Chicago set to stay on calendar

Earlier this month, circuit bosses announced that they were shutting the venue down as a motorsport venue for the rest of the year, meaning that the CART race on June 30 would not go ahead. But according to a report in the Chicago Tribune, Champ Car's governing body does not want to lose the major city from their schedule.

Chicago Motor Speedway chairman Charles Bidwell said: "The day after we made our announcement, CART goes 'gee, maybe we should sit down and talk, maybe we'd like to lease the facility from you'. We're right there now. It looks like the contract is done. I think they were just so concerned about losing the Chicago market."

CART spokesman Adam Saal refused to confirm the deal, but did say: "Chicago is a place in which we would like to continue to run. We can't be specific about anything. "I would think that any sanctioning body would want to be part of the Chicago market.

Part of the costs CART will have to pay for leasing the oval includes transforming the venue from a horse racing track - its main use throughout the year - into a motorsport circuit.