2015 Indy Car

Sam Schmidt says Indy Car costs are impossible to justify.

Finally, an Indy Car team owner puts his balls on and tells it like it is.

Schmidt: IndyCar costs are ?virtually impossible to justify? - IndyCar News

BHW

 

Won't change a thing. Attendance isn't going anywhere and as long as a hand picked few make the rules.....the game is the same. Until people walk away and let it fail, we simply watch the last 20 years being replayed.

 

this would be comical if I didn't love the sport:

Not so fast, IndyCar | Boston Herald

 

Wanna buy some stock in CART???

 

very sad state of affairs for a series I used to love as a kid. I do like the idea of possibly doing some international events, especially if they could get on a track or two abandoned by Bernie. but clearly that's not gonna fix this series...much more work to be done

 

I disagree, the only race outside North America that was a long term success was Surfer's Paradise, and the logistics of that race were not cheap (recall that FedEx was largely subsidizing it for a while when they were the series sponsor).

races in Japan and Brazil *should* have worked (manufacturers, drivers, sponsors from those countries) but largely didn't for whatever reason; and the races in Germany and UK (various locations) weren't wildly popular either.

I think IndyCar needs to stay focused on being what made them great in the first place...American, primarily midwestern races, with a roughly equal mix of short ovals, speedways, and street/road courses.

 

Now you know how I feel. I enjoyed my time with it. To think somethiing that had something for everyone now has nothing. Parity has never worked in lesser series and to dismantle a top flight series over petty nonsense only makes me that much more angry. I don't think they even know how to fix it, but the answer is in plain site.

 

Just so I get this right, do I understand correctly that the City of Boston and the
Commonwealth of Massacheuttes has a toxic waste dump buried under their city streets?

Good luck with all that!

BHW

 

that's the way I read it

 

I think you misunderstood what I was saying. never suggested any of these would work out economically or even come close to fixing the series. I just think it would be cool to see Indycars at say Brands Hatch, Hockenheimring or Spa. wouldn't you enjoy watching one of these races? I realize it's a pipe dream but I have an active imagination

 

I'd rather see Phoenix, Richmond and Gateway

 

Why? Closet NASCAR dreamer?

 

Indycar on short ovals is my jam

 

LOL!

I think the jist of Sam Schmidt's comments were, that they could leverage more budget
from their sponsors if the series had a more F-1 like international schedule as the corporations
get a bigger ROI when they get more international exposure.

The CART race at Surfers Paradise was hugely successful but as pointed out, other fly-away venues
that the various American open wheeled series tried such as Montegi, Rockingham and Lausitz
weren't so much. Not sure why, perhaps the local promoters got screwed or whatever.

But, as we've pointed out in this forum ad-nausea, there are many perfectly well suited permanent
road course and ovals in the U.S. they could be using and either for various political reasons (such
as the ISC kicking Indy Car out of their tracks like Watkins Glen or Homestead) which is curious.

The return of Indy Cars to Road America after (what? a couple of decades?) seems impossible.
One of the great U.S. racing facilities within reach of some huge market
demographics and they're only just now getting back to racing there once again.

On the west coast, they're overlooking Laguna Seca (maybe too close to Sears Point?)
and Portland for example where they wouldn't need the street course infrastructure as well
as all the political and bureaucratic headaches as they're seeing currently in Boston and the
crowds would return no doubt.

In CART's heyday, Homestead would have 100,000 spectators in the stands and it was a perfect
venue for them. I attended an Indy Car race there around 2004 as a guest of Toyota which was
sponsoring the event and they parred the grandstand down to a eighth of the overall capacity and
perhaps 15,000 spectators there, most of them on comp'd tickets from local Toyota dealers.

Anyway, I guess the point is, Indy Car has become such a rudderless ship that there are very few
venues that will do business with them any more. The ISC debacle aside, they'd be
well advised to try everything they can to get a race or two in Australia, Brazil or Europe
if for anything to regain the notices of the International motoring media which seems to
have abandoned them.

Madison Avenue is watching and they can't be too impressed.

