Edmonton joins the frame

A Calgary race has been mooted for some time, either as an addition to Champ Car's successful trio of Canadian events or in place of the Molson Indy Vancouver, which is under threat due to planned construction work around the race site as the British Columbia city prepares to host the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Edmonton, the other major metropolitan centre in the province of Alberta with a population of just under a million, has now moved into the frame as a possible new venue. Local newspapers reported at the weekend that a deal has been agreed to stage a race next July on a 1.9-mile temporary course at the Edmonton City Centre Airport.

Champ Car officials confirmed that they have been in discussions with a local promoter, but denied that any contract has been signed as yet.

"We have come to an agreement on the potential terms, but it is in no way a done deal," Champ Car's executive vice-president of development, government affairs and planning Joe Chrnelich told The Edmonton Sun. "There is still one major item that needs to be satisfied, which would either make it happen or not happen."

Meanwhile Molson, which sponsors all three of the Canadian events currently on the CCWS calendar, has been looking into the possibility of staging a race in Calgary for the last few months (with Labor Day weekend being the favored date), but has yet to make a final decision on its 2005 plans.

"We are still continuing discussions with Molson about Calgary because I know they are very interested in the potential of a race there," said Chrnelich.

Two races in Alberta might risk over-saturation of what is essentially a single market, and Champ Car may have to decide which it regards as the more viable event. But Chrnelich insisted that prospect is not imminent, saying, "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. If it comes to the point where it looks like there could be a race in both, we'll start to ask those questions in a serious vein."