A 2nd Brazil IndyCar race in the works
05/03/11 Bernard confirmed that IndyCar signed "a mutual of understanding" to stage a second race in Brazil in 2012. If all contracts are signed, the race will be a downtown street race in the southern city of Porto Alegre.
"It'll be great," Bernard said. "It will be in the city, but it's their wine country."
Tony Cotman, who is designing the new Indy cars for 2012, laid out the circuit. He also designed the Sao Paulo circuit, which is highly regarded by the sport's drivers.
Bernard said series officials drove the proposed Porto Alegre circuit last week. Indy Star
04/29/11 We hear the second Brazil race might be in September, taking the place of Japan, which goes away after this year. Sao Paulo will likely keep it's spring date and have the potential Porto Alegre race scheduled for September. Brazil's economy is booming right now.
04/29/11 This rumor is upgraded to 'fact' today. INDYCAR received written commitment April 28 from the governor of the state of Rio Grande do Sul and the mayor of Porto Alegre of their intention to play host to a second IZOD IndyCar Series race in Brazil.
Gov.-elect Tarso Genro and Mayor Jose Fortunati signed a letter of intent that both municipal and state governments will seek federal and corporate funding to stage the event on the streets of Porto Alegre in September 2012.
INDYCAR CEO Randy Bernard and commercial division president Terry Angstadt joined the officials for the latest round of meetings in the capital city of more than 1.4 million (3.9 million metropolitan area).
“It appears to us that the governor and mayor are very optimistic that all funding will happen and that we will soon reach a formal agreement to have a race in 2012," Angstadt said upon his return to the Anhembi circuit that is playing host to the Itaipava São Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestle this weekend. “The cooperation between the state and municipal level indicates the broad-based support necessary to host world-class international events.
“What’s exciting to us is this three-country platform – to have a race in a section of Brazil with close proximity to Argentina and Uruguay. It’s a very business-friendly market so it’s perfect for INDYCAR."
Even the working title of the event – Grand Prix Mercosur (Portuguese translation of free market) – represents the local and tri-country platform.
With the São Paulo race establishing date equity in late April and the potential Porto Alegre race tentatively scheduled for September, the in-country events would complement each other like Toronto and Edmonton on the IZOD IndyCar Series schedule.
Five rivers converge to form a navigable freshwater lake, which makes Porto Alegre an important port and commercial center for the region.
“They are a net giver to taxation like São Paulo — big, healthy and they provide a lot of revenue to the government," Angstadt said. “It’s a big and important part of the country and would be very exciting to go there. We so like the São Paulo event and look forward to another exciting race with an enthusiastic capacity crowd. We think these events are positively impacting INDYCAR because you’re raising the entire brand within the country." IndyCar.com
04/27/11 Recall we rumored over 18 months ago that there might be a 2nd IndyCar race in Brazil. At that time it was thought there could be two races in 2010. As it turned out only one was ready, and that was Sao Paulo, Brazil. Now comes word that Porto Alegre, Brazil may be in line to get the 2nd IndyCar race.
Porto Alegre, Brazil is the tenth most populous municipality in Brazil, with 1,409,939 inhabitants, and the centre of Brazil's fourth largest metropolitan area (3,979,561 inhabitants). It is also the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian state. Porto Alegre is one of the top cultural, political and economic centers of Brazil. Two countries, Argentina and Uruguay, border on the State of Rio Grande do Sul.
