The mayor went to the mountain Thursday and came down to report Montreal
might have a Grand Prix next year, after all.
Monteal mayor Gerald Tremblay told reporters in London -- somewhere
outside the office of Formula One commercial rights boss Bernie
Ecclestone -- that a meeting with the F1 supremo yielded hope that
the race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve might live on. The circuit was
named to honor the only Canadian winner of the race, Quebecois Gilles
Villeneuve, who was also the father of 1997 F1 World Drivers' Champion
Jacques Villeneuve.
With the exception of 1987, a Canadian Grand Prix has been staged as
part of the Formula One series every year since 1967. The race was
threatened in 2004 by pending legislation to ban tobacco advertising;
most tobacco sponsorship has since been driven from the sport through
ad bans. Tremblay told Radio-Canada the race generates $75 million from
tourism.
"We've had a constructive meeting," Tremblay said. "We have a better
understanding of the issues. We still have a lot of work to do to
evaluate all the options, but it is still possible to hold the grand
prix in Montreal in 2009 and subsequent years."
Tremblay traveled with Quebec economic development minister, Raymond
Bacand, and Canada's international trade minister, Michael Fortier. The
group was granted two-and-a-half hours with Ecclestone.
Although Ecclestone had been quoted as saying race officials hadn't paid
bills for three years, Paul Wilson, marketing vice president for Canada
Grand Prix, issued a statement at the weekend disputing that claim.
"It is true that we have a commercial disagreement regarding our
monetary obligations, but only for 2008," the statement read in part.
"This is the result of an historical difference within the contractual
understanding between the two parties. We were working hard to resolve
the matter in order to meet our 2008 obligations when Mr. Ecclestone,
without notice, surprised everyone by unilaterally dropping the Canadian
Grand Prix from the 2009 FIA schedule last Oct. 7."
The race -- according to Wikipedia the most-watched F1 race in the world
in 2005 -- was not on the 2009 schedule approved Oct. 7 by the World
Motor Sport Council for the sport's sanctioning body, the FIA. The
decision left North America, the largest market for most backers and
many sponsors of F1's 10 teams, without a grand prix for the first time
in 49 years.
Canadian Broadcasting reported the founder of Cirque du Soleil Guy
Laliberte, a friend of Ecclestone, might be willing to stump up cash to
keep the race on the calendar. Fortier said help from Laliberte is one
of many ideas under consideration. The Globe and Mail expects taxpayers
will foot the bill.
The subsequent loss last week of financial backing for the French Grand
Prix, resulting in the dropping of the historical home of grand prix
racing, put the 2009 race total at 17.
Ecclestone told reporters at last weekend's Chinese Grand Prix, "They
want 17 races, the teams, and that's what they've got."
Reuters news agency quoted BMW Sauber team boss Mario Theissen as saying
earlier this month in Japan, "It's the opposite of what we want to
see. The intention should be not to step out of this market but just
the opposite, to use Montreal as door opener for a future U.S. race as
well."
The U.S. Grand Prix (called U.S. Grand Prix East for five years when
Long Beach, Calif., was an F1 venue), was a fixture in Watkins Glen,
N.Y., for 20 years before financial issues, circuit ownership change,
and other considerations sent the race to various temporary sites.
The race found an eight-year home at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
until 2007. The race was dropped when Speedway owner Tony George and
Ecclestone could not agree on financial terms. George refused to raise
ticket prices as Ecclestone suggested to meet Formula One Management's
famous escalating payment schedule required of race promoters.
