2011 Schedule News

[JagtechOhio]

I didn't know where to put the link below, and we have all sprinkled in reports and confirmations about IRL venues for next year...so here's a thread to stuff all of them in.

Hopefully we can keep "My dream schedule" or "I'm hoping for..." in other places, and try to stay on news that looks like a pretty promising development or a nail in the....well, nail pile.

From memory, what's ON:

Indy
Baltimore
Louden (New Hampshire)
Brazil
Barber

Yes, Edmonton sounds promising but I wouldn't count it in. Copy and paste the list, and add on any others that you know are a mortal lock.

The Glen news was reported here as speculation when Angstadt suggested it was gone. It still hasn't been confirmed:

http://www.theithacajournal.com/arti.../7280366/1128/

Most of us know what's in the speculation pile..."Randy's talking to Bruton about Vegas", "Randy says $400K from the Wisconsin Fair Board will get a deal done for Milwaukee", blah blah blah.

But by all means, throw down what you got that is verifiable. Thanks!

[marcostraz]

But didn't Edmonton sign a three-year deal with IndyCar?

[Quintin03]

Confirmed :
Indianapolis (Motor Speedway)
Baltimore
Louden (New Hampshire Motor Speedway)
Sao Paulo (Samodrome street circuit)
Barber Motorsports park
Edmonton airport (that three year deal)

Off:
Watkins Glen

Under consideration:
Milwaukee

Total races: 17-18

Any more?

[icemachine]

Toronto I believe has one year left on the three year deal that was originally signed with Andretti-Green, now Green-Savoree. G-S just got Federal funding for $770,000, provided they match to upgrade the Toronto catch fencing.

I'm pretty sure the following have deals for next year

Sao Paulo
St. Pete
Alabama
Long Beach
Indy
Texas
New Hampshire
Toronto
Edmonton
Baltimore
Infineon
Kentucky

Las Vegas is likely to wind up on the schedule, and Motegi and Mid-Ohio will likely be back. I suspect Iowa, Kansas, Chicagoland and the Glen are gone, while Qingdao is vaporware.

[DanicaFan]

Icemachine, you can add Iowa and Mid-Ohio to that list as well.

[icemachine]

Yeah I forgot that Iowa is not an ISC track. Murphy's latest suggests Mid-Ohio is to be sold in the near future, and the new owners are not ALMS fans, not sure what that means for IRL, or any other series for that matter.

[JagtechOhio]

OK Ice, I know the council approved a deal with Octane, but I read some serious concern over the fact that the price was nearly doubled after the vote. My impression is that they voted on $3M and were handed a bill for $5.5M or there abouts.

Calling Vegas likely is a huge leap of faith. The big money on the table was put there to lure a Nascar Cup race in the fall.

[icemachine]

This is the latest information I've seen for Edmonton, not a done deal, but fairly close.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/sport...127/story.html

From what I was reading earlier in the season Bruton Smith was pushing hard to have Vegas as the final race. He's got 4/5 races he wanted, I think he'll get the 5th.

[Yannick]

The Glen off? That's sad since it's one of the classics of the series - just like Milwaukee.

I guess Las Vegas might turn out to be great.

[Mr Pink]

Does anyone know if Sao Paulo is getting resurfaced for next year? I liked the bumps, ads a bit of character and challenge.

And also, excuse my ignorance, is it the oval you're talking about when you say Las Vegas or is it a street circuit?

[Quintin03]

Oval, as part of a deal with SMI to bring a total of 5 of their tracks on next year's schedule.

[Mr Pink]

Originally Posted by Quintin03

Oval, as part of a deal with SMI to bring a total of 5 of their tracks on next year's schedule.

Thanks!

[JagtechOhio]

This isn't related to IndyCar, but it kinda is.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/2...or-KY-Speedway-

Kentucky gets a Nascar date: Bill France says that will affect the BY400 attendance, which already sucks. If IMS loses money over the BY400, that hurts the IRL coffers indirectly.

So Bruton moves an SMI race out of Atlanta. He has also threatened to move one of the Louden dates, and has the IRL scheduled there to replace it.

So where would Bruton's other Louden Nascar race go? Vegas, where they are throwing money at him to bring a fall race there.

That's the same slot Bernard is trying to use his connections to fill.

If the Nascar schedule comes out first, the IRL picture will become a little clearer. I still doubt Bernard has half the schedule carved in stone.

[JagtechOhio]

Below is an excellent audio interview with Randy Bernard, conducted by Stephanie of Planet IRL on Friday at Mid-Ohio.

Many uncertainties about the 2011 schedule are discussed. Fresh news, straight from the source.

http://planet-irl.com/2010/08/07/an-.../#comment-1693

[JagtechOhio]

More Nascar dominoes lined up.

If I was a betting man at the Kansas casino, I'd say no ISC dates for IRL anywhere.

http://www.kansascity.com/2010/08/06...o-receive.html

[JagtechOhio]

This says Mid Ohio is a lock:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor...le-notes_N.htm

If Ice and DF are right, that's 14. I'm still thinking not all of those are mortal locks.

