The first ever IndyCar race to be held in China on August 19th, has been canceled after several months of renegotiation by the Qingdao City Government citing conflicts with the Qingdao International Beer Festival.
The 2012 IndyCar Race China, hyped by the local media, was never a sure thing given Qingdao’s previous history of last minute cancellations. Last November 2011 the initial contract was drafted, however, the current Qingdao City Government administration, led by the new mayor from WeiFang, hit the brakes hard on this event.
Despite an existing contract, new leadership in local government balked at the IndyCar race … The new mayor took office on March 28, and it was his opinion that it shouldn’t be run at the same time as the beer festival – AP News
This marks the first time in 10 years that IndyCar won’t race in Asia.
The 2012 Qingdao International Beer Festival actually starts on August 11th with a grand opening ceremony. The opening weekend is always the busiest … having the IndyCar Race on Sunday August 19th would have given the Beer Fest a much needed boost before the closing festivities on the 25th-26th.
The cancellation of the IndyCar race in Qingdao China probably had little to do with being scheduled one Sunday during the middle of the Beer Fest since the previous administration had already committed to hosting the event. Local media has avoided coverage of this cancellation.