Molson Indy Vancouver, support events

[Mr.S]

Any body know where I can get information on what support events there will be at the Molson Indy Vancouver. I tried Molson's Indy Vancouver website but they dont have anything. Any help would be...well helpfull.

[Jay]

According to the website 'news' section there will be the following: FedEx Championship Series, Dayton Indy Lights Series, Barber Dodge Pro Series and SCCBC Invitational.

I have no idea what teh last 2 are. The line up for Toronto was much better. But, if you are going, did the not include a schedule with your tickets?

[Heeltoe6]

Barber Dodge is part of Panoz PSCR and is one of the lower rungs of champcar racing(CART tried to buy it some time back but no dice).

Don't know what SCCBC Invitational is. Might it stand for Sport Car club of British Columbia, like a local amatuer/clib racing circuit? Just a guess

Also, as Jay says, it's a pretty weak support list. A shame both Trans-am and World Challenge decided not to return. I know the t/a field was pretty samll cause a lot of the smaller teams felt it wasn't worth the cost ot head out there, I think that may be why they didin't return. Too bad

[Mr.S]

Thanks, I was really looking forward to the world challenge, but oh well. My friend went last year and said that there was some sort of pace car race, Supras and Vipers, could that be sccbc? I dont have the tickets yet, my dad is getting them from a Castrol guy, soon hopefully!

[Heeltoe6]

CART has some sort of pace car parade(formally sposnored by PPG, with the cars all painted up nice, they might still be involved, but a much lesser level) for their champcar race, could be that's what your friend was talking about(excpet I thought all of them were Supras, no Vipers) :confused: Someone will know, I'm sure

[Crash Test]

Do you folk in NA like the pace car shows? Down here in Australia they bore the socks off us....at least around Surfers there is plenty going on in the high rises to keep the crowd entertained

[KC]

The last two years at Houston the pace cars put on an excellent show. The group driving are almost all women racers and most compete in the Women's Global GT series put on by Panoz as well. They give rides to local VIPs on the track in high performance cars like a Viper GTS Coupe, Corvette C5, Lexus GS400, Acura/Honda NSX Type S, Mercedes AMG C43 Sedan, and a Toyota Supra Turbo. They all sport wicked paint jobs applied by the people at PPG Industries. As well as giving rides to the local VIPs involved int he promoting the event, they held a competition among elemntary school kids to design a paint job for the Lexus GS400 pace car and a young girl got to take laps in it with it painted up in her design. Also, they gave rides to the poor kids and handicapped kids that were all brought to the event as part of the local charities. This is one of CART's best but little known projects.

[Crash Test]

"The last two years at Houston the pace cars put on an excellent show."
-Thats what we get down here, but is it an excellent show? Heck, when i turn up to the races, i want to see some races. If i wanted to see cars in pretty paint schemes i would turn up to a hot rod show...

Having a half hour break in proceedings so half a dozen cars car do some laps really doesnt get the corwd down here going...let them have their laps, but stick them on at the end of the day when they wont annoy anyone..

[Jay]

I agree with Crash Test. When you have 5 great events, a few sports cars circling the track is pretty boring. Heeltoe6, the pace car in Toronto was a Viper, I forget what the rest were. As I said, it is pretty boring compared to the rest of the events.

I am just wondering, what were the support events at Michigan? I didn't see any in the schedules.

I still think that Toronto has one of the best lineups Cart, Atlantic or Indy Lites, Cascar, Motorola Cup and F1600.

[AndrettiRULES]

The Pace Car on track activities are not very exciting IMO. Although two years ago one of them spun out in the esses at Mid-Ohio. Man did that get a rise out of the crowd!! LOL!

As for the support races at Michigan, on Saturday there was the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, which ran 100 laps and then there were the Indy Lites which ran 50 laps. I'd have to say that the Lites race was pretty exciting with four really close calls but nothing major happening.

They also had a historic 'Indy' Car parade. There were about 10 cars from different eras of Indy racing. IMO this was pretty neat, although hardly any of them were really getting on it....or maybe they were, just the cars are that slow!!

AR

[Heeltoe6]

I think Houston might have you beat Jay. All three cart bodies are running(champs, lights, atlantics) AND you'll get the added bonus of Trans-Am. Although, this most likely will be a one shot deal, Lights are only racing there this year since the Aruba race went down the hole, they probably won't be back. Toronto's position will be safe

[Jay]

Last year in Toronto they ran the Indy lights instead of Atlantics, but it was boring and a lot of people said they missed the Atlantics. It was for the best to make the switch back.

I guess this year Houston has Toronto beat.

Although I have to admit that all of the crashes in the Cascar(Canadian equivilent of NASCAR) race was a bit exciting. It is the only road race that most of them have ever raced in.

I wouldn't mind seeing the Trans-Am race again either.

[Heeltoe6]

Kinda OT, but on the subject of Cascar and road racing, does Cascar still run at Mosport?

[Jay]

Oops. Yes Cascar does run on the road course, and the speedway at Mosport.

I guess it just looks like they have never driven on a road course before .