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State Fair vs. World Stage
That's what I'll call this, and I realize the concept is not a profound one from posts I have read by devotees of U.S. open wheel racing who have been much more attentive during the last 25 years than have I.
I thought the original concept of the IRL's formation was the creation of an oval track series which was more accessable to American drivers, presumably in American built chassis with American built engines. On the grand scale, I don't think that floated too many people's (Billy) Boat.
No need to rehash all of the myriad political, technical and financial upheavals that have occurred in the interim...the face of today's IRL is completely international, and most from the early days are back at the homestead flying a Kite.
If you can sell 100,000 tickets to State Fair attendees, or to fans who make the journey to their local 3/4 mile bullring, then I guess you're on a road to success. That's what potential sponsors and television executives would think, too.
Wait until you see what kind of buzz will be created as the first race on the 2010 schedule approaches. Even without their hometown heroes to cheer for, Brazilians will propell this event onto the world stage with their enthusiasm for motor racing and their day in the sun. I wrenched at a couple of Formula Ford races in Venezuela long ago, you would have thought it was the F1 circus coming to town from the local reaction to the event and the chance to cheer on their loca drivers. Think Ferrari fans at Monza.
So I say, let the Series continue to evolve in the direction it is headed: an international challenge that will likely never supplant F1, but will augment its appeal by the marked differences that will continue to exist between the two series. The huge State Fair that is Indianapolis will always be the centerpiece, and competitive oval racing at appropriate venues will always be welcomed by the American motor racing fan. And the Japanese motor racing fan. And hopefully everyone in between, along with the corporate sponsors who jump at the chance to participate in the international appeal.
I'm no soccer [football] fan, but lately I hear that the U.S. team is generating national and international attention by becoming competitive on the world stage. I don't think their recent success was borne from American kids growing up as they learned to play American style soccer, and waving the flag as they gave those foreigners the what-for. I think they adopted the style of the international game, and coopted some of the world's best talent, to become the emerging force that they now represent. Global market, indeed.
Road course racing is the style that most international fans have grown up on: true in large part for most of the current IRL driver lineup. It is the most demanding test for their skill, as it is for the designers and engineers who take up the challenge.
So long as the expenditures for staging international events does not outstrip the revenue, I say let it grow. There's a lovely little track not too far from Watkins Glen, in the heart of one of North America's most beautiful cities, and steeped in the tradition of world class motor racing. Apparently F1 doesn't consider L'Ille de Notre Dame as a suitable place to set up the circus. I say it's a great road course and a short step to another entance onto the world stage for the IRL. We shall see if Alabama generates the same attention, or draws the same throngs of local fans to support their hometown heroes. I don't think Paul Tracy drinks Mountain Dew...
Whatever you wash it down with, this is not a corn dogs vs. quiche argument. It's about cooking up a menu that feeds the appetite of all motor racing fans: keep giving them a little taste of the kind of racing we saw last night at Kentucky, and they will come to the table. So will the dollars, and the euros, and the yen.
They don't have state sales tax in New Hampshire, but they don't have too many greenbacks to count there either. And I doubt they can make change for a Euro, even if you're just headed to the State Fair to grab a corn dog and watch the pickup truck race.
All-American is great. It's just not for the future of the IRL. Ours is just one of the many flags of competiton to wave: take the racing anywhere there are fans hungry for it, and drop the one we all share. Green.
Andrew Bernstein
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