IRL cost cutting

[nic.v814]

Apart from having cheaper parts supplied is the IRL doing anything else to lower costs?

[racerkeke]

Cutting out (just about) all temporary street circuits, by the look of it. I hear St Pete's "on the bubble", and possibly Edmonton.

keke

[GTRMagic]

If Honda leaves the series at the conclusion of the 2009 series, all you can really say is that costs (in testing at tracks and in simulation technology) may actually increase

[Leighton Irwin]

They have released (fired) several staff members at their headquarters.
Nothing otherwise that I have heard. Based on the lack of info it must have been all their PR staff.
Tracks have expressed interest in replacing Detroit but dead silence from IRL in what is a slow news time. Perfect time to get out PR.

[Amar7605]

It's going to be one interesting year, though. If marketing is cut, then the IRL will be relying more on the track promoters to promote the series (does that make sense? ).

And though this is a sidetrack, what will the crowds look like this year? Some races like Long Beach and Indy will be packed, but perhaps not many more.

[DanicaFan]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

If Honda leaves the series at the conclusion of the 2009 series, all you can really say is that costs (in testing at tracks and in simulation technology) may actually increase

Honda wont leave. They are committed to the IRL until at least 2013.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by DanicaFan

Honda wont leave. They are committed to the IRL until at least 2013.

They were committed to F1 as well.

Things change so I wouldn't count on it.

[mirwin]

Originally Posted by DanicaFan

Honda wont leave. They are committed to the IRL until at least 2013.

Toyota was also committed, but then paid a lot of money to get out of the IRL.


Other than Dallara cutting prices by about 10%, nothing has been done to cut costs. I suppose you could say losing Detroit will save the teams money, but the sponsors may want to pay less now are they will be getting less exposure with the shorter season.

[DanicaFan]

Originally Posted by mirwin

Toyota was also committed, but then paid a lot of money to get out of the IRL.


Other than Dallara cutting prices by about 10%, nothing has been done to cut costs. I suppose you could say losing Detroit will save the teams money, but the sponsors may want to pay less now are they will be getting less exposure with the shorter season.

The IRL is working to replace that venue now. There are several options out there with Barber Motorsports Park being the most likely at this time.

[Leighton Irwin]

Danica Fan: I know you have connections with AGR, but with IRL too? The silence from IRL about what they are planning is very poor PR. The Holidays are a prime time to get PR out with less than normal sports news in the media.
Anything is better than IRL's silence.
Since you have inside info, are IRL or AGR planning on a display at the Cdn. Motorsport Expo later this month in Toronto? After all there is a race in Toronto, although you would not know it from local PR.
I have heard zip.
NASCAR who do not have a Sprint Cup race in Canada have 2 cars in their display. A Jimmie Johnson car and a Dale Jr. car.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by DanicaFan

The IRL is working to replace that venue now. There are several options out there with Barber Motorsports Park being the most likely at this time.

It's a bike track. Where are they going to pass? In the trees?

[DanicaFan]

Originally Posted by mountainstar

It's a bike track. Where are they going to pass? In the trees?

IndyCar tested there last year and are testing there again this year in March. It may not be the easiest track to pass on but remember its still 45' wide and they hold car races there.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by DanicaFan

IndyCar tested there last year and are testing there again this year in March. It may not be the easiest track to pass on but remember its still 45' wide and they hold car races there.

Testing is a whole different deal than racing.

[nic.v814]

passing in the trees would make for some interesting racing. Im sure there are some good tracks that they could use like laguna seca or the indy road course

[Leighton Irwin]

We used to test Atlantic cars at Nelson Ledges as it had a great variety of corners but I sure wouldn't have wanted a race there. Testing with a few cars on track, usually only 2 or 3 at a time and racing are two different animals.

[Amar7605]

Originally Posted by nic.v814

passing in the trees would make for some interesting racing. Im sure there are some good tracks that they could use like laguna seca or the indy road course

Yeah, what happened to Laguna Seca?

Oh right - Infineon!

Indy road course would be cool, too. And it would add something more to talk about in the season. Having two Indy winners would be cool. Moreover, what if the Indy 500 winner won the road course later in the season? Think of the talk then!

