Well, a few items have come and gone with regard to Indy Car the past few weeks which haven't gotten much of a look-in here on F-Chat. The new Verizon Indy Car logo which has all of the excitement of an ingrown toe nail, the near constant reshuffling of staff in the home office in Indianapolis, (again) the complete lack of any off-season testing (since there is none) news and near radio silence with regard to the Boston event which last time we tuned in, was looking iffy at best. But, this nugget cannot be overlooked. Four time and current series champion Scott Dixon is criticizing the Indy Car "aero kits" in a very public way on Autosport. IndyCar champion Scott Dixon critical of the series' aero kits - IndyCar news - AUTOSPORT.com Here we go guys, it's going to be a bumpy year. BHW
Hate to use a term like "Make or Break" year for Indy Car, but honestly it sure has that sort of feel doesn't it? When CART was a sinking ship in the late 90s, early 00s, they seemed to follow this same notion of rearranging people in the head office instead of going after top drivers who could keep the relevant global profile of the series alive. Read with a bit of a raised eyebrow about how new Competition Director and former NASCAR man Jay Frye says that he wants to "minimize debate" with regard to keeping race control out of the headlines per the Fontana debacle. Well, hope he's right. But, recent history tells us that no matter who is calling the shots in the booth above the track, things seem to go off the rails. Dixon is right of course. These "aero kits" are not needed and the cars look ridiculous. There is nothing wrong with the actual racing in Indy Car per se. It's the near constant movements of the head office which is sinking the deal. If Derek Walker, one of the nicest guys in the business, couldn't handle it any more, who could? BHW
All good points. The Derrick Walker thing is most telling, but I always viewed the aero kits as a "desperation" move, and it's an utter failure.
CART died when the long fight with the 900lb gorilla on the block (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) ended and the gorilla won. If the CART team owners that had moved their whole deal away from USAC had put their egos aside and taken Tony George up on his offer to have eight CART cars in the Indy 500 in 1996, the CART teams would have wiped the floor with the IRL teams which more resembled the Keystone Cops, especially during pit stops, and the whole IRL experiment would have failed miserably straight out of the blocks. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and unfortunately, what has become of the American open wheel racing scene has become a complete debacle. Anyone hear? Some Indy Car teams tested this week! BHW
The aero kits never made sense to me personally, and I don't think the way they were introduced was safe either. "Oh here are a million parts for you to mess with in limited testing; go 230mph now k?" In addition, I don't see why Honda was given a concession in the off season. As Dixon points out, Honda closed the gap in the second half of the season. I like the Indy schedule though and am looking forward to the season.
What's amazing is that Indy Car want to keep this current formula past 2020, as if Indy Car as we currently know it will survive until 2020. They keep kicking the can down the road as though they're purposefully attempting to devalue their brand and of course the hand wringing in Daytonner continues as the hyenas are already circling the carcas. These "aero kits" came with a lot of fan fare. Originally, when they were discussing these "aero kits", I had the picture that they were going to somehow streamline the cars and try to make them look cooler. How wrong I was. Instead, they take the different tact and go in the complete opposite direction and add on all these boxes, flairs, wings, tabs, etc. to the point where they look like something Spaceman Spiff would drive. I was looking at pics of the cars from the recent test at Sonoma this morning on Racer and the cars are just hideous. They're making getting excited about the 2016 season really difficult. For the sake of the American open wheeled racing scene, they better have a good season with minimum nonsense but not holding my breath on that one. BHW
I follow every race and plan to for 2016. I think the saving grace for me at least is anybody can win on Sunday. The better teams win the championship, but they don't necessarily dominate the wins, so for me that keeps it exciting. I was hoping Carlin was going to be there to add some more fire into mix, but it looks like 2017 at the earliest we'll see that team. There is a multitude of issues with the series, from sons of legends not living up to the hype, paid drivers taking quality drivers seats, old guys hanging on (although I do root for JPM), aero kits not leaving up to the hype, race control....it goes on and on. What really sticks in my craw is the lack of promoting the sport. Sure they'll argue the money is not there, but what's the average age of an Indycar fan, it's got to be way up there and they seem to do nothing to expand the sport during the offseason. Of course I was too a huge CART fan, so I'll leave you with this. The oh so sweet sounds of CART. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyXdoExt8Rk
