|
Part of benefiting motor sport is giving it exposure to expand its reach. You guys talking about Wakefield reminds me of Buttonwillow and Willow Springs, which are both not that far away from L.A., but who's actually heard of them? Unless you're already into cars and racing, you haven't. I'll bet plenty of readers of Road & Track even, which uses those California tracks for testing, would draw a blank about those tracks if you asked them in passing. At least people know that Long Beach exists, even if they never go.
You also mentioned that you might as well head on to a track in the Sydney area if you're going far enough to get out to Wakefield. With those two tracks in California, they're far enough out that too many people would likely think it too much of a pain to go out there to watch a race for them to be viable for big events. Also, I just see ZERO chance at present for either Buttonwillow or Willow Springs to get the upgrades that would be desired for them to be considered for events in ALMS, Grand-Am, or IndyCar.
And a final note, which probably comes out of the American perspective. That is, a small part of me asks, if a permanent road course is truly viable, why should it need public funds for upgrades or an extension? If it matters enough to the track management and fans, why can't they just "make it happen" themselves? Road America and Lime Rock have both made major changes in recent years, and i'm not aware of public funding for those projects.
|