Your IRL calendar

[Alwaysfirst]

Just a bit of fun. Putting reality aside for a moment, Tony George gives you a phone call and tells you that you are in charge of the IRL calendar for the next year of races. You can have up to 25 tracks. What would they be and why?

[Alwaysfirst]

Here's my calendar:

1) Orlando, Florida - We start the season at the beginning of February at Walt Disney World Florida on the fast one mile oval. Although the track got a bit of a bad reputation due to some bad crashes the simple addition of some safer barriers & the HANS device would solve many of the safety problems here & the track itself is challenging. If the publicity could be stepped up before the start of the season this would be a great place to start the year.

2) Mexico City, Mexico - This track moves to being the 2nd race in the season, rather than in final race in Champ Car. The Mexican crowds, especially if there's a Mexican driver or 2 in the field would be great for carrying on the momentum from the first race. This race couldn't be more than 2 weeks after Orlando though as this would defy the whole point of the big start to the year.

3) Long Beach, California - Long Beach is simply a must at the start of the year & is a great track with a lot of heritage.

4) Fort Worth, Texas - Fort Worth goes slightly earlier in the year & provides a big contrast with the other tracks earlier in the year, being the first really fast track on the calendar. The grandstands are huge & would hopefully be full to provide a great atmosphere.

5) St Petersburg, Florida - Back to Florida for the street race at St Petersburg. The track is possible & has produced good races in the past as well as being very popular with drivers.

6) Kansas, Kansas - This track is now fairly established as the race before Indy & I don't see any reason why that should be changed. Hopefully crowd attendance will continue to improve as the seasons go by to make this a good event in its own right, rather than just 'the race before Indy'.

7) Indianapolis, Indiana - It wouldn't be the IRL without it.

8) Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Usually provides a good race & is quite popular with drivers as well as having a lot of history. Attendance must improve though to keep its place on the calendar.

9) Portland, Oregon - The far north-west is one of the few places where NASCAR hasn't got a massive grip on motorsport as this is the only real venue in the area. The IRL must capitalise on this, promoting the hell out of it & then putting on a great show for race day. Teaming up with the ALMS would also help here.

10) Edmonton, Canada - Edmonton is very popular with the drivers & is wide so overtaking is possible. Attendance too is usually excellent & this could help make this a great show. More Canadia drivers like Tracy, Tagliani & Ranger could help this event on this way though.

11) Toronto, Canada - A popular Canadian race with drivers & fans. No real reason to drop it. Same as Edmonton with the Canadian drivers though.

12) Loudon, New Hampshire - Track wants to be back on the IRL calendar & it is a market that the IRL could try to get more popularity in. A large amount of promotion must be done first though for the event to be a success.

13) Watkins Glen, New York - A classic track that should be on the calendar...but with more promotion. The place needs to be packed out on race day. Success breeds success.

14) Brooklyn, Michigan - The massively popular super-speedway makes a return! Races are almost always great here & it is one of the fastest events on the calendar. More promotion could be done here though.

15) Iowa, Iowa - Instantly popular with the drivers but more needs to be done on getting the fans to come to the race. At a small track like this every seat needs to be sold.

16) Detroit, Michigan - A popular street track, the race would be run on the same layout as used '98-'01 to promote a bit more overtaking. Further widening of the track would also be good.

17) Mid-Ohio, Ohio - A great track but more promotion needs to be done to pack out the spectator banking. A few more fixed grandstands might also be good.

18) Nashville, Tennessee - The concrete surfase of the oval adds another element to the race here & it would be a night race. Again, more promotion etc...

19) Road Atlanta, Georgia - Some slight safety improvements here would make this a great, fast & challenging track for a race in a state where there is currently no IRL race. Promotion & combining this with the ALMS could make this a winner.

20) Fontana, California - The 3rd super-speedway of the season. Long Beach shows that there is a market for single seaters in this region of California, the race just needs more promotion. Give a prize for the driver who has done best on the super-speedways or something. Just give this race a novelty value to get the crowds in!

