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Report: Molson Gives Ultimatum to Champ Car on Toronto

Written by: Cassio Cortes Toronto, Canada – 10/13/2005 Molson is ready to step down as the promoters of Toronto - and it wants Champ Car to step in by this month's end. (LAT Photo)

Canadian beer maker Molson is stepping down as the promoter of the Toronto Champ Car race, and wants the sanctioning body to “pull a Long Beach” and buy the event’s assets - or risk losing it to the Indy Racing League.

According to the Toronto Sun, Molson has given Champ Car an October 31 deadline to purchase the race’s “assets” - things like the blocks, fences and bridges that make up the Exhibition Place circuit.

"What we have now is a memorandum of understanding that means if [Champ Car] wants to purchase the physical assets of the race, it has to do its due diligence now," said Cynthea Galbraith, the communications manager for Molson Sports and Entertainment, told the paper.

The brewery intends, however, to carry on as the race’s title sponsor: "If Molson is not going to run it then Champ Car will and that's the next best thing," Galbraith added.

But if Champ Car fails to come to an agreement with Molson, chances are the IRL will take over the event, perhaps as early as 2006, or maybe in an ’07 doubleheader with another Canadian venue - Montreal - that’s fallen out of grace with the CCWS.

That scenario isn’t in Champ Car’s plans.

"There will be Champ Car people in Toronto talking with Molson people about the future of Molson Sports and Entertainment," CCWS spokesman Steve Schunk told the Sun.

"Champ Car has had a great relationship over the years with Molson and with the Toronto Molson Indy race and we hope our relationship continues long into the future."