Brisbane to witness Indy 300 launch

[Malt]

http://www.theage.com.au/news/Sport/...?oneclick=true
http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0...-23210,00.html
http://www.paddocktalk.com/news/html...icle&sid=20045



http://www.crash.net/uk/en/news_view...d=3&nid=117094

Brisbane will witness the colour, excitement and atmosphere of the Lexmark Indy 300 at Midday on Thursday 1 September for the official launch of the Gold Coast event.

For the first time in Brisbane's history, a 750-horsepower Champ Car and a Holden and Ford V8 Supercar will roar around a street circuit in the heart of the city in front of a large lunchtime audience on the first day of spring.

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said he was very excited that the launch of such a popular international event would be held in Brisbane.

"It will provide a great opportunity to show the rest of the world that Brisbane is an exciting and vibrant world-class city," he said. "What better backdrop for the launch of an international event than sunny blue skies, the Brisbane River, Kangaroo Point Cliffs and the CBD.

"I encourage the people of Brisbane to come into the city at lunchtime on September 1, see a real Champ Car and two V8 Supercars drive around the streets of Brisbane live, meet the drivers and get a taste of Indy."

A �real' Champ Car is being flown out from the United States for the Official Launch. The green-and-gold Team Australia Champ Car will be driven around a special street circuit by the first full-time Australian driver in Champ Car history, Marcus Marshall.

The 26-year-old who hails from the Gold Coast will be joined by fellow Queensland motorsport drivers David Besnard and Paul Morris who will drive V8 Supercars around the Brisbane circuit. Besnard will captivate the crowd in his WPS Racing Ford Falcon, while Morris will pilot the Team Kiwi Holden Commodore.

Lexmark Indy 300 General Manager James O'Brien said the launch will give Brisbane an adrenaline-charged taste of Queensland's premier Event.

"This will be the most spectacular launch of the Lexmark Indy 300 in its 15-year history," he said. "We will generate greater awareness and excitement about Queensland's premier Event in Queensland's capital City.

"There is no better way to do it than in the heart of Brisbane at lunchtime in glorious Spring conditions, with the Brisbane River and historical CBD buildings like the Conrad Treasury Hotel as a backdrop.

"We find that once people taste the action and atmosphere the Lexmark Indy 300 generates, they keep coming back for more. We're hopeful that we'll be able to entice the thousands of people that will watch the Launch to attend the Lexmark Indy 300 on the Gold Coast from October 20 to 23."

Just after Midday on Thursday September 1, the three cars will set off from the Stanley Street on-ramp to the Riverside Expressway and proceed north next to the magnificent Brisbane River showcasing the Kangaroo Point cliffs to the East and South Bank to the West.

The cars will take the Elizabeth Street exit, turn right into William Street and then do two laps around a secured circuit that loops the Conrad Treasury Hotel. The circuit includes William Street, a left turn into Margaret Street, a left turn into George Street and a left turn into Elizabeth Street.

After two laps, the Team Australia Champ Car, WPS Racing V8 Supercar and Team Kiwi V8 Supercar will pull into Queen's Park outside Conrad Treasury, where the drivers will be interviewed on-stage.

The entertainment in Queen's Park between 12 midday and 12.30pm will also include a catwalk parade by the Bartercard Miss Indy and Bartercard Miss V8 Supercar girls, and public display of all the categories of cars that will be racing at the Lexmark Indy 300 this year.

[renell]

Hmmm.... interesting. Still no Formula One in a Harbour Bridge though

Champ Car this year has been very exciting, last years race was kinda anticlimatic but still thrilling. Don't see anything different this year.

[Maroon Grown]

haha sweet! how mad will that be although they coulda picked a better route like the story bridge and then into the city. nevertheless, it will be a great sight!

i remember the problems they had with the bumps on the harbour bridge so im imagining that a slow speed will be taken on the riverside expressway

[marty_k]

Dangit, I'll be working in Milton so I won't be able to see it

[PrinzPaulEugen]

I am sure it will be met with the resounding yawn and obligatory loss of large amounts of taxpayers' cash that Indy is synonymous with.

[dynamoultraclean]

Originally Posted by PrinzPaulEugen

I am sure it will be met with the resounding yawn and obligatory loss of large amounts of taxpayers' cash that Indy is synonymous with.

Don't worry, it won't be your hard earned that will be wasted. It's the people from NSW and Victoria who should be annoyed their GST will help fund this, but that's for a different thread anyway.

Earlier in the year the F1's were roaring around the city, and was a major success. I don't see why this won't happen in Brisbane. I'm sure the people will get out and support this anyway.

[renell]

It's better if it's a number of Champ Cars, but it's only 1 and also a V8, that's not bad.

[Malt]

2 champ cars and 2 V8's would be better

Prinz, are you a nimby who complains about everything?
ive not seen u post before now. get out of my city.

[dynamoultraclean]

Originally Posted by Malt

2 champ cars and 2 V8's would be better

Prinz, are you a nimby who complains about everything?
ive not seen u post before now. get out of my city.

It's my city Biatch, and if you don't like it you can get out!

[NCC1701D]

Watch this space at around 12.10pm - 12.30pm EST to see the Champ car and V8 cars come up the xpressway (right hand side of screen) and Elizabeth St ramp closest to camera.