21) Las Vegas, Nevada - The IRL uses the Champ Car street circuit. The track was very popular with the drivers & effective sponsorship & management could make this race a success rather than the financial disaster it was for the CCWS. Promotion is the key. Get it sponsored by Playboy or do something big. Try to get a casino or 2 involved. Make a big fuss about the race & it can do well.

22) Motegi, Japan - Honda's race in Japan. If Honda pays for this one then it can stay...if not then they need to get more crowds in. 2000 people in the stands isn't good enough. This race may need to be moved earlier in the season if Bernie Ecclestone says so though...thats just the way it is.

23) Adelaide, Australia - The first of an Australian double header. Crowds for the Aussie V8s are often over 200000 here & the IRL could build on this. If possible, move back onto the old, longer F1 track.

24) Surfers' Paradise, Australia - Always popular & very unpredictable. A double header with the V8s could be a massive success. If the IRL has travelled half way around the globe what's the harm in staying for one more week for a very well attended , massively popular event?

25) Chicagoland, Illinois - The season finale & a return to the US. Chicagoland always produces close, fast and exciting races. Just what the season finale needs. Proper promotion of the event, making the whole year lead to this one race could make this massive.

Other events I wouldn't mind being added are Elkhart Lake (if the case can be made-the track is one of the very best in America but people need to come to the race or it is pointless), Miller Motorsports Park (great track & location...with a great backdrop of the mountains. Needs a bit of development such as the grandstands before the IRL goes there though), a European double header at Rockingham, UK & Assen, Netherlands would be good (Assen can get a couple of hundred thousand to a properly promoted event & Rockingham has been a success in the past), Laguna Seca, Sebring, Cleveland, Kentucky & Homestead would all also be welcome on the calendar, but they need to be pulling the crowds in & not relying on handouts from the series to survive. It would also be great to get a Brazilian event on the schedule somewhere. The Brazilians are passionate about their motor racing & there are loads of Brazilians in the IRL for them to support so it would almost certainly be a success if the right track can be found, though I'm not so keen on the rumoured street track in Recife.

Hope you approve of my calendar.

[cptkablamo]

Lets see...
1 - New Hampshire
2 - Rio
3 - Texas
4 - Long Beach
5 - Indy
6 - Milwalkee (sorry spelt it phonically...)
7 - St Pete
8 - Michigan
9 - Toronto
10 - Road America
11 - Mid Ohio
12 - Nashville
13 - Monterry Mexico
14 - Portland
15 - Edminton
16 - Mosport
17 - Detroit
18 - Vancover
19 - Miller Motorsports Park
20 - Motegi
21 - Gold Coast
22 - Mexico City
23 - Elkhart Lake
24 - Laguna Seca
25 - Fontana


I presume that i have missed some in there but I think that gives a good variey of tracks and keeping focused on the better areas of the US racing scene while taking the series to some areas with drivers (how many Brazilians re there) and fan friendly events too...

[Stefvh]

No track anymore at Rio.

[Bob Riebe]

Far, far, far too many races.

Quantity is NOT quality.

[Stefvh]

20 races is enough, yep.

[Ultimo]

Originally Posted by Alwaysfirst

22) Motegi, Japan - Honda's race in Japan. If Honda pays for this one then it can stay...if not then they need to get more crowds in. 2000 people in the stands isn't good enough. This race may need to be moved earlier in the season if Bernie Ecclestone says so though...thats just the way it is.

Why would Bernie have a say?

I am not an Indy fan but have went down the the Toronto GP a few times and it's always well attended from what I've seen and the whole city gets involved, so I'm glad you included this and the Edmonton race as well.

There's not many Canadian drivers around, but the fans come out to support them.

[Alwaysfirst]

Bernie may have a say because running a race in Japan towards the end of the year would start to invade on the timescale of the F1 Japanese GP. Bernie doesn't like any other big races in a country several months either side of the GP in case it has an effect on the crowds for the F1. A sad fact, but what F1 says goes.

