No Edmonton Race Next Year?

One of the most popular events on the IndyCar Series schedule appears to have fallen victim to a monetary dispute between city government officals and the race's promoters. The Edmonton Indy, which is held on the city's airport tarmac, is appearantly dead for 2011, and may not return at all.    

And all of this seems to have come as a complete suprise to the IndyCar Series management!

The problems began when the City of Edmonton notified Octane Management that, owing to the fact that one of the runways was going to be permanently closed, they needed to change the layout of the course to allow the airport to remain operational during the race weekend. Octane agreed to this, but then asked to city for additional funds (the city was already providing $5.5 million over the next three years to support the event), mostly to repave the 'new' course & bring it up to a 'raceable' condition.

The cost of the renovations was estimated to be upwards of an additional $2 million, something that the Edmonton City Council was not prepared to accept. With the request's rejection, the race is now essentially dead for 2011, and probably for the foreseeable future.

"It is tremendously disappointing."; said IndyCar commerical division president Terry Angstadt. "Just in the way that it has happened, it doesn't make you feel terribly welcome. We always say that we need places that want us to be there. We thought that we had that in Edmonton. To have this come down and not recieve a call is a little shocking."