All-purpose open-wheel (F1, IRL) racing thread

I was very happy to see Portland back on the schedule. Been too long.

 

So that cuts ISC involvement with IndyCar down to just Phoenix. Jay Frye must be personna non grata in Daytona these days.

And I've been wondering about TV negotiations. The ABC/NBC deal is up at the end of 2018. Please let someone other than Disney broadcast the 500. Bobby Unser and Sam Posey aren't walking back through that booth in the pagoda.

IndyCar closing in on post-2018 TV plan

 

Anyone been to Road America? That's a not-impossible drive for me, and I've kicked it around, though I'm concerned the 4-mile track would make it hard to see anything of consequence.

 

Doesn't IndyCar buy the time on ESPN? Happy they will be back in Portland - never got a chance to see them in the CART days.

 

I want to believe the premise of this article is true, but I just can't see it. The fan base is so small that surely they can grow it, but to truly have a resurgence in this era where young people just aren't interested in car culture?

After years of being stuck in neutral, IndyCar 'at beginning of a resurgence'

 

They have to build it separate from "car culture." They have to market it as sleek and cool and upscale and somewhat Euro - the anti-NASCAR. And, of course, market the holy living fuck out of the historical significance of the 500. The Kentucky Derby is cool. They have to sell it as something similar. That it's practically your patriotic duty to pay attention. The Derby is assisted by the fact the Triple Crown, of course.

 

I'd really love to see the series grow but I'm really skeptical. All of the improvements they've mentioned are great but you can't get around two things: outside of Indy and Long Beach, no one goes to the races and no one watches on TV. Unless those sponsors are seriously in for the long haul, they've got a tough road ahead.

The TV situation is particularly bad. I'm an open wheel fan -- hell, I'm flying to England for an open wheel race this summer -- and I hardly ever watch the IndyCar races because I don't know where they are.

There's a chance they'll lose Long Beach to F1. If that happens they're really screwed.

 

The Indy race at Barber's just outside of Birmingham has been a big success. It gets a lot of crowd support and the track and grounds are first class. There are any number of places with very good sight lines to several interesting spots - curves, straights, hills, etc. and if you get bored with what you're seeing you can catch a tram and move around the course.

It's road racing, not an oval. It's a pretty tight course, so passing can be difficult, but it's fun racing to watch. Barber's Museum (primarily motorcycles, although they have the biggest collection of Lotuses outside of the factory museum there) is an honest to god world class facility as well.

If you are willing to drive half an hour or so you can get rooms at a normal rate. The closer you get the more likely they are to be expensive and booked up.