absolutely has to at least one race in South America, and Brazil would be the logical choice. The support base and the potential sponsorship there is huge. Besides, the loyal fans there deserve to have their loyalty repaid.

I'm absolutely happy about the Seoul race - this is a brilliant move particularly when you consider the potential for sponsorship growth through Korean companies, and the potential when CART ceases to be a spec series, for Korean auto and tyre manufacturers to want to invest.

Koreans are fiercely patriotic; and their support, like that in Central and Southern America will come, especially when they see Korean companies on the sidepods, and eventually Korean engines, tyres, and even drivers...

[muggle not]

I didn't know where to post this so hope it is ok here:

After the Miami Motorock debut, Jamie Rose of Motorock has been removed from the business side of Motorock, according to a statement by Kevin Kalkhoven of OWRS and a principle in Motorock.

"He (Rose) screwed up the business side of it but the concerts were great, we love it and we’re carrying on and there’s not going to be any problems,” commented Kalkhoven.

Evidently Rose's ability at managing such a huge undertaking as Motorock was not up to standard.
“I wouldn’t say it was a horror show,” said OWRS principal Kevin Kalkhoven of the MotoRock concerts in Miami, “but it wasn’t exactly as we had planned...." continued Kalkhoven.

"It’s a classic start-up situation where you’ve got a highly creative guy who’s not much of a business guy. So we’re happily continuing with MotoRock. We’ve moved (Jamie) aside to be part of the creative group and we’re bringing a business-guy in to run it.”

The business guy to replace Rose will be announced in the next week or so.

[indycool]

Muggle, here's as good as anyplace for that. The Miami race is a quandary on the schedule anyway. OWRS has said it will not be in the promoter business, yet if/when the buyout is complete, they will own the Miami race, loc, stock and barrel. Read Kalkhoven's comments as the concerts were a loser and we know the race was and has been for two years. ALMS is out of the Miami deal. I would think it would be very questionable on the schedule.

[corkholio]

That OWRS is looking for new markets to explore (or prepare to lose money for a few years in hopes of a profitable race years from now) would seem to indicate a lack of confidence in the events (Denver, Miami, St. Pete) especially given the limited capital that they are working with. It would make much more sense to solidify your current markets instead of going around everywhere looking for new ones and hoping you get lucky (which also seems to be Rodolfo Lavin's philosophy to road course driving).

MotoCRock:

[Dov]

From Champweb....so take it for what it's worth......

Announcements Coming posted by don on 10-25 14:58

According to several sources, CART is expected to announce their final schedule this Thursday which will get the ball rolling before Fontana.

Then, the TV package is expected to be announced the following Monday. The announcements have been planned to obvious have a very positive effect closing out the season in Fontana, and getting the ball rolling for the 2004 season. We are told that there will be some surprises regarding the TV package, so stay tuned...

[extreme]

Does anyone know wether the race in Las Vegas is going to be a road/street course or are they going to run it at the LVMS.

It dosent really matter cause if the race appears on the calender I gonna go anyway but I much prefer the street race to the oval any day

[Muzza]

Originally posted by extreme
Does anyone know wether the race in Las Vegas is going to be a road/street course or are they going to run it at the LVMS.

It dosent really matter cause if the race appears on the calender I gonna go anyway but I much prefer the street race to the oval any day

Hello Extreme,

For the time being no one - expect maybe Mr. Kalkhoven, Mr. Gentilozzi, Mr. Forsythe and a few others - know with a reasonable margin of certainty how is the calendar is going to look like. We all - including myself - are dealing with probabilities in this thread; just a few races have been confirmed.

As Dov just posted - and what Champweb is saying sounds logical - we should know more by the weekend.

By the way, there is no confirmation whatsoever about a racing in Vegas. It seems an almost-natural move, but there are issues with both alternatives (oval: the problems between CART/OWRS and LVS are well known, and both sides have been very diplomatic trying to smooth them out - what is obviously a good sign, but there is still some work to be done; street track: if ever done, I don't think it would be on the Strip).

Cheers,


Muzza

[Dov]

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/ne...03-184130.html

Report: New York interested in CART or Formula One

For several years we have been hearing about different groups planning to build auto racing facilities in the New York area.

Most recently there was a group, claiming to have Mario Andretti and Paul Newman involved, that supposedly was planning a superspeedway near the Linden, N.J., airport. There was even talk of changing traffic patterns, construction of roads, and more. The facility was going to cost $200 million. Nothing has been heard lately.

Donald Trump was said to be seeking a location to build a speedway within sight of the Empire State building. He was said to be working with International Speedway Corporation. In a recent interview ISC vice president John Graham, former president of Daytona International Speedway, said that efforts to find a suitable location in the New York City area are still on going.

And just two weeks ago, Bruton Smith told a national TV audience, during SPEED Channel's Dave Despain Wind Tunnel show, that he would build a speedway in the New York area if he had a NASCAR Winston Cup date. You may remember that Bruton's firm, Speedway Motorsports, is involved in some litigation with NASCAR in an attempt to get a second date for his Texas Motor Speedway.

