Champ Car/Indy/F1 running thread II (Montreal, Turkey, IRL to RACE Daytona?!?)

Re: Champ Car/Indy/F1 running thread II

He probably wouldn't have been in today's race if it weren't twinned with the Grand Am's 6-hour race yesterday; Crown Royal is paying him rather a lot of money to run a prototype team full-time.

And long past time.

Whoever the Ethanol consortium feels would be a good salesman. God knows they don't care about having a driver with talent.

He'll have to bring more than just that Carmelo Anthony deal. Panther auctioned off a bunch of equipment in early February just to keep one car running and had its 2001-02 championship car on eBay. Just wondering ... is Jim Harbaugh still a minority owner?

 

Re: Champ Car/Indy/F1 running thread II

Simmons' wreck at Indy didn't appear to be his fault, either, but he still hasn't finished a race.

As far as Marty Reid, that's what happens when you hurriedly throw a pit reporter into the play-by-play chair and try to have him hold together a broadcast that includes a really inexperienced color guy who has never driven an open-wheel car and refers to the biggest race in the series as the "Daytona 500" at its climactic point. And, that's what happens when you replace an experienced, professional PBP announcer (Paul Page) with Todd Harris because Harris "appeals to a younger crowd." Unfortunately, he also sucked, thereby throwing Reid into a difficult role.

 

Re: Champ Car/Indy/F1 running thread II

Jerry Punch and Scott Goodyear would be a very good team in the booth.

 

Re: Champ Car/Indy/F1 running thread II

Anyone watching Wind Tunnel? Kalkhoven said the discussions are "fruitful" and in "good faith." There's no time scale he said, but reiterated that they're trying to move toward reunification. "We're concentrating on the bigger picture."

Asked what message he would send: "There have been many years of conflict. But at this moment in time, there is desire on both sides to achieve unity...it's possible to do that."

 

Re: Champ Car/Indy/F1 running thread II

A couple years ago, Michael Andretti said during a Q&A that he'd like to see 20 races, 14 on ovals and six roadcourse.

I agree. The current schedule is way too short and one of the reasons NASCAR is popular is that it's a non-stop soap opera from February to November even though the quality or racing IMHO isn't as good as open-wheel.

As for where to put the races, assuming it's a unified series:

Ovals: Indianapolis, Michigan, Chicago, California (2), Homestead, Texas (2), Kansas, Richmond, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Kentucky.
Road: Watkins Glen, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Long Beach, Cleveland, Canada (Montreal or Toronto)

It'd be nice if Pocono could host open-wheel again. Open-wheel needs a big race in the Northeast and the Glen by itself just doesn't cut it.

 

Re: Champ Car/Indy/F1 running thread II

Michael probably was just sipping the oval Kool-Aid in order to placate Tony (remember, the IRL's still around for now).

A unified series should have 7-8 ovals, 7-8 road courses and 7-8 street courses. Test the drivers in all the disciplines. I know I'll miss one or two, but it's close enough.

Ovals: Indy, Michigan, California, Phoenix/Miami, Texas, Richmond/Milwaukee, Pocono/Nashville, Chicago/Kansas
Road courses: Monterrey, Mid-Ohio, Road America, Watkins Glen, Mo-Sport, Road Atlanta, Suzuka, Laguna Seca
Street/temporary courses: Cleveland, Toronto, Mexico City, Edmonton, Montreal, St. Pete, Houston, Denver (though any of the last three could be lopped off and replaced by another circuit, and I'd not shed any tears)

 

Re: Champ Car/Indy/F1 running thread II

I missed it. Did he say anything about ISC's attempt to ixnay Champ Car's proposed Phoenix street race?

 

Re: Champ Car/Indy/F1 running thread II

Oh yeah, he was outraged. He said the Arizona legislature is about to pass a law banning any other motorsports in the state other than one that is conducted on an ISC facility. NASCAR wouldn't come on the show, apparently.

Don't know if he's blowing smoke or not.

 

Re: Champ Car/Indy/F1 running thread II

Sort of. The bill in question would limit cars at racing events held outside closed courses to 90 dB; I believe a Champ Car hits about 115 dB. I assume the road course is still in place at Firebird International Raceway, but I could be wrong.

The race is proposed for the weekend after PIR's fall race, starting next year with a 5-year deal. I know that Bryan Sperber, the guy ISC put in charge of PIR, has been very disparaging of street racing in general and Champ Car in particular when interviewed on the subject. Allegedly he started a web site allowing users to vote on whether they want to go ahead with it or not, but I can't find it.

 

Re: Champ Car/Indy/F1 running thread II

If Bryan Sperber were any dumber he'd be plant life. PIR succeeds at NASCAR because it would be impossible not to. It is a spectacular failure at everything else.

His opposition to the street race has been obvious and ham-handed. He refuses to acknowledge he simply doesn't want the competition, and talks about how he's just trying to save the city from the embarrassment of a "rinky-dink" street race. I'm being bombarded with anti-street race e-mails from a PR agency that has obviously been hired by Sperber, but his name never appears on them.

My understanding is that the bill in the Arizona legislature has already been tabled, so he likely won't get any relief there.

A more immediate problem is that the street course they've laid out passes the sheriff's 911 call center, and he's pissed about that (and those who are familiar with the Maricopa County Sheriff know he will plant his face on TV every day until he gets his way on this). At the very least, they'll have to reroute the track, but that shouldn't be a killer.

Opponents also bring up the failed F1 race from 1989-91, but there are significant differences. That race screwed up business and cut off neighborhoods, and much as I love F1 its leadership does absolutely nothing to try to help an event succeed. The area where the Champ Car race would take place is around Chase Field and the US Airways Center, so the vast majority of businesses affected would be businesses that already feed off of sporting events - bars and restaurants next to the stadium.

And 2MCM, the only semi-suitable road circuit in the area is, oddly enough, at PIR. They have a course through the infield that they use for the Rolex Grand Am Series. I have to believe that if they were going to put a race at PIR it would use the oval... but Sperber's organization already killed that one once.

 

Re: Champ Car/Indy/F1 running thread II

The cactus on my desk is pissed. It says anybody with a brain knows Sperber would have to be smarter to be plant life.

I did see that quote. It made me want to find his opinion poll page so I could vote in favor of the street race.

As I recall, the biggest problem the F1 race in Phoenix had was that they scheduled it in the middle of the summer. Fine if it's at Watkins Glen (where it belongs), maybe not so good in the Valley of the Sun.