No USGP from 2008
Discussion
Well, I'm pissed off. I live a couple of hours from Indy, and we've been to the last three races and had a great time (with the exception of race day in 2005, obviously). It is/was a great race to go to - cheap tickets, excellent facilities, you're close to the cars. All in all a bloody shame.
The only track i can think of to replace it would be a street track in Las Vegas (not Caesers Palace). The most OTT chmapionship in the world in the most OTT city in the world.
Long Beach would be nice but Bernie wouldn't want Champ Car there in the same year so thats not going to happen. Miller Motorsports Park is good but its in the middle of nowhere. I don't want F1 to go anywhere near Laguna Seca, Sears Point or Sebring.
Could end up here though - http://www.etracksonline.co.uk/News/stories/news_i...
Long Beach would be nice but Bernie wouldn't want Champ Car there in the same year so thats not going to happen. Miller Motorsports Park is good but its in the middle of nowhere. I don't want F1 to go anywhere near Laguna Seca, Sears Point or Sebring.
Could end up here though - http://www.etracksonline.co.uk/News/stories/news_i...
Bernie currently has too many people offering him big money for GP's, ie Singapore, India, Valencia (Spain) and South Korea.....in addition to Middle East Sultanates and two new Australian venues.
The problem is F1 sponsors need the USA and I am sure a deal will be done to take the race elsewhere. Rumour has it St Petersburg in Florida will do a street circuit like the current Indy track, and I am sure San Francisco will make a move in 2010. people have been to have a look and there is money plus space and what a venue...not downtown obviously.
Would you pay bernie upto US $ 20 million a year for a race when all you can do is make money from selling seats???? NO.
The problem is F1 sponsors need the USA and I am sure a deal will be done to take the race elsewhere. Rumour has it St Petersburg in Florida will do a street circuit like the current Indy track, and I am sure San Francisco will make a move in 2010. people have been to have a look and there is money plus space and what a venue...not downtown obviously.
Would you pay bernie upto US $ 20 million a year for a race when all you can do is make money from selling seats???? NO.
Oh about time...had to be one of the most boring tracks on the calendar if the most...too short a lap....wherever it goes it could only be as good but probably better even if just for a change....thank G....or should that be the money grabbing little sh1t B !?!?
Funny...back in the early 90's someone suggested to me that B had fcuked up bike racing....just wait and see what happens with F1...oh how he was right....and now look at Moto GP !
Bring back full slicks and progressively reduce the downforce area by 20% every 2 years...job done....IMHO of course.
Funny...back in the early 90's someone suggested to me that B had fcuked up bike racing....just wait and see what happens with F1...oh how he was right....and now look at Moto GP !
Bring back full slicks and progressively reduce the downforce area by 20% every 2 years...job done....IMHO of course.
Gun said:
It would be good to see them at Sebring or Laguna Seca, although they'd probably say Laguna was too dangerous.
MotoGP are at Laguna, so surely it's safe enough for F1? Although it is a short track... stunning though!Infinion or Road America is where i'd send 'em.
MotoGP has got the 'Brickyard' on the calander next season.. damn! wished they'd picked one of the above!
JS99 said:
Gun said:
It would be good to see them at Sebring or Laguna Seca, although they'd probably say Laguna was too dangerous.
MotoGP are at Laguna, so surely it's safe enough for F1? Although it is a short track... stunning though!Infinion or Road America is where i'd send 'em.
MotoGP has got the 'Brickyard' on the calander next season.. damn! wished they'd picked one of the above!
mchammer89 said:
JS99 said:
Gun said:
It would be good to see them at Sebring or Laguna Seca, although they'd probably say Laguna was too dangerous.
MotoGP are at Laguna, so surely it's safe enough for F1? Although it is a short track... stunning though!Infinion or Road America is where i'd send 'em.
MotoGP has got the 'Brickyard' on the calander next season.. damn! wished they'd picked one of the above!
Road America is another interesting candidate.
Edited by Jungles on Friday 13th July 01:33
Put me down for Road America--awesome track with many great viewing spots.
Having said that, it seems odd that F1 is so pre-occupied with second world countries.