Actually, Bruton claims he has nothing to do with the lawsuit. It is something that was started by Francis Ferko, a shareholder in Speedway Motorsports, who wants NASCAR to give Texas a second date. Smith says he has never met Ferko.

I can remember some years ago there was talk of an Indianapolis car race through Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. And there was even talk of a race through the streets of Trenton. I wish someone had given me a dollar for each new track or racing event that was planned and never happened.

But now, according to an article appearing in SportsBusiness Journal, New York City officials have been quietly exploring the possibility of building an open-wheel racing venue in an effort to bring motorsports to the Big Apple.

Keep in mind that there used to be Indianapolis car racing at the Meadowlands Sports Complex. You can see New York from the grandstands of the Meadowlands. For years the promoters kept waiting for City dwellers to charge through the tunnels and over the bridges to make the Meadowlands events a success and it did not happen. If I remember correctly the man who now is the head of CART was instrumental in bringing racing to the Meadowlands back then.

Several years back I remember attending a press conference at the New York International Auto Show. Promoters announced plans to race Indianapolis cars through the streets of New York. In fact, part of the course would take the cars down to Wall Street. Mario Andretti was supposed to be part of that deal also. I can remember asking the cab driver taking me to the railroad station after the conference what he thought of the idea of racing in the streets of New York City.

"I will be watching for the dates to be announced so I can take my vacation," responded the cabbie. Apparently many others felt the same way as the cabbie since plans for the race were quickly dropped.

The city has ruled out a street race but is reaching out to governing bodies in open-wheel racing.

According to the article, CART proposed a street race in lower Manhattan, but because of noise and safety concerns, the city rejected the idea.

"In the past we would get a proposal and we would respond; now the city of New York, through various city agencies, is working together and exploring various venues around the city," Ken Podziba, commissioner of the New York City Sports Commission, told SportsBusiness Journal's Daniel Kaplan.

New York City has never played host to a major auto racing event though there has been consideration given to some events in the past.

Podziba would not identify whom the city is talking to, but, according to the article, it is most surely Formula One and CART.

It was pointed out that if the city decided to build a temporary structure, the cost with sanction fees could easily top $40 million. That information came from motorsports consultant Tim Frost. The sanction fee could run as high as $20 million for a Formula One race.

Of course they could always go for a permanent facility and that would cost anywhere between $100 million and $200 million, according to Frost.

City officials may want to talk with some of the others in the U.S. who have tried to run Formula One events. It is a hugely expensive venture, and dealing with Bernie Ecclestone, the man in charge of Formula One, can be a very trying experience.

Another big problem is the fact that New York City is not looking to pay for the construction of anything, so the promoter would bear the burden. So it would seem that a temporary circuit would be the way to go.

It is interesting that none of the New York City officials have mentioned NASCAR Winston Cup racing. That might guarantee the success of the event but it would seem highly unlikely that NASCAR would want to do that whether it was on a temporary or permanent course.

Can you imagine Jimmy Spencer's response if someone told him NASCAR is adding a race on a temporary circuit in New York City?

[indycool]

At this point, I can't place a lot of stock into a race in NYC of any kind. Both France and Smith have been looking to do something on a permanent basis there for years. So has Trump. Around eight years ago, Trump was talking to Tony George about doing something there but that discussion wandered off toward Connecticut before dying. They've all come up dry. Real estate is pretty expensive for a plot big enough to do it, to start with. Every politician and union within 100 miles has to be "greased." No one can ever get by noise ordinances without some heavy "grease."

The Meadowlands temporary was a disaster, to the point that Arie Luyendyk, the first year, went on to a runoff road during the race, actually got lost in the parking loot and had to be directed as he kept the engine running to find his way back to the course.

Maybe some day, I suppose, but not in my lifetime.......

[paul-collins]

Grand Am's 2004 schedule has been announced, and they've got CART's traditional Mid-Ohio weekend.

[sgw2]

Fontana's CART date in now a Grand-Am weekend. So CART and ISC are done it looks like.

[macdaddy]

I was of the understanding that there was one more year left on the Fontana contract?

[sgw2]

macdaddy,

You are correct. But I think ISC will sue CART, and part of the demand for most of the $2.5M sanction fee it already paid CART will be breach of contract, and lack of good faith. Even if CART settles out of court, very likely and probably soon, it will allow each of the unhappy partners to walk away from each other.

At this point ISC doesn't want to pay CART any more money, and CART considers the ISC the enemy. This is the excuse each was looking fo rto end it. Excepting that CART likes the cash.

[indycool]

Agreed, sgw2. IMO, the suit will be filed shortly after the last fire is out. It's one of those things where one thing has led to another. It doesn't really go back to ISC's association with Tony George except for the building of Chicagoland Speedway and CART running against it in the ill-fated Sportsman's Park debacle.

The "big yank" for ISC is how Heitzler treated Michigan, which, under Penske, had been a CART original track. It's been downhill from there.

[zerO]

Originally posted by sgw2
Fontana's CART date in now a Grand-Am weekend. So CART and ISC are done it looks like.

#1. The Fontana date was supposed to be moved sometime earlier in the schedule and the Miami race would be the closer.

#2. Judging by the latest ISC shenaningas - the odds of having Fontana next year are well below 50/50.

zerO