Singleton Champ Car bound (San Jose)

UPDATE #3 We hear that Kalkhoven and company are indeed headed for San Jose tonight, supposedly for the big race announcement….. 10/26/04 As first reported in this rumor on AutoRacing1.com, this Toronto Sun article today says Singleton is bound for San Jose. As always, you read it here first. Excerpt from the Sun – Bob Singleton, who has run the Toronto Molson Indy for the past eight seasons, is taking his experience to California where he will be introduced today as the boss of the San Jose Grand Prix. It was reported in The Toronto Sun Friday that Singleton was being groomed to be the head of the Champ Car World Series Canadian operations with an office in Toronto. But Singleton has had ongoing talks with city officials and race promoters in San Jose — which will hold its first Champ Car race in 2005 — that associates said brought him to the conclusion the California job was the closest to his heart and closest to the one he left two weeks ago as vice-president of Molson Sports and Entertainment. With Singleton's decision to take the San Jose job, the plan to have a Canadian office for Champ Car is now apparently dead. When The Sun reached Singleton yesterday he was reluctant to confirm his new job because he didn't want to steal the thunder from a splashy announcement planned in San Jose this afternoon. 10/22/04 This Toronto Sun article speculates that Singleton will join Champ Car but manage the three or four Canadian races for them out of Toronto, whereas AutoRacing1.com sources tell us he is San Jose bound. Could he do both? Key excerpts – The Champ Car World Series is set to announce next week that it will open a Canadian base to be headed by former Toronto Molson Indy boss Bob Singleton, The Toronto Sun has learned. Singleton, who quit his job as general manager for Molstar Sports and Entertainment — a wholly owned subsidiary of Molson Breweries — a week ago, would not confirm what sources have told The Sun, but he did say his own plans would become clearer next Wednesday. That is the same date sources said that Champ Car will be making a major announcement about its Canadian races (AutoRacing1.com can confirm that a press conference has been scheduled for that day). "Some news will break by next Wednesday," Singleton said yesterday. "It will have something to do with open wheel racing in general and Champ Car in particular." When pressed by The Sun on where he would be setting up shop, Singleton would only admit that his new office would be in Toronto. "Depending on my clients, I could be spending a lot of time south of the border," he said……Singleton has been deeply involved in talks with Champ Car to renew Molson's deal to promote both the Toronto and Vancouver Molson Indy races as well as its sponsorship of the Molson Indy Montreal……While Singleton has been front and centre in trying to move that date to either Calgary or Edmonton, there is apparently less enthusiasm in Molson's front office for expansion of its Indy franchise to Alberta. Singleton, however, would not speculate on what plans Molson has in the race promotion business. "(Molstar) has a great team in place," Singleton said. "It was just time (for me to leave). It has been eight great years." News reports out of Edmonton have a Champ Car race there being promoted by someone other than Molson. There have been rumors that with a huge corporate shake-up coming as a result of its merger with Colorado-based Coors, Molson might want to reduce its role in Canadian racing. "I think Molson wants to hold on to Toronto, but things could change, "Singleton said. "I don't know. (Today) is my last day." 10/20/04 Word from our Canadian sources is that Bob Singleton, who stepped down from his role with Molstar and Champ Car's three Canadian races, will take up residence in San Jose and manage that new soon-to-be-announced Champ Car event. In announcing his resignation he said he wasn't done with racing. In fact, according to this Toronto Star article, he will also work as a consultant to the Canadian races, we assume at the request of Molstar and OWRS. He denied his decision had anything to do with Molson's decision regarding its auto racing future. "Nothing will change," he said. "Me leaving won't alter things one iota." He said he will remain involved in racing and serve as a consultant to Canadian Champ Car events.