[Malt]

i broke it.

[Malt]

cars are back on the expressway so presumably its done. I didnt see them on the cam

[Maroon Grown]

stingey barstards only did 1 friggin lap. i heard there was gonna be 2.

besides that, awesome roar especially when it was behind buildings. sounded like some dragon in a cave or something ferocious like that. awesome burnouts as well.

massive crowds as well. george st was packed all the way up to the mall, all footpaths were crammed, many highrise balconies were occupied and a few nutcases got in the crane cage on our site and were lifted up to about 100m off the ground to see it

[NCC1701D]

Originally Posted by Maroon Grown

stingey barstards only did 1 friggin lap. i heard there was gonna be 2.

besides that, awesome roar especially when it was behind buildings. sounded like some dragon in a cave or something ferocious like that. awesome burnouts as well.

massive crowds as well. george st was packed all the way up to the mall, all footpaths were crammed, many highrise balconies were occupied and a few nutcases got in the crane cage on our site and were lifted up to about 100m off the ground to see it

What are you on about? There was two laps. I was standing underneath the Public Works building on Margaret St and I saw them come around twice.

[Maroon Grown]

i was out the front of Irish Murphys and thye came by us once. they pulled into the Queens Park before they could reach us again.

[Brizbane2]

I was outside Irish murphys too. The Indy car driver was tame compared to the V8s. V8s fishtailed slightly around the corner, while the indy car pulled the sort of nice safe corner that your grandmother would love.

The sound was awesome though

[Malt]

lol Maroon, the news had a pic of your friends in the cage

[Maroon Grown]

Originally Posted by Brizbane2

I was outside Irish murphys too. The Indy car driver was tame compared to the V8s. V8s fishtailed slightly around the corner, while the indy car pulled the sort of nice safe corner that your grandmother would love.

The sound was awesome though

i think with a 500hp car u wouldnt be able to thrash it too much especially without proper crowd barriers. when he threw his last burnout, he drifted straight for the police and pace car. the v8's are a lil easier to control i think

[Malt]

http://www.v8x.com.au/cms/A_105077/article.html


Sirromet Wines Holden Commodore driver Paul Morris believes Brisbane could be considered as a future venue for a V8 Supercar Championship street race in the wake of today's successful launch for the 2005 Lexmark Indy 300 event.

A lunchtime crowd of thousands watched Morris, fellow-V8 Supercar driver David Besnard in a WPS Ford Falcon, and Team Australia Champ Car racer Marcus Marshall drive demonstration laps around a temporary street circuit in Brisbane's Central Business District during the launch for the Gold Coast event from October 20-23.

"The reaction we got from Brisbane was incredible," said Morris. "The place was really buzzing."

"Many people told me they have never been to a motor race and they really got into the noise, the smell of burning rubber, and the atmosphere in general."

"If Brisbane shows that much interest in a few 'demo' laps then I'm sure there would be big-time support if we had a (V8 Supercar) championship race with a full field of 35 cars banging around the streets."

The launch for the Gold Coast event, which features V8 Supercar and Champ Car races, was attended by Queensland Premier Peter Beattie, Brisbane Mayor Campbell Newman, Lexmark Indy 300 officials, and Tony Cochrane, Chairman of V8 Supercar Championship organisers AVESCO.

"Where we race is up to AVESCO, and I'm sure they would have noticed the support in Brisbane, and Campbell Newman seemed pretty excited," said Morris.

"Queensland now has a huge fan base for V8 Supercars so it will be interesting to see what develops after today because I'm sure racing through the streets of Brisbane would be a fantastic spectacle."

Morris believes if a Brisbane street race does eventuate it could emulate the successful Clipsal 500 street circuit event in Adelaide, which began in 1999 and this year drew a crowd of more than 250,000 over four days.

"Adelaide has set a high benchmark for stand-alone V8 Supercar races, but Brisbane could do just as good a job and there are already plenty of teams and drivers based in the area which is a plus," he said.

Leading V8 Supercar teams based in south-east Queensland include Morris' operation, located at the Holden Performance Driving Centre on the Gold Coast, plus Stone Brothers Racing, whose drivers are Marcos Ambrose and Russell Ingall, Triple Eight Racing, Dick Johnson Racing, WPS Racing, and Larkham Motorsport.

Morris said a championship round in Brisbane would also provide the city with an opportunity to capitalise on the championship's move into off-shore events in China and New Zealand, and growing international television audience to attract tourists.

AVESCO announced yesterday the inaugural championship round in Shanghai in China this year attracted 2.3-million television viewers, and races were now televised in 121 countries.

"The V8s could take Brisbane to the world – how else can a city in Australia get so much television coverage in places like China?" said Morris.

"Queensland is already a popular tourist destination for Kiwis. We've got plenty of New Zealand drivers in the V8s and it wouldn't surprise me if thousands of Kiwis flew to Brisbane for a street race, which would benefit the local economy."

Morris will be testing his VZ Commodore at Queensland Raceway near Ipswich tomorrow (Friday) in preparation for the coming championship endurance events, the Betta Electrical 500 at Sandown in Melbourne on September 11, and the Super Cheap Auto 1000 at Bathurst on October 9.