MONTREAL — Officials from multiple levels of government confirmed Friday they have secured funding to ensure the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix gets June 13 on the Formula 1 race calendar.
The Canadian, Quebecois and Montreal municipal governments, in conjunction with Tourisme Montreal, combined to assemble a $15 million, five-year financial package to produce the event. In return, they will receive 30 percent of gate receipts for the races.
Securing of this event means F1 will compete in North America next season. The 2009 campaign was the first in the 61-year modern history of the sport that did not include a round in Canada, Mexico or the United States.
The race was part of the world championship trail from 1967 through 2008. Among the winners was Canadian national hero Gilles Villeneuve, who won the race in 1978. The 2.7-mile Circuit Gilles Villeneuve was renamed in his honor in 1982.
Villeneuve's career was cut short when he died in a crash during qualifying for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix. His son, Jacques, never won the Canadian round but did win the world driving championship, a crown that eluded his father, in 1997.
Lewis Hamilton, the 2008 champion, scored his first Grand Prix win in Canada in 2007. Robert Kubica won the 2008 race.
Inside Line says: Race fans should appreciate the efforts of government officials to help pay the extortion money demanded by F1 majordomo Bernie Ecclestone. Now it's time for the British to help save their race. — David Green, Correspondent
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