Suzuka '07 hopes dashed, chasing '08 race

From Crash.net

Although many will mourn its passing as an F1 venue for the moment when the Japanese Grand Prix takes place at Suzuka for the last time in October, plans are still in place to have the circuit return to the calendar in 2008.

With the venue switching from Suzuka to Fuji Speedway for 2007, one of the most popular circuit's around the world has been left without a grand prix and any hopes it could be retained for next year under a different moniker have reportedly been dashed.

Nonetheless, there are still plans in place for the circuit to return in 2008 branded as the Pacific Grand Prix, signalling a return to Japan hosting two races, something they haven't done since 1994 and 1995 the calendar featured Suzuka and the tight and twisty Aida circuit.

"We have been informed by the Formula One authorities. Obviously we feel it is a great pity," Suzuka's public relations chief Yasuo Sugaya told Reuters. "But we are continuing negotiations in order to be included from the 2008 season."

"We had been hopeful we could come to an arrangement to have two races but unfortunately it was not to be," said Sugaya. "It's still possible we can come back next year (2008) so we'll keep trying."

Japan has been a stalwart of the Formula One calendar for several years, not least because of the high-profile participation from the likes of Honda and Toyota, with the first race being held in 1976 at Fuji.

However, a crash that killed two spectators the following year saw no Japanese Grand Prix for another ten years when it returned with Suzuka, the sweeping 'figure of eight' circuit hosting its 20th race this year.

Nonetheless, the Fuji Speedway, owned by Toyota, has since been completely refurbished and redeveloped, earning it the honour of hosting its first race in over 30 years. It also has the added quirk of being raced in front of a spectacular Mount Fuji backdrop.



Suzuka is one of the greatest circuits in the world. I cannot believe it's off the calendar for 07. Fuji had better be just as good.

 

Fuji is a good circuit, I am anxious to see how an F1 race will be on the track.

 

Fuji is amazing and should be a good switch from Suzuka.

Maybe they could alternate the Japanese GP between Fuji and Suzuka.

If Bernie gets rid of Silverstone and Interlagos, then both Fuji and Suzuka could host races each year.

 

They will never get rid of interlagos. F1 is too big in Brazil. Silverstone maybe but they would run at another circuit in England. Maybe Brands Hatch. There will always be a Brazilian and British GP.

 

yes, interlagos is a unique circuit, IMO. but silverstone, is just so plain boring for me. i dunno about the facilities, never been there before, but there's not much of overtaking opp. in this circuit. interlagos OTOH, is a huge challenge to the drivers. bumpy and unforgiving.

yea. i think suzuka is a real drivers circuit. after all, it hosted one of the best racers last year. from what i see in Gran Turismo 4, Fuji has a damn long main straight, and lots of boring corners, nothing like suzuka, but then again, lets just wait till it hosts the Japan Gp next year.

 

At least you can go to a foreign country race. I can only go to Indy. Just kidding. However I just happend to arrive in Germany the weekend before Hockenheim, and I was about 1 hour away. Its so weird being so close when I thought foreign races were unreachable.

 

who? i've just been to the Malaysian Gp. no where else

 

Totally agree. I had forgotten Fuji was on GT4, I remember not liking the circuit too much either. Unless Toyota changed it totally it will be pretty mickey mouse. Suzuka is way more of a challenge. Siverstone is too flat and very boring. I'd love to see the British GP back at Brands Hatch where it belongs.

 

I have nothing against a Brazilian and British GP. I would love to have new tracks in both Brazil and the UK!

But Interlagos and Silverstone are absolute rubbish!

Furthermore, I though I was on your ignore list.

Fuji is a welcome change from having the race at Suzuka year in and year out!

 

You are on my ignore list but i was curious as to what you had to say on that particular subject, I only viewed that post. The Interlagos circuit is bumpy and outdated but still a huge challenge. They should update the facility. The old Rio circuit was nothing special at all. Silverstone is rubbish.

 

My point is that there are a limited amount of races each year. The current agreed upon calendar is 18 races. Why a GP is awarded to a race track that is in your words bumpy, outdated and rubbish is beyond me!?!?

There are at least half a dozen potential new projects that will get a green light for developing modern, sophisticated and quality race tracks once they get a F1 deal.

There are two projects in Africa that are on hold. A whole continent waiting for F1 fever to hit them. There are three more projects in Asia that have stalled because outdated silverstone and interlagos have preset deals.

I want to see F1 in India!
I want to see F1 in Russia!
I want to see F1 in Mexico!
I want to see F1 in Poland!
I want to see F1 in Egypt!
I want to see more F1 in the USA!

Alternate the tracks every year. So there can be 36 functional F1 tracks around the world!
Make it once every three years based on a lottery so it can be 54 functional F1 tracks around the world!

There should be new tracks developed so that open wheel racing can become availale to young talent. The greater the infrastructure around the world, the greater talent there will be in F1!

Not just racers, but technical staff, engineers, and managers!

Right now the only focus in F1 is cutting costs and boosting profits!
Great soon we can have no costs with donkeys racing carts and maximum profits for Bernie through complete media rights control!

