Asian Motor Sports

There’s always a but[t] isn’t there? You can be the butt of jokes, and there’s always the popular pork butt if you’re into the BBQ scene.

With the reunification of the American open wheel scene comes a number of buts that have come to the fore, but for my purposes I’ll deal with the Gold Coast’s Lexmark 300.

With great fanfare it’s been announced, by no less a personage than Queensland Sports Minister Judy Spence, the Gold Coast Indy event has been secured in a deal lasting until 2013.

GREAT!… but…

It will not be a championship round of the newly formed IndyCar Series. Ms Spence told reporters in Brisbane negotiations were continuing to include the race in the championship round in years to come.

Well thanks Ms. Queensland Sports Minister. Thanks for nutin’! (at least for 2008)

Someone correct me if you see anything out of line with the following logic.

The newly reformed IndyCar Series comprises some teams from the now defunct Champ Car World Series that not so incidentally were the headliner on the Gold Coast for the last 17 years.

Those same teams face many problems associated with a very quick change of direction going from their long established CCWS teams to a completely new IndyCar team that includes new cars using totally new technology and having some events held on oval tracks.

They’re also being told they can have a last shot at CCWS glory by competing in the last ever Long Beach GP using the now obsolete CCWS machinery (Gee… thanks Tony) while the rest of their competition is in Motegi, Japan, on virtually the same day, running IndyCar machinery and having both events count towards the series championship.

Now both sets of “merged” owners are being told, “oh, by the way we want you to pack up your tons a gear and hundreds of personnel and head down south of the Earth’s equator to compete in the Gold Coast event.” (Wonder if Fat Chance is in Tony G’s dictionary?)

For no points, just bragging rights.

Did I mention there would be no points awarded? But rest assured, according to Indy chairman Terry Mackenroth, who secured the deal(?), “It will be part of a series, but we are yet to negotiate what the make-up of that is. But it won’t be an exhibition race.”

Well, that makes things all better, the powers that be are not calling it an exhibition race despite it having all the trappings of one.

The Indy, to be held from October 23 to 26, is expected to pump around $60 million into Queensland. (insert boisterous guffaws here____) So they say now.

I have my doubts whether many will make the long trip for zero gain. I suppose those that have already, or obtain some Australia based sponsorship between now and the event would have the incentive to compete. There’s also the chance, slim as it may be the local officials would cough up some appearance money, but until that occurs, they will have to excuse me if I remain skeptical.

On the other hand there are other incentives</a to be had on the Gold Coast, but I digress.

(NOTE: Any resemblance to actual Aussie open wheel fans upon hearing this news and the stoned to the bajesus puppy pictured above is purely coincidental and unintended - ed)

(Disclaimer to the above note: PeterG, one of Australia’s strongest open wheel fans, is excluded from the above notation. In point of fact there is some “evidence” the puppy was trained by Peter and the Half-Vast Staff™ of Full Throttle is diligently tracking down verification of the rumor - ed)

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