Champ Car axes Denver race
02/02/07 This postponement affects the Champ Car Atlantic series, which was also slated to race in Denver. Now down to 11 races, it remains to be seen where they add a 12th event. Phoenix is possible but that is late, December 2nd, and the series usually likes to wrap up their season around Labor Day. However, we suspect they will just run a doubleheader at one of the other tracks they are already racing at.
02/01/07 The Grand of Prix of Denver has been "postponed for two years," a Champ Car spokesman told the Rocky today. The race has been put on blocks because of the lack of a title sponsor and conflicts with the 2008 Democratic National Convention this summer, Champ Car spokesman Eric Mauk said.
The race, scheduled for Aug. 17-19, was to take place near the Pepsi Center, where the DNC is scheduled to take place in August '08.
Shell sponsored the first Grand Prix at the Pepsi Center in 2002, and Centrix Financial was the sponsor from 2003-2005. The attendance dipped from about 100,000 in 2002 to 68,000, but it surged to 112,000 in 2004 and to an estimated 150,000 in 2005. It dropped a bit in 2006, but not enough to discourage Champ Car from returning. The Champ Car season begins April 8 in Las Vegas. Denver was No. 12 on the schedule. Rocky Mountain News
02/01/07 The Champ Car World Series today announced the postponement of this season’s Denver Grand Prix, which was to be run on August 15.
The event, which has run for the last five seasons around the Pepsi Center in downtown Denver, will be removed from the 2007 calendar due to concerns over time conflicts with the facilities surrounding the temporary street course. Efforts to find a replacement date that accommodated the Pepsi Center and Champ Car, as well as the University of Colorado Auraria Campus that borders the track layout, were unable to find a suitable date that fit unto the series’ race schedule. In addition, Denver’s status as the host city for the Democratic National Convention in 2008 will force Champ Car to keep the event off of the ’08 calendar as well.
“The strong attendance numbers, the backing the event received from the corporate sector as well as the city and county government, and the support of the people of Denver have shown that a Champ Car event can flourish there," said Champ Car President Steve Johnson. “Champ Car has made a major investment in building this event over the last five years. We are committed to making every effort to returning to the Mile High City as soon as a viable replacement date can be found."
The postponement reduces to 16 the number of events on the 2007 Champ Car World Series schedule, the largest number of races on the Champ Car calendar since the 2003 season. Champ Car PR