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Penske's Belle Isle Event Postponed, IndyCar & ALMS AffectedBy Anne Proffit
After primetime racing suffered a six year absence from the Motor City, the Indy Racing League and American Le Mans Series each put on two fine races on the Belle Isle street course over the 2007-2008 seasons, both held during the Labor Day weekend.
That will come to a halt for the 2009 campaigns, after the rights holders for the Detroit Grand Prix have called for a hiatus. During this time of financial pain in the Michigan industrial arena, and also due to the absence of both Audi and Porsche in the ALMS paddock, the decision was made to cancel the event next year.
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Calling this action a postponement, race promoter Roger Penske told the Indianapolis Star newspaper: “This is a real economic time of distress for everyone. We couldn’t sit here and count on a lot of things happening (from a sponsorship standpoint) that we knew weren’t going to happen knowing that (Detroit) is so distressed with unemployment and all the things going on.”
In reviving the Belle Isle race, Penske and his partners poured more than $7 million in infrastructure improvements into the Belle Isle parkland, changing the paddock area from a veritable bog into a concrete walkway that was user-friendly for both teams and visitors. His team also improved lighting, drainage, landscaping, pedestrian bridges and crossing and repaved the roadways, making the challenging track even more “racy”.
Bud Denker, who was the event chairman these past two years, gave his view to the Detroit Free Press. He said the group had “been evaluating for the last couple of months whether to cancel.” Because the race depended on heavy involvement by General Motors, Chrysler and Ford, together with departed partners Audi and Porsche, “Considering the tough times we’re all experiencing, we just couldn’t ask the parties to give and give more.”
The cancellation of the Belle Isle race weekend does present opportunity for promoters who want to get into the 2009 IRL schedule. Mentioned as possible replacements for the September 4-6 event are races at Michigan International Speedway, the Burke Lakefront Airport circuit in Cleveland, the natural Road America road course at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin and Portland, Oregon’s International Raceway road circuit.
According to Terry Angstadt, president of the League’s commercial division, the IRL knew there was a chance the Belle Isle race might be cancelled in 2009. “This is unfortunate news, but something that Roger Penske and his group have kept us abreast of for some time.
“The current economic climate is a challenge for all of us,” Angstadt agreed, “but as we look ahead to 2009 and beyond, we remain bullish on the opportunities for a united IndyCar Series. Any decision on what we might do with a valuable asset like a Labor Day race weekend – either short or long-term – will not be decided upon quickly,” he declared.
With this cancellation, the Indy Racing League schedule intends to hold 17 contests, while the American Le Mans Series has 10 races on the docket.
(c) 2008 Anne Proffit
PaddockTalk Perspective
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