If no Australia race Kalkhoven to pull team from IRL
Dear Betty, We fully expect a new deal between IndyCar and the Surfers race will be announced before or during the race weekend in October. At issue is money and an acceptable date. Bottom line, the IRL would never have moved the Motegi date from the Spring to September if it had no intention of adding Surfers the week after. Should the IRL drop Surfers, the A1GP will move right in and IndyCar will never return to Australia. Mark C.
07/30/08 Australia, a cornerstone of CART/Champ Car since 1991 which draws upwards of 225,000 for three days, is not in the lineup at this time and the ramifications could cost IndyCar one of its teams.
“I told Tony (George) several times that Australia was critical for our sponsorship and, without that sponsorship, we had problems," said Kevin Kalkhoven, the former co-owner of Champ Car who fields a two-car IndyCar effort with Jimmy Vasser and is supported by Aussie Craig Gore.
“Without Surfers Paradise, we are going to have a problem."
A couple hours before the schedule announcement, the IRL issued a release stating that it would be going to Surfers Paradise Oct. 23-26 this year for a non-points exhibition race.
According to Angstadt, Australia was offered two dates for 2009 (early and late) with the goal of running Motegi, Japan on the same trip. Japan has moved from April to Sept. 19 next season, but evidently there is a national rugby championship clashing with the proposed fall date for Surfers. Still, it hasn’t totally been ruled out for 2009.
“We are keeping slots open for them and we are still in active conversations," said Angstadt. “We’re hopeful it can be announced, but the ball is in their court." More at SPEEDTV.com