IndyCar pitched on potential Colombian street race

A delegation from the Colombian city of Barranquilla paid a visit to the Indianapolis 500 in May to meet with IndyCar CEO Mark Miles and discuss the possibility of hosting a street race along its northern port which runs along the Caribbean Sea.

Ample funding from local sources is said to exist, and multiple iterations of a street course have been shown to the series. A desired event as early as 2027 has been expressed, but IndyCar is not prepared to add a long-haul race to its calendar on such a short time span.

“They have reached out to us,” Miles told RACER. “They sent a delegation to Indianapolis 500 weekend, which first we received a letter from them, and in person, we learned about the city and their interest. So we're in the very, very earliest stages of diligence, understanding it.”

Colombian racing legend Juan Pablo Montoya could become part of the planning and design of the event, which needs a better course to be crafted before anything is taken seriously by the series.

“It's clear that there's no favorite track,” Miles added. “I mean, there isn't a track, but there's a number of different places where a track could be put together. I saw three different versions. That’s what people like Tony Cotman do. It’s sometimes long process to figure out if it could make sense or not. They were all about 2027 and we've said that's unreal.”

Miles had a follow-up call with the Barranquilla team earlier this week and hopes to see the conversations continue.

“It's way too early to handicap it, but it's looks like a pretty cool city, right on the Caribbean,” he said. “And I think they're well-funded and eager.”