That's 9 road course/ 5 oval.

[NaBUru38]

I've read that the Nascar Cup race at Texas would move to Atlanta's open date in March. In addition, the Texas Indycar race would move to early May (7?), giving room in June for Chicago and/or Mid-Ohio. The Midwest will be crowded from June to August!

[V8thunderfan]

I'm guessing there have been no whispers of a European race in the near future?

[JagtechOhio]

No V8. nothing else overseas at all. (except) Talk of a Quebec Canada promoter who wants a street race.

It takes $20M expenses to fly the circus someplace, so big local promoters/ municipal investment/ TV network investment are the keys.

The schedule is supposed to be nearly complete by the end of August, and Bernard is supposed to head for Europe at that point to talk to auto manufacturers.

That doesn't leave a lot of time. Bernard was at the Indiana fair with his pal Robin Miller to see the Kiss concert last night. Partee every day.

And the TV ratings for the Edmonton race were 0.18. Some guy wrote that you could get ratings like that from blind cats walking across TV remotes.

But my omelette this morning, that was top shelf.

[V8thunderfan]

Shame, Not sure if anybody in Europe would put that sort of cash on the line.

Ooo.. Has he gone see Ferdinand Piëch, I can't see anybody other than the VAG group having interest or money for an Engine program despite what they have said in the past about it, but that's O/T anyway.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by JagtechOhio

No V8. nothing else overseas at all. (except) Talk of a Quebec Canada promoter who wants a street race.

It takes $20M expenses to fly the circus someplace, so big local promoters/ municipal investment/ TV network investment are the keys.

The schedule is supposed to be nearly complete by the end of August, and Bernard is supposed to head for Europe at that point to talk to auto manufacturers.

That doesn't leave a lot of time. Bernard was at the Indiana fair with his pal Robin Miller to see the Kiss concert last night. Partee every day.

And the TV ratings for the Edmonton race were 0.18. Some guy wrote that you could get ratings like that from blind cats walking across TV remotes.

But my omelette this morning, that was top shelf.

The TV ratings are the elephant in the room everyone wants to ignore, but they are gradually winding down the irl. More and more teams are forced to accept cut rate deals from hopeless ride buyers and as they do more and more people turn off the TV set.

Ropin Randy can go and talk to all the euro manufacturers he wants, but he doesn't have much to offer does he? And even if he does get something, he'll have to get their USA offices on board as well.

[V8thunderfan]

Originally Posted by mountainstar

Ropin Randy can go and talk to all the euro manufacturers he wants, but he doesn't have much to offer does he? And even if he does get something, he'll have to get their USA offices on board as well.

To be blunt.. no BUT Small displacement turbo producing huge output is a VAG fetish at the moment

To be O/T what is the list of races looking like at the moment for 2011

[JagtechOhio]

I'm getting too lazy to figure out the right place to put this stuff, so here is where it goes.

V8, it's been imposible to figure out since 2008 if VAG wants to play or not. The last word came from Ulrich Baretzky, who gave a definitive "NO" when the Honda specs were approved on June 2. Link below if you're interested, thanks again to Speed King for posting the original article:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/4...makes-the-pass

Both Gordon Kirby and Holly Cain echoed similar (but less absolute) statements from Baretzky since then.

The name "Fiat" has continually been floated, although nothing from them. VP of Dodge in the U.S. said the other day that they have no interest. That supports what Star suggested.

As bad as the past year has gone, with zero increase in TV ratings or attendance, I heard something amazing in an interview Saturday. Randy Bernard said that the total "sponsorship spend" went from $34M in 2009 to $81M in 2010.

This borders on incredible to me, since finances at the team level are terrible. And if a great sum was spent on promotions, it has had zero effect. Belskus says the IRL is still operating in the red.

What sort of Chinese calculus is being utilized is unknown, but a lot of people seem to think things are going great, Bernard included. Hopefully the reporter will answer a request for some follow-up on that interview.

The TV ratings don't lie, and attendance figures at many tracks have been low...that brings us back to the thread topic, since ISC is dropping the events where they can't make any money.

To top it off, as Star has previously pointed out, the team owners are mum on everything. Curry at D&R shared a little, I asked him how the teams could afford to just write off all the value of the old equipment after 2011. He said he didn't know where all the money for new cars was going to come from, they are all scraping now.

They have nothing to show potential sponsors that popularity is improving. Hope, rope, and blind cats.

[icemachine]

In a rough season order

Sao Paulo
St. Pete
Alabama
Long Beach
Indy
Texas
Iowa
New Hampshire
Toronto
Edmonton
Baltimore
Mid Ohio
Infineon

Two SMI tracks not confirmed
Kentucky
Las Vegas

All ISC Tracks are unconfirmed
Kansas
Watkins Glen
Chicagoland
Miami

[JagtechOhio]

That looks accurate as a best case scenario to date, IMHO.

Four ovals, Kentucky would likely make it 5.