INDYCAR 2012 Schedule

I will be at Belle Isle (Detroit) and Baltimore. Can't wait!

 

will there be anything to watch in Baltimore?

 

Wish they would come back to Laguna Seca sometime

 

There was this year.. The ALMS race was the highlight for me though.

But if the race is too boring, you can go a few miles north, south, east or west and see drunks, heroin addicts and murders. We have something for everyone!

 

LOL!

I thought I had heard that the Baltimore race was off for 2012; fact or rumor? something involving the promoter going belly up.

 

Hmmm.. this doesn't sound good at all

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/auto-racing/baltimore-grand-prix/bs-md-grand-prix-new-ceo-20111121,0,1742586.story

State places lien against Grand Prix company
Grand Prix 'very close' to hiring new CEO, organizer says
Comments 14Share120
By Luke Broadwater, The Baltimore Sun

8:04 p.m. EST, November 21, 2011
The state has threatened to seize assets of the company that runs the Baltimore Grand Prix to recover nearly $600,000 in unpaid taxes, the Maryland Comptroller's Office said Monday.

"We don't want to take anybody's business," said Caron Brace, a spokeswoman for Comptroller Peter Franchot. "We just want to get what we're owed."

Baltimore Racing Development Inc., the Grand Prix operator, is more than a month delinquent on $567,594.19 in admissions and amusement taxes, and $23,838.06 in sales and use taxes, Brace said. The comptroller's office filed a lien in Baltimore Circuit Court on any property that the company owns, she said.

Ryan O'Doherty, a spokesman for Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, said the comptroller's office is responsible for collecting the admissions and amusement taxes owed to the city. The sales and use taxes are owed to the state.

Jay Davidson, the former chief executive of Baltimore Racing Development and an investor in the company, said he thought that "escrowed ticket money" would be used to pay the taxes. "I'm not sure why it hasn't been paid to this point," he said.

Baltimore City Councilman William H. Cole IV, an ardent supporter of the Grand Prix, called the situation — the latest development in the company's financial troubles — "frustrating."

"There's not much choice in the matter," he said of filing the lien. "The government has to take seriously their debts to the taxpayers and their business partners."

Meanwhile, Davidson, who remains an employee of the company, said it is "very close" to hiring Felix J. Dawson, a former Constellation Energy Group executive, as the new CEO. Davidson said the company is finalizing a contract with Dawson.

Through an associate, Dawson declined to comment.

Dawson would be coming aboard as Baltimore Racing Development faces financial problems, including millions owed to city and state agencies, private vendors and investors after the inaugural auto race.

Earlier this month, Deputy Mayor Kaliope Parthemos ordered the racing group to restructure or sell itself, and to make good on $1.5 million owed to the city in unpaid taxes and fees. Parthemos also said the group must pay the Maryland Stadium Authority a missed installment of $480,000 on a $2 million loan.

She warned that the city would sever its contract if Baltimore Racing Development failed to pay by a Dec. 31 deadline.

Several contractors have stepped forward in recent weeks claiming that the racing group failed to pay them hundreds of thousands of dollars for bleachers, concrete barriers and other services. Another company said Monday that it had an additional $20,000 worth of unpaid bills.

Derek Swanson, the president of Strategic Services International, said his company performed an environmental impact study for the Grand Prix organizers. The Halethorpe-based company provided to The Baltimore Sun a series of emails asking for payment.

According to the emails, on April 19, after several unanswered emails, Davidson explained the delay by saying that the company's controller was on vacation. He wrote that his wife would have the "check cut" to Strategic Services the next day, adding, "Thanks for your patience."

Seven months later, the company is still waiting, said Swanson. He said Strategic Services' report estimated that 13,200 tons of carbon emissions would be released into the atmosphere during the event.

Now, he added, he doesn't have the money to pay subcontractors who helped with the study.

"It's unfortunate they weren't able to manage it properly," Swanson said. "This should have been a great event for the city."

