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Quote Gingers4Justice.
I'm both naïve and British, which probably explains my surprise at the debate. As far as I'm concerned, IndyCar is as interesting now as it ever has been since I first started watching US open wheel racing since the first Rockingham race. We're obviously nowhere near CART levels but it's got me interested far more than the IRL ever did.
So what is it I'm enjoying that everyone else isn't? My guess is that the mis-management of open wheel racing and its decline combined with the rise and rise of NASCAR has meant that whatever IndyCar does, it's perceived as inadequate. Is that accurate?
As for Rockingham, I can't really see the teams being persuaded to do it. Besides that, Northamptonshire is an exceedingly short-sighted county that barely sees the benefit of the Grand Prix so I'm not holding my breath for anyone with the vision to make it happen coming along any time soon. Quote
There's no doubt the racing is better but that's got a lot to do with the car. The DW12 is a ground effect car, similar to the Lolas and Reynards of the CART era but no way as well designed. The IR5 was flat bottomed and was designed to produce the awful pack racing that was a feature of IndyCar racing, when it was called the Indy Racing League; the series is still run by the IRL.
I don't know if inadequate is the right world to describe the series but the management has certainly been inadequate and there's been a lack of foresight. Hopefully with Derrick Walker on board a lot of this can be rectified.
One of the biggest problems facing teams is the cost of the car, which is now higher than originally intended, surprise surprise, as well as having to buy spares from Dallara, which are more expensive than going to a 3rd party. The overall increase in costs has meant the introduction of aero-kits has been delayed.
It would be nice to see a race again at Rockingham but realistically I don't see it happening.
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