IndyCar (Might Be) Heading to Beijing in October
By Justine Lopez
IndyCar is slated to come to the capital on October 22 and 23 of this year, but like so many things in China nothing is for certain yet. However, after months of discussion it looks like things are moving along in the right direction. If everything goes according to plan the event will take place in Beijing’s Fengtai District, where cars will race along a 2.56-mile street course, Motorsport.com reports.
Despite uncertainties, infrastructure for the event is currently being constructed, and 50 percent of the streets have already been built.
Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman & Company (IndyCar’s parent company) recently visited Beijing and insists that the event has not been 100 percent confirmed yet. According to Miles, the fate of the October race is hanging on quite a few monetary and logistical factors.
“The status is that there are a number of material points that have to be finalized,” he said. “So we will not announce the race, and it is not on our calendar, until such time that all those points are checked off.”
“Tony Cotman [of NZR Consulting] has worked on a track design based on the plans for the city’s streets. But we’re not going to confirm a race or track until we know that’s exactly what’s going to get built! I think it is, but we have to know it is. We cannot have anything left up in the air, or we won’t announce the race and we will not go. The deadline we’ve given is the first week in June. If we cannot confirm by then, it won’t be happening.”
We suppose all you IndyCar fans out there will have to wait for next month to see how things progress.
For more Beijing news, click "Read more" below.