So nobody cares anymore? My main man Ryan wins a race, and it is like the sound of one hand clapping? Dale
with the merger between ALMS and GA plus support from multiple manufacturers, sports car racing is about to make indycar totally irrelevant. it's no coincidence that guys that didn't cut it in F1 are now going to sports cars when in the past they'd go to CART/IRL.
Voice in the wilderness calling here. The coverage sucks but the racing is actually pretty good. Sadly moreso on the ovals. They are going to continue to race many weekends with Sportscar racing which is good for those of us who like both open wheel and sportscar racing. MB
The problem is not IRL, the problem is the USA race spectator, and a lack of good TV coverage. The racing is much better than F1, but it does not have the glamour. The USAC/CART split, then the CART/IRL split, sent a lot of race fans home and they have not returned. Possibly they went NASCAR, possibly they went ALMS, possibly they only watch the boredom of F1. I have no idea. Personally, I was pissed at the arrogance of those idiots that scheduled a race in Michigan the same weekend as the Indy 500 knowing that most everyone that would buy a 500 ticket, already spent their wad. The first lap in Michigan was wonderful, those idiots crashed, showing the world they were idiots. I did not give one rat's ass about Tony George, I just wanted to watch great racing. And that first event at Disneyworld convinced me I mad the correct choice. Then those same idiots had to switch sides and kiss TGs ass. That is when I stopped following the IRL. Penske, GanASSi, etc, they were the reason open wheeled racing failed, not Tony George. I do know, that the current IndyCar series provides some really great racing for open wheeled cars, something you will only see in sports car racing, but at this point, not likely in F1. So something needs to be done to bring back the race fan. The real race fan, not the one that was more concerned about their dislike of Tony, but the one that just wants to see great American open wheeled racing with thinking about the politics.
SPOILER Alert!! (I watched the first half and have the rest on the DVR ... but I saw the winner when I shut down the recording at the end.)
Make it totally irrelevant??? It already is. "Spec" racing is for learning how to race. What was once a top tier series, is now nothing more than a small paragraph on the last page in the back of the sports section. And the blame can go to many for this.
As stated, a lot of the problem is the spec formula Indy Car has embraced. For a series that was based on innovation and high speed thrills, Indy Car is now watered down to the point where the cars are boring and not very inspirational. After the Dan Wheldon tragedy, they've become so concerned about public perception and holstered the cars to the point where the thrill is now gone. We may say a lot about responsibility but the Indy Car series has had seventeen years (and five years of "reunification") to pull itself together and it seems no matter what they do or who they put in to runs things, it just falls flat. We may also say that the state of the U.S. tracks has a lot to do with it. European colleagues are always pointing out the short fall of safety standards of U.S. circuits. It's to the point where a lot of these circuits, the street races in particular, are a bit of a joke. Just because the George's run the Indianapolis Motor Speedway dosen't mean they know how to run a whole series as it seems now any move they make to the show may spell doom to the series and the 900lb gorilla on the block (NASCAR) sits in anticipation of the demise of a once great series. Theres probably not a magic bullet to fix things but they'd better start addressing their issues or risk further irrelevance. BHW
Nobody cares! Simply that, and US sportscars will be quickly following. The 'merge' of GrandAm and ALMS is/will be a disaster as was the IRL/CART split. Talk of German DTM and Japanese GT series also will only help to confuse the already ho hum public. Sure there are a few thousand out there diehards, but they won't keep any of these series afloat. NASCAR? Well when you see half full stands at their longtime events, the writing is on the wall. Every one is a 'spec' series except DTM and F1 nowadays.
+1 Arguably F1 is almost a spec series, rev limited 2.4 liter V-8's that all sound the same. I miss the diversity of the 3.5 liter formula.
A lot of commentary here, I'll weigh in with my own. The problem isn't the history or the fans. The racing is GARBAGE. Some here might like side-by-side racing, that's not racing, that's Russian Roulette. It sucks in NASCAR, and it sucks worse in open wheel. Old USAC / CART / Champ Car was NOT SIDE BY SIDE RACING. It was draft and pass, multiple lead changes, etc. The problem is clear - The cars have too much aero and not enough power!!!! Any other analysis outside this is irrelevant. You will not see fans return without the change I mentioned. MotoGP does not have side-by-side. F1 does not have side-by-side. Now if you think of the downstream effects of a car with too much aero and not enough power, it becomes too easy to drive. Too easy to drive means any Tom, Dick, and Harry can drive the car, which dilutes the talent pool. Diluted talent pool - typically with young, hungry drivers a) trying to prove themselves; b) less experience; and c) no fear - means higher risk. Too easy to drive means they race on Super Ovals - that's like swimming with sharks in a chum suit...you are asking for major problems. Wheldon, Reyna, and Dana are reminders of this. It's BAD NEWS. That diluted talent pool also means less attraction from the fans. Year after year the lineups change - there are few known names with strong personalities for fans to root for...this crop of drivers is...BLAH. Paul Tracy was the last of a great breed IMHO. The cars need to have 900HP. The cars need a lot less aero. Make them hard to drive. Then you'll get guys like Foyt, Mears, Andretti, Unser, etc. that are real drivers looking for a challenge to race and you'll build up personas plus great racing to draw fans back.
Could a part of this be that the cars are just horrifyingly ugly? Indy/CART cars used to be very attractive in the 1990s, but this latest generation is just hard to look at IMHO.
Spot on. They look comical. Those horrible wheel fairings were a stupid knee-jerk reaction after Wheldon was killed.
He swallowed the IRL Media pill. You know.......after taking it you are on a trip, but Tony George tells you how wonderful that trip is!!!!
NASCAR is good - they have a great format going that makes some great racing. The TV side can be weak with all the graphics and titles and sponsors and announcers, but the race and at track experiences are pretty high. Clearly with you on this one - and this is also why I like NASCAR. More power, less aero, less grip. The IRL cars look like they are aerodynamically hitting a brick wall in the race I watched this year. Acceleration at low speed, and it really tapers off... A format with cigar shaped aero neutral cars likes the Lotus 49 or Ferrari 312 with exposed engines and softer suspensions that bring back visual dynamics to the car - could be a good format. Sure they wouldn't be running 220MPH+ laps, but they'd look better doing it. I see a lot of side by side racing in MotoGP when its on. Although they typically are not running entire laps side by side, which may be your implication. See NASCAR...900HP, less aero, and much harder to drive. A 400-500HP car with 2-3L naturally aspirated V8's or V12's with neutral aero and a non slammed ride height that doesn't take advantage of ground effects would probably be the way to go. Style the cars to look more crisp like jet fighters with the profile of older Indy/F1 cars rather than tonka toys like they have now. The sound of a N/A twelve is just soo much better than what they race now.
Sorry dude......When it comes to an Indy Car...........Turbo all the way. Not these whiney little putt putts they have today. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING beats the sound of a turbo Cosworth, Offy, Chevy, MB, Buick or any other compressed atmosphere engine. Besides...you get to hear something that you haven't heard in over 16 years when using them. I believe it goes something like this..........." Its a new track record"!!!!!
you are close. but there is NO race car that sounded as great as a 5.4 L 917 flat 12... ...close third the judd v-10
