Remember when: The Gold Coast Indy Carnival was on the brink of ending after contract spat

THE Gold Coast IndyCar race was thought almost dead, seemingly mortally wounded just as it was growing up.

Gold Coast History: Gold Coast Bulletin 1995, June 9. Front page.

Gold Coast Bulletin, Friday, June 9, 1995

THE Gold Coast IndyCar race was thought almost dead, seemingly mortally wounded just as it was growing up.

After five controversial years the annual open-wheeler street fight lost the race for Australian corporate dollars, beaten by the might of Melbourne’s 1996 Formula One Grand Prix.

The problems were both a small pool of local corporate sponsorship and lack of infrastructure.

It was felt there was simply not enough of either in this country to support two major international motor races within a tight time frame.

Both races looked likely to be scheduled for next March, and the Coast event could not afford to lose support.

The Gold Coast IndyCar board was due to meet when the demise of the race was expected to be a formality, although organisers still held a slim hope of a solution.

Negotiations for a new date with the American organiser, Championship Auto Racing Teams, saw no progress and CART was expected to finalise its 1996 calendar within days. Gold Coast IndyCar chairman Ron Richards said his board, realising the push by Melbourne for corporate dollars in 1996, found the risk unacceptable.

“We have to have some sort of responsibility to the Government and the taxpayer,” he said.

But Tourism Minister Bob Gibbs said the Government was prepared to stand by the contract until 1998.

Indy was saved but moved to October following the 1997 race, the last to be held in March.

The annual carnival ran until 2008 before the contract was not renewed and Supercars became the main event.