Wednesday, May 25, 2005 | 9:50 a.m.
Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at [email protected] or (702) 259-4089.
Champ Car World Series officials ensured their continued association with their marquee event, the Long Beach Grand Prix, by purchasing the assets of The Grand Prix Association of Long Beach from Dover Motorsports.
Champ Car's contract with Dover Motorsports expired after last month's race and officials from the rival Indy Racing League had expressed an interest in replacing Champ Car in Long Beach.
Aquarium Asset Management, LLC, which is co-owned by Champ Car principals Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerald Forsythe, on Tuesday announced it had purchased The Grand Prix Association of Long Beach and that the open-wheel series would continue to run on the streets of Long Beach. Details of the transaction were not disclosed, but published reports indicated Dover Motorsports' asking price to be about $20 million.
The April 10 running of the Long Beach Grand Prix was the 31st annual event and Champ Car has been the race's headliner since 1984 (when it was known as CART).
There had been intense speculation that Champ Car would be replaced in Long Beach by the IRL, which this year added three street/road course races for the first time in its 10-year history. When Dover Motorsports elected to sell its interest in the race, however, IRL founder Tony George opted not to enter into a bidding war with Champ Car.
"When Dover decided to sell, we decided not to bid," IRL vice president Fred Nation told the Long Beach Press-Telegram. "It's the Indy Racing League policy to deal with professional race promoters, not to own and promote our own events."
The sale must be approved by the Long Beach City Council.
WAR OF THE WORDS: Las Vegas resident Paul Tracy and fellow Champ Car driver Sebastien Bourdais traded barbs during their post-race comments following their on-track altercation in Sunday's race in Monterrey, Mexico.
Tracy was knocked out of the race on lap 48 when Bourdais attempted a pass of Tracy and the two cars made contact.
"Sebastien is a good guy and somebody I really like racing with, and the McDonald's team is one of the best in the business, but I got ambushed by the Hamburglar today," said Tracy, who finished 15th. "Then he puts out a press release whining that it was all my fault. I think the guy's had a few too many Happy Meals."
Bourdais, who finished fifth, laid blame for the incident on Tracy.
"We lost another race thanks to Tracy," Bourdais said. "He doesn't give you any room when you are trying to pass him and things like that, but that's usual PT.
"As much as I like him because he's a nice guy, he's just not (one) on the racetrack. It's got to stop; somehow it's got to stop."
IROC LEGENDS: Four Indianapolis 500 winners have been nominated as finalists in the Crown Royal IROC Legends of Victory Lane, a program that will represent the first "all-time team" in IROC history.
Among the 12 drivers nominated by a media panel were Mario Andretti, Mark Donohue, Bobby Unser and Al Unser Jr.. Fans will determine, by online voting, the four drivers named to the all-time team.
Eight other drivers representing the three main racing disciplines from which IROC drivers historically have been drawn -- stock car, open-wheel and road racing -- were nominated for the team. The other finalists include Dale Earnhardt, Hurley Haywood, Tom Kendall, Steve Kinser, Bobby Labonte, Mark Martin, Scott Pruett and Cale Yarborough.
Fans can vote at www.crownroyalracing.com.
OUTLAWS UPDATE: Steve Kinser, after his 20th series championship, earned the 520th World of Outlaws victory of his career Saturday at Lernerville (Pa.) Speedway and extended his lead in the points standings.
Kinser's seventh main-event victory of the season allowed him to increase his lead to 174 points over Craig Dollansky.
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