http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns21221.html The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on the Ile de Notre Dame in Montreal has long been a favourite venue of the Formula 1 circus. And tens of thousands of F1 fans from across the United States have regularly made the pilgrimage to the city to enjoy the race and the party atmosphere that has been so successfully developed in the last 10 years. Everyone agrees that the event was good for the city, for the province of Quebec and for Canada in general. It is reckoned that the local economy got an annual boost of around $100m when F1 came to town. Hotel occupancy rates went up 30% along (along with the prices) and most restaurants and shops said that they doubled their regular income during the GP weekend. "The Grand Prix is very important for Montreal," said local mayor Gerald Tremblay. "It creates economic spin-offs, but even more, it makes Montreal famous internationally. There are more than 300 million people who watch the Grand Prix." Unfortunately the authorities did not want to invest. Normand Legault's Grand Prix F1 du Canada company had to pay not only the rights fees demanded by the Formula One group, but also has to rent the track from the Societe du Parc Jean Drapeau, a subsidiary of the Montreal City Council. He had to pay for the construction of 15 temporary grandstands, four bridges and miles of barriers, fencing and advertising hoardings. When F1 demanded better facilities Legault had to go to various different bodies to get the funding he needed. In the end Legault said he had no choice but to give in as F1 was not willing to compromise on the fees being demanded. The local business community screamed in protest but the government did not help. F1 departed. In an effort to appease the business community, the Societe du Parc Jean Drapeau has now struck a deal with promoter Stock Car Montreal (SCM) and the International Speedway Corporation (ISC) to ensure that the NASCAR Nationwide event in Montreal continues for at least another three years. The news has been greeted with enthusiasm in the city, although it is unlikely that the event will bring in anything like the amount of money which arrived when the free-spending F1 circus came to town. "This partnership ensures the continuity of major automobile racing events at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve," said Serge Remillard, the chairman of the Societe du Parc Jean Drapeau. "It also underlines that the mission of the park is to host international events which make a significant contribution to Montreal's tourism industry." As part of the deal, Legault has sold his interest in SCM to ISC. He says this is the best thing for the city. "I can say without fear that this is the best thing that could happen for the survival of motor racing in Montreal," he said. "ISC enjoys an excellent reputation in motor racing, and is keen to create a long term relationship with Montreal and its faithful motorsport fans." The new promoters say that interest in NASCAR is booming in Canada. "With the growing popularity of NASCAR in our province, we are confident this third event will be a resounding success," said Francois Dumontier of Stock-Car Montreal. "This year's race will take place on an 'off' weekend for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and we plan to attract some of the biggest names in racing." There is little doubt that the ultimate goal of SCM and ISC is to get a NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Montreal. Sport in the US and Canada is much cheaper than F1 because of the competition that exists for big events. If a city wants to host the Superbowl, the biggest sports event in the United States, it costs only around $18m but in order to win such a bid it is often necessary for the cosntruction of a stadium or infrastructure investment in the area that can run into billions of dollars. There are huge numbers bandied about as the return on this investment but the reality is that a local area gains only around $50m in hard cash from visitors. The Superbowl guarantees around 95m viewers in the United States and while F1 can claim a bigger global audience few of them will ever consider travelling to Montreal. The reality therefore is that F1 has not just lost its greatest asset in North America, it has also unwittingly handed it over to NASCAR, in much the same way as the Long Beach GP was handed over to CART back in the 1980s when the Americans refused to pay the money being asked. The problem, it seems, is that F1 is not willing to cut special deals in order to keep the sport in North America. This is presumably because of the fears that such action would result in calls from other promoters around the world to reduce the fees being paid. Lets hope that we might see a F1 race in 2010
Sad. I really enjoyed the F1 race in Montreal last year. Great city, great time. I just cancelled my room reservations for this year (was holding on in vain that a deal might be struck.)
I got hosed, because I purchased my airline tickets with air miles. Thanks Bernie, a penny for your thoughts a dollar for your death.
I am truly disappointed to see the direction this has taken; I have attended the Canadian Grand Prix 14 times since 1992 and really have grown to love the city and its people. The way the city embraced the race weekend was amazing and the track produced some exciting races. It looks like the annual pilgrimage to Montreal for F1 is over for me; I could not care less about NASCAR, but wish the city all of the best with their new series. Thank you again Bernie, you continue to save me money, the only ones left that I want to go to now are Spa and Monza and Europe is just not in the cards this year with the economy.
In my opinion Montreal was great untill they did away with all the general admission standing areas along the track... you used to be able to walk the track and see different corners.... now its just boarded up with all the TV advertizing.... F-1 is dying, most folks have not realized it, but its cut off its traditional fans, cost WAY WAY more than its worth... And in the USA I doubt it will ever return. there is just no market.
Isn't the economic impact of a F1 race much higher (along with a global market that will see your race) than a NASCAR race? Aren't F1 fans/ticket buyers of an income that is generally higher than a NASCAR fan? NASCAR fans don't seem like they are the type of go outside of the track much and visit the surronding area (and spend money in those cities/towns).
I've been having Montreal fever lately (lived there for 5 years) and it really saddens me that the Canadian GP is a thing of the past. There's an aura around the city during that time of year, and it's a truly special feeling that everyone deserves to experience at least once. Just thinking about this makes me really sad. I remember the day the news broke was my birthday... happy birthday to me
The sponsors want North America, the fans want North America, Bernie and his debt dont. I'd like to say I'm sorry he sold his soul to some financiers but that would be an outright lie. We pay for his greed. Sound familiar ?
I don't disagree, but the business model of nascar works, and F1's does not. The only reason you see even half the races that there are in F1 is because they have gov't backing. Hmm, I'm not so sure, have you ever tried to book a room near a nascar track on a nascar weekend ? Can you name off 10 sponsors off F1 cars from 10 years ago ? I can't, not F1, and I'm by far not the biggest nascar fan, I don't watch a large number of races, but I can name off a bunch of the sponsors. When you watch a nascar race, you can't help but see the sponsors on the cars (obviously because of the size), but I honestly can't tell you who is on the side of an F1 car because it changes so much, and because the area is smaller. And therein lies the problem... At first glance it LOOKS like F1 fans are more 'affluent', but I know an awful lot of people 'with a lot of money' that take in nascar events. Now, these folks don't show up to snooty cocktail hours in suits, they are more at home in jeans and a beer, but they absolutely 'have money'.
If you consider F1 is the most watched motorsport event worldwide and the take BE and Co. get out of it, I'd say F1 is the best model regardless of gov't backing. NASCAR just happens to work only in the US & A.
