Indycar News & Rumors.

[Paradise City]

I don't see all these impoverished Indycar guys breaking contracts will-nilly to accommodate gas from Pat Patrick mind you. Not in any immediate sense.

However Pat Patrick should've been treated with respect as a man with an innovative idea rather than given the cold shoulder treatment. These guys can't afford to be wrecking potentially prosperous, long term relationships like that.

[Peat]

I think Katherine has every right to feel aggrieved.

However, Saavedra undoubtedly meets TRUEcar's needs as he looks like a butch lesbian.

[Yannick]

Not a fan of Jay Penske. Not a fan of Saavedra. That's why they they are a good fit.
I also was not a fan of Flavio Briatore and not one of Nelson Piquet Jr and considered them a good fit for the same reason.

It's like I would put it past Dragon to ask Saavedra to cause a yellow so their other driver Bourdais can get away with a race win.

Here's hoping Katherine Legge gets a nice payout from Dragon and/or the sponsor out of this.

And Peat: I feel that comparison you made of Saavedra is being derogatory to butch lesbians. People who like the guy's on- and off-track behaviour might think different but let's not get "political" here.

[mountainstar]

As many of you know, I have always admired Kat Legge's determination in the face of a lack of finance and talent.

But she's had her chances and if she can't compete in these dog eared cars with and other unspectacular drivers, there isn't much else to say.

I had great expectations for her getting signed up with Audi, but she spent a few years in a manufacturer gig in the DTM and basically did nothing with it.

As I said 6-7 years ago, she desperately needed a driving coach at a minimum.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by Yannick

Here's hoping Katherine Legge gets a nice payout from Dragon and/or the sponsor out of this.

Depends what the contract says, but most likely it is full of holes they can sneak out of. I doubt she was getting paid that much, if anything anyways. I think most people would be shocked how little these drivers make now, especially after they pay things like their insurance.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by Peat

I think Katherine has every right to feel aggrieved.

However, Saavedra undoubtedly meets TRUEcar's needs as he looks like a butch lesbian.

I'm sure it came down to Saavedra bringing money. Truecar probably provides enough to paint the car and make the wheels go around and that's about it.

[bjohnsonsmith]

And the Dragon / Legge story continues:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/105582

[Paradise City]

I doubt she'll get anywhere. Unless you are a top-gun these contracts are always weighed heavily in favour of the team. She might get a bit of compo but even that's dubious.

[TheMightyM]

Marshall Pruett writes that IndyCar won’t use inverted grids for doubleheaders. He also adds that:

Like many items created by Bernard, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the series’ new management pull the plug on doubleheaders after 2013. The disinterest from the teams has also been received by IndyCar’s top brass, which could make the topic of inverted grids a moot discussion point.

[bjohnsonsmith]

I'm glad to hear there won't be reversed grids, it's just a gimmick.

As for double-headers, I felt this was a mixture of a last gasp attempt plus the easy option, to bulk up a dwindling series with existing tracks, rather than doing some hard graft and going out to historical tracks and trying to win them over.

[TheMightyM]

The doubleheaders struck me as being desperate and silly. I get the idea behind them, but it’s a tough sell to attract all but the most hardcore fan two days in a row. And you’re quite correct that what the series really needs to try to do is reestablish itself in the markets it has lost or find suitable instead of doubling up where it remains.

Also, just because something existed in the past (doubleheaders), does not make it a good idea now. And as a marketing exercise bringing them back is just bizarre — the people that remember doubleheaders fondly aren’t exactly the demographic the series needs to reach to grow in the future.

Not Randy's best idea.

[bjohnsonsmith]

I agree, it wasn't Ropin' Randy's best idea but I don't lay the blame solely at his feet. The powers behind IndyCar, with their supposedly years of experience, should have been there to advise him. Which begs the questions, are they completely out of touch or did they use this as a way to fire Randy?

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

I agree, it wasn't Ropin' Randy's best idea but I don't lay the blame solely at his feet, the powers behind IndyCar, with their years of experience should have been there to advise him. Which begs the questions, are they completely out of touch or did they use this as a way to fire Randy?

He was going to get fired, just like any other person would have. Dealing with the ownership of the series is like pushing a boulder up a mountain with a spoon. Doubleheaders was the least of the problems.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by mountainstar

He was going to get fired, just like any other person would have. Dealing with the ownership of the series is like pushing a boulder up a mountain with a spoon. Doubleheaders was the least of the problems.

Well plunging the ownership into a number of double-headers, probably will get you fired as the ownership find it harder and harder to finance a dwindling series.

I wonder how long Belskus lasts?

[IndyDonut]

The doubleheaders were also a way to count one race as two separate events, right? Regardless, I'd be more than happy to see the gimmick go away. Ideally, the series is more stable next year and can get its way into Road America, Watkins Glen and Montreal in 2014. (And maybe PIR)

[Paradise City]

It's the reverse grid aspect and rewarding slowcoaches with top grid positions I personally loathe. I stopped watching the BTCC immediately when they came up with that. Double headers less so if they could be run on the same day or something.

