Organisers' flight to Indianapolis in the wake of last week's historic merger announcement has paid dividends for the Gold Coast Indy 300, after the Surfers Paradise street race secured at least six years on the new Indy Racing League schedule.
The event was always one that the new-look series hoped to include from the start of its unity with the former Champ Car World Series, but chairman Terry Mackenroth and general manager Greg Hooton took no chances and flew to meet with IRL CEO Tony George as soon as the amalgamation was confirmed at Homestead-Miami Speedway a week ago.
The Gold Coast Indy 300 has become one of the world's truly great motorsport events and we are delighted that it will be part of the IndyCar Series schedule, George noted, I know so many of our teams and drivers, who have been to the event previously hold it in high regard and we are delighted that it will be one of the highlights of the IndyCar season.
The final piece of the puzzle, which will continue to give the V8 Supercars equal billing with the IndyCar Series, was put in place after positive discussions with V8 series chairman Tony Cochrane this week, although exactly where the Gold Coast race will fit into the final IndyCar schedule remains to be determined. At present, its October date falls sometime after an already-promised finale at Chicagoland Speedway, and it may be that this year's event has to run as a non-points round.
The IndyCar Series will be revising its previously announced 16-race schedule, to possibly include three former Champ Car venues - including Long Beach and Edmonton as well as Australia - in the immediate future, but the final 2008 schedule will still need to be ratified by the
FIA.