You would think more of the races would be held where there is more bang for the buck. For instance, how many Ferraris, Mercedes and BMW's were sold in Brazil, China, India, Malaysia, Turkey and Bahrain? On the short term Bernie gets his fee. Long term, the product starts to lose interest when the target market is the second world. So I guess (for example) if Bangledesh, Egypt and Venezuala are willing to pony up the fee, F1 will race there, too--at the expense of the French (gone!), US (gone!) Grand Prix. Between the terrible viewing times (at least the Brazil/Canadian/USGP was broadcast in the early evening in the UK) for the Indian/Asian/Australian races, F1 will reap short term dollars at the expense of long term viability.
You can still put me down for Road America--going to see Champ Cars and ALMS this August!
Having said that, it seems odd that F1 is so pre-occupied with second world countries.
You would think more of the races would be held where there is more bang for the buck. For instance, how many Ferraris, Mercedes and BMW's were sold in Brazil, China, India, Malaysia, Turkey and Bahrain? On the short term Bernie gets his fee. Long term, the product starts to lose interest when the target market is the second world. So I guess (for example) if Bangledesh, Egypt and Venezuala are willing to pony up the fee, F1 will race there, too--at the expense of the French (gone!), US (gone!) Grand Prix. Between the terrible viewing times (at least the Brazil/Canadian/USGP was broadcast in the early evening in the UK) for the Indian/Asian/Australian races, F1 will reap short term dollars at the expense of long term viability.
You can still put me down for Road America--going to see Champ Cars and ALMS this August!
The problem with Laguna, and Sears Point, and Watkins Glen, and Miller Motorsport Park, and Road America, and Sebring, is that they're all in the middle of nowhere. There's no easy way in and out for 100k+ people, and no where for them to stay. They'd also, with the exception of Miller Motorsport park, need millions spent on improving the tracks to F1 standards - much bigger run offs etc.
Take Laguna Seca - F1 cars could handle the corckscrew, that's not a problem. What is a problem is the fact that there's almost no run off at the top of the hill. What happens when 3 or 4 cars come barrelling in and one or more can't stop in time? The same goes for Watkins Glen - if you watched the IRL race there this weekend you'd have seen there wouldn't be nearly enough runoff room for an F1 race.
None of the track owners have the money to put in to upgrade the circuits to FIA spec, nor pay Bernie's insane sactioning fee, and even if they did, their tracks are all too hard to get to for the 100,000-150,000 spectators they'd need to see even some of that money back. Indy, OTOH, is a day's drive for most of the USA, the facilities were already in place, and the town could handle the tourists.
Take Laguna Seca - F1 cars could handle the corckscrew, that's not a problem. What is a problem is the fact that there's almost no run off at the top of the hill. What happens when 3 or 4 cars come barrelling in and one or more can't stop in time? The same goes for Watkins Glen - if you watched the IRL race there this weekend you'd have seen there wouldn't be nearly enough runoff room for an F1 race.
None of the track owners have the money to put in to upgrade the circuits to FIA spec, nor pay Bernie's insane sactioning fee, and even if they did, their tracks are all too hard to get to for the 100,000-150,000 spectators they'd need to see even some of that money back. Indy, OTOH, is a day's drive for most of the USA, the facilities were already in place, and the town could handle the tourists.
jpf said:
For instance, how many Ferraris, Mercedes and BMW's were sold in Brazil, China, India, Malaysia, Turkey and Bahrain?
These countries (especially China and South East Asia) are the new boom places for these companies.There is more and more "new money" out here than anywhere else. They don't need to do so much advertising to the car savvy 1st world, but anything to tempt the new rich from the rising SE Asian nations is fresh fodder.
for example there are currently 103 registered Lambo Gallardo's alone registered here in Singapore (at a screen price of about £250,000 each)
The new markets for these manufacturers is out here in the rising countries.
edit to add - you can be sure that the sold for less, but thats where the negotiations start. with 120% car duty to start with though, they not going to be cheap at any level
Edited by XJSJohn on Friday 13th July 07:08
Dr JonboyG said:
Take Laguna Seca - F1 cars could handle the corckscrew, that's not a problem. What is a problem is the fact that there's almost no run off at the top of the hill. What happens when 3 or 4 cars come barrelling in and one or more can't stop in time? The same goes for Watkins Glen - if you watched the IRL race there this weekend you'd have seen there wouldn't be nearly enough runoff room for an F1 race.
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