Race format

[dubby99]

Would anybody liked to see changes in the race format this year?
I would certainly love to see changes at some races like a possible afternoon sprint race before the sundays main game or possibly 2 races on the sunday with one of those a reversed grid format or even a race in the opposite direction!!!You could do it on a street course and oval

I know i might sound crazy but i am just trying to use my imagination to get more bang for your buck so fans can be more satisfied with CC and to differ from other openwheel series like the IRL and F1

Has anyone got any idea's?

Let's not have that can't do attitude

[macdaddy]

I've convinced myself that racing on Saturdays would be a good idea. There's too much sporting competition on TV on Sundays.

It wouldn't help attendance though, as a three-day event would be squeezed into two. (Unless they could draw Thursday crowds, which I doubt). The two qualifying sessions would both have to be held on Friday, one at noon and the other a few hours before sunset.

It would be hard to squeeze time in for the support series, too. So my idea definitely has some drawbacks. It's just that NorthAmerican television is inundated with sports on Sundays. Golf, NASCAR, football, baseball... With little or nothing on Saturdays.

[gttouring]

i second that- champcar needs to bring up its base again and saturday races will make everyone happpy.
and the party aafterwards! and sunday alll can recuperate
if stars and guitars were to work this is how but motocrock is missing thank god. so lets hope saturdays tyriumph and champcar will have not one rival this day

[JohnSSC]

So if you have the majority of racing on street circuits, how do you "sell" this to a prospective random city? There would be an enormous push back regarding closing the public thoroughfares (remember, people live and work in these places) a day earlier than if the race were to be on Sunday. To accomodate that, then, you have to compress practice, qualifying and all the support events so that everything is done on Saturday (face it, having the Main Event Saturday effectively ends the event - few will come Sunday to watch support races).

Now we get to the fun part: $$. Many of you here support the move to "profitable venues." Now, if you eliminate one day then that means fans, teams, etc leave your city in droves on Saturday night with few lingering to Sunday rather than droves spending $$ like crazy all day Sunday and flying out Sunday or Monday. Few hotel rooms are booked, fewer meals purchased and pretty soon the great economic benefits from having a CC race in your hometown are not so great. Support among the business community dwindles, political support dwindles and soon there is no invitation.

As much as it would benefit them to market a product that is not superior to the other things on TV on Sunday's, going to a Saturday main event would be far worse.

[evo]

I think Saturday races is a bad idea. This would mean I only get to see one day of on track action if I go to an event. If they race on Sunday I get to watch qualifying Saturday and the races Sunday.

[dubby99]

The only time races should be held on saturday are the night races like what we see at LVMS and the mile.

However i would like to see the race format change on sunday to a 2 race show (80 to 90 miles each) on only on 1 or 2 circuits on the calender. It's worth a try.

Think about it for a sec

With a 2 race program drivers a going to be forced to make a pitstop to make it to the end of a race so teams would be using different strategies in terms fo fuel quantity to get the edge over there competitores without the drivers turning down the wick and short shifting.

Between races teams are aloud to make any changes and carry out any repairs in a period of about 20 mins a bit like rally and drag racing and if you are not finished goodbye the race starts without you.Simple.

Race 2 is the same deal possibly with a reversed grid and trust me it wont change the heritage of CC or CART it's just a simple change that i am sure drivers and teams could adapt to.

I know i day dream but even if they try it for 1 race weekend i am sure they have nothing to lose.

[macdaddy]

They used to occasionally run two races on the same day, Hazza. Although the format was not as you have suggested. (Your reverse-grid idea would be fun, wouldn't it?). Rick Mears won two "Atlanta 125's" on June 28, 1981. That much I do know. Any history as to how they qualified ect I'd have to look up, unless somebody here knows!

[Hazza]

What...I didn't do it what?

Macdaddy, you should lay off the bud when posting - I can easily see how you can confuse "Dubb99" with "Hazza" :P

"Nixon...Simpson...do you think they are related Smithers?" "It's unlikey sir as they spell and pronounce their names differently"

I think that a dual race formatt would be an interesting way to go, more starts = more action. If touringcars, bikes and f3 do it why couldn't Champcar. The only problem would be organising the points...

[macdaddy]

Oops!

[Snrub]

The race needs to be on TV on Saturday, but it needs to be on Sunday for the paying public. How do you do that? I don't know. Racing on Saturday for the steet courses probably doesn't make much sense because you need to pull in as much money as possible to pay for stuff and that the city sees a return. Perhaps on premanent courses like the Portlands and the Milwaukees where there's fairly low attendance it could be done?

I really don't like the idea of having a ETCC-style set of two races. It seems overly hokey and I don't know that it's an overly fair way of doing things.

I think the biggest change to race formats needs to be some sort of way to ensure no one is doddling around at 90% saving fuel. I don't know how to do that. I think the IRL has a good idea regarding the qualifying shootout, which sort of takes the Nascar "playoff" concept to qualifying. Personally I think it might be a good idea for the IRL to adopt it on ovals too. It's a shame the IRL thought of it first because it would be great for CC. Can anyone else think of another interesting way to improve qualifying?

[dubby99]

Well Snrub i think that having a top 10 qualifing shootout after the traditional qualifing session is a good way to go.

I think they done something like that in Mexico last year but in the most confusing way as possible for the fans so they changed it if i can remember.

The V8 supercars has a top 10 shoot out and it never fails to impress me. It's great to watch on TV and at the track seeing the cars step out on cold tyres and seeing the nerves from the drivers, teams and fans as drivers knock each other off pole is a must see event.

[JohnSSC]

The IRL came up with a pretty interesting qualifying format. It would be worth a look.

To improve the race itself they really need to dump the mandatory pit windows. Give them all the ethanol they want, crank up the boost and go for it!

CC needs to get away from artificial methods like that to make the race "interesting."

[dubby99]

I think mandatory pit stops were dumped towards the end of the season.

Anyway as you said JohnSSC "crank up the boost and go for it" i agree with you on that one and my idea was a 2 race format on sunday which would lead the drivers to IMHO more aggressive driving and passing i hope.

Effectivly 2 sprint races that make up the distance of a full race with 1 pit stop in each race to be more specific. Why would you want to conserve fuel.

Could be a bad idea though.

[Snrub]

It doesn't seem like there is anything they can do to avoid people crusing along conserving fuel. Perhaps as was suggested if they have tons of fuel they're more likely to drive hard.

I don't like articificial addatives either, but I don't mind as long as the drivers are in control (as with Push to Pass) and it improves the show without being unjust.