Agreed, the action on the track has been good. A lot of close races even going back to the IRL days. The racing action isn't so much the issue as everything else. Regarding the demographics and an aging audience, think we may agree that is problematic throughout all of racing. A year or two ago, Bernie Ecclestone famously said something to the effect that he preferred to have old guys at F-1 races because they can afford Rolex watches instead of younger guys that have no money. That, in a nutshell, is the shortsighted opinion of many of the principals in racing across the board. Not looking to the future (unless in Indy Car's case, their vision of the future is a regressive trip down memory lane keeping an era alive that has not caught on) and garnering a younger audience. A perfect case in point is Indy Car's title sponsor, Verizon. While this may have seemed like a perfect foil for NASCAR's title sponsor, Sprint, it would seem as though it has not gotten any traction. Verizon, one of the country's largest communications and media companies, cannot seem to do something so simple as making live streaming of Indy Car races work. Think I've actually seen it work once since they took over the title sponsorship role. Most every other time when trying to tune in via live streaming, the viewer gets a window stating that "Due to local weather conditions the race is on hold and will return" (SIC). Then, turn on the TV to find the race is not only going on, there are no weather conditions holding up the race. Am I the only one that sees the irony in this? Hate to have to keep stating it but 2016 is a make or break year for Indy Car. They'd like to keep kicking the can down the road to 2024 (or whatever) before they make any major changes and they simply don't have that luxury of time. BHW
I think it was a huge plus last year with putting races immediately after Nascar races whether live or replays. It obviously paid dividends in terms of increased eyes watching the product. I haven't examined the schedule that deep, but I think I heard they're continuing that this year and perhaps even increased it (on NBCSN). Whether that will result in increased attendance this year at the gate remains to be seen, but more eyes are watching and that's a good thing. As far as this being a make or break year, you may be right, especially if we slip into another recession as some are predicting, it's hard enough finding sponsors in Indycar.
I agree - that is what appeals most to me also and we saw that prove out in the last race of last season. Carlin more involved in American open wheel is a good thing for sure. Also agree. Although they did cough up huge money for that SB spot this year. I don't know what the right way to advertise a sport like this is these days honestly. I don't watch commercials anymore personally. I get most of my information online. I'm not sure what the solutions is here. F1 also seems to have a similar problem though in that they don't seem to be reaching the young fans either. Of course, they are starting from a much larger fan base. So awesome.
I think Robin Miller reported that Super Bowl spot only played in something like 3 states, so you were one of the lucky ones. I don't recall seeing it in my neck of the woods. Still a very positive move regardless.
With regard to the Indy Car schedule, right off the bat, moving the St. Petersburg Grand Prix (SPGP) weekend to the week before Sebring (and on the same weekend as Amelia Island) IMO is a mistake. The SPGP had a nice little tradition of being on either a week or two after Sebring. So, moving it ahead by two or three weeks is a curious change. The change may not affect attendance at St. Pete which is usually strong but stretching the media a bit thin in terms of what gets covered as, frankly, I likely would have attended this year had they remained in their traditional calendar spot. Haven't seen any mention of a "Spring Training" type session. Last year, they did this at Barber (that red hot media center) which got virtually zero buzz. When CART was in its heyday, they ran a multi-day "Spring Training" session at Homestead which was a huge media event and created a big buzz as media from all over the world would be in attendance. BHW
Ahhhhhh......the smell of death. I see you gentlemen are holding up your end in the failing efforts of crapwagon racing in my absence. Well done. Indy Car will do the rest.
According to Autosport.com Alex Rossi has a ride with the Andretti team for 2016. It ain't F1 but it is well deserved. I had hoped that Haas F1 would take him. I wish him well.
Confirmed. Pictures of his seat fitting on Facebook. Looking forward to seeing what he does and how he stacks up with Marco.
LOL! It's just like GrandAm, as one of my esteemed motorsport journalist colleagues pointed out, "It's like a train wreck, you can't watch but you can't look away either". Think that applies here as well. BHW
It is indeed a train wreck. Does anyone really care anymore? Losing Justin Wilson was about the last straw for me, hard to imagine that F1 went 20 years between the death of Senna and the death of Bianchi, but Indy Car can't protect its own. Shameful.
Agree. And the best part is all of the following: Indycar Racing News | Racer.com - INDYCAR: Series increases engine lease price limit Former Ford Racing exec to lead IndyCar officiating Now we have Formula Ford mentality entering the mix. God.......do I want a front row seat when this goes off the tracks! Between overpriced engine contracts and the addition of a club racing mentality.........this should be a spectacular train wreck !!!
No worries, teams will compensate as before, close the doors and lay off everyone straight after the final race. Then rehire in Feb/Mar
Saddening.....isn't it? The sport at one time was the truest essence of competition. Now a failing charade and a shadow of its once magnificent self.
With the 1st practice less than 24 hrs away, let's take a look at Montoya's livery for 2016. Almost a little McLaren-esque, don't you think? Image Unavailable, Please Login