I don't think 25 races is too many. Close to the maximum, but not too many. NASCAR runs quite well on 35-ish races a year, many of them on the same tracks. I wouldn't like to see this many races. All the races I have suggested are on different tracks, most of which have very different characteristics from each other. The modern society seems to want everything, now & NASCAR provides this by having a race pretty much each weekend. I'm not saying go that far but if single seaters want to compete again & not just with motorsport fans, but with the 'every day man' who is no more than a casual viewer, then they need to have at least more races than they have now. If there's no IRL on then the casual fan will watch what is on instead, namely NASCAR, & so that is where their support will stay. There are entire months of the year where NASCAR has races & IRL has none. The NASCAR season starts before the IRL & ends later. I'm not talking about taking over American motorsport, just providing some healthy & much needed competition. The challenge is then to make each of the events on the expanded calendar quality ones, rather than just extra ones.

However, I did say that you can use UP TO 25 tracks, not that you had to. If you think 25 is too many then suggest what you would do...

[lnin0]

Long Beach should be the season opener and Cleveland needs to be in there around July 4th every year.

[Bob Riebe]

Originally Posted by Alwaysfirst

Bernie may have a say because running a race in Japan towards the end of the year would start to invade on the timescale of the F1 Japanese GP. Bernie doesn't like any other big races in a country several months either side of the GP in case it has an effect on the crowds for the F1. A sad fact, but what F1 says goes.

I don't think 25 races is too many. Close to the maximum, but not too many. NASCAR runs quite well on 35-ish races a year, many of them on the same tracks. I wouldn't like to see this many races. All the races I have suggested are on different tracks, most of which have very different characteristics from each other. The modern society seems to want everything, now & NASCAR provides this by having a race pretty much each weekend. I'm not saying go that far but if single seaters want to compete again & not just with motorsport fans, but with the 'every day man' who is no more than a casual viewer, then they need to have at least more races than they have now. If there's no IRL on then the casual fan will watch what is on instead, namely NASCAR, & so that is where their support will stay. There are entire months of the year where NASCAR has races & IRL has none. The NASCAR season starts before the IRL & ends later. I'm not talking about taking over American motorsport, just providing some healthy & much needed competition. The challenge is then to make each of the events on the expanded calendar quality ones, rather than just extra ones.

However, I did say that you can use UP TO 25 tracks, not that you had to. If you think 25 is too many then suggest what you would do...

In the US open wheel racing IS NOT LIKE NASCAR, or even any stock car series in the US.
DO NOT try to compare the two; Big Bill France spent thirty years nurturing NASCAR into what it is, by any means he thought needed to be done.
Stock car racing has ALWAYS been strong, and with the collapse of several competing series, NASCAR inherited the crown, plus Bill France was a promoter unexcelled.

Outside of sprint cars, open wheel racing in the US is a compartively minor thing, pumped up ONLY because of the Indianapolis 500. (Don't forget that CART's supposed best years was when road racing [IMSA and SCCA] began to self destruct in the late eighties after ruling the roost for most of twenty years)
With the exception of a series to which the Indianapolis 500 is attached, any other open wheel series comes, and then fades away.

There is no market to support more than an absolute, and I doubt it will support that, top of twenty races.
I don't mean races that are here today and gone tomorrow, but those like USAC had when year after year there was never doubt that a race would be back the next year.

Bob

[Bob Riebe]

Originally Posted by cptkablamo

Lets see...
1 - New Hampshire
2 - Rafaela
3 - Long Beach
4 - Indy
5 - Milwaukee (sorry spelt it phonetically...)
6- Michigan
7- Mid Ohio
8 -Mosport
9- St. Jovite
10 - Atlanta
11- Elkhart Lake
12- Gold Coast
13 - Motegi
14- Laguna Seca
15 - Phoenix

A slight redo.

[Alwaysfirst]

I'm not trying to compare the two. I'm simply saying that now that the merger has taken place there is far more scope for expanding the popularity of open wheel racing again. Whichever way you look at it open wheel racing in the US is nowhere near as popular as it has been in the past. The Indy 500 will have got more coverage this year than it has for probably over a decade...but that's still going to be less than half the ratings it recieved at it's peak. The appetite for NASCAR with US fans shows that there is a market for motor racing in the US & there is no reason whatsoever that the IRL shouldn't try to buy into some of that popularity.

