Portland is back in 2005

[Dov]

From katu.com:

[macdaddy]

According to both sides of the camp, the City of Portland is going to enter into an agreement with Champ for the next three years.

...this will be a partnership with Champ that will require no money from the City of Portland...

[Kicking-back]

That's good news.

[Tim Northcutt]

It is good news that the race is back...

It is not that the City is not going to pony up any money....

That means it will probably still be a "Self-Promote" for OWRS....those put too much financial strain on the Series...

[macdaddy]

The fact that GI Joes was at the press conference is at least a little encouraging.

[Flatspot]

I'm really glad to see this as Champ Car needs to keep the road courses. Hopefully with the early knowlege that they are on the schedule for the next three years it will make finding a title sponsor for the race much easier.

[racinthestreets]

I am happy. I loved this race and I was one that did not think it would be retained. Thank you OWRS.

BTW, when PJP lost out on a date with the IRL, I sent an email asking why they could not promote a CCWS race. To date I have no reply. Please visit and ask your own questions.

http://www.pjp.com


Editted only because the link didn't work at first...

[Mags]

HURRAH!!!!!

[Mags]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



CHAMP CAR WORLD SERIES REACHES MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH CITY OF PORTLAND FOR THREE YEARS OF RACING AT PIR



PORTLAND (August 20, 2004) – Today, officials from the Champ Car World Series and the City of Portland, along with community business leaders, announced a memorandum of understanding that will keep the Champ Cars at the Portland International Raceway road course for the next three seasons.



The Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford has brought the premier open-wheel racing series in North America to the Pacific Northwest for the past 21 years, running every year since 1984 at PIR.



Champ Car President Dick Eidswick and Portland Commissioner of Parks and Recreation Jim Francesconi along with community business leaders held a meeting in Portland today, where they reached an agreement that would keep the Champ Car tradition alive at the 1.969-mile permanent road course. They then announced that agreement in a press conference held on the steps of Portland City Hall.



“It has always been our position that we wanted to continue racing in Portland,” said Eidswick. “The Portland market is very important to the series, our drivers enjoy the track and this past year’s race showed the potential that this event has. We believe that a strong partnership between Champ Car, city officials and community business leaders will help us build strong events in Portland for years to come.”



Many of the principals involved in the Portland event spoke at today’s conference, including Executive Director of the Oregon Sports Authority Drew Mahalik, President of the Portland, Oregon Visitors Association Joseph D’ Alessandro and Norm Daniels from longtime race sponsor G.I. Joe’s.



One of the longest-running events on the Champ Car calendar, Portland has long been a major draw for Champ Car, attracting over 125,000 fans for 10 consecutive years through the 2002 season. This year’s event provided fans with an exciting weekend of racing, topped by a victory for series points leader Sebastien Bourdais (#2 McDonald’s Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone).

[StickShift]

http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/champcar/12571/

Very good news! Let's just hope they can get some more people to attend now.

[stmookeyj033]

Good to see that we didn't lose them to the other series. A step in the right direction for mine.

[luke]

Gret news on Portland but what about Elkhart Lake?

[Kicking-back]

I understand it may be off the schedule, sadly.

[Liz]

Thank you Luke, for making sure we have no celebration without a bucket full of cold water to douse the flame.

[Kicking-back]

Elkhart Lake wasn't a profitable race, so losing it is not necessarily a bad thing, Liz.

[Mags]

This thread is about PORTLAND, last I looked. The fact we are finally seeing new contracts, and a 3-year one to boot, gives me great hopes for the future.

[Phoenix1]

This is an email I got back from Portland I hope no one else posted it. There is a link at the bottom of the email so I'm sure many of you are already aware about this however I thought it made a good read:

----------------------------------------------------------
As part of my commitment to keep you informed about our progress in bringing Champ Car back to Portland, I am pleased and excited to announce that we have recently reached an agreement with Champ Car to return to Portland for at least the next three years. Next year's race is expected to take place on June 19, 2005.

I am excited that Champ Car is returning because it is not only a great event for race fans throughout the Northwest, like myself, but it also benefits the entire City economically by bringing visitors to the hotels and
restaurants and giving us television exposure to an international audience showcasing our beautiful city during Rose Festival. The 3-year agreement will also help provide PIR with a revenue stream that will allow us to make important improvements to the track.

On a personal note, I want to thank Drew Mahalic & Karen Whitman with the Oregon Sports Authority, Scott Andrews and Greg Peden of the Portland Business Alliance, Ron Bennett of the Portland Rose Festival Association,
Gale Castillo of the Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber and Joe D'Alessandro and Kevin Neary of the Portland Oregon Visitors Association, all of whom pledged to work with me, Champ Car and Global Events to make next year's race a
success.

I also want to express my appreciation to Norm Daniels, President of G.I. Joes who has agreed to be one of many sponsors for the race.

Finally, I want to thank you for writing and your strong support of racing in Portland. I read every e-mail and letter that I received and it provided me with the motivation to work hard to bring Champ Car back to Portland in 2005 and beyond.

On the remote chance that you missed it, here is a link to an Oregonian article about Champ's return dated August 21, 2004.
http://oregonlive.com/motorsports/or...9946215832.xml

Thanks again for writing.

Jim Francesconi

[codename_47]

Wow. He actually wrote back!

I'm guessing there were enough people who pestered him about keeping Champcar there that made it worthwhile for him to write....well, dictate a personal response rather than just fob them off with "thank you for your letter" etc

Oh, and excellent news about Portland staying!