Latest news with #TimRogers
Indianapolis Star
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
Thermal Club owner says IndyCar won't return to the track in 2026
IndyCar will not return to The Thermal Club in 2026, according to Tim Rogers, the owner and founder of the exclusive private neighborhood in southern California that houses miles and miles of natural-terrain road course. In a video posted to X on Wednesday, Rogers told Blake Arthur, a reporter for local TV station KESQ, that the major American open-wheel racing series would be absent from the track next year, but he held out hope for a 2027 return. "Their schedule is pretty well set (for 2026)," Rogers told KESQ. "And also, I need to make sure we get a title sponsor and be prepared ahead of time." When reached for comment and asked to confirm the news, a spokesperson for Penske Entertainment told IndyStar, "We don't have any new updates to share on our 2026 schedule at the moment." The loss of the The Thermal Club, which hosted a points-paying IndyCar race for the first time in March of this year and in 2024 hosted IndyCar's $1 Million Challenge exhibition event, is the latest signal of an announcement of the series' plans to add Mexico City to the 2026 schedule. In March, Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles told IndyStar that he "continues to be very bullish" regarding the opportunity for IndyCar to race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez -- the permanent Mexico City racetrack that has hosted annual stops for Formula 1 and Formula E, and which just a couple weeks ago hosted the NASCAR Cup series for the first time. The Penske Entertainment executive added that he believed "we'll get it done and can be racing there in 2026," in the wake of the fallout of IndyCar's perceived lack of momentum to capitalize on the fandom of its young Mexican superstar driver, Pato O'Ward, and the fallout within and outside the IndyCar paddock last August after the news of NASCAR beating IndyCar to the punch for a Mexico City race. According to the Associated Press, Miles wrote a letter last summer to the promoters of the track with proposed race dates for IndyCar at Mexico City for 2026-28, with April 12 listed as the primary choice for next year's potential race date. With the first couple stops on the IndyCar calendar in 2026 already ironed out -- St. Pete will kick off the season March 1, followed by the brand-new Arlington Grand Prix March 15, with the Grand Prix of Long Beach landing April 19 -- Mexico City's proposed landing spot would make for a four-week gap between the new race around the stadiums of the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers and IndyCar's first international race not held in Toronto in more than a decade. But paddock sources have told IndyStar it would be untenable for IndyCar to host a race either the weekend of Easter (April 5) or Palm Sunday (March 29), due to the country's widespread, devoted Catholic culture. Holding the new Mexico City race March 22 not only would butt it right up against Arlington -- not ideal for two new additions to the schedule the series would theoretically want to give space around in order to properly promote them -- but it would also overlap with IMSA's 12 Hours of Sebring, an endurance event several top IndyCar drivers typically target. Insider: 4 questions about 2026 IndyCar schedule begging for answers Without Thermal, the addition of Mexico City would likely be the only race between Arlington and Long Beach, which currently has four consecutive off weekends. Even with Mexico City, IndyCar would face three consecutive off weekends, barring the unforeseen addition of a spring track in 2026 -- a lengthy gap for a sport that for years has had a momentum-killing lack of spring races on the calendar in the lead-up to the Month of May. With the loss of Thermal, the planned addition of Arlington and expected one in Mexico City, IndyCar stands to drop another race or two among those with contracts expiring after this year, or host at least 18 races in 2026 -- a number the series hasn't seen since 2014 (18 races). Among races thought to be on the chopping block include one of the two on the Iowa Speedway weekend -- and event that since last year has lost its hook of multiple big-ticket concerts and still appears to be struggling to sell tickets -- as well as races at Portland International Raceway and Laguna Seca, both of which draw some of the smaller road course crowds on the calendar. Penske Entertainment executives have long held that teams prefer a 17-race schedule, but that an 18-race one could be set if the right opportunity for an additional race were to present itself.
News.com.au
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Award-winning Leopold home on Lake Connewarre notches big sale
An award-winning lakefront home that's played host to a string of well-known Aussie musicians has notched up one of Leopold's biggest sales. A buyer already living on the Bellarine Peninsula has bought the secluded four-bedroom house, designed by acclaimed architect Kerstin Thompson, after a seven-month campaign. Bellarine Property, Barwon Heads agent Levi Turner said he was unable to disclose the sale price of the 4.86ha property at 15 Maloneys Rd, Leopold. It was originally listed with a $5.75m price guide, which was slashed to $4.75m to $4.95m in February. At this price, it would be Leopold's most expensive home. Megan Washington, Vance Joy, Tim Rogers and the late Kinky Friedman are among musicians who have played in the home's on-site recording studio. The property on the shores of Lake Connewarre also features a pool, a sports oval/heli pad, an olive grove, fruit trees and three outdoor baths on a raised deck. Mr Turner said it ranked among the top 10 homes he had sold on the Bellarine Peninsula in 12 years of real estate. 'It was a couple of things – the views are amazing and the privacy. It's so tucked away but you are 15 minutes to get into Geelong,' he said. 'And the house won architectural awards. 'The buyers are going to do some internal cosmetic renovations to make it their own but from the outside, from an architectural point of view, you could still build it today. It was really cool.' The 22-year-old home received both the 2005 Victorian Coastal Award for Building and Building Design and the 2003 Australian Institute of Architects' Victorian Chapter Harold Desbrowe-Annear Award, which recognises each year's best residential project. Its long, black structure is designed to blend into the environment and features a folded roof that mimics the shape of an origami black swan. The residence is divided into three pavilions, including the main three-bedroom house, a guest apartment with recording studio and a garage/carport for five vehicles. Mr Turner said there was a solid response from the market throughout the campaign. 'You get these amazing properties on the Bellarine and the Surf Coast and Geelong and you think 'everyone is going to love it' and people do but to actually buy it, one, they've got to have the money and two, be in a position to buy and they are few and far between,' he said. The vendor was a self-confessed cricket tragic who incorporated an oval into extensive gardens by landscape architect Tim Nicholas. Paths wind through the property to Lake Connewarre where a raised deck provides storage for watercraft.
BBC News
14-06-2025
- BBC News
West Midlands Police officers awarded in King's Birthday Honours
Three West Midlands Police officers have been recognised in the King's Birthday Honours Tim Rogers, retired Det Ch Supt Sam Ridding and retired Det Supt Nigel Walsh were each awarded the King's Police Ridding was a response officer in Sutton Coldfield, before working her way up to lead the force's professional standards Walsh worked in counter terrorism, while Sgt Rogers supports and trains police drivers. "Throughout their careers they have worked tirelessly to make a difference in policing and help others," said West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford."This has ranged from assisting members of the public in their time of need, catching criminals and supporting colleagues."He thanked the officers for their contributions, and said the honours were well-deserved. Ms Ridding's career saw her take on roles investigating kidnapping, murders and force said she was widely known among colleagues for her tenacity and relentless work to secure justice for victims and bereaved Walsh worked in counter terrorism policing before his retirement earlier this at the force said he had strengthened relationships between policing and security services nationally, and developed ways to protect communities against has since returned to a staff role after retiring as an Rogers has been secretary of the West Midlands Police Federation, and led a national campaign for law changes to help protect officers in pursuit of suspects or assisting victims. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
