AUGUST 12, 2004

Champ Cars for Puerto Rico?

The latest word in America is that the Champ Car series could end its season with a race on the island of Puerto Rico. The series has yet to make any official announcement about its season finale but it is looking more and more likely that Champ Car will end up sharing the spotlight with the Motorock TransAm Series at the Isla Grande airport circuit at the end of November. The track was used last year for TransAm and it would be a good area of expansion as Champ Car tries to build up its following in the Hispanic community in the United States.

The original plan was for a race in South Korea but this has fallen through.

A 1.6-mile circuit will be laid out on the Isla Grande Airport in San Juan, which normally hosts private aviation and a US Army Aviation support facility. This facility may eventually be closed with all activities moving to a new airport as part of a masterplan to boost tourist revenues. Work is already underway to revitalise the whole area with a development including hotels, museums, commercial and residential buildings, a World Trade Center and a Convention Center. Available land from the former naval base in Isla Grande has been entirely allocated to the project. As a result the idea of the race has attracted support from the Puerto Rico Tourism Company and from the government.