The Return of the Molson Indy?

[vanman]

Could Indy roar back to Vancouver?
VANESSA YEE
METRO VANCOUVER
Published: November 04, 2010 5:46 a.m.

Could the defunct Molson Indy return to Vancouver?

Yesterday, Octane Motorsports Events announced the cancellation of the 2011 Edmonton Indy and said they are considering holding the event in other cities, including Calgary, Quebec City and Vancouver.

“There is no doubt that Vancouver is an interesting, major international city,” Normand Prieur, spokesman fot Octane Motorsports, said yesterday.

Walt Judas, a vice-president with Tourism Vancouver, said the event would be welcome as it was popular and generated a lot of buzz.

“It kept locals in the city on Labour day when people normally leave town.”

Vision Coun. Geoff Meggs said people would be ecstatic about having Indy return to Vancouver. The track would have to be close to transit and would need room for bleachers, he added.

In spite of the popularity of the event, NPA Coun. Suzanne Anton said hosting the event would likely be quite challenging.

“I am a fan of the event,” said Anton, but the organization would first have to “iron out the problems” because “much of the course is now the Olympic Village.” The Molson Indy was last held in Vancouver during the summer of 2004 but was cancelled due lack of sponsorships and the pending construction of the Olympic Village in Southeast False Creek.

http://www.metronews.ca/vancouver/lo...k-to-vancouver

[djh]

“I am a fan of the event,” said Anton, but the organization would first have to “iron out the problems” because “much of the course is now the Olympic Village.” The Molson Indy was last held in Vancouver during the summer of 2004 but was cancelled due lack of sponsorships and the pending construction of the Olympic Village in Southeast False Creek.

It seems as if everybody is a big fan of somebody or something when they're gone. I don't remember the city council being very supportive on the Indy when it was here. I seem to remember them raising issues about noise, pollution, costs of policing, rubbish, crime, public safety...but I may be wrong.

Also, I thought the reason the Indy left was because of lack of political and public support, not due to lack of sponsorship? Olympic Village construction was nowhere near started when they left, either. Is this revisionist reporting?

[Smooth]

Funny that Geoff Meggs would like to see the Indy back here but then wants the viaducts removed. The whole reason the Indy was able to work at the south end of False Creek was because the viaducts allowed traffic to bypass that area.

I realize that if the Indy returned then it would probably have to be in a different part of the city. If I were to make a dream track it would run around the eastern portion of Stanley Park (eg. along Stanley Park Dr. then through the park via Pipeline Rd.). I think there would be too many issues with access though.

Realistically, a new track would probably have to go to one of Vancouver's 2nd tier airports.

[go_leafs_go02]

Imagine the environment?!?!!?

[vanlaw]

I use to be a big fan of Indy, but the whole CART - IRL split debacle, which I believe happened soon after Vancouver lost its race, really screwed the whole thing up. People, including me, lost interest, and NASCAR’s popularity took a huge upswing. Even being back to one series, the interest just isn’t the same as it was before the split.

They really f’d the whole thing up. I can’t remember who was behind the spilt (Ganassi?) but big egos got in the way. Too bad.

[Yume-sama]

Originally Posted by go_leafs_go02

Imagine the environment?!?!!?

We could make them all use ethanol. Sure, it would take away an entire Countries food supply for the amount they'd have to use, but at least we'd feel better about ourselves.

It would be cool to have the event back. I was too young to even remember it the last time I went~

[wrenegade]

The Molson Indy and "Vancouver Green Capital" a match made in heaven! LOL!

I'd love to see the Indy come back, but would be sorely disappointed if it happened anywhere outside of False Creek. That is what made it so great. Hosting it out at Boundary Bay/Pitt Meadows/Langley airport would not be nearly as fun. The track would have to be totally redesigned, but I'm sure something could work.

As much as I'd love to see a race through Stanley Park (kinda like the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne) any serious mention of that would have environmentalists heads exploding everywhere.

[BCPhil]

Yeah, that's one of the problems with finishing off the rest of False creek. That space was handy for events, whether it be Indy, Cirque, Red Bull Fluntag, or whatever we need for major events like the Olympics. Prime event space right in the middle of downtown Vancouver will be hard to find for events that can't fit indoors.

Indy around the redone BC Place, past Science World, and brushing up against the Olympic Village, would be really marketable on TV, especially after our notoriety for hosting the Olympics, and keep a place for us on US TV every year.

You could go around BC place on Expo and Pacific blvds, down Quebec (still using the parking lot as part of the 2 way action) and make some kind of loop using 1st, Ontario and 2nd.

But it would be great if, when designing the rest of the developments around False creek, we left the people who are unlucky enough to live there some space so they can enjoy city wide events.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by Yume-sama

We could make them all use ethanol. Sure, it would take away an entire Countries food supply for the amount they'd have to use, but at least we'd feel better about ourselves.

Indy cars DO use ethanol.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IndyCar_Series

It's the Nascars and club cars that don't.

