Vancouver won’t be reinstated

This Globe and Mail article says, After 14 successful seasons at full throttle, Vancouver's Molson Indy looks to be screeching to a halt. While Molson continues to negotiate with the city and searches for corporate sponsors to get the race back on track, things look bleak as Vancouver's preparations for the 2010 Winter Olympics have apparently left the Indy in limbo. "I don't think it's going to happen but it's really more a Molson-B.C. issue and not ours," said Champ Car co-owner Paul Gentilozzi, who also runs Rocketsports Racing. "We love it there, it's a great event and that's successful with the fans. We all like going there. We talked to people who said we could still race there during Olympic construction and that it could be accommodated," he said. "I think it was a bit of an excuse. "I understand Molson's motives to make a better business deal, but I think that race was good for tourism and they've made a mistake not pulling together," Gentilozzi said.

With the Olympics on the horizon, Vancouver seems reluctant to focus its attention elsewhere, added Champ Car co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven.

"The fact that Vancouver is not on the schedule does not mean that the event will definitely not happen," said Cynthea Galbraith, spokesperson for Molson Sports and Entertainment. "Molson, Champ Car and the B.C. business community are still evaluating the possibility of staging a race in 2005. There isn't really a deadline and we feel it's important to thoroughly investigate these avenues, so we'll take the time to put in our best effort."

Molson is not involved in Edmonton's race, but has expressed interest in a partnership. With a four-week break in Champ Car's 2005 schedule after the race in Montreal on Aug. 28, there remains a glimmer of hope for Vancouver should Molson pull off a deal. A last-minute agreement would probably return the Molson Indy Vancouver to its traditional Labor Day weekend date, which was usurped by Denver two years ago and pushed the Vancouver race to July.