I'm sorry, everyone... my mouth is watering at the possibilities!

[Knowlesy]

Originally Posted by DanicaFan

IndyCar tested there last year and are testing there again this year in March. It may not be the easiest track to pass on but remember its still 45' wide and they hold car races there.

There were carraces held in Valencia last year as well, doesn't mean they were any good.

An Indycar race at BMP would be tremendously retarded.

[duke_toaster]

What about Miller Motorsports Park or Sears Point? Tony George might not like the idea but there's also Indy Road, which was an interesting challenge for F1.

[DanicaFan]

As I said before, they can replace Belle Isle with another oval track. It doesnt have to be a road/street course and I would prefer an oval.

[F3L]

Originally Posted by nic.v814

Apart from having cheaper parts supplied is the IRL doing anything else to lower costs?

Have read elsewhere:

The wheelbase will be fixed at 122 inches this year. There was a little range there, but that is gone. This saves money because teams now won't need to buy as many sets of suspension pieces.
There is also some stuff happening in the clutch area,

[DanicaFan]

Originally Posted by F3L

Have read elsewhere:

The wheelbase will be fixed at 122 inches this year. There was a little range there, but that is gone. This saves money because teams now won't need to buy as many sets of suspension pieces.
There is also some stuff happening in the clutch area,

Back in December (2008), Some IndyCar drivers were down at Homstead-Miami for some testing. They were testing a new exhaust system which is supposed to lower the engine noise by 9 decibels.

And reference the clutch area F3L, some cars were also testing a new carbon clutch that could possibly replace their current sintered clutch. The new carbon clutch is more cost effective and doesnt need serviced as often. They also say its easier on the gearbox and the driveshaft. This new clutch will be optional for teams and it shows not much of a performance advantage.

[F3L]

Speedtv say:

Shorter month of May at Indy? It's been rumored the Indianapolis Motor Speedway could trim the schedule for May to save teams a little money. Nothing official as yet but it's believed the track might not open until Tuesday (May 5) for rookie orientation and Wednesday (May 6) for the veterans, giving them three days of practice prior to the first weekend of qualifying (May 9-10). The past couple years, rookies were the only drivers allowed on the first two days of practice and IMS opened on Sunday, with vets allowed out on Tuesday.
Depending on the number of rookies and their progress, it's possible they could also get some additional time on Wednesday as well.
Since 2000, the Monday and Tuesday following the first weekend of time trials have been dark and this year it may also include Wednesday. So basically, it would save two full days for the teams without rookies.
"For the established teams it wouldn't matter, but for the one-off teams and smaller guys any track time is helpful," said Derrick Walker, who has been on both sides of the fence during his two decades as a car owner.
"On the flip side, it's less time to wear out engines, burn through tires and hit walls. It's not a huge impact on your budget but it would help some. Of course the weather could play havoc and then you might really miss any time if it's ****ing rain all week."

[nic.v814]

Cutting track time is a good way to save money but like you say if it rains like last year it could seriously stuff things up

[gttouring]

Barber, miller, VIR, Limerock, Mosport? the number of natural race circuits available in the N.America makes switching dates or going to a full permanent race schedule so easy...WTF is wrong with Tony George? Trying to save money here and there and...
if he'd run the series like he loves it instead of because he owns it things might work smoother and better
BTW any word on the 4 CYl turbo motors? liter of displacment and turbo size?
(3.5liter fours? or 3.0 or 2.0 or 1.8?)

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by gttouring

Barber, miller, VIR, Limerock, Mosport? the number of natural race circuits available in the N.America makes switching dates or going to a full permanent race schedule so easy...WTF is wrong with Tony George? Trying to save money here and there and...
if he'd run the series like he loves it instead of because he owns it things might work smoother and better
BTW any word on the 4 CYl turbo motors? liter of displacment and turbo size?
(3.5liter fours? or 3.0 or 2.0 or 1.8?)

Barber, Lime Rock, VIR, Mosport all would not be suitable for a variety of reasons. Miller would work.

I think the four cylinder turbo motors will really only happen if they can get another manufacturer to commit otherwise I doubt with the current economy, Honda is going to develop a totally brand new engine just for the heck of it.