Overheard at Indy Saturday – Edmonton, Road America
The Rexall Edmonton Indy contract, which Sun Media revealed here earlier this week to be "only a signature away" from being a done deal according to series president Terry Angstadt, yesterday received his signature along with that of Mark Bamford, chief financial officer of Northlands.
"We weren't sure if we were going to have enough face time to finish it off," said race director Jim Haskins, who is here with a team of Edmonton organizers.
"There was some last minute wording, but no major hurdles," he said.
Haskins said they were saving details of the deal so they'd have something to announce at a press conference planned for Wednesday in Edmonton. Edmonton Sun
05/24/08 We hear the reason for the holdup on the contract between Edmonton and the IRL is the fact that the IRL wants to just do a 1 year deal and Edmonton wants at least a three-year deal. Makes one wonder if the IRL just wants one race in Canada and if Toronto is coming on board next year with Andretti Green as promoters that Edmonton may be a one and done deal, which would be a shame……..Road America President George Bruggenthies is here meeting with IRL officials in the hope he can land an Indy Car race at his 4-mile road course in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin……..We hear that the A1GP may land a race in Calgary starting in 2009 and that the future of the F1 race in Montreal is in doubt given the lack of government subsidies. Without that the race promoter, Normand Legault, cannot pay F1 the kind of money (sanction fees) other venues who want to come on board can. In addition, without a USGP to share in the travel costs for the F1 circus to come to North America, the race bleeds red ink. Mark Cipolloni reporting from Indy