I'm not doubting that stock cars have always been strong in the US, nor am I denying that Bill France was one of the best motorsport promoters ever. I'm just saying that there is a real oppertunity for the IRL to regain some of it's popularity & that a strong schedule with great promotion needs to be part of this. I never said that the IRL is going to be able to just topple NASCAR's dominance by adding a couple of races to the schedule. At the same time though I see no reason why the IRL shouldn't develop in areas that still have less NASCAR interest that others such as the North-West (Portland), Canada (2 popular, well supported & well attended races in Edmonton & Toronto), Mexico (Mexico City) & Australia (Adelaide & Surfers' Paradise). This isn't toppling NASCAR. This is living along side it, adding popular tracks with well attended races, carving out it's own niche...just a significantly larger niche than in recent years.

So back to the point...what would you like to see on the IRL calendar. If that means 6 races to you then fine. If it means 20 or 25 then that's also fine. I'm just interested in how a well thought out calendar could help improve the IRL & how you would go about it......................not an all out war on NASCAR as I know perfectly well that the IRL will loose. Nothing wrong with reminding them that the IRL does still exist though.

[mountainstar]

I think you are better off getting 18-20 good races together and getting that established than doing 25 races all over the map poorly. American open wheel teams don't want more than 20 races anyways. Ask them and that's what you'll hear.

[racer69]

20 is about right...could they even get a decent grid at all 20 races at the moment??


Why has no one put Phoenix on their lists?

I'd bring back the triple crown as well, with 500 milers at Indy, Michigan & Fontana (rather than Pocono)

[johntt]

Heres mine:

Ovals
Indy
Michigan
Fontana
New Hampshire
Motegi
Milwaukee
Phoenix

Road Courses
Laguna Seca (with ALMS)
Road America (with ALMS)
Mid-Ohio (with ALMS)
Mexico City (with Nascar Nationwide Series)
Montreal (with Nascar Nationwide Series)
Portland
Watkins Glen (with Grand-Am)

Street/Temporary Courses
Long Beach (with ALMS)
Houston (with ALMS)
St Petersburg (with ALMS)
Detroit (with ALMS)
Toronto
Cleveland
Surfers Paradise (with V8 Supercars)

21 races, one third of each as it should be.

[hadlou]

Originally Posted by johntt

Heres mine:

Ovals
Indy
Michigan
Fontana
New Hampshire
Motegi
Milwaukee
Phoenix

Road Courses
Laguna Seca (with ALMS)
Road America (with ALMS)
Mid-Ohio (with ALMS)
Mexico City (with Nascar Nationwide Series)
Montreal (with Nascar Nationwide Series)
Portland
Watkins Glen (with Grand-Am)

Street/Temporary Courses
Long Beach (with ALMS)
Houston (with ALMS)
St Petersburg (with ALMS)
Detroit (with ALMS)
Toronto
Cleveland
Surfers Paradise (with V8 Supercars)

21 races, one third of each as it should be.

I like your calendar, neither of the drivers can advantaged like the current calendar for the former Indy drivers

[duke_toaster]

This is in no real order, in 6 categories and 18 races or so.

US Ovals

Indy
Texas Motor Speedway
Milwaukee
Michigan
New Hampshire

US Road Courses

Sears Point
Laguna Seca
Miller Park

US Street Circuits

St Petersberg, Florida
Houston
Cleveland

Canada

Montreal (Ile De Notre Dame)
Edmonton
Mosport Park

Mexico and South America

Mexico City
Interlagos

Pacific

Motegi
Suzuka
Surfer's Paradise

[drdisque]

Season starts first weekend in March, Ends 3rd weekend in october

March Weekend 1: Homestead
March Weekend 2: St. Pete
March Weekend 3: Off
March Weekend 4: Long Beach
April Weekend 1: Off
April Weekend 2: Motegi
April Weekend 3: Kansas
April Weekend 4: Rockingham
May Weekend 1: Indy ROP
May Weekend 2: Indy Quals 1
May Weekend 3: Indy Quals 2
May Weekend 4: Indy 500
June Weekend 1: Milwaukee
June Weekend 2: Texas
June Weekend 3: New Hampshire
June Weekend 4: Toronto
July Weekend 1: Mid Ohio
July Weekend 2: off
July Weekend 3: Kentucky
July Weekend 4: Chicagoland
August Weekend 1: Edmonton
August Weekend 2: Portland
August Weekend 3: Richmond
August Weekend 4: Nashville
September Weekend 1: Detroit
September Weekend 2: Off
September Weekend 3: Australia
September Weekend 4: Mexico City
October Weekend 1: Barber Motorsports Park
October Weekend 2: Las Vegas

[Alwaysfirst]

Originally Posted by racer69

20 is about right...could they even get a decent grid at all 20 races at the moment??


