Portland International

[macdaddy]

No "Doom & Gloom" in this article!
What we need around here is some good news!
Lengthy article, so allow me to paraphrase...

PORTLAND, Ore. (Dec. 16, 2002) - In a renewed commitment to the city of Portland and the race fans in the Pacific Northwest... Pook announced today that CART will continue its annual Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford (say that five times fast!) event in the Rose City through 2005.

Bolstering this announcement is the fact that Portland-area sports and auto retailer G.I. Joe's has signed-on to continue its sponsorship of the event, and the unveiling of plans for CART to work with the Portland business community to build on the past success of the event.

A key component of today's announcement is the extension of G.I. Joe's support of the event, as the company has sponsored every previous Champ Car event at Portland International Raceway.

In a tremendous show of community support, the Oregon Sports Authority, Portland Oregon Visitors Association, Portland Parks and Recreation and Portland Rose Festival Association have formed a formidable business coalition with Global Events Group (the event's promoter) and CART to ensure the future of Portland's race.

"The G.I. Joe's 200 has played a significant role in Oregon's economy and provided valued entertainment to the community for the last 20 years. The coalition believes strongly in the value of the race to the community," said Drew Mahalic, Oregon Sports Authority CEO.

Added Portland Oregon Visitors Association President and CEO Joe D'Alessandro, "the race is vitally important to Portland's economy - injecting nearly $20 million into the community each year - and adds substantially to Oregonians' quality of life."