Lanigan working to get Houston on the schedule 2011

[MDS]

As I first suggested, shorting the month of May leaves room for Houston to get on the schedule next year. It appears now they have a "handshake deal" in place, and if Mi-Jack can find the sponsorship/city and state funding Houston will be back on the schedule in 2011.

“We continue to keep Houston on the radar as a potential race market for the future,” said Terry Angstadt, Indy Racing League's commercial division president. “It's a top-10 media market with a strong affinity for sports and motor sports legacy as the home to Foyt Racing.” Mi-Jack Promotions has until the end of June to come up with a presenting or title sponsor to make sure the event is included on the 2011 schedule.
“The popularity of open-wheel racing in Houston is high,” Kosich said. “All parties involved want to have Houston on the schedule going forward, and we are closing in on making that happen.”

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...r/6859543.html

Add to that Mid-Ohio is in the last year of a three-year contract there are rumors, which are probably speculative at this point, that Honda will move the Honda Indy 200 from Mid-Ohio to Burke Lakefront Airport in 2012, which makes sense if Houston is on the schedule because Mike Lanigan is the same promoter.

[Mark in Oshawa]

I would like to see Houston come back, only because they seemed to put a lot of people in to watch it, the series would be welcome there again I am sure, and it was a half decent race course for a street circuit.

[jwhite9185]

i wouldnt mind seeing both houston and cleveland back - but not at the expense of mid ohio!

[Chamoo]

So does that mean TMS is gone in 2011? Or does it get pushed back to the fall? It makes no sense to race in Houston, travel back to Indy, then back to Texas from both a logistical and fan perspective.

[nigelred5]

I'm probably one of the few race fans that Mid-Ohio does absolutely nothing for. I don't find races at the track interesting to watch at all on tv. In person may be different, but I'd much rather watch Cleveland. Houston would be fine because I've got family, free accomodations and cheap flights between here and there. It's a cheaper weekend for me than trekking out to M.O. but I wouldn't say a better spectator event.

[nigelred5]

Personally, I'd rather see Lanigan putting the effort into sponsorship for two cars and drivers of the quality we are used to seeing from NHL on the track for the whole season.

[Lousada]

So does that mean TMS is gone in 2011? Or does it get pushed back to the fall? It makes no sense to race in Houston, travel back to Indy, then back to Texas from both a logistical and fan perspective.

It says in the article the race is planned for October 2011. I don't know how MDS comes up with a May race.

[HoustonCartFan]

Great! Please don't put it back at Reliant Park!

[Mark in Oshawa]

I'm probably one of the few race fans that Mid-Ohio does absolutely nothing for. I don't find races at the track interesting to watch at all on tv. In person may be different, but I'd much rather watch Cleveland. Houston would be fine because I've got family, free accomodations and cheap flights between here and there. It's a cheaper weekend for me than trekking out to M.O. but I wouldn't say a better spectator event.

I would rather see the Burke Lakefront course myself. I love Mid-Ohio for smaller formula such as the SCCA runoffs provided, but for Indycars I think it is too tight. It is one of the concerns I have with Barber in Alabama....

Gotta let high horsepower cars run.

As for them running in Reliant Park or not, I thought the course there was ok by streetcourse standards....

[nigelred5]

.....or it was once they milled out the bumps, opened up those first few corners anyway... Personally, I think they REALLY, REALLY need to re-think how they approach temporary course construction at a place like Reliant Park. There is plenty of room to make it much more spectator friendly. Much more like Cleveland and less like an artificial Monaco. Why do they insist on the endless canyon of concrete walls in a parking lot?The view needs to be opened up for the spectators.