Portland no more.

[Fogelhund]

Champ Car Departs Portland
In My Opinion -
By Jeff Zurschmeide

It's sad news for open wheel racing fans, but it appears that Champ Car will not return to Portland for a 25th race in 2008. With the City and the racing series several hundred thousand dollars apart in talks to bring the event back to Portland, it would take a minor miracle to
bring the event back next year.

This is a setback for big-time pro racing in Portland - there's no denying that, but it's also true that the impact on PIR itself will be minimal. With the new pavement being laid this fall, the track will be more popular than ever with the local organizations and regional events that come to Portland. Events such as the Rose Cup Races, Portland Historic Races, and the Columbia River Classic will get a boost from fresh pavement and some redesigned corners.

As we look back, Champ Car has been instrumental in making PIR what it is today. The money that flowed into our facility during the glory years of CART racing helped build much of the infrastructure we use year 'round, and established PIR as a first class permanent racing facility. We get to keep all that investment - and that is a crucial point in our favor.

There are numerous professional racing organizations in the world, and all of them are looking for good venues. With its excellent infrastructure and capability of seating tens of thousands of fans, PIR remains an attractive venue and it won't be long before the next big events are announced for our favorite city park.

So, you can subtract Portland for 08'

[JohnSSC]

That is a shame. I always enjoyed those races - especially in the CART years - always fun to see if those final corner passes would hold up as they took off down the straight...

Telling that there is no mention of cash flowing during the CCWS years...

[D.R.T.]

Very sad news. Portland is a great track and there have been some great memories at the venue. However when the sums dont stack up this was inevitable and on the cards.

[Knowlesy]

Darn. Portland's loss is such a blow.

[Davhut]

Portland was a fabulous track with many fine races and much CART history. Maybe another sign ChampCar is on its last legs? Any odds at Ladbrooke's for their survival through the entire '08 season?

[Craig]

Oh ****.

I was planning on an Infineon Sprint Cup/Portland Champcar double next year! **** **** ****.

[gttouring]

well sod it all
KK was saying he believed unternaqtinoal markets were underestimated...yeah and alienate The champcar market and home base.
why portland low attendance?
well make it a weekend with the SCCA and make all the locals come to the track-

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by Davhut

Portland was a fabulous track with many fine races and much CART history. Maybe another sign ChampCar is on its last legs? Any odds at Ladbrooke's for their survival through the entire '08 season?

Wouldnt cutting unviable economic events increase the chance of a healthier 2008 championship.

[JohnSSC]

CC has "underestimated" the domestic and Asian markets as well, imho.

[indycool]

Historically, Portland was a welcome addition to the PPG Indy Car World Series. It was the Indy cars coming to Portland as a keynote to the Rose Festival in the land that spawned Indy veteran car owner Rolla Vollstedt and Indy 500 veteran drivers Bob Christie (Grant's Pass), Len Sutton and Art Pollard (Medford). Bill Hildick was the Norton Co. executive based in Portland who was the guiding light behind the race when Norton sponsored Penske.

But it's not the Indy cars that are coming to Portland any more. That history is gone and that special feature of why the series ran there in the first place is gone.

[JohnSSC]

Originally Posted by D.R.T.

Wouldnt cutting unviable economic events increase the chance of a healthier 2008 championship.

If they cut the "unviable" events, how many would be left?

[D.R.T.]

It appears with the races being dropped over the last month, the ones left standing are a pretty good indication.

Originally Posted by indycool

But it's not the Indy cars that are coming to Portland any more. That history is gone and that special feature of why the series ran there in the first place is gone.

ChampCar ran there for many years with crowd support and interest.

Its more of a reflection of open wheel popularity in North America than what you have suggested.

[mountainstar]

Aint over yet folks, they are still negotiating.

[indycool]

And it diminished from those roots as CART did, and as CC has, but I agree with mountainstar that Portland is in the same "wild card" position it's always been in. It loses money, but not as much as others and if it's needed to fill out the schedule, CC will be back there. Financially, it certainly has a much better chance than Vegas, for example.

[mandretti39]

For a little trip down memory lane, one of the greatest finishes ever at Portland...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Qe3l3enlkU

[racerkeke]

Originally Posted by mandretti39

For a little trip down memory lane, one of the greatest finishes ever at Portland...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Qe3l3enlkU

Doesn't that bring back memories... I was the lead communicator at turn 1 (the chicane) and it was so wet that we couldn't write up any reports, only jot down car numbers and times and stash the notebook away again in the rain gear until the next one. A lot of stuff ended up written in pen on my hands because I couldn't get the notebook out before the next incident -- or the other comm was already writing a different incident down. We ended up writing the reports under cover at the CART transporter, handing them to the staff waiting to pack up as we finished them. Took about an hour and a half, two communicators writing like mad and witnessing each other's work.

I wouldn't count Portland out just yet. The city's just finished reconfiguring and repaving the western part of the course, and why would they do that if they didn't want to have races? Champ car was the only pro race left there -- they'd already canned ALMS.

What a waste of a perfectly good racetrack (not to mention the revenue to the city), not to use it.

keke

[RaceFreak]

Just as a little aside....

CC 'quit' Mid Ohio, too. The IRL showed up this summer; and I've never seen a larger crowd (I've been going to MO for 30 years).

My point is that the size of the crowd is NOT so much a function of the product (ie, the series). It is more reflective of the marketing. CC is in a serious slump, and the track operators know it and bid accordingly.

[luke]

Originally Posted by RaceFreak

Just as a little aside....

CC 'quit' Mid Ohio, too. The IRL showed up this summer; and I've never seen a larger crowd (I've been going to MO for 30 years).

My point is that the size of the crowd is NOT so much a function of the product (ie, the series). It is more reflective of the marketing. CC is in a serious slump, and the track operators know it and bid accordingly.

Not to burst the IRLs impressive attendance with Mid-Ohio but it was a ALMS event and there was a high percentage of free tickets jsyk...

[paul-collins]

Hey, they still had to actually go, luke.

... and can you blame Honda employees for coming out and being proud of their company?

[luke]

Originally Posted by paul-collins

Hey, they still had to actually go, luke.

... and can you blame Honda employees for coming out and being proud of their company?

Only providing the same info you posted on the IRL board a few months back.

[indycool]

And Honda BOUGHT the tickets for them.......

[D.R.T.]

Did Honda sponsor the race ?

[paul-collins]

Yes, they did. Both races.

[f1manoz]

Shame to lose Portland as it has hosted some classics over the years...

[racinthestreets]

It ain't officially over until the schedule is announced. Global Events said it is a dead horse. I will remain hopeful that some company will step up and become the sponsor for not only 2008 but maybe three to five years.

Nike needs to get into the race shoe busine$$!