Calgary Indy?
 

With Octane Motorsports officially ending the Edmonton Indy, how likely will Calgary host the annual event at Airdrie's new racetrack?

http://metronews.ca/news/edmonton/378999/octane-motorsports-pulls-out-of-2013-edmonton-indy/

That combined racetrack/airfield is years away, if there is even anything to it. I know some people in the corporate aviation area don't take the project backers terribly seriously.

It is unfortunate Edmonton couldn't run with this.

Count me in with Policy Wonk on the skepticism of the Airdrie track and corporate airport becoming a reality in the short term.

Is there anywhere in Calgary where this could be hosted?

Roadcourse!!!

Incidentally, there's a local fellow in the process of purchasing an Indy team, though I doubt that would have much affect on a race coming here.


Any particular reason the aviation folks aren't taking the backer of the corporate airport / race track seriously? There are some big boys involved. That being said, they're funding model for the motorsports portion was stupid.

Someone said a while back that there was a plan to build a road course using grandstand and the roads around there, not sure how that would work. Would be super cool to have the Indy here, I seriously doubt it will happen.

Keep in mind that Edmonton has a new 2.7 km track just finishing paving out at castrol.

I'm not an auto racing fan, but I would check out a race if they held one in the city. The current date for Edmonton's race is the week after Stampede, so I doubt that would work very well. Corporate promotional budgets, in addition to people's wallets and livers, are not it good shape at that particular time.

A sporting event I would really love to see (and I think would be very successful) would be a proper PGA Tour stop. Although according to the RCGA there are no courses in Southern Alberta that are sufficiently difficult, which is B.S. in my opinion.

I too would love to see a PGA tour event here. Unlikely, but I know the RCGA has been thinking about including an Alberta course as part of the Canadian Open rotation. Problem with that tournament is that it is currently the week after the British Open and in the middle of the busiest stretch of significant tournaments in the season - as a result most of the top players take the week off. I'm also trying to think of what course in the Calgary area is suitable for a PGA tour stop. Glencoe? Priddis? Not sure. I had heard the RCGA was potentially looking at a brand new top end course for the region that could fit the bill.

Calgary needs a dirt or paved oval track. It's a crying shame that a city of 1 million people has no form of grass roots motorsports. (Karting doesn't count).

What if they had the course somewhere around downtown, maybe memorial and riverfront ave? Also hosting it right after the stampede parade.

That would be pretty damn cool (and scenic too). However if they did do that I would complain like a mad man about shutting down all the lanes of memorial for it, especially after all the whining and complaining about closing 2 of 4 lanes for the Bow flow. I'd do it just to be a complete jackass and get over all those haters. :tup:

Big difference between an Indy race that would attract 10's of thousands and a smelly hippy parade attended by 10's of people. :jester:

Don't forget the ever present danger of drum circles forming.

Luckily, due to the poor turnout, there was only a drum crescent.

Uh, you have a very good grass routes community, well until racecity closed.

Or until High River closed? I think that's exactly my point?

Those same people would complain that their Memorial Drive was closed anyway, regardless of if it's the Bow River Flow or a Calgary Indy.

Best of luck guys
----

QMI Agency has learned a group of Calgary businessmen is in the process of
starting construction on a purpose-built road course track north of the city
that would be ready for racing by the 2015 season.

Ric Peterson, CEO of Oculus Transport Ltd., in Calgary, who this season
became an equity partner in Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in the IndyCar
series, said on Friday he is part of that group in serious talks to bring an
IndyCar race back to Alberta.

"I would really like to see a race in Calgary and I think we can get there,"
Peterson said.

"There are some people - who are here in St. Petersburg this weekend - who
are very close to putting together a purposebuilt road course just north of
Calgary, which would have great access to the airport, lots of hotels and a
freeway so it would be a great place to have a race."

He said the group is well on its way, with both planning and financing, to
get the deal done.

"Hopefully, by 2015, we could put a race in Calgary," Peterson said.

And he has the support of James Hinchcliffe, the 26-year-old Canadian behind
the wheel of the No. 27 Andretti Autosport Chevrolet.

"This is a tremendous idea," Hinchcliffe said. "It is gutting that we have
only one race in Canada."

He said the previous IndyCar forays into the west showed it can be
successful.

"Western Canada loves racing and I think there is a huge market for it so if
this all happens and we can get a proper permanent road course up there and
get IndyCar in Calgary it will be great."

What Peterson has that the failed Edmonton Indy promoters did not have is a
solid business connection to Alberta.

Besides his oil field services company, Peterson serves on the Board of
Directors for Horizon North Logistics Inc., Canyon Services Group, and
CanAir Nitrogen.

And he said Calgary's corporate culture is much stronger than that in
Edmonton.

"I think it would do corporately a whole lot better than Edmonton because of
all the head offices in Calgary," Peterson said. "Calgary would have much
more potential to sell a title sponsorship and corporate suites."

There have been previous efforts to bring IndyCar of Calgary - mostly aimed
at a temporary street course around the Stampede grounds.

This new group dismissed using the Stampede area for the race because of
logistic problems.

Peterson did say the race would have to, however, find a date that would not
conflict with the annual downtown event.


"With the Stampede we would have to be careful with the timing of the race,
but I don't think that will be an issue," he said.

^^^^^

I mentioned this back in Sept but couldn't say much at the time.

Great group of guys that will make this happen.

Sorry / thanks Edmonton :D

^Welcome... enjoy trying to surpass our attendance...

Year Race Day 3-Day Total
2005 78,080 200,052 - Canadian record - 3rd all time for the series.
2006 63,921 171,391
2007 60,508 167,152
2008 60,000* 160,000*


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmonton_Indy