Davidson said Monday that he didn't know enough about the status of the company's bills to comment on them.

If the deal with Dawson is finalized, it could be a good first step in reorganizing the company, city officials said.

Dawson, the founder of energy investment firm Wilkes Lane, has held several high-ranking positions with Constellation Energy Group, including CEO of Constellation Energy Commodities Group Inc. He was part of a Goldman Sachs team that created the energy investment and trading company in partnership with Constellation Energy Group.

He has a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's in accounting from Rice University.

The Grand Prix's chief financial officer, Walker Mygatt, is one of Constellation's top executives. Davidson said Mygatt had been negotiating with Dawson.

Keiffer Mitchell, a state delegate who owns a 1 percent stake in the company, said the company needs to make changes quickly. "If they're serious about restructuring, time is of the essence."

Cole said the company will need to do more reorganizing than simply changing personnel. He said it needs to generate revenue quickly — through either ticket sales or sponsors — to salvage the event for 2012 and beyond.

"I do think bringing in additional talent will help them tremendously," Cole said of potential new hires. "The racing industry wants to see this work. I still have hope they'll be able to right this and get it moving."

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twitter.com/lukebroadwater

 

Looking forward to St. Petersburg and Baltimore myself but have never been. How are the viewing points?

 

If you are going to Baltimore make sure you get the grand stand seats. If you don't you won't really be able to see anything. It was absolutely packed this year and I believe the grand stand seats sold out for the IRL race. I heard they were planning to have more grand stand seating for next year. Another option is that a few of the hotels line the track, so you could get a hotel room with a nice view of the action.

 

At St Pete, there is a great set of stands at the end of the front straight, between T1 & T2. I've sat there and really liked it. A quick walk gets you to a bridge over the track to get to the infield and garage area.

 

Great! Thanks, I'll be sure to keep those things in mind.

 

The above seats are very good. Even better IMO is on top of the transporter garage---you get to see T1, T2 as well as the last turn into the front straight and all the way into T1. All still pretty close up. The challenge is restricted access, but if you sweet talk you can gain entry---usually much easier from the interior rather than the outside access points.

 

http://www.racer.com/provisional-2012-indycar-schedule-released/article/219673/

 

Official schedule released today:

http://indycar.com/news/show/55-izod-indycar-series/50961-new-events-highlight-2012-schedule/

great to see two SoCal races back!

 

http://www.racer.com/milwaukee-indycar-return-chances-improving/article/223162/

 

good, that event is too legendary to lose.

and I love Indycars on short ovals...I loved it when they raced Nazareth, Gateway (my old stomping grounds), Phoenix, Richmond, Milwaukee, etc.

 

China in, Japan out? LAME!

I predict no Baltimore.

 

I would agree with that prediction.

I predict no China.

 

Excited to have Milwaukee Mile wanting to be on the schedule. If they make it happen, I'm buying tickets and putting my butt in a seat for that one.

 

I wonder if the possibility/probably of losing a race or two is the motivation behind reviving Milwaukee.

I assume the TV contract has a minimum race requirement and there are other $$$ at risk (other than promoter fees) for lost races?

 

quick video clip of TK in the new car at Sebring.

sounds good. not as good as the old turbo V8s from the CART days, but still...big improvement over the crapwagons.

http://www.mobypicture.com/user/LaurenBohlander/view/11781362

 

amusements and admissions don't play. they hammered me for $86k. brutal. don't count on seeing indy cars on light street.

 

My guess is they would be counting on the heritage of Milwaukee (drawing fans back to it), plus it may be a lot cheaper to run on a pre-existing facility?

Do they REALLY think that will happen?
And by 'racing industry', who exactly do they mean?
The 'racing industry' will race ANYWHERE they can make a buck at, regardless of where that is.

 

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/16/city-finds-new-promotors-for-baltimore-grand-prix/