Why has no one put Phoenix on their lists?

I'd bring back the triple crown as well, with 500 milers at Indy, Michigan & Fontana (rather than Pocono)

When IRL officials have just had to ask Milwaukee to extend the pit lane to cope with the larger field (27) I'm fairly confident that numbers of cars at races wouldn't be a problem.

Phoenix won't be returning to the IRL any time soon. It's a NASCAR owned track that never used to attract big enough crowds. The race wasn't particuarly well promoted either & I can't see the track or it's owners giving the IRL a helping hand at the moment.

I agree about the triple crown...

[Knowlesy]

A schedule that resembles the late CART calendars as closely as possible would suit me.

[jonm2]

Orlando (oval)
St Pete (street)
Phoenix (oval)
Long Beach (street)
Las Vegas (oval)
Kansas (oval)
Indy (oval)
Milwaukee (oval)
Texas (oval)
Edmonton (street)
Mid Ohio (road)
Michigan (oval)
Toronto (street)
Road America (road)
New Hampshire (oval)
Kentucky (oval)
Detroit (street)
Chicagoland (oval)
Surfers Paradise (street)
Fontana (oval)

20 races

11 ovals.
9 Road/Street

Indycars belongs on ovals, IMO.

[Fish_Flake]

Sunday, March 8: Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida (street)
Sunday, March 22: Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale, Arizona (short oval)
Sunday, April 5: Streets of Long Beach, California (street)
Saturday, April 19: Twin Ring Motegi, Motegi, Japan (speedway)
Sunday, May 3: Road Atlanta, Braselton, Georgia (road)
Sunday, May 24: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway, Indiana (speedway)
Sunday, May 31: Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wisconsin (short oval)
Saturday, June 6: Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas (speedway)
Sunday, June 21: Exhibition Place, Toronto, Canada (street)
Sunday, June 28: Burke Lakefront Airport, Cleveland, Ohio (airport)
Sunday, July 5: Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Michigan (speedway)
Sunday, July 12: Edmonton City Centre Airport, Edmonton, Canada (airport)
Sunday, July 19: Portland International Raceway, Portland, Oregon (road)
Saturday, August 1: Richmond International Raceway, Henrico County, Virginia (short oval)
Sunday, August 9: New Hampshire International Raceway, Loudon, New Hampshire (short oval)
Sunday, August 23: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio (road)
Sunday, August 30: Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin (road)
Sunday, September 6: Streets of Belle Isle, Detroit, Michigan (street)
Sunday, September 13: Kentucky Speedway, Sparta, Kentucky (speedway)
Sunday, September 27: Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, California (road)
Sunday, October 11: Streets of Surfers Paradise, Australia (street)
Sunday, October 25: Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City, Mexico (road)
Saturday, October 31: Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, California (speedway)

23 races: 10 ovals, 13 road/street circuits.

[Peno]

Here I go...Don't bug me about crowd numbers, track owners, etc
1-Phoenix
2-St Petersburg
3-Long Beach
4-Motegi
5-Indy (Memorial Day Monday, like it used to be)
6-Milwaukee
7-Portland
8-Richmond
9-Cleveland
10-Mont Tremblant
11-Toronto
12-Edmonton
13-Michigan
14-New Hampshire
15-Gateway
16-Rockingham (UK)
17-Watkins Glen
18-Mexico City
19-Surfer's Paradise
20-Fort Worth

[drdisque]

Oh, BTW, the Rockingham I was referring to is the one in North Carolina, not the one in England.

[peckstar]

for those of you guessing . the surfers race will not be on the last weekend in september or the first two weekends in october, its is just too busy a time in australian sport

thanks