The city of Edmonton has announced the end of its annual Izod IndyCar Series race after promoter Octane Motorsports "decided not to stage a race next year," according to Klinkenberg & Klingbeil of the EDMONTON JOURNAL. The Edmonton Indy had been "produced without a title sponsor the last two years," and Octane "relinquished its option for a third event in 2013." The company on Friday "filed a bankruptcy notice in the Superior Court of Quebec." The organization runs "successful Formula One and NASCAR races in Montreal as separate entities," but it cited "poor attendance and lukewarm response from the corporate community" for ending the event. The race had been held since '05, and it was "about to be removed from the IndyCar calendar in 2011 when Octane stepped in." City of Edmonton CFO Lorna Rosen said that the city had been "in discussions with the promoter over the last several days." Rosen: "I don't believe it was a sudden decision. ... Do I believe they gave it a fair chance over the last two years? Yes, I think they did" (EDMONTON JOURNAL, 9/22). In Edmonton, John MacKinnon writes the cancellation "came as no major shock.” IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard on the day of this year's race indicated that he “expected Octane to fulfill the third year of its contract.” But Bernard also acknowledged the lack of support from local sponsors. MacKinnon: “The reality with the Edmonton Indy was it was a competitive success and a first-rate show every year, but a financial basket case from the beginning” (EDMONTONJOURNAL.com, 9/22). The decision to end the Edmonton event leaves Toronto "as IndyCar's lone Canadian race” (AP, 9/21).
NOT SHUTTING THE DOOR: In Edmonton, Terry Jones wrote IndyCar "loves this event, having events in Canada and a race in the Pacific Northwest." There likely will be other promoters like Michael Andretti or Kevin Savoree who will "offer to promote and produce the race for the same money the city was paying Octane” (EDMONTON SUN, 9/22).