[jlousa]

Lack of space? Easy solution, install stands along creekside park/Skate Park and along the Science world parking lot, and on the closed off intersections all along the course, no need to touch private property. The kicker here, first every indoor section of race track, have the pits, and start finish line inside the dome with thousands of fans able to watch from the stands.

PS I know it's impractical as the dome isn't long enough to hold the pitlane but it would be pretty cool if it were possible.

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by Smooth

Funny that Geoff Meggs would like to see the Indy back here but then wants the viaducts removed. The whole reason the Indy was able to work at the south end of False Creek was because the viaducts allowed traffic to bypass that area.

I realize that if the Indy returned then it would probably have to be in a different part of the city. If I were to make a dream track it would run around the eastern portion of Stanley Park (eg. along Stanley Park Dr. then through the park via Pipeline Rd.). I think there would be too many issues with access though.

Realistically, a new track would probably have to go to one of Vancouver's 2nd tier airports.

Run the track up Georgia & down Dunsmuir over the Viaducts, with the hairpin turn at Gore & Prior.

Or would that make Megg's head explode?

Gotta admit, an accident on a viaduct would be s*p*e*c*t*a*c*u*l*a*r. (so would an accident falling OFF the viaducts).

sigh.
ain't gonna happen there.
(double sigh)

[LeftCoaster]

How about one of these two tracks?

The first one is much cooler but would piss off about 20 thousand residents, the second one is much less cool but would affect fewer residential areas. The third one is the environmentalists nightmare.

http://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?ie=UTF...42272&t=h&z=15

Disclaimer* I know nothing about IRL and how long the track should be, but those general areas could support track changes to shorten or lengthen and make more turns as necessary.

[jlousa]

1st track definitely awesome but it would be way too long, eliminate all 3 bridges and be a logistically nightmare to implement will all those intersection closures, besides it would be a no go as it would also need to close down the burrard bike lane.

2nd one I think would be impractical because of the major long straight aways, and then the impossible grade at the hill at GNW and Clark.

Perhaps UBC could offer up some interesting routing, Richmond might also be viable and has rapid transit easily available.

[LeftCoaster]

Haha I was going to make a joke about the the bike track in the first lane... although I'm sure we would live without it for a day I dont think Gregor could handle it optically. The first track would leave The Granville Bridge open though, as it passes under at both pacific and Lamey's. Is it too long? Like I said I dont know how long an IRL track is supposed to be, but couldnt they just do fewer laps?

Forgot about the hill at the end of GNW, that would certainly screw that routing up... maybe the track could cut left at glen and a temp structure could link the two sides of glen?

[Distill3d]

LeftCoaster:

I liked your concepts. Save for shutting down all 3 downtown bridges, I found the first course would be too long. Toronto's circuit is just shy of 3 KM, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (Canada's F1 circuit) is about 4 km long an its been used for Indy.

Anyhow, I came up with a couple concepts of my own. 2 Downtown, 1 to piss off the residents around the PNE, and 2 at SFU.

Vancouver Indy Street Course Concepts

jhousla:

I'm not sure the grade of that hill would be that much of an issue. Indy deals with worse than that with Laguna Seca's "corkscrew", and they do alright.

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

Haha I was going to make a joke about the the bike track in the first lane... although I'm sure we would live without it for a day I dont think Gregor could handle it optically. The first track would leave The Granville Bridge open though, as it passes under at both pacific and Lamey's. Is it too long? Like I said I dont know how long an IRL track is supposed to be, but couldnt they just do fewer laps?

Forgot about the hill at the end of GNW, that would certainly screw that routing up... maybe the track could cut left at glen and a temp structure could link the two sides of glen?

I think racing up the GNW hill to Clarke would look terrific with the cars getting some air over the top.

Not unlike Steve McQueen racing though the hills of San Fancisco in Bullitt.

[wrenegade]

No offense, but it seems like not many of you know too much about road racing. Most of those circuits don't seem to offer much, if anything, in the ways of overtaking opportunities. Also, race courses need to be wide. As cool as it would be to have the track use the Burrard, Granville or Cambie bridges, the normal one lane on/off ramps wouldn't work, and using the major ramps would disrupt traffic like crazy. Also, the logistics of some of those courses wouldn't work at all. There needs to be room for a pit lane (and entry/exits) and the area for the teams and trailers. I think that around False Creek is the only place where we could realistically have a track, and probably only for a couple more years before Concord's NEFC land and the Plaza of Nations is redeveloped. Anyways, here's my crack at it. There would need to be some small modifications around some corners (specifically in the area around Quebec & Science World to make the chicane work) and the pit straight.

Vancouver Street Circuit

[physicist1028]

I thought I'd throw a few of my ideas into the ring here...

Vancouver Indy Course Proposals

[hollywoodnorth]

Originally Posted by physicist1028

I thought I'd throw a few of my ideas into the ring here...

Vancouver Indy Course Proposals

PNE is a good idea ... lots of room for grandstands, etc


but I think Surrey Central would work best .... multiple skytrain stations .... bus connections, parking out the ass, room for grandstands and all that in the parking lots along King George and cross streets themselves.

[peterprinciple]

I think the Indy would be right at home in Surrey.