- Molson Indy Vancouver
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Molson Indy Vancouver IndyCar/CART/Champ Car Location Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
49°16′34″N 123°6′24″W / 49.27611°N 123.10667°WCoordinates: 49°16′34″N 123°6′24″W / 49.27611°N 123.10667°WCorporate sponsor Molson First race 1990 Last race 2004 Most wins (driver) Al Unser, Jr. (4) Most wins (team) Newman/Haas Racing (3)
Team Green (3)Most wins (manufacturer) Lola (7) Circuit information Surface Asphalt/Concrete Length 2.865 km (1.781 mi) Turns 15 Molson Indy Vancouver was an annual Champ Car race held in a street circuit near B.C. Place and running past Science World (Vancouver) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada held in July or August from 1990 to 2004.
On September 2 1990, the first race took place on the original circuit, which was won by Al Unser Jr. From 1998 a new circuit was created to the east of the old Pacific Place, where only a small part of the original circuit was used. The circuit was popular with drivers and often produced an entertaining race. However, from 2004, Vancouver was left off the Champ Car fixture list, and no race has taken place since.
Contents
Controversy and cancellation
For much of its time in Vancouver, the Molson Indy was a source of considerable local controversy, as local residents complained of the noise and disruption caused by this major event. As the lands of the former Expo 86 site were developed into the billion-dollar condominium development by Concord Pacific, debates raged over whether the Indy made Vancouver a "world-class city" or an "urban nightmare." Such debates were chronicled by Mark Douglas Lowes in his 2002 book, "Indy Dreams and Urban Nightmares: Speed Merchants, Spectacle, and the Struggle over Public Space in the World-Class City."[1]
The only official explanation for the cancellation came from an Associated Press article stating "Indy-car race in Vancouver canceled: The Molson Indy Vancouver race was canceled after 15 years. 'The bottom line is the business model couldn't work,' said Jo-Ann McArthur, president of sponsoring Molson Sports and Entertainment."[2]
CART/Champ Car race winners
Season Driver Chassis Engine Team Report 1990 Al Unser Jr. Lola Chevrolet Galles-KRACO Racing Report 1991 Michael Andretti Lola Chevrolet Newman/Haas Racing Report 1992 Michael Andretti Lola Cosworth-Ford Newman/Haas Racing Report 1993 Al Unser Jr. Lola Chevrolet Galles Racing Report 1994 Al Unser Jr. Penske Ilmor Marlboro Team Penske Report 1995 Al Unser Jr. Penske Mercedes-Ilmor Marlboro Team Penske Report 1996 Michael Andretti Lola Ford Newman/Haas Racing Report 1997 Maurício Gugelmin Reynard Mercedes-Benz PacWest Racing Report 1998 Dario Franchitti Reynard Honda Team KOOL Green Report 1999 Juan Pablo Montoya Reynard Honda Target Chip Ganassi Racing Report 2000 Paul Tracy Reynard Honda Team KOOL Green Report 2001 Roberto Moreno Reynard Toyota Patrick Racing Report 2002 Dario Franchitti Lola Honda Team KOOL Green Report 2003 Paul Tracy Reynard Ford-Cosworth Team Player's Report 2004 Paul Tracy Lola Ford-Cosworth Forsythe Championship Racing Report Indy Lights/Atlantic winners
Indy Lights Season Winning Driver 1990 Vinicio Salmi 1991 Not held 1992 Mark Smith 1993 Bryan Herta 1994 André Ribeiro 1995 Pedro Chaves 1996 Claude Bourbonnais 1997 Cristiano da Matta 1998 Cristiano da Matta 1999 Not held 2000 Scott Dixon Atlantic Championship Season Winning Driver 1990 Claude Bourbonnais 1991 Stéphane Proulx 1992 Patrick Carpentier 1993 Claude Bourbonnais 1994 David Empringham 1995 David Empringham 1996 Patrick Carpentier 1997 Memo Gidley 1998 Andrew Bordin 1999 Will Langhorne 2000 Not held 2001 Joey Hand 2002
2003Not held 2004 Ryan Dalziel Deaths
At the inaugural race in 1990, a track worker pushing a car on the racing circuit was struck by another car after accidentally getting caught in its path. The worker, Jean Patrick Hein, was slammed to the ground and run over after running in front of Willy T. Ribbs' car and colliding with Ribbs' rear tire.[3] Footage of the incident is included in the shock reality compilation Traces of Death.
References
- ^ Lowes, Mark Douglas (2002). Indy Dreams and Urban Nightmares. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp. 148. ISBN 9780802084989. http://books.google.com/books?id=n8PwycnP4g8C&dq=Indy+Dreams+and+Urban+Nightmares:+Speed+Merchants,+Spectacle,+and+the+Struggle+over+Public+Space+in+the+World-Class+City&source=gbs_navlinks_s.
- ^ "Molson ends Indy-car race in Vancouver". The Seattle Times. November 19, 2004. Archived from the original on 12 February 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5wRkpyGnr. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
- ^ David Tremayne (2000-09-12). "Safety in F1 - an ever-moving target". grandprix.com. http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ftdt002.html. Retrieved 2008-04-09.
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