I mean, I appreciate they'll knock about a few ideas but frankly what seems to be happening is that they don't know what's wrong, they are wandering around in the dark 'fixing' what isn't broken and haven't quite woken to the reality that alot of their unpopularity is an inescapable result of NASCAR dominance.

[The Happy Track Fan]

Originally Posted by IndyDonut

The doubleheaders were also a way to count one race as two separate events, right? Regardless, I'd be more than happy to see the gimmick go away. Ideally, the series is more stable next year and can get its way into Road America, Watkins Glen and Montreal in 2014. (And maybe PIR)

This series will most definitely not be in any better shape in 2014. Not with Brian Brainfart set to be put back in more control of the series.

Great move Indy Car. Fire a personable and passionate guy like Randy Bernard who really seemed to care what the fans want, and replace him with a bunch of talking heads yes men, the worst of which is Brian Brainfart who doesn't have the smarts to spell car if you spotted him the "C" and the "R".

This series is finished. Done. Stick a fork in it. IMS will still be fine with their nice little 100 million dollar greasy palm hand-out, so what the heck do they care if the Indy Car series dies.

[HJJ]

Lots of stories in the 24 hrs about IMS on the block.

http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2...-speedway.html

http://jalopnik.com/the-indianapolis...le-u-370191404

http://shakedown.kinja.com/nascar-wi...indy-379977093

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by HJJ

Lots of stories in the 24 hrs about IMS on the block.

http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2...-speedway.html

http://jalopnik.com/the-indianapolis...le-u-370191404

http://shakedown.kinja.com/nascar-wi...indy-379977093

As far as I know, it's been on the block since the sisters took over, being shopped around quietly. No one has bit because the price has been too high.

As I posted several times over the past few years about their trust, that would be the iceberg that sank their ship. People want their money.

It needs to end up in new hands and tony george just needs to go play golf or do something where he can't hurt himself or anyone else.

[bjohnsonsmith]

RHR testing Ed Carpenter's car.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/105746

[JagtechOhio]

http://www.usnews.com/news/sports/ar...ep-indycar-ims

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by JagtechOhio

http://www.usnews.com/news/sports/ar...ep-indycar-ims

I'm not too sure about this playoff business.

[Yannick]

Same with me. The suggestion of a 3 race playoff period at TMS, Long Beach and the IMS road course just goes to show that the consulting firm doesn't have a clue about the reality of racing. They think it's a good business decision to change the yearly dates of two of the series' most successful events for the sake of this playoff idea that will devalue the rest of the series' events and all that with nothing to fall back on, not realizing that the ticket buyers want the Long Beach race in the spring and the Texas race after the Indy 500.

The suggestion to move 2 successful events away from their respective dates on the calendar is ludicrous at best and does not make sense.

And the other changes they propose for the calendar are not really thought out either.
Amongst the other suggested events, "Seattle" and "Boston" just do not exist for lack of a venue. I'd say substitutes for these could be Portland and Loudon. Road Atlanta may or may not be possible, as do Phoenix and Homestead, depending on ISC which is owned as we all know by business competitor NASCAR. Milwaukee sure is near enough to substitute for Chicago if they advertised it there.

The consulting firm obviously is not well-informed at all about the sport and selling tickets to the same people year in year out. Stability of an event date is paramount there so the spectators can plan their trip to the racetrack. But the consulting firm could not care less since it's not even their responsibility in the slightest to see that their suggestions are even remotely successful.

The educated guesses of what would benefit the series by us here on the board are about as good as those of the consulting firm.

[NaBUru38]

I disagree with many of the proposals.

Having multiple television partners is good, because it forces them to cover the series. Does ESPN show UFC news? Does Fox Sports show NHRA news? Of course not, they are owned by their rivals.

There's no need for a Chase. The championship battle has been extremely tight the past few years. IndyCar has little viewers, but nobody will tune in just to see who enters the Firestone Top Six or whatever. People watch races, not championships.

Increasing the purse in unnecessary. People won't tune in or out depending on whether the winner takes 200,000 or 30,000 dollars. Plus, a more radical scale would increase the difference between top and bottom teams. The Indianapolis purse is good, same for the Triple Crown, and the Leaders Circle helps small teams. Just keep it that way.

[Paradise City]

I would say that what people want doesn't always square with what people think they want. Focus groups aren't all they are cracked up to be.

A first year business student giving the CART/IRL/Indycar case study since '94 would come to the conclusion that the Hulman's need to depart and Tony George needs to have a restraining order imposed preventing him from going near anything with four wheels. How this Consultancy came to the opposite conclusion is staggering. Presumably they wanted to avoid telling their clients they are useless.

Whilst 'play-offs' are unimaginative nonsense, it seems a superficial report also, as some of the recommendations, whilst interesting, do starkly fly in the face of the fiscal realities.