New 5-year deal for Cleveland GP

Sebastien Bourdais on the Cleveland airport track

For twenty-six consecutive years, the shores of Lake Erie have come alive each summer when the Grand Prix of Cleveland roars into town for the annual celebration of speed at Burke Lakefront Airport. Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and Grand Prix officials announced today that this tradition will continue, thanks to a new five-year agreement between the City and the Grand Prix to hold the event at Burke through 2012. Organizers also announced that the 2008 event, the first under the new agreement, will take place June 20 – 22.

"The Grand Prix is a significant annual event for the City of Cleveland. It is a popular attraction that puts Cleveland on the world stage and delivers an annual economic impact of some $30 million," said Mayor Frank G. Jackson.

"The Grand Prix of Cleveland is one of the City's unique assets," said Council President Martin J. Sweeney. "We are pleased to have a healthy partnership with the Grand Prix and look forward to many races to come."