 

What do you mean soon? That is the way it has been for some ime!

 

I wouldn't be quite so sure about that last statement. Bernie Ecclestone has been spoiled by the arrival of brand new tracks in Malaysia, China, Turkey, etc... There is nothing in Britain that can match these circuits which have been mostly state-funded.

If Silverstone loose the British GP, that will be because of 'difficulties' between the British Racing Drivers Club (circuit owner & organiser) and Ecclestone. He has been criticising them for many years, and wants them to spend the money they don't have to upgrade the circuit. That's not going to happen, and there is no government money in the pipe either.
They may still come to an arrangement where Bernie takes his cut and 'approves' the circuit, as it is.

The new owners of Brands Hatch, Motor Vision headed by Jonathan Palmer, have no intention to apply to run a GP. Far too risky financially, and also Brands would require too many modifications to be homologated for F1.
Frankly I am glad about that, because Brands Hatch is my favourite track to watch bikes, and I don't want it to become another 'artificial' track

I wouldn't miss Silverstone at all, but lament on the old Hockenheim and the Spa circuit.

 

i agree that Spa and the old hokenheim was breathtaking. but silverstone? damn..it's just too boring for me. look at this year's race..one of the most boring of the year. switching to V8s made things worse, as drivers don't even lift nowdays at certain corners, preventing overtakings.

as far as new circuits are concerned, Sepang and Istanbul are up there as one of the best. Sepang is actually very wide, and offer lots of overtaking opps. so is Istanbul and that never ending turn 8. however, Sakhir is one of the most boring circuits there is on my list. Shanghai has so far failed to convience me too whats so special about that circuit.

 

It sounds like a plan to me but Bernie shouldn't ignore F1's orginal fan base such as Britain either. It's a tough situation. You can only have so many races a year and someone is gonna lose out. Imola or Monza for one should be eliminated being that there are two races in Italy. Fair is fair. I'm not sure if there's enough of a fan draw in Russia or India for them to have a race there. There have been F1 races in Mexico and they did OK if i remember right. Unless they want a schedule similar to NASCAR's all those extra races will be a pipe dream. The US is lucky to have one race let alone more than one.

 

Just so you know, according to research, the Russian market or Indian market for F1 would be almost 10 times lucrative than the Brazilian market currently is!

Monza and Imola are great tracks. They are world class facilities. But Silverstone and Interlagos are dump sites! They need to be trashed for bigger better projects in new markets!

 

Imola's facilites are outdated. Plus that's besides the point. Why have two races in Italy while Spa or somewhere else gets cut? Where did you get your info on the Russian and Indian markets?

 

it's all over the net i think. from what i know, Russia is on the way to host a GP in 2010? India too...somewhere around there.

 

Yes, Russia and India have been in the mix for a while. There is also a GP being propsed in Africa (either SA or Egypt). I am extermely confident of the project being proposed in Poland too.

I am afraid this has all come a little too late. Outdated tracks have long been used past their expiry date.

FYI, Interlagos and Silverstone are on their way to being dumped in the near future.

 

Tragic-- Suzuka and Spa are the only two tracks worth a damn anymore, and neither can hold a race for some reason.

 

yes, Impy, i read about the one in Africa too. i think it's gonna be SA, IMO. they seemed very very serious. dunno bout Polish GP tho. never heard of it. thanx for the update anyways.

 

Yes, there is plan for Poland and Mexico. But these are just plans because the much needed financial backing only comes in when tentative or promisory deals with F1 are in place. Those deals can only be in place if dump sites like Silverstone and Interlagos are given up!

There some talk of one more race in the Middle East. Perhaps Dubai or Abu Dhabi.

While we are on the topic:

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Nurburgring on the schedule

The only German race for 2007

Hockenheim has been definitively informed that it will not host Germany's only Grand Prix in 2007, reports say.

The local newspaper Mannheimer Morgen insists that the Nurburgring, located in the Eifel mountains region, is scheduled to stage the race next July.

It is still possible that, from 2008, the two German circuits could annual alternate the staging of the event, but Bernie Ecclestone is understood to have now concluded negotiations for 2007.

Official confirmation may be available later this week. Hockenheimring GmbH declined to comment.

Source GMM
CAPSIS International

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It seems clear that the stratgey is for one race for every country. The fault lies in the fact that tracks like Silverstone, Interlagos, Hungaroring get the assurance of a GP with that kind of strategy!

 

well hockenheim is just boring to me. not as bad as hungary tho. well, i think Dubai ha s strong chance. remember, in the terms of supercar ownership, Dubai is 2nd to MOnaco. anyways, did u read that Singapore's planning to host a street like F1? i hope it doesn't go thru..

 

I have a bad feeling about another street race! At the current speeds it is an invitation for disaster.

F1 needs another race track like shanghai and like Sakhir! A race track on which racing can continue after the F1 show has come and gone!

F1 as a sport needs race tracks on which new talent can be nurtured. Not only racers but other technical staff!

 

i dunno about shanghai. sakhir is plain boring to me. sepang style all the way!