Quote:
Originally Posted by TheMightyM
Marshall Pruett has an absolutely must-read piece asking “ Can two Bay Area Indy Car events thrive?” The short answer is “no.” Bookmark this story because you might want to pull out the quotes and use them later. Some samples:
Marshall Pruett on the local market:
From Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP) CEO Tim McGrane, who runs WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca:
And from Sonoma Raceway president Steve Page:
Pruett also reports that Homestead is “said to be out of the running” for a spot on the 2019 IndyCar schedule. |
I've got very strong family connections with the Bay Area and the Monterey Peninsula. My uncle lived in Hillsborough, just south of San Francisco and my grandparents had a house in Carmel. I don't quite get why Marshall Pruett, says there are two races in the Bay Area, when the Monterey Peninsula by any stretch of the imagination has little to do with the Bay Area. For a start, Monterey is Steinbeck country.
If he means the race going demographic for Northern California, not being able to sustain both races, he could be right. However, if both venues were at either end of the calendar, that might have been feasible but we'll never know as Sonoma is to be replaced by Laguna Seca.
Personally, I think this is a good decision. Historically, Laguna Seca often featured as either the penultimate or final race on the CART calendar and with it's racing history, I think a much better venue to bring VIPs to show gratitude and, in some cases, finalize business deals for the following year. Pebble Beach and it's World famous golf course are just down the road.