BHW

 

I have been an Indycar fanatic since 1968 and have been to many races, but in terms of "hipness" Indycar currently ranks right up there with a Members Only jacket. Great racing, affable drivers, venue differentiation and ... oh, wait, THOSE UGLY ,BUFFOONISH CARS! Could that be it? The cars aren't cool. Period!

 

But, but, but the aero kits were going to save the series!

BHW

 

Yea.....and everyone on the Titanic was saved also!

 

Before they focus on the races - and I agree that they should be US based mix of ovals, street and road courses - they should be making the cars look better. They look ridiculous.

Do not underestimate how much that draws in the fans.

 

Bingo.

 

I may have mentioned this before on this thread a couple months back.

We had a nice college girl working in our office for a while. Very smart, very quick learner, etc.

She saw some of the races we had on the big screen including Le Mans (which she liked
very much) F-1 and finally the Indy Car race at Mid-Ohio.

Her question then was "Why don't these (Indy) cars look cool like those Le Mans and Formula
One cars?".

So, here dear Indy Car racing in Indianapolis, is what your millennial demographic is thinking.

BHW

 

Well I have spoken to a lot of young racers (14-18) and they love the new Indy designs so *shrug*. Neither of our input is the least bit conclusive or scientific.

What Le Mans cars - you mean with cockpits, doors, and fenders? Barf...."looks good on them though".

There isn't *that* much different between indy and F1 really if you look at it. The rear pods protecting the tires on Indy and the side pods are a big difference, but the front wings and body kits are not that far off to polarize a layman IMO.

Not getting it...how do you want it to look more like Le Mans and F1 when those cars look nothing like each other? That doesn't make sense to me.

 

She thought Le Mans cars (P1, P2, GTE Pro, GTE Am) and Formula One cars looked
cool.

Not so much on Indy Cars.

Just her .02.

BHW

 

Really??? The ones I have spoken with have a stated the word "fugly" on most comments. As for the racing, the words" its just like F1 " indicates to me that it just other copy isn't going to get them interested. F1 at least has some form of technology while Indy Car remains lackluster and inconsistant in technology. Who really wants to watch 33 of the same thing? That is what NASCAR does and they do it very well if you like "spec" racing. LeMans seems to be the racing everyone enjoys. The hi-tech coming from it makes the kids think in a few years they will have it in a street car. Even I agree on that. Whether Porsche, Audi, Nissan, Corvette, etc......we all want that stuff in our car. The Nizmo seems to catch their attention the most. Cool cars capture everyones attention and with it the align themselves with the swag they wear. Lots of Nissan, Toyota stuff on their backs and on there rides.

 

Really and truly - some of the best young open wheel drivers and karters. Not sure that is the exact crowd you are talking about. Sounds more like you are talking about car fans - which is totally valid of course. I think the Indy cars would be better esthetically if they lose the rear pods behind the wheels, and tighten up the rear end. The overly complicated and busy body kits are not great either IMO.

It's funny because a lot of people complain about F1 and how there is no real racing. I mean it is Merc, and occasionally Ferrari, and no one else has a prayer of challenging for an actual title because of the way the token system is structured and the fact that there are no independent engine suppliers. The cars are so complex that people can't relate to them. V6s with turbos and fuel flow limits are not sexy to anyone really. Bernie is now challenging the spec also. They are relaxing the token system because no one will catch Merc otherwise, talking about Cosworth, mentioning V8s, etc.

I'm not personally attracted to endurance racing at all. I respect it, the drivers, and the technology, but I'd rather see a shorter race personally.

LMP cars are cool, but they have a ton of driver aids - traction control, abs, power steering, adjustable this and that. They are the bleeding edge of technology for sure, but not racing IMO.

There is more actual racing in Indy than in LMP or F1. People may not like the spec and tracks that cause the racing or whatever, but look at how many different winners there were this season vs. the other sports which are dominated by a tiny subset of teams. Look at how many people were still challenging in the last race of the season. That is racing to me - not knowing what will happen and things changing dramatically in the race and race to race.

 

I can understand that. It's hard for young people that aren't *in* racing to relate to an openwheel car that has very little in common with a street car. There are some cool looking cars in the classes you mention for sure.